Chapter 5: The Wanxiang Adept

A green-robed man with flowing hair, riding the wind, landed before Ji Ning. He smiled and said, 'My surname is Mu, given name Xiao. People call me Mu the Adept.'

'Greetings, Adept Mu.' Ji Ning felt a sense of relief. This Wanxiang Adept, whom he had never met before, was willing to tell him his name, clearly showing that he thought highly of Ji Ning.

'Thank you, Adept Mu, for your intervention. If that Bo Zishan had escaped, it would have been a disaster in the future.' Ji Ning quickly expressed his gratitude.

Adept Mu Xiao smiled and shook his head. 'Actually, I should be the one thanking you. I came here specifically to kill Bo Zishan. I tracked him for months before discovering his hiding place here. Unfortunately, Bo Zishan had set up a grand formation around the area. Although I am a Wanxiang Adept, I wasn't confident in breaking the formation by force. So I waited nearby, planning to kill him when he left the formation. Instead, I witnessed a wonderful show.'

Ji Ning was stunned.

What?

So Adept Mu Xiao had been hiding nearby all along, and he had seen everything?

'Later, you broke the grand formation,' Adept Mu Xiao marveled. 'Then I realized it was you. A young man like you breaking the formation—impressive! And I didn't expect that you would take care of all those Dao soldiers, innate creatures, and even Bo Zishan by yourself. Haha, it made things easy for me.'

'If I had known you were here, Adept Mu, I wouldn't have been so reckless,' Ji Ning said quickly.

Adept Mu Xiao looked at Ji Ning with curiosity. 'Ji Ning, I want to ask: are you a Zifu cultivator or an innate creature?'

A person's strength cannot be judged by appearance alone.

However, Adept Mu Xiao had observed from outside for a long time, especially after Ji Ning broke the formation. He had watched the battle closely. As the saying goes, 'the bystander sees clearly.' Adept Mu Xiao noticed some issues and felt that Ji Ning was probably not a Zifu cultivator.

'I have not opened my Zifu,' Ji Ning did not hide the truth.

Adept Mu Xiao's face showed surprise. 'As I thought! I saw that your sword technique is profound, reaching the realm of 'Dao's True Intent.' If you were a Zifu cultivator, using elemental energy to execute such a profound sword technique, you could have easily repelled that black-haired zombie. The battle should have been much easier. But just now, you were quite beleaguered. That made me guess you were not a Zifu cultivator. Yet, if you are not a Zifu cultivator, those flying sword artifacts must have been controlled by your divine sense. You are merely an innate creature, yet your soul is so powerful—truly rare, truly rare.'

Ji Ning nodded.

He did not deny it, because according to some books he had read, there were naturally monstrous talents.

'I was born with a strong soul,' Ji Ning said. 'Since childhood, I could multitask. Later, when I comprehended the Dao's True Intent, I developed divine sense.'

…

Facing a Wanxiang Adept who could easily kill him, Ji Ning naturally knew not to play tricks. Since he was an extraordinarily talented genius, he might as well show it; perhaps it would bring benefits.

'Let me ask you another question.' Adept Mu Xiao looked at Ji Ning as if he were a piece of uncut jade. 'Are you practicing the Crimsonbright Diagram of the Nine Heavens?'

'Yes,' Ji Ning nodded.

'Haha...' Adept Mu Xiao smiled with satisfaction. 'Do you know who I am? Why am I pursuing Bo Zishan?'

Ji Ning looked at Adept Mu Xiao and shook his head. They had never met before, so how could he know who he was?

Adept Mu Xiao said directly, 'I am a member of the Yinglong Guard of the Grand Xia Dynasty. I received orders to pursue and kill Bo Zishan.'

'Yinglong Guard?' Ji Ning was startled.

After he killed the great demon Winged Serpent, his parents had told him about the entire Anchan Commandery, including one absolutely inviolable major power—the Yinglong Guard! The Yinglong Guard was the most powerful force of the Grand Xia Dynasty, composed entirely of cultivators, and it was said that at least Wanxiang Adepts could join.

The Yinglong Guard was directly under the Grand Xia Dynasty, holding an extremely special status!

Among the countless powers in the vast lands of Anchan Commandery, the top two were the Marquis of Anchan and the Yinglong Guard! The Marquis of Anchan was the lord of this land, with deep roots. The Yinglong Guard was directly under the Grand Xia Dynasty, with many strong members and the entire Grand Xia Dynasty as its backing.

'Ji Ning,' Adept Mu Xiao looked at him. 'The Yinglong Guard of the Grand Xia Dynasty is the most powerful force in this endless land. No tribe, no sect, no school can compare to our Yinglong Guard!'

Ji Ning nodded in agreement.

'The Yinglong Guard offers great freedom and few constraints. Once you become a member, you can bring blessings to your tribe. A territory of ten thousand li can be marked out within your tribe's lands, and that territory will be under the protection of the Yinglong Guard. Even if you die, the Yinglong Guard will protect that territory for a thousand years. No force dares to invade, for that would be a provocation to the Yinglong Guard, and we would directly eradicate that force!' Adept Mu Xiao said.

Ji Ning had also heard from his parents that the Yinglong Guard indeed enjoyed high status, and even the tribe benefited.

'You say so much, but I cannot become a member of the Yinglong Guard,' Ji Ning laughed.

Adept Mu Xiao looked at him. 'Let me ask you: are you willing to become a member of the Yinglong Guard?'

'I!' Ji Ning's eyes widened. 'I am merely an innate creature. Even if I wanted to, my strength is far from sufficient.'

Adept Mu Xiao shook his head. 'Strength is not an issue for now. You cannot directly enter the Yinglong Guard, but we also have a reserve army! Just as some sects, schools, and tribes deliberately attract geniuses to join, our Yinglong Guard's reserve army also attracts geniuses and then trains them.'

'Once you enter the reserve army, you will have access to various cultivation methods, even divine abilities.' Adept Mu Xiao sighed. 'If you consider the Yinglong Guard as a sect, it is the most powerful sect, with many immortals and even celestial immortals appearing.'

'Of course, the threshold for the reserve army is high; not everyone can enter. Fortunately, you practice the Crimsonbright Diagram of the Nine Heavens, which is the number one divine body cultivation method.' Adept Mu Xiao looked at Ji Ning. 'Anyone who becomes an innate creature through the Crimsonbright Diagram of the Nine Heavens can directly enter the reserve army without going through multiple assessments.'

'The Crimsonbright Diagram of the Nine Heavens is extremely difficult. Those who become innate creatures through it are all monstrous geniuses.' Adept Mu Xiao sighed, and Ji Ning resonated with him. Yes, he had comprehended the Dao by the pond to understand how to merge water and fire to break through to the innate stage. Others would also need to comprehend the mystery of water-fire fusion to break through.

'Cultivators who practice the Crimsonbright Diagram of the Nine Heavens are all extraordinary.' Adept Mu Xiao said. 'For ordinary cultivators, only Wanxiang Adepts have a chance to enter the Yinglong Guard.'

'But for those who practice the Crimsonbright Diagram of the Nine Heavens, once they reach the Zifu level and learn a divine ability, their combat power can rival that of a Wanxiang Adept. Then they have a certain chance to enter the Yinglong Guard. Of course, that only means they have a chance; whether they can enter depends on strength.' Adept Mu Xiao said. 'I entered the Yinglong Guard only at the late Wanxiang stage.'

Ji Ning blinked a couple of times.

Late Wanxiang?

The Yinglong Guard was really hard to enter!

…

At that moment, the thousands of surviving Dao soldiers in the distance looked on in terror. Two figures descended from the sky, transformed from the Cyan Flame Bird and the Black Serpent. They both looked at Ji Ning.

'You two go rescue Master Meng Yu and the others first. I still have some words with the senior.' Ji Ning quickly instructed.

'Yes.' The Cyan Flame Bird and the Black Serpent both responded. Having witnessed Ji Ning's battle with Bo Zishan, they felt a sense of awe.

Although Ji Ning was anxious about his mother's condition, he could not neglect this Wanxiang Adept. He even hoped to invite the adept to West Prefecture City.

'Once you enter the reserve army, your future will be limitless.' Adept Mu Xiao said. 'Becoming a member of the Yinglong Guard will come naturally. At least, your chances are much greater than staying in your tribe. Think it over carefully. If you are willing to enter the reserve army, go back and bid farewell to your parents. I can take you directly to Anchan City!'

Go to Anchan City?

Ji Ning was taken aback.

'Adept Mu,' Ji Ning quickly said. 'The reserve army has many benefits, but I assume there are also costs?'

'Of course.' Adept Mu Xiao nodded. 'Once you enter the reserve army, you cannot leave the mountain until you reach the Zifu stage.'

'Cannot leave the mountain?' Ji Ning was puzzled.

Adept Mu Xiao said, 'The camp of our Yinglong Guard is on a towering mountain, and the reserve army is also there. If you cannot even reach the Zifu stage, you will die on the mountain. Once you reach the Zifu stage, you can go out frequently, but you must still live on the mountain long-term and can only leave when ordered. Only when you become a full member of the Yinglong Guard will you be free.'

Ji Ning nodded.

He understood: the reserve army was essentially like a sect—no leaving the mountain until Zifu, and even after Zifu, one had to stay on the mountain most of the time and could only leave when ordered.

'I have the Water Mansion,' Ji Ning thought. 'With the ancient Water Mansion, Ju Hua the Immortal became a loose immortal and lived for millions of years, with strength rivaling a celestial immortal. There are many secrets in the Water Mansion for me to explore. Once I become a Zifu cultivator, I can refine the talisman and enter. Why rush to join the reserve army?'

Adept Mu Xiao spoke up beside him. 'Ji Ning, who is teaching you in Yan Mountain? With such talent, you need to go to a broader world.'

'Thank you, Adept.' Ji Ning thought for a moment and shook his head. 'You must have heard that my mother is critically ill. For now, I don't want to go.'

Adept Mu Xiao nodded upon hearing this. 'In that case, I won't force you. This is my Yinglong Guard token. In the future, when you go to Anchan City and encounter danger, showing this token may be of some use.' He flipped his hand, and a square black token appeared, engraved with a Yinglong.

'Thank you, Adept.' Ji Ning took it. 'Ji Ning has a favor to ask of you.'

Adept Mu Xiao laughed. 'You helped me eliminate Bo Zishan of the Snowdragon Mountain. I wanted to help you by sending you to Anchan City to join the Yinglong Guard reserve army. Since you don't want to go, I was worried about repaying this favor. Just say it. If I can help, I will.'