“When will all these hardships finally end?”
Ren Muqing felt both joy and anxiety.
Ning Cheng felt the same. Learning of this suddenly and realizing how much it applied to him left his mind filled with mixed emotions.
“An immortal bone requires an innate spiritual object to be truly activated. It can be understood that Father’s current state is like being sealed, which is why his spiritual energy is difficult to fully manifest,” Ning Zhishui explained. “There is another important point. Before an immortal bone is fully activated, it can be taken by others.”
Her words left the four others frozen in shock.
“Taken? How can an immortal bone be taken?” asked the second brother.
“Extracted while alive,” Ning Zhishui said.
All four shivered at once.
The immortal bone is a transparent bone located in the chest. It has self-healing ability. Once extracted and placed in one’s own chest, it will grow in and heal injuries.
In the previous life, Father possessed an immortal bone but remained unaware for over a century. Eventually, an evil person discovered the secret, extracted the immortal bone, and implanted it into himself.
Without the immortal bone, Father suffered severe injuries, his cultivation vanished, and he had no choice but to become a despised evil cultivator with countless enemies.
I do not even know exactly how he died in the end, only that his life token suddenly shattered. Later investigation revealed he perished at Tianji Cliff.
These few words left the Ning family in stunned silence.
Ning Cheng looked pale. He moved his lips, wanting to question, but found himself unable to speak.
Ren Muqing was the first to recover.
“Zhishui, you mean that once we find the innate spiritual object, Father’s immortal bone will be fully activated. From then on, his spiritual energy will no longer break, and he will be able to continuously break through realms without obstruction?”
“Yes.”
“Innate spiritual objects are extremely rare. We probably cannot afford them,” Ren Fei said, rubbing her face.
Innate spiritual objects are highly nourishing. They can be consumed directly without refinement and do not harm the body.
Each one is precious and sought after by countless cultivators. They are extremely difficult to find in the market.
When news spreads that an innate spiritual object has appeared in a dangerous area, cultivators of all levels rush to claim it, often resulting in numerous casualties.
The Ning family does not have the money or the personnel to compete. Where could they find an innate spiritual object?
“No need to buy. In about two months, an innate spiritual object will appear. We will seize it then,” Ning Zhishui said with confidence. Despite her youthful face, she displayed an air of authority.
In that instant, the four felt a strange impression.
It was as if the person before them was a true powerful cultivator, not just a half-grown child named Ning Zhishui.
“How did you know about the appearance of the spiritual object? You rarely go out,” Ning Cheng asked suddenly.
Ning Zhishui froze. Her composed demeanor immediately vanished.
If I accidentally reveal that I am a reborn powerful cultivator who failed to ascend, will they see me as an evil cultivator and kill me?
The four silently observed Ning Zhishui, noting her expressions—panic, helplessness, regret, then calm.
“I… just heard about it. The source is not important,” Ning Zhishui said stubbornly.
Not yet the right time.
The truth of my rebirth must be revealed eventually, as many important events will occur in the next three hundred years. They must know.
But only after they trust me. Revealing it now would be laughable.
The four looked at her for a while, then averted their gazes.
“Even if this news is true, given our current cultivation levels, we would probably be wiped out trying to seize the spiritual object,” Aunt Fang said quietly.
“No. This news is secret and few know of it. With proper preparation, we have a high chance of successfully obtaining it,” Ning Zhishui said.
Explaining it so thoroughly may raise suspicion, but I cannot worry about that. This matter is too important for Father. Even if suspected, we must not miss this opportunity.
Ning Cheng looked at Ning Zhishui, a warmth filling his heart. His gaze at his daughter grew tender and loving.
Among his three children, Ning Zhishui was his only daughter, and he loved her dearly, even if her talent was not the best.
His obvious favoritism had caused his eldest son Ning Chuanzhu and second son Ning Chengfeng to be jealous, often complaining about his partiality when they were young.
Ning Cheng did not understand why Ning Zhishui had suddenly displayed this “unusual” change, nor whether what she said was real or imagined. He was simply touched that she cared so much.
“Zhishui, I have a question. Can outsiders detect whether an immortal bone exists? How can I confirm that I truly possess one?” Ning Cheng asked.
“There is a clear sign: your strong self-healing ability. Minor injuries that take others two to three days to heal will recover for you in an instant,” Ning Zhishui explained. “There is a tool that is very effective for detecting immortal bones: the Spirit-Testing Plate.”
In the previous life, Father was suspected due to this feature, combined with interruptions in his cultivation.
Later, the Spirit-Testing Plate confirmed he indeed had an immortal bone.
This subsequently led to misfortune soon after.
Ning Cheng’s brow twitched.
Minor injuries… Indeed.
His injuries always healed faster than others. The Ning family had once marveled at this, but no one had suspected the immortal bone.
Now imagining the possibility of someone extracting a bone sent chills down his spine.
“I have a Spirit-Testing Plate here,” Ren Fei said, flipping her wrist to retrieve it.
Spirit-Testing Plates are mostly used for testing magic tools. She had one for her shop, and it was now perfectly useful.
Ren Fei was about to hand it to Ning Cheng when Ning Zhishui advised, “Aunt Fang, you might first channel spiritual energy into it and observe the reaction.”
“Alright,” Ren Fei said, withdrawing her hand and following the suggestion.
After channeling spiritual energy, the Spirit-Testing Plate lit up four slots corresponding to her cultivation.
She handed it to Ning Cheng, who tested it as well. They were shocked to discover all the slots on the Spirit-Testing Plate fully illuminated.