Capítulo 14: Chapter 13 Sword Heart Clarity (Thanks to the Han Ye Alliance and Huo Bing Zhi Ri Alliance Leader!)
Ning Daoran looked calmly, facing the other's sinister, bloodthirsty gaze, "What makes you so confident that you can kill me?"
"Whether I can kill you or not, we'll know after we try. Why the need for more words?"
Li Xiu drew his Black Sword out in its entirety, and for a time, the chill in the woods grew even more intense.
"Bang!"
Almost without thinking, Ning Daoran leaped up like a spry monkey, twisting his body and swinging his arm in one fluid motion, the head of his Azure Dragon Spear turned into a blur as he swung it down furiously!
In that sudden burst, he used almost all his strength, his entire body's blood qi churned, fully activating the power of his Body Refining Technique in the Transformation Realm.
"The Sixth Level of Qi Refining?!"
Li Xiu's eyelids twitched violently, and the force behind his sword suddenly increased, striving to suppress his opponent with a single strike.
A loud crash!
The moment the two collided, the ground below them, covered with weeds and rocks, rippled like waves. Mud and pebbles surged into the air within a small range as if waterfalls were being lifted.
Li Xiu's Late-stage Blood Qi Realm was solid, while Ning Daoran, with a Perfect Body Refining realm and full strength Talent Points, even more so boosted his power to an unimaginable extent!
"Bang!"
After that strike, the superiority was clear.
Li Xiu's Black Sword suddenly sank out of control, and he staggered backward, his blood qi surging within him and his right arm throbbing with sharp pain.
He had thought his sword would be enough to sever the opponent's spear, and the next would decapitate that detestable head, but to his surprise, the youngster seemed to possess innate divine strength, completely dominating him in power.
A Qi Refining Middle Stage cultivator actually suppressing a Late Blood Qi Martial Artist in strength was truly inconceivable!
After swinging the spear, Ning Daoran felt his body burn with heat, his Body Refining Technique inside him wildly operating, transferring blood qi. Endless power surged once again from his arms, and another spear strike thundered down!
"You little creature, you..."
Li Xiu couldn't evade in time or get his sword ready. In haste, he could only use his left arm in defense.
With a crisp sound, Li Xiu's entire left arm hung limply down, turned into mush by the spear strike, but his blood qi remained vigorous, his face splattered with blood yet still fierce and ferocious.
"Keep fighting, what? Didn't you eat?"
What a fierce Evil Catcher of Shanyang County, he still had such ferocity even without an arm?
"Buzz!"
A sharp buzzing filled the air, and the third spear thrust followed.
The spearhead became a shadow, smashing down furiously. Li Xiu's protective layer of body blood qi instantly scattered, then came a crisp snap from his skull, splattering fresh blood, streaming down his face and making him look even more ferocious.
Ning Daoran stepped forward, pinning Li Xiu to the ground.
The Azure Dragon Spear aimed at the opponent's head, and again!
The flesh of a Late Stage Blood Qi Martial Artist was indeed impressive, its toughness even comparable to a cultivator with a Perfect Body Refining Technique!
Ning Daoran struck thrice more in succession, finally smashing Li Xiu's head completely.
The hair, skull, and brain splattered across the grass, and now Li Xiu's head was smashed as scattered as a watermelon.
He should be thoroughly dead.
...
After a skilled search of the body and a Soul Search, Ning Daoran flicked his wrist to cast a Fireball Technique, turning Li Xiu's corpse to a pile of ash.
Fanned by a mana-induced breeze, the ashes scattered.
"Old Lu, let's go!"
Without further delay, Ning Daoran quickly called out to the Big Stupid Deer that had just burrowed out of the ground and hurried back along the mountain trails to the Sect.
Number 77, Spiritual Field Courtyard.
Only after Ning Daoran reactivated the Small Cloud Mist Array did he let out a sigh of relief and sat down in the chair, breathing heavily.
The information obtained from Soul Searching Li Xiu was not much; his hideout was in the County, a place where constables and arrest officers lived, so it wasn't wise to take the risk.
Beyond that, Li Xiu's memories were nothing more than corruption, bullying, and solicitation, the only potentially useful information to him was about the black market of Yellow Dragon Square.
Yellow Dragon Square was established by the Chaotic Sect with many operators, including the forces of the Chaotic Sect, as well as Cultivation Families and Loose Cultivators from all over Shanyang County.
It is said that there are dozens of Foundation Establishment Families just around the Yellow Dragon Mountain Range. The major Cultivation Families are in competition with each other, vying for shops and resources in the Square, with undercurrents everywhere.
Fortunately, with the colossal Chaotic Sect presiding, stability was maintained.
And beyond the official face of Yellow Dragon Square, just across a street was a black market, where both sanctioned and forbidden goods could be traded.
For instance, the area outside the Square was not very peaceful, with frequent incidents of murder and robbery. Although the Chaotic Sect had dispatched two Foundation Establishment Practitioners to oversee, they could not completely stop such events.
Thus, stolen goods always needed a place to go, and that's why the black market of Yellow Dragon Square emerged. In it, no one would question the origin of your treasures; they would only trade at a discounted value based on the worth of the item.
"Phew..."
Ning Daoran exhaled deeply, considering the possibility of going in disguise to the black market in the future to sell Second-tier Spirit Rice.
He searched and found that Li Xiu was indeed a penniless Martial Artist, with only two bottles of Blood Qi Elixirs and a dozen or so Spirit Stones on him. A Late-stage Blood Qi Martial Artist being so poor was indeed lamentable.
However, having dealt with Li Xiu, the trouble for his Junior Sister Han Bing was completely resolved, which was good news.
...
Another benefit of Soul Searching Li Xiu was the confirmation that Uncle Lin was indeed killed by him, and buried in a wooded area on the way down the mountain.
However, Ning Daoran decided not to tell Han Bing about this, as it would easily bring unnecessary suspicion and trouble to himself.
Let the matters of Li Xiu and Uncle Lin dissipate with the wind!
At this moment, Ning Daoran had a total of 144 Low Grade Spirit Stones…
He furrowed his brows; it still wasn't enough. Once he had amassed over three hundred Spirit Stones, he could consider heading to Yellow Dragon Square to purchase a Magic Artifact suitable for himself.
After all, he was a Cultivator. Although his main practice was the Body Tempering Technique, always brandishing a Big Green Dragon to Fight Techniques with others was somewhat improper.
In the Cultivation World, the classification of Treasures was quite strict. Based on the effects and power of the Treasures, they were categorized as follows: Magic Artifacts, Spiritual Artifacts, Magical Treasures, and Spiritual Treasures.
Among them, Qi Refinement Stage Practitioners generally only used Magic Artifacts, Foundation Establishment Stage cultivators used Spiritual Artifacts, and if one was fortunate enough to become the legendary Golden Core Ancestor, then they could control Magical Treasures.
Of course, these rules and regulations were not set in stone. If a Qi Refinement Stage cultivator was extremely wealthy and insisted on using a Spiritual Artifact or Magical Treasure, that would also be no problem. However, the Mana consumption of High-level Treasures was exceedingly tremendous, leading to a situation of "a small horse pulling a big cart."
If one were to deplete their Mana after using a Treasure once or twice, it would be better not to use it at all; it simply wouldn't facilitate sustained combat.
Furthermore, each rank of Treasure was divided into four tiers.
Just like Magic Artifacts, they were divided into Low Grade Magic Artifacts, Mid-grade Magical Artifacts, Top-grade Magical Artifacts, and Top-grade magical tools. According to the current prices in the Cultivation World, a Low Grade Magic Artifact was worth at least one hundred and fifty Spirit Stones, Mid-grade Magical Artifacts cost three hundred Spirit Stones, and Top-grade Magical Artifacts cost five hundred Spirit Stones.
As for the legendary First-tier Top-Grade Magical Artifact, it was almost a Divine Weapon for a Perfect Qi Refinement Great Cultivator. The price would be astonishingly high, rumored to start at nearly a thousand Low Grade Spirit Stones.
"Sigh…"
Thinking about the prices of these Magic Artifacts, Ning Daoran couldn't help but sigh. In the end, he was still too poor.
…
After cleaning his Azure Dragon Spear and his clothes of dirt, Ning Daoran changed into a new set of clothes and took Big Stupid Deer to weed the Spirit Field before the sunset.
"Senior Brother Ning."
Not far away, a little girl in Spirit Field number 78 stood up, wiped her sweat, and greeted him with a smile.
Ning Daoran returned the smile.
Soon after, the two of them and a deer were resting on the ridge, chatting.
"Junior Sister, has Uncle Lin come back? I haven't seen him in days, and I sort of miss him."
"No…"
Upon mentioning Uncle Lin, Han Bing's expression became slightly unnatural. It seemed as if she had already guessed Uncle Lin's fate.
So many days without return, and Li Xiu frequently causing trouble in the woods; it was a clear matter.
But what could she do about it? As an Early Stage Qi Refinement Outer Disciple, no one in the Sect would stand up for her.
After all, the Chaotic Sect was only considered a "Second-class Sect" in legends, unable to compare with those First-class Sects or even the "Ten Great Immortal Sects" of Xia Country.
In Second-class Sects, the rules weren't so strict.
The Chaotic Sect had a total of over four thousand people, among which were three thousand servant disciples, over twelve hundred Outer Disciples, and only thirty-three practitioners at the Foundation Establishment Stage throughout the entire Sect.
Who could manage that? Many Outer Elders and Deacons were also served by Late-stage Qi Refining cultivators.
"Senior Brother…"
Han Bing suddenly seemed to sense something and hesitated to speak.
"What's wrong, Junior Sister?"
"It's… it's nothing…"
Han Bing pressed her red lips together, forcing a smile: "I truly envy you, having Senior Brother Lu to accompany you."
"Ao~~~"
Big Stupid Deer immediately let out a deer cry, its tail swiftly shaking into a blur behind it.
It was especially pleased, as Han Bing had actually addressed it as Senior Brother Lu; with that said, you, Junior Sister Han Bing, have earned this Senior Brother's recognition from this moment on!
The sun set, and they each returned to their own residence.
Within the dilapidated dwelling, Han Bing sat quietly, her gaze flickering with skepticism. For no apparent reason, she felt that Senior Brother Ning had just gone through a life and death struggle.
But as to what exactly had happened, Han Bing had no idea.
Could it be related to that Li Xiu? Impossible. The notorious strength of Jianghu Martial Artists lay in their robust physiques. If a Cultivator of the same Realm were to close in on a Martial Artist, the outcome would likely be more perilous than fortunate. Perhaps it was just her own misconception.
Days passed, and Li Xiu never appeared.
Han Bing felt somewhat perplexed.
…
One late night, while Ning Daoran was snoring like thunder in a room twenty feet underground...
Suddenly, a golden sword light burst from the courtyard of Spirit Field number 78, shooting into the sky before exploding into a shower of tiny, sparkling stars.
The next day, Ning Daoran woke up early, taking up his Hoe alongside Big Stupid Deer to weed and fertilize.
Not long after, both he and Big Stupid Deer noticed that quite a few Chaotic Sect disciples had gathered in front of Junior Sister Han Bing's small courtyard, among whom even wore the white robes of Inner Sect Disciples!
"What's this about, Junior Sister?"
"Fellow Taoist Ning, you haven't heard?"
Dressed in a short skirt, the voluptuous and fair-skinned Zhong Yan laughed: "I heard that last night, that little girl Han Bing awakened the Innate Sword Heart Clarity. This is a tremendous fortune, and it has alarmed the Sect's upper echelons all at once!"
"Sword Heart Clarity..."
Ning Daoran was momentarily stunned. That was a high-end Realm for Sword Cultivators, and if he remembered correctly, Junior Sister Han Bing was a Ninth Grade Four Spirit Roots holder, one of which was a Metal Spirit Root!
Her sensitivity to Spiritual Energy with that Metal Spirit Root was close to Eighth-grade, which meant she now fully possessed the qualifications to become a Sword Cultivist!
"That explains it…"
He smiled slightly: "A lady of Junior Sister's grace, how could she possibly be like me, always toiling in the fields? It's obvious she's not suited for farming."
The seductive mature woman immediately thrust out her ample bosom and gave him a white glance, as if saying, so it's fitting for someone like me to till the lands, huh?
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