Gearing Up for the Road Ahead

Chapter 0187

The next morning.

Northcloud Peak.

“Senior apprentice-brother Ji Ning, I could go out with you too,” Yun Lu said, looking at Ji Ning with hopeful eyes. “I could brew tea for you, attend to your needs.”

“This is a training journey, fraught with danger—not a pleasure trip,” Ji Ning replied. “You should remain at the Black-White College.” He turned to look at the other retainers—Meng Yan, Yun Lu, Yun Zhou, Wang Wei, Wei Fang, and Ming Yang—and continued, “After I leave the Black-White College, Meng Yan will be in charge of all affairs on this Northcloud Peak.”

Yun Zhou and the others exchanged startled glances.

Meng Yan?

Among all of them, Meng Yan was arguably the weakest. The others had all made progress in their cultivation, but Meng Yan, whose foundation had been damaged, had been forced to divide his efforts into Fiendgod Body Refining. For now, he remained the weakest of the group.

“Yes, Senior Apprentice-brother Ji Ning,” Yun Lu and the others acknowledged.

“Stone,” Ji Ning said, looking at Meng Yan, “Northcloud Peak is in your hands.”

The tall, dark-skinned Meng Yan nodded firmly. “Senior Apprentice-brother Ji Ning, rest assured.”

Ji Ning suddenly looked up. A streak of light flew towards him from the distance—it was Mu Northson riding his azure dragon puppet.

“Senior Apprentice-brother Ji Ning!” Mu Northson called out from afar.

“Let’s go, Uncle White,” Ji Ning said. A boat appeared beside him, and he stepped onto it. The Whitewater Hound leaped into the boat as well. Man and snow-white hound rose swiftly into the air, meeting up with Mu Northson on his azure dragon puppet in the distance. Soon, they disappeared among the distant mountain peaks.

…

Ji Ning, Mu Northson, and the Whitewater Hound walked out through the main gates of the Black-White College.

“When we return next time, we’ll be much stronger,” Mu Northson murmured, turning his head to look at the gates, his eyes filled with anticipation and longing. “And we’ll bring back a pile of techniques and spells the college doesn’t have… I’ve had enough of not having enough Black-White Pearls, of being unable to exchange for those puppet arts and spells.”

The Black-White College possessed a vast trove of techniques, spells, and the like. Where did they come from? From countless generations of disciples who had discovered them outside and brought them back, one after another, over endless years.

Disciples who contributed new techniques or spells received corresponding rewards in Black-White Pearls and even Primordial Liquid!

Ji Ning actually had two very powerful techniques he could contribute to the college. One was the divine ability, Windwing Evasion. The other was the Lesser Thousand Sword Formation. The entire college only had five divine abilities—a testament to their scarcity. But this particular divine ability had been passed down through the Yuchi clan for generations, and even his mother had told him not to teach it to outsiders. How could he be so casual with it?

As for the Lesser Thousand Sword Formation, he could make that decision himself. But he had already left a copy of it with the Ji Clan; it was a cornerstone of the clan’s future rise. His father had dedicated his entire life to the Ji Clan. Ji Ning himself had grown up in the clan and felt a strong sense of belonging to his tribe. Whether to offer such a clan-defining supreme technique to the college was something he still needed to consider carefully.

After all, whether for a sect, a tribe, or a cult, techniques and spells were treated with utmost importance. For the sake of a single divine ability or a powerful secret art, tribes could be wiped out.

“Let’s go,” Ji Ning said.

“Senior Apprentice-brother Ji Ning, where are we going?” Mu Northson asked.

“First, to the Heavenly Treasures Mountain,” Ji Ning replied with a smile. “The Heavenly Treasures Mountain is filled with countless treasures. If there’s anything you need to prepare for our training journey, you can buy it there.”

“Good. I do want to buy a few things,” Mu Northson nodded.

Immediately, Ji Ning, Mu Northson, and the Whitewater Hound departed from the Black-White College.

…

An old woman with a child’s complexion and white hair stood in a courtyard. Before her, a watery mirror displayed the scene of Ji Ning, Mu Northson, and the Whitewater Hound leaving through the main gates of the Black-White College.

“Zishuo…” Qionghua Daoist’s eyes were filled with worry and anticipation.

…

In a jade chamber, the black-robed, black-haired Diancai Immortal sat cross-legged on a jade bed. Suddenly, his eyes opened. They shone with anticipation.

Disciples went out to train and temper themselves.

Some returned in two or three years. Some returned in decades. Some returned only after centuries! And of course, some never returned at all, having died out there.

The Heavenly Treasures Mountain, backed by the imperial clan of the Grand Xia Dynasty, was found in every commandery city across the endless lands.

In the three-plus years since entering the Black-White College, Ji Ning had gone out with Beishan Baiwei many times, and had naturally visited the Heavenly Treasures Mountain on several occasions.

“Uncle White,” Ji Ning said, looking at the Whitewater Hound beside him, communicating mentally, “this training journey will be full of danger. Do you need anything?”

“You’ve already given me a Minor Teleportation Dao Talisman,” the Whitewater Hound replied through mental transmission. “What I want most now is just one thing… the ‘Fuxi Staff Formation.’”

“Fuxi Staff Formation?”

Ji Ning nodded. Although he couldn’t match Uncle White’s level of accomplishment in formations, he had studied the subject in his spare time and naturally knew of the famous ‘Fuxi Staff Formation.’ Fuxi… was a legendary mighty figure. Even during his past life on Earth, Ji Ning had heard tales of Fuxi.

Just like Fuxi, Houyi, Kuafu, and the others—these were all just legends.

According to legend, the Fuxi Staff Formation was created by ‘Fuxi’ himself. Using those sixty-four staffs, Fuxi could set up a dazzling array of different formations. These sixty-four staffs had an infinite number of uses. In the hands of an ordinary cultivator, they might be useless, but in the hands of a formation expert, they could unleash astonishing might.

The higher one’s achievement in the Dao of Formations, the more profound and powerful the great formation one could set up using the Fuxi Staff Formation. Legend had it that Fuxi himself had been able to use the ‘Fuxi Staff Formation’ to set up a formation capable of destroying heaven and earth. Moreover, the Fuxi Staff Formation was portable, allowing formations like the ‘Eight Trigrams Blood Dragon Formation’ to be set up instantly.

Thus, those who excelled in formations generally procured a set of the Fuxi Staff Formation for themselves.

“Alright, leave it to me,” Ji Ning nodded.

“Young Master Ji, Young Master Mu.” A seductive Zifu female cultivator was already greeting them at the main entrance of the Heavenly Treasures Mountain.

Ji Ning, Mu Northson, and the Whitewater Hound entered the Heavenly Treasures Mountain together.

…

The Heavenly Treasures Mountain held a vast number of treasures, with prices set quite high. However, those favored by the Heavenly Treasures Mountain generally received discounts. For example, gifted disciples of the Black-White College could get a ‘thirty percent discount.’ This was already close to the maximum discount. The Heavenly Treasures Mountain’s buying price for treasures from the outside was actually forty percent off the listed price!

Of course, it was said that for Celestial Immortals, the selling price was also forty percent off—the same as the buying price, earning not a single copper. Ji Ning and the others couldn’t yet enjoy such special treatment.

“Sell this set of flying swords.”

“And this magic treasure.”

“Sell this set of flying swords too.”

Inside the Heavenly Treasures Mountain, Ji Ning quickly sold off many of the accumulated treasures he had on hand—such as the magic treasures from the Snowdragon Mountain cultivators he had slain back then. This included the flying-sword formations gifted by Beishan Heihu and Senior Apprentice-brother Bloodshadow. Although these sword formations were good, they were not of the same origin. Some were cold-attributed flying swords, some were fire-attributed. With such a mixed collection, they weren’t suitable for the Lesser Thousand Sword Formation.

Half an hour later.

Ji Ning, Mu Northson, and the Whitewater Hound all left the Heavenly Treasures Mountain.

Ji Ning had acquired a set of three hundred and sixty top-grade Human-ranked water-attributed flying swords. He had also acquired another set of three hundred and sixty top-grade Human-ranked fire-attributed flying swords. In total, that was seven hundred and twenty top-grade Human-ranked flying swords. Although these were standard, mass-produced models from the Heavenly Treasures Mountain with no special characteristics, they were still top-grade Human-ranked treasures. If he had paid entirely with Primordial Liquid, it would have cost nearly a thousand catties.

The two flying-sword formations gifted by Beishan Heihu, and the one given by Senior Apprentice-brother Bloodshadow—after selling them to the Heavenly Treasures Mountain, he had gained nearly nine hundred catties of Primordial Liquid.

The treasures from Xu Li the Loose Immortal, plus everything else, had added up to nearly another hundred catties.

…

In summary, Ji Ning had put in an extra two hundred catties of Primordial Liquid out of his own pocket. In exchange, he had acquired seven hundred and twenty top-grade Human-ranked flying swords, and one set of the Fuxi Staff Formation.

He had also spent some more Primordial Liquid on other essentials for the journey ahead.

“Ah!” Mu Northson sighed as they left the Heavenly Treasures Mountain. “Whenever I step into the Heavenly Treasures Mountain, I realize just how poor I am. Right now, I’ve only got ten catties of Primordial Liquid left. Senior Apprentice-brother, you should be a bit better off than me, right?”

“In the past three-plus years, I did win a few matches at the Dao Debate Palace,” Ji Ning shook his head. “But after that trip to the Heavenly Treasures Mountain, my coffers are pretty much empty now too. I’ve only got about a hundred catties of Primordial Liquid left.”

Mu Northson nodded, his eyes shining. “Staying cooped up in the college won’t get us any treasures. We’re going out to train now—there will be plenty of opportunities to find treasures! Think back to how Senior Apprentice-brother Bloodshadow casually gave you that set of valuable Human-ranked flying swords. Clearly, it was nothing to him. I believe that after we go out and train, we’ll be like that soon enough.”

“Mm.” Ji Ning’s eyes also held anticipation.

In the college, one would often hear stories… of a senior apprentice-brother discovering an ancient predecessor’s legacy site somewhere, obtaining great treasures.

Or of a senior apprentice-sister, after roaming and fighting for over a decade, slaying hundreds of other cultivators and obtaining countless treasures.

Or of this, or of that…

In short, Ji Ning and Mu Northson, who had never been out to train and temper themselves before, naturally felt an itch in their hearts.

“I just exchanged for some treasures just now,” Mu Northson said, his heroic spirit soaring. “My power has increased quite a bit compared to before. This time, I’m going to go out and crush my enemies on all sides!”

“Haha…” Ji Ning laughed.

As for his own Lesser Thousand Sword Formation, its core was the Nine Yang Sword Formation he had obtained from the aquatic palace. The rest consisted of three hundred and sixty water-attributed flying swords and three hundred and sixty fire-attributed flying swords… water and fire, mutually overcoming and generating each other—this was an extremely suitable configuration for control in the Dao of Formations. Ji Ning believed that his Lesser Thousand Sword Formation would possess astonishing, terrifying power.

“My long-range attacks can now match my close-quarters combat,” Ji Ning mused.

Ji Ning was extremely powerful in close-quarters combat.

Having cultivated the Crimsonbright Diagram of the Nine Heavens to the ninth layer, his physical power was comparable to an early-stage Wanxiang Adept Fiendgod Body Refiner. Moreover, having comprehended the ‘Domain of the Dao of Fire,’ and having obtained a thousand Black-White Pearls, Ji Ning had also acquired the divine ability ‘Heavenly Transformation’ and the second scroll of the Crimsonbright Diagram.

Thus, even without using his heaven-defying ‘Starseizing Hand,’ relying solely on the two divine abilities ‘Windwing Evasion’ and ‘Heavenly Transformation,’ Ji Ning’s close-quarters combat power was still astonishing.

And now, with the Lesser Thousand Sword Formation, his Ki Refining side was also extremely powerful.

Close combat and long-range attacks… both were formidable.

“Senior Apprentice-brother Ji Ning, where are we going?” Mu Northson asked, looking at Ji Ning. “Where will we be training?”

“From what I’ve heard from the senior apprentice-brothers and sisters, the first step for most people is to join the Yinglong Guard,” Ji Ning said. “Becoming a member of the Yinglong Guard has many benefits. We can also accept Yinglong Guard missions and travel to specific places to take risks and adventure. And as a member of the Yinglong Guard on official business… it serves as a deterrent to petty villains. It can also save us from a lot of trouble.”

“Mm.” Mu Northson nodded. “I was thinking the same thing.”

The two discussed it and quickly decided… their first destination would be to join the Yinglong Guard!