By the charcoal stove.
"Do you want to touch them?"
As soon as those three words were spoken, Jiang Ning was stunned.
Lin Qingyi smiled sweetly. "I'm just teasing you!"
As she spoke, she lifted the edge of her skirt, covering the small portion of her white leg that had been exposed.
Jiang Ning: "..."
He immediately looked at Lin Qingyi, speechless.
His eyes seemed to ask, Is it fun to tease me?
Seeing Jiang Ning's speechless expression, Lin Qingyi's body suddenly twitched, unable to suppress her laughter.
A few moments later.
She rubbed her belly.
"Alright, I won't tease you anymore!"
"Let's talk about something serious!"
Jiang Ning said, "Please go ahead, Senior Sister Lin."
"How about I help you find a good woman? A virtuous and gentle type?" Lin Qingyi suggested. "My original plan wasn't for Princess Seventeen, but for another woman Li Muqin, the daughter of a duke."
Upon hearing this, Jiang Ning quickly waved his hand. "Please don't!!"
Then he continued, "Senior Sister, you think too highly of me! A duke's daughter? I'm not worthy!"
He then brought up Ji Mingyue to deflect. "Besides, I have an agreement with Princess Seventeen. She's the current princess; how could I talk about marrying another woman while I'm already bound by an agreement with her?"
"True!" Lin Qingyi nodded. "Thinking about it, that would indeed be inappropriate."
Upon hearing these words, Jiang Ning let out a sigh of relief.
A duke's daughter.
The pressure would be immense!
A duke was a top-ranking noble.
It was like him, a middle-ranking official, trying to talk to the daughter of someone at the level of a vice prime minister he'd be humiliating himself!
Soon after.
Jiang Ning sent Lin Qingyi away and closed the door behind her, letting out a long breath.
Lin Qingyi always wanted to introduce women to him, and he felt like he could barely keep up.
It was either a princess or the daughter of a duke.
Forget about whether he was attracted to them.
Just the disparity in their statuses was enough to make anyone feel daunted.
But now, with Princess Seventeen as a shield, he didn't have to worry about this matter anymore.
An agreement with the current princess who would dare to make him consider lifelong matters with another woman?
Meanwhile, elsewhere.
In a world covered in silver snow.
A carriage moved through the thick snow.
With its large wheels and four purebred dragon steeds pulling it, even thirty centimeters of snow couldn't stop its progress.
"Princess Seventeen, you like that guy?" Ji Minghao's voice came from within the carriage.
"Yes!" Ji Mingyue's voice followed.
"But you've only met him once!"
"One meeting is enough!" Ji Mingyue replied. "Some people, after just one meeting, you can recognize them. Others, even after ten years together, will still part ways."
"Princess Seventeen, your words are quite profound!" Ji Minghao's voice floated out from the carriage and into the wind.
East Courtyard.
[Skills]: Five Animal Fist (Limit Breaking II: 431/3000) (Trait: Essence Stored in the Five Organs, Five Elements Spirit)
For Jiang Ning, his source energy points were about to break two hundred, thanks to the drink containing diluted imperial fluid that he had consumed a few days ago.
His conversation with Ji Minghao had made him realize how extraordinary the black stone he found at the bottom of the lake was.
Soaking in liquid, it could produce the diluted imperial fluid.
Calling it the "Lunar Stone" seemed entirely appropriate.
After all, according to ancient legends, the imperial fluid was the essence of moonlight.
Now, looking at the source energy points, which were about to exceed 200, Jiang Ning didn't feel any particular excitement.
For him now, 200 source energy points were useless.
Because now, any skill limit-breaking would require more than 200 source energy points.
Glancing at the source energy points and skill sections, Jiang Ning's gaze moved upward.
[Authority]: Flesh and Blood Regeneration (82.33% lacking)
With time, he could see the progress of his "Flesh and Blood Regeneration" authority slowly increasing.
Over a few days, it had grown by a tiny fraction about 0.1%.
Although it wasn't much, it was still growing.
"To maximize efficiency, I still need to find divine statues containing divine power!"
"I wonder, though, where the headquarters of the God Worship Sect is, and what their strength and position are like!"
Jiang Ning muttered to himself.
In order to make this authority grow quickly, there was no doubt that he would need to absorb divine power.
Currently, he knew that only the divine statues of the Flesh God from the God Worship Sect contained divine power.
Therefore, to absorb divine power, he would have to cause trouble with the God Worship Sect.
After closing the panel.
Jiang Ning slightly closed his eyes and turned his attention inward.
Inside his body, the 206 bones were visible to him.
After several days of bone tempering, all of his 206 bones had been infused with strands of blackness.
His bones, which had previously been silver, were now covered in a dense network of black threads, giving them a mystical appearance.
These past few days, he had been practicing his martial techniques and tempering his bones day and night.
Now, after thoroughly tempering all 206 bones, they were gradually beginning to undergo the process of becoming "Mysterious Bones."
"At this rate, in about half a month, I'll be able to reach the second stage of bone tempering Mysterious Bone!" Jiang Ning thought to himself.
After tempering his bones once, Jiang Ning realized that forging Mysterious Bones was several times more difficult than forging Iron Bones.
The efficiency difference between the two was substantial.
However, he had long been mentally prepared for this.
The further one went down the martial path, the more difficult it became.
Soon after.
He set up the courtyard and continued practicing his punches.
As for the Inspection Office, he didn't need to go for almost a month.
Because with the New Year approaching, the Inspection Office had given everyone a half-month vacation in advance.
He received the notice only on the morning of the day he sent Ji Mingyue off.
This made him abandon the idea of following Ji Minghao's suggestion to seek a promotion.
The reason for the early vacation at the Inspection Office was due to his achievements in locating and extinguishing the most important stronghold of the God Worship Sect in the area, as well as finding their divine statue.
Now, with only about twenty days left until the New Year, they had given everyone an early vacation, a full half-month ahead of the original schedule.
Of course, salaries would still be paid.
If this were his previous life, he would laugh out loud.
But here, he felt somewhat helpless.
For his position as vice-captain, whether the vacation came early or not made no difference.
Anyway, he could go to the Inspection Office whenever he wanted; if he didn't want to go, he didn't have to.
The early vacation, however, left him with over a hundred thousand contribution points with no immediate use for them.
Originally, he planned to follow Ji Minghao's advice and apply for a promotion.
But with the Inspection Office closing early, that plan had to be temporarily shelved.
Time passed quickly.
Another week had gone by.
During this period, although the weather wasn't as harsh as before, with constant snowfalls, it was still mostly overcast, and the skies had not fully cleared.
At this moment, Jiang Ning looked towards the distant lake, where the bright red sun was rising.
His face immediately lit up with joy.
"Finally, it's going to clear up today!"
"My Inner Alchemy cultivation can finally make a small leap forward!"
[Skill]: Inner Alchemy Nourishing Skill (Minor Completion 991/5000)
He glanced at the Inner Alchemy Nourishing Skill progress bar, then closed it.
His gaze then shifted to the Five Animal Fist skill.
These days, he had found the perfect rhythm. Every time he finished practicing his punches, he also completed a bone tempering session.
The combination of the two had brought significant gains.
[Skill]: Five Animal Fist (Limit Break II: 2233/3000) (Trait: Essence Stored in the Five Organs, Five Elements Spirit)
The progress toward the third limit-breaking for the Five Animal Fist was already more than two-thirds completed.
Only a few hundred more experience points were needed.
With his current efficiency, earning these last few hundred points wouldn't take long it would only take a few days.
At the same time.
He looked inward again.
The 206 bones inside his body had changed drastically compared to a week ago.
A week ago, his bones had been glowing silver, with only thin black threads starting to form.
That was the progress toward becoming Mysterious Bones.
Now, more than half of his 206 bones had already turned completely black.
The blackened bones had a glossy shine, resembling the luster of obsidian.
They looked extraordinarily remarkable.
This was the process of forging Mysterious Iron Bones, also known as Mysterious Bones.
Once he fully forged the Mysterious Bones, he would have entered the second stage of bone tempering, making his body even harder.
His bones would also possess a toughness beyond that of ordinary iron tempered a thousand times.
At this level, it would be extremely difficult to kill such a martial artist.
You have to understand, the human body is surrounded by bones, both large and small.
The heart is also protected by the ribs.
In this case, even if knives or weapons cut through the flesh, they would be blocked by the bones inside.
If one cannot harm the bones, it means it is very hard to deal a fatal blow to a martial artist at this level.
Furthermore, martial artists who reach this stage have extraordinary vitality.
Even if the heart is destroyed, they can still hang on for half a tea's time, relying on their strong life force and mastery over their body.
Just like the God Worship Sect martial artist who attacked him that night.
Although his heart was pierced by an arrow, he didn't die. Instead, it triggered his transformation into a divine offspring, allowing him to repair the damaged heart.
This shows just how powerful the vitality of a sixth-grade martial artist is.
As long as it isn't a fatal wound, any injury would be nothing more than a superficial wound.
Even numerous superficial wounds wouldn't be enough to take the life of a martial artist with such strong vitality.
After a moment.
Jiang Ning slowly opened his eyes.
Having finished his internal observation, he realized that after a night's rest, the bones in his body had absorbed the Mysterious Iron Essence from the Mysterious Bone Pill, moving closer to their final transformation into Mysterious Bones.
"Almost there!"
"At my current pace, in about a week, I should be able to fully forge my Mysterious Bones."
Jiang Ning muttered to himself.
Then, he continued practicing his punches, tempering his bones while waiting for the sun to rise high in the sky.
In this winter season, a clear sunny day was a rare sight.
Only on such a day, when the clouds did not obscure the blazing sun overhead, could he absorb the essence of the great sun and gain experience in his Inner Alchemy Nourishing Skill.
This was a rare opportunity, and he naturally had to cherish it.
Moreover, during this time, while tempering his bones day and night, he had also been rigorously practicing his martial arts.
The Five Animal Fist, after its second limit break, allowed him to draw the spiritual essence of the Five Elements into his body while practicing, strengthening the foundation of his internal organs.
These past few days of absorbing the Five Elements' spiritual essence had made him feel a significant improvement in the vitality of his organs. His foundation had become extraordinary.
Now, he was curious to see what kind of changes would occur when he absorbed the essence of the great sun with his strengthened internal organs.
It was important to note that drawing the Five Elements' spiritual essence into the body was already beyond the scope of conventional martial arts.
Although Jiang Ning acknowledged that the martial path of this world was exceptionally powerful, it still had its limitations and a finite scope of development.
Looking back over the past 800 years, only a single Martial Saint has ever emerged.
In contrast, the ancient era was an age where immortals and gods coexisted.
According to ancient records, the immortals and gods of that time were incredibly powerful.
Some could devour the sun and moon, others could shroud the sky and reverse the order of heaven and earth.
Such divine power was far beyond the reach of the martial arts of today.
It was said that the Martial Saint had once slain immortals and gods, but the records always mentioned "fallen immortals" and "fallen gods."
To Jiang Ning, it was much like the God of Flesh and Blood worshipped by the God Worship Sect an entity that could be called a deity, possessing extraordinary power.
It could mutate ordinary martial artists, granting them nearly unparalleled regenerative abilities.
However, in terms of raw strength, that so-called God of Flesh and Blood was far from invincible.
If it had been truly powerful, the God Worship Sect wouldn't have remained a mere minor cult.
They wouldn't have been hunted down by the county's Inspection Office, forced to flee in disarray, completely unable to fight back.
Thus, even if that Martial Saint had indeed slain gods and immortals, those beings were likely not as powerful as the true immortals and gods of ancient times.
At the same time
His Inner Alchemy Nourishing Skill originated from the Daoist immortal arts of the ancient era, having evolved into an internal cultivation technique.
Yet, even in its current form, it was still considered an ultimate technique.
This spoke volumes about its strength.
From this, it was evident that the Daoist immortal arts of the ancient era must have been even more formidable.
The depth of Daoist cultivation was undoubtedly superior to modern martial arts techniques.
Why, then, had this world entered an era where martial arts flourished instead of the Daoist and divine paths?
Jiang Ning did not know.
He had been curious before, but after searching through the few remaining books, he had found no answers.
All he learned was that one day.
The sun, moon, and stars all vanished at once, and heaven and earth fell into silence.
This state persisted for several days.
Afterward, the ancient era ended, the world underwent a massive transformation, and the age of martial arts began.
Compared to Daoist and divine cultivation, martial arts relied more on the practitioner's own body and were far less dependent on external conditions.
However, martial arts were also not as powerful as Daoist cultivation.
At least, not at present.
Thus, after the Five Animal Fist underwent its second limit break, its transformation allowed him to draw the Five Elements' spiritual essence into his body while training, strengthening his internal organs, deepening his foundation, and nourishing his five viscera.
Many days had passed since then.
Jiang Ning was eager to see how his internal organs had changed compared to before.
Could this allow him to absorb the essence of the great sun more efficiently?
Over these days, as he continuously infused his five viscera with the Five Elements' spiritual essence, he could feel that.
Even without directly absorbing the great sun's essence to temper his organs, they had already grown stronger.
And this strength
Was not the kind gained through postnatal tempering.
It was akin to how some people, despite being naturally thin and never training, still possessed immense strength far beyond ordinary individuals.
While others had to work tirelessly to build their strength through training and effort.
The difference between the two was fundamental.
Those born with great strength, if they trained even a little, would surpass those who had trained for years, their potential far greater.
Just like in his past life
No matter how much effort countless athletes put into training,
Some individuals, with just a little exertion, would leave them all behind in the dust.
Like that Yellow Lightning sprinting down the track, dashing the hopes of countless short-distance runners.
This was the difference between the innate and the acquired.
And the strengthening of his five viscera over these past days
Was an innate enhancement.
Not the acquired kind that he had previously achieved through absorbing the great sun's essence.
The distinction between the two was fundamental.
Through this realization, he finally understood the true meaning of one of his martial traits:
[Five Elements Spirit]: Absorb the essence of the Five Elements, temper the organs, and break the limits of the viscera.
Breaking the limits of the viscera.
Humans were born with natural limitations.
But through the absorption of the Five Elements' spiritual essence, he could surpass these natural limits.
To break these limits meant that, in the future, the strength of his organs could far exceed that of ordinary people.
His internal energy reserves and the magnitude of his power would also surpass that of the common martial artist.
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