East Courtyard.
In the distance, the morning sun rose, painting the sky with a rosy dawn.
Jiang Ning glanced at the rising sun and then stood up.
"It's time to go to work!"
As he said the word "work," a smile crept onto his lips.
The word reminded him of his past life, of the struggles and the mundane existence he had led.
Thinking of that, he felt even more satisfied with his current life.
Although this world lacked the material abundance and entertainment options of his previous life.
The satisfaction of practicing martial arts, feeling his strength grow step by step, and the sense of power being concentrated within himself made it all worthwhile.
In his view, the path of martial arts was a path of individual transcendence, a transformation and elevation of life itself.
The further one progressed on the martial path, the more one resembled the legendary immortals and gods.
Take, for example, the Martial Saint who had dominated the world for eight hundred years, with a lifespan nearing a thousand years.
Just that lifespan alone was akin to that of an immortal.
The path of martial arts, in Jiang Ning's eyes, might not lead to true immortality, but a lifespan nearing a thousand years was something he deeply desired.
Longevity!
These two words were etched into the genes of humanity in his previous life.
In the history of his past world, spanning thousands of years, countless emperors had sought immortality but failed to achieve it.
Even the First Emperor, a figure of unparalleled greatness, had lost his life early in his pursuit of immortality.
In this world, the path of martial arts might not grant true immortality.
It could still bestow a lifespan nearing a thousand years, like that of the Martial Saint.
In the face of a thousand-year lifespan, with fifty generations of mortals coming and going, Jiang Ning considered this a form of longevity in its own right.
The mere prospect of extending his life by a thousand years was enough to drive him to pursue the martial path.
Not to mention, on this path, he could also attain power comparable to that of immortals and gods, capable of moving mountains and overturning seas.
The next moment.
Jiang Ning had just finished tidying up and was about to head to the Patrol Bureau to verify the identity of the Worship God Sect member he had encountered last night.
A sixth-rank martial artist from the Worship God Sect was worth fifty thousand contribution points.
Thinking of this, a sudden realization struck him.
"Right!" He slapped his thigh. "I almost forgot about the golden box I found last night!"
Then.
A strand of Jiang Ning's spiritual energy left his body and entered his spatial ring.
He now had two spatial rings. One contained his daily necessities and miscellaneous items.
The other held the corpse of the Worship God Sect member who had transformed into a flesh monster last night. Bringing the corpse would help verify her identity and secure the fifty thousand contribution points.
As his spiritual energy entered the spatial ring, Jiang Ning quickly located the spoils of war he had discovered last night.
A small, palm-sized box, dark gold in color, clearly made of gold.
"This must weigh at least a pound!" Jiang Ning's brows lifted in delight.
One pound was equivalent to ten taels, and according to the Great Xia's currency exchange rate, one tael of gold was equal to one thousand taels of silver.
In other words, this gold box alone was worth at least ten thousand taels of silver.
A box made of gold, worth at least ten thousand taels of silver, suggested that its contents were of even greater value, far exceeding ten thousand taels.
In an instant.
The dark golden box appeared in Jiang Ning's hand.
After holding the box, Jiang Ning weighed it slightly.
"About one and a half pounds."
Then he examined the object in his hand. It was dark gold all over, with no patterns on its surface. Holding it felt like holding a gold brick.
Only a single seam on the side indicated that it was a box made of gold.
"What could be inside?"
Looking at the gold box in his hand, Jiang Ning was deeply curious.
Then, he applied slight pressure with his fingers.
The next moment.
The box in his hand opened, and he immediately saw that the interior was filled with blood.
Soaking in the blood was a small idol, about ten centimeters tall.
The idol had three heads, six arms, and four legs!
As Jiang Ning observed the idol, its closed eyes suddenly opened.
"Worship me, and your flesh shall be eternal..."
"Offer to me, and your flesh shall ascend..."
"Serve me, and your flesh shall be indestructible..."
"..."
Three voices echoed in Jiang Ning's ears, like whispers, penetrating deep into his mind, seemingly trying to twist his thoughts.
The next moment.
Jiang Ning's eyes flickered with struggle, his gaze empty, as if his spirit had wandered far away.
After a few breaths.
Snap
The box was abruptly closed by his right hand.
As the box closed, the whispers that had been echoing in his ears vanished instantly.
What had just happened felt like an illusion.
Huff huff
Jiang Ning came back to his senses, gasping for breath.
His eyes still carried a trace of lingering fear.
Just now, in his mind, he had seen a sea of blood.
Floating on the sea were lifelike corpses.
And in the center of the sea, a three-headed, six-armed, four-legged monster slowly approached him.
As the distance closed, Jiang Ning felt an overwhelming sense of danger.
During this process, his body was completely out of his control, frozen in place.
But fortunately, with a burst of his spiritual energy, he briefly regained control of his body.
Using that control, he managed to close the box in his hand.
"Whew"
Jiang Ning let out a long breath, and his rapidly beating heart gradually calmed down.
"It seems my guess was correct. This gold box can isolate the idol inside."
"Based on what just happened and the whispers that echoed in my ears, the idol inside must be the Flesh God worshipped by the Worship God Sect."
Jiang Ning muttered to himself, his eyes narrowing.
Could there be gods in this world?
Or were they some kind of malevolent spirits masquerading as gods?
At this moment, Jiang Ning suddenly recalled what he had learned about ancient times from books.
In the ancient times of this world.
Immortals, demons, humans, and gods coexisted.
Immortals were humans or demons who had attained enlightenment, cultivating the path of immortality.
Only those with the "immortal root" could walk the path of immortality.
This "immortal root," as he now understood, was also referred to as "spiritual wisdom." Only those born with spiritual wisdom had the potential to attain immortality.
The term "spiritual wisdom" was a later interpretation.
As for demons, they have existed since ancient times.
Plants, animals, birds, and beasts that gained intelligence could become demons.
And gods divine beings were entities that held certain authorities over the world.
For example, mountain gods and river gods held absolute authority over their respective domains.
Within their divine domains, even a minor mountain god possessed immense divine power.
And these were just minor gods.
However, since the end of ancient times, immortals and gods have vanished, and great demons have also disappeared without a trace.
According to various rumors, only in the vast southern mountains did ancient great demons slumber.
Because of this knowledge, Jiang Ning had previously dismissed the Flesh God worshipped by the Worship God Sect.
After the end of ancient times, martial arts flourished.
The strongest in the human world was the Martial Saint.
The Martial Saint who had dominated the world for eight hundred years.
The fact that the Martial Saint could achieve such a feat indicated that the times had changed. This was now the era of martial arts.
If this were not the era of martial arts, but one where ancient immortals, gods, or great demons still existed.
How could the Martial Saint have dominated the world for eight hundred years?
Thus, in Jiang Ning's view, in a small place like Luoshui County, in this era, what kind of god could possibly emerge?
But now, he realized he had underestimated things.
The Flesh God was not as simple as he had thought.
With his current strength and powerful spiritual energy, he had almost been twisted by the idol's influence.
Thinking of this, he felt a deep sense of fear.
"Strengthening my spiritual energy must become my top priority!"
Jiang Ning thought to himself.
Then he quickly stored the golden box away.
Patrol Bureau.
Internal Affairs Office.
By the time Jiang Ning arrived, the sun was already high in the sky.
"Senior!" Jiang Ning bowed respectfully to the elderly woman before him.
As Jiang Ning's voice rang out, the drowsy old woman slowly opened her eyes.
"It's you!" the old woman said.
"Yes, it's me," Jiang Ning replied with a bow.
From what he knew, this old woman was an extremely important figure in the Patrol Bureau.
All matters related to the distribution and accounting of contribution points were handled by her.
Even the identity tokens and registers of the Patrol Bureau came from her hands.
Thus, there was no doubt that this old woman was a formidable figure.
In Jiang Ning's view, she might even be the strongest person in the Luoshui County Patrol Bureau.
Because of this, he always treated her with the utmost respect.
"What brings you here?" the old woman asked.
Jiang Ning replied, "Last night, I happened to encounter a severely injured member of the Worship God Sect and killed her. I've come to claim the contribution points."
"Show me the identification," the old woman said indifferently.
"Yes!" Jiang Ning nodded respectfully.
The next moment.
With a wave of his hand.
The corpse of the person he had killed last night appeared on the stone floor.
Her massive body immediately stood out in the room.
"Senior, is this enough?" Jiang Ning asked.
At this moment, the old woman seemed to ignore his question, her gaze fixed on the corpse on the ground.
"A deified corpse!"
She flashed forward, appearing in front of Jiang Ning.
"So it is!!" Jiang Ning thought to himself, inwardly shocked.
The old woman's movement was incredibly fast.
Even compared to his current speed, Jiang Ning felt that he was no match for her.
"At least twice as fast as my normal speed. Even with my wind-defying ability, her speed is still thirty percent faster than mine!"
"Her martial arts level is at least on par with Hong Minghu!"
Jiang Ning quickly made this judgment.
At this moment.
The old woman appeared beside the monster's body.
She examined the corpse, then pressed on the bones, her expression lighting up with joy.
"This is the corpse of a sixth-rank martial artist who underwent deification. It has immense research value. I'll give you an extra ten thousand contribution points if you let me handle this corpse. What do you say?" the old woman said to Jiang Ning.
Hearing this, Jiang Ning felt a surge of joy.
Ten thousand contribution points, to him, were equivalent to twenty thousand taels of silver.
Because his need for contribution points was immense.
As for using silver to privately purchase contribution points from others in the Patrol Bureau, it would be like trying to put out a fire with a cup of water, given his current needs.
"I'll follow your suggestion, Senior!" Jiang Ning said with a bow.
Hearing this, the old woman waved her hand, and the blood-stained corpse vanished from the room.
"A spatial ring!"
Jiang Ning thought to himself.
The old woman said, "Follow me. I'll get you the currency equivalent to sixty thousand contribution points."
"Senior!" Jiang Ning quickly said. "I need a Dragon Ascension Pill."
"A Dragon Ascension Pill?" The old woman looked at Jiang Ning, sizing him up. "You're still at the seventh rank, the level of flood Dragon Tendons?"
Jiang Ning replied, "Yes."
"So weak?" she said, surprised.
Jiang Ning: "..."
The word "weak" was something he hadn't heard in a long time.
Lately, all he had heard were exclamations of awe at his strength.
But now, he was hearing the word "weak" again.
After a pause, the old woman added, "With your strength, how did you kill a sixth-rank martial artist and one who had undergone deification at that?"
Jiang Ning said, "I was lucky last night. I happened to catch her when she was severely injured, so I took advantage of the situation."
Hearing this.
The old woman looked at Jiang Ning as if he were an idiot.
Her expression seemed to say, "Do you think I'm a fool?"
Seeing her look, Jiang Ning couldn't help but smile awkwardly.
He realized that his excuse was rather flimsy.
After all, a sixth-rank martial artist who had undergone deification was practically indestructible.
Last night, even an arrow through the chest hadn't been fatal. How could she have been severely injured and easily killed by him?
"Never mind," the old woman waved her hand. "How you killed her is your secret. I won't pry."
"As for the Dragon Ascension Pill you need, it will have to be transported from the prefectural city. It will take about three days."
"Come back here in three days."
"Yes, Senior!" Jiang Ning bowed.
On the other side.
Yellow Heaven Sect territory.
"Have you found Altar Master Sun?"
"Reporting to the Hall Master, we have not found any trace of Altar Master Sun!"
"Any other discoveries?"
"Reporting to the Hall Master, we have searched everywhere but found no trace of Altar Master Sun. However, last night, there was a major battle near Linjiang Tower. The commotion was significant and might be related to Altar Master Sun."
"A battle near Linjiang Tower?" Liu Linman's eyes narrowed. "Take me there!"
"Yes, Hall Master!!"
Three days later.
[Name]: Jiang Ning
[Source Energy]: 59.12
[Skills]:
Literacy (Third Breakthrough 2147/4000) (Traits: Photographic Memory, Enhanced Senses, Quick Thinking)
Jiang Ning stood up and glanced at his status panel before closing it.
Over the past three days, he had spent most of his time reading.
This allowed the experience points for the Literacy skill to surpass the halfway mark.
The only thing that dissatisfied him was that without additional sources, the growth of his source energy points had become too slow.
In three full days, he had gained less than ten source energy points.
"It seems that rapid growth still requires spending money!" Jiang Ning sighed to himself, then stood up.
According to the agreement, today he would be able to obtain the Dragon Ascension Pill.
That day, he had only chosen to exchange for one Dragon Ascension Pill, with no other expenses.
Because he wasn't sure if one Dragon Ascension Pill would be enough to truly elevate him to the level of Dragon Tendons.
If not, he could use the remaining thirty thousand contribution points to try to gather enough for another Dragon Ascension Pill.
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