Chapter 9 : Chapter 9
Chapter 9: I’ve Learned It Before
The fine young lad Ning Ri was currently reading 【Qi Refining Art】.
No one could imagine just how terrifying the craving of a person who could not afford the legitimate version and had no way to find a pirated copy could become.
Ning Ri was exactly that terrifying.
The moment he got hold of 【Qi Refining Art】, he began reading it ravenously.
While reading, he did not forget to keep finishing the bandit off a little at a time, making sure the man remained in a state where he was not quite dead, but not exactly alive either.
Before finishing 【Qi Refining Art】, Ning Ri’s panel looked like this:
【Host】: Ning Ri
【Skills】:
【Qi Refining Art · Incomplete】: 3 (Maxed Out) (Resettable)
【Spirit Absorption Art】: 10 (Maxed Out) (Resettable)
Free Skill Points: 68
Over the past two days in the Defying Heaven Sect, aside from practicing the blade, he had also raised Spirit Absorption Art to its maximum level.
Spirit Absorption Art was a technique used to pressurize the acupoints of Qi Refining cultivators, so its level was not especially high. Ten points was already its cap.
Aside from that, Ning Ri had reset all his other skills.
Although not much time had passed since he awakened this cheat, he had always practiced the blade diligently, from eight in the morning until ten at night, and had stockpiled quite a few skill points.
But earlier, he had spent those skill points on all sorts of random abilities. For example, his Braised Rice Technique had become incredibly formidable, and the people in his village had even nicknamed him the Rice Immortal.
But now he had reset all of them.
And at this moment,
after finishing 【Qi Refining Art】, the second skill on Ning Ri’s panel immediately changed to:
【Qi Refining Art】: 3 (Resettable)
The incompleteness was gone. The cultivation method was complete!
That meant Ning Ri could become a perfect peak Qi Refining cultivator at any moment, only half a step away from Foundation Establishment.
In hot-blooded anime, that was not a realm to be underestimated, because as the old saying went, never underestimate someone who is half a step into Foundation Establishment...
Ning Ri did not recklessly max out 【Qi Refining Art】 and jump straight to the peak of Qi Refining. His current third-level Qi Refining cultivator realm was enough to handle the situation at hand. If other bandits came to reinforce this one in a moment, then suddenly breaking through mid-fight could also catch them off guard and kill them on the spot.
Then, without changing expression, Ning Ri handed the jade slip back to the woman and cupped his hands calmly. “Many thanks, Miss. Liang has now accepted your payment! Our account is hereby settled!”
The woman said gratefully, “Young Hero Liang, many thanks for your assistance! Once I return home, I will certainly spread word of your righteous deed to the whole world!”
Ning Ri said in great satisfaction, “Excellent!”
Prince Liang, I am borrowing your identity and wearing your skin for a while. I am even earning you some merit. No need to thank me.
Then he walked over to the bandit and grabbed him directly.
The bandit was already on his last breath. His clothes were torn, and he was extremely weak. “Y-you... what are you trying to do?”
Ning Ri said, “Make you pay your debt.”
The bandit said, “Me? I... what debt do I owe you?”
Ning Ri replied, “You wasted my spiritual power and caused me tremendous harm. You must compensate me for my losses.”
“And you strayed onto the wrong path. I ought to rid the people of this scourge, yet I did not. In order to save you, I have already offended all living beings. That is such an enormous favor. You owe me a life, and you must repay the grace I have shown you.”
“So you must give me a spell or technique I have never learned before, and dispel the gloom in my heart.”
“That is the debt you ought to repay!”
“Golden Stratagem Sect rules. Exchange of benefits. That is how things ought to be. This is heavenly principle.”
At the same time,
after Zhou Heng finished watching, his brows relaxed and he burst into laughter. “Hahaha, he even brought heavenly principle into it. Good, very good. Acting on behalf of the Heavenly Dao and establishing heavenly principle—this child’s will to defy heaven is truly strong!”
The other elders nodded in satisfaction as well.
Indeed.
Ning Ri truly was promising material!
Meanwhile, new trial participants had already emerged at Kite Plaza...
They had all moved much faster than Ning Ri.
While Ning Ri had still been standing there reading Qi Refining Art, they had already dealt with their bandits cleanly and efficiently, just like Gao Hong and Liang Chengdao, and had come back out.
As a result, once they came out, they saw Ning Ri extorting the bandit like this, and they could not help falling silent.
This boy’s style...
Could he really be from the Golden Stratagem Sect?
Meanwhile, the Defying Heaven Sect’s Inner Sect Disciples were waggling their brows and laughing loudly, and the viewing stands were filled with cheerful air.
Most of them were laughing at Mo Cuidao.
At this moment, Mo Cuidao’s face was expressionless.
Right now, he was the one controlling the bandit and the woman puppets.
So in truth, the one who had to “repay the debt” to Ning Ri was him.
How could his expression possibly look any good?
The bandit was stunned for a long while before finally forcing out a sentence through gritted teeth. “After saying all that, you just want to extort me, don’t you?”
This was Mo Cuidao controlling the bandit to put on a reaction, in order to strengthen the immersion and make things feel more real.
Ning Ri ignored him and said directly, “Are you giving it or not? Give it to me, and I will spare your life.”
The bandit confirmed, “Really?”
Ning Ri nodded. “As long as it is something I have never learned, I will spare your life.”
The bandit said, “But how am I supposed to know whether you have learned it before?”
Ning Ri said calmly, “If I have learned it before, then I can simply demonstrate it, can I not? And if I cannot demonstrate it, does that not prove I have never learned it?”
“Do not worry. I come from the Golden Stratagem Immortal Sect. I will not deceive you.”
Hearing Ning Ri say this, the bandit gritted his teeth, and in the end a flash of light appeared in his hand as he took out a jade slip and handed it to Ning Ri. “This is my treasured 【Complete Collection of Artifact Refining Techniques for the Qi Refining Stage】. Do you think this counts?”
On the surface, Ning Ri remained calm. Inside, however, he was overjoyed.
Holy hell!
Artifact refining?!
I’ve hit the jackpot!
Then he began speaking off the top of his head again. “How would I know whether it counts or not? I have studied artifact refining too. What if I already know everything in that jade slip?”
The bandit immediately denied it. “That is impossible. This jade slip was written by the top-tier artifact refiner Mo Cuidao himself. His techniques are as deep and vast as the ocean. The things he excels at—”
Ning Ri waved a hand and cut him off. “Say no more. Senior Mo Cuidao is a friend of my teacher. When I was little, he even held me in his arms. I already know all of his artifact refining techniques.”
As soon as he finished speaking, he snatched the jade slip from the bandit’s hand and immediately began skimming through it at top speed...
Bandit: “?”
Mo Cuidao: “?”
Whoosh—
At that moment, every gaze in the entire place focused on Mo Cuidao...
All of them wore expressions that were clearly trying not to laugh.
And just then,
once Ning Ri had gulped down enough of the contents for a new skill to appear on his panel, he immediately tossed the jade slip back to the bandit and said blandly, “This jade slip does not count. Change it.”
“I’ve learned everything on it before.”