Chapter 49 | Ten Years of Study, Righteous Qi Shakes the Heavens

The moment the system's voice faded, Chen Ning instantly felt a scalding breath like molten lava rapidly disperse throughout his body.

【Divine Phoenix Bloodline, First Layer (0/300)】

In the Nine Heavens there is a bird, whose name is the Phoenix.

Legend had it that the Phoenix could bathe in flames and be reborn through nirvana.

The Divine Phoenix Bloodline had nine layers in total. Although the first layer could not yet grant such terrifying divine abilities, after bearing this legendary Divine Phoenix Bloodline, Chen Ning still clearly felt a tremendous change take place in his body.

Not only did his muscles, bones, and physique undergo a complete metamorphosis to become exceptionally resilient, but his recovery ability had also improved to an astonishing degree.

When he cut a slit on his finger, it took merely two to three seconds for the wound to rapidly heal before his very eyes.

Not only that, but Chen Ning discovered that the bloodline within him had been tinged with a layer of holy, pale gold.

Even the drop of blood that dripped from the wound transformed in the blink of an eye into a wisp of golden flame, dissipating in midair.

Such an immense transformation took even Chen Ning by surprise.

Although he had obtained the same Divine Phoenix Bloodline as Xia Qiuyu, his bloodline was far purer than hers, with vastly greater room for growth.

If just the first layer had already reached such a level, it was truly hard to imagine what terrifying height the Divine Phoenix Bloodline would reach once it attained the ninth layer.

Perhaps, just like in the legends, he would truly possess the Phoenix's ability to be reborn from the flames!

“Guest, there is a letter for you. The sender asked me to deliver it to you as soon as possible.”

Right at that moment, the inn proprietress’s voice suddenly sounded from outside the door.

“A letter for me?”

Chen Ning immediately opened the door and took the letter from the proprietress’s hands.

Just as he had expected, the letter was indeed from Qin Heng.

According to what was written, Qin Heng had already escorted all suspects from Prince Qian Manor into the dungeon, intending to use them as an entry point to investigate the cause of the demonic chaos in the Imperial Capital.

However, while escorting Qian Wenyao, Qin Heng keenly sensed that someone seemed to be tailing them from the shadows.

He suspected that the demons colluding with the Qian family in secret were likely preparing to rescue Qian Wenyao. Thus, he had hurriedly penned an urgent letter to Chen Ning, hoping he could head over to the vicinity of the dungeon tonight to deal with any demons that might appear.

“Demons?”

Chen Ning thought back to that fake Fire God.

Since it had secretly colluded with Prince Qian Manor, it meant that the pseudo-gods in the other temples were also very likely connected to Prince Qian Manor.

Not only were these pseudo-gods worth a substantial amount of Noble Qi, but the temples also contained vast amounts of Incense Faith Power—each one was a massive treasure trove!

“Practice your punching when we get back. I’ll take you all out for a stroll first.”

Without hesitation, Chen Ning turned to look at Qing Yan, Xia Qiuyu, and... Xiao Jiu, who were all thoroughly engrossed in practicing their punches.

...

Nighttime.

Wutong Street, near the dungeon.

Both sides of the street were hung with a dazzling array of lanterns, and pedestrians flowed back and forth in an endless stream.

There were sounds of hawking, opera singing...

Aromas wafted and spread everywhere, while roadside stalls were packed with a dizzying variety of snacks and goods.

“What's going on here?”

Chen Ning was slightly puzzled.

Originally, he had only planned to take a casual walk around the area to observe the surroundings of the dungeon.

From the looks of it, however, today seemed to be a special occasion.

Standing where she was, Qing Yan twitched her ears and listened attentively.

Soon after, she quickly caught up with Chen Ning.

“Young Master, I remember now! Today seems to be the Xuanfeng Dynasty’s unique Lantern Riddle Festival!

“Every year on this day, lanterns are set up along the streets for visitors to solve riddles.

“Not only that, but the Imperial Capital seems to have its own unique dressing-up custom.

“Many people will wear exotic costumes or dress up as various figures on this day.”

“Is that so?”

Chen Ning carefully examined the pedestrians on the street.

Just as Qing Yan had said, many people on the street were indeed dressed in various guises.

Some were dressed as strongmen wielding paired warhammers, while others had long beards, held sabers, and had their faces painted crimson in imitation of famous historical figures.

There were even some draped in beast robes and wearing animal ears on their heads, making them look just like demonic spirits that had attained sapience.

He hadn't expected this world to have such a peculiar custom.

As he watched, a bold idea suddenly popped into Chen Ning’s head.

“Qing Yan, how about you reveal your true form too?”

“Reveal my true form in a place like this? But there are so many people on the street!” Qing Yan exclaimed in surprise.

Chen Ning chuckled. “Don't worry, aren't plenty of people on the street wearing weird costumes? Even if others see you, they'll only think the fox ears and tail are realistic props.”

“Why would Young Master make such a strange request...?”

“I can't help it. I only got a brief look in the carriage that day, and it wasn't nearly enough.”

Chen Ning sighed with genuine feeling.

Qing Yan felt a wave of embarrassment.

Yet, looking at the bustling scene on the street—the colorful costumes, dazzling lanterns, and clamoring crowds—her cheeks flushed slightly in the end, and she huffed softly:

“Since Young Master insists... alright, then...”

A wisp of ethereal mist curled upward. When the mist dissipated, Qing Yan had already manifested her fox ears and fox tail.

Although nothing would seem out of place in this environment, revealing her true form in broad daylight and in front of a crowd still made Qing Yan so shy that her pair of fox ears drooped softly, and her fluffy tail could not help curling inward.

“Wow, did Big Sister Qing Yan use some kind of spell?”

Xia Qiuyu immediately gasped in astonishment.

“It's so pretty! Can I put them on and try too?”

Chen Ning decisively shook his head. “No.”

“Huh? Why?”

“Because that's a plug-in. You can't pull it out.”

Xia Qiuyu: “???”

When the group of three stepped into Wutong Street, they quickly stirred up a commotion.

Even amid the sea of people, Qing Yan's exceptionally stunning figure was simply far too eye-catching.

“What kind of costume is that? A scholar paired with a fox demon?”

“Do you even need to ask? Isn't it obvious at a glance?”

“Damn it, that woman dressed as a fox demon is gorgeous! She looks just like those enchanting vixen stunners from the legends!”

“Especially those fox ears and fox tail—the luster and texture look no different from the real thing!”

“Ahhh! Maybe I should dress up as a scholar and go chat with them. I'm dying of jealousy looking at that bastard scholar!”

Watching Qing Yan gently snuggling against Chen Ning, the envious gazes on the street were pinned to them like nails, unable to look away. People wished they could charge over right now and replace Chen Ning.

After all, that scholar looked skinny and defenseless at first glance!

At that moment, Chen Ning suddenly pinched Qing Yan's fox ear gently.

Qing Yan felt an electric jolt run through her, leaving her entire body tingling with numbness, and let out an involuntary gasp.

“Young Master... what are you doing?!”

Chen Ning gave a dry cough and instantly regained the demeanor of an upright gentleman:

“Ahem, the people on the street were all saying your costume looked realistic. I just wanted to test on their behalf how authentic it really feels. Now I understand—it really does feel genuine!”