The Desolate Era

Chapter 8 – Entering the Raindragon Guard

The next morning, at dawn. Darknorth Peak.

“Senior apprentice-brother Ji Ning, I want to go alongside with you. I can pour tea for you and service you.” Cloudjade looked expectantly at Ning.

“We are going out in the world to adventure and to test ourselves. There will be countless dangers. This isn’t tourism! You had best just stay here calmly at the Black-White College.” Ning looked towards his retainers; Meng Roch, Cloudjade, Cloudship, Forgard, Weifang, and Nethersun. “After I leave the Black-White College, all matters here at Darknorth Peak, great and small, will be managed by Meng Roch.”

Cloudship and the others, upon hearing this, were all rather amazed. Roch? The weakest amongst them was most likely Roch. The others had all improved in strength, but because Roch’s ki foundation had been damaged, he had been forced to divide his attention and also train as a Fiendgod. For now, at least, he was the weakest of them.

“Yes, senior apprentice-brother Ji Ning.” Cloudjade and the others all acknowledged the order.

“Rocky. I entrust Darknorth Peak to you.” Ning looked towards Roch. The tall, swarthy Roch nodded solemnly. “Senior apprentice-brother Ji Ning, don’t worry at all.”

Ning suddenly raised his head. From afar, a streak of light was flying over. It was Mu Northson, riding on his Azure Dragon construct. Northson called out towards him from afar, “Senior apprentice-brother Ji Ning!”

“Let’s go, Uncle White.” The flying boat appeared next to Ning, and the Whitewater Hound ambled into the boat. The two of them, a man and a large, snowy white hound, immediately soared into the air, moving to join with the distant Northson, aboard his flying dragon. Soon, they all disappeared into the distant mountain peaks.

………..

Ning, Northson, and the Whitewater Hound walked out from the main gates of the Black-White College. “The next time we return,” Northson said, “We will be even more powerful.” Northson turned to look at the gates of the school, his eyes filled with anticipation and desire. He said softly, “And I’m going to bring back a pile of techniques and arts which the College doesn’t have…I’ve grown sick of not having enough black-white pellets, and of the pain of not having enough of them to trade for all sorts of golem-related arts.”

The Black-White College had a sea of techniques and arts; where did they all come from? Naturally, they had been accumulated over the years by its disciples, who had brought them back after adventuring in the outside world. When the disciples offered new techniques and arts, they would receive corresponding rewards in black-white pellets and liquefied elemental essence!

Ning actually had two extremely powerful techniques which he could offer to the College; the first was his divine ability, the [Windwing Evasion], while the second was the [Lesser Thousand Swords Formation]. The entire school only had five divine abilities; from this, one could see how rare they were. This divine ability, however, had been passed down from generation to generation by the Yuchi clan, and even his mother had told him that it was not to be given to outsiders. How could he so casually give it up?

As for the [Lesser Thousand Swords Formation], that was something he could make his own decision on, but he had already left the [Lesser Thousand Swords Formation] to the Ji clan; in the future, the Ji clan would rely on it to rise to prominence. His father had given his entire life for the Ji clan, and Ning had grown up within the clan ever since he was young. He felt a powerful sense of loyalty to the clan. For now, Ning still needed to seriously consider as to whether or not he was to give such a powerful, consummate technique to the College.

After all, all schools, sects, tribes, and clans viewed arts and techniques with great importance. It was entirely possible that an entire tribe might be exterminated for the sake of a divine ability or a powerful secret art.

“Let’s go,” Ning said.

“Where should we go?” Northson asked.

“First, to the Heavenly Treasures Mountain.” Ning laughed. “The Heavenly Treasures Mountain has countless treasures within it. If we are going to go adventuring, we’ll need to prepare ourselves. We can go shopping there.”

“Right. I really do want to go shopping.” Northson nodded. And so, Ning, Northson, and the Whitewater Hound immediately departed the Black-White College.

……..