Chapter 6: Three Years Later

In the height of summer, the early morning was exceptionally cool.

Inside the mansion on Beiming Peak, Ji Ning, still clad in black beast hide, walked out.

"Senior apprentice-brother Ji Ning." The even darker and sturdier Meng Yan stepped forward respectfully.

"Stone, prepare some food, the usual." Ji Ning smiled and instructed. Over the past three-plus years, with the two servants later sent by Beishan Baiwei, he now had six servants under him. He was very familiar with these six, but the one he trusted most was still Meng Yan.

Meng Yan, having damaged his foundation back then, began to also train in the divine body tempering method after entering the Black-White College, and his skin had grown even darker.

"Yes, Senior apprentice-brother Ji Ning." Meng Yan immediately withdrew.

"Senior apprentice-brother Ji Ning, you're out." A graceful figure approached from afar, Yun Lu, followed by a black-robed youth, one of Ji Ning's six servants, 'Wei Fang'.

Yun Lu's eyes sparkled. Nurtured by the environment of the Black-White College, her temperament had gained a touch of ethereality. "This time, senior apprentice-brother was in seclusion for a long time, nearly a month."

She looked at Ji Ning with a burning gaze. Although the Black-White College had broadened her horizons... in her eyes, Ji Ning was still the most dazzling. Over three years had passed, and compared to three years ago, Senior apprentice-brother Ji Ning's temperament had become even more plain, like a youth from the mountains.

But Yun Lu understood well that Ji Ning was now immeasurably stronger than before. In the Dao Discourse Hall, few were willing to debate Dao with him; many secretly called him a 'reincarnated immortal,' showing how monstrous he was.

"Every time I come out of seclusion, I see you." Ji Ning smiled. "Yun Lu, you need to calm your heart and focus on cultivation. Look at Wei Fang... he came later than you, but he's the strongest among you."

"Senior apprentice-brother flatters me." The black-robed youth Wei Fang quickly said respectfully, "Compared to senior apprentice-brother, I'm far, far behind."

"I've been working very hard too." Yun Lu said.

"Your talent is good, but your Dao-heart is lacking." Ji Ning shook his head.

Yun Lu's eyes rolled around.

Ji Ning shook his head inwardly. This Yun Lu had tried to seduce him when she first entered, and after seeing no hope... although she still respected him, she had begun to seduce other senior apprentice-brothers in the college.

"Walking the path of immortality, not cultivating with a focused mind, only wanting to become Dao companions with powerful cultivators. Really!" Ji Ning was helpless about this.

He had seen through it.

Yun Lu was not bad at heart. Among the six servants, the one he trusted most was Meng Yan, followed by Yun Lu. The other four servants were respectful to him, but Ji Ning could sense that they all had great ambitions; he needed to consider carefully before trusting them.

...

Ji Ning sat there, drinking millet porridge infused with natural energy and eating some delicious food. His already good mood became even better. Beside him, the Whitewater Hound lay watching him and transmitted mentally, "Ning'er, you seem in very high spirits."

"Mm, after nearly a month in seclusion, I finally comprehended the second stance of the 'Three-Foot Sword'!" Ji Ning looked at Uncle White, his face full of smiles.

"Comprehended?" The Whitewater Hound showed surprise and delight.

Over these three-plus years...

With an immortal as his teacher, access to numerous sword technique classics in the Dao Canon Pavilion, and the complete 'Three-Foot Sword' and the sword intent inherited from Senior Beixing in his mind... Ji Ning's progress was naturally astonishing. He had never had a truly powerful teacher before; even his father and others were barely sufficient for his monstrous talent.

But Immortal Diancai guided Ji Ning, filling him with endless joy, and his progress was incredibly rapid.

Yet the second stance of the 'Three-Foot Sword' had always eluded him.

"After more than three years, I've finally comprehended it." The Whitewater Hound stood up, excited for Ji Ning.

"With this sword technique, I dare to spar with Master again." Ji Ning smiled. "Maybe this time I'll gain Master's approval and be allowed to go out and explore."

Without his master's approval, Ji Ning could not leave the sect.

Logically, with Ji Ning's strength, he could have gone out long ago. But since his talent was monstrous, his master Immortal Diancai had higher demands for him. So far... Ji Ning had sparred with his master several times, improving each time, but never gaining his master's approval.

"Go ahead." The Whitewater Hound transmitted mentally with a smile. "When you go out, I can go with you to explore. Thinking back to when I roamed with your father, it still gets my blood boiling."

With the liquid elemental essence Ji Ning provided, the Whitewater Hound had long reached the Zifu Consummation stage. Ji Ning had wanted to exchange for some powerful secret techniques for him, but the Whitewater Hound didn't need them; he only spent two hundred Black-White pellets to acquire some formation techniques for reference. Since studying formations took a long time, formation books were much cheaper. Ji Ning spent six hundred Black-White pellets on thirty-six sword technique classics, while formation classics... only two hundred Black-White pellets for ninety-one books.

The 'Nine Volumes of Formations' left by that former loose immortal was profound and extensive, a complete inheritance from a loose immortal.

As a divine beast, the Whitewater Hound had studied formations while following Ji Ning's father. With the 'Nine Volumes of Formations', he was like a tiger with wings. Adding the many formation books from the Black-White College for reference, he advanced rapidly.

Often, the Whitewater Hound could attend lectures given by some Primordial Daoists and even immortals at the Black-White College.

"I'm off." Ji Ning stood up.

"Mm." The Whitewater Hound watched Ji Ning walk out, then boarded a boat and soared into the sky, quickly disappearing into the distant horizon.

...

Standing on the boat, speeding through the high sky, Ji Ning scanned the ground below and soon arrived at his master Immortal Diancai's residence.

Whoosh.

Ji Ning landed at the mansion gate. The guard at the gate smiled at him, and Ji Ning walked straight in. Immortal Diancai had long ordered... Ji Ning could enter directly without announcement.

In the main hall.

Immortal Diancai, in black robes and black hair, sat cross-legged on a jade bed. Over three years, time seemed to have left no mark on his master.

"Today isn't the first of the month. Are you here to spar with me again?" Immortal Diancai looked at his beloved disciple. Over three years, he had grown even fonder of this only disciple. Even the younger generation of his own clan did not please him as much as Ji Ning.

"Yes." Ji Ning looked at his master and replied.

Substantial sword-light appeared in Ji Ning's eyes, and his whole body began to emanate a terrifying sword intent.

Sword intent soaring to the sky!

"Seems you've improved a bit." Immortal Diancai nodded. "Come, attack me."

"Master, be careful."

A pair of Northmoon swords appeared in Ji Ning's hands, one in each.

Swish!

Ji Ning turned into a hazy phantom, his swords like ghosts, incredibly fast, stabbing directly at Immortal Diancai, who sat on the cloud bed.

Immortal Diancai leisurely sat on the cloud bed, extended a finger, and formed a sword finger. He gently pointed, and a sword-light traced an arc. "Whoosh~~" The arcing sword-light and Ji Ning's sword shadows rapidly clashed in midair. Ji Ning's sword shadows were ghostly, while the sword-light's trajectory was all arcs, also elusive.

"Hmph." Ji Ning's sword-light changed, becoming fierce and domineering.

Boom!

The surroundings instantly turned into a blazing sea of fire, and Ji Ning's sword-light became a flame within it, fierce and unstoppable, slashing directly at Immortal Diancai. This strike from Ji Ning now... far surpassed the artistic conception of the 'Thunderfire Sword Fragment'; perhaps even the creator of the 'Thunderfire Sword' might not match Ji Ning's current level in the Dao of the Sword.

"Extinguish." Immortal Diancai smiled and gently pointed. The sword-light from his fingertip instantly transformed into thousands of threads, intertwining like a great net. This sword-light net howled as it enveloped Ji Ning, soon trapping his flame sword-light.

"Water and Fire, Merciless!" Ji Ning also smiled.

The surroundings changed instantly—one side blazing fire, the other endless rain.

Ji Ning wielded a flame sword-light in one hand and a rain sword-light in the other.

With an irresistible momentum, Ji Ning charged straight at the enveloping sword-light net, his twin swords intertwining like a vortex.

"Bang!"

The water-fire sword-light and the sword-light net collided directly and exploded.

The sword-light net also burst apart.

"This stance 'Water and Fire, Merciless' finally has some flavor." Immortal Diancai pointed again with his sword finger from afar.

Whoosh!

A sharp sword-mang, at an astonishing speed, shot toward Ji Ning. Then Immortal Diancai pointed again, and again... one sword-mang after another shot out, all incredibly fast.

"Last time, he lost to this move and ended up with several bloody holes. I wonder if he can block it this time." Immortal Diancai's eyes held anticipation.

Ji Ning no longer smiled easily; his eyes lit up, and he erupted fully.

Whoosh! Whoosh! Whoosh!

Ji Ning's twin swords moved, and a huge water-fire millstone appeared around him. Water and fire, two different natural forces... intertwined to form a massive millstone. At the center of the millstone, the collision of water and fire generated a terrifying wind force. This three-colored millstone revolved around Ji Ning, and wherever his sword-light passed, it carried an intensely strong wind!

Fast!

Extremely fast!

"Chop! Chop! Chop!" Ji Ning directly chopped and extinguished the sword-mangs his master sent one after another.

The water-fire millstone revolved around him, and swift winds coiled around his body.

Ji Ning's sword was ethereal and swift as lightning, each strike hitting the weak points on the sides of the sword-mangs, not confronting them head-on.

"Faster, even faster." Immortal Diancai pointed again and again, and more and more sword-mangs filled the air, madly converging on Ji Ning. Surrounded by the huge water-fire millstone, Ji Ning's sword-light moved at an inconceivable speed, chopping down the sword-mangs one after another.

"Go!!"

Immortal Diancai flicked his finger lightly, and the thousands of sword-mangs in the high air each seemed like a brilliant star, resonating with each other, and simultaneously joined together to attack Ji Ning.

...