Indoors.
Xie Xiaojiu closed the door, shutting out the wind and snow, then untied the fox-fur cloak from her shoulders and placed it on the nearby table.
She sat down beside Jiang Ning, rubbing her hands together. The glow of the charcoal fire flushed her cheeks a rosy hue.
"Sir, do you know why I came to find you?" Xie Xiaojiu asked, turning to Jiang Ning.
"What is it?" Jiang Ning replied.
"I officially reached the Seventh Rank a few days ago!" Xie Xiaojiu declared, her face brimming with pride as she tilted her chin up slightly.
"Impressive!" Jiang Ning praised sincerely.
Though he had already reached the peak of the Seventh Rank and was two years younger than Xie Xiaojiu, he knew his circumstances were far from ordinary.
For someone her age to reach this level was rare even in all of Luoshui County she was undoubtedly a prodigy.
After all, even someone as renowned as Wang Jin was only at the peak of the Seventh Rank. Compared to him, Xie Xiaojiu was far younger. In terms of talent and potential, among the younger generation in Luoshui County, she was second only to Jiang Ning himself.
Hearing Jiang Ning's praise, Xie Xiaojiu beamed.
"In front of you, Sir, my meager achievements are hardly worth mentioning!"
"Compared to your brilliance, I'm nothing more than a flickering firefly!"
Jiang Ning chuckled and shook his head. "Aside from me, you're the undisputed number one among the younger generation in Luoshui County."
"True!" Xie Xiaojiu's excitement flared up again. "I shouldn't compare myself to you, Sir. How many people in this world even qualify to stand beside you?"
Jiang Ning could only shake his head at her exaggerated flattery.
Just then, the door swung open again.
A figure clad in fiery red stepped inside Feng Jiuge.
"Sir," Feng Jiuge greeted, casting a glance at Xie Xiaojiu before addressing Jiang Ning.
"Have you settled your father?" Jiang Ning asked.
"Thank you for your concern, Sir. Everything is taken care of," Feng Jiuge replied.
Then he added, "I've also gathered the information you asked me to investigate."
"And?" Jiang Ning pressed.
Feng Jiuge said, "According to my father, news of He Jinyun's death reached Dongling City just before his departure. The Qinghe Marquis's estate is furious."
"But as for who they'll send or when they'll arrive, there's no word yet."
"Understood," Jiang Ning nodded.
Suddenly, Feng Jiuge's eyes widened in realization.
"Could it be…?"
Jiang Ning smiled. "Don't just stand there by the door. Come in and warm yourself by the fire."
"Yes, Sir!"
Feng Jiuge immediately complied, suppressing the startling thought in his mind before turning to shut the door firmly.
That day,
The wind and snow howled outside while Xie Xiaojiu and Feng Jiuge sat quietly beside Jiang Ning, occasionally serving him hot tea.
Meanwhile, Jiang Ning continued circulating his Water-Fire True Force, steadily increasing the technique's experience points.
Three days passed in the blink of an eye.
Jiang Ning pushed open the door. Outside, the snow still fell relentlessly only wind, no respite.
"Forget it. No point going to the Inspection Bureau in this weather," Jiang Ning muttered, shaking his head before closing the door again.
Traveling in such conditions was impractical.
Days of continuous snowfall had buried the roads under thick layers of snow. Even though laborers in the inner city cleared the streets daily, carriages could only pass by noon.
If he left now, he'd have to walk the entire way.
"The common folk in the outer city must be suffering through this winter," Jiang Ning suddenly thought, recalling stray cats freezing to death in his past life.
Ah, forget it.
He shook his head, dismissing the thought.
Worrying about the world's problems wasn't for him.
In his eyes, taking care of himself and those close to him was enough.
"If poor, tend to your virtue; if prosperous, care for all under heaven."
He had no such lofty ideals and even if he did, he was far from reaching that level of influence.
In this world, he was merely a minor Eighth-Rank official, and his martial path had only reached the Seventh Rank.
In the grand scheme of things, he was still an insignificant figure.
Closing the door, Jiang Ning opened his status panel for a glance.
[Name]: Jiang Ning
[Source Energy]: 623.17
[Skills]:
Literacy (4th Breakthrough Limit: 2378/5000) (Traits: Photographic Memory, Enhanced Senses, Quick Thinking, Exceptional Comprehension)
Five Beasts Fist (1st Breakthrough Limit: 787/2000) (Trait: Essence Stored in the Five Organs)
Firewood Splitting Saber Technique (5th Breakthrough Limit: 6000/6000) (Traits: Versatility, Swift as the Wind, Saber Mastery, Unity of Man and Saber, Natural Saber Talent)
Inner Alchemy Longevity Art (Minor Achievement: 713/5000)
Indestructible Vajra Body (Minor Achievement: 453/5000)
Water Affinity (6th Breakthrough Limit: 3763/7000) (Traits: Underwater Breathing, Water Manipulation+, Water Spirit Affinity, Cloud and Rain Control, Water Spirit Body)
Wind-Thunder Archery (3rd Breakthrough Limit: 49/4000) (Traits: Wind-Thunder Breath, Heart's Archery, Wind-Thunder Arrow)
Water-Fire True Force (Perfection: 776/1000)
The Water-Fire True Force had now reached Perfection, with an additional 776 experience points accumulated beyond that.
Over the past few days, aside from daily necessities, Jiang Ning had focused entirely on grinding this skill's experience.
Now, it was not only perfect but also nearing its first Breakthrough Limit.
"At my current pace, I can achieve the first Breakthrough for Water-Fire True Force within the day," Jiang Ning mused, studying his panel.
He resumed circulating the force indoors.
[Water-Fire True Force Experience +1]
[Water-Fire True Force Experience +3]
[Water-Fire True Force Experience +3]
[…]
Outside Luoshui County,
A dragon steed over ten feet tall galloped through the snow.
Its hooves kicked up flurries with each stride.
On its back sat a striking man clad in a thin white robe, his jade-like features sharp, his brows like swords, his eyes like stars.
To him, the bitter cold seemed insignificant.
Even as the howling wind rushed into his robe, his expression remained unperturbed.
"Luoshui County… I've arrived."
His gaze lifted to the three characters engraved above the city gates.
The thunderous hoofbeats immediately drew the attention of the guards on duty.
The moment they spotted the white-robed rider and his towering dragon steed, their expressions turned grave.
Anyone who could traverse such weather and atop such a rare mount was no ordinary man.
Moments later,
The man reined in his steed, a long spear in his right hand, the reins in his left.
"Neigh!"
The dragon steed's cry echoed like a muffled dragon's roar.
On the city walls, a deputy officer's pupils constricted.
"A pureblood dragon-steed!"
"Sir, are pureblood dragon steeds really that valuable?" a nearby captain asked.
"Extremely. One is worth a hundred gold and that's no exaggeration," the deputy replied.
"Hiss" The captain sucked in a cold breath.
A hundred gold meant a hundred taels of gold or a hundred thousand taels of silver.
The captain muttered, "Then this visitor… is no small figure."
"Of course not!" the deputy snapped. "Anyone who travels in this weather, dressed so lightly, is undoubtedly a master!"
Just then,
The young man's voice boomed like thunder across the snowfield:
"Open the gates!"
"Good sir, the gates don't open for another half-hour! Please wait outside a little longer!" the deputy called down.
"I said, open them!" The man's voice hardened. Then he added, "I am the second son of the Qinghe Marquis!"
The deputy stiffened.
"Open the gates!" he barked, turning to his subordinates.
"But, Sir"
"OPEN THEM!"
The order was absolute.
Within moments,
"Boom!"
The massive gates trembled before slowly parting.
Snow cascaded from the walls from the vibration.
Once the gap widened enough,
"Hyah!"
The man spurred his dragon-steed forward, charging into the city.
"Second Young Master, ride safely!" the deputy called after him, forcing a smile.
The man ignored him, vanishing into the streets without a backward glance.
Only after he was gone did the deputy exhale in relief.
"Sir, we didn't even verify his identity. Won't the Chief Inspector punish us for breaking protocol?" the captain asked.
"You fool!" the deputy hissed. "Better a reprimand than death!"
He glared. "Didn't you hear? That was the Qinghe Marquis's second son a man said to be invincible among the Sixth Rank!"
"He's here for his younger brother, He Jinyun's death. If we'd delayed him, do you think he wouldn't have scaled these walls and cut us down where we stood?"
"Men like us? To a noble's son, our lives are worthless!"
"Do you understand now?!"
The captain shuddered, nodding frantically.
Understood.
Meanwhile,
Jiang Ning remained unaware that the Qinghe Marquis's second son had arrived in Luoshui County.
He continued refining his Water-Fire True Force, pushing it closer to its limit.
By afternoon,
Inspection Bureau.
"The Second Young Master came personally?!"
Hong Minghu strode into the hall, spotting the imposing young noble.
"Chief Inspector." The man rose slightly, cupping his hands in greeting.
"No need for formalities, Second Young Master. Please, sit." Hong Minghu gestured politely.
Despite the man's lack of official rank, Hong Minghu dared not slight him.
The Second Young Master had earned the title of Martial Imperial Scholar the previous year.
If he joined the military, he could start as a Commandant or even rise to a Deputy General (Fourth Rank) with his family's connections.
Even as a nominal rank, a Fourth-Rank officer was the highest authority in Dongling Prefecture.
Thus, Hong Minghu treated him with utmost respect both for his status and his achievements.
Once seated,
The young noble spoke: "Chief Inspector, do you have any leads on my fifth brother's death?"
"I've assigned Commander Ye Qiu to investigate. Shall I summon him for your questions?" Hong Minghu offered.
"Good." The noble nodded calmly.
On the other side.
[Source Energy]: 623.17
[Skills]: Water-Fire True Force+ (Perfection 1000/1000)
Jiang Ning's mood brightened as he checked his panel.
After days of relentless training, Water-Fire True Force had finally met the requirements for its first Breakthrough Limit.
The "+" symbol confirmed it was ready.
All he had to do was will it.
With a thought,
His Source Energy plummeted.
Instantly,
Jiang Ning felt as though half his body was submerged in water, the other half engulfed in flames.
Yet the two extremes coexisted harmoniously, his body acting as the balancing medium.
His skin alternated between icy cold and scorching heat.
Time became irrelevant.
When the sensations faded,
Jiang Ning opened his eyes and checked his panel first.
[Source Energy]: 523.17
"As expected, the first Breakthrough for high-tier martial arts still costs 100 Source Energy same as mid and low-tier ones."
His gaze dropped further.
[Skills]: Water-Fire True Force (1st Breakthrough Limit: 0/2000) (Trait: Water-Fire Immortal Robe)
[Water-Fire Immortal Robe]: Cloaked in an immortal's robe, impervious to water and fire.
"This effect?"
Jiang Ning's eyes narrowed.
He had expected the Breakthrough to enhance offensive capabilities.
Instead, it granted defensive utility immunity to water and fire.
"But does 'impervious' have limits?" he wondered, thinking of the sun's 15-million-degree core.
"Surely there's a cap. Otherwise, it'd be too absurd."
After closing the panel, he focused inward, sensing the enhanced Water-Fire True Force flowing through him.
A few breaths later, he opened his eyes.
"Not a bad trade. The force has more than doubled, boosting my combat power."
"Now, to test this 'impervious' trait."
His gaze fell on the charcoal brazier, its embers glowing crimson, flames licking upward.
"Let's try."
Without hesitation, Jiang Ning reached into the fire.
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