Chapter 31: The Killing Move—'Nine Great Secret Arts'

Among the Nine Great Secret Arts, the Nine Source Divine Thunder and Nine Source Divine Water had already been obtained and needed no further purchase, but the other seven secret arts required buying.

Nine Source Divine Fire, Nine Source Thick Earth, and the like were relatively cheap, each costing one million cubes, the same as in the Mangya Kingdom.

Nine Source Divine Wind and Nine Source Divine Light each cost one point five million cubes.

Nine Source Void cost five million cubes.

The total was twelve million cubes!

"Let's see if there are other secret arts suitable for me," Ji Ning mused. The Wan Shen Dao Lord's Nine Great Secret Arts were strong in some ways and weak in others, for even when cultivated to the utmost, these secret arts could not kill an ordinary Eternal Emperor. At best, they could bind and suppress an Eternal Emperor! As for the secret arts taught to Ji Ning by the deceased Dominator, they could kill an Emperor, but unfortunately, they were too difficult to cultivate.

...

Ji Ning took the seven scrolls of secret arts and spent three more days wandering within the Dharma Realm, truly broadening his horizons and understanding the might of countless secret arts. The Mangya Kingdom was indeed far inferior to the Dao Alliance in terms of secret arts! The Dao Alliance had an enormous number of cultivators, naturally producing far more prodigies. Accumulated over generations, there were countless secret arts far superior to the Nine Great Secret Arts.

However, for Ji Ning at his current stage, the Nine Great Secret Arts were indeed the most suitable for him, allowing him to exert the greatest strength.

"Why didn't you two stay inside and look around more?" Ji Ning walked out of the Dharma Realm and saw Su Youji and Danbao waiting at the entrance.

"We don't need any techniques or secret arts. A couple of days of browsing was enough," Danbao said.

"We still haven't finished cultivating our own techniques," Su Youji added.

Danbao was wholly devoted to alchemy; the first six chapters of the 'Dan Ye Seven Chapters' were enough for him to comprehend, and the same went for Su Youji.

"Master, have you chosen your techniques?" Su Youji asked curiously.

"Yes."

Ji Ning walked toward the guardian puppet. With a flip of his hand, the seven jade scrolls appeared. The guardian puppet's eyes blazed with flames as it scanned the scrolls and said calmly, "Seven scrolls of secret arts, total twelve million cubes."

"So expensive?" Su Youji and Danbao were taken aback.

"Here." Ji Ning handed over a jade bottle.

The guardian puppet took it, inspected it, nodded, and then lightly tapped the seven jade scrolls. Immediately, light rippled across their surfaces as the restrictions were temporarily lifted.

Ji Ning immediately extended his divine sense into them, first swearing a lifebound oath not to divulge them, then memorizing all seven secret arts.

"I've memorized them." Ji Ning handed the jade scrolls back to the guardian puppet.

"Good." The guardian puppet took them, waved a hand to restore the restrictions, and then tossed the seven scrolls back into the Dharma Realm.

"Let's go." Ji Ning was quite spirited.

...

The World-level 'white-robed elder' from the Tianmu Sect was still waiting for Ji Ning and the others to guide them.

"How many places in Tianmu City sell treasures and exotic items?" Ji Ning asked.

"The best is, of course, our Tianmu Sect's 'Featherfall Tower'," the white-robed elder quickly replied. Trading treasures was extremely profitable; Dao Lords risked their lives outside to earn a few million cubes at most. But the treasure and exotic item trade in the eight sacred cities yielded absurdly high profits. Naturally, ordinary forces had no right to sell treasures and exotic items in the eight sacred cities.

"I asked how many places there are," Ji Ning repeated.

The white-robed elder had no choice but to answer, "There are three: our Tianmu Sect's Featherfall Tower, the Blackwater Pavilion, and the Universal Treasure Hall. But since this is Tianmu City, our Featherfall Tower has the most treasures and exotic items."

"Then let's go to Featherfall Tower first," Ji Ning said with a smile.

Having obtained the secret arts, he now needed to purchase various exotic items to cultivate them.

For instance, he was still lacking in Dao Thunder and Dao Water!

"That is our Tianmu Sect's Featherfall Tower," the white-robed elder pointed ahead. It was a magnificent, towering nine-story building atop the clouds, radiating brilliant light and layered with numerous array restrictions. The Featherfall Tower was where the Tianmu Sect stored countless treasures and exotic items, so security was extremely tight.

"Featherfall Tower often holds bidding meetings. There's one in a little over a month," the white-robed elder said. "You three seniors might want to take a look."

"No need for bidding meetings." Ji Ning flew directly toward Featherfall Tower.

In places like Yishui City of the Domo Domain, bidding meetings were rare.

But in Tianmu City, one of the eight sacred cities, the three establishments—Featherfall Tower, Blackwater Pavilion, and Universal Treasure Hall—occasionally held bidding meetings.

Flying into the protective range of the array restrictions, Ji Ning could feel a surging wave of treasures and exotic items washing over him.

"Truly mountains of treasures," Ji Ning remarked. Glancing through the main entrance of Featherfall Tower, he saw a vast array of treasures, so numerous it was astonishing—more than ten times the amount in any of the twelve palaces of the Mangya Kingdom. In terms of 'quantity,' the Dao Alliance was always the greatest, whether in cultivators, techniques, or treasures.

"Danbao, Youji, now that you've broken through to Dao Lord, you need some treasures to unleash your strength," Ji Ning said. "Feel free to look at whatever you want; up to five million cubes each."

"Five million cubes?" Danbao and Su Youji were both startled.

"Don't be modest, Danbao. You need a good cauldron and various refining materials for alchemy, or how else can you improve?" Ji Ning instructed. "Youji, your strength is decent now, but with treasures, you can increase it further."

The two had followed him through life and death and remained loyal.

Ji Ning couldn't be too stingy.

If he weren't about to cultivate the Nine Great Secret Arts, which required a great deal, he might have been even more generous.

"Let's go in." Ji Ning led the way into Featherfall Tower. Their earlier conversation had been through telepathy, unheard by the white-robed elder.

"Seniors, I'll take my leave now. If you need anything, feel free to instruct the attendants in Featherfall Tower," the white-robed elder said loudly. His main task was to deliver Ji Ning and his companions to Featherfall Tower and earn a hefty commission from them.

...

Inside Featherfall Tower, everything was encompassed.

Beautiful women abounded, though none matched Su Youji, yet each was captivating. Treasures and exotic items were displayed everywhere, some as cheap as a few hundred cubes, while others were priceless.

"Senior, what would you like to buy? Our Featherfall Tower has accumulated over endless years; there is nothing we don't have," a female attendant of an alien race accompanied Ji Ning, her face adorned with reddish fur, adding to her allure.

"This is a list of the exotic items I need," Ji Ning said, handing over a jade slip. "Check and tell me your price."

The alien female attendant smiled, took the jade slip, and probed it with her divine sense.

Upon inspection, her expression shifted slightly, and she couldn't help but look up at Ji Ning.

Good heavens!

This seemingly Second Step Dao Lord wanted to buy so many exotic treasures? The total would likely be tens of millions of cubes.

"I'll go ask. Please wait a moment, senior," the alien attendant said softly, then withdrew to report.

Ji Ning casually admired other treasures in Featherfall Tower. His list included all the exotic items needed for the Nine Great Secret Arts, except for the seven types of Dao Thunder and seven types of Dao Water he already possessed.

However, what Ji Ning had was relatively cheap. For instance, the most expensive of the nine types of Dao Thunder, 'Annihilation Realm Divine Thunder,' cost one point nine million cubes in the Mangya Kingdom! Ji Ning still lacked two types, the most expensive thunders, and the same went for divine waters!

As for the other seven secret arts, he had none at all!

"This fellow Daoist." A silver-robed Dao Lord walked out, looking at Ji Ning, and spoke through telepathy, "The exotic items you need are quite numerous, but our Featherfall Tower has them all."

"Mm." Ji Ning nodded.

These items were also available in the Mangya Kingdom. It was no surprise that the Featherfall Tower of the Tianmu Sect, which controlled one of the eight sacred cities, had them.

"How much chaos nectar?" Ji Ning asked.

"Some chaos divine fire, chaos divine wind, and the like can be given to you for free. But for the rest, the total is thirty-eight million cubes," the silver-robed Dao Lord said. He was curious whether a Second Step Dao Lord could afford that much. After all, when the Qingfeng Holy Master was squeezed by the Tiancang Palace, they only got twenty million cubes out of him.

"Too expensive," Ji Ning shook his head. "I wouldn't need to pay this much even in the Mangya Kingdom."

"The Mangya Kingdom?" The silver-robed Dao Lord was taken aback, then quickly said, "Thirty-six million cubes, a very low price. I believe you know the approximate market rate, fellow Daoist."

Ji Ning muttered to himself.

If he bought them in the Mangya Kingdom, it would indeed be about thirty-six million cubes.

"I'll check the Blackwater Pavilion and the Universal Treasure Hall. I need to find the lowest price," Ji Ning said.

The silver-robed Dao Lord's eye twitched.

...

After some bargaining, the deal was finally struck at thirty-four million cubes! With competition among Featherfall Tower, Blackwater Pavilion, and Universal Treasure Hall, they could indeed push the price very low.

"All the exotic items are ready. Just give me the chaos nectar, fellow Daoist," the silver-robed Dao Lord said, looking at Ji Ning.

"Do you acquire ores here?" Ji Ning suddenly asked.

"Acquire ores?" The silver-robed Dao Lord was startled.

Ji Ning nodded: "Yes, ores. Space Fire Netherstone."

Ji Ning was helpless himself, for his chaos nectar and chaos crystals were insufficient for thirty-four million cubes.

...