Front Hall.
"Eldest sister-in-law!" Jiang Ning called out as he stepped over the threshold with Little Doubao in tow, greeting Liu Wanwan warmly.
"Ah, Ning is here!" Liu Wanwan set down the bowl of fish soup she had just brought to the table and wiped her damp hands on her apron.
"Uncle!" Jiang Yiming, who had just entered through the back door, spotted Jiang Ning and immediately spoke up.
At that moment, Jiang Yiming was bare-armed, his forehead damp with sweat, strands of hair sticking together.
It was clear he had just finished his martial arts training.
"How's your progress in martial arts?" Jiang Ning asked.
"Uncle, I've already achieved the foundational level in martial arts!" Jiang Yiming replied respectfully, his tone full of reverence for his uncle.
He knew that his rapid advancement to the foundational level was entirely due to the drop of blood inside the crimson amber Jiang Ning had gifted him on his birthday.
After absorbing that drop of blood, he discovered his physique had become astonishingly powerful.
Even the legendary "natural divine strength" paled in comparison to his current state.
He could effortlessly lift a stone lock weighing five hundred jin something he would never have dared to imagine before.
His father, despite over twenty years of martial arts training, had never achieved such physical prowess.
Yet, with just a single drop of blood from Jiang Ning, his physique had undergone this transformation. It was proof of how incredibly precious that gift had been.
"foundational level in martial arts?" Jiang Ning smiled and nodded approvingly. "Excellent!"
Liu Wanwan, standing nearby, also smiled, the corners of her eyes crinkling with faint wrinkles.
When she first learned of Jiang Yiming's achievement, she had been overjoyed, yet it felt almost unreal.
As the eldest daughter of the Liu family in Dongling City, she knew all too well how difficult it was to reach the foundational level of martial arts.
Even in Dongling City, within her own family, not everyone could practice martial arts successfully.
It wasn't just a matter of talent it also depended on personal willpower.
Martial arts training was grueling, requiring relentless effort day after day, year after year, enduring the coldest winters and the hottest summers before yielding any significant results.
Most ordinary people simply couldn't endure such hardship.
Moreover, the optimal age for martial arts training was around fifteen, when one's bones were nearly fully developed.
At that age, whether boys or girls, most were still immature in temperament and prone to being playful.
Even if they understood the importance of martial arts, few could truly endure the suffering and persist in their training.
Yet, to achieve mastery in martial arts, one had to start young.
Once older, it became nearly impossible to catch up.
A single step behind meant lagging forever.
A person's prime years were limited.
Now, her son, Jiang Yiming, had achieved the foundational level in martial arts at the age of fifteen.
Such an accomplishment would shock the entire Dongling City if word spread!
At this thought, Liu Wanwan turned her gaze to Jiang Ning, her brother-in-law.
She knew that her son's success was entirely due to the gift Jiang Ning had given him that day.
That gift had bestowed upon her son an astonishing martial talent.
At this age, with this level of skill, he could easily enter the Martial Academy, and his future achievements would be limitless.
Just then, Jiang Li also walked in through the back door.
"Little brother!" Seeing Jiang Ning, his voice boomed louder, and he grinned broadly.
"Eldest brother!" Jiang Ning responded.
Meanwhile, Little Doubao, with the shrunken old turtle perched on her head, rubbed her belly.
"Dad, Mom, Little Doubao's stomach is so empty it's about to cave in."
"Alright!" Liu Wanwan's face brightened with a smile. "It's almost ready! Little Doubao, go sit nicely at the table first."
Hearing this, Little Doubao nodded vigorously.
She clutched Jiang Ning's fingers tightly as she walked toward the dining table.
A moment later.
"I'm sitting properly!"
Little Doubao assumed a well-behaved posture.
Her short legs swung back and forth under the chair.
The old turtle on her head was now placed beside her, stretching its neck as it waited for the fish soup to be served.
At the table.
"Little brother, when do you think we should leave for Dongling City?" Jiang Li suddenly asked.
"Today," Jiang Ning replied.
"Today?" Jiang Li looked surprised.
"Yes, today," Jiang Ning affirmed. "The weather has been warming up for several days in a row, and Luoshui Lake has completely thawed. The snow on the official road to Dongling City must have melted by now."
"Besides, the Martial Academy's spring enrollment is coming up soon."
"If Yiming wants to enter the Martial Academy, we should set off for Dongling City early."
Hearing this, Jiang Li nodded firmly.
"Good, we'll follow your suggestion. We'll leave today!"
"Ah Ning, how about setting off in the afternoon? Before we go, we'll need to pack," Liu Wanwan interjected.
"We'll do as Eldest sister-in-law suggests," Jiang Ning said with a smile. "I also need to bid farewell to Master Wang."
After breakfast.
Jiang Ning walked out of the house carrying a large piece of electric eel meat.
"Young master, the carriage is ready!"
Lü Yi led the carriage out from the Wang family's stable.
Jiang Ning stepped inside.
"Young master, where to first?" Lü Yi asked.
"Let's go to the martial arts school," Jiang Ning said.
As he spoke, he hung the twenty- to thirty-jin piece of fish meat inside the carriage.
This was his gift for Wang Jin.
For martial artists like Wang Jin, the flesh of demonic beasts was a great tonic far more nourishing than ordinary rare treasures.
Sitting in the carriage, he pulled out a book and continued reading.
Canglang Martial Arts Hall.
When Jiang Ning arrived at the entrance of the hall with Lü Yi in tow.
"Senior Brother Jiang is here!" one of the guards at the door immediately cheered loudly.
With just that one shout.
The disciples training in the front courtyard swarmed over like a tide.
They crowded around the main gate of the hall.
"Senior Brother Jiang, is this Senior Brother Jiang? He just radiates such a powerful aura!"
"Of course! Senior Brother Jiang is the commander of the Inspection Bureau. In Luoshui County, he's a truly influential figure. Who wouldn't give him some face?"
"If I could achieve even a fraction of what Senior Brother Jiang has, I'd consider myself a success!"
"..."
For a moment.
The crowd gathered at the front courtyard gate, buzzing with excitement.
Jiang Ning was a legendary figure who had risen from the ranks of the Canglang Martial Arts Hall.
For these ordinary disciples, his name was already familiar, and now that the man himself had arrived, it naturally drew their eager attention.
Meanwhile.
In the rear courtyard of the hall.
Wang Jin heard the commotion from the front and pricked up his ears.
The next moment.
A smile spread across Wang Jin's face.
"So it's him. No wonder there's such a stir."
Thinking of Jiang Ning's achievements, Wang Jin couldn't help but sigh inwardly.
Who would have thought that an ordinary disciple who once trained here would now wield such power in Luoshui County, capable of overwhelming an entire city?
After steadying his emotions, he straightened his robes and walked toward the front courtyard.
"Master Wang!"
"Greetings, Master Wang!"
"Master Wang!"
"..."
The disciples immediately bowed in respect as Wang Jin appeared.
Wang Jin looked at Jiang Ning, his face beaming with delight.
"Master!" Jiang Ning clasped his hands in salute.
Wang Jin nodded.
Then he scolded the onlookers: "Disperse, disperse! Instead of training properly, you're crowding around like gossiping women!"
At his reprimand, the crowd scattered like startled birds.
Wang Jin then turned to Jiang Ning.
"Come with me to the rear courtyard. It's too crowded here."
"Alright." Jiang Ning nodded.
Rear courtyard.
Wang Jin glanced at the dozens of pounds of fish meat Lü Yi was carrying.
"You didn't have to bring anything when visiting!"
"And such a heavy load making a young lady carry it. You have no sense of chivalry."
Jiang Ning smiled.
"Master, I came across something good the other day and wanted to share it with you."
"Something good?" Wang Jin's eyes returned to the fish meat, his mind recalling the previous delicacies Jiang Ning had brought.
The flesh of the White Dragon Fish.
At this moment.
Jiang Ning said, "Master, this is meat from an electric eel with over two hundred years of cultivation."
"Two hundred years of cultivation?" Wang Jin murmured, then his expression shifted. "You mean... this eel had turned into a demon?"
"Mm." Jiang Ning nodded affirmatively.
"Tsk" Wang Jin sucked in a sharp breath.
Then he asked, "In this day and age, where did you manage to find an electric eel with over two hundred years of cultivation?"
Jiang Ning replied, "In Luoshui Lake."
"Luoshui Lake?" Wang Jin looked puzzled.
"The depths of Luoshui Lake," Jiang Ning clarified.
"I see!" Wang Jin nodded, then asked, "How strong was a two-hundred-year-old electric eel?"
Hearing this, Jiang Ning recalled the encounter and said, "Not bad, I suppose."
Wang Jin: "..."
A demon with over two hundred years of cultivation, and Jiang Ning's evaluation was merely "not bad."
It instantly dawned on Wang Jin just how formidable Jiang Ning had become.
Suppressing his curiosity, he turned his gaze back to the eel meat in Lü Yi's hands.
"You've got a good heart!"
He then addressed Lü Yi, "Miss, hand it to me."
Lü Yi glanced at Jiang Ning, and after receiving a slight nod, she passed the fish meat to Wang Jin.
"Good heavens, this must weigh nearly thirty pounds!" Wang Jin hefted the meat, looking slightly astonished.
"Just about," Jiang Ning said.
Wang Jin casually hung the meat on a nearby tree.
"Let's sit and talk," he motioned to Jiang Ning.
"Master, I'm planning to leave Luoshui County today."
"Where to?" Wang Jin asked.
"Dongling City."
"At this time..." Wang Jin murmured, then looked at Jiang Ning. "You're going to take part in the military examinations, aren't you?"
Jiang Ning said, "That's one reason. There are others as well."
Wang Jin nodded. "Go, then. I hope one day this martial arts hall can produce a top military scholar."
"That day will come," Jiang Ning said.
Hearing this, Wang Jin grinned. "If that happens, I'll be the talk of the town! Teaching a top military scholar who wouldn't sing my praises?"
Jiang Ning smiled faintly upon seeing this.
Then his expression turned solemn again.
"Master, you shouldn't stay in Luoshui County during this time either. Leave Luoshui County! And don't go to any cities near the shores of Luoshui Lake!"
"Why?" Wang Jin looked at Jiang Ning's serious demeanor and voiced his confusion.
"It's not safe!" Jiang Ning shook his head.
He continued, "These past few days, I went into Luoshui Lake and discovered traces of a great demon. For some reason, it's been slaughtering aquatic creatures madly, refining them to enhance its cultivation. I suspect it will soon come ashore."
"A great demon?"
"Coming ashore?"
Wang Jin's expression also instantly turned grave.
"Is this information of yours reliable?"
"Yes." Jiang Ning nodded. "I went into the lake to investigate."
"Let me think it over..." Wang Jin fell into deep thought.
Seeing this, Jiang Ning said no more.
He had already passed the message to Wang Jin. As for what decision Wang Jin would make, he couldn't force it.
After all, any choice Wang Jin made would have his reasons.
A short while later.
By the time of Si hour (9–11 AM).
Jiang Ning glanced up at the sun overhead and then at the sundial in the courtyard.
"Master, it's Si hour. I need to practice my exercises as usual."
"Si hour?" Wang Jin was slightly surprised at first, then suddenly understood. "Kid, your Internal Alchemy Nourishing Technique has reached minor mastery, hasn't it?"
"Yes." Jiang Ning nodded.
"Impressive!" Wang Jin exclaimed in admiration, then added, "You're far better than I was!"
He stood up. "I won't delay your practice any longer. I'll leave this courtyard to you I'm going to get some grilled fish to try."
After Wang Jin left.
Jiang Ning casually found a clean, open spot on the ground and sat cross-legged.
Assuming the five-point meditation posture, he immediately began his breathing exercises under the rising sun.
With each inhale and exhale, a wisp of crimson solar energy descended from the sky and directly entered his body.
[Internal Alchemy Nourishing Technique experience +1]
[Internal Alchemy Nourishing Technique experience +1]
[Internal Alchemy Nourishing Technique experience +1]
[...]
Two hours passed quickly.
Before noon arrived, Jiang Ning stopped his Internal Alchemy Nourishing Technique practice.
[Skill]: Internal Alchemy Nourishing Technique (Minor Mastery 4049/5000)
"Four thousand points accumulated!"
"If all goes well, in ten days, my Internal Alchemy Nourishing Technique should reach major mastery, achieving the level of internal energy like steel and thunderous resonance within the organs."
Jiang Ning murmured to himself, then stood up.
By the time he left Wang Jin's place.
It was already a quarter past noon.
Normally, he would have stayed at the martial arts school to eat with Wang Jin.
But today was different.
He would soon be setting off for Dongling City.
Before leaving, he needed to visit the Inspection Office and the Wanhua Pavilion.
Time was tight, so he chose not to eat at the martial arts school.
After leaving the school.
He instructed Lü Yi to take the carriage back alone to pack their belongings.
It was already a quarter past noon.
If they didn't start packing soon, they would run out of time.
After all, the journey to Dongling Prefecture's capital was long, and they would be staying outside for several days.
Traveling requires packing luggage and bringing many things.
After sending Lü Yi back, he headed alone to the Inspection Office.
After leaving the Inspection Office, he made his way to Wanhua Pavilion.
This time, he no longer restrained himself.
His figure darted swiftly between rooftops.
A short while later.
He landed at the entrance of Wanhua Pavilion.
On the rooftop of Wanhua Pavilion.
"What brings you here at noon?" Lin Qingyi appeared before Jiang Ning, wearing a chest-high ruqun that revealed her fair arms.
She yawned repeatedly as she stood in front of him.
The ruqun was stretched tight across her chest, clearly a size too small for her.
"Big Sister Lin, did you just wake up?" Jiang Ning asked with a smile.
"Yeah." Lin Qingyi shot him a glare. "Don't you know it's immoral to disturb someone's sweet dreams?"
Jiang Ning: "..."
He glanced at the nearly vertical shadow of sunlight on the terrace and couldn't help but feel speechless.
It was already a quarter to noon.
-support me on Patreon for more chapters, 410+ chapters in there
patreon.com/LordoftheReader