After the Disciple Token finished speaking, Ning Ri said nothing. Instead, thoughts churned within him—
[Mortal Anomaly] could only be removed after one became a cultivator.
But his condition was clearly far from normal.
No...
That was not right.
Before anomalies existed, mortals in ancient times could pick up cultivation techniques and cultivate on their own.
It was only after anomalies appeared that self-cultivation was forbidden.
In other words, the entire present-day Cultivation World was abnormal.
Only his own cultivation was normal!
So did he originally have a Mortal Anomaly or not?
Could the appearance of the panel have helped him remove the Mortal Anomaly?
Or was it because he was a transmigrator, and his Divine Soul differed from this world's natives, so he had not been born with a [Mortal Anomaly] like they had?
Eh...
At that thought, Ning Ri's brows suddenly rose—
He suddenly remembered that when he had made up explanations for Xun Zang and the other sects before, he had always said that he had obtained the Qi Refining Art through a fortuitous encounter.
He had thought there was nothing wrong with that excuse. Was it not perfectly normal for people in the Cultivation World to encounter opportunities?
Yet the other sects had rejected him the moment they heard it.
They had even said that fortuitous encounters were unstable. Poor aptitude was poor aptitude, and he could not possibly keep encountering such opportunities in the future.
At first, he had not thought there was anything wrong with what those sects said.
But thinking about it now, had they rejected him so quickly because they believed he was lying?
They must have thought someone had taught him the Qi Refining Art, and that he was merely lying. That had annoyed them, so they had rejected him even faster.
It was like HR seeing that a job applicant had falsified their résumé, only for the applicant to stubbornly keep lying to their face...
Thinking of this, Ning Ri slapped his thigh—
No wonder so many sects had rejected me!
However, the Heaven Defying Sect was different.
When Elder Xun heard that it had been a fortuitous encounter, he had fallen silent for a while.
Then, when he spoke again, he said Ning Ri was highly suited to joining the Heaven Defying Sect.
Ning Ri had always assumed that what Elder Xun meant by "suited" referred to his unique acupoint stones and incomplete spirit roots.
But now that he thought about it, Elder Xun... might have believed that being able to pick up a cultivation technique was itself utterly heaven-defying!
In other words, Elder Xun had chosen to believe his words!
Though he had not actually lied...
Still, thinking of it this way greatly increased Ning Ri's goodwill toward Xun Zang, along with the entire Heaven Defying Sect.
However, judging from the other elders' reactions, Elder Xun did not seem to have publicized the matter much. Either the elders above had deliberately kept it hidden, or perhaps Elder Xun also thought Ning Ri had lied, but had merely been willing to tolerate it and let him join the Heaven Defying Sect.
Next.
Ning Ri suppressed the thoughts in his heart. After setting the Disciple Token aside, he opened the panel.
[Host]: Ning Ri [Skills]: 1. [Mortal Blade Technique]: 4 (points can be reset) 2. [Qi Refining Art·]: 3 (points can be reset) 3. [Gale Step]: 3 (maxed out) (points can be reset) 4. [Crocodile Turtle Iron Bone Skill]: 0 5. [Spirit Absorption Technique]: 10 (maxed out) (points can be reset) 6. [Compendium of Qi Refining Stage Artifact Forging Techniques]: 0 7. [Blazing Heaven Chapter]: 0 8... Free Skill Points: 68.
Below were techniques such as [Subtle Art], [Dao Nourishment], [Red Furnace Melting Snow], [Divine Craftsmanship], and more.
When Ning Ri studied the artifact forging techniques Mo Cuidao had given him, he reset points as he learned.
After demonstrating them, he reset the points on the spot.
If he needed to demonstrate them again, he would simply add the points back, avoiding a shortage of skill points.
At first, he had thought this idea of his was somewhat laughable, wondering if he was overthinking things. But later, Mo Cuidao brought out far too many techniques, and he simply could not learn them all.
This secretly made him glad that he had reset the points early. Otherwise, his skill points would never have been enough.
Then Ning Ri pondered for a while—
The artifact forging techniques Mo Cuidao had handed him were all for the Qi Refining realm.
Their caps were all ten points!
Once they were all maxed out, his artifact forging ability would surely make him a hexagonal warrior.
It was just that they required quite a few skill points, so he would have to stay up late and practice his blade technique more.
Fortunately, the dormitory in Golden Osmanthus Garden was spacious enough—over forty square meters, with no living room, kitchen, or bathroom—more than enough space for blade practice.
Besides practicing the blade, Ning Ri began weighing the choice Zhou Hai had given him.
Should he owe a massive amount of Contribution Points and have the elders retrieve spirit herbs for him from within the "anomalies"?
Though Zhou Hai had said there was not much danger, Ning Ri still felt it was not quite appropriate...
Perhaps he was simply still unaccustomed to others treating him with such kindness.
Besides, he had not yet reached the point of needing them!
After thinking it over, Ning Ri made a decision. He immediately opened the panel, drew his blade, and began practicing...
For every half hour Ning Ri practiced the blade, he could gain 1 skill point for his blade technique.
As he practiced, he could clearly see the panel before his eyes:
1. [Mortal Blade Technique]: 4 (points can be reset)
Become:
1. [Mortal Blade Technique]: 5 (points can be reset)
Then become again:
1. [Mortal Blade Technique]: 6 (points can be reset)
Ning Ri had to keep the panel open while practicing the blade and watch the skill points rise. Only then could he feel a sense of accomplishment.
In truth, he thought the panel could add a red [↑] to indicate growth. Better yet, it could add a daily chart and a five-day chart, displaying the effort he had put in over the past five days, which would turn green again whenever he reset his points.
How much richer would that be!
Or it could add voice announcements. Whenever he improved, it could announce:
"Congratulations, Host. Through your unrelenting persistence, your [Mortal Blade Technique] has become more proficient."
"Congratulations, Host. Through your tireless diligence, your [Mortal Blade Technique] has reached the realm where practice makes perfect."
"Congratulations, Host. Through your burning the midnight oil, your [Mortal Blade Technique] has become a sight to leave others gasping in admiration."
Unfortunately, the panel did not have that function.
He planned to modify the Disciple Token later so it could make voice announcements, shouting at him once every half hour.
Just like shop owners enabled payment notifications:
Payment received: 114,514 yuan.
Just imagine how satisfying that would feel!
Ning Ri was highly focused while practicing the blade, but many thoughts ran through his mind. If he did not do this, practicing the blade over and over and over without pause would be far too dull.
In the future, he planned to keep a cat or a dog, preferably a chatty one, to stave off loneliness.
Although his Qi Refining cultivation and artifact forging techniques had not been personally learned by him, still...
The Mortal Blade Technique could not use spiritual power to take shortcuts!
A mortal blade technique trained that way would not be authentic.
The long blade sliced through the air. A cold gleam seemed to flash and reflect off the Disciple Token, while sweat streamed down Ning Ri's brow. His gaze was sharp as an arrow—
So the skill points for his blade technique truly came from solid, honest practice, one slash at a time!
As blade light and shadows flew and whirled through the empty little room, the skill points on his panel were soaring...
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