Chapter 9: Omen
Ning Xuan’s train of thought had finally opened up.
All he needed to do was to invoke the Heavenly Demon Scroll and engage in training he couldn’t have done before, and he would become stronger. The training designed for “Constitution 3.9 Ning Xuan” would also benefit “Constitution 1.4 Ning Xuan.”
But what should he practice?
He had already finished practicing the Swallow Chasing Wind Saber.
From Master Zhang, he knew that “Jianghu martial arts” had many overlapping stages. It wasn’t as simple as practicing the Swallow Chasing Wind Saber and then practicing some boxing, palm, or sword techniques to multiply his strength.
Although Master Zhang himself hadn’t reached that level, he understood the intricacies of the Jianghu very well. He told Ning Xuan some truths.
“A person’s physique is seventy percent training and thirty percent nourishment; too much or too little is not good. The difference in physique among Jianghu cultivators is actually not that significant. It’s not that practicing my Swallow Chasing Wind Saber and then practicing another martial art will strengthen your physique. That simply doesn’t exist. Such a situation might actually distract you and lead to regression instead of progress. Therefore, in the Jianghu, everyone competes for moves, and victory and defeat, life and death, are decided by these moves. Even if you have mastered the Swallow Return Three Blades of the Swallow Chasing Wind Saber and become a leader in the Jianghu, looking back at the long river of Jianghu history, you have only just begun, just entered the first realm. This realm is the Martial Skill Realm.”
Ning Xuan asked, “Is the next realm the Unrestricted Realm?”
Master Zhang replied, “Yes and no.”
He continued, “To reach the Unrestricted Realm, you must first break moves, break all moves in the world. All kinds of moves in the world cover all sorts of attack methods and hide various deadly intentions. Only by fighting and battling with masters in these aspects, breaking their moves, will you get closer to the Unrestricted Realm. However, different moves are different in different people’s hands. For those that haven’t mastered them, speed alone can break them, which is why there is the saying in the Jianghu, ‘All martial arts under heaven are invincible with speed.’ But what if both sides are very fast? That is when you truly enter the realm of breaking moves, and that is when you can truly improve.”
Ning Xuan originally wanted to ask, “What if beasts have tough hides and thick flesh, are impervious to blades and spears, and also know martial arts?” But Master Zhang had already given him the answer. “Impervious to blades and spears,” like “invincible with speed,” is a form of suppression from top to bottom. But how can you use weaker individuals as a reference when cultivating? That’s why moves exist. And isn’t demonic arts a kind of alternate move? To make your own moves stronger, learning is not enough; you must practice, you must break. Only by breaking others’ moves can you gain insights, and even when executing the same move, you will be much stronger than before.
Ning Xuan felt that the Unrestricted Realm couldn’t be deliberately pursued. He only understood one thing from Master Zhang: even if he found a new martial art to practice now, it would most likely be ineffective. Therefore, he decided to return to the most primitive training methods: weighted long-distance running, rock climbing, squats, weightlifting, one-finger push-ups, sit-ups, and so on. As long as he could continuously increase the weight and make himself very tired, it should indicate that his training was effective.
Deep Mountain and Old Forest
Ning Xuan strapped a giant rock, as big as a small mountain, onto his back, took a deep breath, and began his morning run. Arriving at a cliff, he dropped the rock and looked up at the steep cliff face that pierced the clouds. With a sudden leap, he was more than two zhang high. His right hand, with five fingers like claws, struck down fiercely.
*Crack!!*
His fingertips dug into the rock as easily as an ordinary person would insert their fingers into soft mud. He hung there, his ferocious form suspended in mid-air. With a tightening and pressing of his fingers, he ascended.
*Crack!*
His left hand’s five fingers dug into the cliff face. He climbed the sheer cliff like a giant gecko, springing upwards. For ordinary people, a single slip would send them plummeting to the bottom, their bodies shattered. But for him, it was like running on flat ground. While it required effort, it was by no means dangerous.
An incense stick’s worth of time later, Ning Xuan reached the cliff top. Standing on the protruding ledge, he opened his arms to the rising sun.
Half a Month Later…
The cliff. Beneath an old pine tree, a squirrel was absentmindedly eating pine nuts, while a hawk with sharp eyes stared at it from above, wings slightly tucked, body hunched, ready to dive and snatch its prey. Suddenly, a terrifying aura swept over them. The squirrel dropped its pine nuts and bolted. The hawk no longer cared about its prey, spread its wings, and fled in panic.
*Crack!!*
A hand grasped a protruding rock on the ten-thousand-zhang precipice. A dark figure immediately flipped up and sat on the edge of the cliff.
In the early morning sun, the sea of mist turned golden. Amidst the golden mist, Ning Xuan took a deep breath and gazed into the distance. The training of these past few days had been very effective. He glanced at his status panel.
[Life (Physique): 1.8]
[Mountain Crushing Bear] (Can provide an additional 2.3 Life attribute when invoked)
His “Life” had increased by a full 0.4. While this was gratifying, there was something even more interesting. As his本体 (original body) constitution improved, his physique was normalizing. From the height of over a zhang after invoking the Heavenly Demon Scroll, it had reduced by two feet, now standing at over eight feet tall. He was very tall but within human proportions. This meant: “If his original body was very weak, then after invoking the Heavenly Demon Scroll, he would be infinitely close to the appearance of the demons in the Heavenly Demon Scroll; but if his original body was strong enough, even if he invoked the Heavenly Demon Scroll, his physical changes would not be too exaggerated; perhaps if his original body surpassed that of the Heavenly Demon Scroll, his physique would be completely unaffected, merely becoming more condensed, containing more terrifying explosive power.”
He could hone himself through the Heavenly Demon Scroll, breaking the limits of the human body step by step. Thinking of this, Ning Xuan was filled with drive. Training was also about improving his quality of life, so that if disaster struck, he wouldn’t be defenseless. Although he didn’t understand why the Ning Family Villa hadn’t been attacked by the Mountain Crushing Bear Demon after nearly a month, Ning Xuan could never forget the pain of being gnawed away inch by inch by the bear demon. Experiencing that pain once was enough.
“Continue!”
Ning Xuan rested briefly, picked up the giant stone again, and then, like a gecko, “whooshed” up the sheer cliff face. His muscles bulged, veins like earthworms, his head downward and feet upward, he moved rapidly. He began his morning training.
In the evening, Ning Xuan changed into a brocade robe and reappeared at the entrance of Xinghe County. Horses were no longer needed. When he ran, he was faster than a thousand-mile steed. If he were to pursue someone, that person, even on the fastest horse, couldn’t escape. Thus, the once long distance from Xinghe County to the desolate mountains had been shortened due to his greatly increased speed. He could reach the old mountain where the Ning Family Villa was located, thirty li outside the county, in the time it took for an incense stick to burn, and return just as quickly.
Today, in the setting sun. He felt refreshed after a day of training. His physique was more streamlined, transforming from a soft, effeminate young man into a robust and powerful youth. His muscle lines were faintly visible, firm but not bulky, like a coiled leopard. His shoulders seemed broader, his steps steady and powerful, and even his breathing carried an energetic rhythm. He hadn’t truly enjoyed himself for a month. In the past, he would have been out playing long ago. Feasts, visiting brothels, hunting, beast fights, horse racing, appreciating paintings, appraising jade, finding novelty items at the Fugui Chamber of Commerce – these were his simple, ordinary daily activities. A fire of excitement ignited in his heart, but he quickly dismissed the idea, thinking to himself, ‘I’ll go play after my training is done. I can still improve.’ He would not stop. He was determined to improve himself as much as possible until he reached a point where there was “no more room for improvement,” only then would he relax with peace of mind.
At this moment, in the setting sun, the ancient streets of Xinghe County were picturesque, lined with shops, presenting a scene of ancient prosperity. Master Ning was not only renowned but also a widely known philanthropist in the surrounding villages. Xinghe County, and even the neighboring prefectural city, owed its prosperity to Master Ning. But no one knew what Master Ning actually did. Everyone only knew that those who came to do good deeds would say it was Master Ning who sent them. Master Ning truly had great prestige. Everyone who saw Young Master Ning also greeted him with friendly smiles.
Usually, it was like this. But today was a little different.
There was wind on the street. The wind was cold. Dust swirled, and awnings rustled noisily.
The sunset was red. Grayish-red. In the wind, under the sunset, people walked with hurried steps, their faces filled with a strange sense of alarm. Even when they saw Young Master Ning appearing at the county gate from afar, they couldn’t muster a smile.
On the side of the street, a carriage was parked quietly. But when Ning Xuan appeared, the carriage curtain was suddenly lifted, and a petite maidservant rushed out as if she had survived a disaster. She grabbed Ning Xuan’s hand, crying, “Young Master, it’s so good that you’re alright, so good, so good, sob sob sob.” She repeated this sentence. The young master had only told her when he went out. To avoid worrying the matriarch of the Ning Manor, she had kept it a secret on his behalf. If the young master had met with misfortune, she would have been finished. Something had happened in the county today. She hadn’t even dared to stay in the manor and had rushed to the county entrance in the carriage to wait.
Ning Xuan glanced around, then looked at the extremely nervous Xiaojie and said, “Let’s talk in the carriage.” Xiaojie nodded.
Then, as soon as Ning Xuan got into the carriage, he saw a solid bundle on the carriage seat. He picked it up and weighed it. Good heavens, there were quite a few clothes, and also gold and silver. Upon closer inspection, banknotes were revealed inside. It seemed something had indeed happened in the county, and Xiaojie had already prepared for the worst, ready to flee overnight if she couldn’t wait for him.
Ning Xuan’s mood was unperturbed. He pulled the bundle tighter, casually tossed it aside, and paid it no mind, nor did he ask about it. He knew what kind of person Xiaojie was. It wasn’t strange.
(End of this chapter)
