Chapter 17 : Chapter 17
Chapter 17: The Panel Updates, Accepting a Mission
At first, Ning Ri’s blade practice was still somewhat stiff, because he did not yet have many skill points.
But it had to be said—Ning Ri’s talent with the blade was simply too strong.
Before long, he was no longer stiff at all.
He grew more and more proficient, more and more formidable. The great saber, which looked so crude and unwieldy, became so nimble in his hands that it seemed almost ready to take flight. With a casual swing, it could set the whole room roaring with violent wind, enough to shake the heart...
Ning Ri remembered very clearly that after he became a third-level Qi Refining cultivator, he had once taken on a job—
performing blade arts for disciples of a great sect!
Those disciples had been born and raised in great sects. They had never seen mortal blade arts. From the moment they were born, all they had ever seen were cultivators’ blade techniques. To put it bluntly, they were all pre-made blades; they had never seen anything so raw and original.
And Ning Ri had been the one responsible for providing the genuine article—the most authentic mortal blade arts there were.
Ning Ri had originally assumed that the disciples of those great sects would mock him. To his surprise, their attitude toward him had actually been quite good. There was none of the arrogance or tyranny of pampered young masters, and they praised his blade arts without cease—
They said that in this day and age, being able to see traditional blade arts was no easy thing!
There had even been a ten-year-old boy from the Spirit Creek Immortal Sect, still very young, who had excitedly circled around Ning Ri and begged to become his disciple. He thought Ning Ri was unbelievably impressive.
Ning Ri, meanwhile, had merely stared at that ten-year-old boy, who was already at the eighth level of Qi Refining, and told him that a child’s energy should still be focused on cultivation, not wasted on such flashy things.
There were also several older people with stronger cultivation who sighed again and again—
These days, once youngsters of seventeen or eighteen began cultivating, they would never be like this.
Who would still persist in honing a real skill with true blades and true spears?
They all went straight to cultivation methods!
Cultivation methods came with prescribed circulation routes, so one only needed to use divine sense to control flying swords or flying blades.
And if your divine sense was not sufficiently precise, there were even dharmic treasures that could assist with control...
To put it bluntly, there was no soul in it at all!
In this era, someone like Ning Ri was far too rare!
Ning Ri had agreed with them aloud, while thinking to himself, I would also like to have no soul in it, but my strength does not allow it!
Later, Ning Ri received a few spirit stones in tips from that performance, and only then did he have enough savings to visit the various sects and seek a master. Otherwise, there was no way he could have gone to so many sects.
Now, having finally settled down in the Defying Heaven Sect, Ning Ri let out a long breath. He stopped, turned his gaze toward the cool moonlight outside the window, and the corners of his mouth curved slightly upward—
This was a good beginning!
After pausing for a moment, Ning Ri’s body started moving again, and his blade arts once more became stiff...
He had reset his points!
But with talent for the blade so exceptional, he quickly became proficient once again...
...
After practicing the blade without sleep or rest for fourteen hours, Ning Ri obtained 28 skill points. Together with the 4 skill points his blade arts already had,
the total number of skill points in his hand reached 100.
That let him directly max out all the proper artifact-refining techniques and the miscellaneous artifact-refining spells in one stroke.
Whoosh—
【Complete Collection of Artifact Refining Techniques for the Qi Refining Stage】: 10 (Maxed Out) (Resettable)
Whoosh—
【Heaven-Burning Chapter】: 10 (Maxed Out) (Resettable)
Whoosh—
【Subtle Precision】: 10 (Maxed Out) (Resettable)
...
After maxing out all the skills, Ning Ri let out a long breath and wiped the sweat from his forehead.
“Staying up all night and pushing myself this hard really has been rough on me!”
If he did not need to go and give Zhou Heng an answer, he would have liked to continue a little longer.
After all, he currently did not have enough skill points on hand to raise himself to the peak of Qi Refining whenever he wanted.
But just as Ning Ri was about to close the panel and leave his little room for the Technique Pavilion, his gaze suddenly sharpened—
Something was wrong!
On the panel, every technique related to artifact refining had actually merged together...
Until in the end, they formed:
【Heavenly Craft · Incomplete Version】: 100 (Maxed Out) (Resettable)
At the sight of this brand-new skill, Ning Ri froze, then immediately began examining himself...
After checking for quite some time, he discovered that after all the artifact-refining techniques fused together, they had not brought him any entirely new changes. Of course, he had not lost anything either.
But Ning Ri felt there had to be more to it than this. Surely all the skills had not merged together just to save a few words of space?!
After pondering for a while, Ning Ri decided that perhaps the level was still not high enough.
He might need to collect even more artifact-refining techniques and complete 【Heavenly Craft】 in full. If that happened, then perhaps a new change would appear.
Then Ning Ri left his little room and headed straight for the Technique Pavilion.
...
Technique Pavilion.
When Ning Ri had just stepped inside and had not yet caught sight of Zhou Heng, Zhou Heng’s cheerful voice had already drifted over:
“Have you made up your mind?”
Only after the words fell did Zhou Heng’s figure emerge from within the Technique Pavilion.
After saluting, Ning Ri said seriously, “Greetings, Elder Zhou. This disciple has already made up his mind. I have decided to give up the second option.”
For some reason, Zhou Heng did not look surprised at all. He only asked curiously, “Why?”
Ning Ri said in a deep voice, “This disciple feels that, now that I have already entered the Defying Heaven Sect, with all of you elders sheltering me from wind and rain so that I need not worry about making a living, I may as well try walking a while on my own strength. If it truly does not work out, then I can speak of it later.”
Zhou Heng smiled and said, “The human heart is difficult to predict, ever-changing and inconstant. What if, in the future, you achieve nothing at all, and we no longer intend to help you? What then?”
Ning Ri pondered for a moment. “Then... this disciple will probably regret it and brood over it for two days first.”
Zhou Heng burst into laughter. “Hahaha.”
“That is fine. Since you do not wish to choose it, we will not force you. However...”
At that point, Zhou Heng paused, then said seriously, “Even if you lose, there is no need to fear. Most people are failures on the immortal path. The only difference is whether they lose early or late.”
Hearing that, Ning Ri was slightly taken aback, then said solemnly, “Many thanks, Elder Zhou!”
Zhou Heng waved his hand, then took out a jade slip and said, “I gave you two choices, and you chose neither. In that case, I will give you a third choice.”
“This choice is as follows: I will give you a mission. After completing it, you may obtain a copy of 【Defying Heaven Foundation Establishment Art】. That is the most expensive Foundation Establishment cultivation method in the Outer Sect Technique Pavilion.”
As he spoke, he handed the jade slip to Ning Ri.
Ning Ri accepted it. With a turn of his divine sense, he saw the words inside:
【Defying Heaven Foundation Establishment Art: Forging a Defying Heaven Foundation】
【The following contents will be unlocked after the mission is completed】
【Mission Details: Go to Master Chen Xingfeng’s Artisan Heart Tower and forge a set of Qi Refining stage dharmic treasures for him. The quality of the dharmic treasures must receive the approval of Artifact Refiner Chen Xingfeng.】
【The artifact-refining materials will be provided by Master Chen Xingfeng.】
A look of astonishment appeared on Ning Ri’s face. “Elder Zhou, this... is this a reward for me?”
To him, this mission content was practically being handed to him for free. One had to say, this was exactly what it meant to place the right radish in the right pit.
And the value of 【Defying Heaven Foundation Establishment Art】 went without saying. Ning Ri still did not know how difficult it was to earn contribution points in the Outer Sect, but from Zhou Heng’s tone alone, he could tell that under normal circumstances, obtaining this cultivation method would not be simple...
So this was a reward.
Zhou Heng laughed. “What reward? It goes to the capable.”
“Other than you, which Outer Sect disciple could even take this mission?”
“Of course, if you insist on calling it a reward, that is fine too.”
“Because I had originally planned to send this mission to the Inner Sect. Only Inner Sect disciples would normally be able to handle it.”
“But in view of your own effort and the choice you made, I decided to make an exception, intercept this mission, and give it to you instead. I hope you will not disappoint my expectations.”
Ning Ri immediately straightened his expression. “Yes!”
“Many thanks, Elder Zhou!”