Chapter 85: Ten Consecutive Ingots
For several days afterward, a dense white mist unexpectedly rose over the Jing River, so thick that ships caught within it could not distinguish east from west, relying solely on the experience of their boatmen. The navigation was left to the disciples of the Great River Sect, while Zhang Long delivered his meals promptly three times a day, leaving Ning Xiu to focus solely on tending his injuries.
After these days of rest and care, his wounds finally began to heal, and only then did Ning Xiu open the "Martial God" system. After all, this time he had truly slain an "Aberration," and the reward in ingots was bound to be substantial.
Opening the system’s main interface, he indeed saw the number 1680 next to his ingots—deducting what remained before, it meant the Faceless Demon had provided him with a full 900 ingots.
At the same time, a message from the system appeared:
“Congratulations, host! You have accumulated over 1,800 ingots and advanced to VIP level 2! VIP 2 privileges unlocked.”
“Congratulations, host! You have received the VIP level reward pack.”
If he guessed correctly, the VIP level pack would contain fragments of the Seven Great Limits. As expected, when Ning Xiu opened it, five ancient, weathered pages appeared before him, shifting with images of Heaven, Earth, Fire, Ice, Wind, Mountain, and Sea, exuding a primordial and terrifying aura.
He placed them in his pack. Having advanced his VIP level twice now, from V0 to V2, Ning Xiu had accumulated fifteen fragments of the Seven Great Limits. Yet the ultimate goal still seemed far in the distance.
A single draw from the ingot treasure costs 180 ingots, with a ten-draw bundle at a ten-percent discount for only 1,620 ingots.
That meant Ning Xiu, after all his efforts, had finally scraped together enough for a ten-draw treasure pull.
The first time you do a ten-draw with ingots, you are guaranteed at least a four-star technique. With the volatile situation in Lingnan, Ning Xiu urgently needed to bolster his own strength.
He went straight to the treasure draw interface and began his first ten-draw with ingots.
A flash of golden light swept by, and the familiar scene unfolded once more.
Treasure chests, their quality indistinct, lined up in two rows before Ning Xiu, opening one after another in turn.
“Congratulations, host! You have received Five Immortals Great Tonic Wine x1.”
“Congratulations, host! You have received Blood Bodhi x1.”
“Congratulations, host! You have received Golden Silk Soft Armor x1.”
“Congratulations, host! You have received Penetrating Rhino Earth Dragon Pill x1.”
“Congratulations, host! You have received third-rate lower-grade palm technique: Seven Severings and Seven Sorrows Palm.”
“Congratulations, host! You have received a set of Little Li Flying Daggers.”
“Congratulations, host! You have received ten fragments of the Sacred Spirit Sword Technique.”
“Congratulations, host! You have received third-rate lower-grade sword technique: Huashan Sword Technique.”
“Congratulations, host! You have received third-rate upper-grade saber technique: Gale Saber Technique.”
“Congratulations, host! You have received extraordinary upper-grade technique: Golden Bell Shield!”
The Martial God chests opened one after another, dazzling beams of light flooding his eyes—Ning Xiu was nearly blinded by the brilliance. As expected of a ten-draw, nearly everything he obtained was immensely valuable.
“Item: Five Immortals Great Tonic Wine.”
“Type: Spiritual Wine.”
“Grade: Two-star.”
“Description: Brewed from the secret recipe of the Five Poisons Sect founder, infused with five rare and unique poisonous insects, each cultivated for over a decade. The wine also contains dozens of exotic flowers and herbs, embodying the principles of regeneration and restraint. Whoever drinks this medicinal wine becomes immune to all diseases and poisons, and their internal energy increases by over ten years’ worth.”
“Item: Blood Bodhi.”
“Type: Natural Treasure.”
“Grade: Three-star.”
“Description: A legendary rare fruit, said to grow in a cavern beneath the Leshan Giant Buddha. Its hue is blood-red, and it is said to heal even grave wounds and to enhance internal energy even for the uninjured.”
Both of these items were exactly what Ning Xiu needed, and their value far exceeded those of his previous possessions. Among the haul were also treasures like the Penetrating Rhino Earth Dragon Pill, a supreme antidote, and the Seven Severings and Seven Sorrows Palm, which perfectly filled gaps in Ning Xiu’s repertoire of unarmed techniques.
Though the Huashan Sword Technique and Gale Saber Technique were not of high rank, each had distinctive features, and Ning Xiu’s current path required mastery of both saber and sword. As the saying goes, only after playing a thousand melodies can one understand music; only after seeing a thousand swords does one truly recognize weapons. These would only deepen his own insight into the way of the blade and sword.
If any items were of lesser value this time, it would be the two pieces of equipment: the Golden Silk Soft Armor, which was a rare treasure for protection, and the set of Little Li Flying Daggers—which left Ning Xiu bemused.
“Item: Little Li Flying Daggers.”
“Type: Weapon.”
“Grade: One-star, ordinary blade.”
“Description: It is said that the flying daggers which shook the martial world and struck terror into the hearts of all warriors were forged in three hours by an unremarkable blacksmith in Daye.”
“Additional note: Yet it was this simple, unremarkable dagger that Bai Xiaosheng ranked third among all weapons under heaven. There are no good or bad weapons—only good or bad wielders.”
Gazing at the twelve flying daggers before him, Ning Xiu couldn’t help but twitch at the corner of his mouth. It seemed fate had connected him to Li the Flower Chaser. Perhaps he should take out Lin Shiyin’s wood carving and study it, in hopes of gleaning some insight?
Of course, compared to the final prize, the previous nine items were mere supporting cast.
What Ning Xiu had not expected was to draw the Golden Bell Shield as the extraordinary upper-grade technique—one he already cultivated, though only at the one-star level.
“Item: Golden Bell Shield.”
“Type: Martial Technique.”
“Grade: Four-star, extraordinary upper-grade.”
“Description: One of the Four Great Arts of Bodhidharma.”
“Additional note: When Bodhidharma journeyed east to spread Buddhism and founded Shaolin, he reflected upon his earlier creation, the Boy’s Kung Fu, which he deemed imperfect. With his unparalleled martial wisdom, he forged a new path, creating a supreme technique that grants the practitioner an indestructible, diamond-like body.”
Once the system had finished transmitting the manual, Ning Xiu finally grasped the profound power of this technique.
Unlike the one-star version he had previously practiced, which was a purely external art, the manual described this as an internal and external cultivation method. The technique comprised twelve stages; upon mastering the twelfth, one attains a body of diamond, impervious to all poisons. In his day, Zen Master Bodhidharma allowed experts from every school to assault him with fists, swords, fire, and water, going five hundred days without sleep or food, and consuming deadly poisons without harm. The technique also included a healing chapter, allowing one to rapidly recover from wounds inflicted by those vastly superior in power. The terror of such a technique was easy to imagine.
If that were all, the Golden Bell Shield might be worthy of its extraordinary grade, but its flaw was equally apparent. Before the twelfth stage, each of the preceding eleven had a vulnerability, differing only in size. Moreover, the technique was notoriously difficult to master—aside from Bodhidharma himself, no one had ever reached the twelfth stage.
While the Golden Bell Shield also offered a counter-shock effect, at its core, it was still a protective technique, and compared to some other extraordinary arts, it was somewhat lacking.
Nevertheless, this was Ning Xiu’s first four-star technique—a milestone, no matter what.