Chapter 23: The Promise

Chapter 23: The Promise

The demonic sword gleamed a sinister blood-red, exuding an eerie and malevolent aura. At some point, tiny veins-like patterns had emerged on its blade, resembling the blood vessels of a living being, a sight that sent chills down one's spine.

"Could it be that this demonic sword has been inside my heart since birth? That’s utterly unbelievable!"

Ning Xiaochuan attempted to summon the demonic sword out of his body, but after several tries, he failed. The power of his Martial Arts Profound Qi was still insufficient. Perhaps only upon reaching the Divine Body Realm would he be able to draw it out.

He could sense the immense power contained within the demonic sword. What it had displayed so far was merely the tip of the iceberg. When its full demonic might was unleashed, it would likely send tremors through every martial artist in the world.

Ning Xiaochuan spent the entire night cultivating the Heaven and Earth Profound Qi, solidifying his cultivation at the Seventh Level of Profound Qi.

By dawn, he stepped out of his room.

With a single exhale, faint wisps of Profound Qi escaped his lips, accompanied by a soft rumble of wind and thunder, causing the plants and trees in the manor to sway.

Reaching the Seventh Level of Profound Qi had drastically increased the amount of Martial Arts Profound Qi within him—several times more than what he possessed at the Sixth Level.

Once he activated his Martial Arts Profound Qi, his blood would surge through his body at an astonishing speed, completing three full cycles in a minute—nine times faster than an ordinary person’s blood flow.

Though it might seem like just a ninefold increase in speed, the boost in power was far more significant than that.

"Three cycles per minute marks the Seventh Level of Profound Qi; five cycles, the Eighth Level; seven cycles, the Ninth Level; and ten cycles would allow one to step into the Divine Body Realm. I’m still far from that!"

The Seventh Level of Profound Qi already placed him among the ranks of formidable young experts, but compared to the very top of the younger generation, he still lagged far behind.

Each breakthrough beyond the Seventh Level brought a tremendous surge in strength—enough to split a tiger barehanded or shatter an elephant with a single palm strike, feats unimaginable to ordinary people.

Ning Xiaochuan gathered a mass of crimson Profound Qi in his palm, slowly shaping it into the form of a sword—three feet and eight inches long!

This was the Profound Qi Sword, a blade forged from condensed Profound Qi, far sharper than any ordinary weapon. It could slice through a golden pillar a meter thick with a single stroke.

Boom!

Before the Profound Qi Sword could fully take shape, it suddenly shattered, dispersing into wisps of smoke that coiled around Ning Xiaochuan’s hand.

"Failed! Though I’ve reached the Seventh Level of Profound Qi and can condense Qi into a blade, my Profound Qi still lacks the necessary density to form a stable Profound Qi Sword. I’ll likely need to reach the Eighth Level before I can summon it at will. Once mastered, no martial artist of the same realm within the Nine Levels of Profound Qi would stand a chance against me." Ning Xiaochuan sighed in disappointment.

If he could successfully wield the Profound Qi Sword, he was confident he could challenge even an Eighth Level martial artist despite being at the Seventh Level.

Once unleashed, neither mundane weapons nor an opponent’s defensive Profound Qi could withstand the Profound Qi Sword’s might.

However, controlling Profound Qi to condense into a sword is inherently difficult, requiring both profound Qi as a foundation and a martial artist's skillful manipulation of it. Even many experts at the Ninth Level of Profound Qi cannot successfully form a "Profound Qi Sword." Ning Xiaochuan, having just broken through to the Seventh Level of Profound Qi, is already on the verge of shaping the "Profound Qi Sword," which is quite remarkable.

...

Haitang Manor is located in the "South Mountain Gathering" outside the imperial city. It's worth noting that there are over a hundred such border markets surrounding the imperial city, and the South Mountain Gathering is one of them. These border markets are not too far from the imperial city, encircling it like stars around the moon.

Each border market is guarded by a strategic pass, heavily garrisoned by troops to ensure the safety of the imperial city. The imperial city itself is home to nobles, wealthy merchants, martial arts masters, and high-ranking officials, while the common laborers and peddlers mostly lack residency rights there. After working in the imperial city during the day, they return to the border markets to live at night. Thus, the border markets can be considered the commoner districts surrounding the imperial city.

Haitang Manor is quite famous in the South Mountain Gathering, as even the impoverished residents of the border markets know it belongs to the Jian Pavilion Marquis House—a place where the descendants of nobility come to enjoy gardens and leisure.

Spanning 120 hectares, Haitang Manor is an enormous estate. Its walls alone stand 21 meters high, resembling the ramparts of a small city, complete with watchtowers, observation posts, and armored guards.

Inside the walls, the scenery is breathtaking—a stream flows through a mountain gorge, an artificial azure lake, exquisitely designed pavilions and towers, stone bridges, painted beams, cliffside locks, valleys, creeks, and grand halls. To the ordinary poor, Haitang Manor is like a small, unattainable city.

Moreover, the surrounding area within a 15-kilometer radius falls under Haitang Manor's jurisdiction. Residents within this territory must pay annual tributes of coins, grain, and fine fabrics to the manor.

Haitang Manor is planted with numerous varieties of begonias—autumn begonias, ever-blooming begonias—whose vibrant and fragrant flowers bloom year-round by the lakeside, in the valleys, beneath the cliff locks, and beside the pavilions, making the estate feel like spring all year.

Petals drift into the water, floating along the creek's surface, dyeing the entire stream pink with indescribable beauty. Petals also fall from the pavilion railings, carried by the wind like a floral rain, scattering across Haitang Manor.

As Ning Xiaochuan admires the manor's beauty, a woman in a white gauze dress appears amidst the falling petals. Her hair is tied in an immortal's bun, her face veiled in white silk, like a flower fairy emerging from the begonia garden.

Ning Xiaochuan says, "Miss Yu has recovered quickly—able to walk after just one night."

Yu Ningsheng, already at the Divine Body Realm, has cultivated her flesh and blood into a Divine Martial Body. Once the venomous dragon poison was expelled, her natural healing ability was remarkably swift. Now, aside from being unable to wield the power of the Divine Ability Realm, she is no different from an ordinary person.

"I must thank Young Master Ning for saving my life," Yu Ningsheng's voice was soft and melodious as she stood amidst the falling petals, resembling a goddess from a painting.

Ning Xiaochuan quickly replied, "If anyone should be grateful, it should be me thanking Miss Yu for saving my life. If not for your timely intervention, both Yu Yan and I would have perished at the hands of those five assassins."

"Very well! I saved you once, and you saved me once. We’re even now. I shall take my leave, and from this moment, neither of us owes the other anything." Yu Ningsheng was not one for sentimentality. She and Ning Xiaochuan were merely passing acquaintances, and she had no desire to involve herself further in the internal strife of the Jian Pavilion Marquis House.

A brothel woman, no matter how glamorous or beautiful on the surface, was inherently lowly in status.

If she were to meddle in the storm of succession within the marquis house, it would be nothing short of courting death.

The day before, she had saved Ning Xiaochuan and Yu Yan simply because she happened to pass by. Since she had witnessed the situation, she couldn’t turn a blind eye—that was her principle.

But now that her injuries had mostly healed, she resolved to leave immediately, unwilling to entangle herself too deeply with the scions of noble houses.

Ning Xiaochuan shook his head. "Gratitude shouldn’t be settled so simply. Think about it—if you hadn’t intervened to save us, you wouldn’t have been injured, and thus wouldn’t have needed my help in return. In other words, your injuries were caused by us, so saving you was the least I could do. By that logic, I still owe you a great debt. I’ve never liked owing others. Is there anything you desire or any help you need? If it’s within my power, I’ll do it to repay this favor."

Yu Ningsheng fixed him with a deep stare, her bright eyes tinged with disdain.

There were no shortage of young nobles and talented elites who sought to win her favor under the guise of helping her. She suspected Ning Xiaochuan was no different.

"I wish to enter the Emperor's Martial Palace to cultivate. Can you make that happen?" she said coolly.

Ning Xiaochuan had long heard of the Emperor's Martial Palace—renowned as the highest martial institution in the Yulan Empire, a pinnacle of both scholarship and martial prowess. However, the palace had strict assessments of character and talent, accepting new disciples only once every five years. Those who gained entry were without exception the absolute elite.

Yu Ningsheng’s talent and cultivation were undoubtedly sufficient for the Emperor's Martial Palace, but she was a brothel woman, already sold to the Jade Viewing Pavilion. The pavilion relied on her to generate wealth—how could they possibly allow her to leave and cultivate there?

Thus, the only way for her to enter the Emperor's Martial Palace was to first buy her own freedom.

But Yu Ningsheng was a beauty famed throughout the imperial capital, the Jade Viewing Pavilion’s cash cow. Even a single finger of hers was worth a fortune. Only a true noble house could afford her ransom.

Yu Ningsheng studied Ning Xiaochuan’s silence and knew at once that he was just like those so-called prodigies—merely coveting her beauty, with no genuine intention to help.

She turned away slowly, stepping through the shower of petals as she walked out of Haitang Manor.

Suddenly, Ning Xiaochuan’s voice rang out behind her. "Give me three months. In three months, I’ll ensure you gain entry to the Emperor's Martial Palace. I swear it."

Yu Ningsheng stopped in her tracks and glanced back, only to see Ning Xiaochuan standing atop the 21-meter-high city wall, his gaze fixed intently on her. She dismissed him as a reckless youth, not taking his words seriously, yet she couldn’t help but feel a slight fondness for him—at least he dared to make promises.

Ning Xiaochuan stood on the wall of Haitang Manor, watching Yu Ningsheng gradually disappear into the distance.

Yu Yan, following behind him, spoke in a low voice, "Young Master, you’re not just saying this, are you?"

"Of course not!" Ning Xiaochuan replied.

Yu Yan said, "Do you know how expensive the women of the Jade Viewing Pavilion are? Just redeeming a Silver-ranked Courtesan costs between 1 million to 5 million small coins. And the young lady is the star of the Jade Viewing Pavilion, adored by countless people. To buy her freedom, it would take at least 300 million small coins—and that’s the bare minimum. Even if you could produce 300 million small coins to redeem her, this matter would surely shake the entire imperial capital. The elders of the Jian Pavilion Marquis House would never allow you to do something so disgraceful to the family’s reputation."

Ning Xiaochuan smiled faintly. "I’m only helping her out of gratitude, not marrying her. How is that disgraceful? Yu Yan, the most important thing in life is to be upright and repay kindness. If your heart is clear, you need not fear others’ gossip."

Yu Yan stared at Ning Xiaochuan’s retreating figure, still unable to believe that someone would spend 300 million coins to redeem a brothel girl merely out of gratitude. Did he truly have no other intentions toward the young lady?