Chapter 50: Hallmaster

Wang Shisong hastily walked in. When he noticed Skilled Master Guo, he immediately kneeled down, seemingly moved to tears. “I, Shisong, am humbled to be able to meet the Hallmaster.”

Being able to meet the Hallmaster was not an easy feat. The only time Wang Shisong managed to meet the Hallmaster was when he first became a Mid-level Heart-nourishing Master. This was only his second time meeting the Hallmaster, of course, he would be moved to tears.

Skilled Master Fuo asked, “You said you have something important to report?”

Wang Shisong replied, “I am reporting to the Hallmaster that I, Shisong, have just seen a Mid-level Heart-nourishing Master To-be.”

Skilled Master Guo smiled as he said, “Another one managed to become a Mid-level Heart-nourishing Master? That’s great news!”

Yu Qianqian also grinned. Every Mid-level Heart-nourishing Master was a valuable asset to them, naturally, this was a piece of news to be celebrated.

Wang Shisong continued, “This Mid-level Heart-nourishing Master is only sixteen years old.”

Skilled Master Guo and Yu Qianqian facial expressions started to change as they heard that.

As if realizing the misunderstanding, Wang Shisong hurriedly added, “I’m not talking about Princess Qianqian, but rather, another youth that became a Mid-level Heart-nourishing Master!”

“Another one!” Yu Qianqian was so shocked that she stood up. Could there someone out there that could compare with her in terms of natural-born Heart-nourishment potential?

Wang Shisong continued, “His name is Ning Xiaochuan.”

“Ning Xiaochuan!”

Yu Qianqian showed a complicated expression, as if it was something she had expected, but also something she had not.

Before Ning Xiaochuan appeared, Yu Qianqian had always seen herself as the most outstanding Heart-nourishing genius out there. However, once Ning Xiaochuan entered the picture, she finally realized that there were other geniuses out there.

If she remembered correctly, Ning Xiaochuan had just become a Junior Heart-nourishing Master merely a month ago. To be able to become a Mid-level Heart-nourishing Master within just a month… That had far exceeded what the term “genius” could describe. His feat literally defied common sensibilities.

After hearing the name, Skilled Master Guo seemingly fell into deep thought. As his aged eyes opened slightly, he uttered, “Ning… Xiaochuan…”

“Hallmaster, do you know him?” Yu Qianqian asked.

Skilled Master Guo replied, “Maybe! Qianqian, you know this young man, right? Go bring him here right now, I want to have a private meeting with this person.”

At this point, Ning Xiaochuan was originally planning to leave Jinpeng Heart-nourishing Hall. However, before he could even set foot outside of the gates, he was halted by Yu Qianqian. Then, she brought him over to the top of this tall tower, seeing a mysterious elder.

He had no idea how long this elder had lived, but the old man’s body reeked of old age as if he was an ancient tree that had stood for many centuries.

After glancing at Ning Xiaochuan for a long time, Skilled Master Guo seemed to be moved by something as he stood up from the jade platform. Giving off an intense Qi from his body, he spoke, “Who was the one who cured your fetal disease?”

Ning Xiaochuan asked in confusion, “Old senior, how did you know that I used to have a fetal disease?”

Skilled Master Guo nodded as he continued, “In the past, Marquis Jiange once invited this old man over to the Marquis’ Residence to treat your fetal disease. You were still young at the time, I think you were only a one-and-a-half-year-old baby when I visited. However, your fetal disease originated from a problem with your Heart Meridian. Your Heart Meridian was so severely clogged up, it was not something that could be cleared with just medicine and Qi. Even the slightest mistake could’ve cost you your life. Back in the day, this old man did not dare to act carelessly, so I gave up on treating you. Now that you’re fully recovered from your fetal disease, I can’t help but ask if you’ve met some sort of miracle worker who managed to clear up your Heart Meridian so well.”

Ning Xiaochuan explained, “A month ago, this young one was knocked out with a single palm strike. After being in a state of unconsciousness for half a day, when I woke up, my Heart Meridian had been fully cleared. I would say that it was the force of that person’s palm strike that managed to shatter whatever that blocked off my Heart Meridian.”

Ning Xiaochuan might be lying to Skilled Master Guo1, but when it came to clearing his Heart Meridian, this method was definitely valid, though it would come with an extremely high risk.

“So it was that simple! However, this method is quite a risky one, even the slightest slip up would’ve caused you to truly die.” Skilled Master Guo smiled bitterly as he shook his head. “Looks like that was a blessing in disguise for you. Your body is the vessel of the Seven-orifices Devil Heart, after surviving that predicament, you’ll surely one day reach the stars. Even this old man won’t be able to gauge how many future achievements and accolades you will earn for yourself.”

Skilled Master Guo tried to treat Ning Xiaochuan in the past, so naturally, he knew about the Seven-orifices Devil Heart lying within the kid’s body. With an Atrium of that quality, it was logical that he would be able to become a Mid-level Heart-nourishing Master within just a month.

Skilled Master Guo stroked his beard as he chuckled. “Looks like in the near future, the Marquis Jiange’s Residence will once again give birth to another unparalleled practitioner! I can’t wait to see how amazing you’ll be when you get a Greater Achievement on your Seven-orifice Devil Heart! I really can’t wait! From now on, on the first, tenth, and twentieth day of the month, come along with Qianqian to this place for a lesson! I believe that your journey as a Heart-nourishing Master will be far more successful than mine.”

Ning Xiaochuan continued on to ask about the process of refining mid-grade Pills. Skilled Master Guo did not directly tell him the recipe for it, but he did explain the theory of mixing herbs to Ning Xiaochuan, asking him to figure it out himself.

In the words of Skilled Master Guo, “Only through trial, error and repeated failure will a person grow. This way, your journey as a Heart-nourishing Master will be even more long-lived.”

Ning Xiaochuan made a mental note on Skilled Master Guo’s advice. He felt like the Hallmaster of Jinpeng Heart-nourishing Hall was a wise sage, teaching him about all sorts of things he did not understand, but at the same time, allowing him to think on his own.

Ning Xiaochuan did not leave the Heart Nourishing Master Tower immediately. He stayed in the tower to peruse some of the books there.

Maybe it was because his Hidden Vessels were connected to his cerebral cortex, but whenever he circulated Qi into his cerebral cortex, his memory improved exponentially. It was almost as if he had a perfect photographic memory.

“Grade One Mystical Medicine – Nine thousand two hundred and seventy-five types”, “Grade Two Mystical Medicine – Four thousand seven hundred and sixty-one types1”, “Grade Three Mystical Medicine – Six thousand four hundred and thirty-eight types”.

There were thirty-eight books recording Grade One Mystical Medicine, twenty-nine books recording Grade Two Mystical Medicine, and thirty books recording Grade Three Mystical Medicine.

These books had detailed records on every type of Mystical Medicine listed. From explanations of the concept and medicinal properties of the medicine to an illustration of the medicine itself. The books even had details on where and in what environments these herbs might grow.

For the average Junior Heart-nourishing Master, if they wanted to memorize the over twenty thousand types of Mystical Medicine listed here, they would have to at least spend three years to just vaguely remember the most commonly used Mystical Medicine.

However, Ning Xiaochuan managed to use a single day to perfectly memorize all the content of these ninety-seven books to the point where he could recite all of them word-for-word. He had carved the details of every single Mystical Medicine here into his memory.

“Having Hidden Vessels connected to the surface layer of my cerebral cortex really did make me smarter. I’ll just finish reading the first three grades of Mystical Medicine today, then I’ll finish reading the Grade Four Mystical Medicine, Grade Five Mystical Medicine… Grade Nine Mystical Medicine books over the next two days. That way, my knowledge of Mystical Medicine should be on a whole different level. Then, when I go off on my own in the future, I won’t miss out on any precious Mystical Medicine in my travels.”

By the time Ning Xiaochuan left Jinpeng Heart-nourishing Hall, the sky was already dark.

When he was about to head off in his Green Deerhorse carriage, he suddenly sensed something. Turning around, he was greeted by an armor-clad girl with long blue hair.

Her body was emitting an icy cold aura as she coldly stared at Ning Xiaochuan.

Ning Xiaochuan patted his chest a bit as he let out a sigh of relief. “You again? Do you not make any sound when you walk? I almost got scared to death.”

Ji Hanxing stood still at the side of the main street, as stoic as an icy cold mountain. She looked stunningly beautiful, causing her to catch the eye of most martial artists. However, with a single glare of hers, it was enough to scare any of the martial artists back. Hence, no one dared to approach her.

“I thought you couldn’t train Combat Qi, what the hell are you doing in the Jinpeng Heart-nourishing Hall?” Ji Hanxing asked coldly.

Ning Xiaochuan stated, ” Can’t I go there to use the toilet?”

Ji Hanxing spat coldly, “You need an entire day to use a toilet?”

“Are you stalking me? Did you actually camp outside the Jinpeng Heart-nourishing Hall this entire day?” Ning Xiaochuan suddenly put his guard up against this girl. He thought to himself, ‘To think she’s been stalking me all this time and I didn’t notice her at all. Her cultivation is more than meets the eye.’

Ji Hanxing coldly stated, “Answer my question first, what were you doing in the Jinpeng Heart-nourishing Hall?”

Ning Xiaochuan did not want to waste more time with her. He just turned around and hopped back on the carriage, preparing to ride off back to Begonia Manor.

However, just as he got on, Ji Hanxing made her move from behind him, grabbing him by the collar and lifting him off the ground.

“ANSWER MY QUESTION!” Ji Hanxing lifted Ning Xiaochuan with a single arm as she coldly asked.

“Rude!” Ning Xiaochuan did not bother resisting or even struggling.

The martial artists that walked past Jinpeng Heart-nourishing Hall started to gather around as they saw this scene. They could not believe their eyes.

Ji Hanxing could not stand being at the center of attention of so many gazes. She quickly let go of Ning Xiaochuan and walked away.

The surrounding martial artists only saw her body move slightly before she disappeared from her spot. This left a lot of them stunned. They knew that this person was a top-tier practitioner. With that in mind, they all did not dare to continue watching as they started to scurry off.

“What a barbaric and unreasonable woman!”

Ning Xiaochuan straightened his clothes before starting to make his way back to Begonia Manor.

Throughout this journey, Ning Xiaochuan kept looking back and could always see Ji Hanxing following behind him.

She looked as if she was casually walking, but her speed still kept up with the Green Deerhorse carriage. If an average person saw this, they might even think that there was a blue ghoul following behind the carriage and faint from fear.

In the beginning, Ning Xiaochuan was quite alert about this, but as he saw that she did not have any intention of making a move, Ning Xiaochuan started to disregard her presence.