Chapter 103: The Mystic Beast Manual

Chapter 103: The Mystic Beast Manual

The old monk sat on the ground, his skin faintly shimmering with golden light. His muscles had stiffened, and the blood in his body had long dried up, yet the expression on his face remained serene, indicating he had not suffered in death.

Ning Xiaochuan found it all too bizarre and shook his head. This monk couldn’t have come from Earth. "Perhaps he’s from a place beyond the Yu Lan Empire. After all, this continent is vast. While the Yu Lan Empire has no followers of Buddhism, other regions might have devout practitioners."

"He’s been dead for a thousand years, yet his body hasn’t decayed. Could there be some extraordinary treasure on him?"

A thought struck Ning Xiaochuan as his eyes fell upon a slight bulge in the old monk’s robes.

At that moment, the Bone Bead in Ning Xiaochuan’s pocket flickered faintly. However, his attention was entirely captivated by the old monk, so he failed to notice the subtle change in the bead.

Ning Xiaochuan clasped his hands together and bowed respectfully to the monk before carefully retrieving a palm-sized Bone Leaf from within the monk’s robe.

It was a human bone, shaped like a fan.

Holding it in his hand, he could feel a cold energy seeping out from the bone and flowing into his body.

Crack!

The moment Ning Xiaochuan removed the Bone Leaf from the robe, the old monk’s body shattered like porcelain, crumbling into a pile of dust.

So, the preservation of the monk’s corpse for a millennium was indeed linked to this Bone Leaf.

Engraved on the Bone Leaf were three small characters: "Mystic Beast Manual."

Ning Xiaochuan channeled his Profound Qi into the Mystic Beast Manual, but the Bone Leaf showed no reaction. Clearly, it wasn’t a Mystic Artifact, as such artifacts would respond to Profound Qi, at least resonating with it.

Next, he dripped a drop of blood onto the Bone Leaf, but again, nothing happened.

Placing the Bone Leaf on the ground, Ning Xiaochuan raised the Electric Light Poison Dragon Spear and struck it fiercely. Not a single mark was left on the Bone Leaf, but the ground beneath it cracked and sank from the impact.

"Another indestructible, unbreakable, and unburnable bone. Why do I say ‘another’?"

A realization dawned on him. He retrieved the Bone Bead he had brought back from the Fire Demon Mountain Range and picked up the Bone Leaf from the ground.

To his astonishment, they were made of the same material.

"Fascinating. Truly fascinating. It seems neither this Bone Bead nor this Bone Leaf is ordinary. It’s just that my current cultivation level is too low to comprehend their mysteries."

Deciding not to search further, Ning Xiaochuan clutched the Bone Leaf and walked out of the Seven Stars Treasure Cave.

Ning Xin’er and Ning Meier had long since chosen their own Mystic Artifacts and were waiting outside.

The moment Ning Meier saw Ning Xiaochuan emerge, she immediately asked, "Xiaochuan, what Mystic Artifact did you find?"

Ning Xiaochuan held out the Mystic Beast Manual in his palm.

Both Ning Meier and Ning Xin’er were stunned. He had picked out a bone from the Seven Stars Treasure Cave?

The cave was filled with countless bones, far more numerous than weapons. Yet, out of all the weapons available, he had chosen a bone. Did he have some peculiar fascination with collecting human bones?

No one could make sense of it.

Ning Qiancheng stared deeply at Ning Xiaochuan and said, "Xiaochuan, you wasted an opportunity."

"It's fine. I'm very satisfied with the treasure I chose," Ning Xiaochuan replied with a smile.

Ning Xin'er and Ning Meier had both selected swords from the Seven Stars Treasure Cave, and both were Mystic Artifact-level War Swords. Ning Xin'er, in particular, had exceptionally good luck—she found a Sentient Mystic Artifact.

They each took the war swords they had obtained from the Seven Stars Treasure Cave to the Training Ground to refine them, intending to fully master the Mystic Artifact swords within the seven days before the Opening Battle, where they would stun everyone with their prowess.

At that moment, a maid approached Ning Xiaochuan from behind, bowing respectfully. "Young Master, someone is requesting to see you outside the gate."

"Who is it?" Ning Xiaochuan asked.

"She claims to be a maid of Princess Qianxi from the Golden Roc Prince's Manor. She says the rare Mystic Medicine you were looking for has been found by Her Highness and is now being delivered to you."

Ning Xiaochuan's heart leaped with joy, and he hurried to the main gate of the Marquis's residence.

A fourteen or fifteen-year-old maid stood outside, her appearance delicate and pretty. Seeing Ning Xiaochuan emerge from the residence, she immediately had a servant hand him a jade box.

Ning Xiaochuan had asked Yu Qianqian to help him find a rare Mystic Medicine called "Millennium Slumber." This medicine was extremely rare and expensive, so he hadn't expected Yu Qianqian to locate it so quickly—it was completely beyond his expectations.

He opened the jade box just a crack, and a faint medicinal fragrance immediately wafted out. Upon smelling it, the flow of his Martial Arts Profound Qi noticeably slowed.

Confirming that this was indeed the medicine he sought, Ning Xiaochuan quickly closed the box and said, "Please convey my deepest gratitude to Her Highness for her trouble. As for the cost of this Millennium Slumber, I will repay her the next time we meet."

The little maid scoffed disdainfully. "Her Highness has already entered seclusion in the Prince's Manor's secret grounds this morning. A small coin like this means nothing to her. I truly don’t know which of Her Highness’s eyes is blind, helping a heartless scoundrel like you—hmph!"

After delivering the Mystic Medicine to Ning Xiaochuan, the maid boarded an ancient carriage and disappeared down the street.

Ning Xiaochuan stood there holding the jade box for a long while before finally shaking his head with a wry smile. He turned to the maid behind him and instructed, "Inform the Old Marquis that I need to return to Haitang Manor. I’ll be back by tomorrow at the latest."

With that, he stepped onto the Green Deer Horse Carriage waiting outside the Marquis's residence and drove it toward Haitang Manor outside the city.

In Haitang Manor, the Haitang flowers bloomed all year round, their petals drifting through the air like snow. Small springs and streams flowed gently, making the place resemble a tranquil little town—or perhaps a secluded paradise.

Yu Yan, the little stewardess, managed Haitang Manor with impeccable order, leaving Ning Xiaochuan free from worrying about trivial matters.

However, upon his return this time, Ning Xiaochuan clearly sensed something unusual. For instance, all the guards in the manor had been replaced with unfamiliar faces. Although they concealed their Martial Arts Profound Qi well, Ning Xiaochuan could still tell that their cultivation levels were at least several tiers higher than the previous batch of guards.

Something was off.

Ning Xiaochuan grew cautious and asked, "Yu Yan, did anything happen at Haitang Manor while I was away?"

"Not really... Oh, right! Half a month ago, Master Tian brought back a large group of martial artists and replaced all the original manor guards. Young Master, you wouldn’t believe it—those warriors Master Tian brought back are all extremely disciplined and well-mannered. They start patrolling the manor before dawn and never gamble or visit brothels at night, devoting all their time to cultivating Martial Arts Profound Qi. I have no idea where Master Tian found such a well-trained group."

The "Master Tian" she referred to was none other than Tianchenzi.

Since Yu Yan couldn’t cultivate Martial Arts Profound Qi, she couldn’t perceive the true strength of these guards. She only knew they were orderly and polite, unlike the lazy and unruly ones from before.

Elites—absolute elites.

Ning Xiaochuan silently observed the guards of Haitang Manor and noticed their unwavering gazes, synchronized footsteps, and even identical heartbeats.

Upon seeing Ning Xiaochuan, they performed a standard kneeling salute before resuming their patrol.

These are Death Warriors, Ning Xiaochuan thought to himself.

Tianchenzi held a high-ranking position in Dark Emperor City, wielding authority second only to one. It was only natural for him to have cultivated his own trusted subordinates and secretly trained a group of Death Warriors.

But why would he bring a batch of Death Warriors to Haitang Manor? What was his goal?

Ning Xiaochuan remained wary of Tianchenzi, but he had no time to dwell on it now—he had more pressing matters to attend to.

"What? Brother Chuan, you actually found the Millennium Slumber Elixir? That’s incredible!" Murong Wushuang was overjoyed upon hearing the news, knowing that Ning Xiaochuan had sought this rare medicine to save his grandfather.

Ning Xiaochuan nodded. "Take me to your grandfather. With luck, he’ll be able to rise from his bed tonight."

Murong Wushuang’s grandfather, Murong Hua, was once a Dragon Warrior—a peerless expert. However, Yue Wuyang had severed all his Meridians and sealed his Martial Arts Profound Qi within them, leaving him paralyzed and suffering for ten long years.

Ning Xiaochuan had asked Yu Qianqian to help search for the Millennium Slumber Elixir precisely to treat Murong Hua.

The medicinal properties of the Millennium Slumber could induce a complete dormancy of a warrior’s Profound Qi for one hour, placing it in a suspended state. Ning Xiaochuan intended to use that hour to reconnect all of Murong Hua’s severed Meridians.

Blades, needles, thread, clean water, gauze, and medicinal herbs—all the necessary supplies had long been prepared.

Ning Xiaochuan placed the Millennium Slumber into the Heart Nurturing Cauldron to refine it, ultimately producing three Intermediate Elixirs—the Millennium Slumber Elixir.

Ning Xiaochuan administered one of the Millennium Slumber Elixirs to Murong Hua and waited until the Martial Arts Profound Qi within his body completely stabilized.

Five streams of Blood Qi emanated from Ning Xiaochuan's fingers, converging into a crimson Demonic Sword.

Only the power of the Demonic Sword could possibly break the seal Yue Wuyang had left within Murong Hua's body. This step was also the most critical—any slight mistake could endanger both Ning Xiaochuan and Murong Hua's lives.

Murong Wushuang stood outside the room, waiting anxiously.

He knew breaking the seal Yue Wuyang had placed in Murong Hua's body would be extremely dangerous, which was why his heart was filled with deep worry.

Lin Sanzhi sat leisurely on a chair and said, "Fretting there won't help. You should have faith in Ning Xiaochuan. That kid is far calmer than you—his confidence radiates from within, making it hard not to believe in him."

After about an hour, Ning Xiaochuan opened the door and stepped out, his face etched with exhaustion.