Desolate Era (Book 6 - Book 10)

“Oh?” The white-clothed man, Zhou Li, looked towards Ning. He asked Ning, “Brother Ji Ning, what level have you trained to?” Ning replied, “I’m a twin-refiner; both a Ki Refiner and a Fiendgod Body Refiner. Both are at the early Zifu stage.”


“Hahaha, early Zifu stage? Good.” The white-clothed Zhou Li immediately felt relieved. Laughing, he said with confidence, “When accepting new disciples, our greatest concern is that they might have trained in some superficial, inferior techniques and destroyed their future potential. Since you are at the early Zifu stage…your foundation hasn’t yet become fixed and immutable. Just let me give the word first, and when the time of the twelth lunar month comes, you can go to our local branch of the Skysplitter Sword Sect. You will immediately be accepted.”

“Excellent.” Baiwei laughed, then said in praise, “Ji Ning, await the twelth lunar month. When it comes, you will be a disciple of the Skysplitter Sword Sect.”

Ning nodded gently. The Skysplitter Sword Sect? In the future, he was going to be a disciple of the Skysplitter Sword Sect!





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Book 7, Chapter 6 - Encountering Northmont Fox


The door to the refined room closed once more.

“You can stop worrying now.” Northmont Baiwei sat down, then picked up the exquisitely made wine flask and poured Ji Ning a cup of wine. “With Zhou Li’s assistance, after you enter the Skysplitter Sword Sect, you won’t suffer much.”

“Suffer much?” Ning raised an eyebrow. Baiwei shook his head. “It’s a major sect, after all, with more than ten thousand Zifu Disciples. Given how many disciples it holds, I imagine you can guess for yourself how frenetic its internal struggles can be. The disciples are all divided into various levels. As a new disciple, if there is no one there to help you, I imagine that you will be treated worse than any of the others.”

Ning nodded gently. It was true. Wherever there were people, there would be competition. A major sect with more than ten thousand disciples…its internal struggles would indeed be quite fierce.

“With Zhou Li’s assistance, it will be a bit easier for you to rise.” Baiwei continued, “But afterwards, you’ll still have to rely on yourself and to fight for yourself! Remember; opportunity comes to those who fight for them. Don’t show any mercy. Although I don’t know the details of the situation, this sort of major sect surely must run internal competitions so as to divide up its disciples into various levels. In these competitions, do your best to be number one and become one of the most core disciples of the Skysplitter Sword Sect.”

“Definitely!” Ning understood this principle. In the Ji clan, he would be given the best of everything, but in an outside school, he would have to fight for whatever he wanted.

“When you are free, please come visit Stillwater City often. I can introduce some friends to you.” Northmont Baiwei smiled. “The path of Immortals is an incomparably difficult one. With powerful friends by your side, things will become much easier. Look…take a look at this person who just came in.” Ning turned to look through the window.

Miss Ziyi had personally gone to greet this person. The person she had gone to greet was an extremely handsome young lord, who had more than ten people in his entourage behind him.

“His bearing is extraordinary,” Ning said with praise. “This person’s name is Hun Wuji.” Baiwei said solemnly, “He is a formidable fellow. As for his clan, the Hun clan, it is an enormous merchant clan.”

Ning was startled. Enormous merchant clan? A merchant? Generally speaking, most of the major powers were sects, schools, or tribes; there were very few organizations solely dedicated to trade.

“The Hun clan is no ordinary merchant clan.” Baiwei continued, “Their business is spread throughout virtually the entire Grand Xia Dynasty. Although they can’t be considered to stand at the very top-tier of the Grand Xia Dynasty, here in Stillwater Commandery, they are one of the top two major merchant clans! And this clan rose to power only a few short millennia ago.”

Ning said, startled, “Just a few thousand years ago?” Baiwei smiled. “The founder of the Hun clan was named Hun Tianyou. He’s still alive. You tell me; how long ago was this clan established?”

Ning was shocked. Only a few thousand years had passed since the clan had been established, and yet it was already one of the top two major merchant clans of the entire Stillwater Commandery, and had spread its trade throughout the entire Grand Xia Dynasty. This was indeed astonishing.

“This founder and Patriarch of the Hun clan, Hun Tianyou, was originally an orphan and a gangster.” Baiwei laughed as he spoke. “He himself gave himself the surname of ‘Hun’, symbolizing his original status as a gangster. He then gave himself the name ‘Tianyou’, meaning ‘protected by heaven’, as he was born as an orphan and kept alive through the grace of the heavens.”

“This Patriarch of the Hun clan…he wasn’t that talented in the path of cultivation. He became a Zifu Disciple early on, and then began to truly focus his attention on building up his business. Who would have imagined that he truly would rise to such heights?” Baiwei sighed, moved. “Audacius yet prudent, and viciously decisive…this person truly is a towering, heroic figure. In fact, when he was merely a Wanxiang Adept, he managed to employ three Immortals to have them kill his enemies.”

“He employed three Immortals?” Ning was speechless. Baiwei continued, “This Patriarch of the Hun clan relied on his tremendous wealth to forcibly increase his power to his current level, that of a Primal Daoist. Don’t be fooled by the fact that the entire Hun clan only has a total of two Primal Daoists. The amount of wealth they possess…compared to your enemy, Snowdragon Mountain, they are unfathomably more powerful.”

Ning nodded. For someone at the Wanxiang Adept level to be able to employ three Immortals…one could imagine how wealthy he now was.

“The Hun clan is one of the most supreme clans within our Stillwater Commandery.” Baiwei continued, “For them to reach such a level in just a thousand years…how formidable! As for that Hun Wuji who just entered? He’s the most prominent person in the younger generation of the Hun clan. He is viewed with great favor by the Patriarch of the Hun clan. Naturally, we need to be friends with people like this.”

“Within the borders of our Stillwater Commandery, the Hun clan is like the embodiment of the God of Wealth.” Baiwei continued, “On the path of Immortals, wealth is very important as well.”

Ning nodded. He understood; magic treasures, unique items, and even spirit-pills were all important. “Borrow from the strengths of those around you,” Baiwei continued, “And make the strengths of others your own strengths. Only then will you be able to walk further along the path of Immortals!” Ning nodded.

“Ji Ning, I trust that in the future, you will definitely become a towering figure somewhere.” Baiwei seemed to speak with great confidence. Ning replied, “Brother Baiwei, you treat me so well that I truly don’t know how to repay you.”

Baiwei immediately waved his hand. “This is what my father taught me; when you encounter someone you view as worth making friends with, you must treat them with sincerity! As for those not worthy of being your friends? I, Northmont Baiwei, wouldn’t even glance at them.” Ning laughed.

“You must be sincere to your friends. Otherwise, you won’t be able to make any true friends. Then, when a critical time comes, none of those ‘friends’ will help you,” Baiwei said. “Well-spoken,” Ning concurred. Only when you treated others with sincerity would they treat you with sincerity.