Cultivation Starting from Full Talent

Ning Daoran faced his opponent's chill, bloodthirsty gaze with a calm expression, "What makes you so confident you can kill me?"

"Whether I can kill you or not, we'll know after I try. Why waste words?"

Li Xiu drew his Black Sword completely, making the coldness in the woods even more intense.

"Boom!"

Without hesitating, Ning Daoran sprang up like a nimble monkey. Twisting his body and swinging his arm in one smooth motion, he brought down his Azure Dragon Spear, which weighed at least ten or more pounds, creating a blur that slashed down with furious force!

In that instant of explosive action, he used almost all his strength, his body's Blood Qi roiled, fully igniting the power of his Body Tempering Technique.

"Sixth Layer of Qi Refining?!"

Li Xiu's eyelids twitched violently. As he maneuvered his next strike, he added several more layers of strength, aiming to suppress his opponent in one fell swoop.

A loud crash!

As they collided, the ground beneath them, covered in weeds and rocks, rippled like waves, sending dirt and pebbles flying into the air as if multiple waterfalls had been drawn upward.

Li Xiu's Late-stage Blood Qi was extremely solid; Ning Daoran's Body Tempering Technique, augmented by his full Talent Points in strength, had elevated his force to unimaginable levels!

"Boom!"

With that strike, the outcome was clear.

Li Xiu's Black Sword suddenly dipped uncontrollably, and he staggered backward, his blood energy churning and his right arm throbbing with pain.

He had thought his blade could sever the opponent's spear and then chop off that detestable head with the next strike. However, the young man seemed to have divine strength, managing to completely overpower him.

It was unbelievable that a Mid-stage Qi Refining Practitioner could overpower a Late-stage Blood Qi Martial Artist in terms of strength!

After swinging his spear, Ning Daoran felt his body heat up intensively, as the Blood Qi inside his body furiously surged around, endless force emerging from his arms, and he launched another fierce spear thrust downward!

"You little beast, you…"

Li Xiu had no time to dodge, nor to reset his stance; in his haste, he could only raise his left arm to block.

In a crisp snapping sound, Li Xiu's entire left arm limply fell, having been smashed into mush by the spear, yet his Blood Qi still surged powerfully, splattering his face with blood, but his eyes remained fierce and malicious.

"Keep fighting! Didn't you eat?"

Despite having lost an arm, the Evil Catcher from Shanyang County was still ferocious.

"Whizz!"

A piercing noise erupted in the air, and the third strike came.

The head of the spear became a blur as it violently smashed down. Li Xiu's protective Blood Qi around his body dispersed instantly, followed by the crisp sound of bone fracturing from his head, with blood spurting out and streaming down his face, making him look even more ruthless.

Ning Daoran stepped forward, pinning Li Xiu to the ground.

The Azure Dragon Spear aimed at the opponent's head, once more!

The physical toughness of a Late-stage Blood Qi Martial Artist was indeed formidable, even comparable to a Cultivator whose Body Tempering Technique was Perfect!

Ning Daoran launched three more spear strikes, finally smashing Li Xiu's head completely.

Along with hair, skull, and brain matter, it splattered across the grass like a smashed watermelon.

He must be thoroughly dead.

…

After a proficient search of the body and a Soul Search, Ning Daoran casually cast a Fireball Technique to turn Li Xiu's corpse into a pile of ash.

The wind stirred by mana blew the ashes about.

"Old Lu, let's go!"

Without further delay, Ning Daoran quickly summoned Big Stupid Deer, which had just burrowed out from underground, and took the mountain path back to the sect.

Number 77, Spiritual Field Courtyard.

After reactivating the Small Cloud Mist Array, Ning Daoran finally relaxed and sat in the chair, breathing heavily.

The information gained from Soul Searching Li Xiu was scant; his den was in the County and shared by a group of constables and arrest officers, making it too risky to venture there.

Apart from that, Li Xiu's memories were filled with bribery, bullying, prostitution, and debauchery. The only possibly useful information for Ning Daoran was about the black market of Yellow Dragon Square.

Yellow Dragon Square, built by personnel from Chaotic Sect, was operated by many, including powers of Chaotic Sect and various Cultivation Families and Loose Cultivators of Shanyang County.

It was said that there were dozens of Foundation Establishment Families alone around the Yellow Dragon Mountain Range. The major Cultivation Families were in competition with each other; these powers contended overtly and covertly in the Workshop, fighting over shops and resources.

Luckily, having such a colossal entity as Chaotic Sect overseeing things made the area relatively stable.

Beyond the overt markets of Yellow Dragon Square, across a street, there was a black market where one could trade anything, legal or not. The black market did not inquire about the origins of the treasures—only their value mattered.

"Sigh…"

Ning Daoran took a deep breath, considering possibly selling Second-tier Spirit Rice in the black market disguised.

Searching through them, he found Li Xiu, indeed a destitute Martial Artist, carried only two bottles of Blood Qi Elixir Pills and a dozen or so Spirit Stones. It was truly lamentable for a Late-stage Blood Qi Martial Artist to be so impoverished.

However, having dealt with Li Xiu, the trouble for his Junior Sister Han Bing was completely resolved, which was indeed good news.

…

Another gain from Soul Searching Li Xiu was that Uncle Lin had indeed been killed by Li Xiu and was buried in a patch of woods on the way down the mountain.

However, Ning Daoran decided not to inform Han Bing about this; such action was too likely to bring unnecessary suspicion and trouble upon himself.

Let the matters concerning Li Xiu and Uncle Lin fade with the wind!

At this moment, Ning Daoran had a total of 144 Low Grade Spirit Stones...

He furrowed his brows, it still wasn't enough. When he gathered over three hundred Spirit Stones, he would consider going to Yellow Dragon Square to purchase a Magic Artifact suitable for himself.

After all, he was a Cultivator, and although he mainly practiced the Body Tempering Technique, it was somewhat inappropriate to always wield the Azure Dragon Spear in fights.

In the Cultivation World, there was a strict classification of treasures, categorized by the effects and power of the treasures as: Magic Artifacts, Spiritual Artifacts, Magical Treasures, and Spiritual Treasures.

Generally, Qi Refining Stage Practitioners only used Magic Artifacts, Foundation Establishment Stage used Spiritual Artifacts, and if one was fortunate enough to become a legendary Golden Core Ancestor, then they could wield Magical Treasures.

Of course, these categories weren't fixed. If a Qi Refining Stage Cultivator was wealthy and insisted on using a Spiritual Artifact or Magical Treasure, it wasn't a problem, but the Mana consumption of high-level treasures was enormous, akin to a 'small horse pulling a big cart'.

A treasure that exhausted all Mana after one or two uses wasn't worth using at all, as it couldn't sustain a lengthy battle.

Additionally, each rank of treasure was divided into four grades.

For example, Magic Artifacts were divided into Low Grade Magic Tools, Mid-grade Magical Artifacts, Top-grade Magical Artifacts, and Top-grade Magic Tools. According to current prices in the Cultivation World, a Low Grade Magic Tool was worth at least a hundred and fifty Spirit Stones, Mid-grade for three hundred, and Top-grade for five hundred.

And, if it were a legendary First-tier Top-Grade Magical Artifact, that was almost a divine weapon for a Great Cultivator at the Perfect Qi Refinement Realm, its price would start from nearly a thousand Low Grade Spirit Stones.

"Sigh..."

Thinking of the prices of these Artifacts, Ning Daoran couldn't help but sigh; he was still too poor after all.

After washing the dirt off the Azure Dragon Spear and his clothes, Ning Daoran changed into a fresh set of clothes and took Big Stupid Deer to weed the spirit field before it got dark.

"Senior Brother Ning."

Not far away, a young girl in spirit field number 78 straightened up, wiping sweat off her brow and greeted him with a smile.

Ning Daoran responded with a smile.

Soon after, the two of them and the deer rested and chatted on the ridge of the field.

"Junior Sister, has Uncle Lin returned? It's been many days; I kind of miss him."

"No..."

Upon mentioning Uncle Lin, Han Bing's expression grew slightly unnatural; she seemed to have guessed Uncle Lin's fate.

So many days without return, and Li Xiu often causing trouble in the mountains - it was clear.

But what could she do about it? As an early-stage Qi Refining Outer Disciple, no one in the Sect would stand up for her.

After all, the Chaotic Sect was only known as a "Second-class Sect," nowhere comparable to those First-class Sects, let alone the "Ten Great Immortal Sects" of Xia Country.

Rules weren't so strict in a Second-class Sect.

The entire Chaotic Sect had over four thousand members, of which three thousand were servant disciples and over twelve hundred were Outer Disciples. The whole Sect only had thirty-three people in the Foundation Establishment Stage.

There were just too many to look after, where many of the Outer Elders and Deacons were also Cultivators in the Late-stage Qi Refining.

"Senior Brother..."

Han Bing suddenly seemed to realize something and hesitated to speak.

"What is it, Junior Sister?"

"It's... it's nothing..."

Han Bing pursed her red lips, squeezing out a smile, "I really envy you for having Senior Brother Lu to keep you company."

"Awoo~~~"

Big Stupid Deer immediately let out a deer call, its tail rapidly wagging into a blur behind it.

It was particularly pleased that Han Bing had just addressed it as Senior Brother Lu; from that moment, Junior Sister Han Bing had earned his approval!

After sunset, they each returned to their residences.

In her dilapidated lodging, Han Bing sat quietly, her gaze flickering doubtfully. She couldn't help but feel that Senior Brother Ning had just gone through a life-and-death struggle.

But Han Bing didn't know the specifics.

Could it be related to that Li Xiu? Impossible, the known prowess of Jianghu Martial Artists lay in their robust bodies; once a Cultivator of the same rank got close, their chances were slim, it might just be her own misperception.

Days passed, and Li Xiu did not show up.

Han Bing felt a bit lost.

...

One deep night, Ning Daoran was snoring thunderously in a room twenty zhang underground.

Suddenly, a golden sword light burst from the sky above the Spiritual Field Courtyard of number 78, then scattered into a shower of fine, sparkly stardust.

The next morning, Ning Daoran woke up early, taking up a hoe to weed and fertilize with Big Stupid Deer.

Shortly after, both he and Big Stupid Deer noticed that many Chaotic Sect disciples, including some dressed in white Inner Sect Disciple robes, were appearing in front of Junior Sister Han Bing's courtyard!

"What's going on with Junior Sister?"

"Fellow Daoist Ning might not know yet?"

Zhong Yan, a voluptuous woman in a short skirt, laughed, "I heard that last night, Junior Sister Han Bing awakened the Innate Sword Heart Clarity, a tremendously fortuitous event that alarmed the Sect's upper echelons!"

"Sword Heart Clarity..."

Ning Daoran was slightly stunned. This was a high-end realm for Sword Cultivators, and if he remembered correctly, Junior Sister Han Bing possessed Ninth Grade Four Spirit Roots,其中就有一道是金灵根!");

"That Metal Spirit Root had a sensitivity to Spiritual Energy close to Eighth-grade, which meant she fully possessed the qualifications to become a Sword Cultivator!

"Just as I thought..."

He smiled slightly, "A young lady of her caliber like Junior Sister, how could she keep farming like me, day in and day out? She truly doesn't look like someone who's cut out for tilling the soil."

The flirtatious woman immediately stood erect, puffing out her chest and gave him a glance, clearly thinking: so I'm supposed to be the one toiling in the fields, right?