Peerless Prodigy

In a single short night, he had broken through two levels in succession. This rate of advancement was far too fast. Especially his breakthrough to the Profound Qi Sixth Level—even he still had no idea how it had happened.

"Don't get excited, don't get excited. Sort it out properly. Four drops of Blood Nourishing Elixir were refined in the Heart Nourishing Cauldron, then the little sword inside the Blood Aperture reacted and tried to seize the four drops of Heart Nourishing Elixir. Then the Blood Aperture and Heart Aperture began chasing each other, forming a Taiji Pattern. Finally, the four drops of Blood Nourishing Elixir vanished, and I broke through to the Profound Qi Sixth Level."

If he had merely absorbed four drops of Blood Nourishing Elixir, it would have been absolutely impossible for Ning Xiaochuan to reach the Profound Qi Sixth Level. Yet those four drops of Blood Nourishing Elixir had been the root cause.

If he wanted to uncover the reason, he could only refine another Blood Accumulation Grass. Only then might that previous situation happen again, perhaps allowing him to break through to the Profound Qi Seventh Level in a short time.

Within the residences of kings and marquises, members of the younger generation who cultivated to the Profound Qi Fourth or Fifth Level could only be considered dandies. They would not receive any attention at all. Only upon reaching the Profound Qi Seventh Level could one be considered a genius and classified as an important target for cultivation.

It could be said that the Profound Qi Seventh Level was a vast dividing line. Those above the Profound Qi Seventh Level were called "talented descendants," while those below it were called "dandy sons."

Ning Xiaochuan was now only one step away from the Profound Qi Seventh Level. Naturally, he dearly wished to reach that realm.

But... Ning Xiaochuan's only Low-Grade Profound Stone had been exhausted when he refined the Blood Accumulation Grass just now. Without Profound Stones, even a Heart Nourisher could not refine Mysterious Medicine.

"Looks like I need to buy Profound Stones first." Ning Xiaochuan suppressed the joy of breaking through two levels in a row. This was not the time to celebrate. Only by reaching the Profound Qi Seventh Level could he truly hold his head high and exhale in triumph.

By then, dawn had already broken. The young disciples of the Sword Pavilion Marquis's Mansion had all risen for morning practice. Some cultivated sword arts, while others inhaled and exhaled Profound Qi.

Some dandy sons lounged lazily to one side, enjoying themselves immensely. Maidservants kneaded their shoulders and backs, served them tea and water, and from time to time, they pinched the maidservants' delicate, alluring bodies, drawing soft and charming reproaches from the girls.

Meanwhile, Ning Xiaochuan packed the thirty-seven small bottles into a bundle, carefully hugged it to his chest, and sprinted to a secluded corner beneath a wall. Seeing no one around, he leaped upward, soaring three zhang into the air before landing atop the high wall of the Marquis Mansion.

His figure flashed, and in the next instant, he appeared on a bustling street crowded with passing people.

Ning Han and two family servants had been killed. The elders of the Sword Pavilion Marquis's Mansion believed the Blood Devouring Demon Sect was responsible, so they had issued an order forbidding anyone from leaving. Unless there was an important matter, none of the Sword Pavilion Marquis's Mansion's disciples could leave freely.

Thus, Ning Xiaochuan could only climb over the wall and slip out.

The Sword Pavilion Marquis's Mansion was located in a prosperous district of the Imperial City. Whether it was the Jade Viewing Pavilion, where "a single night of spring breeze filled Yu Manlou with fragrant jade," or the Golden Roc Heart Nourishing Hall, where powerful figures came and went, both were in this region.

The Inner City of the Imperial City was divided into thirty-six districts.

The Outer City was divided into seventy-two districts.

The district where the Sword Pavilion Marquis's Mansion stood was Heavenly Might Domain of the Inner City.

Six residences of kings and marquises were gathered within Heavenly Might Domain alone, which showed just how flourishing this district was.

Ning Xiaochuan soon arrived at the Golden Roc Heart Nourishing Hall once more. He wore an Elementary Heart Nourisher Robe, its lapel embroidered with a golden roc using Heavenly Profound Silk.

A steward of the Golden Roc Heart Nourishing Hall personally came to receive Ning Xiaochuan and invited him into a private chamber on the second floor.

A beautiful maidservant presented a cup of Heart Cleansing Profound Tea and respectfully set it before Ning Xiaochuan. The teacup was carved from jade, green and crystal-clear! Ning Xiaochuan was now a Heart Nourisher of the Golden Roc Heart Nourishing Hall, one of their own, so naturally his treatment was extraordinary.

"You must be Young Master Ning, who became an Elementary Heart Nourisher yesterday. Qianqian Prin... A pleasure, a pleasure." Steward Hua swallowed the words that had reached his lips, because he knew that the incomparably gifted Princess Qianqian disliked others knowing her identity. In her own words, once people learned that she was the youngest daughter of the Great Golden Roc King, future relationships would instead become difficult to handle.

Steward Hua was a middle-aged man in his forties, slightly plump and meticulously dressed in a gold-trimmed long robe and a dark green belt. A smile always hung on his face.

Among the fifty-six stewards of the Golden Roc Heart Nourishing Hall, he ranked sixth. Though he was not a Heart Nourisher, his Martial Dao cultivation was formidable, and his status was extremely high. Even if Ning Hunkun of the Sword Pavilion Marquis's Mansion came to the Golden Roc Heart Nourishing Hall, he might not be qualified to receive the hospitality of a top-ten steward.

For Steward Hua, who ranked sixth in the Golden Roc Heart Nourishing Hall, to personally receive an Elementary Heart Nourisher was naturally no simple matter. That was because Yu Qianqian held Ning Xiaochuan in high regard and had instructed Steward Hua to pay more attention to this youth.

Steward Hua had naturally read Ning Xiaochuan's records. "A Primal Chaos Heart Nourisher. The first time he refined Nourishing Heart Grass, he produced three drops of Heart Nourishing Elixir of supreme purity. And most importantly, he is only sixteen!"

His potential was enormous! He had a sixty percent chance of becoming an Intermediate Heart Nourisher and a ten percent chance of becoming an Advanced Heart Nourisher.

Such a genius was a key target for cultivation by the Golden Roc Heart Nourishing Hall. Naturally, the importance attached to him differed from that given to other Elementary Heart Nourishers.

Steward Hua lavished him with praise. "Young and accomplished, gifted beyond compare. In the future, the Golden Roc Heart Nourishing Hall will need young people like you to hold up the sky. By the way! Young Master Ning, what brings you to the Golden Roc Heart Nourishing Hall this time?"

Ning Xiaochuan opened his bundle and arranged the thirty-seven small bottles within it, smiling as he said, "Nothing major, nothing major. I only came to sell some Heart Nourishing Elixir refined last night. I really shouldn't have troubled you, Steward Hua."

Steward Hua stared at the large spread of small bottles in the bundle, and his brow twitched sharply. "These are all Heart Nourishing Elixirs you refined last night?"

"Yes! Didn't I buy ten Nourishing Heart Grasses at the Golden Roc Heart Nourishing Hall yesterday? I refined all of them last night, producing thirty-seven drops in total," Ning Xiaochuan said.

"You refined ten Nourishing Heart Grasses in one night?" Steward Hua felt as though his head were about to explode. His eyes widened like bronze bells as he stared at Ning Xiaochuan.

An ordinary Elementary Heart Nourisher could only refine one Nourishing Heart Grass in a day. At most, they could manage three.

Steward Hua had once seen an Elementary Heart Nourisher refine five Nourishing Heart Grasses in a day, but that Elementary Heart Nourisher's cultivation had been at the Divine Body Seventh Level.

The youth before him was clearly only at the Profound Qi Realm, weaker by heaven knows how many times than that Elementary Heart Nourisher at the Divine Body Seventh Level. Yet he claimed to have refined ten Nourishing Heart Grasses in a single night. Fortunately, Steward Hua was a Martial Dao expert with a strong enough heart, or he might truly have been scared out of his wits.

Seeing Steward Hua's exaggerated expression, Ning Xiaochuan found it somewhat hard to understand. As the grand steward of the Golden Roc Heart Nourishing Hall, he should have seen the world and weathered great storms. Why had thirty-seven drops of Heart Nourishing Elixir frightened him so badly?

"This Steward Hua is probably new here!" Ning Xiaochuan thought to himself.

Ning Xiaochuan said calmly, "An Elementary Heart Nourisher needs roughly half an hour to refine one Nourishing Heart Grass. Ten Nourishing Heart Grasses take five hours. Refining ten in one night—isn't that a task one can handle with ease?"

Although Steward Hua was not a Heart Nourisher, he was still the sixth-ranked steward of the Golden Roc Heart Nourishing Hall. How could he possibly not know how long it took an Elementary Heart Nourisher to refine a Nourishing Heart Grass? Steward Hua felt utterly aggrieved! He had spent decades in the Golden Roc Heart Nourishing Hall, yet a teenage boy had mistaken him for a novice, explained the time needed to refine Nourishing Heart Grass to him, and even taught him arithmetic within ten. How could the grand steward of the Golden Roc Heart Nourishing Hall bear such humiliation? Steward Hua took a long breath, striving to calm the surging waves in his heart, then forced out a smile. "Young Master Ning, are you certain this is not a prank?"

Ning Xiaochuan was stunned for a moment. "I... I merely came to sell thirty-seven drops of Heart Nourishing Elixir. I don't mean anything else by it. Does the Golden Roc Heart Nourishing Hall no longer buy Heart Nourishing Elixir?"

"No, no..." Seeing that Ning Xiaochuan did not seem to be joking, Steward Hua said, "It is simply that this matter is too inconceivable, making it difficult to believe! Does Young Master Ning know that an ordinary Elementary Heart Nourisher can refine at most three Nourishing Heart Grasses in a day? And even that can only be achieved by the most outstanding among Elementary Heart Nourishers."

Ning Xiaochuan's eyelids contracted. "Is it that difficult?"

Ning Xiaochuan truly had not felt any difficulty at all!

Steward Hua said, "Heart Nourishers use their own heart fire to refine Nourishing Heart Grass. In other words, each additional Nourishing Heart Grass refined consumes another portion of the Heart Nourishing Cauldron's power. For an Elementary Heart Nourisher, refining three Nourishing Heart Grasses a day is already the limit. If they force themselves to continue, not only might the Heart Nourishing Cauldron shatter, even the Martial Heart Palace could break apart. At best, their cultivation would be completely ruined; at worst, their hearts would shatter and they would die."

After saying this, Steward Hua had someone deliver five Nourishing Heart Grasses, which were presented on a jade tray!

He said, "Of course, there are also some exceptionally gifted peerless prodigies who become anomalies. Even as Elementary Heart Nourishers, they can refine five Nourishing Heart Grasses in a day, or even ten. Young Master Ning may well be such an outstanding prodigy. Hua is deeply excited now. Might I have the honor of witnessing Young Master Ning refine five Nourishing Heart Grasses with my own eyes?"

A smile rested on Steward Hua's face as he pointed toward the five Nourishing Heart Grasses on the jade tray.

The two beautiful maidservants behind Steward Hua also revealed expectant looks. Their lovely eyes rippled with curiosity as they wondered whether this rather handsome youth truly was a peerless prodigy.

Though Steward Hua's words were pleasant, Ning Xiaochuan knew that the man did not truly believe him and wished to verify his ability in person.

Refining five Nourishing Heart Grasses was naturally a piece of cake for Ning Xiaochuan, but he did not immediately agree. "Steward Hua, you should know that refining five Nourishing Heart Grasses consumes quite a bit of time. Time is exceedingly precious to a Heart Nourisher."

Steward Hua smiled knowingly. "If Young Master Ning can refine these five Nourishing Heart Grasses within one day, all the Heart Nourishing Elixir obtained from the refinement will belong entirely to Young Master Ning. How does that sound?"

If Ning Xiaochuan truly was a peerless prodigy in Heart Nourisher cultivation, then let alone five Nourishing Heart Grasses, even giving away five hundred would be worthwhile.

Ning Xiaochuan also had his own little calculations. Five Nourishing Heart Grasses would yield twenty drops of Heart Nourishing Elixir after refinement, worth two hundred thousand Small Coins. What a windfall falling from the sky! "Why would I need a day? In two hours, I can completely refine these five Nourishing Heart Grasses."

Without another word, Ning Xiaochuan grasped one of the Nourishing Heart Grasses in his hand. With a bang, he shattered it into green medicinal qi, guided it into the Heart Nourishing Cauldron with Martial Dao Profound Qi, and began refining it.