Chapter 4: The Seven Orifices Divine Demon Heart Palace

Chapter 4: The Seven Orifices Divine Demon Heart Palace

Ning Xiaochuan cultivated throughout the entire night, circulating his blood 240 cycles within his body. The Martial Arts Profound Qi within his Martial Arts Heart Palace had increased significantly, and he was on the verge of breaking through to the Fourth Level of Profound Qi.

This cultivation speed was downright terrifying.

After waking up, Ning Xiaochuan gathered the three books he had borrowed the previous night and prepared to return them to the Book Repository. Today, he planned to continue reading there—a bad habit he had developed from studying medicine, always feeling that his knowledge was insufficient.

Now that he had arrived in this unfamiliar world, understanding nothing and knowing nothing, he felt little different from an idiot. Only by reading more could he learn more.

Early morning, heavy fog.

The Jian Pavilion Marquis House was shrouded in a vast expanse of white. Its red walls and green tiles, along with its upturned eaves and hanging towers, made it resemble an immortal palace where deities might reside.

Carrying the three books, Ning Xiaochuan walked along a cobblestone path, passing by the Central Training Ground of the Jian Pavilion Marquis House. He paused slightly.

On the training ground, over four hundred youths were practicing swordplay, all clad in white robes. Some were as young as five or six, while others were already in their early twenties.

Ning Xin'er was among them, dressed in white martial attire with a black belt tied around her slender waist. In her hand was a three-foot-long green blade. With a single motion of her sword, sword energy erupted, producing explosive roars in the air.

Her entire body was enveloped in Martial Arts Profound Qi, and above her head hovered the shadow of a massive crimson furnace, its color blood-red and adorned with carvings of dragons and phoenixes.

This was the first divine ability she had cultivated upon reaching the First Level of the Divine Body Realm—the "Furnace Sword Blood Shadow."

Her sword energy covered a radius of ten meters, her blade coiling like a dragon. The sword energy formed a Taiji diagram, and any flying stones within ten meters of her would be reduced to dust.

The younger members of the Jian Pavilion Marquis House kept their distance, not daring to get too close for fear of being injured by her sword energy.

"Little Sister Xin'er's talent is extraordinary. At just fourteen years old, she has already reached the Divine Body Realm, and her first sword technique divine ability is nearly perfected! With such aptitude, no one among the younger generation of the Jian Pavilion Marquis House can compare to her."

"Ning Xiaojian, the strongest of the fourth generation of the Jian Pavilion Marquis House, only achieved the Divine Martial Body at the age of twenty."

Ning Han snorted coldly. "What a pity her brother is a good-for-nothing. Just the other day, at the Jade Viewing Pavilion, he competed with Wang Yunchong of the Heavenly Elephant Marquis House for the courtesan's favor. After losing, he was so enraged he fainted, and it was a brothel woman who had to carry him back to the marquis house. This incident has become a laughingstock among the noble houses, utterly shaming the Jian Pavilion Marquis House!"

"I heard the brothel woman who brought him back was exceptionally beautiful and even shed tears for him."

Ning Han sneered. "No matter how beautiful, she’s still just a lowly prostitute. Aren’t prostitutes and trash a perfect match? Too bad Ning the Sickly’s constitution is so weak—even if a beauty lay right in front of him, he probably wouldn’t be able to do anything. Hah!"

Laughter erupted around him.

Ning Han had naturally spotted Ning Xiaochuan standing at the edge of the training ground, so he laughed especially loudly, as if afraid Ning Xiaochuan wouldn’t hear.

"Ning Han, say one more word and try me," Ning Xin'er shouted sharply.

A flash of sword light shot forth, the tip of her blade already pressing against Ning Han’s throat.

Ning Han's talent was mediocre, only at the fifth level of profound qi, so he naturally didn’t dare to provoke Ning Xin'er. He retreated resentfully, casting a disdainful glance at Ning Xiaochuan and sneering, "A coward who only hides behind a woman."

"Brother, don’t take their words to heart. They’re deliberately provoking you. They’re just a bunch of spoiled brats, a group of..." Ning Xin'er was terrified that her brother might fall ill from anger again, her heart pounding with anxiety. She was so distressed that tears nearly spilled from her eyes, wishing she could cripple those good-for-nothing nobles like Ning Han.

Ning Xiaochuan, holding three books in his arms, wore a faint smile and said, "It’s fine. Keep practicing your swordplay. I’m going to the Book Repository to read."

Ning Xin'er stared at Ning Xiaochuan’s retreating figure, suddenly feeling that her brother had changed. In the past, he would never have remained so calm in such a situation!

Ning Xiaochuan wasn’t particularly familiar with Ning Han, nor did he have any recollection of the incident Ning Han mentioned, so he simply dismissed it as nonsense and paid it no mind. He strode straight into the Book Repository to continue searching for books to read.

Ning Han, however, was furious. "That sickly wretch actually ignored me completely?"

"With Xin'er protecting him, of course he’s acting all high and mighty. But if Xin'er weren’t around, do you think he’d dare lift a finger if we slapped him?" A fellow Ning family member from a collateral branch laughed.

Ning Han sneered. "Just the other night at the Jade Viewing Pavilion, he nearly died of rage, yet he still swallowed his pride and didn’t dare utter a word. A spineless waste like him is nothing but a disgrace to the Jian Pavilion Marquis House."

"I heard the courtesan 'Yu Ningsheng' of the Jade Viewing Pavilion is as beautiful as a celestial maiden, peerless in talent, and one of the most stunning women in the capital. Some even rank her among the three great beauties of the imperial city. Was Ning the Sickly competing with Wang Yunchong over her that night?"

Ning Han’s eyes filled with contempt as he snorted. "Though courtesans are lowly, Yu Ningsheng is an exception—truly untainted by the filth around her, like a jade maiden from an immortal palace, peerless in beauty and with extraordinary martial arts cultivation. Ordinary people can’t even catch a glimpse of her. How would Ning the Sickly ever have the privilege of seeing her? That night, Ning the Sickly and Wang Yunchong were just fighting over a mere silver-ranked courtesan at the Jade Viewing Pavilion!"

At the thought of that silver-ranked courtesan, a murderous glint flashed in Ning Han’s eyes. She was one of the witnesses—the one who had carried the "unconscious" Ning Xiaochuan back to the Jian Pavilion Marquis House. Since she had shed tears for Ning the Sickly, merely threatening her might not be enough. She needed to be silenced permanently.

After his morning training, Ning Han decided to visit the Jade Viewing Pavilion and settle this matter once and for all.

Inside the Book Repository.

Ning Xiaochuan sat beneath a bookshelf, engrossed in a yellowed paper-bound tome.

"So the mystical heart within me is the legendary 'Seven Wonders Divine Demon Heart Palace.'"

Curious about the strange heart in his body, Ning Xiaochuan had specifically searched the Book Repository for texts on the Martial Arts Heart Palace. To his surprise, he actually found one.

However, the book only briefly mentioned the "Seven Wonders Divine Demon Heart Palace":

The Seven Wonders: two atria, two ventricles, one heart palace, one heart aperture, one blood aperture. The heart aperture is divine; the blood aperture is demonic. When heart and blood intertwine with the profound, the divine and demonic shall awaken.

Ning Xiaochuan stroked his chin and muttered to himself, "Ordinary martial artists only have two atria, two ventricles, and one Martial Arts Heart Palace. So the two extra ventricles I have must be the Demon Ventricle and the Heart Ventricle. The Demon Ventricle represents demonic nature, and that blood-red sword is precisely nurtured within it. Could it be... that it's a demonic sword!"

He touched his chest, shuddered, then let out a long sigh. "Practicing martial arts shouldn’t turn me into a great demon. Maybe I should look for some medical books instead!"

Ning Xiaochuan was highly sensitive to the word "demon" and deeply feared becoming a bloodthirsty monster. To calm himself, he hastily recited the oath he had taken when entering medical school, resolving to repeat it three times daily from then on.

Reflect on oneself three times a day.

"I pledge to devote myself to medicine, uphold medical ethics, respect my teachers, abide by discipline, study diligently, tirelessly pursue excellence, and strive for comprehensive development. I vow to do my utmost to alleviate human suffering, perfect health, and uphold the sanctity and honor of medical practice. I will heal the wounded and rescue the dying, no matter the hardship..."

Reciting the medical oath was like chanting a mantra to soothe his mind as he searched the Book Repository for medical texts.

"Ordinary people who fall ill or get injured simply seek out martial artists. Martial Arts Profound Qi can cure diseases, heal wounds, and dispel ailments. Good heavens! This world doesn’t even need physicians—Martial Arts Profound Qi can handle everything. Any martial artist is the best healer."

That was the answer he found.

Ning Xiaochuan felt somewhat disappointed. The medical arts of this world were far too simplistic. Anyone who cultivated Martial Arts Profound Qi within their body could open a clinic in a small town and practice medicine.

Martial Arts Profound Qi wasn’t just for killing—it could heal, enhance wisdom, and even prolong life. No wonder martial artists held such an exalted status above all else.

"If ordinary people turn to martial artists when they’re sick or injured, then who do martial artists turn to when they’re hurt?"

Ning Xiaochuan discovered a fascinating profession, similar to that of a physician but distinct—because it only treated martial artists.

Heart Nurturer!

What was most important to a martial artist?

Naturally, the heart and blood vessels.

If a martial artist’s heart or blood vessels were damaged, their own Martial Arts Profound Qi would struggle to repair them. They could only turn to a Heart Nurturer for help.

Moreover, Heart Nurturers could refine medicinal pills and spiritual liquids to aid in healing, expand the Martial Arts Heart Palace, refine bloodlines, and even enhance cultivation. Some powerful Heart Nurturers could even help ordinary people open their Martial Arts Heart Palaces or revive fallen warriors.

Ordinary people sought martial artists when injured, but martial artists sought Heart Nurturers.

Heart Nurturers held a far higher status than martial artists and were far rarer. Among a thousand martial artists, perhaps not even one could become a Heart Nurturer.

Even a novice Heart Nurturer commanded great respect.

The goods sold by Heart Nurturers were exorbitantly expensive. A single drop of Heart Nurturing Liquid refined by a beginner-level Heart Nurturer was worth 8,000 Small Coins.

100 Small Coins = 1 Large Coin.

100 Large Coins = 1 tael of Green Gold.

8,000 Small Coins was enough to sustain an ordinary family of three for half a year.

It can be said that every Heart Nurturer is an extremely wealthy individual, with some powerful Heart Nurturers even capable of building their own cities, amassing fortunes rivaling entire nations.

"Interesting, truly interesting. If I can become a Heart Nurturer, even if I leave the Jian Pavilion Marquis House, I won’t have to worry about starving. However, becoming a Heart Nurturer seems incredibly difficult. To nurture another’s heart, one must first nurture their own. Just the first step—cultivating one’s Martial Arts Heart Palace into a 'Heart Nurturing Cauldron'—requires consuming vast amounts of rare spiritual herbs, and ninety-nine percent of martial artists fail to succeed."

"Before even starting to earn money, I’ll have to burn through a fortune!"

Ning Xiaochuan was a man of unwavering determination. Once he set his mind on something, he would not hesitate.

He returned to the training grounds. The morning practice had already ended, and the other disciples of the Jian Pavilion Marquis House had gone to rest. Only Ning Xin'er remained, still practicing her swordplay.

"Xin'er, lend me 30,000 Small Coins," Ning Xiaochuan said.

"30,000 Small Coins! Brother, what do you need so much money for?" Ning Xin'er sheathed her sword, her slender figure moving like a crescent moon, swift as a shadow. In the next moment, she stood before Ning Xiaochuan, her eyes blinking with curiosity.