Yang Xingming's Gift

Chapter 36: Yang Xingming's Gift

Ning Ri wasn't intentionally spouting nonsense; he was truly out of options.

Though Ning Ri felt he was making things up, Yang Xingming and Chen Xingfeng didn't think so.

After a moment of utter confusion, the two fell silent.

They were both contemplating whether Ning Ri had already begun to resemble those divine beings from the Heaven Defying Sect!

In the Cultivation World, the Heaven Defying Sect held a unique and feared position precisely because their disciples were exceptionally mysterious.

And now, Ning Ri was showing the first signs of that.

Jumping directly from Third Stage Qi Refining to the peak of Qi Refining wasn't an unheard-of occurrence in the Cultivation World; in fact, it was quite "frequent" and generally considered a joyous event.

However, when others experienced such consecutive breakthroughs, there were always some underlying reasons or explanations.

For instance, obtaining a legacy, time reversal, receiving an anointment, or having suppressed one's realm for too long and then experiencing a sudden surge, and so on.

At the very least, one could borrow cultivation from the Great Mercy Divine Palace.

Those who borrowed cultivation from the Great Mercy Divine Palace could leap not just from Third Stage Qi Refining to the peak of Qi Refining, but some even jumped from Foundation Establishment directly to Nascent Soul...

Of course, this was contingent on the Great Mercy Divine Palace approving the cultivation loan. If the application wasn't approved, then borrowing was impossible.

But regardless of whether the cultivation was inherited, borrowed, or obtained through suppressed arduous cultivation... no matter how you put it, other instances of rapid advancement, like breaking through seven realms in a single breath, always had some explanation.

Yet, Ning Ri's situation seemed entirely unrelated to any of the above.

Legacy? Where would one find that at the Craftsmanship Tower?

Receiving an anointment or time reversal? That was even more absurd.

As for the Great Mercy Divine Palace, forget it. Ning Ri hadn't even left a mark there yet.

Because of this, they genuinely began to ponder—

Did Ning Ri truly believe in his heart that artifact refining talent and Qi refining talent were the same?

If that were the case, Ning Ri's sudden breakthrough wouldn't be difficult to understand.

However, if that were true, a new problem arose...

Chen Xingfeng asked solemnly, his expression serious, "Ning Ri, is that truly what you think?"

Ning Ri clenched his fist, brought it to his lips, coughed lightly, and then nodded firmly at Chen Xingfeng, "Mm!"

Yang Xingming pondered, "Then, if you believe this, what will you do in the future? Good artifact refining talent equaling good Qi refining talent is understandable, but what about Foundation Establishment talent and Golden Core talent?"

Huh? This could be understood? Ning Ri's eyes widened slightly. What kind of ideology had the Heaven Defying Sect spread to these people?

He scratched his head and said, "I'll take it one step at a time. For example, if one day I believe Foundation Establishment is actually equivalent to forging a foundation, to forge a Dao Foundation, that's an artifact refiner's specialty, right?"

"Also, Golden Core, Golden Core... Hmm, there's gold in Golden Core. Gold is also something artifact refiners frequently deal with. So, turning gold into a pill, and I'll have a Golden Core, right? Haha."

After he finished, he couldn't help but laugh twice, finding the absurdity so amusing that he laughed at himself.

But Yang Xingming and Chen Xingfeng didn't find it absurd; instead, they began to ponder seriously...

Ning Ri: "..."

Alright, if you guys believe even this ridiculousness, then when I break through to the Foundation Establishment realm in the future, I'll use this as my explanation.

Yang Xingming nodded slightly, "It's not entirely without reason. According to your sect's logic, as long as you believe it yourself, it's fine. However, you don't seem to believe it very strongly yourself. You need to think about it carefully."

Yang Xingming's earnest tone made Ning Ri unsure whether he wanted him to believe it or not.

Chen Xingfeng hadn't abandoned his original objective: "If you can't firmly believe it, you should withdraw from the Heaven Defying Sect as soon as possible."

Ning Ri gave a dry laugh, touched his nose, and said, "Thank you, seniors. By the way, what did you need junior for?!"

Yang Xingming finally remembered the main point and said, "Xi Yuan and I are returning. Before we leave, I want to give you a gift."

Ning Ri quickly waved his hands, "Senior Xingming, I didn't do anything. How can I accept your gift?!"

He hadn't seen the gift yet, but he had to offer pleasantries first.

The other party was an important figure, and the gift was likely very valuable.

If the gift was very valuable, he might not be able to bring himself to offer polite refusals.

But Yang Xingming shook his head, "You're mistaken. You've done a great deed."

"Little Yuan has admired you for your skillful use of saber techniques, and now, because of your superb artifact refining skills, he has also developed a yearning for artifact refining. I have already reported this matter to the family head, and the family head is now having a dedicated refining room built for Little Yuan."

"You know, Little Yuan has dabbled in alchemy, artifact refining, talismans... all sorts of methods, and his talent in them is quite good. However, he hadn't been passionate about any one of them. Now, because of you, he's interested in artifact refining and is going into seclusion to study it diligently. This means I can finally rest for a while. So, tell me, haven't you done a great deed?"

After hearing this, Ning Ri, while marveling at how exceptional Xi Yuan's talent was, chuckled and said, "That's also because Little Yuan is diligent himself. He already has an eager and studious heart; I was merely a catalyst."

Yang Xingming's face lit up with joy, and he waved his hands repeatedly, "Whether you were a catalyst or not, I don't care. I just need to give you what the family head asked me to give you."

With that, a jade bottle appeared in Yang Xingming's hand. The bottle was as if transparent, containing a colorful liquid.

As this liquid appeared, Ning Ri felt a sense of endless vitality and cyclical growth enveloping him. The potent aura made the Spiritual Energy within his body stir restlessly, and even the hardened deposits in his acupoints seemed to loosen considerably...

Ning Ri felt as if his entire body had been massaged.

He felt completely unblocked!

He couldn't help but be startled—

"What a great item this is?"

Just looking at it makes me feel so comfortable?!

Chen Xingfeng recognized the origin of the item and exclaimed in surprise, "Five Elements Essence?"

"Yes," Yang Xingming nodded. "Five Elements Essence. It's one of the best items you can choose in the Innate Foundation Establishment Method."

Upon hearing this, Ning Ri finally realized what a valuable item it was.

The Heaven Defying Foundation Establishment Method mentioned that the Five Elements Essence was the most versatile treasure for the Innate Foundation Establishment Method.

It could not only supplement the power of the Five Elements but also drive the spiritual energy within the body to form a cycle, nourishing each other.

Cultivators with Human-tier or Earth-tier Spiritual Roots could directly achieve Heavenly Dao Foundation Establishment by relying on the Five Elements Essence, with a very high success rate.

Even those with Heavenly-tier Spiritual Roots who could use the [Spiritual Root Foundation Establishment Method] would find it a tremendous boon if they could use the Five Elements Essence during their Foundation Establishment. This item could fiercely solidify the foundation of an already immensely powerful Heavenly Dao Foundation Establishment.

Ning Ri looked at the bottle of Five Elements Essence and said hurriedly, "Senior Xingming, this item is so precious, I cannot accept it."

What he was refusing wasn't the valuable gift itself, but the giver.

Xi Yuan's father, the head of the Xi Family, a powerful figure in the Lingxi Immortal Sect...

Facing someone like that, Ning Ri felt a headache just thinking about it. When such people gave gifts, he always felt they had other motives, such as a thousand-year plan, a ten-thousand-year scheme, drastic world changes, and so on.

He, a chosen child, was just a pawn on a grandmaster's chessboard.

By accepting his gift, he would become his pawn from this moment on. After a few hundred years of cultivation, the grandmaster would appear with a sinister laugh—

"Alright, your cultivation is mine."

But Yang Xingming chuckled and said, "Precious? You're mistaken. While this item is valuable, for the Lingxi Immortal Sect, well..."

He carefully chose his words, as if concerned about hurting Ning Ri's pride, but he also wanted Ning Ri to understand that the gift's value wasn't that significant to the Xi Family.

So, he said, "It is indeed very precious, but... not that precious."

"The Patriarch isn't lacking this. When Xiao Yuan was just born, he had a bath with Five Elements Essence. So, you can just consider it a normal gift, you understand?"

Ning Ri, who was imagining himself becoming a grandmaster's pawn, was stunned...

Taking a bath with Five Elements Essence?

A thorough cleansing right after birth?

Ning Ri thought that if he had received such treatment at birth, he couldn't imagine how surprised he would have been.

Since Yang Xingming had put it that way, Ning Ri finally let go of his reservations. He coughed lightly and said, "Well... if that's the case, then I will respectfully accept. However, I understand that the Five Elements Essence is still very precious."

"After all, when Xiao Yuan was just born, his body was still very fragile. The fact that Five Elements Essence could touch his body is enough to show its preciousness."

After all, if you really wanted to talk about it, Xi Yuan's preciousness far surpassed that of the Five Elements Essence by many, many times.

Hearing this, Yang Xingming burst into laughter...

Ning Ri added, "So, if there's an opportunity in the future, please allow me to repay you."

"No problem," Yang Xingming said solemnly. "If there's a chance in the future, come visit Xiao Yuan at Lingxi. Since he said he wants to learn artifact refining like you, he will definitely do it."

Ning Ri nodded solemnly as well.

Then, Yang Xingming left, leaving the Five Elements Essence behind.

The moment the Five Elements Essence appeared in Ning Ri's hand, the [Heaven Defying Foundation Establishment Method] on his panel changed.

Choose your Foundation Establishment item.

1. Spiritual Root (Expected Foundation Establishment Failure) 2. Heaven and Earth Rare Treasures (Five Elements Essence) (Expected Heavenly Dao Foundation Establishment) 3. Acquired Item (Disciple Token) (High probability of Foundation Establishment Failure) 4. Anomaly (None yet) (Expected Heavenly Dao Foundation Establishment)

The original second option was grayed out.

But, after the Five Elements Essence appeared, this second option was slowly filled with five colors. These five colors then rolled like waves, and finally, slowly illuminated the gray option...

Seeing the change on his panel, Ning Ri's expression remained unchanged, but his heart was greatly shaken.

What the heck!

He could directly achieve Heavenly Dao Foundation Establishment?

Is this Five Elements Essence that powerful?!

But Ning Ri thought for a moment and immediately understood what was going on.

The Five Elements Essence was indeed powerful, but if he were to solely rely on his own cultivation technique to refine the Five Elements Essence, he wouldn't be able to achieve Heavenly Dao Foundation Establishment.

However, with the optimization function of the panel, the Five Elements Essence could directly assist him in achieving Heavenly Dao Foundation Establishment!

Realizing this, Ning Ri became very excited—

With this, becoming a Foundation Establishment cultivator would truly be a matter of minutes!

"Are you planning to use the Five Elements Essence he gave you to establish your foundation?"

At this moment, a voice interrupted Ning Ri's thoughts.

After Yang Xingming walked away, Chen Xingfeng looked at Ning Ri and spoke.

"Master Xingfeng, this junior..." Ning Ri mused, "I'm not sure yet."

Chen Xingfeng originally wanted to persuade Ning Ri to cut ties with the Heaven Defying Sect's methods once and for all, but seeing Ning Ri's peak Qi Refining cultivation, he couldn't bring himself to say it.

He thought for a moment and could only say, "Think it over carefully yourself. If you can't firmly believe that establishing a foundation is forging a foundation, you should just settle for the Five Elements Essence as soon as possible."

Ning Ri: "...Alright, thank you, Master Xingfeng."

Then, Chen Xingfeng strode away, leaving Ning Ri to his own devices in the Craftsmanship Tower.

Watching Chen Xingfeng's retreating back, Ning Ri sighed—

Chen Xingfeng is a good person, but unfortunately, he appeared a bit too late.

If you had taken me in when I was repeatedly rejected by the various sects, I would be a person of the Craftsmanship Tower in life and death now.

Alas, we can only bid a regretful farewell now.

"Brother Ning, you..."

Jiang Wen looked at Ning Ri, his eyes wide, his face filled with horror.

Beside him, Jiang Wu, whose mind was invaded by the Anomaly, had the same expression.

The brothers looked at Ning Ri in shock.

After bidding farewell to Chen Xingfeng, Ning Ri planned to leave the Craftsmanship Tower and return to the Heaven Defying Sect. However, as soon as he stepped outside, he encountered these two brothers.

Since they happened to meet, Ning Ri intended to inquire about the Yin De Sect.

Who knew that before he could even speak, these two looked as if they had seen a ghost...

It was impossible for Jiang Wen and Jiang Wu not to see a ghost.

Ning Ri, who was only at Third Stage Qi Refining not long ago, was now at peak Qi Refining!

Isn't that terrifying?!

Ning Ri walked up to the two, smiling and cupping his fists: "Brother Wen, Brother Wu!"

Jiang Wen had no mind to greet him, only managing to utter a few words in horror: "Your cultivation..."

Ning Ri chuckled and said, "There was a minor accident, a chance breakthrough."

Jiang Wu murmured, "How accidental is that?"

Ning Ri skipped over the topic of cultivation and said, "By the way, gentlemen, when do you plan to return to your sect?"

Seeing that Ning Ri didn't intend to elaborate, Jiang Wen wisely followed Ning Ri's lead and changed the subject: "We're about to set off. What about you, Brother Ning?"

Jiang Wu had not witnessed Ning Ri's artifact refining firsthand and was unaware of its true power.

But Jiang Wen had watched Ning Ri refine artifacts from start to finish.

To him, Ning Ri was a god.

He had never imagined that a Qi Refining cultivator could refine artifacts like this, and he dared to assert that Ning Ri would definitely become a top-tier artifact refiner in the future.

Because of this, Jiang Wen was determined to befriend Ning Ri and was naturally willing to cooperate with Ning Ri's pace during their conversation.

Ning Ri smiled and said, "I plan to inquire around."

Jiang Wen's heart stirred, and he asked, "Inquire about what?"

Ning Ri: "About the [Yin De Sect]."

Hearing this, Jiang Wen immediately showed a smile, thinking that he was worried about not having an opportunity to get acquainted, and here it was!

He said, "Brother Ning, although I haven't managed to break through the [Yin De Sect], I happen to know some things. Why don't we find an inn to sit down, and I'll tell you in detail?"

Ning Ri cupped his fists: "Then I'll trouble you, Brother Wen!"