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nTranslator: Nyoi-Bo Studio Editor: Nyoi-Bo Studio

nHost: Lu Fan

nTitle: Qi Refiner (Permanent)

nRefined Qi Level: 1

nSoul Strength: 1

nPhysique Strength: 0.5

nSpirit Qi: 8 wisps

nTransformation Reward: Fantasy Creation Qi Refining Manual

nCurrent World Ranking: Wuhuang Continent (Low-Level Martial World)

nAccess: Quests, Dao Imparting Platform, Spirit Qi Deployment

nAs Lu Fan flicked his finger, the stats page appeared before his eyes. In the Spirit Qi field, the number of wisps decreased by one. He was now left with eight wisps.

n“Activate Access… Spirit Qi Deployment.”

n“Deployment Target: Ning Zhao.”

nHe used his consciousness to confirm this.

nThe scene in front of Lu Fan’s eyes changed. The sun had been shining brightly a moment earlier, but now the world instantly darkened. Shapes of people and buildings became mere outlines, allowing him to see straight through them.

nIt was like an atlas from the viewpoint of the heavens.

nWhen he shifted his consciousness, he realized he could zoom in as much as he wanted, and he could now see the outline of Ning Zhao right in front of him.

nThere was a light blue wisp of Spirit Qi within Ning Zhao, and it seemed to be burning brightly in her dantian.

nThat was the first wisp of Spirit Qi that Lu Fan had given Ning Zhao.

nWith a flick of his finger, he willed the second light blue spark to fly gently out toward Ning Zhao’s form.

nWhoosh…

nIn the next moment, the additional wisp of Spirit Qi flowed into Ning Zhao’s dantian like fuel being tossed onto a fire.

nLu Fan exited that fantasy-like mode. The world, which had turned into mere outlines and allowed him to zoom in and out as he pleased, went back to normal.

nLu Fan felt like a needle had been driven through his skill. He lifted a hand to hold up his head as his hair cascaded through the gaps between his fingers.

nIn the Soul Strength field of the stats page, the number one had become 0.5. It had decreased by half.

nNow both Soul Strength and Physique Strength were on par.

n“So remote deployment of Spirit Qi actually consumes my Soul Strength. I have been too careless about this.” Lu Fan shook his head and laughed ruefully at himself as he took a deep breath.

nThe first time he had deployed Spirit Qi, Lu Fan had done so by holding Ning Zhao’s hand, so it hadn’t consumed any of his Soul Strength.

nBut this time, he was atop the city wall, while Ning Zhao was below.

nRemote deployment apparently had a cost.

nLu Fan suddenly became alarmed. If his Soul Strength hit zero, would he become a vegetable?

nIt seemed like even though he had the advantage of the system, he couldn’t become reckless. Even though being bold and wild might feel good in the moment, it wasn’t worth it if he became useless in the process.

nLu Fan exhaled and put the thoughts out of his mind.

nHis bloodshot eyes looked down over the low section of the wall.

nWith Lu Fan’s latest gift of power, Ning Zhao now had two wisps of Spirit Qi. Even though she still hadn’t fully grasped the use of the Spirit Qi, the additional energy would still advance her skill in obvious ways.

nHow powerful would Ning Zhao become?

nLu Fan was rather looking forward to seeing that.

n***

nAt the bottom of the gatehouse…

nThe battered city gate opened.

nLu Changkong sat astride his horse, his upper body still bare. He stalked forward on his horse, dusty hand gripping his long halberd.

nHe was there to help Ning Zhao.

nHow could he allow Ning Zhao to face four enemies alone? And all four of them were Grandmasters.

nIf he joined in the fight, then it would be two versus four, and there was a chance they could still retreat into Beiluo City. One could not simply allow a Grandmaster to die.

nIn the distance, Feng Shi, who had been galloping away furiously, also pulled up his horse and turned to watch the battle.

nHe wasn’t going to miss this battle of the Grandmasters.

nAnd he wasn’t the only person watching with anticipation.

nAll of North County’s troops were approaching.

nTantai Xuan’s red cape billowed in the wind as he stood on the battle observation deck, which was slowly moving forward. He, too, was watching the battle about to begin at the bottom of Beiluo City’s wall.

nThere was only one of her against four Grandmasters.

nEven though the Young Master had granted her one wisp of Spirit Qi to aid her, Ning Zhao wasn’t very confident…

nBut since the young master said he had her back, she believed in him.

nThe young master had experienced a real immortal encounter, and he was going to change the world!

nThe three Grandmasters of the martial arts world, as well as the Grandmaster serving Tantai Xuan, all rushed toward her.

nThe Grandmasters who trained in external energy were like ferocious wild beasts, and those who trained in internal energy were like an overflowing river!

nNing Zhao lifted her Cicada Wing Sword and waited grimly.

nSuddenly, Ning Zhao’s body jerked.

nA red flush appeared on her calm, beautiful face.

nIn the next moment, her red lips parted slightly, and her eyes lost their focus.

nA warmth settled on her from above, washing over her skin and down into her body.

nNing Zhao looked up, and her hair flew around her head as her dress billowed.

nShe knew this feeling!

nThe young master had granted her another wisp of Spirit Qi from afar!

nNing Zhao didn’t have words to describe her excitement.

nThis was definitely the move of an immortal!

nAll the emotions within her culminated in a feminine shout.

nHer dantian pulsed like a roaring furnace. She could sense that her soul had become sublime, and she felt like she had broken free from something she had never even realized was holding her back.

n“Is this the Second Stage of the Qi Core Realm?” Ning Zhao’s long lashes trembled slightly, and color filled her cheeks.

nThe four Grandmasters were still rushing at her.

nThe pressure from them, which had nearly made Ning Zhao’s Qi and blood stop flowing, suddenly disappeared.

nNing Zhao swung her Cicada Wing Sword.

nThe two wisps of Spirit Qi flowed out from her dantian like pearls from a dragon.

nAs she leaped up and spun, her light dress billowed, making her look like a sprite dancing through the air…

nPfft!

nThere was astonishment on the four Grandmasters’ faces.

nHer attack struck all of them.

nThe force from that one move caused their hands to split open, their blood spurting out like crimson arrows. They were thrown from their horses, their bodies skidding several feet over the ground before they came to a halt.

nA single swing of the sword had struck down four Grandmasters!

nThe entire battlefield froze.

nEveryone’s eyes turned to the woman in a light dress and holding a Cicada Wing Sword.

nHoofbeats sounded in the silence like the pitter-patter of rain.

nLu Changkong’s face froze as he emerged from the city gate with his halberd in hand.

nWas that… was that Ning Zhao? How had she become this ferocious?

nWas this the maid he had found for Lu Fan?

nWas a maid under his care… this powerful?

n***

nAt the top of the gatehouse…

nLuo Yue’s mouth was wide open, and disbelief filled his eyes.

nShe had won?!

nNing Zhao had struck down four Grandmasters all by herself?!

nLuo Yue suddenly thought of something as he turned to look at Lu Fan, who was seated in his wheelchair. Although he was slightly pale, his face was calm and natural, as if he had expected all of this.

n“Young Master…” Luo Yue began.

nHe had a million questions, but his intuition told him that the change in Ning Zhao had something to do with Lu Fan.

nNing Zhao landed back on the ground gracefully, her face still cold and calm. She didn’t even glance at the four Grandmasters.

nHer long lashes fluttered, and her gaze landed on Feng Shi, who was still sitting mutely on his horse some distance away.

nWhen her gaze locked on him, Feng Shi snapped out of his daze.

nHe was so frightened that he shuddered.

n“D*mn it!” he whispered to himself.

nHesitating no longer, he kicked his horse and continued his escape toward the North County troops.

nHe started to regret stopping to watch the show. Why had he bothered?

n***

nBack at the gatehouse…

nLu Fan was sitting in his wheelchair with his head tilted to one side and a hand over his face.

n“Sister Ning, I’m very tired. Get this over with quickly.”

nLu Fan was very weak.

nHis voice wasn’t loud, but Ning Zhao’s pretty ears caught every word, even though she was at the bottom of the city wall.

nShe leaped forward in an instant.

nShe was even faster than a horse!

nFeng Shi felt like his soul would leave his body soon, and his hands and feet were ice-cold from fear.

nEven the horse under him, which was trying its best to gallop away, didn’t give him any sense of security.

nHe looked up toward the oncoming northern troops and saw Tantai Xuan standing on the battle observation deck, his red cape flying grandly in the wind. He yelled in a trembling voice, “Commander, save me!”

nTantai Xuan’s eyes focused, and the scholar next to him, Mo Ju, narrowed his eyes as well.

nPfft.

nAlas…

nThe shout had barely passed Feng Shi’s lips when he turned his head and saw that Ning Zhao had landed silently on his horse behind him. She was now standing and looking down at him.

nA terrible chill sank into Feng Shi’s gut.

n“You…”

nBefore his huge body could even react, Ning Zhao slashed him twice with her sword. Feng Shi howled in pain as both his legs were severed and blood poured from the wounds.

nWith the flick of her sword, Ning Zhao also severed the ligaments in his hand. She picked him up by the collar and flew off the horse.

nSomehow, she made the entire affair look effortless. Every movement she made was elegant and tasteful.

nTantai Xuan’s troops stood right in front of Ning Zhao.

nShe glanced at them before turning back to the city, still carrying Feng Shi.

nShe had managed to strike down four Grandmasters with her sword, but it wasn’t possible to go up against an army of 50,000 by herself.

nThe Spirit Qi from the young master had changed her immensely, but she was only a little stronger than an ordinary Grandmaster.

nIf she wanted to go up against 10,000 men by herself, that might become possible eventually, but only after she reached an advanced stage of the Qi Core Realm.

n***

nLu Changkong snapped out of his daze.

nPicking up where Ning Zhao left off, he gathered up the four stunned Grandmasters and took them back into the city.

nNing Zhao also flew back into the city, Feng Shi dangling from her hand.

nThe old, battered city gate of Beiluo City slammed closed behind them.

nWhen he got back into the city, Lu Changkong immediately raised his long halberd and roared, his voice resonating in the streets.

n“The enemy troops are coming! Prepare for battle!”

n“Protect the city, even if it costs you your life!”

n“Protect the honor of Great Zhou!”

nNing Zhao carried the despairing Feng Shi forward, and all the nearby guards glanced at her fearfully.

nThis woman was simply too terrifying.

n“This is the man who was hurling insults at you from the bottom of the wall, Young Master. I have taken him prisoner, and you can decide whether to kill him or torture him,” Ning Zhao said as she threw Feng Shi in front of Lu Fan with a radiant smile.

nBut her smile vanished the moment she saw how pale Lu Fan looked.

nHer heart sank.

nLu Fan rubbed his palms together with little excitement as he looked at Feng Shi, who had collapsed on the floor and was pretending to be dead. He suddenly felt very empty.

nAt that moment, a message from the system popped up.

nCongratulations on completing the side quest. You now have two available points, and access to the Dao Imparting Platform has been activated.

nQuest Rating: B (Pass).

nLu Fan raised an eyebrow. He had only gotten a B for this side quest. It looked like Ning Zhao’s power still wasn’t quite enough.

nBut since the system said that he had completed this mission, the coming attack from the northern troops shouldn’t affect Beiluo City too much.

nNow that the crisis facing Beiluo City had been resolved, Lu Fan didn’t want to waste any more time on this side of the city. Not only had the consumption of his Soul Strength left him exhausted, but…

nHe really wanted to go back and have a closer look at his quest reward.

n“Father, I’ll hand this crazy man over to you. You can skin him, chop him up, steam him, or boil him… Whatever you prefer, Father,” Lu Fan said to Lu Changkong, who had just reached the top of the gatehouse. But he trailed off toward the end, waving his hands suggestively instead of finishing.

nFeng Shi’s muscles tensed as he lay on the ground, pretending to be dead. The terror in his heart spread throughout his body.

nWas Lu Changkong’s son a demon?!

nLu Fan glanced at Ning Zhao and said, “Sister Ning, take me back home.”

nSince the mission had been completed, it was time to leave.

n“Fan’er, did this shake you up? Go home and rest well…”

nLu Changkong’s heart ached when he saw how pale Lu Fan’s face was.

nHe didn’t believe what Yi Yue had said at all.

nWhat was this about an encounter with an immortal? That was utter rubbish.

nThere was no such thing as immortals in this world.

nNing Zhao didn’t say anything, nor did she explain anything to Lu Changkong. She felt that she must have had something to do with why the young master had become weaker, and so she was fearful and heartbroken.

nAs soldiers got into formation to defend the city around the gatehouse, Ning Zhao pushed the wheelchair, taking Lu Fan down to ground level.

nWhen they reached the bottom of the wall, Yi Yue returned to Lu Fan’s side with a pale but respectful expression on her face. Ni Yu held onto the handle of the umbrella and followed closely.

nLu Fan placed his hands on the throw that covered his legs. He closed his eyes to rest as his maids pushed him along. They left quietly, the same way they had come, not taking anything away from the scene.

nThe evening sun was low in the sky.

nThe last of the day’s sunshine shone across them, stretching the shadow of the eldest maid far across the dusty surface of the street.

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