Aftermath

The bloody battle at Wanfang Lake had only recently concluded.

The smell of blood lingering in the air hadn't completely dissipated.

Yet, a more oppressive silence had already quietly enveloped the waters.

Yun Long hadn't stepped outside the Yun Family's grand residence again.

The Yun Family hadn't dispatched anyone to deal with the aftermath.

It was as if the earth-shattering upheaval from before had nothing to do with them anymore.

However, heavy chests continued to be delivered to the Yun Family one after another.

No requests were made.

People offered them willingly.

The former tripartite power structure of Wanfang Lake had collapsed overnight.

The Li Family, once a prominent cultivation family in Wanfang Lake, was now just an empty name.

Not a single Li cultivator who had reached the Qi Refining stage had survived.

If not for the strict laws of the Great Xia Dynasty prohibiting the slaughter of ordinary people without any cultivation, the Li Family would have struggled to preserve even a single bloodline.

The Lu Family's situation was also precarious.

Their two Mid Qi Refining stage cultivators were both severely injured.

Especially the family head, Lu Chengze, whose dantian was damaged and whose lower body meridians were shattered. Whether he could survive was uncertain.

He lay on his bed, his breath as faint as a candle in the wind.

Lu Xingyun, already old, was only kept alive by the Green Wood Eternal Spring Qi.

After this battle, his already withered face took on an even more ashen hue, his remaining time clearly limited.

The Ning Family did not pursue the Lu Family to the bitter end.

However, the overt and covert suppression, like maggots on bone, never ceased.

Without the support of two Mid Qi Refining stage cultivators, the remaining members of the Lu Family were like sick tigers with their claws removed, unable to stir up any further trouble.

The pillar of the family had fallen.

In this dramatic upheaval, the one that remained the most intact was ironically the Mo Family, which had appeared the most devastated that night.

Most of the Mo Family's core members were safe and sound.

Those who died in battle were mostly from collateral branches, or elderly individuals like Mo Wenjian who were already nearing the end of their lifespan.

In their final moments, they fiercely tore off a piece of flesh and blood from the Lu and Li Families.

The leader of the Mo Family had displayed astonishing foresight.

All of the Li Family's cultivation techniques and scriptures were delivered to the Yun Family, untouched.

The anxious fingerprints of their new owner seemed to still be on them.

Under the "kind reminder" from the Ning Family, the Lu Family's collection of various secret manuals also did not escape, and were all presented.

As for the Ning Family themselves.

Ning Yongrui, a shrewd and calculating figure, was particularly proactive.

Not only did he offer all of his family's treasured cultivation techniques and scriptures, but it even included the complete cultivation method for the rather precious Mid-Grade Qi Refining technique, Three-Nine Snow Cold Qi.

He also took the initiative to undertake the task of gathering cultivation techniques from the surrounding regions for the Yun Family.

Each time, Ning Yongrui specifically dispatched Ning Shaojie to escort them personally.

This prodigy of the Ning Family, his former pride, had long been deeply buried.

Every time he entered the Yun Family's gates, he carried an almost humble reverence, cautiously trying to familiarize himself with Yun Family members, especially those close to Yun Long, accumulating a little bit of insignificant favor.

The Ning Family's calculations were crystal clear.

They were gambling.

They were gambling that when the Yun Family, this dragon crossing the river, soared to unprecedented heights in the future, they would remember today's "friendship" and give the Ning Family a helping hand.

Ning Shaojie returned to the Ning manor under the moonlight.

He walked through the corridors and headed straight for his father Ning Yongrui's study.

Inside the study, the candlelight was bright.

Ning Yongrui was bending over, tending to a pot of precious black orchid on the windowsill, his movements unhurried.

On the small table beside him, several sheets of Xuan paper were spread out, densely covered with writing. They were his preliminary disposal plan for the future ownership of the Three Treasures of Wanfang Lake.

The air was filled with the faint scent of ink and the subtle fragrance of orchids.

"You're back."

Ning Yongrui did not look up, his voice calm, as if he were merely asking casually.

"Father."

Ning Shaojie bowed respectfully.

"How was it? Did you see Yun Long this time?"

Ning Yongrui put down the small silver scissors in his hand, his tone still betraying little emotion.

He picked up a silk handkerchief from the side and meticulously wiped away nonexistent dust from his fingertips.

Ning Shaojie was silent for a moment, seemingly organizing his thoughts.

"No. The Yun Family Patriarch did not make an appearance."

Ning Yongrui's movements paused slightly, then resumed their natural flow.

"Oh?"

"This child saw the Yun Family's Old Master, Yun Ji."

Ning Shaojie's voice was very low.

Ning Yongrui slowly turned around, his gaze falling on his son, with a hint of inquiry.

"Yun Ji?"

He remembered this person, a Xiantian martial artist who had long passed his prime cultivation age, not worth worrying about.

"That night, the one who broke through to the Qi Refining Stage in the Yun Family was indeed Old Master Yun Ji."

As soon as Ning Shaojie said this, the air in the study seemed to freeze for a moment.

The hand holding the teacup trembled almost imperceptibly.

Tiny ripples spread across the surface of the water.

The ancient records he had consulted about Martial Dao Grandmasters now exploded in his mind like thunder.

Could the guidance of a Martial Dao Grandmaster truly be so effective?

It could force an old man who had almost severed his path to immortality to forcefully break open the gates of Qi Refining!

Ning Shaojie carefully recalled the scene when he saw Yun Ji in the Yun Family's side hall, scrutinizing every detail.

He chose his words carefully, striving for accuracy.

"After Old Master Yun broke through, it was as if... as if he had become nearly twenty years younger."

"His vitality was full, his eyes were bright, he was like a completely different person from before."

"Moreover, the Qi Refining fluctuations emanating from him, their quality... was definitely far superior to the Lu Family's Green Wood Eternal Spring Qi."

Ning Yongrui's Adam's apple bobbed slightly, and he let out an almost inaudible sigh.

Not comparable.

Not comparable at all.

Why did a monstrous talent like Yun Long have to be born into the Ning Family?

To make his carefully nurtured son, Shaojie, so certain, the Qi Refining achieved by that Yun Ji was likely Mid-Grade at least.

His Ning Family's Three-Nine Snow Cold Qi had extremely harsh requirements for a cultivator's Spiritual Root aptitude.

In the three generations of the Ning Family's inheritance, only he, Ning Yongrui, with his superior Spiritual Root, had managed to barely cultivate the Mid-Grade Three-Nine Snow Cold Qi.

As for Ning Shaojie, his aptitude was slightly inferior, so he had to settle for the Low-Grade Qi Refining derived from this technique – Autumn Water Cold Frost Qi.

Even so, he was already a top talent among the younger generation of the Ning Family.

But now, the Yun Family?

One unfathomable Yun Long, suspected to have already entered the late Qi Refining Stage or even higher.

One Yun Ji who, with the guidance of a Martial Dao Grandmaster, instantly achieved Mid-Grade Qi Refining.

What about the future?

What would the future disciples of the Yun Family be like?

Ning Yongrui's heart sank little by little.

The rise of the Yun Family was truly as unstoppable as he had predicted.

At least in this small Wanfang Lake Town, and even within the entire Sanshui County, no one could possibly contend with them.

He knew very well that the Ninth-Rank Shangguan Family Garrison Commander stationed in Sanshui County City was merely a Qi Refining cultivator who had achieved Mid-Grade Qi Refining!

"There is one more thing."

Seeing his father remain silent for a long time, Ning Shaojie spoke again.

"This child only learned today that the Yun Family's Second Master, Yun Hu, truly lives up to the name Sword Maniac."

"He actually intends to enter the Dao with a mortal sword, cultivating the legendary Sword Qi, and thus knock open the gates of immortality."

"The reason the Yun Family is sparing no expense and frantically collecting various sword technique manuals is precisely for him."

Ning Yongrui frowned slightly.

Entering the Dao with a sword? Sword Qi?

Entering Immortality through Martial Arts, the mortal sword path is also a part of the martial path. It is said to be naturally possible to enter the Way through the sword.

Yun Long is already considered heaven-defying, and this Yun Hu has such high aspirations too!

Sword Qi?

That's the Qi Refining of Qi Refining Stage Sword Cultivators. Ning Yongrui had never witnessed it in his life.

But in the Great Xia Dynasty, there are Sword Cultivators!