Chapter 109 Bai Ning Bing II

After venting his frustration, Bai Ning Bing ultimately gave up on fighting Ouyang Gong. The man had no desire to fight, and forcing him into the martial arts arena would make the battle meaningless.

He continued wandering through the caravan camp afterward, challenging several other Gu Masters. Unfortunately, not a single vice leader accepted. Bai Ning Bing was furious at first, but as his anger gradually faded, only loneliness and confusion remained in his eyes.

Bai Ning Bing, the greatest genius of Bai Clan Village and a Rank Two peak stage Gu Master, was destined to die at only eighteen years old.

It sounded unbelievable, but it was the truth. Bai Ning Bing possessed one of the Ten Extreme Physiques, the Northern Dark Ice Soul Physique.

Northern Dark Ice Soul was one of Ren Zu’s ten children, and the physique bearing its name represented perfect aptitude. Yet perfect aptitude was not purely a blessing. The greater one’s aptitude, the higher the quality of primeval essence produced, which in turn placed enormous pressure upon the aperture walls. As cultivation advanced, this pressure would continue increasing until the aperture could no longer endure it.

Bai Ning Bing had already accepted his fate, but he had never told anyone the truth.

A Gu Master possessing the Northern Dark Ice Soul Physique would produce terrifying power upon self-detonation, enough to destroy an entire village. If Bai Clan’s leader discovered that Bai Ning Bing had become such a threat, then no matter how much he cherished his adopted son, he would have no choice but to deal with him.

After all, no one would willingly keep a bomb capable of destroying their entire clan in their own home.

And the danger from within the Bai Clan was only part of Bai Ning Bing’s troubles. As the genius representing Bai Clan’s future rise, he had repeatedly faced assassination attempts from the other two clans. Xiong Clan in particular had secretly sent three Gu Masters into Bai Clan Village with the sole purpose of killing him.

Threatened from both inside and outside, unable to reveal his greatest secret to anyone, Bai Ning Bing slowly became more extreme. Even the Bai Clan leader had noticed the changes in him and tried arranging several companions to remain by his side, hoping friendship might ease his state of mind, but none of it had worked.

What was the purpose of living? That familiar question once again surfaced in Bai Ning Bing’s mind.

He had asked many people before and received countless answers. Some lived for love, some pursued wealth or authority, while others devoted themselves to their clan and family.

But none of those answers belonged to Bai Ning Bing. Yet whenever he tried to answer the question himself, he found that he could not.

Was it excitement?

Perhaps. Fighting powerful opponents, risking his life, and experiencing things he had never seen before could briefly drive away the emptiness. It was close to what he wanted, very close, yet something was still missing.

What exactly am I searching for?

And so, Bai Ning Bing wandered aimlessly through the caravan camp. Along the way, he encountered several female academy students and young female Gu Masters from Bai Clan Village, many of whom greeted him warmly. Unfortunately, Bai Ning Bing knew almost nothing about matters between men and women and had even less interest in them. He merely walked past with an indifferent expression, unwilling to waste time interacting with them.

Women would only become a burden.

Naturally, others could not understand his attitude. Bai Bing Yi, another rising talent of Bai Clan Village, had once complained bitterly, “Bai Ning Bing really is infuriating! He’s the clan leader’s adopted son, has A-grade aptitude, looks better than almost anyone else in the village, and countless girls like him. He has everything others dream of, yet he always looks dissatisfied. What exactly does he want?”

Walking through the bustling streets, surrounded by crowds and the constant flow of people, Bai Ning Bing strangely felt a trace of coldness despite the warm sunlight shining down upon him.

“If only there were someone like me… just one would be enough.” Bai Ning Bing sighed softly. “I’m really lonely.”

After wandering around for some time, Bai Ning Bing eventually arrived at the section of the caravan where Gu were sold and refined. He had come here because his recent attempts to refine Frost Demon Gu had repeatedly failed, exhausting what little patience he possessed.

Frost Demon Gu was a Rank Three Snow Path transformation Gu. Once activated, it could transform a Gu Master’s body into that of a Frost Demon, increasing the power of Ice Path Gu while reducing their primeval essence consumption. Together with Ice Crystal Gu and Snow Maiden Gu, it was regarded as one of the three major transformations Gu of Ice Path.

Although Bai Ning Bing was currently only Rank Two peak stage, he had already begun preparing for Rank Three. With death constantly approaching, he had no intention of slowly waiting for his cultivation to advance before making preparations.

Some of the clan elders are skilled at Gu refinement, but they’re only Rank Three themselves. Refining Frost Demon Gu isn’t easy even for them. Perhaps I should try my luck with the Refinement Path Gu Masters in the caravan.

Bai Ning Bing’s own success rate at refining a Rank Three Gu was simply too low. Fortunately, as the Bai Clan leader’s adopted son, he had never lacked primeval stones and currently carried several thousand with him.

Upon entering the largest refinement shop, Bai Ning Bing immediately noticed numerous Gu displayed behind transparent counters. Among them were Gu of different ranks and paths, including Yellow Camel Sky Ox Gu, Flower Pig Gu, and Water Armor Gu.

Other counters displayed rare materials gathered from around Qing Mao Mountain, including Ice Clear Water, Jade Essence Flowers, and Crimson Pearl Grass. Bai Ning Bing examined them with some interest when a voice suddenly came from nearby.

“Welcome, esteemed guest. What are you looking for? Buying Gu, selling Gu, or having a Gu refined? Whatever you require, our shop will do its best to satisfy you.”

The man’s voice was warm and polite, yet carried a certain calmness that caused Bai Ning Bing to Stop.

For some reason, it reminded him of an old acquaintance from Gu Yue Village. That person was also the adopted son of a clan leader. Intelligent, hardworking, and once regarded as the foremost genius among Gu Yue Clan’s younger generation.

That person cultivated Wood Path and possessed considerable combat strength, with numerous methods at his disposal. More importantly, he had tried to kill Bai Ning Bing more than once.

The two had fought several times, and every battle had been exhilarating. Bai Ning Bing had even thought that if they had not belonged to opposing clans, perhaps they really could have become friends.

Unfortunately, that man was still bound by the same things as most people in this world. He was always talking about his clan, family, ideals, and sacrifice. Bai Ning Bing found such things unbearably dull.

Thinking about it this way, even if the two of them had truly become friends, their different views would probably have driven them apart sooner or later.

“I’ll look around first.” Bai Ning Bing was about to continue browsing when he suddenly noticed something and turned back. “Wait, you’re the owner of this shop?”

His eyes narrowed slightly as he sensed Lin Feng’s cultivation, then immediately brightened.

“You’re actually Rank Three? Hahaha, excellent! Come, fight me!”

Lin Feng was momentarily stunned. A few days ago, when he had watched Bai Ning Bing pestering Ouyang Gong for a fight, he had wondered which unfortunate Gu Master would eventually be forced to deal with this battle maniac.

He had never expected that person to be himself. However, Lin Feng had no intention of refusing. This was actually a perfect opportunity to obtain some of Bai Ning Bing’s blood for research. Perhaps by studying it, he could discover something about the secrets of the Ten Extreme Physiques.

Lin Feng smiled. “Sure. But fighting customers isn’t part of the shop’s usual business, so you’ll have to pay extra.”