Yang Ning Again

Li Qi was still considering the various effects of his influence and figuring out how to regulate it.

But just as he began to think about these things, he saw a second sun rise in the sky.

At this time, in this place, and under this sun, it is highly likely to be the Golden Crow.

Because only the Golden Crow can resemble the sun so much.

Being like the sun is not a simple matter. Perhaps to ordinary people, any sphere of light hanging in the sky is like the sun.

However, for a cultivator like Li Qi, whose rank is not too low, to be like the sun, one needs to be similar in all aspects, such as Daoist charm, the composition of Yang Energy and light, before one can say that they are similar.

The Golden Crow has a special talent for disguising itself as the sun; in many worlds, the Golden Crow itself is the sun.

Theoretically speaking, there is only one Golden Crow on Wushen Mountain.

That is Yang Ning.

Sure enough, the sun's rays gradually faded, transforming into a golden-red bird that flew towards Li Qi.

The Golden Crow's true form is extremely beautiful, with a color that resembles gold, and its feathers flutter in the wind. Each feather has several golden dots, like fire points.

A rumbling sound came, but it quickly subsided.

It turned out that the Golden Crow was shrinking its body.

The enormous golden crow, carrying a large amount of flames and magma, gradually shrank along the way. When it was three or four miles away from Li Qi, it had turned into a golden-red bird.

It has a red beak, a streamlined body, and bright gold feathers with fiery red edges, making it very beautiful.

Soon, the bird landed lightly on Li Qi's shoulder.

She looked at Li Qi with a very human-like gaze, then pecked Li Qi's face with her beak.

Li Qi did not understand his meaning.

But after being pecked, he was sent flying!

He felt as if he had been punched in the face, and it was a fiery punch!

A massive burst of flames exploded directly in his face, sending Li Qi flying about two hundred meters to the left, crashing into several large rocks before he could barely regain his footing.

The main reason was that the Demonic Energy Clone arrived and helped him up.

Then, the two merged into one, and using the art of riding the clouds and wind, they slowly floated down to the ground.

There was a mark on his face from a bird's beak, like a strawberry, but the skin was burned off, revealing the muscle underneath.

It was just a minor injury, and it didn't hurt much, which shows that the opponent held back.

After all, Yang Ning was a fifth-rank cultivator; without holding back, he pecked her to death.

Li Qi touched the wound, and a surge of wood energy flowed from his fingers. Combined with the solar energy on the wound, it generated a vibrant life force. With the support of this immense life force, the wound healed instantly.

He gave a wry smile and looked at the little birds in the distance, but as soon as he looked up, he saw Yang Ning standing in front of him.

The tiny bird, no bigger than a palm, suddenly burst into flames, as if it had melted, and a brand new body condensed within the flames.

Its large tail is like a rainbow, its flying light reflecting the sky.

Crimson as Alchemy Fire, divine birds soar.

Then, she transformed into a woman, petite and charming, gracefully gazing into the distance, her beauty enhanced by the rosy clouds and the radiance of her jade-like skin.

The fragrant red blossoms stretch as far as the eye can see, like a first glimpse through a flower garden.

Her long, crimson hair shimmered with a subtle glow, and she wore a dress that resembled a raging sea of fire.

Sure enough, it was Yang Ning.

Of course, her charm stemmed from her short stature. Although she was Shen Shuibi's sister, Yang Ning was a head shorter than Shen Shuibi and a half shorter than Li Qi. She barely reached his chest.

But her imposing manner was not diminished at all. As soon as she landed, she stepped forward and grabbed Li Qi by the neck, demanding with displeasure, "Why did you come back, but Yue Jing didn't?"

Upon hearing this, Li Qi understood why he had been beaten.

It turns out she sensed her own presence and thought the rabbit would be near her, but when she arrived, she found only herself, a nobody, so she got angry.

He helplessly spread his hands. "Sister-in-law, I..."

The words "sister-in-law" had barely escaped his lips before Li Qi was sent flying backward.

This time, they flew directly to the Gale Layer.

Visibly, Yang Ning's pupils had turned red.

I was already angry, and now I'm even angrier.

She was also someone who couldn't hold her temper. If it weren't for the trouble that would result from killing him, and the fact that Shen Shuibi would also be heartbroken, she would have wanted to smash Li Qi's head just for that one word, "Sister-in-law."

Unfortunately, there's nothing we can do about it.

This is Shen Shuibi's dao companion, the person she chose.

He stood still, waiting until Li Qi landed several miles away, crashing into the ground with a loud thud.

Then, Li Qi looked helpless and slowly flew out, straightened his clothes, and flew back to Yang Ning's side.

There was no other way; Yang Ning couldn't possibly kill her, so she let her vent her anger by throwing a couple of punches.

However, Yang Ning suddenly frowned, sensing that something was amiss.

What happened? Based on the amount of force she exerted, Li Qi should have been beaten half to death, lying on the ground unable to speak. She was even prepared to treat Li Qi's injuries.

But why is it described so casually?

How could it possibly fly over so leisurely?

As her anger subsided slightly, Yang Ning calmed down, and her hair changed from fiery red to its usual black color.

In order not to kill Li Qi, she controlled the damage to a level that could half-kill an eighth-rank official.

After all, when Li Qi left with Shen Shuibi more than half a year ago, he was already at the eighth rank, so Yang Ning subconsciously felt that in the blink of an eye, he should still be at the eighth rank.

But--

This person has reached the seventh rank?!

What the heck?! It's only been half a year?!

The seventh rank is the boundary between mortals and immortals, the threshold for first attaining longevity. Even the most talented among geniuses are prone to failure when facing this threshold.

Moreover, Yang Ning remembered that he had only broken through to the eighth rank a little over a year ago.

Two years, from ninth rank to seventh rank?!

Yang Ning's eyes widened in disbelief.

She even rubbed her eyes to take a closer look at Li Qi's inner world.

Although not a flawless body, it has a continuous flow of vitality within, protecting the true spirit within. As long as it is not injured, its lifespan will not decline.

It is indeed a seventh-rank item!

This startled Yang Ning for a moment. She stared in astonishment as Li Qi floated over from a distance.

After being beaten twice, Li Qi dared not be glib anymore and obediently bowed, saying, "Miss Yang Ning, I am truly sorry this time. Yu'er is currently in the outer realms and cannot come back with me."

Yang Ning looked at him and asked with barely managing to remain calm, "When... did you reach the seventh rank?"

Her tone still carried a great deal of disbelief.

Upon hearing this, Li Qi pondered for a moment, then answered truthfully, "About half a year ago?"

"Six months ago you were clearly still an eighth-rank official!" Yang Ning shouted angrily!

"Uh... I went to the Tang Kingdom, and after about twenty days, I was promoted to the seventh rank," Li Qi said.

Yang Ning choked on the rest of her words.

She could tell that Li Qi wasn't lying.

In other words, when he left Wushen Mountain, he had only recently entered the eighth rank, and after just over twenty days in the Tang Kingdom, he had already reached the seventh rank.

It's simply... unbelievable.

Yang Ning looked Li Qi up and down.

His expression changed repeatedly.

Then, she couldn't help but say, "Your talent... is astonishing. But don't rush into promotions and destroy your foundation, or even resort to unorthodox methods. The time it takes to advance is not important."

Even Yang Ning was frightened by this speed.

She was terrified that Li Qi had used some Outer Dao method to advance her career, which might ruin her future prospects.

When you're at a low level, any trickery or laziness you take will be repaid a thousandfold when you reach a high level, and it will be very difficult to make up for it then.

Even many cultivators who did not have a master to guide them relied on their talent to rush to the sixth rank, only to find that their Dao Path was riddled with holes and had become a dead end. No matter how they tried to make up for it, it was impossible, and they could only live a life of depression.

These are all very possible.

Although she didn't like Li Qi, he was, after all, Shen Shuibi's dao companion, and given his talent...

If he continues to make progress, the debt of Mount Luofu... might really have to be repaid by this outsider.

Therefore, Yang Ning's tone changed, she suppressed her anger, and began to remind Li Qi not to act recklessly.

She never imagined that the dao companion Shen Shuibi had chosen... would actually be a monster of this caliber.

How exactly did he cultivate himself?

Did he use some kind of time-fast-forwarding method? Or is he the reincarnation of some powerful being?

There have indeed been precedents for this.

A powerful being reincarnated and began cultivating again. Although he failed to break through the illusion of the womb and was therefore confused and unaware of his true self, his cultivation progressed by leaps and bounds. The moment he awoke, he instantly broke through three ranks, attained enlightenment that day, and returned to his former peak.

Is Li Qi really that kind of person?

Who was he in his previous life?

When Li Qi heard Yang Ning say this, he knew she meant well, so he thanked her first, "Thank you for your guidance, Miss Yang Ning. However, my promotion is quite complicated... It's hard to explain in a short time, but don't worry, I have never used any lazy or shortcut methods."

"You know what you're doing, so I'll trust you for now. But why didn't you bring Shen Shuibi with you this time?" Yang Ning nodded, accepting the explanation, and then asked her own question.

"I came back this time because I want to see the Witch God. The Witch God wants to see me," Li Qi answered honestly.

Yang Ning's feigned calm vanished, and her expression froze.

This time it's really 'Yang Condensation'.

At the seventh rank, one can meet the God of Witchcraft?

Is the God of War just bored? Surely he must be. Otherwise, why would he go to see a seventh-rank official?

However, although she was reluctant to admit it, she was afraid that Li Qi really did have the qualifications to meet the God of Witchcraft. Putting aside everything else, his cultivation speed alone was enough.

He is undoubtedly the number one young talent in Wushen Mountain.

Although Wushen Mountain doesn't have a sect competition like that, it doesn't bring out young people to be scored and rewarded like in a horse race.

Wushen Mountain fully respects the free development of the younger generation and will not forcibly pull them out to compete in terms of height, strength, or fighting ability.

That's a fool's approach; it won't cultivate truly outstanding descendants.

Yang Ning took a deep breath, even though she didn't need to breathe.

She realized it.

Although Li Qi is unassuming and appears to be an honest man, Shen Shuibi has excellent taste.

Although, based on her understanding of Shen Shuibi, this was most likely a lucky accident, a stroke of luck, perhaps it was fate after all...

This man seems to have some skills.

"Alright, since it was the Witch God's order, I won't ask any more questions." Yang Ning shook her head. "But, you said she's in the outer realms? What is she doing there?"

"We've found an unclaimed sixth-grade specialty world and are currently planning how to take control of it without harming the world itself or the local people. She's stayed there to handle some matters. If she wants to come back, it will probably take about twenty years," Li Qi said.

He didn't say it was to pay off debts; there was no need for that.

Yang Ning's expression darkened again. "An unclaimed sixth-grade specialty world... I remember she was injured. You left her there alone?"

"Her injuries have healed. I used my own identity to vouch for her and asked the Tang Kingdom to treat her. In that Sixth-Rank World, there is no one who can match her," Li Qi said.

Upon hearing this, Yang Ning's gloomy expression relaxed, and she looked Xia Li Qi.

Has Shen Shuibi recovered from her injury?

Yang Ning knew how serious her injuries were, but now she had actually recovered?

This indicates that at least two fifth-rank Human Path Medical School were needed to make the move, along with a large amount of resources.

I vaguely remember him mentioning this before, but I didn't take it seriously.

And now, it has actually come true.

This guy... doesn't seem so unreliable?

According to him, this action actually involved him taking out a loan to treat Shen Shuibi's injury.

It appears to be wholly owned by the Tang Kingdom, but this debt will have to be repaid sooner or later.

Especially his identity as the young master of Wushen Mountain will cause this debt to multiply exponentially in the future.

When the time comes, the Tang Kingdom will come to collect this debt.

The series of surprises made Yang Ning re-examine the young man in front of her.

She had to admit that her previous attitude... did seem to have been rather poor.

Yang Ning was certainly aware of her previous attitude; after all, she was neither arrogant nor a stupid fool.

Those who can cultivate to the fifth rank will have their own principles, so they can be very stubborn in certain places and appear very individualistic, but they are definitely not stupid.

You should know that even Yang Ning himself is still not fully recovered from his injuries; he can only unleash the power of a fifth-grade cultivator.

"Sigh." She sighed, "Li Qi, I'm very surprised."

"Yes, I was surprised myself," Li Qi said.

This was true, because this was the first time Li Qi had ever heard Yang Ning call his name seriously.

After Yang Ning finished sighing, she said, "I apologize for my previous contempt for you. Now that you are at the seventh rank, I will treat you as a person and communicate with you."

"Wait, you didn't treat me like a human being before?"

That's not the point.

"Okay, whatever makes you happy."

"Alright, let's get to the point. I came here to find my sister, but you didn't bring her back. However, since you were forcibly summoned back by the Witch God, we can't force you..." Yang Ning carefully chose her words.

Li Qi understood. "Oh, I understand. You want me to tell you the address so you can go find Yu'er?"

"That's about it." Yang Ning nodded.

"No problem, this will give you an extra layer of insurance. The address is here." Li Qi flicked out a Literary Qi, within which he inscribed the addresses of Douxiu Six and the Sacred Flame Realm.

"That's good. Hopefully, she won't say anything bad about you."

Li Qi also breathed a sigh of relief.

I originally intended to lie to her about it.

Unexpectedly, she went there on her own initiative.

And... I should be considered as having gained recognition, right?

However, Yang Ning immediately handed him something else.