Chapter 23: The Official Lei's Expedition to Hua

  PS: It's late at night, brothers, don't forget to click collect when you pass by, thank you ^^...

  ……

  After leaving the training ground, Nie Kong only felt a deep sense of fatigue, his muscles aching all over, his bones feeling like they were going to scatter, and his whole body was somewhat soft and weak. Especially his hands, which had been used countless times to practice "Flower Explosion" on the red sandalwood, making his palms and backs of his hands ache with pain.

  However, this was the best time to take a bath with "Muscle and Bone Strengthening Broth". Nie Kong manipulated his spiritual power to drag his tired legs back home as quickly as possible. After saying a word to Hua Mei who was picking vegetables in the courtyard, the two of them started bustling about in the kitchen.

  About half an hour passed, Nie Kong sat into the large bathtub, with his neck and below submerged in the hot water dyed light red by the medicinal liquid.

  The nine-turn golden needle technique was performed, and with Nie Kong's finger kneading, the red medicinal liquid entered the body through the pores at a visible speed.

  Nie Kong's body thoroughly relaxed, the medicinal power quickly dispersing throughout his body, then easily merging into his bones and muscles. This time, Nie Kong absorbed the medicinal power much faster than before, in just a few short minutes, the bright red color of the water had turned pale red.

  After a few more minutes, the medicinal properties of the Jian Muscle and Bone Soup had been fully absorbed. The temperature in the bucket was still quite high, and Nie Kong didn't rush to get up. After putting the nine golden needles into his pet backpack, he lazily leaned against the edge of the wooden bucket, closed his eyes, and pretended to sleep, letting the hot water warm his skin.

  Before long, Nie Kong fell into a deep sleep...

  ……

  Cang Feng Yuan

  This was the residence of the Nie family for generations, elegant and serene. In the courtyard with bright lights, two people were sitting on both sides of a stone table, raising their cups to toast each other.

  The man on the left was about fifty years old, wearing a purple robe, with a square face and black whiskers that reached his chest. Although he was chatting and laughing with the old man opposite him, there was an air of dignity and authority in his expression.

  This man is Nie Qing Song, the current patriarch of the Nie family, one of the most outstanding patriarchs in the past 300 years. Under his leadership, the Nie family's power has reached its highest peak in nearly a hundred years.

  Nie QingSong's several children are almost all geniuses.

  Among them, the eldest son Nie Fenglei reached Tongling First Grade at the age of 12, entered Rongling at the age of 15, broke through to Hualing at the age of 19, and reached Hualing Ninth Grade at the age of 25. Later, he was accepted as a disciple by the master of "Moruo Sacred Mountain". Now, 27-year-old Nie Fenglei is said to have already possessed Yuling Second Grade cultivation.

  Erzi Nie Fengguan, although not as talented as his brother Nie Fenglei, is also a rare and extraordinary talent. At the age of 23, he reached the 9th rank of Fusion Spirit, after which he was sent to the "Tian Di Sect" by Nie QingSong. Now, two years have passed, and his cultivation has definitely entered the Hua Ling realm.

  Si Nü Fenghua, a name that matches her beauty, with a face as lovely as an immortal's. Her talent in spiritual cultivation is exceptional, and she also has a natural gift for alchemy. At the age of 14, when she had just entered the Tongling realm, she successfully refined a third-grade spirit medicine, and was eventually taken in as a closed-door disciple by the Great Elder of the Mo Xue Sect.

  Ma Luo Sacred Mountain, Tian Di Sect and Mo Xue Sect are all extremely famous and powerful spiritual sects on the Tian Ling Continent. Nie Feng Lei, Nie Feng Guan and Nie Feng Hua were able to enter these three sects, which has always been a source of pride for Nie Qing Song. Whenever someone mentions them, Nie Qing Song feels rather pleased with himself.

  Only the third son, Nie Feng Xing, had a talent that was not inferior to his second brother's, but he refused to put his mind into cultivation. He didn't even reach the eighth rank of spiritual awareness until he was over twenty years old, and many of his younger cousins were already surpassing him. In his daily life in Jicheng City, and even within the family, he was arrogant and lawless, causing Nie Qing Song a lot of headaches.

  Lei Guan Xing Hua, three sons are the worst!

  This phrase is used to describe Nie Feng's behavior, and the whole family knows it. Now every time he sees his third son, Nie Qing feels a sense of regret that iron cannot be made into steel.

  "Hey, Qing Song! Recently, our family has produced a prodigy. Do you know about it?" The old man who spoke had a small nose and eyes, with a baby face that looked quite amusing when he smiled. He was the ninth elder of the Nie family, and also the youngest among the nine great elders.

  Nie Qing Song smiled and said: "Ninth Uncle, who is it? Why don't I know?"

  The nine elders chuckled and said, "I just heard a few little rabbits say that there is a little guy who broke through from Jiling Sanpin to Jiling Liupin in just two days."

  "Oh?"

  It was Nie Qingyun's usual demeanor to have weathered countless storms, but upon hearing this, his face also revealed a look of shock. "Two days and three promotions, worthy of the word 'godly speed'. The Nie family has such talent, yet I knew nothing about it, and needed Ninth Uncle to tell me. This is indeed a dereliction of duty on my part as clan leader."

  The nine elders shook their heads and sighed, "No wonder you didn't know, this matter was only spread today. The child has been weak and sickly since childhood, and his father had asked me to help treat him back then, but unfortunately it was in vain. However, the child's temperament is firm and resolute, even though he remained at the Gathering Spirit stage for a long time, he persisted in bitter cultivation with his seriously ill body for ten years, until a few days ago, his illness suddenly improved, and his cultivation also made rapid progress."

  "Is it really like this?"

  Nie Qing said with a smile, "Ninth Uncle, what's this kid's name?"

  Jiǔ zhǎng lǎo said: "His name is Nie Kong, from a collateral branch, also belonging to the Wind character generation. His father was the one who died in battle three years ago when capturing the spiritual beast."

  Nie Qing Song pondered and said: "Three years ago? I seem to recall that he is the son of Nie Qing Yang."

  Jiulao let out a long sigh and downed the strong liquor in his cup, saying: "Qingsong, do you know what kind of spiritual power that little scoundrel Nie Kong is cultivating?"

  Before Nie Qing could speak up, he said in a low voice, "It's wood-type!"

  "Wooden?"

  Nie Qing Song was taken aback at first, then furrowed his brow, "This is a bit difficult to handle. In this world, the number of wood-type spiritual techniques and spells are too few, and our Nie family doesn't have any either. The only suitable one for a wood-type spiritual master to cultivate would probably be the 'Five Star Transfer Technique', a general-purpose spiritual technique. It's still usable at the initial stage of cultivation, but it becomes less suitable as you progress further."

  After a moment of contemplation, Nie Qing Song said: "Ninth Uncle, let's do this. We'll observe him for a while longer. If his talent is truly exceptional, we'll mobilize our people and search the Tianling Continent to find the Wood Element Spirit Technique for him. Such an extraordinary talent would be the greatest loss for the Nie family if not properly nurtured."

  "That's also true."

  The nine elders also nodded in agreement.

  "Father, Ninth Master, are you talking about Nie Kong?" A young man in white clothes walked into the courtyard with a smile on his face, who was exactly Nie Feng Xing.

  "You didn't go to Bingyan Cave for cultivation, what are you doing running to Cangfeng Academy?" Nie Qing Song's face sank, saying displeasedly.

  "Dad, I just came out of the Ice Flame Cave this morning."

  Nie Feng smiled and said, then suddenly changed the subject, speaking seriously, "Father, Ninth Grandfather, I've also seen that Nie Kong you mentioned. His talent is really not bad, it would be a pity if he's not properly cultivated. Next month on the fifteenth, the 'Fantasy Realm' in the back mountain will open, and our family will arrange for a batch of clan members under twenty years old to go in for training. Why don't we let him go too, so he can gain some experience? This will definitely be very beneficial for his cultivation."

  Phantom Realm?

  Nie Qing Song nodded slightly and said, "This is actually a good idea. This time, all clan members under the age of 20 who have reached the sixth rank of Spiritual Gathering will be allowed to enter the Illusory Realm. Since he has already reached the sixth rank of Spiritual Gathering, going in for some training might actually be very beneficial for his cultivation."

  Seeing that his father did not oppose his proposal, Nie Fengxing secretly felt pleased with himself. However, he soon caught sight of Ninth Elder smiling at him, and his heart slightly skipped a beat. He hastily said, "Father, Ninth Grandfather, you continue your conversation, I'll go in to see Mother." With that, he quickly took his leave.

  ……