Chapter 132: One hundred thirty-two, promotion Chapter 132: One hundred thirty-two, promotion Finally, when she was almost unable to hold on, Song Yan Ning found a way in the inheritance. She clenched her fists tightly and used the last bit of her strength to bite her tongue hard; the taste of blood began to spread in her mouth.
The pain from the tip of her tongue made Song Yan Ning’s consciousness slightly clearer. She slowly opened her eyes, took a deep breath, and sprayed the blood in her mouth onto the brush she held. This was her last chance: if this method didn’t work, then despite her unwillingness, she would have to accept her fate.
At the moment when the blood sprayed onto the brush, the brush burst forth with golden light.
Song Yan Ning also, at the same time, couldn’t hold on any longer and fainted.
In her unconscious state, Song Yan Ning felt threads of Spiritual Power flowing from the hand that held the brush into her body; she thought this was just an illusion, but the Spiritual Power kept pouring in, quickly spreading throughout her entire body, causing all her pores to stretch open.
Song Yan Ning carefully felt it and confirmed that this was not an illusion. Indeed, Spiritual Power was continuously entering her body. She couldn’t help but get excited and quickly started to circulate her Cultivation Technique to absorb the Spiritual Power. This was the first time since entering this body that she felt such strong Spiritual Power. This was truly a blessing in disguise.
As Song Yan Ning kept absorbing the Spiritual Power, her cultivation also rapidly improved: the Sixth Level of Qi Refining, the Seventh Level… the Ninth Layer… she quickly reached the edge of a breakthrough, just one more step, and she could advance to Foundation Establishment.
Song Yan Ning quickened the speed of circulating her Cultivation Technique, striking at the last barrier. Once she broke through this barrier, she could advance to Foundation Establishment, and with Foundation Establishment, she could unlock the Seal within her body. Then, her speed of cultivation would become even faster.
Again and again, she struck at the barrier. Song Yan Ning heard a faint cracking sound, excitement surged in her heart, which was a sign that the barrier was about to break. With just a little more effort, she could advance to Foundation Establishment.
Just when Song Yan Ning was prepared to give it her all, the flow of Spiritual Power suddenly stopped, and without the support of Spiritual Power, the force of her strikes weakened at the same time. The barrier, which had already started making cracking sounds, became solid again.
Song Yan Ning opened her eyes and looked at the brush in her hand with irritation, “Can’t you give me a bit more Spiritual Power? I was just one step away.” However, she also knew that even if she had Spiritual Power now, striking at the barrier would be futile, as she had already missed the best opportunity to advance.
Song Yan Ning’s consciousness entered the brush, and three golden characters appeared in her mind, ‘Judge’s Pen.’ When she saw these words, her heart was instantly filled with excitement. She had heard of this Judge’s Pen; legends said that it was a Spiritual Artifact used by Netherworld Envoys to judge life and death. One stroke grants life, another takes it away, all depending on this pen.
Now that she had completely refined this brush, it meant she could use this pen to control others’ life and death.
“Master is mistaken!” A clear and ethereal voice rang out in Song Yan Ning’s consciousness.
“Are you the Pen Spirit of this brush?” Song Yan Ning, being a Cultivator herself, naturally wasn’t surprised by this.
“Yes, Master! I am Qing You, the Pen Spirit of this Judge’s Pen.”
Song Yan Ning nodded, indicating her understanding, “Where did I go wrong?”
“Master has now become the owner of the Judge’s Pen and naturally can use the Judge’s Pen to determine life and death. But with the Master’s current level of cultivation, it can only be used once a month; otherwise, the Judge’s Pen will backfire.”
Song Yan Ning rolled her eyes in silence, “This thing is too much of a trifle.” She could kill someone without a trace and save others as long as they still breathed, so whether she had the Judge’s Pen didn’t make much difference.
“Master is mistaken. The function of the Judge’s Pen is not merely to determine life and death; it is also an attacking artifact. Once the Master has used it, you will know its power,” said Qing You with a hint of pride.
“Alright.” Song Yan Ning gave a mental command and took the Judge’s Pen into her Sea of Consciousness. Earth is still safe; she didn’t need to use the Judge’s Pen for the time being.
She turned her head to look at the clock on the wall and realized it was almost 5 AM. Song Yan Ning smiled wryly. Although she did not break through to Foundation Establishment this time, she was still happy to have advanced to the Ninth Layer of Qi Cultivation.
After getting up and taking a shower, changing her clothes, Song Yan Ning walked out of the room and saw that her grandfather was already up, practicing Tai Chi in the yard.
“Grandpa, are we going to gather herbs today?” Song Yan Ning walked up to Yang Lisheng’s side. These last few days, it had been Xiang who accompanied Grandpa to gather herbs. With Xiang’s company, she felt relieved because with Xiang’s strength, even if they encountered fierce beasts, Grandpa would be safe from danger.
“Mm.” Yang Lisheng nodded. Today, he planned to visit another mountain to see if he could find the herbal medicine he was looking for.
“I’ll go too. It’s been a long time since I went herb gathering with Grandpa,” Song Yan Ning said as she picked up a towel nearby and handed it to him after he finished his practice.
Yang Lisheng took the towel and wiped the sweat off his face, “You have to register at school tomorrow, so you better rest well at home today.” Xiao Ning was going to start elementary school, and he was really happy.
“Grandpa!” Song Yan Ning reached out and playfully tugged Yang Lisheng’s hand.
Yang Lisheng laughed and shook his head, “Alright, we’ll go together. There’s no helping you. But you can’t be late for school tomorrow.”
“I promise I won’t be late.” Song Yan Ning grinned mischievously and took Yang Lisheng’s hand, leading him back inside, “Grandpa, let’s have breakfast.”
The air in the mountains was fresh and pleasant; Song Yan Ning hummed a mountain song, carrying a little bamboo basket on her back as she followed behind Yang Lisheng.
“Grandpa, look, there are a few red vines over there,” said Song Yan Ning, already quickly running to the red vine and squatting down beside it, taking out a small trowel and carefully digging the red vine out of the ground.
Yang Lisheng walked over to Song Yan Ning’s side, squatted down, and also took out a small trowel to start digging out the red vine. Although the red vine was not particularly valuable as an herbal medicine, its uses were wide, having the effects of clearing heat, detoxifying, and reducing swelling. It could also be used for appendicitis, mumps, and tuberculosis hemoptysis, among other conditions.
Song Yan Ning placed the red vine in her bamboo basket, stood up, and was about to continue forward with Yang Lisheng when the sound of fighting came from not far away.
“Grandpa, let’s go in that direction,” Song Yan Ning said, pulling Yang Lisheng in another direction. As a Cultivator, her hearing was naturally much more sensitive than her grandfather’s. Though the men were far from them, it was best to leave this place, just to be safe.
“Is that the way down the mountain?” Yang Lisheng looked at Song Yan Ning, who was pulling him, with amusement. Could it be that Xiao Ning had lost her way?