Chapter 16 The Marquis Emerges from Seclusion

Chapter 16 The Marquis Emerges from Seclusion

Ning Xiaochuan leaped over the high Marquis House Wall and landed silently on the ground. He returned to Jian Pavilion Marquis House without alerting anyone inside.

Originally, Ning Xiaochuan had considered fleeing outright, never to return to Jian Pavilion Marquis House—escaping this den of trouble. After all, he felt little sense of belonging here.

But if he fled, it would only raise suspicions. Given the vast influence of Jian Pavilion Marquis House, if they truly decided to deal with him, even if he fled to the ends of the earth, death would be inevitable.

Steeling his heart, Ning Xiaochuan chose to return to Jian Pavilion Marquis House, continuing to play the role of the sickly weakling.

It was already noon. Ning Xin'er had been training on the Training Ground all morning and returned drenched in sweat, her hair damp at the tips. "Brother, why are you also covered in sweat? Where have you been?"

Ning Xiaochuan had, of course, just returned from the Golden Roc Heart Nurturing Hall and hadn’t expected to run into Ning Xin'er right at the entrance. Wiping his forehead, he panted heavily, "I just took a walk around the estate... cough... cough... So exhausting, so exhausting..."

He leaned against the wall, gasping for breath, feigning extreme weakness as if he might collapse at any moment.

Knowing her brother’s frail condition, Ning Xin'er quickly supported him, gently patting his chest until his breathing steadied. "Brother, are you feeling better now?"

"Much better, much better. Thank you, Xin'er." Ning Xiaochuan gave her a deep look, sensing the genuine concern in his little sister.

From his bag, he pulled out three hundred Large Coins and handed them to her. "This is the money I owe you. A promise is a promise—if I borrow, I’ll repay."

"This... Brother, where did you get this money?" Ning Xin'er asked in astonishment, her eyes wide with disbelief.

She had assumed Ning Xiaochuan had long squandered all his money in the Brothel.

Ning Xiaochuan had already prepared an excuse and spun a tale: "A couple of days ago, I borrowed thirty thousand Small Coins from you. I spent ten of them to buy ten thousand sheets of paper."

"Brother, why buy so much paper? Are you planning to earn money by writing letters for people?" Ning Xin'er asked curiously.

"Writing letters only earns Small Coins, not Large Coins," Ning Xiaochuan continued. "Then I spent another hundred Small Coins to hire someone to number each sheet from one to ten thousand. After that, I entrusted the ten thousand sheets to ten shops along Wen Ding Avenue to sell, pricing each sheet at... twenty Small Coins."

"A single sheet of paper with a number on it could sell for twenty Small Coins?" Ning Xin'er bit her lip cutely and shook her head in disbelief.

Ning Xiaochuan grinned. "And yet, many people bought them—so many that they ended up fighting over them."

Ning Xin'er was even more shocked. "How? Tell me, tell me!"

Ning Xiaochuan laughed. "Because I told them that whoever bought the sheet marked 'one' or 'ten thousand' would receive a reward of ten thousand Small Coins. Once someone drew 'one' and claimed a huge bag of coins from me, everyone else went crazy, buying them up in a frenzy. Think about it—spending twenty Small Coins for a chance to win ten thousand? What an irresistible temptation!"

"This... this can actually make money?" Ning Xin'er was dumbfounded, thinking her brother truly had a genius brain.

"It should... be able to make money, right?"

Ning Xiaochuan had initially considered using this method to earn money, but in a world where martial prowess reigned supreme, strength was the true path to power. These schemes were merely side hustles. Besides, he was now a Heart Nurturer—making money wouldn’t be difficult, so why bother with such troublesome methods?

After lunch, Ning Xiaochuan secluded himself in his room again. Once he confirmed Ning Xin'er had left to cultivate, he retrieved the mystic medicines and Mystic Stones from his bag.

"Refining a single First-Grade Blood Nourishing Grass stimulated the Demon Ventricle and Heart Ventricle to chase each other, allowing my cultivation to break through to the Sixth Level of Profound Qi. Let me try refining a Second-Grade Blood Nourishing Grass and see if it can push my cultivation even further."

Ning Xiaochuan refined the Second-Grade Blood Nourishing Grass into three drops of Blood Nourishing Liquid, each emitting a faint red glow, resembling droplets of blood.

"Boom!"

Suddenly, the demonic sword within his Demon Ventricle released a faint bloody light, attempting to seize the three drops of Blood Nourishing Liquid from his Heart Ventricle.

The Demon Ventricle and Heart Ventricle began chasing each other again, transforming into a red-and-white Taiji diagram.

This time, Ning Xiaochuan observed carefully and noticed that as the two ventricles chased each other, faint traces of Earth Martial Essence seeped out from his blood. The Taiji diagram absorbed this essence and converted it into more Martial Arts Profound Qi, which then merged into his Martial Arts Heart Palace.

When the ventricles finally settled, the three drops of Second-Grade Blood Nourishing Liquid in the Heart Nurturing Cauldron had indeed vanished—absorbed by the demonic sword.

Moreover, the demonic sword released a peculiar energy that flowed back into Ning Xiaochuan’s blood, rapidly elevating its quality.

His cultivation advanced yet again.

"I understand now—it’s all because of this demonic sword. The sword is bloodthirsty. The moment I refine Blood Nourishing Liquid, it becomes agitated, violently attacking the Heart Ventricle to seize the liquid. During the chase between the Demon Ventricle and Heart Ventricle, the Earth Martial Essence hidden in my blood is stimulated, allowing my cultivation to progress by leaps and bounds. This Earth Martial Essence must be the power left in my body by the Old Marquis of Jian Pavilion Marquis House."

Ordinary martial artists cultivated Martial Arts Profound Qi. Only those who reached the Martial Venerable realm could convert their Martial Arts Profound Qi into Earth Martial Essence.

Earth Martial Essence was a far more terrifying force than Martial Arts Profound Qi.

If Martial Arts Profound Qi were likened to water, then Earth Martial Essence would be aqua regia.

A single drop of water could, at most, drown an ant.

A single drop of aqua regia could corrode metal and stone.

The energy contained in a single wisp of Earth Martial Essence was equivalent to ten thousand wisps of Martial Arts Profound Qi.

Thus, the power of a Martial Venerable surpassed that of all other martial artists. A single punch could topple mountains; a single palm strike could sever rivers; a mere exhale could summon gales strong enough to uproot trees and send them spiraling into the sky.

The Old Marquis of Jian Pavilion Marquis House was precisely such a Martial Venerable!

The Old Marquis doted on Ning Xiaochuan deeply. Since childhood, he had used vast amounts of Earth Martial Essence to sustain Ning Xiaochuan’s life. Though much of it had dissipated over time, the Earth Martial Essence hidden deep within his blood could still propel him all the way to the Divine Body Realm.

Currently, Ning Xiaochuan harbored an intense sense of crisis and was in dire need of strength. Regardless of whether the demonic sword was sinister or not, since it could stimulate the accelerated release of Earth Martial Essence within his blood to rapidly enhance his cultivation, he naturally wouldn’t leave it unused.

Ning Xiaochuan began refining the second Blood Nourishing Grass!

"Only by reaching the Seventh Level of Profound Qi can one be considered a genius within Jian Pavilion Marquis House and barely step into the ranks of the younger generation’s elites."

Refining Second-Grade Blood Nourishing Grass required more time. After an entire afternoon, Ning Xiaochuan had only managed to refine two stalks.

His cultivation had visibly improved, but reaching the Seventh Level of Profound Qi was far from easy.

Breaking through from the Sixth Level to the Seventh Level required more Heaven and Earth Profound Qi than the sum of the previous six levels combined. Even if Ning Xiaochuan’s blood contained latent Earth Martial Essence, achieving the Seventh Level wouldn’t happen overnight.

The geniuses of Jian Pavilion Marquis House had to train arduously for ten years just to reach the Seventh Level of Profound Qi. If he attained it in just three days, those so-called geniuses might as well give up.

Over the next three days, Ning Xiaochuan never left Jian Pavilion Marquis House. Aside from discussing cultivation difficulties with Ning Xin'er, he spent his time studying in the Book Repository, refining mystic medicines, and cultivating Heaven and Earth Profound Qi.

Ning Xin'er knew her brother had always longed to practice martial arts but had been hindered by his physical condition. Thus, whenever he asked her about cultivation problems, she answered without suspicion, believing it stemmed from his deep-seated yearning and dream for martial arts.

In these three days, Ning Xiaochuan’s cultivation advanced by leaps and bounds, reaching the peak of the Sixth Level of Profound Qi—his progress as swift as a rocket.

He had already refined all ten stalks of Second-Grade Blood Nourishing Grass and ten stalks of Second-Grade Heart Nurturing Grass. Now, he was considering a trip to the Golden Roc Heart Nurturing Hall to purchase more mystic medicines.

"Brother, where are you going?" Ning Xin'er approached him, dressed in a white, form-fitting martial robe tied with a belt. Her delicate curves were accentuated by her slightly raised chest and slender waist.

She was still young, but in a few years, she would undoubtedly blossom into a beauty capable of toppling cities and ruining nations.

Ning Xiaochuan countered, "Xin'er, weren’t you supposed to be training at the Training Ground?"

A bright smile graced Ning Xin'er’s face, her round eyes curving into crescents as she replied joyfully, "Grandfather has emerged from seclusion early!"

"Grandfather…" Ning Xiaochuan murmured softly.

Ning Xiaochuan and Ning Xin'er’s grandfather was none other than the Old Marquis of Jian Pavilion Marquis House, a Martial Venerable and a renowned figure throughout the Yulan Imperial Court.

The Jian Pavilion Marquis had four biological sons, and Ning Xiaochuan’s father was the third—once known as the "Third Master" of Jian Pavilion Marquis House.

"Grandfather has summoned all fourth-generation descendants of Jian Pavilion Marquis House to the Assembly Hall. Even many elite talents training abroad have rushed back. I came to notify you—let’s go to the Assembly Hall together!" Ning Xin'er said.

Ning Xiaochuan nodded and followed her toward the Assembly Hall. It seemed his trip to the Golden Roc Heart Nurturing Hall would have to wait.