Cultivation Starting from Full Talent-Chapter 663 - 661 Lingnan Mission

"Ninety-seventh floor..."

In the void, Zhang Qinghe’s gaze was icy cold, his heart deeply shaken.

Unbeknownst to him, Ning Daoran had continuously defeated the guardian artifact spirits of Divine Fire Tower and climbed all the way to the ninety-seventh floor!

If it were him attempting this feat, rising to the ninety-seventh floor would certainly require immense effort...

"Xian’er..."

Zhang Qinghe said faintly, "Do you still think Ning Daoran is a simple person now? If he were a mere loose cultivator, how could he defeat so many former Sect Masters of the Divine Fire Sect? His infiltration into the Divine Fire Sect surely has ulterior motives!"

"Qinghe, I don’t think there’s a need for such suspicions."

Long Xian’er replied, "This world is full of extraordinary geniuses, and Ning Keqing just happens to be one of them. What’s wrong with that? Our Divine Fire Sect has presided over the Star Sea Divine Domain for millennia; can we not tolerate even a brilliant loose cultivator?"

She furrowed her brows slightly, "Let’s leave it at that. I trust Ning Keqing will not betray the Divine Fire Sect. If, after ten years, he wishes to train in the Fierce Sun Sky Pool, let him. It doesn’t matter."

"..."

Zhang Qinghe gritted his teeth but refrained from saying anything else.

...

Outside Divine Fire Tower, a group of disciples stood in stunned silence.

"The ninety-seventh floor..."

Long Jiyu’s eyes were filled with disbelief, "How did he manage to do it?"

"Cheating... It must be cheating..."

A Golden Core Late Stage disciple’s expression was conflicted as he said in a deep voice, "The guardians above the ninetieth floor are all Divinity Transformation experts of our Divine Fire Sect. Even with their cultivation suppressed to the Nascent Soul Late Stage, there’s no way Ning Daoran, a mere Nascent Soul Early Stage cultivator, could overcome them. He must have cheated!"

"Great Elder!"

Zhang Naiqian cupped his fists and said solemnly, "For many years, Divine Fire Tower has always been overseen by the Great Elder. That Ning Keqing managed to fight his way up to the ninety-seventh floor—this is absolutely impossible for someone at the Nascent Soul Early Stage. I implore the Great Elder to investigate whether he cheated!"

His gaze turned icy, "If it is revealed he indeed cheated, then his ranking in Divine Fire Tower should be erased, and he should be expelled from the Divine Fire Sect. We do not need such despicable people who resort to trickery for profit!"

"What is fair, I will decide."

The Great Elder sat calmly outside the railing on the third floor and said indifferently, "I have long since assimilated the Divine Fire Tower and see everything within clearly. Step by step, Ning Keqing climbed through his own strength, without a trace of cheating. There’s no need for further discussion. His accomplishment of reaching the ninety-seventh floor stands valid!"

"What?!"

Zhang Puyu gritted his teeth and said, "Great Elder, could you be mistaken? How could a disciple from this generation possibly fight their way to the ninety-seventh floor of the Divine Fire Tower? Do you truly believe this is possible?"

"Zhang Puyu, stop being obstinate!"

The Great Elder’s gaze was calm as he spoke, "If you cannot achieve something yourself, do not doubt the possibility of others reaching it. As cultivators of the Inner Sect of the Divine Fire Sect, you should know that climbing higher is akin to a fish leaping through the dragon gate. If you do not exert every ounce of effort, you will inevitably be forsaken by the Immortal Path!"

"Great Elder, but..."

"No need for further argument!"

The Great Elder closed his eyes and ceased speaking.

At that moment, the lights on the ninety-seventh floor of the Divine Fire Tower suddenly went out.

"Look, Ning Keqing is coming down."

A petite and graceful female disciple pointed toward the upper levels.

Indeed, through the clouds, a figure drifted downward—it was Ning Daoran in his azure robes. Yet, his appearance was rather bedraggled. His attire bore marks of flame burns and sword perforations, while even his face carried two scars from treasures’ strikes. His back was a bloody mess of flesh, clearly heavily injured.

"Great Elder."

Ning Daoran cupped his fists and said with a frown, "This is as far as I’ll go for today."

"Oh?"

The Great Elder opened his eyes, "Ning Keqing, not continuing today?"

"Exactly."

Ning Daoran replied, "The martial prowess of those seniors guarding the upper floors of Divine Fire Tower is boundless, and their magic arts are truly formidable. I cannot surpass them. If I continue..."

He let out a bitter laugh, "I’m afraid my life would end within Divine Fire Tower."

"Indeed."

The Great Elder nodded with a smile, "That is reasonable enough. However, Ning Keqing, reaching the ninety-seventh floor already makes you a peerless prodigy. As of now, you are ranked first in Divine Fire Tower. Congratulations!"

"Thank you, Great Elder."

Ning Daoran, somewhat limping, activated his tunneling light and departed.

Finally, the disciples of the Divine Fire Sect began to look a bit more relieved.

"As I said, though Ning Keqing’s strength is unfathomable, the upper floors of Divine Fire Tower are not easily surmountable. Look at how battered he is—if he were to forcibly push further, he might have even lost his life!"

"Agreed. Ning Keqing is indeed a peerless prodigy but can only go so far in the final few floors."

Several disciples glanced toward Zhang Naiqian. One of them furrowed his brows and said, "Senior Brother, it’s alright... Even though Ning Keqing stole the top ranking, in ten years, you will secure entry into the Fierce Sun Sky Pool regardless. Moreover, there’s still time. With ten years of progress, perhaps Senior Brother will break through cultivation barriers and leap from the eighty-third floor to the ninety-seventh, reclaiming the rank from Ning Keqing."

"Hmm."

Zhang Naiqian nodded slightly, though he smiled bitterly in his heart.

That is far easier said than done. The last time he challenged the eighty-third floor, he had already exerted himself to his utmost. Even with significant progress in ten years, breaking past the ninetieth floor would still be incredibly difficult.

He understood the combat strength of the guardian artifact spirits atop Divine Fire Tower better than any other disciple.

"Let’s return."

He sighed, "Everyone, go back to your cave mansions and cultivate in seclusion. Remember well—cultivation is the foundation for survival in the cultivation world. Anything else is but decoration."

"We heed Senior Brother’s teachings!"

A group of disciples cupped their fists in unison before heading to their respective cave mansions.

...

Months later.

After a period of short-term seclusion, Ning Daoran’s injuries had completely healed.

The battles that brought him from the seventy-second floor all the way to the ninety-seventh had not only left him heavily wounded but also profoundly enriched his experience. Both his combat instincts and cultivation had been tempered greatly.

"Young Master."

Little Bai stepped into the Spirit Garden Cave Heaven, "Elder Chen Ningfeng requests an audience."

"Chen Ningfeng?"

Ning Daoran furrowed his brows.

Inside the cave mansion.

Chen Ningfeng approached with respectful courtesy, "I had been in seclusion for months, and only recently emerged to hear of Ning Keqing’s outstanding feat in ascending to Divine Fire Tower’s ninety-seventh floor. I offer my heartfelt congratulations!"

"You’re too kind!"

Ning Daoran smiled, "Fellow Daoist Chen, was this merely the purpose of your visit, rather than seeking guidance in solving an Array Path bottleneck?"

"Bottlenecks in Array Path are as numerous as grains of sand..."

Chen Ningfeng chuckled in mild embarrassment. "To be honest, since I started studying third-tier arrays, it became clear my talents in the Array Path are mediocre at best. The number of bottlenecks and misconceptions I’ve encountered is overwhelming. I’ve sought your help overwhelmingly often—so much so I feel rather ashamed..."

"Haha, there’s no need for that, Fellow Daoist."

Ning Daoran laughed, "I, too, am an enthusiast of the Array Path. Having someone to deliberate and refine its techniques together is a joy I warmly welcome. There’s no need to tiptoe around it."

"Thank you!"

Chen Ningfeng cupped his fists again, "However, this time, my visit was not regarding any dilemma in the Array Path—it concerns a rather pressing matter."

"Oh?"

Ning Daoran showed a hint of surprise, "What matter?"

"Recently, during cultivation and training in the Star Sea Divine Domain, several disciples of our Divine Fire Sect encountered a Nascent Soul Early Stage Great Demon near the Lingnan region. Three Golden Core Middle Stage disciples tragically died—it was a serious loss. That Nascent Soul Early Stage Great Demon is particularly cunning, adept at disguising itself as a human cultivator, deceiving and killing our sect’s disciples..."

He frowned deeply, eyes filled with resentment, "My second disciple was among its victims two months ago. He had reached the Golden Core Late Stage and was on the verge of reaching Nascent Soul—it’s truly a lamentable loss..."

"I see..."

Ning Daoran nodded, "Please accept my condolences, Fellow Daoist."

"It’s fine; I’ve come to terms with it."

Chen Ningfeng replied, "Currently, the sect has made the extermination of this Demon Beast its top priority and issued a supreme bounty. Whoever slays this Great Demon will receive a low-grade Spiritual Treasure—the Xuanhuo Spirit Jade—as well as a reward of 100,000 Spirit Stones."

At this, Chen Ningfeng said, "Thus, I accepted this bounty. However, knowing my own strength pales in comparison to the beast’s, I hope to invite Ning Keqing to join me. Rest assured, I seek only vengeance for my student. Of the rewards—the Spirit Jade and Spirit Stones—both will belong to you. What do you think?"

"Well..."

Ning Daoran furrowed his brows.

Having cultivated for so many years, he was naturally cautious. From Chen Ningfeng’s words, he could sense a trail of intrigue.

The timing was suspicious. Chen Ningfeng’s second disciple perished shortly after Ning Daoran achieved his feat of reaching the ninety-seventh floor of Divine Fire Tower. Furthermore, many within the Divine Fire Sect knew of Ning Daoran’s close camaraderie with Chen Ningfeng, their bond forged from their shared passion for studying arrays.

Thus, Ning Daoran had reason to believe this could very well be a trap.

"Ning Keqing..."

Chen Ningfeng’s eyes reddened slightly, "Would you be willing to grant this request of mine?"

"I will."

Ning Daoran hesitated for a long time before finally nodding.

The suspected conspiracy and entrapment were merely personal conjectures, without concrete evidence. Chen Ningfeng’s student had, indeed, fallen victim to external forces.

So, Ning Daoran decided to take this journey. If the opportunity arose, he would help Chen Ningfeng eliminate the beast and avenge his disciple’s death. But if this truly turned out to be an ambush, Ning Daoran had absolute confidence in his ability to escape unscathed.

With Ning Daoran’s combat strength, unless the opposition deployed two or more Divinity Transformation cultivators to hunt him, they wouldn’t be able to do him any harm.

Moreover, the Star Sea Divine Domain only housed one Divinity Transformation expert—and he spent his days in deep slumber in the distant Fierce Sun Sky Pool, far removed from sect politics. There was no reason for him to act against Ning Daoran.

"Thank you, Ning Keqing!"

Chen Ningfeng’s joy was evident, "I am deeply grateful. If we succeed in slaying this Nascent Soul Early Stage Great Demon, the materials harvested from its body are yours to keep. I ask for nothing but my vengeance!"

"Very well."

Ning Daoran inclined his head slightly, "When shall we set off?"

"At your convenience."

"How about we leave immediately?"

"That works!"

Under the night sky, the two Nascent Soul Stage cultivators soared into the air, departing the Divine Fire Sect and heading directly to the Lingnan region.

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