But the instant he spoke, Xiao Ning flicked his forehead, hitting Xiao Yan on the head.
"He speaks without restraint, he deserves a beating!"
Xiao Ning moved too quickly, and Xiao Yan, sitting to the side, didn't notice at all, only feeling a headache.
He rubbed his forehead, looked at Xiao Ning with a wronged expression, and said, "Brother Ning, I won't do it again next time!"
"Today is the coming-of-age ceremony. The distinguished guests invited by the family should have all arrived by now. Why don't you hurry up and go over there? What are you doing here?" Xiao Ning asked casually.
Xiao Yan touched his nose and said, "Brother Ning, after the coming-of-age ceremony, I plan to go out and explore!"
"Um?"
Upon hearing this, Xiao Ning put down the book in his hand, looked up and said, "You're only at the eighth level of Dou Qi... wait, the ninth level? You're not even a Dou Zhe yet. Are you going out there to die?"
To everyone's surprise, Xiao Yan, like a newborn calf unafraid of tigers, said righteously, "A fledgling eagle must eventually learn to fly on its own and soar into the blue sky to become a mighty eagle. If I always stay under the protection of my family, how can I grow?"
Xiao Ning was taken aback and stared straight at him: "So, you absolutely have to go out?"
"That's right, I'm still young, and I don't want to stay in this poor, remote place, just waiting to die. I don't want to find out when I'm old that I've lived a meaningless life! I want to make something of myself!"
Xiao Yan was extremely excited and gave a very eloquent explanation.
Judging from his bright eyes, it didn't seem like he was faking it. Although Xiao Ning didn't agree with his idea, she could understand his feelings.
Xiao Ning nodded and replied, "Alright, it's good to go out and explore. But before you leave, come here. I have something to give you!"
Xiao Yan's eyes lit up, and he asked excitedly, "Brother Ning, are you going to give me some protective treasures?"
In his previous life, Xiao Yan had watched many TV dramas where younger disciples would be given life-saving items by their elders when they went out to gain experience.
Although the two are not much different in age, Xiao Ning's martial arts cultivation is extremely profound. To Xiao Yan, he is more than a senior.
Upon hearing him say this, Xiao Yan immediately thought of this aspect.
"Alright, get lost!"
Xiao Ning flicked his sleeve and sent the person away without explaining.
"Hehe, Brother Ning, I'll be going now!" Despite not receiving a definite reply, Xiao Yan left with a happy expression.
Watching Xiao Yan leave, Xiao Ning shook his head, got up, and went to the study at the back.
This world seems similar to ancient China, yet it is completely different. They do not use the Four Treasures of the Study (writing brush, paper, inkstone, ink), but rather animal hides, goose feather pens, and ink.
Having been in this world for over a year, Xiao Ning has managed to create the Four Treasures of the Study, but he hasn't made it public; he only uses them for his own purposes.
At this moment, he went to his desk, poured a little water into the large stone inkstone on the table, and then picked up the ink stick, which was as thick as a baby's arm, and slowly ground the ink.
Grinding ink is a task that requires a great deal of patience.
The posture should be correct, vertical and upright.
Apply even pressure and knead gently and slowly.
Only through such meticulous grinding can ink of the right consistency and with a fine, glossy finish be produced.
Ink sticks are made from ancient pine trees grown deep in the mountains and forests. The wood is calcined to extract the smoke and dust, and then mixed with a variety of precious medicinal herbs. The ink sticks are then processed through several steps.
Its color is dark and glossy, making it a top-quality product.
After grinding for a full quarter of an hour, looking at the ink in the inkstone, Xiao Ning stopped and placed the ink stick on the inkstone.
From the jade brush holder, he picked out a long-tipped wolf-hair brush, spread out the Xuan paper, dipped it in ink, and began to write.
This is a superior wolf hair brush, crafted using the tail hair of a third-tier Shadow Wolf as the bristles and white jade as the handle.
Paper itself is worthless; it's made from roadside weeds.
town!
A large character for "town" leaps off the page.
His brushstrokes are vigorous and powerful, like dragons and snakes in motion, strong and upright, full of spirit and charm.
It can be called a work by a master calligrapher.
One glance at it and you feel as if an invisible pressure is coming at you, making you suffocate, trembling all over, and unable to move at all.
He then set aside the Xuan paper with the character "镇" (zhen, meaning town) written on it, and wrote the two large characters "杀" (sha, meaning kill) and "封" (feng, meaning seal) on another piece of paper.
"call!"
After writing the three large characters, Xiao Ning put down his brush, his chest heaving as he let out a long breath, large beads of sweat appearing on his forehead, his face flushed, as if he had exerted a great deal of effort.
Writing these three words infused Xiao Ning with a great deal of his essence, energy, and spirit, making it a legendary treasure.
Essence, Qi, and Spirit are the three treasures of the human body.
When mental energy is rapidly depleted, the body's mechanisms will trigger protective measures, consuming physical strength and vital energy to replenish the depleted mental energy.
In that instant, Xiao Ning's spirit was consumed by a full 70%.
If he hadn't now mastered the Dragon Elephant Body Refining Technique and advanced to the Grandmaster level, he would probably have collapsed to the ground, completely powerless, or even died from exhaustion.
This was his first attempt.
A martial arts grandmaster can project their spiritual power through their body and attach it to external objects, allowing them to deliver a fatal blow from thousands of miles away.