Chapter 16

"It's done!"

In the room, Xiao Ning's eyes suddenly opened, and it seemed as if a sword flashed in his dark pupils.

After half a month of seclusion, he had temporarily set aside the Immortal Sutra to immerse himself in comprehending the grass-character sword art. Now, he had finally mastered the basics of this supreme sword art.

Xiao Ning extended his right palm, and with a thought, a rune in the shape of a nine-leaf sword grass appeared in his hand, emitting a bright light.

Buzz!

In the room, there seemed to be a divine sword vibrating, and a terrifying sword intent emanated from the runes.

Xiao Ning formed a sword finger with his right hand, and sharp sword intent instantly condensed.

The sword light flashed with a sharpness that tore through the void, revealing its indestructible edge. Xiao Ning pinched the sword finger in his hand and lightly drew it on his left palm, and a blood mark appeared immediately.

Despite possessing four thousand kilograms of physical strength, Xiao Ning's physical defenses were incredibly powerful.

Even an ordinary fourth-level or fifth-level monsters might not have such a terrifying body. Yet, the grass-shaped sword technique he had just learned could easily cut through his physical defenses.

The grass-character sword technique indeed lived up to its reputation.

It could cut through anything, cutting through matter as effortlessly as a magic weapon slicing through mud.

Mastering this sword technique significantly boosted Xiao Ning's combat power.

Moreover, the sword energy could leave his body, giving him a means of long-range attacks despite his current cultivation level being only that of a fighter, where Dou Qi couldn't typically leave the body.

If he faced Jia Liebi again, Xiao Ning wouldn't even need to get close,a burst of sword energy would instantly kill him.

The sword energy stimulated by the grass-shaped sword technique was extremely sharp, and even if Jia Liebi wore protective armor, he could still be killed with one move.

"Next, it's time to continue practicing the Immortal Sutra!" Xiao Ning decided.

In the past half month, he had focused so much on comprehending the grass-character sword art that he had somewhat neglected practicing the Immortal Sutra.

As a result, there had been little improvement in his physical strength and cultivation.

While the sword art was powerful, his own cultivation strength was paramount and must not be neglected.

With a thought, the nine-leaf sword grass rune disappeared into his palm.

After a short rest, Xiao Ning began a medicinal bath.

"Um?"

An hour later, as he finished absorbing all the medicinal power he frowned slightly, and then jumped out of the barrel with a sense of helplessness.

After reaching a physical strength of four thousand kilograms, even the top-quality medicinal materials from the Mitter auction house had lost their effectiveness.

Xiao Ning had anticipated this situation.

As his physical strength increased, he would require increasingly potent body-tempering materials.

Clearly, the Mitter Auction House in Wutan City could no longer provide him with higher-level body-tempering materials.

The Wutan City Auction was just a branch of the Mitter family, and its resources were limited.

If Xiao Ning wanted to obtain higher-level body-tempering materials, he had to leave Wutan City to find them.

"Should I leave Wutan City now?" This idea crossed Xiao Ning's mind, but then he thought of someone.

"Maybe he can give me what I want."

---

The Next Day

The mountain behind the Xiao family.

"Cousin Xiao Ning, why are you here?" Xiao Yan looked at Xiao Ning, who appeared in the back mountain, with a look of confusion.

He had been learning the art of refining medicine when Yao Lao alerted him of someone's approach. To his surprise, it was Xiao Ning.

"You insist on practicing alone in the back of a mountain, cousin Xiao Yan, you truly are an ascetic monk."

Xiao Ning glanced at the cave behind Xiao Yan and couldn't help but praise.

Xiao Yan's dedication to his cultivation was admirable, even surpassing Xiao Ning's own efforts.

"I am also learning from you, cousin," Xiao Yan replied, neither humble nor arrogant.

He had seen Xiao Ning's recent performances and was impressed.

While he occasionally took Xun'er for walks, his cousin spent all day in his room practicing.

The two chatted briefly.

Xiao Ning, remembering the purpose of his visit, looked at Xiao Yan and said bluntly, "Cousin Xiao Yan, are you an alchemist now?"

Xiao Yan's expression changed, and he glanced at Xiao Ning warily.

How did he know about my identity as an alchemist? Xiao Yan couldn't figure out when his secret was exposed.

"Cousin Xiao Yan, there's no need to panic. Everyone has their secrets, and I have mine, I don't intend to pry,I just want to make a deal with you," Xiao Ning said calmly, noticing Xiao Yan's drastic reaction.

Xiao Yan took a deep breath, forced himself to calm down, and asked, "What kind of deal does cousin Xiao Ning want to make?"

"Body Tempering Spiritual Liquid,I want cousin Xiao Yan to refine a batch of Body Tempering Spiritual Liquid for me,It must be at least third grade," Xiao Ning stated directly.

With Xiao Ning's current physical strength, the medicinal materials provided by the Miter Auction House were no longer effective.

To continue improving, he needed higher-level medicinal materials or elixirs refined by an alchemist.

"Third grade or above?" Xiao Yan's eyes widened, and he subconsciously wanted to refuse.

"Do it," Yao Lao's voice sounded in Xiao Yan's mind.

"No problem, but what will cousin Xiao Ning trade with me?" Although he didn't understand why Yao Lao wanted him to agree, Xiao Yan complied without further questions.

A flash of surprise crossed Xiao Ning's face.

He agreed too quickly? But then he remembered Yao Lao in the ring and understood.

Given Xiao Yan's current level, only Yao Lao could refine a third-grade Body Tempering Spiritual Liquid.

Xiao Ning took out a purple gold card from his ring. "Cousin Xiao Yan, here are two hundred thousand gold coins for your hard work,I will pay for the medicinal materials separately."

After looting two aristocratic families, Xiao Ning had plenty of money.

Two hundred thousand gold coins were insignificant to him.

Xiao Yan's eyelids twitched slightly. He didn't expect such a generous offer.

"Then I'll trouble cousin Xiao Yan," Xiao Ning said, leaving the back mountain after the negotiation was completed.

"Teacher, how did cousin Xiao Ning know that I am an alchemist?" Xiao Yan asked Yao Lao as he watched Xiao Ning leave.

"Perhaps he didn't discover it himself, but someone guided him," Yao Lao emerged from the ring, pondering the faint sword intent he sensed from Xiao Ning earlier.

Could it be that Xiao Ning's sudden rise was due to a hidden master within the Xiao family?