Ning Zhuo shook his head. “Not very appropriate. Right now, many people know that I have these needs. If those cultivated treasures are stolen, they’ll all suspect first.”
Sun Lingtong shrugged. “Then I’ll just clean out their entire stockpile in one go, problem solved.”
Ning Zhuo let out a deep sigh. “Stealing under the nose of a Nascent Soul-stage cultivator is really risky.”
“But if there’s truly no other way, then we’ll have to go that route.”
“Forget it, let’s not talk about that for now. Big Bro, please guard .”
Sun Lingtong nodded repeatedly. “Little Zhuo, go comprehend it. I’ll keep watch.”
Ning Zhuo took a few steps forward and ca to stand beneath the Spirit-Hidden Willow.
The Spirit-Hidden Willow seed to sense Ning Zhuo, and once again brushed his face gently with its hanging branches.
Ning Zhuo smiled slightly, feeling the tree’s welco. “Oh willow, have you missed these past few days?”
“This ti, I’ll need to borrow your strength again to help taste the Bitter Water.”
“If I grow stronger, I can provide you a better environnt too.”
Sun Lingtong giggled. “Little bro, you’re quite sothing. Chatting with a tree, really? Hurry up and drink the water.”
Ning Zhuo turned back and looked at Sun Lingtong. “Big Bro, the mont I saw this willow, I felt an inexplicable closeness to it. I just naturally want to communicate with it.”
“Maybe it’s because I cultivate the Fire Burial Prajna Spirit-Resolving Sutra. The more I delve into it, the more I feel that all things have spirit. Trees like the Spirit-Hidden Willow, which can enlighten us, must have even greater spiritual nature.”
“It’s just that it has no mouth or nose, and cannot speak or gesture.”
“To be honest, whenever I talk with it like this, my mood just settles down on its own.”
Sun Lingtong shrugged again. “That’s not bad either. I guess this is your personal thod to get into the right mindset for comprehension.”
Ning Zhuo said no more. He took out a straw mat and sat cross-legged.
Then, he brought out a small jade bottle. Inside was a small amount of Bitter Water.
Ning Zhuo adjusted his breathing for a mont, fully calming his state. His ntal sea was as still as an ancient well, with clear and undisturbed thoughts.
He uncorked the bottle and slowly poured the Bitter Water into his mouth.
The mont the Bitter Water touched his tongue, an indescribable bitterness surged forth!
This bitterness wasn’t limited to taste alone—it struck directly at the depths of his soul. His throat burned, and his very spirit wailed in unbearable agony.
As the Bitter Water flowed down his throat, it transford into a stream of coldness that rapidly spread through his body. Ning Zhuo felt a chill spread from his stomach to his limbs, bringing with it a cold and shivering sensation he had never experienced before.
His heartbeat accelerated sharply, cold sweat seeping from his forehead, and his body involuntarily trembled.
Scenes of his past sins began to surface in his mind—those he had hard, those to whom he owed debts, all the mistakes he had made.
The Three Ghosts of the Huang Family, Ning Zhanji, Ning Ji, Ning Ze, Ning Xiaohui, Zhu Xuanji, ng Chong, the Black Wind Tiger Demon, the Sub-Mountain Fox God, Lin Shanshan…
The mories were so vivid, every detail lifelike, leaving him no way to avoid or escape.
Whispers and weeping sounds began to echo in his ears—voices he had once ignored, now voicing the remorse and guilt buried deep in his heart.
An invisible pressure engulfed his whole being, as if countless hands were tugging at his soul, trying to drag him into the abyss of sin.
Sun Lingtong saw Ning Zhuo’s face contorting after drinking the Bitter Water. His expression was agonized, and tears stread from the corners of his tightly shut eyes.
Sun Lingtong clenched his teeth, only daring to cry out inwardly, “Little Zhuo!”
He was deeply worried, fists tightly clenched, but could only worry helplessly, unable to assist.
But the next mont, he heard Ning Zhuo let out a cold snort.
Under the Spirit-Hidden Willow, the white-clothed youth now wore an expression as cold as ice. The prior agony and distortion had been suppressed like ice quelling fire.
Ning Zhuo slowly opened his eyes, and in his gaze was unwavering determination.
He sneered inwardly, “All things in heaven and earth, by nature, strive to thrive. Everything contends! The path of cultivation, though it appears broad, and its arts many, in truth, there is only one road.”
“That is—the path of victory!”
“Whether righteous, demonic, or evil, everything begins with strength. Only when one has enough power will others treat you kindly, and speak to you of rules and reason.”
“If I had been strong enough, I could’ve awakened my mother back at Huoshi Mountain—why would I be running around like this now?”
“Only by growing stronger can one set the foundation and solve everything. This re Bitter Water—how could it shake my will?”
“Only by advancing without hesitation, ignoring trifles, and striving for victory again and again, can I, Ning Zhuo, succeed on this path!”
People were different from one another.
In the face of hardship and poverty, everyone had different feelings, choices, and reactions.
So people drew strength from suffering and difficulty, continually building their power. They never wavered in their will, believing all hardships to be temporary trials. So long as they were determined, even the greatest challenge was but a test in their life.
Although Ning Zhuo was just a sixteen-year-old youth, his upbringing had been extrely oppressive. He was harshly treated and poorly regarded. He had to constantly disguise himself. He had to endure the absence of his mother. Under Sun Lingtong’s instruction, he had to undergo nurous tests. More than that, he had to exhaust himself figuring out how to contend with Golden Core and even Nascent Soul-level opponents.
And yet, he himself was rely at the Qi Refining Stage!
The Bitter Cold Sutra…
Hanzhou had clearly stated that this was a scripture that drew power from suffering and cold, intended to strengthen oneself and ultimately achieve self-salvation.
Had Ning Zhuo’s sixteen years not always been a process of self-salvation?
There was one point Hanzhou had expressed correctly—Ning Zhuo was a perfect match for the true aning of the Bitter Cold Sutra.
The protective power of the Buddha Heart Demon Seal was rely superficial. Ning Zhuo’s true nature was exactly this!
Though poor and lowly, though beset by enemies like mountains or the heavens themselves, my will shall not bend, nor my intent be swayed.
I see all of this rely as a whetstone, as the mire where a hidden dragon bides its ti.
A sharpened sword erges from relentless grinding, the fragrance of plum blossoms cos from bitter cold!
What they called “suffering,” was simply life’s gift.
And this Bitter Water—upon careful tasting—seed to carry a faint aftertaste of sweetness.
Ning Zhuo not only stabilized his emotions, he used this mont to further temper his resolve.
The true essence contained within the Bitter Water surged through his heart like a mighty river.
Frost Fist, Old Cold Leg, Suffering Body, Bitter Labor, Pouring Out Bitterness… These martial arts were quickly grasped by Ning Zhuo, and their essence understood.
Once he comprehended their essence, applying them to himself beca effortless and natural.
After Ning Zhuo finished his comprehension and rose to his feet, Sun Lingtong imdiately stepped forward to ask about his condition.
Ning Zhuo’s eyes shone brightly. His mindset had undergone a transformation, and he appeared completely renewed, his spirit uplifted. “Big Bro, I’m doing great now.”
He turned to look at the Spirit-Hidden Willow.
Only one-half of a willow branch on the Spirit-Hidden Willow showed signs of withering.
The difficulty of the Bitter Water lay not in its comprehension, but in enduring the inner interrogation and emotional impact—how to stabilize one's will and soothe all negative feelings.
Sun Lingtong scrutinized Ning Zhuo, then said in so surprise, “I also feel like you’ve changed sohow.”
“How did the Bitter Water taste?”
Ning Zhuo was just about to answer, but Sun Lingtong imdiately raised a hand to stop him. “Don’t tell . I’ll taste it myself. Hehehe!”
“So excited.” Sun Lingtong rubbed his hands together, smiling with squinted eyes.
“Big Bro, I’ll guard you.” Ning Zhuo stepped away from the straw mat and gave up his seat to Sun Lingtong.
After drinking the Bitter Water, Sun Lingtong’s expression also changed dramatically.
“Big Bro, hang in there!” Ning Zhuo silently cheered for him.
As expected, Sun Lingtong did not disappoint. He soon cald his expression.
A mont later, he slowly opened his eyes, wearing a disappointed look. “Little bro, that Hanzhou wasn’t honest. He tricked you!”
“These martial arts are fundantally built on the basis of the Suffering Body.”
“Frost Fist, Old Cold Leg, and so on—they all require the aura of bitter cold to be emitted from inside out. You have to first hurt yourself before you can use them against your enemies.”
“The more the Suffering Body endures, the stronger it becos. But neither of us has the aura of bitter cold. Only by exclusively cultivating the Bitter Cold Sutra can one generate that kind of power.”
Ning Zhuo nodded. “That’s true.”
“My Five Elents Qi Regulation Art produces Five Elents Mana. It’s impossible to let Five Elents Mana penetrate into every joint and part of the body. That would damage my physique. While it could enhance my attacks, it’s not worth the cost.”
“But Big Bro, you seem to have forgotten that I cultivate three arts simultaneously. Five Elents Mana is only stored in my qi sea. In my essence sea is the blood power of the Demonic Blood Tendon Technique.”
Sun Lingtong slapped his forehead. “Haha, I forgot! That’s because you’ve been fighting with Five Elents Mana all the ti lately.”
Ning Zhuo smiled.
He had already mastered the essence of the Bitter Cold Sutra’s martial arts and had devised several techniques compatible with the Demonic Blood Tendon Technique, just waiting for the right mont to train them secretly and surprise others soday.
At Small Contention Peak, in the martial arena.
Ning Zhuo ca as agreed to et with Hanzhou.
Upon eting, Hanzhou imdiately asked if he had drunk the Bitter Water.
Ning Zhuo replied that he had drunk a mouthful and gained so insight, and that he was there today to ask for further instruction.
With a hint of surprise, Hanzhou began to spar with Ning Zhuo.
Although Ning Zhuo did not display any martial techniques, he had clearly improved in his responses to Hanzhou’s Frost Fist, Old Cold Leg, and even the Suffering Body. He was no longer flustered as before, instead quite composed.
After the sparring session, Hanzhou exclaid, “Fellow Daoist Ning Zhuo, you now have a thorough grasp of my martial arts. It seems drinking that Bitter Water has brought you great gains!”
Ning Zhuo smiled. “It’s all thanks to your generosity in offering it.”
Hanzhou examined Ning Zhuo’s face carefully. Seeing his spirited deanor, he was even more amazed. Outwardly, he waved it off. “You’re worthy of using such a thing.”
“Many cultivators, despite their great power and high cultivation, are unworthy of the Bitter Water.”
“I’m now certain, Fellow Daoist Ning Zhuo, not only is your comprehension extraordinary, but your willpower is also astoundingly firm.”
Ning Zhuo offered a few humble words, then took out two comprehension diagrams.
They were the Frost-Defying Diagram and Snow-Enduring Diagram.
“Hanzhou, since you offered the Bitter Water, I must return the favor.”
“These two comprehension diagrams co from my Ning Family. They are two ice-type techniques, and you may use them for study.”
“I’ve co to understand much about the Bitter Cold Sutra. Using bitter cold power to drive ice techniques is quite effective.”
Hanzhou was montarily stunned before slowly reaching out and accepting the two diagrams.
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