[Successfully slain the Painted Skin Ghost; obtained 100 Noble Qi.]
[Noble Scholar's Sword rank increased to Mysterious Grade, Mid Rank.]
[Obtained Divine Ability — Mountain-Collapsing Punch (0/200).]
[Obtained Divine Ability — Demon-Suppressing Pagoda (0/2100).]
As expected of the rewards for a Painted Skin Ghost—just one was worth a full hundred points of Noble Qi. Even the Noble Scholar's Sword, which hadn't changed in a long time, had upgraded to Mysterious Grade, Mid Rank.
However, what surprised Chen Ning the most were the two new Divine Abilities.
The mechanics of the Mountain-Collapsing Punch were similar to the Mountain-Treading Step; both allowed power to increase layer by layer, reaching a maximum of seven strikes.
The Demon-Suppressing Pagoda was even more extraordinary.
With a slight focus of his mind, a seven-layered exquisite pagoda appeared within Chen Ning's sea of consciousness.
All seven layers could be used to suppress demons. Any demon suppressed within would not only endure the eternal suffering of Purgatory Flames but would also become a servant at Chen Ning's beck and call.
Each layer of the pagoda unlocked allowed for the suppression of one additional demon. Just now, at the moment the Painted Skin Ghost's remnant soul was about to vanish completely, it had been detained by the pagoda. It was currently imprisoned in the first layer, enduring the scorching heat of the Purgatory Flames.
If there was one drawback to this precious Divine Ability, it was only that it was expensive...
Looking at the terrifying total of 2,100 Noble Qi required, with each layer costing 300, Chen Ning couldn't help but suck in a breath of cold air.
“Fortunately, the demons in the Imperial Capital should be far stronger than those small fries in Ning'an Village. Obtaining Noble Qi then should be much easier than it is now.”
With less than half a month left before he had to leave for the Imperial Capital to take the examination, Chen Ning couldn't help but feel a sense of anticipation.
The entire Yu Ding Sect was a scene of broken walls and debris, having been almost completely razed to the ground.
Seeing the ruins everywhere, the monks from Mingji Temple who had arrived at the scene felt a chill run down their spines.
If Chen Ning hadn't been the primary combatant in that earth-shattering battle just now, it was hard to imagine how many casualties Mingji Temple would have suffered.
The old monk, Hui Jian, walked forward with great gratitude and bowed deeply to Chen Ning.
“Thank you, Fellow Daoist Chen.
This subjugation relied entirely on your presence. Because of you, Mingji Temple only suffered a dozen or so casualties.
Without you, not only would countless disciples have perished, but even Wu'an City might have truly been swallowed by that monster...”
“Thank you, Fellow Daoist Chen.”
Following Hui Jian, the other monks and disciples of Mingji Temple also bowed and cupped their fists.
Those of the Buddhist sect bowed only to Heaven, Earth, and the Buddha, but they were willing to make an exception for Chen Ning.
Chen Ning waved his hand nonchalantly. “It’s nothing. I gained quite a lot from this as well.”
Hui Jian, naturally unaware of the system's existence, was momentarily stunned.
“The entire Yu Ding Sect has been reduced to ruins. Not even an intact weapon or a single tael of silver remains. How could you have gained anything, Fellow Daoist?”
“Doesn't this count as a gain?”
Chen Ning pointed at Xiao Jiu, who had hopped out of his sleeve and was diligently devouring the Demonic Qi lingering in the air.
The stronger the demon, the more delicious it was. As the strongest demon encountered so far, the Painted Skin Ghost was clearly a treat for Xiao Jiu, who was eating so happily that her little belly was starting to bulge.
“A pet that can even devour Demonic Qi... just what is the origin of this snake!”
Hui Jian couldn't help but show his surprise.
Fellow Daoist Chen's identity and strength were likely even more unfathomable than he had imagined!
“This little one is almost full. I’ll leave the cleanup to you. Just remember to send over the bounty silver.”
Lifting the seemingly insatiable Xiao Jiu, Chen Ning poked her head with a look of mock disappointment.
“Still eating? Aren't you afraid your belly will burst?”
After saying that, he tossed Xiao Jiu onto his shoulder and turned to leave.
‘I’m not full yet...’
The monks watched Chen Ning’s back, actually seeing the little snake reveal a look of grievance identical to a human's.
Was this really a newly hatched snake? It looked as if it had already fully become a spirit creature!
...
By the time Chen Ning returned home, the sun had just begun to peek over the mountains, casting the brilliant light of dawn.
In just a single night, he had struck down the Li Family Sword Manor and every single Painted Skin Slave within the Yu Ding Sect.
No one would have expected that the plan the Painted Skin Ghost had painstakingly spent years to complete would be uprooted in a single night.
Upon entering his home, Chen Ning found Qing Yan asleep at the table.
The girl seemed to have wanted to stay up all night reading while waiting for him, but she had inevitably fallen asleep.
Chen Ning smiled helplessly, took off his outer coat, and draped it over her shoulders.
“Master, don't go.”
Just as he was about to leave, Qing Yan murmured and opened her misty eyes, half-awake.
But the moment she saw Chen Ning, her delicate body trembled in fright.
“Master is actually here! I thought I was dreaming!”
Noticing that she hadn't revealed her fox ears or tail, Qing Yan breathed a sigh of relief.
Fortunately, she hadn't been asleep for long, so she hadn't accidentally reverted to her true form...
Chen Ning joked, “Didn't you say you were going to study hard before the examination? Why were you sleeping so soundly at the table?”
Qing Yan said huffily, “It’s because Master came back too late! I studied for a long time and only just fell asleep!”
“Really? Words are cheap. How about I test you on a few questions to confirm?”
“Bring it on! Don't think I'm just a silly maid, Master!”
Qing Yan put her hands on her hips, appearing quite confident.
“Then let me ask you, what are the Six Arts of a Noble Scholar?”
“Eh? What were they again?”
At the question, Qing Yan suddenly froze.
She felt like she had learned a lot last night, but not quite everything. The answers seemed to be bouncing around in her head; she could see them, but they were blurry and out of reach.
After a long while, Qing Yan ventured, “Is it... Poetry, Documents, Rites, Changes, Spring, and Autumn?”
“Wrong. Those are the Five Classics from the Four Books and Five Classics. And no matter how you count, those are five books...”
Qing Yan argued, “But aren't there six words?”
It wasn't until Chen Ning painstakingly explained it that Qing Yan was greatly shocked.
“What? The 《Spring and Autumn Annals》 is only one book!”
Chen Ning: “...”
He suddenly felt that compared to Qing Yan, Xiao Jiu, who couldn't speak, seemed a bit smarter.
After a long silence, Chen Ning continued to ask, “What is the next line after 'A noble scholar cherishes virtue'?”
Qing Yan: “A child eats dirt?”
“What is the next line after 'Leaving home young and returning old'?”
“How can one tell if I'm a boy or a girl?”
Chen Ning was silent for a good long while before finally asking the simplest question he could think of: “What is the line after 'To learn and practice what is learned, is it not a pleasure'?”
“'To have friends come from afar, is it not a delight'!”
This time, Qing Yan finally spoke with full confidence, her eyes sparkling with anticipation.
“I remember this one clearly! I must be right this time, Master!”
“Yes, you finally got one right. It really wasn't easy.”
Chen Ning nodded, feeling a strange sense of relief, like a father watching his child finally succeed in kindergarten.
“Great! I told you I learned a lot!”
Upon hearing this, Qing Yan was instantly overjoyed, a pair of shallow dimples blossoming on her cheeks.
But amidst her joy, she suddenly felt a wave of dizziness, as if the entire world before her had started to spin.
“Strange, why does everything feel dark?”
Qing Yan stumbled and suddenly fell backward.
Fortunately, Chen Ning was right there and reached out to catch her in time.
“Sorry, Master... I suddenly feel so dizzy...”
Qing Yan's voice grew faint, and she was so tired she could barely keep her eyes open.
In order to learn more before he left for the capital, she had stayed up late reading almost every night recently and hadn't had a full night's sleep in a long time.
“You girl, why did you have to push yourself so hard...”
Chen Ning could also sense Qing Yan's weakened state.
Although her answers just now were hit-or-miss, it proved that she had indeed put in the effort to study diligently.
In order to make him proud when they went to the capital, this silly girl had been reading day and night, completely failing to notice her already frail constitution.
Chen Ning sighed and smiled helplessly.
“Worried you won't be able to make me proud?
Setting aside the Confucian knowledge you know now—which already exceeds that of those sheltered young ladies who only study books by rote—don't you have other advantages that other women could never hope to match regardless of how hard they try?”
“I do? Are you sure you didn't just make that up to comfort me, Master?”
A flicker of doubt crossed Qing Yan's eyes. No matter how she thought about it, she didn't even know when she had gained such an advantage.
“Of course.”
Chen Ning suddenly lowered his voice and whispered with a smile, “You might be a bit silly, but you're more beautiful than any of them.”
Qing Yan was momentarily stunned. A moment later, she murmured with a mix of shame and resentment, “And you call yourself a noble scholar... what kind of noble scholar would describe a girl like that!”
But as she lowered her head, a faint blush inadvertently crept onto her beautiful cheeks.
“If you ask me, Master also has an advantage that no other man has!”
“Oh? And what’s that?”
“That is... Master is the worst.”
With the corners of her mouth curling slightly, Qing Yan leaned lightly into Chen Ning's embrace and peacefully fell into a deep sleep the moment she finished speaking.
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