Inside the room.
Looking at his status panel.
[Source Energy]: 687.33
[Skills]:
Chopping Wood Sword Technique+ (Fourth Limit Break: 5000/5000) (Traits: Versatility, Swift as the Wind, Divine Wield, Unity of Man and Sword)
Water Affinity+ (Fifth Limit Break: 6000/6000) (Traits: Underwater Breathing, Water Manipulation, Water Spirit Affinity, Cloud and Rain Control, Water Spirit Body)
Once again, Jiang Ning gazed at his status panel, lost in thought.
Among his many skills, only two had reached their experience caps and met the requirements for a limit break.
One was the Chopping Wood Sword Technique, which had already undergone four limit breaks. The fifth limit break would require 200 points of Source Energy.
The other was Water Affinity, which had undergone five limit breaks. Jiang Ning estimated that the sixth limit break would require a full 500 points of Source Energy.
In other words, to break the limits of both skills, he would need a total of 700 points of Source Energy. Currently, he only had 687 points, and he chose to ignore the decimal values for now.
Thus, he could only choose one of the two skills to break through.
After a brief moment of contemplation, Jiang Ning decisively chose the Chopping Wood Sword Technique.
He still had great use for his Source Energy, and the Wind and Thunder Archery Technique had only undergone its first limit break. With the rate at which he could gain experience in Wind and Thunder Archery, he estimated that it would take only two or three days of intense training to max out the remaining 2000 experience points.
In the next moment.
Jiang Ning focused his mind and mentally clicked on the plus sign next to the Chopping Wood Sword Technique.
He then closed his eyes.
As his eyes shut, darkness enveloped his vision.
Suddenly.
A flash of sword light appeared in the darkness.
The light was blindingly white, starting from a distance and gradually drawing closer.
With each step closer, the sword light grew brighter.
Soon.
His entire field of vision was consumed by this radiant sword light.
Everywhere he looked, there was nothing but the dazzling, piercing light of the sword.
This sword light split the darkness before his eyes as if it were trying to cleave apart the very heavens and earth.
After what felt like an eternity.
Jiang Ning slowly opened his eyes, returning to the light.
But even now, he could still see two streaks of sword light floating in his pupils.
One on the left, one on the right.
The sword light shimmered in his vision, but as time passed, Jiang Ning noticed that it was gradually fading.
[Source Energy]: 487.33
[Skills]:
Chopping Wood Sword Technique (Fifth Limit Break: 6000/6000) (Traits: Versatility, Swift as the Wind, Divine Wield, Unity of Man and Sword, Natural Sword Bone)
Water Affinity (Fifth Limit Break: 6000/6000) (Traits: Underwater Breathing, Water Manipulation, Water Spirit Affinity, Cloud and Rain Control, Water Spirit Body)
[Natural Sword Bone]: Possessing a natural affinity for the sword, this trait grants unparalleled talent in the path of sword techniques.
After reading the description on his status panel, Jiang Ning frowned slightly.
"This time, it's a passive, innate trait!"
"It seems that this trait won't provide an immediate boost to my combat power."
Then.
Jiang Ning walked to the center of the courtyard.
His long sword was already in his hand.
Although the sword light from the limit break had faded, it had left a deep impression in his mind.
Now, he felt as though he could wield his sword and unleash that same light.
Standing in the center of the courtyard with his sword in hand.
Jiang Ning felt a difference from before.
Previously, it was the unity of man and sword.
Now, it was the unity of man, the sword, and the heavens and earth.
In this state, he could sense the rhythm of the world, the breath of the universe.
Jiang Ning closed his eyes and quietly immersed himself in this rhythm.
After a short while.
Jiang Ning, standing in the center of the courtyard, suddenly opened his eyes.
With a single slash.
Whoosh
A streak of sword light hung in the air.
Hum
The long sword, suspended in mid-air, trembled incessantly.
Jiang Ning's eyes widened slightly, a look of astonishment in his gaze.
His sword had stopped mid-air, still three feet above the ground.
Yet, on the ground, there was a finger-thin slash mark.
Wherever the slash passed, all grass, bamboo, and stones were cleanly severed.
Several egg-sized pebbles were also split in two by the slash.
The cuts were smooth and flawless, without a single imperfection.
Even the ground revealed the brown soil beneath the surface.
This level of power was far beyond what his previous sword winds could achieve.
Before, the sword winds he unleashed could only cut through the grass.
Against an ordinary person, they would at most leave a few shallow cuts, mere scratches.
But now, it was completely different.
This slash left a mark over half a zhang long (approximately 1.6 meters).
Wherever the slash passed, not only were grass and bamboo cleanly severed, but even hard stones were split in two.
This level of power was comparable to the explosive force of internal energy.
Yet, Jiang Ning did not use any special techniques in this slash.
It was simply a straightforward downward strike.
Then.
Jiang Ning slashed again.
Hum
The sword stopped in mid-air.
The powerful kinetic energy was entirely absorbed by the sword in Jiang Ning's hand, causing it to tremble continuously.
Another clear slash mark appeared within a zhang (approximately 3.3 meters) in front of him.
This time, Jiang Ning carefully measured the slash it was six chi and three cun long (approximately 2 meters).
In other words, it was just over two meters in length.
Wherever the slash passed, grass, bamboo, and stones were all cleanly severed without exception.
Whoosh
He raised his sword and swung it.
One breath later.
Boom
A large boulder in front of him was split in two. The smooth cut surface left it without any support, causing it to slide and crash to the ground.
Seeing this, Jiang Ning's eyes narrowed slightly.
"According to the books, when sword momentum reaches a certain level, it can resonate with the heavens and earth, drawing upon the power of the world to unleash unimaginable force."
"Is this the effect of advancing sword momentum further?"
Jiang Ning murmured to himself.
He didn't dare to make a definitive judgment.
Because his understanding of this aspect was still quite limited.
He had only a superficial understanding of sword momentum.
According to the books, mastering sword momentum was a prerequisite for reaching the fourth rank in martial arts.
In the six ranks of martial arts, each subsequent rank represented a vast leap in power, and the gap between ranks grew increasingly larger, almost to the point of transcending mortal limits.
For example, at the initial stage of the fifth rank, one could begin to break through the body's natural limitations.
But advancing further to the fifth rank allowed one to master internal energy and discover the body's dantian (energy center).
At this stage, with the support of internal energy, one's combat power would rise to a whole new level. As long as the internal energy wasn't exhausted, one could fight against three or even four opponents at the initial stage of the fifth rank.
If one advanced further and condensed internal energy into sword aura, their combat power would become truly formidable.
A single slash could easily cut through anything.
Even armored soldiers could be effortlessly cleaved in two.
This was something that even a peak fifth-rank martial artist would find difficult to achieve.
After all, the armor worn by soldiers was made of refined iron.
And armor made of refined iron wasn't so easily cut.
The soldiers who wore such armor were all martial artists who had reached the rank of ninth or eighth rank, with skin as tough as bronze.
Combined with their armor, they were like human tanks.
Not only was it difficult to cut through both the armor and the person inside, but even simply killing them was a challenge.
Especially when such elite soldiers formed battle formations, they could easily surround and kill martial artists far stronger than themselves.
Even a fifth-rank martial artist who had mastered internal energy would think twice before entering such a formation.
Because human strength has its limits, and so does internal energy.
How long could one fight at full strength?
But the power of a military formation was endless.
Moreover, as Jiang Ning knew, some elite armies of the Great Xia Dynasty, such as the Black Tortoise Army, were composed of soldiers who had reached the eighth rank or higher.
There were even seventh-rank elite soldiers and higher-ranking commanders.
This was one of the reasons why the Great Xia Dynasty had been able to maintain its dominance over the world for nearly a thousand years without major upheaval.
But all of this was less effective against a fourth-rank martial artist.
The fourth rank was far stronger than the fifth.
Jiang Ning only knew that it was much stronger and that mastering "momentum" was the key to reaching the fourth rank.
Beyond that, he knew very little.
For now, the fourth rank was still far from his reach.
But he knew that he had already obtained the key to reaching it.
In the next moment.
He tested a few more slashes.
Each slash seemed to draw upon the power of the heavens and earth, giving each strike an effect similar to a sword aura, allowing him to cut through anything within two meters in front of him.
Even hard rocks were as fragile as tofu before the power of sword momentum.
"This must be the effect of advancing sword momentum further!" Jiang Ning murmured.
[Source Energy]: 487.33
[Skills]:
Chopping Wood Sword Technique (Fifth Limit Break: 6000/6000) (Traits: Versatility, Swift as the Wind, Divine Wield, Unity of Man and Sword, Natural Sword Bone)
Water Affinity (Fifth Limit Break: 6000/6000) (Traits: Underwater Breathing, Water Manipulation, Water Spirit Affinity, Cloud and Rain Control, Water Spirit Body)
He glanced at his status panel again, falling into deep thought.
As skills underwent more limit breaks, the amount of Source Energy required increased steadily.
From the initial ten points needed for the first limit break, to now nearly five hundred points being insufficient for the next break.
Undoubtedly, both the Chopping Wood Sword Technique and Water Affinity would require a full five hundred points of Source Energy for their sixth limit breaks.
This amount of energy was indeed excessive for him at this stage.
At his current rate of accumulation, it would take nearly half a year to gather five hundred points of Source Energy.
And this was only for the sixth limit break.
It was easy to imagine that the requirements for the seventh limit break would be even more staggering.
"Forget it! I won't invest in the Chopping Wood Sword Technique or Water Affinity for now."
"Wind and Thunder Archery only needs two hundred points for its second limit break. That's the best choice for me right now."
Having made up his mind, Jiang Ning glanced at the bottom of his status panel.
[Skills]: Wind and Thunder Archery (First Limit Break: 1/2000) (Trait: Wind and Thunder Breath)
Wind and Thunder Archery was now only 1999 experience points away from its second limit break.
For Jiang Ning, this meant 1999 draws of the bow.
Even though the recovery of Wind and Thunder energy took time, even in water, and couldn't be done endlessly, 1999 draws of the bow, without worrying about exhaustion or muscle strain, would take at most two or three days.
Although this time was short, Jiang Ning wasn't planning to grind the Wind and Thunder Archery experience today.
Because he still hadn't exhausted his resources.
In his spatial ring, he still had pills that would aid him in refining his tendons for the seventh rank of martial arts.
In the courtyard.
Jiang Ning sat cross-legged on the ground and took out a golden brocade box from his spatial ring.
Inside the box were the pills he had purchased the previous day.
Dragon-Tiger Tendon Refining Pills.
Each pill cost five thousand taels of silver.
Even with a twenty percent discount, each pill still costs four thousand taels.
According to Han Hongmei, the Dragon-Tiger Tendon Refining Pill was the best pill for tendon refinement available at the Ten Thousand Splendors Pavilion.
The price of five thousand taels per pill was a testament to its potency.
This time, Jiang Ning had bought a total of six pills.
Purchasing these six pills had nearly emptied his savings.
"I wonder how far these six Dragon-Tiger Tendon Refining Pills will take me in refining my tendons?"
"Will it be to the level of a tiger? Or a flood dragon?"
Jiang Ning pondered silently.
As for refining his tendons to the level of a dragon, he didn't dare to hope.
With just these six Dragon-Tiger Tendon Refining Pills, it was impossible to reach that level.
To achieve tendons as strong as a dragon's, one needed extremely rare treasures.
Jiang Ning had only seen such treasures mentioned in the records of the Inspection Bureau.
Exchanging for such treasures required a significant amount of contribution points.
After a moment.
Jiang Ning steadied his mind.
He opened the brocade box in his hand.
In an instant, a perfectly round pill, about the size of a quail egg, appeared before his eyes.
The pill was a mix of gold and purple, with intricate patterns on its surface that resembled a dragon and tiger locked in combat.
As the box opened, no medicinal fragrance wafted out.
But Jiang Ning wasn't surprised.
Such pills were coated with a thin, almost translucent outer layer.
This outer layer is sealed in the pill's medicinal properties, preventing them from dissipating or degrading.
Thanks to this outer layer, such precious pills didn't require any special storage containers a simple brocade box was enough.
No sealed container could match the effectiveness of the pill's outer layer.
Looking at the pill, Jiang Ning focused his mind.
As if guided by an invisible hand, the Dragon-Tiger Tendon Refining Pill floated up and flew toward his slightly open mouth.
As the pill entered his mouth and was moistened by saliva, the outer layer quickly dissolved, releasing a strong medicinal fragrance.
The fragrance was like aged sandalwood, rich and intense.
The scent filled Jiang Ning's nostrils, making his entire body feel invigorated. His bodily functions became more active, his heartbeat quickened, and his blood flowed faster than usual.
In the next moment.
Jiang Ning's throat moved slightly, and the pill slid down into his stomach.
Then.
Boom
A fire seemed to ignite in his mind.
A cauldron took shape in his mental visualization.
The secret technique of the Medicine King Valley, the Cauldron Pill Refining Technique, activated once again.
His body seemed to transform into a cauldron, with his vital energy serving as the fuel for the flames.
Now that his vital energy was more abundant than before, the invisible flames within him burned even more fiercely.
His body radiated intense heat.
The heat distorted the air around him.
Jiang Ning's skin turned a fiery red.
One breath. Two breaths. Three breaths.
Time passed.
The Dragon-Tiger Tendon Refining Pill was slowly refined within him, its impurities burned away by the invisible flames, leaving behind only pure medicinal essence.
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