Nalan Jie's Gift

The moment Cheng Zhou heard Nalan Chaoge's words, realization dawned on him. Then, pale with fright, he hurried to Nalan Chaoge's side.

"Young Master, are you all right? How could you take such a risk? What if that punch had hurt you..."

Cheng Zhou's face instantly turned deathly pale.

"It's fine, it's fine. Good thing you held back, or that blow might really have crippled me!"

Guo'er hurried over as well and tenderly pulled Nalan Chaoge into her arms.

"Brother Cheng, honestly! What would we have done if you'd hurt Young Master?"

"Yes, yes, it was my fault. My fault!"

"All right, all right. Aren't I fine?" Nalan Chaoge said with a smile.

Since the Eight Inner Gates unleashed the body's utmost potential, however much power it released, the body would inevitably suffer an equal degree of damage. No matter how strong one trained their body to become, they could only minimize the damage, not eliminate it entirely.

Pfft!

Nalan Chaoge suddenly spat out a mouthful of blood.

When he had killed Mu Lu, the damage had not been so apparent. But after Nalan Chaoge, now a Dou Zhe, opened the Eight Inner Gates again, the power he had overdrawn had already exceeded what his body could withstand.

On top of taking Cheng Zhou's heavy blow head-on, Nalan Chaoge felt a metallic sweetness rise in his throat.

"Young Master, Young Master, are you all right..."

Whoosh!

Nalan Jie moved from afar. With a swish, a massive pair of Dou Qi wings condensed behind his back.

In the blink of an eye, he flew over from the distance.

"Go on and continue your training. Chaoge used a secret technique, which caused some damage to his body. He'll be fine after resting for a while," Nalan Jie said softly.

"Old Master, it's all because I..." Cheng Zhou blamed himself deeply.

"This has nothing to do with you. You didn't use your full strength either. I know that. You did well!"

"Yes, Old Master!"

Nalan Jie helped Nalan Chaoge up and gently placed one hand on his back.

A stream of robust Dou Qi entered Nalan Chaoge's body.

Before long, Nalan Chaoge had regained consciousness.

"Grandfather?"

"Don't speak. Listen to me. Though I don't know what secret technique you used to increase your strength, I must tell you that Battle Skill of yours is extremely dangerous. While it can temporarily enhance your physical abilities, it seems to harm your body. Do not use it unless absolutely necessary!"

"Oh!" Nalan Chaoge had felt it too.

"This is a mid-tier Profound Rank Battle Skill, Raging Lion's Wrath. I came to be known as Marshal Lionheart because I made my name with this Battle Skill. Later, because I was close with Xiao Lin, I also passed it down to the Xiao Family!"

"I am giving you the original copy of this Battle Skill now. Study it well!"

Raging Lion's Wrath? The Xiao Family's top-tier Battle Skill had actually been passed down by Grandfather?

That made sense. No wonder Nalan Jie was called Marshal Lionheart!

"Thank you, Grandfather!"

"All right, Xiao Ge. On the Dou Qi Continent, fortune and danger coexist. Only strength offers hope of survival. Grandfather will not always be by your side in the future. Learn to protect yourself, and learn to protect what you wish to protect!"

Seeing Nalan Jie's solemn expression, Nalan Chaoge's heart stirred.

"Grandfather, are you leaving?"

"Yes. There have been disturbances at the border. The Cloud Empire and the Falling Goose Empire have been interacting frequently, and the border incursions are becoming more frequent. I need to go watch over it!" Nalan Jie gave Nalan Chaoge's shoulder a heavy pat. "You are still too weak. Grow stronger quickly!"

With that, Nalan Jie turned and walked away.

After taking two steps, Nalan Jie seemed to remember something. He turned back and took another item from his Na Ring.

"This is a dragon tendon taken from a Fifth-order Magical Beast, the Fiery Poison Seal Python. Though it isn't a genuine dragon tendon, it is still exceedingly rare. I had someone forge it into a whip, so I'll give it to you today as well. While I am away, you must train diligently. If you have any problems, discuss them with Elder Mu!"

After saying this, Nalan Jie turned and strode away.

A high-grade Na Ring, a mid-tier Profound Rank Battle Skill, and a divine whip forged from the sinew of a Fifth-order Magical Beast.

A Fifth-order Magical Beast like the Fiery Poison Seal Python should not possess a dragon tendon. Could it have been not Fifth Rank, but Sixth Rank?

It was clear that these were gifts Nalan Jie had prepared for his coming-of-age ceremony, yet he had given them all to him at once. Was the border truly so dangerous? Or had he sensed some ill omen?

With the border in crisis, Nalan Jie rushed to the frontier that very night.

The moon shone brightly amid sparse stars, but Nalan Chaoge lay awake in bed.

He had killed Mu Lu, and now the border was in crisis. No matter what, he would not go out alone. The Mu Family had likely been watching him for a long time.

He was not afraid of them resorting to underhanded methods. He was afraid they would act openly. Above Mu Lu was Mu Tie, who was said to be a Five-star Dou Ling, and above him was Mu Tong, a Two-star Dou Shi. If the Mu Family wanted to make a move against him, it could only be Mu Tong.

Strength was what mattered most!

Although he had Raging Lion's Wrath, Nalan Chaoge had no intention of cultivating it. Instead, he had taken a liking to this whip.

Nalan Jie had not told Nalan Chaoge about any of its wondrous functions, so he would have to explore all of its miraculous uses himself.

The Eight Inner Gates was a good thing. It did not demand much Dou Qi. If he could eliminate the aftereffects of opening all Eight Inner Gates, this technique would definitely be at the level of an immortal art.

What if he trained his body until it became incomparably tough?

One force could overcome ten techniques. That was true. You could punch someone ten times without anything happening, while they could punch you once and knock you down.

But what if they could punch you ten times and nothing happened?

Taking a beating?

Nalan Chaoge jolted upright in bed.

"What's wrong, Young Master? Did you have a dream?" Hearing the movement from the bed, Guo'er opened her sleepy eyes and asked.

"Uh, it's nothing. Just a dream!" Nalan Chaoge did not wake Guo'er further.

Dou Qi was the best way to temper the body. The stronger one's Dou Qi, the stronger one's physical body would become as well.

Of course, if he wanted to speed things up, he would need some external stimulation.

For example, taking a beating!

In many television dramas and movies, there was such a scene: the protagonist did not learn how to hit people, but learned how to take hits.

The next day.

Early morning.

As the rising sun emerged, a thin white mist rose through the small forest in the mountains. Blown by the mountain wind, it lingered around the mountaintop for a long time without dispersing.

What a quiet, peaceful morning in the Holy City.

"Do I really have to hit you?" Guo'er held the Fiery Poison Seal Whip Nalan Jie had given Nalan Chaoge and asked doubtfully.

"Yes, hit me. Hit me hard. Don't hold back!"

Bare-chested, Nalan Chaoge clenched his fists and tensed every muscle in his body, as though he had made all the necessary preparations.

"But, Young Master, why are you doing this?" Guo'er was utterly confused.

"This is a form of cultivation. If I tell you to hit me, just hit me!"

"There is cultivation like this?" Guo'er looked at the whip in her hand, then at Nalan Chaoge in the distance.

"Then, Young Master, I'm going to hit you!"

"Yes, come on! Put some strength into it!"

Guo'er hesitated for a moment, then lightly swung the whip in her hand.

As Guo'er's delicate white hand moved, a blood-red whip shadow lashed violently toward Nalan Chaoge, striking his shoulder with a crack.

"Ah~~~~"

At once, a long, utterly soul-stirring scream echoed through the entire Jiamar Holy City!