Ning Huarong

Not long after, Ning Fa returned home.

By then, night had fallen. The stars were sparse, and a bright moon hung high overhead.

The moment Ning Fa entered his home, he suddenly spotted someone standing in the courtyard.

Under the gentle moonlight stood a young woman.

She wore a black warrior's outfit. Though it was men's clothing, it perfectly outlined her slender, beautiful figure, lending her a distinctly heroic air.

Her cloudlike tresses drifted loosely behind her. Her fair, jade-like face was pristine, with star-bright eyes, a delicate upturned nose, and cherry-red lips gently pursed in a bewitching expression.

She stood sideways to Ning Fa, her head tilted up toward the moon, as though she had melded into the night itself, forming a breathtakingly beautiful scene.

Even Ning Fa, who had been accustomed to seeing beauties in his previous life, could not help but have his eyes light up.

But his brows soon furrowed. He vaguely felt that he had seen this woman before, and he searched his memories carefully.

Very quickly, he remembered who she was. His expression changed as he said, "W-Witch!... Ah, no, greetings, Fifth Elder."

The woman in black turned around, her starry eyes fixed tightly on Ning Fa.

The corners of her lips suddenly curved upward as she let out a scornful laugh.

The instant she smiled, her entire aura changed completely.

That harmless, pitiably alluring air about her vanished without a trace.

Her cloudlike hair rose without wind, cold glints flickered in her starry eyes, and a sharp, oppressive force radiated from her. With her hands clasped behind her back, an aura of domineering pride that looked down upon heaven and earth naturally arose.

Though she was a head shorter than Ning Fa, it felt as though she were the one looking down at him.

Her lips curled into an uninhibited smile, one that even carried a trace of crazed madness. It gave her a sickly sort of beauty.

Ning Fa felt a tangible pressure descend upon him, like a thousand catties pressing down on his head. It forced his head downward and compelled him to kneel in worship.

Rage surged within Ning Fa. When had he, Ning Fa, ever bowed his head to another in his life?

Not even if they killed him!

He clenched his teeth and forcibly raised his head. Under the immense pressure, his joints crackled sharply. His face and neck had turned red, and he panted heavily as he fought with all his might.

A flicker of interest passed through the black-clad woman's beautiful eyes, and the curve of her lips rose even higher.

Then the pressure on Ning Fa grew heavier still, making him feel like a lone skiff amid raging winds and towering waves, as though he could capsize at any moment.

Yet he still refused to yield. Veins bulged on his neck, and his eyes were bloodshot, but he simply would not lower his head.

At some point, the crushing pressure on Ning Fa abruptly vanished. Caught off guard, his neck snapped backward, and he nearly sprained it.

"You're quite stubborn."

The woman in black spoke indifferently.

Ning Fa rubbed his neck, then, as if nothing had happened, calmly said, "May I ask why Fifth Elder has come to my home so late at night? Surely it is not because you lost the wager and refuse to honor it? I have heard that Fifth Elder is the most faithful to her word."

A strange glint flashed through the woman's eyes. Ning Fa's performance made her think even more highly of him. After hearing him out, she could not help but sneer.

"What are you afraid of? There has never been a time when my words, Ning Huarong's words, did not count. Since I lost the wager, I naturally will not make things difficult for you."

Hearing this, Ning Fa let out a long breath of relief inwardly. As long as this Witch did not go back on her word, it was fine.

He would naturally reclaim the humiliation he had suffered tonight someday.

After all, he was someone who could bend and stretch as circumstances demanded.

Ning Huarong shot him a glance and said flatly, "But I have another wager to make with you."

Ning Fa's heart jumped. What was this Witch trying to pull now?

Ning Huarong chuckled. "We'll bet on whether you can break through to Qi Condensation Mid-stage within a year. If you cannot, then you lose the wager, and you will still have to be my dual-cultivation Cultivation Cauldron for three months. On the other hand, if you succeed, I can grant you one condition."

Ning Fa's eyes widened. This Witch still had not given up—was she really so hungry for his body?

With her looks, it was not as if he could not grit his teeth and accompany her for a few nights. But he was afraid this Witch might get too carried away and damage his Dao Foundation.

Though this wager sounded fair, who in the clan did not know that he possessed an Incomplete Lightning Spiritual Root? The clan had expended so much effort back then and still failed to help the previous owner of this body break through the Qi Condensation Mid-stage bottleneck. How could he possibly break through within a year by relying on himself alone now?

Was this wager not a guaranteed loss?

Without hesitation, Ning Fa shook his head and refused. "I will not take this wager."

Ning Huarong laughed at that. Her laughter grew louder and louder, carrying a trace of crazed madness that made Ning Fa's ears ache.

Ning Huarong's smile vanished, and her lips formed another scornful curve. She said coolly, "I did not come to discuss it with you. I merely came to inform you. This day next year will be the deadline for the wager."

As soon as she finished speaking, Ning Fa only saw a figure flash before his eyes, and Ning Huarong vanished from in front of him.

Ning Fa could not perceive at all how this woman had departed.

He had seen quite a few Late Qi Condensation cultivators. His father's old flame, Ninth Elder, and Ning Zonglie were absolutely among the stronger Late Qi Condensation cultivators, yet compared to this woman, they fell far short.

Ning Fa felt that compared to other Late Qi Condensation cultivators, this Witch seemed as though she were not even in the same realm.

No wonder she was so domineering within the clan. It was all backed by her own strength.

Once she reached Foundation Establishment, aside from the First Elder at Foundation Establishment Middle Stage and the formidable Third Elder, the other two elders likely would not be her match.

Ning Fa's expression could not help turning ugly. The joy of having advanced to become a clan Pill Master vanished completely.

He had thought that after joining the clan's Alchemy Hall, he would no longer have to endure this Witch's harassment. Only now did he realize how naïve he had been.

He had underestimated Ning Huarong's determination to obtain him, while overestimating the resistance the clan's Alchemy Hall could offer her.

At this rate, even if he advanced to become a First-grade Mid-rank Pill Master, so long as Ning Huarong was determined to make him her dual-cultivation Cultivation Cauldron, he would be unable to escape his fate.

Unless he could advance to become a First-grade High-rank Pill Master. Then perhaps the clan elders could mediate on his behalf.

But by then, that Witch would likely have already advanced to Foundation Establishment. With her strength at that time, coupled with her unhinged temperament, perhaps no one would be able to restrain her.

As he thought of this, Ning Fa's expression darkened. He realized that he seemingly could not escape the fate of becoming this Witch's dual-cultivation Cultivation Cauldron.

"I was still too naïve. What use is it no matter how far my alchemy improves? Without formidable strength to protect it, I will ultimately be nothing more than fish on someone else's chopping block. In this world, strength reigns supreme. Raising my cultivation realm is the fundamental matter."

Ning Fa muttered to himself. Ning Huarong's coercion had made him deeply understand the importance of raising his cultivation.

Even without that wager, he would have to think of every possible way to improve his cultivation.

The good news was that although Ning Huarong was tyrannical and crazed, she at least seemed to be a person who honored her promises. Now, he had to find every possible way to break through to Qi Condensation Mid-stage.

But that would not be easy. After all, the previous owner of this body had struggled for so long, with the clan's full support, and still failed to break through.

Yet no matter how difficult it was, he had to try.

Ning Fa stood in the courtyard for a long time, his face seeming to blend into the night, his expression impossible to make out.

Half an hour later, Ning Fa let out a soft breath and entered the alchemy chamber.

He sat cross-legged on a meditation cushion, formed hand seals, and spiritual power surged within his body.

At once, threads of lightning began flickering around the index finger of his right hand, swiftly turning into a white arc several inches long that coiled endlessly around his finger like a spirit serpent.

"Go!"

Ning Fa shouted, and the silver-white lightning arc flashed out. In an instant, it struck a wooden chair beside him.

After a flash of light, that sturdy chair made from twenty-year-old peachwood turned into a pile of ash in the blink of an eye.

Ning Fa nodded in satisfaction. Although he possessed an Incomplete Lightning Spiritual Root, its tremendous power was real enough, far surpassing cultivators of the same rank.

So long as he could cultivate to the same realm as that Witch, even if his strength fell short of hers, the difference likely would not be great.

With his alchemy skills to support him then, it would be nothing but a fool's dream for that Witch to force him again.

But the problem now was: how could he raise his cultivation realm?