Thousand Peaks Shake the Mountains, Immovable as a Mountain

As expected of a Human-Faced Demon Spider from a family full of loyal martyrs. Ning Chen actually felt inexplicably moved.

After retracting the Nine Treasure Glazed Tile Pagoda, the abnormalities around Ning Chen faded considerably, but the boosts to his attacks and poison remained.

They could only disappear once the duration of the soul skill ended.

With everything settled, it was time to return.

Ning Chen activated his Wind-Chasing Boots and raced toward the outskirts of Sunset Forest at tremendous speed.

When he had arrived, he had merely been a level-forty quasi-Soul Ancestor. When he left, he was already a level-fifty-five Soul King-level powerhouse.

Such strength made him a bona fide high-level Soul Master even in the current Douluo Continent.

He sped all the way out of Sunset Forest.

At a secluded spot, Ning Chen took out the Windrider Airship. In less than half a day, he arrived at Heaven Dou City.

It was not yet noon. Ning Chen entered through the city gates and returned to his residence.

After washing up and having lunch, Qian Renxue came looking for him.

Having left Heaven Dou City for nearly a month, Qian Renxue was also curious about what "Cao Benqi" had been doing.

Ning Chen only said that he had gone to Sunset Forest to train and improve his practical combat abilities.

Fortunately, Qian Renxue did not press the matter and let Ning Chen muddle through with a perfunctory answer.

Qian Renxue's true purpose was to bring Ning Chen to a banquet that evening.

Of course, attending the banquet was not the ultimate goal. The true purpose was to introduce Ning Chen to the empire's other nobles and announce who he belonged to.

Naturally, Ning Chen did not refuse. Qian Renxue had granted him a great deal of freedom, and in return for her goodwill, he would not turn down her invitation to the banquet.

In the blink of an eye, evening arrived.

Qian Renxue directly sent a carriage to pick Ning Chen up.

The banquet was held at a low-key yet luxurious estate.

The host was a duke. Judging by how he treated Xue Qinghe, he was likely a duke who had pledged himself to Xue Qinghe's camp long ago.

The banquet was exceedingly lavish, filled with the hollow courtesies and pleasantries of nobles amid clinking cups and flowing wine.

Ning Chen stayed at Qian Renxue's side, wearing an appropriate smile as he dealt with one noble after another who came over to strike up conversations.

He was not accustomed to such occasions to begin with, but for Qian Renxue's sake, he could only force a smile and respond to them one by one.

When the banquet finally ended, Ning Chen sat in the returning carriage and let out a long breath.

Leaning against the carriage wall, he rubbed his cheeks, stiff from smiling, and secretly decided that he would decline this sort of banquet whenever he could in the future.

After returning to his residence, another two days passed. At last, it was time for the monthly draw.

That night, after washing up in his bedroom, Ning Chen sat on the sofa. With a thought, a massive illusory roulette wheel slowly appeared in midair.

Light and shadow flowed across the wheel as images of various rewards flashed in turn, emitting a mysterious and alluring glow.

Ning Chen took a deep breath and lightly flicked the edge of the wheel.

The wheel began to turn slowly. As its speed increased, the lights and shadows on its surface gradually blurred into a dazzling stream of colors.

Ning Chen stared unblinkingly at the rapidly passing indicator, anticipation stirring faintly in his heart.

He had failed to draw anything useful for several months in a row. He hoped this draw would bring him a surprise.

The wheel gradually slowed, and the indicator glided across a section before finally stopping on the image of an ancient scroll.

Buzz!

The wheel trembled slightly, and a beam of golden light shot from it, plunging directly into Ning Chen's brow.

A massive flood of information exploded in his mind, forming a complete martial arts manual.

Ning Chen closed his eyes and quietly absorbed the sudden influx of information.

After a long while, he slowly opened his eyes, which shone with a sharp gleam.

"Thousand Mountains Formula..."

This was a supreme martial skill from a high-martial world, famed for shaking mountains with a thousand peaks and standing immovable as a mountain.

It was both a top-tier body-tempering method and an incomparably powerful combat technique.

Once one reached the beginner level, one could draw upon the aura of mountains to temper the body, making flesh, skin, tendons, and bones as solid as rock.

Once cultivated to great mastery, every movement could condense phantom images of a thousand mountains, suppressing an entire stretch of heaven and earth.

Whether used for defense or offense, it was an exceptionally formidable method.

Ning Chen carefully savored the essence of the formula in his mind. The more he considered it, the more he felt that this martial skill was a perfect match for his current combat system.

He had the Nine Yang Divine Skill to provide a robust foundation of true qi, Endless Life for endurance, and the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Pagoda for enhancements. What he lacked was a hard-hitting combat technique capable of both attack and defense.

The Thousand Mountains Formula happened to fuse body tempering and combat techniques into one. It could make up for the weakness in his physical defenses while also granting him powerful suppression methods.

"Good!" Ning Chen could not help praising it, a satisfied smile rising on his lips.

This month's draw had finally not disappointed him again.

Over the following days, Ning Chen began to devote himself to cultivating the Thousand Mountains Formula.

The moment he began, he sensed how extraordinary this martial skill was.

The Thousand Mountains Formula was of an extremely high grade. Its circulation paths were intricate and profound, while its demands on the physical body were even harsher.

He had thought that after mastering the Nine Yang Divine Skill, all martial arts under heaven would be easy for him to learn. Yet the Thousand Mountains Formula gave him his first real setback.

Although Nine Yang Internal Force could drive the evolution of the Thousand Mountains Formula, the speed was far from fast. It was like a clay ox sinking into the sea; every step forward required immense time and effort.

But for Ning Chen, that was enough.

He had patience, and he had time.

With the help of the Nine Yang Divine Skill, he studied and cultivated without rest day and night. At last, before the start of the school term, he brought the Thousand Mountains Formula to the beginner level.

By then, he could initially draw upon the aura of mountains to temper his body. His flesh, skin, tendons, and bones grew tougher and sturdier through imperceptible changes.

Heaven Dou Imperial Academy was located amid high mountains, where spiritual energy was abundant and the earth veins were heavy—precisely the cultivation environment favored by the Thousand Mountains Formula.

It was also because of the Thousand Mountains Formula that Ning Chen even felt choosing Heaven Dou Imperial Academy might have been one of the wisest decisions he had ever made.

Not only that, but during nearly a month of cultivation, he also noticed a subtle change.

The Soul Power cultivated by the Nine Yang Divine Skill was slowly merging with the mountain aura drawn forth by the Thousand Mountains Formula.

The already supremely yang and forceful Nine Yang Soul Power became even fiercer and more indestructible after blending with the aura of mountains. It was as though its original blazing heat had gained the weight and solidity of the earth.

This unexpected discovery delighted Ning Chen immensely.

Not only did the cultivation methods from two different systems not conflict, they instead produced a positive synergistic effect. This undoubtedly raised his combat strength by another level.

The Thousand Mountains Formula's enhancement to Ning Chen was undoubtedly tremendous.

The current Ning Chen had only just begun the Thousand Mountains Formula, yet both his physical strength and combat power had improved immensely.

If he faced the Human-Faced Demon Spider again now, he might no longer be as miserable as before.