Chapter 6 Ji Ning and the Winged Serpent

The hall was very quiet, thick candles as thick as a child's arm burning with a crackling sound.

Ji Ning buried his head in eating, quickly finishing all the meat and fruit wine on the table before him. Today was a celebration of his father's return, so he was allowed a rare drink of fruit wine.

“Father.” Ji Ning spoke.

“Mm.” Ji Yichuan frowned at his son.

Ji Ning sensed his father's bad mood, because this trip to kill the Winged Serpent had ended in failure. Killing a late-stage Xiantian aquatic great demon hiding deep in a lake was too difficult. To directly exterminate it, the Ji clan's Western Mansion could do so at great cost. But that cost was clearly one the Western Mansion was unwilling to pay. For the sake of its own prestige, the Western Mansion had already swept through Winged Serpent Lake, stationed troops on its shores, and sent several Xiantian lifeforms to stay there permanently, forcing the Winged Serpent to never dare leave the lake... This would be a protracted war. Once the Winged Serpent was slightly careless, it would be surrounded and killed by the Western Mansion's Xiantian lifeforms.

“I want to go out and roam the world.” Ji Ning spoke.

“Roam?” Ji Yichuan frowned.

Yuchi Xue quickly added, “Ning'er, you were attacked by the Winged Serpent this time, so you should know how terrifying great demons are. Outside West Mansion City, there are many deep mountains and great marshes where great demons lurk. You're too young to go out roaming now. Wait a few more years.”

“In West Mansion City, I have no opponents left to train against.” Ji Ning shook his head.

Ji Yichuan said coldly, “How old are you? Wait until you turn sixteen and come of age, then it won't be too late to go out roaming.”

“But Father!” Ji Ning said anxiously, “I've grown up in West Mansion City, always living in this small place! I want to see the countless tribes outside, to go out and roam and take risks like Father, to fight against great demons one after another, and even slay them.”

“Great demons? With your strength...” Ji Yichuan shook his head.

“What about me?” Ji Ning quickly said, “I survived under the Winged Serpent's full force. What's wrong with my strength?”

Ji Yichuan was startled, then thoughtful: “Right, I haven't asked you yet. How did you survive the Winged Serpent's attack?”

Yuchi Xue smiled beside him: “Yichuan, you've been out dealing with that Winged Serpent and haven't come back, so we never got to tell you. At the critical moment of life and death when our son was attacked by the Winged Serpent, his body movement reached the Unity of Heaven and Man realm. It was precisely by relying on that Unity of Heaven and Man body movement that he managed to escape from the Winged Serpent.”

“Unity of Heaven and Man?” Ji Yichuan looked at Ji Ning in surprise.

At only ten years old, his body movement had reached the Unity of Heaven and Man realm?

“Take my three sword strikes.” Ji Yichuan suddenly waved his hand, and three hazy sword shadows enveloped Ji Ning, swift as lightning.

Ji Ning had been kneeling on the mat before the table, but now he swiftly dodged with a flicker, like a wind flashing through the three hazy sword shadows.

“How was that?” Ji Ning said proudly.

“You really have reached it.” Ji Yichuan stared at his son in shock, “Unity of Heaven and Man. Your body movement has truly reached Unity of Heaven and Man. Then your swordsmanship reaching Unity of Heaven and Man... is not far off.”

Ji Yichuan looked at his son, his heart surging with excitement as he pondered. His son Ji Ning's talent was so high that even in the land of Yanshan, he was a rare monstrous genius. Such a prodigy absolutely could not be treated ordinarily. Given Ji Ning's current rate of progress, there was indeed not enough training in West Mansion City.

“It's not impossible for you to go out roaming.” Ji Yichuan looked at his son, “But you must meet one requirement of mine.”

“Yichuan!” Yuchi Xue grew anxious, but Ji Yichuan raised his hand to stop her.

“Father, speak.” Ji Ning was full of anticipation.

Ji Yichuan nodded: “The Golden Sword Ceremony is held once every four years, a grand ceremony for all youths under sixteen. I want you to obtain the Golden Sword at this Golden Sword Ceremony. If you obtain the Golden Sword, I will permit you to go out roaming.”

“Golden Sword?” Ji Ning's eyes lit up.

He had long known about the agreement from years ago: if he seized the Golden Sword, he would naturally become the next prefect. And in the past few years while practicing swordsmanship, his parents had also mentioned to him the matter of 'seizing the Golden Sword to become prefect.'

“Seizing the Golden Sword is very easy.” Ji Ning looked at Ji Yichuan in confusion, “Father, I could probably seize the Golden Sword with just one-tenth of my strength. This shouldn't count as much of a trial, should it? Father, do you really care that much about the position of prefect?”

Father was wholeheartedly set on the path of immortality.

Ji Ning naturally also yearned to tread the immortal path.

“Position of prefect?” Ji Yichuan shook his head, “You are my son, Ji Yichuan's son, my proudest son. I believe you will go farther than I... The position of prefect of the Ji clan's Western Mansion will only bind you. You are destined to spread your wings and soar high.”

Ji Ning asked in confusion, “Then why do you want me to seize the Golden Sword, Father?”

“First, to make Ji Lie give up hope.” Ji Yichuan said, “As for the second reason, you'll know after you seize the Golden Sword. As long as you seize the Golden Sword, I'll let you go out roaming. But if you fail to seize it, you'll stay obediently in West Mansion City.”

“Alright.” Ji Ning grinned.

Yuchi Xue beside him had been anxious all along.

“Alright, go back and rest.” Ji Yichuan said.

Ji Ning immediately rose and returned to his quarters in high spirits, while in the hall Ji Yichuan began explaining the reasons to his wife Yuchi Xue.

...

The next morning.

While eating with his parents, Yuchi Xue instructed, “After you seize the Golden Sword, I won't stop you from going out roaming, but you must bring servants.”

“Servants?” Ji Ning quickly said, “I'm going out to roam and take risks. What use is a bunch of servants?”

“You only need to bring two.” Yuchi Xue smiled, “One is Qiuye. She is familiar with your habits and can attend to you. The other is the servant Mowu. Mowu was previously a Nine-Fang warrior of the Black Armor Guard, then followed your father for a long time. He is very loyal. Although his strength is not as good as yours, he has experience roaming in the wild mountains and forests.”

Ji Ning thought for a moment, then nodded: “Alright, I'll bring just those two. No more.”

...

“Young master, you're leaving West Mansion City to roam? And you'll bring me?” Qiuye was extremely excited. She had entered the Ji clan's Western Mansion as a child and hadn't gone out for a very long time.

“Don't just stand there dumbly. Go to the library and bring back all the records of great demons, tribal records, and maps of the land of Yanshan.” Ji Ning was in high spirits as he instructed Qiuye, “I need to study them carefully and plan a rough route for my roaming adventure.”

“Yes, young master.” Qiuye quickly ran off.

Qiuye was Ji Ning's personal maidservant. She had been taught top-tier Qi Refining techniques since childhood and was close to reaching the Acquired stage. Personal maidservants of Ji Ning's status were always taught Qi Refining techniques and some ultimate arts; at critical moments, these personal maidservants were expected to sacrifice themselves for their master.

“Here it is.” Qiuye carried a large stack of books and set them down with a thud. The pile weighed several hundred jin.

Ji Ning began flipping through them.

Legends of great demons one after another...

Ji Ning then learned how many great demons lurked in the deep mountains and great marshes. Because there were so many great demons, each troublesome, there was an unspoken understanding between the great demons and the hegemonic powers like the Ji clan. The great demons generally did not go on massive killing sprees of humans, and the hegemonic powers like the Ji clan did not go all out to exterminate them.

Each side took a step back, maintaining a surface calm.

Although tribes were often massacred, great demons slain, and Xiantian lifeforms killed... all this was within a controllable range! There was an invisible line that the Ji clan and other hegemonic powers and the great demons were unwilling to cross. Once that line was crossed, it would truly be a storm of blood and rain.

“Black Tooth Tribe.” Ji Ning pointed at the map, “This is the latest map of the territory under our Ji clan's Western Mansion. This Black Tooth Tribe is a newly established small tribe. It should be the tribe founded by Chuncao's father. It's right here, just over a thousand li from us.”

“Young master, young master, we must go to the Black Tooth Tribe and visit Chuncao.” Qiuye quickly said.

“Of course we will.”

Ji Ning nodded, “But I need to roam first, going here, here, here, and... here!” He pointed at dark areas on the map that represented threats.

“These are all places where great demons lurk.” Qiuye exclaimed.

“Right.” Ji Ning's eyes gleamed, “I'm going to slay great demons! Don't worry, I've chosen early-stage Xiantian great demons, much weaker than the Winged Serpent. I'll fight them one by one... until I break through to become a Xiantian lifeform. The day I become a Xiantian lifeform will be the time to go to Winged Serpent Lake.”

Qiuye said anxiously, “Young master, the Winged Serpent is a late-stage Xiantian great demon.”

“I have my own confidence.” Ji Ning said.

The first Divine Demon Body-Refining method, the “Crimson Bright Nine Charts Art,” had boundless power. Even at the third level, it could already match an ordinary early-stage Xiantian Qi Refiner!

Once he broke through to the fourth level, he could match a late-stage Xiantian Qi Refiner!

In a direct fight, he would be on par with the Winged Serpent, not to mention that in terms of realm, he was superior to that Winged Serpent.

“Great demon Winged Serpent.” Ji Ning's eyes flickered with a hint of madness. He could not forget the scene of the Winged Serpent attacking him, “This time when I go out to roam and take risks, my ultimate goal is you. I hope you don't die too soon!”

...

The Ji clan's West Mansion City welcomed the quadrennial Golden Sword Ceremony. Youths trained by countless tribes, full of hope and anticipation, registered their names one by one. They wanted to defeat opponent after opponent in this grand ceremony and become the most dazzling existence, letting countless tribes spread their names!

“After this Golden Sword Ceremony, I'll return to my tribe. I must make it to the top eight and obtain the method to cultivate to Xiantian, so that I might have a chance to become a Xiantian lifeform in this life!” A dark-skinned youth, carrying a single blade on his back, wearing tattered animal skins and nearly worn-out fur boots.

“My name, Tiger Roar, must spread to all the tribes on this land!”

“I am the strongest!”

“This is the last chance to obtain immortal and demon secret arts.”

Youths from various tribes, each with their own desires, registered their names at the Golden Sword Ceremony.

This was a grand ceremony.

A grand ceremony for countless tribal youths.

Almost all the talented youths from the vast lands under the Ji clan's Western Mansion would participate. They yearned for fame, to obtain advanced Qi Refining techniques and powerful ultimate arts from this Golden Sword Ceremony. These would also be their support for dominating one side in the future.

...

“What? Ji Ning is participating in the Golden Sword Ceremony?” Ji Lie, who had just received the news, widened his eyes. The red venomous snake coiled around his ear also flicked its tongue, “He's only ten this year. He could have waited four years for the next Golden Sword Ceremony. Why is he participating this time?”