Chapter 19 Broken Porcelain (Thanks to Sovereign Xiao Han of Yuequan Bay!)

This strike came with both speed and ferocity. The Big Master, overwhelmed by both shock and fury, could only manage to raise his left arm in a desperate attempt to block the critical areas of his face!

"Bang!"

The muffled sound echoed as blood splattered in all directions.

The Big Master roared in agony, his left arm turning into a pulp of flesh. Yet he hadn't completely blocked the attack—a deep wound several inches long was seared into his face by the long spear!

"You…"

Reeling from the pain as he stumbled backward, the Big Master frantically slapped his storage bag with his right hand. A long spear materialized out of thin air and into his grip. With a surge of mana, the spear began to hum and vibrate sharply.

But how could Ning Daoran give him any chance to fight back? The second spear strike came crashing down directly at his head!

"Clang~~~"

The two spear blades collided, sending out a shower of sparks.

The overwhelming force erupted, scattering the furnishings within the room in all directions.

"Buzz!"

The sharp whistle in the air intensified as a third strike came hurtling down!

The Big Master felt all the hairs on his back standing on end, a grim foreboding of death enveloping his being.

With a shake of his spear, he executed an extraordinarily fluid and seamless thrust aimed straight at his opponent's abdomen.

In the art of spear techniques, the Big Master indeed had impressive mastery!

Moreover, as soon as this thrust was executed, a thread of blood-red spiritual power extended and suddenly transformed into a streak of crimson light aimed at Ning Daoran's back.

*Ning Daoran's eyelid twitched wildly at that moment. Alarm bells rang in his mind as he quickly moved the Azure Dragon Spear with a delicate swipe, shaking off the opponent's spear.*

Simultaneously, he opened his left palm, where strands of golden Spirit Mastery cultivated through the Body Tempering Technique emerged and enveloped his hand. With a single grasp, he caught hold of the streak of crimson light.

"Something's not right..."

*His heart sank abruptly. What he held in his hand was spinning at high speed, cutting into his palm even through the protection provided by the Returning to Nature level of the Body Tempering Technique. The skin and flesh of his palm were being scraped away, exposing bone within moments.*

This was indeed a magical artifact, and at least a top-grade one!

"Go!"

With a sudden burst of strength in his right hand, the Azure Dragon Spear emitted a sharp screech. With a "pffft," the spear pierced through the Big Master's right arm along with the long spear he held, pinning both to the wall behind him.

In an instant, the sword sheath behind Ning Daoran started resonating furiously. Harnessing immense mana, the Qiushui Sword was drawn from its sheath with a resounding clang and caught in his hand. As he swung it, an abundance of Evergreen Technique wood-attribute spiritual power surged into the blade!

He executed a horizontal slash!

"Slash!"

The sound of flesh rending was accompanied by another spray of blood as the Big Master's head tumbled from his neck, rolling onto the floor.

And at the very moment the Big Master was slain, the exceptionally sharp magical artifact in Ning Daoran's left hand finally ceased its rotation, transforming into a fragment of broken porcelain barely larger than half a palm.

A powerful magical energy fluctuation coursed through it—it was indeed a magical artifact!

"Soul Search!"

Without hesitation, Ning Daoran performed a soul search on the Big Master's remains. Soon after, he swept up all his treasures.

By the time Ning Daoran leapt into the night sky and vanished, mountain bandits with umbrellas and torches had finally made their way over.

"The Big Master is dead… It's over…"

...

"Old Lu, let's head home!"

Outside the mountain village, Ning Daoran uttered a soft command. Man and deer vanished into the night in the blink of an eye.

By dawn, they had arrived back at Chaotic Sect. Donning the attire of an Outer Disciple, Ning Daoran returned to Qiongbi Peak.

The Small Cloud Mist Array was reactivated, and Ning Daoran began to tally his spoils.

The Big Master of Black Wind Village truly lived up to his reputation. Just counting the Low Grade Spirit Stones from two of the bandits amounted to over three hundred pieces, instantly boosting Ning Daoran's spirit stone reserves to over four hundred. He had made a considerable windfall!

But the most remarkable find had to be the storage bag from the Big Master's waist.

After pouring his mana into erasing the imprint left on the storage bag, Ning Daoran discovered that it measured a convenient size of five meters by five meters—medium-sized for a storage bag.

Up to this point in his cultivation journey, Ning Daoran had not owned anything like this. The storage bag was a timely boon, almost like a gift from heaven.

Inside the bag were two low-grade magical tools and, moreover, a martial arts secret manual titled "Silver Dragon Spear Technique," ranked as Yellow Grade Middle.

Yet, what surprised Ning Daoran most was the fragment of broken porcelain that had wounded him.

This turned out to be a first-tier top-grade magical artifact. Though it was just a small shard, it must have once been part of a third-tier magical treasure, or perhaps even a fourth-tier spiritual treasure. Otherwise, it couldn't possibly possess such terrifying power.

*Ning Daoran speculated that the shard likely originated from a shattered ancient spiritual treasure that might have been some form of porcelain bottle.*

*For it to injure even the Returning to Nature-level body cultivated through the Body Tempering Technique, the shard's potency spoke volumes.*

A weapon capable of killing silently and without a trace—such a treasure was naturally one to keep. After refining it, it could serve as his trump card.

As for the two low-grade magical tools, Ning Daoran regarded them without much interest. When it came to treasures, less was more; quality mattered over quantity. Refining one or two suitable tools would suffice. These two low-grade items could be sold off at a later opportunity.

It wasn't that Ning Daoran was too lofty in his tastes.

The two low-grade artifacts consisted of a brocade handkerchief and a Phoenix Head Hairpin.

He wouldn't mind using them himself, if not for the risk of becoming a laughingstock...

As for the Silver Dragon Spear Technique… it was just perfect. Ning Daoran happened to own an ungraded Azure Dragon Spear. If he cultivated the Silver Dragon Spear Technique to the Returning to Nature level, it would surely enhance his combat effectiveness significantly.

That was when he noticed Old Lu, who was staring wide-eyed at the spoils of battle.

After the downpour last night, the Big Stupid Deer's fur, now clean, was pure white. Its body glistened with beautifully intricate patterns and spots, giving it an appearance reminiscent of a high-level spiritual beast.

"Huh?"

Ning Daoran blinked in surprise. "Old Lu, is this the first time I've realized you're white?"

"Moo~~~!"

The Big Stupid Deer let out a disgruntled cry. It had always been white; it just hadn't bathed in ten years.

"Hahaha~~~"

Laughing heartily, Ning Daoran reached out and vigorously ruffled the deer's head. "Doesn't matter, white or not—it's all good!"

...

Twenty yards deep underground in a secret chamber, Ning Daoran decided it was time to refine the shard of broken porcelain.

His Evergreen Technique mana quickly enveloped the shard. Under the ceaseless burning of his mana, it began to sizzle and crackle. The Divine Soul Imprint left by the Big Master inside the shard seemed to struggle to resist.

But it was futile; in terms of mana and divine sense, the Big Master was far inferior to Ning Daoran. Within the span of a single thirty-minute incense stick's time, the imprint was completely erased. Following this, Ning Daoran officially began refining the shard.

About two hours later, the process was complete, and the shard was marked with a new imprint.

He placed the shard in his storage bag.

Soon after, he scanned the bag using his divine sense to locate the shard. With a single thought and a surge of mana, the shard shot out with a "swish" and spun rapidly in mid-air, cutting through the air like a high-speed gyroscope, accompanied by a relentless whistling sound.

The edges were sharp and terrifyingly lethal.

Ning Daoran nodded in satisfaction. With a flick of his fingers, a thread of blood-colored silk materialized between his forefinger and the shard, pulling it to fly freely through the air at his whim.

This top-grade magical tool was truly extraordinary!

*Ning Daoran furrowed his brow slightly. Silent, razor-sharp, and deadly—with such a weapon in hand, even a Foundation Establishment Ancestor-level great cultivator could be assassinated under the right conditions.*

*Thank goodness this artifact was now his.*

He glanced down at his left hand, where all five fingers bore deep, torn wounds, with flesh peeled back in brutal shreds.

Fortunately, the Evergreen Technique boasted remarkable self-healing capabilities. As he circulated the technique again and again to heal himself, the wounds visibly began to mend.

Reaching the third layer of the Evergreen Technique was nothing exceptional.

However, once the Evergreen Technique was cultivated to the seventh layer, it would unlock incredible abilities.

"Whew…"

He exhaled as he reclined in his chair, staring at the ceiling of the underground chamber. He began to reflect on the day's events.

A hundred-mile raid on Black Wind Village, toppling its two leaders in one fell swoop.

On the surface, it seemed reckless, but in reality, it was a one-and-done solution.

*Ning Daoran knew deep down that while the endeavor appeared risky, it was virtually foolproof. Through the soul search of two lackeys, he had already confirmed that both leaders were merely in the Qi Refinement stage. Under the element of surprise, there was almost no chance for errors.*

If he hadn't killed them, they would have surely sent successive batches of scouts to investigate the Chaotic Sect, and trouble would have been inevitable.

This way was better—clean and final.

Even so, taking this action meant he would need to lay low for a while.

With that in mind, he resolved not to descend from Qiongbi Peak for the next year and to keep a low profile!

...

Time flew by, and a year passed in the blink of an eye.

At dawn, the windmill within the Small Cloud Mist Array spun steadily. The Big Stupid Deer was earnestly pedaling on the windmill, watering the spirit field like a seasoned pro.

For his part, Ning Daoran sat within his humble abode, gazing serenely with closed eyes. After a year of refining time, he decided it was time to cultivate the Yellow Grade Middle Silver Dragon Spear Technique.

As the saying goes, "Knowledge never burdens a person."

Gathering the refined time and channeling it into the Silver Dragon Spear Technique, he began to train!

[Year One: You studied the Silver Dragon Spear Technique manual. The path of martial arts suddenly became clear to you, filling you with elation. However, you quickly realized that mastering this technique wasn't as simple as it seemed.]

[Year Six: After six arduous years of training, you finally made progress.]

[Silver Dragon Spear Technique. Yellow Rank Middle Grade (Entry Level)]

[Year Twenty-Eight: Practicing in the courtyard, your spear danced like a silver serpent, scattering fallen leaves throughout the air. Even the women of the brothel across the street from your courtyard applauded in admiration. Some of them, particularly fond of you, playfully winked and invited you to join them.]

[Silver Dragon Spear Technique. Yellow Rank Middle Grade (Small Accomplishment)]

"Oh?"

Ning Daoran paused in surprise. Reaching Small Accomplishment in just twenty-eight years? This was rather unexpected. Could it be that his martial arts talent was truly exceptional?

[Year Ninety-Nine: Your proficiency in the Silver Dragon Spear Technique was already extraordinary, yet you still sought to push further. You tirelessly practiced your spear every day.]

[Year Two Hundred and Forty: The women from the brothel across the street, though their occupants had changed several times over, continued to take notice of you. They jested about your abstinence from their establishment, calling you a "Gun God" to mock your outward appearance as being all show and no substance.]

[Year One Thousand Thirty-Three: Your spear movements became increasingly seamless and intense, brimming with killing intent, resembling a general commanding the battlefield.]

[Silver Dragon Spear Technique. Yellow Rank Middle Grade (Great Success)]

[Year One Thousand Nine Hundred: Dissatisfied with having only reached the Great Success level of the Silver Dragon Spear Technique, you embarked on a journey of training. You traveled through the states, defeating the top experts from every major martial arts school, yet your spear skills remained stagnant.]

[Year Four Thousand Five Hundred Sixty: Sitting by the riverside in meditation, you watched the tides rise and fall. Suddenly, inspiration struck, and you began to practice your spear technique. Your movements harmonized with the rhythm of the tides, achieving oneness with nature.]

[Silver Dragon Spear Technique. Yellow Rank Middle Grade (Perfect)]

"Whew…"

Ning Daoran opened his eyes and let out a long sigh, somewhat exasperated. Why did mastering supreme martial techniques always demand thousands—or even tens of thousands—of years?

*His earlier misconceptions about his martial arts talent came into sharper focus; the notion of his exceptional aptitude had been a mere illusion.*

His hands itched for action, craving the flow of technique.

With a casual tap on his storage bag, he retrieved the Big Master's ungraded iron spear. He immediately began performing the Perfect-level Silver Dragon Spear Technique in the courtyard.

Refined time was all well and good.

But true mastery of such martial techniques required repeated practice to ensure they could be deployed smoothly in actual combat.

For a time, the Perfect-level Silver Dragon Spear Technique unfolded in a display of seamless elegance, unblemished by any flaws. When the rain began to fall, every single raindrop was deflected by the spear tip, not one able to approach him.

Water-tight!

Ning Daoran took a deep breath and channeled his Evergreen Technique mana into the iron spear. Instantly, sharp, piercing cries erupted, as wisps of white spear radiance appeared at the tip of the spear!

The Big Stupid Deer stood rooted in place, its eyes wide and its mouth agape. With a startled bleat, it let out a cry full of reverence, as if exclaiming how their leader could truly master all eighteen types of weapons so flawlessly.