Journey to the Yin De Sect

Then Zhou Hai asked, "Have you already come up with some strange idea? Why not tell me about it?"

As he spoke, his eyes even lit up a little...

Seeing that Zhou Hai had taken him seriously, Ning Ri could only bite the bullet and say, "My idea is to disperse my cultivation. I'm only at Qi Refining right now and haven't reached Foundation Establishment yet, so dispersing it would be less difficult."

"If I had already reached Foundation Establishment, then even if you beat me to death, I wouldn't dare entertain the thought of dispersing my cultivation. After all, a Dao foundation is a Dao foundation, not child's play. You can't build it over and over again. But Qi Refining is different..."

After hearing this, Zhou Hai nodded. "Dispersing your cultivation to enter the Yin De Sect is an unexpected yet reasonable choice for you."

"However, the drawback of dispersing one's cultivation is having to cultivate again. Even someone with a heavenly spiritual root would not rashly disperse their cultivation and start over..."

At this point, he changed the subject. "But your talent in artifact forging is excellent. Re-cultivating at the Qi Refining realm would be extremely difficult for others, but it should not be much of a problem for you. I can understand that."

"Still, this matter requires careful consideration. If you have doubts about your cultivation or your ability to cultivate, then do not try it recklessly."

"The path of cultivation is winding and long. If you ever feel lost or hesitant, do not be harsh on yourself or force yourself onward. Do you understand?"

By the end, Zhou Hai was extremely solemn.

Ning Ri answered seriously, "This disciple understands. Thank you, Elder Zhou."

Zhou Hai said, "Alright. I have nothing else to warn you about concerning the Yin De Sect, but remember to keep the Grandmaster Token safe. If it comes to the life-buying stage, absolutely do not hand over the Grandmaster Token."

Ning Ri froze. Oh boy, he had completely forgotten about the Grandmaster Token.

After taking the Grandmaster Token back, he had been assailed by one thing after another. First Yan Han, then Mo Cuidao, then Kong She. He had long since tossed the Grandmaster Token to the back of his mind.

Zhou Hai did not notice Ning Ri's expression and continued speaking to himself. "The Grandmaster Token has many wonderful uses... Mm, but you have no use for them for the time being."

"But leaving aside everything else, this item has unlimited Contribution Points. So think about it—can it be lost?"

The moment Ning Ri heard that, he was dumbfounded. "What???"

"Unlimited Contribution Points???"

Zhou Hai asked in confusion, "That's right. Didn't you know when you bound it to yourself?"

Zhou Hai had also forgotten to introduce that point at the time, but he had assumed Ning Ri would return and bind it to himself immediately, so he had not specially reminded him again.

"I..." Ning Ri opened his mouth. "I was in a hurry to go to the Wonderful Pill Workshop and forgot to bind it..."

Zhou Hai shook his head. "Oh, then that is Kong She's fault. He truly has done every bad thing under heaven."

At this moment, Ning Ri's attention was not on Kong She at all. It had all flown to the Grandmaster Token.

He hurriedly took out the palm-sized sky-blue jade token, held it in his hand, and turned it over and over as he stared at it in astonishment. "This thing actually has unlimited Contribution Points? But... didn't you say the Grandmaster has no authority to grant permission?"

Zhou Hai said, "Unlimited Contribution Points are not permission-granting authority. They are merely Contribution Points."

Ning Ri stared blankly. "Huh?"

"Besides, these unlimited Contribution Points are not free." Zhou Hai said, "They are an advance, and you have to repay them. It is like the [Advance Contribution Points] I had you choose before. The only difference is that the Grandmaster Token may be able to advance a little more Contribution Points."

"The Grandmasters of the Heaven Defying Sect remain in seclusion year-round. Whenever they emerge, they often have urgent business, and sometimes they exchange for items at the Heavenly Heart Pavilion in the Inner Sect before leaving, or urgently refine items for self-defense."

"In such circumstances, if they have no Contribution Points on hand, it would be troublesome. That is why Grandmaster Tokens must have unlimited advanceable Contribution Points, to prevent the Grandmasters from lacking Contribution Points."

Ning Ri said, "Ah... so that's how it is."

He lowered his head and looked at the Grandmaster Token in his hand. He understood...

This was a black card!

Issued by the People's Bank of the Heaven Defying Sect.

At that moment, his eyes shone brightly with love.

When a man truly loved you, his eyes would not lie.

Ning Ri began to cherish the Grandmaster Token too dearly to put it down—

Grandmaster Token... no, Azu, you know this. I have never disliked you, nor have I ever thought you were as idiotic as the Disciple Token.

Then Ning Ri asked curiously, "How long do I have to repay it? And what about interest?"

"Who would charge interest to a Grandmaster?" Zhou Hai shook his head, then added, "As for the repayment deadline, mm..."

He suddenly fell into a long silence, then muttered, "That's right, it seems there was never any rule about when it had to be repaid..."

Ning Ri froze. "Why?"

Zhou Hai stroked his chin. "Most Grandmasters can earn enough Contribution Points after going out once and coming back, so... you understand, right?"

Ning Ri revealed a smile that said he understood. "Hehe, alright."

"Do not get any crooked ideas. The Grandmaster will be watching you." Zhou Hai raised his left hand, pointed his index finger and thumb at himself, then pointed them at Ning Ri.

Ning Ri said nothing. He merely closed his eyes, thumped his chest, and nodded repeatedly, indicating that he knew what to do.

Only after finishing the gesture did Ning Ri say, "I only made that joke because our relationship runs deep. This disciple knows his limits."

Zhou Hai actually laughed upon hearing that. Those words meant Ning Ri considered him one of his own...

Ning Ri knew perfectly well when he could be greedy and when he could not.

If you were not greedy, others might play along with you in a happy family reunion and indulge in absurdity. But if you dared to be greedy, that would be a snake trying to swallow an elephant.

Although the Grandmaster Token had no rules restricting it, rules were ultimately made by people and enforced by people.

And if Ning Ri dared to squander Contribution Points recklessly, then if they could not find a rule to enforce, they would simply enforce him directly.

Then Ning Ri took out the [Painless Needle] and bound it to himself. As he did so, he pondered inwardly—

But even if these Contribution Points had to be repaid, this was still incredibly worthwhile!

Advance within reasonable limits, swipe for cultivation techniques to browse through... he would be dizzy from looking at them all...

Zhou Hai said, "You are already at the peak of Qi Refining, and your physical body is extremely strong. You still need a Painless Needle?"

Ning Ri said, "The less suffering I endure, the better. I'm not afraid of hardship, but I don't enjoy hardship. Cultivators should treat themselves a little better."

After hearing that, Zhou Hai still found it quite reasonable. "Indeed."

Once Ning Ri's blood had flowed over the two characters Ning Ri on the Grandmaster Token, he immediately felt himself connect to it. Then, just like the Disciple Token, the Grandmaster Token produced a huge pile of messy persona light clusters.

The sight irritated Ning Ri. After casually choosing the gentle teacher persona, he put the Grandmaster Token away.

At that moment, Zhou Hai thought of something and asked, "Right, since you are going to the Yin De Sect, can your Heaven Defying Soul Splitting Technique advance any further?"

Ning Ri froze. Huh? Advance further? How?

Then his heart jolted—

No!

In Elder Zhou's mind, although he had already used the [Heaven Defying Soul Splitting Technique] to hail a free ride, the Heaven Defying split soul he had condensed was still only at the state of a wisp of split soul.

That was why Elder Zhou had asked whether he could advance further. Clearly, he hoped Ning Ri could reach the state of a Divine Soul shell and resist the strange phenomena.

Thinking of this, Ning Ri, who had already condensed a peak Qi Refining split soul, rubbed his nose and said, "I'm working on it. I'll try to see if I can make my split soul bigger."

Zhou Hai nodded slightly. "Mm... Even if the Yin De Sect is not especially dangerous at present, it would naturally be better for you if you could fully expand a split soul."

Ning Ri nodded rapidly. "That's right, that's right."

After talking with Zhou Hai, Ning Ri stayed in the Pillars of Cultivation Pavilion for a while and advanced Contribution Points for a fire-element offensive technique that Qi Refining cultivators could learn—

[Blazing Fire Technique].

Zhou Hai had selected it for him. He had seen that Ning Ri possessed considerable insight into fire control, and that he could wield Artifact Fire and pill fire with smooth, effortless ease. Such fire-control techniques could likewise be used with the Blazing Fire Technique.

In Ning Ri's understanding, the Blazing Fire Technique could add fire attacks to all offensive methods.

For example, applying fire to a blade, applying fire to a fist, and so on and so forth.

Ning Ri had already thought of how to wield the Blazing Fire Technique through a blade. Since the edge of the [Morning Light Blade] was an ordinary blade and could not withstand the flames of a blazing fire blade, he planned to hold the fire in the hilt. At the same time, when facing enemies, he would loudly shout "Blazing Fire Blade" to divert their attention...

After obtaining the Blazing Fire Technique, Ning Ri eliminated the Crocodile Turtle Iron Bone Skill and Gale Step. The former was because he did not want to pay to complete it, while the latter was because the Pillars of Cultivation Pavilion did not have that technique.

Unlike the Crocodile Turtle Iron Bone Skill, Gale Step was an incomplete manual Ning Ri had earned spirit stones for through his own hard work. He was rather attached to it...

He wondered which great expert's technique it was. Hopefully, one day, he could complete it.

Still, he reset Gale Step for some points.

Then he opened the panel.

[Host]: Ning Ri

[Skills]:

1. [****]: 0 (Cannot add points)

2. [Mortal Blade Technique]: 3 (Can reset points)

2. [Qi Refining Art]: 10 (Maxed out) (Can reset points)

3. [Spirit Absorption Technique]: 10 (Maxed out) (Can reset points)

4. [Heavenly Craftsman]: 100 (Maxed out) (Can reset points)

5. [Creation]: 100 (Maxed out) (Can reset points)

6. [Heaven Defying Soul Splitting Technique]: 20 (Can reset points)

7. [Blazing Fire Technique]: 0

8. [Lightning Control Palm]: 0

9. [Heaven Defying Foundation Establishment Method]: 0

Free Skill Points: 123.

After resetting Gale Step and adding the blade practice he had done after leaving the Wonderful Pill Workshop, his Free Skill Points had reached a very considerable amount.

Afterward, Ning Ri left the cultivation techniques pavilion and made preparations in the Golden Osmanthus Garden. He practiced his blade and settled his heart before setting out for the deep mountains and old forests some distance away from the sect. Surrounded by the chirping of insects and calls of birds, he took a deep breath, summoned his courage, and pulled out his Golden Strategy Tally...

As the light of a new Golden Strategy Tally user descended—

"Honored guest, the [Golden Strategy Tally] is rejoicing at your arrival!"

"Upon meeting you for the first time, you may use it free of charge..."

Ning Ri began muttering inwardly:

"Don't send an acquaintance. I'm a new user, so send me someone new too..."

He wanted to hail a ride to the [Wuhe Mountain Range]. Although the [Morning Light Blade] he had crafted himself possessed a slight flying function, it definitely could not compare to a flying boat.

But he did not want to encounter Luo Ke either...

When he had hailed a ride in Luoxia City last time, he had prayed the same way.

That prayer had worked.

A moment later.

A streak of light rapidly flew over from the horizon and landed beside Ning Ri.

Whoosh—

When the figure appeared before Ning Ri, his expression visibly stiffened—

Alright, this prayer had not worked!

"Greetings, I am from the Golden Strategy Immortal Sect... Young Friend Ning?!" Luo Ke, dressed in robes glimmering with gold and holding a long spear, stared at Ning Ri in shock.

Over the past two days, Luo Ke had more or less repaired his mindset, so he had come back out to take orders and build up his qualifications.

He had already made up his mind to reach the seniority required to take disciples as soon as possible. In the future, if he encountered a good seedling, he would directly accept them as his own disciple. There was no need to look at the faces of that whole bunch of fools from the disciple recruitment office.

However, Luo Ke did not want to take orders from the Heaven Defying Sect, so he had deliberately chosen somewhere farther away.

Yet he had never imagined that after descending into these deep mountains and old forests, the person he encountered would actually be Ning Ri!

And what surprised him even more was—

How was Ning Ri still a new Golden Strategy Tally customer???

New user Ning Ri was also very awkward. "Senior Luo, long time no see, haha..."

The only thing he was grateful for now was that he had not reset his points in advance.

He planned to enter the Yin De Sect as a mortal, but he was worried that he would hail Luo Ke, so he had not dared to reset them beforehand.

If he really had reset them, Luo Ke would be even more confused right now.

But even so, Luo Ke was confused enough.

"You..." He looked Ning Ri up and down several times, his gaze changing repeatedly.

Ning Ri felt that if Luo Ke at this moment were made into a reaction image, his entire face would probably be covered in question marks.

How could Luo Ke not be puzzled?

Seeing Ning Ri's peak Qi Refining cultivation and his identity as a new Golden Strategy Tally user, Luo Ke's thoughts were in a mess. After thinking about it, he simply got to work first. "Young Friend Ning, where are you going?"

As he spoke, he released the flying boat as well.

Ning Ri answered honestly, "Senior Luo, I'm going to the Wuhe Mountain Range."

After opening the flying boat, Luo Ke froze upon hearing that. "The Wuhe Mountain Range? You're going to the Yin De Sect?"

The Wuhe Mountain Range had previously been most famous for the Mad Beast Secret Realm and the trading market built around it, where demon beast essence souls, fur, and blood were traded. But after the Mad Beast Secret Realm transformed into the Yin De Sect, the only reason anyone could go to the Wuhe Mountain Range now was to visit the Yin De Sect.

"Yes." Ning Ri nodded.

Then Luo Ke arranged for Ning Ri to board the flying boat. The two immediately rose into the sky and shot toward the [Wuhe Mountain Range]...

Luo Ke did not stop Ning Ri from going to the Yin De Sect, but he was very curious. "Have you prepared a congratulatory gift for your visit to the Yin De Sect?"

Ning Ri said, "I have. I forged a blade myself."

"A blade? Why didn't your sect give you something better?"

Luo Ke looked puzzled. Then a thought suddenly stirred in his heart. He took out an almost transparent jade bottle containing a round pill, placed it before Ning Ri, and said, "This is a Foundation Establishment Pill. Take it. I think it would be more appropriate to offer this as a congratulatory gift."

After saying that, he deliberately opened the jade bottle and allowed the pill fragrance to drift out.

When Ning Ri saw this, his eyes immediately widened...

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