"Heaven Shattering Fist, Third Form, Land Shatter!" With a mighty roar, Xiao Fan struck forth, his blow flying straight and true, seemingly creating ripples in the air due to its strength.

"Haa!" Launching that strike, Xiao Fan let out the accumulated turbid air. Then, he turned towards the spectators and asked, "So, how is it?"

"Well..." Ning rubbed his surprisingly smooth chin in contemplation, only stopping when he received the weird gaze of the protagonist.

"As expected, while your form is perfect, and your qi is running smoothly when performing the technique, it just seems to be missing something..." Ning answered, his eyes glancing at the several notes in front of him depicting the meridians in the body and various conjectures.

"You feel it too, huh?" Xiao Fan was not surprised.

After spending so many days with this guy, Xiao Fan realized that while he was an ass, this guy was the real deal. He glanced at the dozens of notes filled with traces of trial and error trying to recreate the Heaven Shattering Fist art, and for the heavens above, he really succeeded in creating two moves of the art despite the many inconsistencies in the manual.

A madman he may be, but there was certainly a hint of genius within him as well.

Xiao Fan's evaluation of the guy in front of him, who muttered some incomprehensible words, rose slightly only to be dashed by Ning's words.

"With your epiphany, there is nothing wrong with the third form of the technique." Ning nodded; his panel had indeed reflected that. "So, if there is nothing wrong with the technique, then eliminating all other factors, only a single truth remains."

Ning's eyes seemed to shine as he made the famous "there is only one truth" pose.

Xiao Fan's eyes twitched, glancing at the theatrics. He scoffed loudly, "Get on with it! We don't have all day."

"Aaha! You need to learn to chill sometimes, Brother Fan." Ning shook his head as if disappointed by the uncultured behavior shown by Xiao Fan.

Xiao Fan never thought of himself as a level-headed person; his behavior matched accordingly. "One more unrelated word to the topic, I swear I will let you meet my fists."

"Look! You are doing it ag-" Ning shut up, feeling the glare that promised pain. He cleared his throat, "So, as I was saying if there is no problem in the technique itself, then the problem lies with you, Brother Fan."

Ning really hated that he didn't have glasses at the moment because the light was angled just right to make it shine. Ah! The woes of living in a superpowered world where everyone had perfect vision.

"You mean that I performed the technique wrong?" If there was one thing that pissed off Xiao Fan the most, it was someone doubting his capability. Having lived being called inferior his whole life, it undoubtedly showed how it twisted the young protagonist.

Ning could see why Xiao Fan turned out the way he did, of course. It also meant he understood what was the tipping point of the protagonist. So, Ning sighed, "Hold your horses! Brother Fan. I didn't mean that; what I meant was there must be a prerequisite for the third form of the technique that we have not currently reached."

Xiao Fan calmed down upon hearing those words. From Ning's words, it was not hard to infer that he had misunderstood, not that he would ever admit it.

"So?" If he had to be honest, Xiao Fan preferred Ning had belittled him so that he could give a fitting smack on this guy's head. Alas, he was vindictive, but not senselessly cruel.

"What you are missing is Qi." Ning glanced at the note as he figured out the problem. "The artistic conception of the fist, or to put it simply, Fist Qi."

"Fist Qi..." Xiao Fan mumbled aloud, his thoughts quickly catching up to Ning.

"Yeah. After you showed me the third move, it was hard to shake off the feeling that it was lacking 'charm'. Especially since the power between the second and third moves was not so different." Ning spoke, his thoughts turning.

After Xiao Fan agreed to teach him, Ning learned the correct pathway of the technique, so he also realized the problem between the second and third forms. As something that had acted as an insurmountable gap for him, this form couldn't be so simple after all.

"Black Rank Martial Art." Xiao Fan let out a breath; he also understood the reason for the lack of power of the technique.

"Um. A Black-rank martial art is usually only used by foundation-building and above, and while comprehending Qi is extremely difficult for a Qi cultivator, it is not something uncommon for foundation-building cultivators. That's why we felt that the form was lacking a hint of 'charm'."

"That makes sense." Xiao Fan nodded as he found the next step of his training. Normally, he would be grateful for such help, but not today. Because, as he met the gaze of the guy before him, he offered that cheeky smirk that grated at his nerve.

"So, I won the bet, right? Brother Fan." In Xiao Fan's eyes, Ning looked smug, extremely so.

Xiao Fan took deep breaths to calm down his anger, but it was not working. So, he snorted, loudly as well to show his displeasure. "As promised, I can sell you the Qi gathering Fist."

You could be reading stolen content. Head to the original site for the genuine story.

"As I would expect of Brother Fan. He is a man who doesn't go back on his words." Ning flattered appropriately. Of course, it didn't help the situation.

"Just remember that it's going to cost you a lot." Xiao Fan added a bit darkly.

"Brother Fan, since we have been through thick and thin, surely you will give me a discount, right?" Ning appealed to the demon in front of him.

"Haha! What do you think?" Xiao Fan chuckled darkly, thoroughly enjoying the pained look Ning was projecting. Maybe, losing the bet was not that bad after all.

Of course, he didn't notice the split-second Ning's eyes brightened before he quickly covered it with a sleeve.

...

Xiao Fan glanced at the pile of demon cores he had obtained after trading the technique with Ning.

"Did I go overboard?" Xiao Fan couldn't help but think so. It was almost half of the total demon cores Ning had collected throughout the trip, especially since Ning gave up his share of the core of the Killer Queen to Xiao Fan.

Then suddenly remembering that smug face, Xiao Fan wiped that trace of guilt. "Hmph! That guy deserves it. It's not like the benefit he had received is any less."

For the past few days, under the guise of learning, Xiao Fan had been hollowed out of various knowledge he had accumulated over the past by that damnable guy.

If he gave an inch, Ning would take a mile. And he seemed suspiciously good at spinning tales in such a way that one could not help but speak more and more. It was as if there was someone he had practiced the same thing countless times.

If Liu Sisi knew about Xiao Fan's thoughts, then she would have cried in joy, finally seeing someone suffer the same fate she had.

Especially when seeing the third-grade demon cores that were thrown out at him, made him shut up. It was as if he was slapped by a stack of cash, and all he could do was endure and enjoy it.

It was to the point that Xiao Fan started to wonder if his 'secret' had been figured out.

But that obviously could not be true, right?

...

..

Yup, this guy's cheat definitely has something to do with the demon cores.

Ning sat down on the mat with an extra manual in hand, his thoughts turning to the protagonist in the process.

The moment Ning had seen how greedy this guy was for the demon cores, it was all too clear for him.

While demon cores had a huge significance in alchemy, talisman making, formation, puppetry, etc., they were mostly useless towards cultivation except for some obscure cultivation techniques that may require them.

So, his guess was that Xiao Fan could 'absorb' these demon cores directly without refining them into alchemy or other props. While it was practically unheard of, it seemed a good enough cheat for a protagonist.

Of course, Ning didn't just guess blindly. After living in the same carriage for a month, he could see the subtle difference in his and Xiao Fan's cultivation.

Ning's talent could be said to be in the upper tier of those possessing the mid-grade spiritual root, especially after marrow-washing. The vortex of spiritual energy he inhaled when practicing was befitting of his shown talent, but Xiao Fan cannot say the same.

When Xiao Fan practices, the spiritual vortex that forms has already reached the standard of those with mid-grade spiritual roots. Something like this was weird unless Xiao Fan somehow was able to acquire the best Qi nourishing pill for every practice out here in the wild.

The spiritual vortex formed when cultivating was in direct relation to the spiritual root talent of the cultivator.

It was for this reason, Ning didn't rely on heavenly blessings during this trip. The spiritual vortex he forms during cultivation under the blessing was something that exceeded his shown talent.

But since Xiao Fan obviously lacked this caution, he was caught lacking by Ning. So, the best guess was that he was able to somehow absorb these demon cores that no one should have been able to.

Well, Ning didn't have that much interest regarding this; rather, this only made him more invested in pulling the wool off this guy.

You have this much special knowledge.

How dare you to not impart it upon me.

With this mindset in this past month, he finally completed the Heaven Shattering Manual. Not only that, he was able to coax the protagonist to bet on the Qi Gathering Fist.

The bet was simple, as long as he could figure out the problem in the Heaven Shattering Technique, he would be able to buy the Qi Gathering Fist technique. If he had to be honest, provoking this guy into making the bet was simpler than he expected.

A few drinks here and there, and acting arrogant was all that was needed. In the end, Ning was able to win the bet and get his greedy hands on this technique.

[Qi Gathering Fist: Gather Qi in the fist to strengthen the power of the attack over time. Can't be interrupted during the charging process, and after completion can burst out an attack surpassing one's realm. Limit: The charged power cannot go over two realms above the user.]

"Truly, worthy of being a protagonist technique. The final attack to turn things around. A hero's move even." Ning would never undermine his safety enough in this crazy world. Especially after all the ordeal he had gone through this month.

"Alas, Finally this side quest is going to end now."

The merchant carriage was headed toward Blue Flame City, which was between Golden Rod City and Redmoss City. Due to the sudden change in their plan because of Ning, they could only find this merchant group that was traveling in a similar direction.

Normally the journey should have only taken about 20 days or so, but due to the abnormal number of attacks on the carriage this time, it took a whole month.

Ning had a striking suspicion that these abnormalities were related to the protagonist among them. After all, abnormality and MC go hand in hand with each other.

In the end, after getting paid thirty spirit stones each, the side quest mission was also completed, albeit with interference that exceeded their expectations.

"Brother Ning, please take this map and this jade slip we have compiled of Golden Rod City. It's the only thing we could do to repay you for your help." The head merchant spoke when Ning 'seemed' to be getting ready to depart.

Ning seemed hesitant but ultimately accepted the information, "Since it is the intention of brother, I will accept this kindness."

Of course, inwardly Ning was not hesitant at all. After all, he had dropped hints for this a long time ago.

"It's us who should thank brother Ning. Without you, a lot of people would have died due to the monster attacks, so it is our pleasure that we could help." The Head Merchant was clear about this.

"If Brother Ning needs anything, you could show our token at our establishment in Golden Rod City. While we may not be strong cultivators, we are a qualified merchant." The head merchant looked favorably on this young, talented, and kind Pure Qi disciple.

Ning cupped his fist in thanks and departed with the others.

"As expected showing kindness and forming good relations with others is still the correct way of opening in this world. Now, only if we can smoothly complete this mission."

"Ah! Who am I kidding? There is a protagonist with us."

...

As Ning had surmised, they encountered trouble on the road.

"All of you, give up on protecting this girl otherwise you will regret it. If you leave, you will get our friendship." A scar-faced cultivator threatened, glancing at the woman who was hiding behind Xiao Fan.

Ning looked at this entire situation and had a single thought.

"Your Friendship? Double it and give it to the next person."