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 larger population and was far livelier and more prosperous.

Shops lined both sides of the broad flagstone streets. Pedestrians, carriages, and horses flowed endlessly past, while cries of vendors rose and fell, creating a bustling scene.

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

The storefront was not large, but its location was good, and it saw a respectable flow of customers.

A blackwood sign hung above the entrance, bearing the three gilded characters "Emerald Treasure House." The calligraphy was vigorous and powerful, clearly the work of 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 attentively sculpted something into a thumb-sized piece of jade.

He was a boy who looked eight or nine years old, dressed in a simple gray cloth outfit. His sleeves were rolled up to his forearms, revealing slender yet steady wrists.

He lowered his head, and his profile still carried some childishness. Yet his eyes were exceptionally focused. The carving knife moved across the jade, stroke after stroke, stable and precise, without a single unnecessary movement.

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

A gentle voice came from behind him.

Ning Chen looked up and turned around, only to see a middle-aged man in his fifties standing at the courtyard entrance. He held a bowl of cold tea and smiled at him.

This man was Shen Yushan, the owner and chief craftsman of Emerald Treasure House. His carving skills were fairly 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 jadeite rough stones of exceptional quality from a pile of raw materials.

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

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

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

Your eyes are sharp and your hands are steady. You've only been studying 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 precise control granted by the perfected Nine Yang Divine Skill.

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

Coupled with the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Pagoda's innate affinity and sensitivity toward treasures, he could clearly sense the grain within the jade. He always carved along its natural patterns, so his creations naturally appeared seamless and perfectly formed.

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

Shen Yushan patted his shoulder.

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

"Master, can I take tomorrow off? I mentioned it to you before."

"Young people are so impatient. I've barely praised you twice, 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 for the money." Ning Chen hurriedly put on an anxious expression.

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

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

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

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

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

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

Shen Yushan spoke earnestly to Ning Chen.

Naturally, Ning Chen repeatedly agreed, his face full of gratitude toward Shen Yushan.

"When are you leaving tomorrow?"

"Early tomorrow morning."

"So soon?"

"The earlier I go, the earlier 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 borrow his donkey cart to go back."

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

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

Night fell. In the rear courtyard lodgings of Emerald Treasure House.

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

Not only was it cramped and narrow, 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.

In the current Douluo Continent, the proper use of Whale Rubber had not yet been discovered. It was only regarded as an aphrodisiac for bedroom activities.

But Ning Chen knew that Whale Rubber's true use was to strengthen one's physical constitution and increase one's vitality and blood.

That was Whale Rubber's greatest use: comprehensively enhancing a Soul Master's physical qualities so they could withstand Soul Rings of greater age.

With the Nine Yang Divine Skill, Ning Chen's physical constitution had improved considerably over the past two months.

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

His physical constitution had improved further, and after drawing prizes twice more over the past two months, Ning Chen had finally decided to hunt for a Soul Ring.

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

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

It was only because he lacked the means to protect himself that he had delayed going to hunt Soul Beasts and obtain his first Soul Ring.

Only now, after obtaining two extremely useful rewards 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 bring his wages home at all, but 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 Douluo Continent, Ning Chen's Soul Power could not increase before he obtained a Soul 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, who could cultivate bitterly for an entire day and struggle to improve even a trace of Soul Power, Ning Chen with perfected Nine Yang was practically using a cheat.

Even his speed of refining Whale Rubber was astonishingly fast.

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

He could clearly feel the warm current formed by the Whale Rubber's medicinal power flow through his limbs and bones. Soaked in that medicinal power, his muscles and limbs became stronger and more resilient.