Promise

The Demon Sword glowed blood-red, bewitching and demonic. At some unknown moment, tiny veins had appeared across its blade like the sword's blood vessels, a sight that made one shudder.

"Could it be that this Demon Sword had been inside my heart ever since I was born? That's too absurd!"

Ning Xiaochuan wanted to draw the Demon Sword out of his body, but after several attempts, he failed. The power of the Martial Dao Profound Qi within him was still not strong enough.

Perhaps only after reaching the Divine Body Realm would he be able to draw the Demon Sword out of his body.

Ning Xiaochuan could sense the immense power nurtured within the Demon Sword. What it displayed now was surely only the tip of the iceberg. Once it fully revealed its demonic might, perhaps martial artists throughout the world would tremble before it.

Ning Xiaochuan cultivated the "Heaven and Earth Profound Qi" for an entire night, consolidating his Profound Qi Seventh Level cultivation.

At dawn, he stepped out of his room.

When he exhaled, faint Profound Qi streamed from his mouth, producing a soft sound of wind and thunder that made the plants throughout the manor sway.

Having reached the Profound Qi Seventh Level, the quantity of Martial Dao Profound Qi within his body had surged, several times greater than at the Profound Qi Sixth Level.

Once he circulated his Martial Dao Profound Qi, the blood in his body raced at high speed. In one minute, it could complete three cycles, and his blood flow was more than nine times faster than an ordinary person's.

Though it was merely nine times the blood flow speed, the increase in strength was far more than just ninefold.

"Three cycles in one minute counts as the Profound Qi Seventh Level; five cycles in one minute counts as the Profound Qi Eighth Level; seven cycles in one minute counts as the Profound Qi Ninth Level; ten cycles in one minute allows one to step into the Divine Body Realm. I'm still far from it!"

The Profound Qi Seventh Level already counted as a respectable level for a young expert, but compared to the very best among the younger generation, it was still far too lacking.

After reaching the Profound Qi Seventh Level, every advancement in realm brought a tremendous increase in power. One could split tigers barehanded and shatter elephants with a palm strike, reaching heights ordinary people would never dare imagine.

A mass of crimson Profound Qi gathered in Ning Xiaochuan's palm, slowly condensing into the shape of a sword, three feet and eight inches long!

This was the "Profound Qi Sword," a sword condensed from Profound Qi. Its sharpness far surpassed weapons forged from ordinary iron; a single strike could sever a gold pillar one meter thick.

Bang!

Before the Profound Qi Sword could fully take shape, it suddenly shattered, turning into wisps of mist that flowed around Ning Xiaochuan's palm.

"I failed! Although I've reached the Profound Qi Seventh Level and can condense qi into fortification, making finger qi like a sword, my Profound Qi still isn't dense enough to condense a 'Profound Qi Sword.' I estimate that only when I reach the Profound Qi Eighth Level will I be able to freely condense one. Once the 'Profound Qi Sword' emerges, among martial artists of the same realm within the Profound Qi Ninth Heaven, surely no one will be able to block a single strike from me." Ning Xiaochuan was somewhat disappointed.

If he could condense a "Profound Qi Sword," Ning Xiaochuan was confident that, with his Profound Qi Seventh Level cultivation, he could challenge martial artists at the Profound Qi Eighth Level.

Once the Profound Qi Sword appeared, ordinary weapons and martial artists' Profound Fortification Protective Shields would be unable to withstand it.

Yet controlling Profound Qi and condensing it into a sword was inherently difficult. It required deep Profound Qi as support, as well as exquisite control over it. Even many Profound Qi Ninth Level experts could not condense a "Profound Qi Sword."

Ning Xiaochuan had only just broken through to the Profound Qi Seventh Level, yet he had nearly condensed the "Profound Qi Sword" into form. This was already an exceptionally remarkable feat.

Begonia Manor was located in "Nanshan Village" outside the Imperial City.

It was worth mentioning that there were more than a hundred border settlements surrounding the Imperial City, and "Nanshan Village" was one of them.

These border settlements were not far from the Imperial City, surrounding it at the center like stars paying homage to the moon.

Each border settlement had a dangerous pass established within it, guarded by large numbers of troops who protected the Imperial City's safety.

The Imperial City was where princes, marquises, wealthy merchants, powerful martial artists, high officials, and nobles lived. Those peddlers and laborers generally had no right to reside in the Imperial City. After struggling to make a living there during the day, they returned to the border settlements at night.

Thus, the border settlements could also be called the civilian districts around the Imperial City.

Begonia Manor was a highly renowned estate in Nanshan Village, because the poor people living in the border settlement all knew that it was property of the Sword Pavilion Marquis's Mansion, a place where descendants of princes and marquises strolled and enjoyed themselves.

Begonia Manor covered eighteen hundred mu and was an enormous estate. Its surrounding walls alone stood seven zhang high, comparable to the walls of some small cities. Arrow towers and watchtowers were built atop them, guarded by armored sentries.

The scenery inside the walls was even more breathtaking. Streams flowed from the gorges between two mountains; there were artificial emerald lakes, ingenious pavilions and towers, stone bridges, painted rafters, Sealed Cliff, valleys, brooks, and palaces.

To ordinary poor folk, Begonia Manor was practically a small city, visible but forever beyond reach.

Moreover, all land within a radius of thirty li fell under Begonia Manor's jurisdiction. The residents living in this region had to pay Annual Tribute, grain, and brocade cloth to Begonia Manor every year.

Many begonia flowers were planted throughout Begonia Manor, including Autumn Begonia and Four Seasons Begonia. Their brilliant, fragrant blossoms bloomed throughout all four seasons—by the little lakes, in the valleys, beneath Sealed Cliff, and beside the pavilions—making the estate feel like spring all year round.

The petals fell into the water and drifted across the streams, turning the entire brook pink in indescribable beauty.

Petals fell from the railings of the pavilions, floated through the air, and were swept aloft by the wind like a rain of flowers spreading over all of Begonia Manor.

As Ning Xiaochuan admired the beautiful scenery within Begonia Manor, a woman in a white gauze robe appeared amid the flower rain not far away. Her hair was tied in an immortal maiden's bun, and a white veil covered her face. She looked like a flower fairy stepping out of a begonia garden.

Ning Xiaochuan smiled. "Miss Yu recovered quickly. After only one night, you can already walk."

Yu Ningsheng herself possessed Divine Body Realm cultivation and had already refined her fleshly body into a Divine Martial Body. As long as the Evil Dragon Poison was forced from her body, her body's self-healing ability was extremely fast.

Now, aside from being unable to use the power of the Divine Power Realm, she was no different from a normal person.

"I must thank Young Master Ning for saving my life." Yu Ningsheng's voice was soft and beautiful. Standing amid the flower rain, she resembled a Divine Maiden from a painting.

Ning Xiaochuan hurriedly said, "Even if thanks are in order, I should be thanking Miss Yu for saving my life. If not for your help, Yu Yan and I would likely have already died at the hands of those five death warriors."

"Fine. I saved your life, and you saved mine. We are even now. I will leave, and from now on, neither of us owes the other anything." Yu Ningsheng was not a coy woman. She and Ning Xiaochuan had merely met by chance, and she did not wish to continue involving herself in the internal struggle of the Sword Pavilion Marquis's Mansion.

No matter how glamorous and beautiful a woman of the pleasure quarters might appear on the surface, her status was fundamentally lowly.

If she involved herself in the storm of succession within the Marquis Mansion, it would be no different from courting death.

Yesterday, she had saved Ning Xiaochuan and Yu Yan because she happened to pass by. Since she had encountered them, she naturally could not turn a blind eye. That was her principle in life.

But now that most of her injuries had healed, she immediately decided to leave. She did not want too many entanglements with the descendants of a noble house.

Ning Xiaochuan shook his head. "A debt of gratitude should not be settled like that. If you hadn't acted to save us, you wouldn't have been injured, and I wouldn't have needed to save you. In other words, you were injured because of us, so saving you was something I should have done. By that reasoning, I still owe you a great debt of gratitude. I've never liked owing others anything. Is there something you want? Or any help you need? If I can do it, I will certainly help you, as repayment for this favor."

Yu Ningsheng stared deeply at him, her bright eyes carrying a trace of contempt.

There were plenty of noble heirs and talented young men who used the excuse of helping her to strike up conversations. She felt that Ning Xiaochuan was one of them as well.

"I want to enter the Heavenly Emperor Academy to cultivate. Can you make that happen?" Yu Ningsheng asked coolly.

Ning Xiaochuan had long heard of the "Heavenly Emperor Academy." It was known as the greatest martial academy in Yulan Imperial City, the gathering place of the finest achievements in literature and martial arts. Yet the Heavenly Emperor Academy was extremely strict in its assessments of character and talent, recruiting students only once every five years. Everyone who entered it was an absolute elite.

Yu Ningsheng's talent and cultivation were more than sufficient for entry into the Heavenly Emperor Academy, but she was a woman of the pleasure quarters who had already sold herself to Jade Viewing Pavilion. Jade Viewing Pavilion still counted on her to earn money and gather wealth, so how could it possibly let her cultivate at the Heavenly Emperor Academy? Therefore, she had only one way to enter the Heavenly Emperor Academy: she first had to redeem herself.

One had to know that Yu Ningsheng was a beauty famous throughout the Imperial City and Jade Viewing Pavilion's very own money tree. Even one of her fingers was worth a fortune. Only a true prince or marquis could possess the wealth needed to redeem her.

Yu Ningsheng watched Ning Xiaochuan. Seeing him fall silent, she knew in her heart that he was indeed like those talented young men—he merely coveted her beauty, and none of them genuinely wished to help her.

She slowly departed, stepping through layer after layer of flower rain and walking out of Begonia Manor.

Suddenly, Ning Xiaochuan's voice came from behind her. "Give me three months. Three months from now, I will definitely help you gain admission to the Heavenly Emperor Academy. My word is my bond."

Yu Ningsheng stopped and looked back. Ning Xiaochuan stood atop the seven-zhang-high wall, his gaze fixed straight upon her.

She merely took Ning Xiaochuan for an impulsive youth and did not take his words seriously. Yet she still felt a slight favor toward him in her heart. At least, he dared to make a promise.

Ning Xiaochuan stood on the walls of Begonia Manor, watching Yu Ningsheng gradually depart.

Yu Yan followed behind Ning Xiaochuan and asked softly, "Young Master, you weren't just saying that, were you?"

"Of course not!" Ning Xiaochuan said.

Yu Yan said, "Do you know that the women of Jade Viewing Pavilion command extremely high prices? Redeeming even a Silver-Ranked Music Courtesan costs between one million and five million Small Coin. And Miss is Jade Viewing Pavilion's leading star, adored by countless people. To redeem her, it would likely cost at least three hundred million Small Coin, and that is the lowest estimate. Moreover, even if you could produce three hundred million Small Coin to redeem Miss, the matter would surely shake the entire Imperial City. The elders of the Sword Pavilion Marquis's Mansion would absolutely never agree to you doing something that disgraces the Marquis Mansion's family traditions."

Ning Xiaochuan smiled faintly. "I'm merely helping her redeem herself to repay a favor, not marrying her as my wife. How does that disgrace the Marquis Mansion's family traditions? Yu Yan, the most important thing in life is to be open and upright. Repay every kindness, keep your heart broad and unburdened, and there will be no fear of others' criticism."

Yu Yan watched Ning Xiaochuan's departing back. She still could not believe that someone would spend three hundred million coins to redeem a woman of the pleasure quarters solely to repay a favor. Did he truly have no other thoughts about Miss?