strictlysupreme 007 Great harpoon!
007 Great harpoon!
"this one?"
Ning Kui stared in disbelief at the small, dilapidated courtyard before him.
If it weren't for the fact that the three characters "镇逆司" (Zhenni Si, meaning "Suppressing Rebels Office") were clearly written on the plaque, he would have suspected that the yamen runner who had taken his money was leading the way haphazardly.
"My lord, you may not know this, but our Yugu County is poor and the people are destitute. In the past, we did not have a 'Zhenni Si' (a local administrative unit)."
In addition, the county magistrate was recently transferred to another county, and the county government office is in a mess with a lot of things to do.
"Due to time constraints, this is the only place I can make room for. Please forgive me."
The speaker was a thin yamen runner who spoke to Ning Kui with utmost respect.
"It's alright, you can go back now."
After dealing with the yamen runners, Ning Kui stood alone in front of the Zhennisi (a local government office) gate, shaking his head and smiling bitterly.
"No wonder Li Qijue had to personally conscript men; it turns out he was disliked by the government."
Most importantly, the arrogance and domineering nature of the Zhenni Division, granted by imperial authority, should have made it an entity that absolutely superseded local officials.
How dare the small Yugu County government office put its face on the Zhenni Division?
"The water in here... must be quite deep."
However, this is not something he should consider. Most of the time, taking sides is not a choice.
Whoever is willing to help him ashore is the camp he should rally for, regardless of any other vague or unrelated matters.
There wasn't even a gatekeeper to announce his arrival, so Ning Kui had to go up and pat the lion-head door knocker covered in green rust himself.
"Bang bang bang".
A muffled voice quickly came from inside: "The door's unlocked, just come in!"
Upon entering, the courtyard is simply furnished, with no flowers, grass, ancient trees, or unusual stones.
Apart from a pavilion with a missing corner and an ancient well lush with greenery, the rest of the place consisted of a main hall for officials to conduct their duties and a side room for those on duty to rest.
Li Qijue had just woken up and was squatting unceremoniously by the well, rinsing his mouth with willow twigs. Beside him was a box of tooth powder made from crushed dried pine branches mixed with poria cocos.
"Ning Kui greets Lord Li."
"No need for formalities. As you can see, it's just the two of us in the entire yamen."
Li Qijue took a mouthful of water, gurgled it around a few times, and then spat it out with a "pfft".
His overall energy and spirit have improved significantly, and he has returned from a listless, sleep-deprived teenager to the aloof demeanor he had when we first met last night.
After a brief exchange of pleasantries, Li Qijue took out a gold-embroidered pouch with the Big Dipper on it and poured out more than a dozen jade slips with a "whoosh".
"Here is a cultivation technique that I can take out at my discretion, enough to support you in completing your Transcendental Stage cultivation."
"Choose one first, and after I finish breakfast, I'll give you some pointers."
The four realms of transcending the mortal realm are divided into four major refinements: "skin," "flesh," "bone," and "blood."
At the peak of the Skin Refining Realm, one can possess a strength of 5,000 jin, and their skin will be as hard as metal, allowing them to engage in close combat with demonic beasts.
At the peak of the Flesh Refining Realm, one can possess a strength of 20,000 jin, with incredibly flexible muscles throughout the body. Individual muscle groups can also unleash tremendous power, and the ability to recover from injuries is dramatically enhanced, resulting in astonishing endurance.
A master of the Bone Refining Realm can possess a strength of 50,000 jin, reshaping a martial artist's bones and categorizing them into Iron Bones, Gold Bones, Jade Bones, etc., based on their quality.
Their talents are greatly enhanced, and even their lifespan is increased, with very few living below one hundred years old.
At the peak of the Blood Refining Realm, one can possess a strength of 100,000 jin, as mortal blood is continuously refined, resembling mercury or a paste.
Only in this way can one withstand the demanding physical requirements after advancing to a higher realm.
Once everything is completed, one is considered to have shed their mortal body.
With acquired cultivation, one can defy one's innate talent, and the world will be completely different from that point on.
The most skilled martial arts masters in Yugu County are only around the "Bone Refining Realm".
This is the pinnacle that an ordinary person could reach even if they went bankrupt and spent their entire life trying.
Even powerful families like the Ding, Zhu, and Lin families, who have controlled Yugu County for generations, only have top-tier combat strength at the Blood Refining Realm level.
Li Qijue casually unleashed a technique that directly reached the "Blood Refining Realm," displaying boundless arrogance.
"Tsk, here comes the reward for choosing sides." Ning Kui was very satisfied. Indeed, choice is more important than effort.
The jade slip was inscribed with the names of various cultivation techniques: "Burning Heaven Blade Technique," "Meteor Shattering Hammer," "Star Chasing Arrow Technique," and "Seven Kill Sword."
It encompasses all eighteen martial arts skills.
Ning Kui was dazzled by the sight. In his previous life, he had only practiced a few amateur Sanda (Chinese kickboxing) moves, and in this life, he had only fished and rarely come into contact with cold weapons.
I don't know which one I'm good at.
Suddenly, a jade slip engraved with a pattern resembling a harpoon came into view.
"I'm quite used to using harpoons, what's it called..."
"The Halberd That Subdues Dragons in the Angry Sea?"
Legend has it that a sleeping dragon dwells at the bottom of Kunze Lake. Every year, the head of the Ding family would gather fishermen to contribute money and effort to hold a grand ceremony, hoping that the Dragon King would bless the land with favorable weather and abundant fish and shrimp.
In years of drought or flood, a few unlucky souls would often be submerged and given a treat by the Dragon King.
In the hearts of the fishermen of Yugu County, when it comes to ferocity and prestige, Master Ding ranks second, and the Dragon King ranks first!
"Suppress the dragon? Suppress the dragon!"
Ning Kui murmured to himself, a sharp glint of indescribable light flashing in his eyes.
In the depths of my being, I seemed to sense that the symbol of completely breaking free from the shackles of fate was slaying that man-eating dragon.
"Hmm, you want to learn halberd techniques? That's not unexpected."
Li Qijue's ghostly figure reappeared behind Ning Kui, and he agreed, "It just so happens that this is also a water-attribute technique, which is extremely suitable for you!"
After saying that, he took out the Seven Star Bag from his waist and threw out a dark gold two-tone halberd that was more than eight feet long with a clang!
Holy crap!
A visually striking halberd descended from the sky, piercing the bluestone slab in front of Ning Kui with a "bang," and stood upright before him.
A golden dragon coiled around the shaft of a halberd covered in black dragon scales, baring its fangs and brandishing its claws, looking incredibly handsome.
The halberd tip was deeply embedded in the stone slab, its blades on both sides gleaming with a cold light and covered with dragon scale-like patterns, exuding an extremely domineering aura!
"Great harpoon!"
Ning Kui praised loudly, which made Li Qijue roll his eyes repeatedly.
It's like showing a piece of nude art to a country bumpkin, only to be met with a disappointing comment like, "Wow, that's a huge thing."
"This dragon scale halberd is a treasure weapon that has been refined nearly a hundred times. It weighs three hundred and eighty catties. Ordinary skin-refining martial artists cannot wield it. Only those who have reached the minor completion of the flesh-refining realm and whose muscles have solidified into a whip shape can use it."
If you can use it, I'll give it to you.
He took out the hundred-forged dragon scale halberd more to tempt Ning Kui, to make him seriously cultivate with promises, rather than to believe that Ning Kui could actually wield it.
Later he will bring out another halberd that is more suitable for Ning Kui's tenth-level forging, which is also a good weapon that is hard to come by even with a lot of money.
Upon hearing this, Ning Kui couldn't help but gasp.
He knew that to wield a ten-pound harpoon, one would need at least two hundred pounds of strength.
If it were a harpoon weighing 380 pounds, it would require at least 7,000 to 8,000 pounds of strength.
Ning Kui couldn't resist reaching out to touch the dragon scale halberd.
A three-dimensional golden dragon coils on it, its scales delicate and cold in texture.
Loved it!
Instinctively, Ning Kui suddenly exerted force to try to pull it out.
"Heh, overestimating yourself." Li Qijue grinned and sneered, as if he could already see Ning Kui's embarrassed look after straining his back.
However, the smile on his lips froze completely on his face the next second!
Ning Kui suddenly pulled out the heavy Dragon Scale Halberd, crossed his hands and swung it around, the low "whooshing" sound in the air was like a dragon playing in the water and singing!
He even saw Ning Kui throw the Dragon Scale Halberd into the air, catch it with his back to the wall, as freely and easily as a martial arts performer wielding a wooden spear in a traditional opera!
No, why should I?!
Li Qijue was in a daze, the sharp whistling of the dragon scale halberd cutting through the air echoing in his ears.
"No, this kid isn't relying on brute force! His qi and blood are sparse and ordinary; he definitely doesn't seem to have practiced martial arts!"
Li Qijue forced himself to calm down, his eyes fixed on Ning Kui's figure.
If you stare at it for a long time, it seems that the dragon scale halberd, which is black and gold in color, is vaguely enveloped in white mist.
"Could it be that this kid is using his water-controlling abilities to manipulate the Dragon-Suppressing Halberd?!"
When the Dragon Scale Halberd was first forged, it was indeed made by melting nine dragon scales into cold iron, and when it was refined by fire, dragon blood was dripped into it, making it naturally extremely compatible with the water element.
Holy crap! My Dragon Scale Halberd is lost!
Li Qi suddenly realized that he had just made the outrageous statement that he would give the Dragon Scale Halberd to Ning Kui as long as he could wield it!
If he had known Ning Kui's affinity for water elements was this abnormal, he wouldn't have used it!
He didn't have many weapons of the highest forging level, and it pained him to admit it!
"I wonder how the grade of the supernatural seed he obtained compares to mine?"
Li Qijue couldn't help but grit his teeth. He had really struck gold. After all, the stronger Ning Kui was, the smoother things would go for him when he came to Yugu County from Yujing City.
Just as they were thinking of having Ning Kui withdraw his supernatural powers, the entire courtyard suddenly began to tremble slightly.
Before Li Qijue's astonished eyes, a dragon formed from well water burst through the well opening and circled Ning Kui, soaring up and down!
Its domineering and imposing aura seemed poised to destroy the courtyard at any moment.
"No, he hasn't even started practicing the 'Raging Sea Dragon-Suppressing Halberd' yet, right? He figured this out on his own?!"