Barak City

Two months later, Barak City.

As the capital of the Balak Kingdom, Barak City might not have been as exquisite and magnificent as the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect, but it had a large population and was far more lively and prosperous.

Shops lined both sides of the broad stone-paved streets. Pedestrians, carriages, and horses flowed endlessly past, while hawkers' cries rose and fell, creating a bustling scene.

Near the crossroads on East Street of the royal city stood a jewelry shop called Emerald Treasure House.

The shop was not large, but its location was good, and the flow of customers was fairly substantial.

A blackwood sign hung above the entrance, bearing the three gilded characters "Emerald Treasure House." Its vigorous brushwork made it clear that it had been written by a renowned master.

At that moment, in the rear courtyard of Emerald Treasure House, a small, thin figure sat before a workbench. He held a carving knife and intently worked on a thumb-sized piece of jade.

He was a boy of eight or nine, dressed in plain gray short clothes with his sleeves rolled up to his forearms, revealing slender yet steady wrists.

His head was lowered, and the lines of his profile still held traces of childishness. Yet his eyes were exceptionally focused. The carving knife moved over the jade, cut after cut, steady and precise, without a single unnecessary motion.

"Little Chen, take a break. You've been sitting there for two hours already."

A gentle voice came from behind him.

Ning Chen raised his head and looked back. A middle-aged man in his fifties stood at the entrance to the courtyard, holding a bowl of iced tea and smiling at him.

The man was named Shen Yushan. He was the owner and chief craftsman of Emerald Treasure House, and his carving skills were somewhat well-known even in Barak City.

When Ning Chen had wandered into the royal city a month ago, Emerald Treasure House had happened to be recruiting apprentices.

Relying on the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Pagoda's keen perception of treasures, he had accurately picked out two jade roughs of exceptional quality from a pile of raw stones.

Shen Yushan had taken a liking to him on the spot and accepted him as an apprentice without another word.

"Master." Ning Chen put down his carving knife, accepted the iced tea, and took a sip. The cool tea slid down his throat, dispelling the afternoon heat.

Shen Yushan leaned closer to inspect the jade in his hands, and his eyes immediately lit up. "Oh, this is good work!

Quick eyes and steady hands. You've only studied for a month, yet your carving is already nearly on par with craftsmen who've worked here for three years."

Ning Chen smiled but said nothing.

The reason he had picked it up so quickly was the fine control granted by the perfected Nine Yang Divine Skill.

With internal energy concentrated at his fingertips, the carving knife became like an extension of his fingers. Every cut was as steady as a rock.

Combined with the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Pagoda's innate affinity and perception for treasures, he could clearly sense the grain patterns within the jade. Every time he carved, he followed those patterns, so the finished pieces naturally appeared seamless and flawless.

"Next month, you'll be able to take on formal orders from Emerald Treasure House's customers."

Shen Yushan patted him on the shoulder.

Ning Chen nodded and carefully put away the half-finished piece in his hand.

"Master, can I take tomorrow off? I told you about it before."

"Young people are so impatient. I've only praised you a few times, and you're already thinking of slacking off?" Shen Yushan's smile instantly vanished.

"No, I was thinking of taking last month's wages home. My family is still waiting to use the money." Ning Chen hurriedly put on an anxious expression.

The Balak Kingdom lay on the border of the Heaven Dou Empire. To travel from Heaven Dou City to this place, one had to pass through Fasino Province.

Because of that, the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect's influence here was relatively weak. Thus, after leaving the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect, Ning Chen had chosen to settle here.

Naturally, when he came to Emerald Treasure House as an apprentice, Ning Chen could not reveal his true origins. He had only said that he came from the countryside beyond the royal city.

Because his family was in debt, he had come to the city to work and repay it.

Only after hearing Ning Chen's words did Shen Yushan's expression soften slightly.

"You should work harder in the shop and become a full-fledged carver as soon as possible. Then you'll earn more each month too."

Shen Yushan spoke earnestly to Ning Chen.

Ning Chen naturally agreed repeatedly, his face also showing gratitude toward Shen Yushan.

"What time are you leaving tomorrow?"

"Early tomorrow morning."

"So urgent?"

"The sooner I go, the sooner I'll be back." Ning Chen smiled.

"Mm, that makes sense. Do you need me to find someone to take you there?"

"No need. My uncle from the countryside is coming to the royal city tomorrow, so I'll ride back on his donkey cart."

"Fine. Remember, go early and come back early."

After giving Ning Chen a few more instructions, Shen Yushan left.

Night fell over the lodgings in the rear courtyard of Emerald Treasure House.

As an apprentice at Emerald Treasure House, Ning Chen had little seniority and was young, so naturally, the room he lived in was the worst one.

Not only was it narrow and cramped, but it was also right next to the woodshed.

However, Ning Chen did not feel wronged in the slightest. To him, Emerald Treasure House was merely a temporary shelter. Sooner or later, he would leave.

Inside the room, Ning Chen took out a small piece of Whale Rubber from an iron box beneath his bed.

On the current Douluo Continent, the proper use of Whale Rubber had yet to be discovered. It was only regarded as an aphrodisiac for bedroom matters.

But Ning Chen knew that Whale Rubber's true purpose was to strengthen one's physique and improve one's vitality and blood.

That was Whale Rubber's greatest use: comprehensively enhancing a Soul Master's physical condition, allowing a Soul Master to withstand Spirit Rings of greater age.

Now that Ning Chen possessed the Nine Yang Divine Skill, his physical condition had already improved considerably over the past two months.

In addition, over the last month, he had spent most of his wages on Whale Rubber.

His physique had improved further, and after two months, Ning Chen had drawn prizes from the Myriad Realms Roulette twice more. Only then had he finally begun planning to hunt for a Spirit Ring.

That was right. Ning Chen's Soul Power had now reached the bottleneck at level ten.

Or rather, from the moment he acquired the perfected Nine Yang Divine Skill, his Soul Power had already risen to the bottleneck at level ten.

It was only because he lacked the means to protect himself that he had delayed hunting Soul Beasts and obtaining his first Spirit Ring.

Only now, after obtaining two extremely useful prizes through two draws from the Myriad Realms Roulette, did Ning Chen finally have the confidence to hunt Soul Beasts.

The reason he had asked Shen Yushan for leave was not to take his wages home at all. He planned to head to the nearby Soul Hunting Forest and hunt Soul Beasts!

Sitting cross-legged on his bed, Ning Chen used the Soul Power of the Nine Yang Divine Skill to slowly heat and soften the Whale Rubber. Then he swallowed it in one gulp and began refining it.

With the Nine Yang Divine Skill perfected, constrained by the rules of the Douluo Continent, Ning Chen's Soul Power could not increase before he obtained a Spirit Ring.

However, his Eight Extraordinary Meridians had already been completely opened by Nine Yang Soul Power. When his Soul Power circulated, it moved more than ten times faster than before.

Compared to the original owner of this body, who had struggled through an entire day of cultivation without even gaining a trace of Soul Power, Ning Chen with perfected Nine Yang Divine Skill was practically using cheats.

Even his speed of refining Whale Rubber was astonishingly fast.

In less than half an hour, Ning Chen had completely refined and absorbed the piece of Whale Rubber.

He could clearly feel the warm current formed from the medicine's power flowing through his limbs and body. Under its nourishment, his muscles and limbs became stronger and tougher.