I have a martial arts panel.

Chapter 244 The Banquet

"This Lord Wei must be Wei Xiongjian, the prefect of Guanghe County..."

After three days in Guanghe County, Xu Ning had gained a general understanding of the place.

"Master Cheng."

Wei Xiongjian also clasped his hands in a fist salute to Cheng Jinxian in return.

Although he was the highest leader of the prefecture, he was quite polite to the local families.

"Please come in and take a seat."

Wei Xiongjian said.

"Then we'll go in first."

Cheng Jinxian led the Cheng family members into the hall.

By this time, there were already quite a few people in the hall.

They gathered in small groups, chatting amongst themselves.

"This banquet should be a place for people from all walks of life in Guanghe County to strengthen their bonds..."

Xu Ning surveyed the area, pondering to himself.

Cheng Jinxian also left the Cheng family behind and started talking to other people.

"Let's take our seats first."

Cheng Zengtao clearly participates in such occasions frequently.

He told the Cheng family disciples to find their own seats.

There were small tables set up in the hall, clearly indicating that they would be eating there soon.

After settling the Cheng family members, Cheng Zengtao introduced Xu Ning to his acquaintances.

As an elder of the Cheng family, Cheng Zengtao also had his own connections in Guanghe County.

Soon, all the invited people had arrived.

Wei Xiongjian also walked in.

"Everyone, please take your seats!"

As Wei Xiongjian spoke, the previously noisy room instantly fell silent.

Everyone found a place to sit down.

Cheng Zengtao led Xu Ning to his seat.

They were seated in the middle, with the heads of the various families above them and the younger members of each family below.

After everyone was seated, Wei Xiongjian stood up and picked up his wine glass.

After saying a few polite words, he downed the wine in his glass in one gulp.

Below, people raised their glasses in response.

Xu Ning did the same, downing the wine glass on the table in one gulp.

"This wine is no ordinary wine either..."

The moment Xu Ning drank the wine, he also absorbed 10 units of energy.

"The wine at this banquet, while not as good as Senior Jin Meng's Demon Ape Wine, is still quite good..."

The taste of the wine was sweet in Xu Ning's mouth.

Then, Wei Xiongjian returned to his seat.

"Please don't be shy, just chat freely with your friends!"

Wei Xiongjian laughed loudly.

The hall became lively once again.

Wei Xiongjian began talking with the family heads seated above him, while the others chatted with those around them.

The people sitting together were mostly of equal status.

Brother Cheng.

At this moment, a person sitting near Cheng Zengtao moved over.

The man was overweight and had an honest face, but a shrewd glint would occasionally flash in his eyes.

"Brother Shi."

Upon seeing this, Cheng Zengtao also raised his glass in a gesture of respect.

"This is Shi Chenghao, a brother from the Shi family."

Cheng Zengtao took the initiative to introduce the man's identity to Xu Ning.

At this moment, Shi Chenghao also noticed the unfamiliar face next to Cheng Zengtao.

"Brother Cheng, who is this...?"

Shi Chenghao asked politely.

"My name is Xu Ning, and I am a good friend of Brother Cheng."

Without waiting for Cheng Zengtao's introduction, Xu Ning took the initiative to pick up his wine glass, appearing quite generous.

"So it's Brother Xu!"

Upon hearing this, Shi Chenghao smiled warmly and drank the wine in his glass in one gulp.

Although he didn't know Xu Ning's background, Shi Chenghao knew that Xu Ning's identity was extraordinary when he saw Cheng Zengtao treat him with great respect.

"Brother Xu, you're not from Guanghe County, are you?"

Shi Chenghao was curious about Xu Ning's identity, but he didn't directly ask her.

"No, I just arrived recently."

Xu Ning said.

"Brother Cheng and I are old friends, and Brother Xu is Brother Cheng's good friend, so he is also my good friend. After today's banquet, in a couple of days, I will host a private banquet for us to get together privately."

Shi Chenghao was clearly skilled at interpersonal relationships, and he quickly built a closer relationship with Xu Ning in just a few words.

After chatting for a while, Shi Chenghao approached Cheng Zengtao.

"Brother Cheng, I have a favor to ask of you."

Shi Chenghao lowered his voice, but did not avoid Xu Ning.

This action seems to indicate that he considers Xu Ning one of his own.

Xu Ning saw through Shi Chenghao's thoughts, but even so, he felt that Shi Chenghao was easy to like.

"What is it, Brother Shi? Please speak freely."

Cheng Zengtao waved his hand.

"I want to refine a breakthrough pill."

Shi Chenghao said, "Brother Cheng, as you know, my martial arts aptitude is extremely poor. If it weren't for the resources my family used to force me to break through to the Fusion Body Realm, I might not even be in the Void Realm."

"I've been stuck at the Fusion Realm for a long time, unable to even touch the threshold of the Qi Refining Realm, so I want to refine a Breakthrough Pill to help me break through my current realm."

Upon hearing this, Cheng Zengtao raised an eyebrow: "Why are you asking me for help when you're refining breakthrough pills? You should be looking for a grand alchemist."

Shi Chenghao looked helpless: "Brother Cheng, you don't know this, but ordinary alchemists can't refine this Breakthrough Pill at all. Only those alchemists with extremely high skills can refine it."

"I consulted several great alchemists before, and they all said they were not confident and could not do it."

As he spoke, Shi Chenghao tentatively asked, "Could you please ask Brother Cheng to go to the Bamboo Grove and request Grand Master Leng Ran to refine this pill for me?"

Cheng Zengtao and Leng Ran knew each other, and Shi Chenghao knew about it.

Upon hearing this, Cheng Zengtao frowned, looking somewhat troubled.

Although he knew Leng Ran, he did not want to bother her with these matters.

"If it's inconvenient, then forget it."

Seeing that Cheng Zengtao did not immediately agree, Shi Chenghao understood Cheng Zengtao's meaning.

He couldn't possibly force someone to do something against their will.

"Brother Shi, do you have any materials for the Breakthrough Pill?"

Just as Cheng Zengtao was about to express his apology, Xu Ning spoke up.

Upon hearing this, both Shi Chenghao and Cheng Zengtao were taken aback.

Cheng Zengtao, in particular, didn't understand why Xu Ning would respond in that way.

"We've been preparing for this for a long time."

Shi Chenghao responded instinctively.

The thought that was swirling in his mind was whether Xu Ning knew some great alchemist and was about to introduce him to someone.

"Leave it to me. You can go to the Cheng family to collect it in three days."

Xu Ning said.

Previously, Xu Ning's skill level was not sufficient to refine the Breakthrough Pill.

However, after upgrading the Danhai Danjing to the second level, Xu Ning was already able to refine it.

"Brother Xu, you..."

Shi Chenghao frowned slightly: "You're a Grand Alchemist?"

When Shi Chenghao asked this question, Cheng Zengtao's eyes were also filled with a strange look.

He was unaware that Xu Ning was a Grand Alchemist.

Faced with the question, Xu Ning nodded slightly.

Upon receiving Xu Ning's affirmation, Shi Chenghao paused for a moment, then quickly filled his glass with wine: "Thank you in advance, Brother Xu!"

Shi Chenghao was overjoyed.

Having repeatedly failed to find a master alchemist to refine the Breakthrough Pill, Shi Chenghao was already somewhat disheartened.

Unexpectedly, things took an unexpected turn, and Xu Ning, whom he had just met, turned out to be a Grand Alchemist.

At this moment, Cheng Zengtao's heart was filled with turbulent emotions.

Xu Ning's martial arts talent and speed of progress have made him feel that they are rare in the world.

Unexpectedly, he was actually a master alchemist.

Most people specialize in one of the two arts, martial arts and alchemy, but achieve nothing in their entire lives. Yet Xu Ning has achieved such success in both of them.

"Perhaps the Yanlu Sect can truly recapture the glory of its first sect leader..."

This thought suddenly popped into Cheng Zengtao's mind.

"Brother Xu, these are the materials for the Breakthrough Pill."

Shi Chenghao took out a pile of materials from his storage ring and placed them on the table: "This is a total of five sets of spiritual medicine materials. If it's not enough, I can send some more to your residence."

"enough."

Xu Ning waved his hand and put away the materials for the Breakthrough Pill.

His confidence also boosted Shi Chenghao's confidence.

If everything goes smoothly, I can advance to the Qi Refining Realm in three days.

"Brother Xu, please name your price for alchemy."

Shi Chenghao said.

"Since you and Brother Cheng are good friends, let's just let this matter go."

Xu Ning waved his hand.

Shi Chenghao's goodwill towards Xu Ning immediately increased.

He didn't press the matter: "In that case, I'll consider it a favor I owe Brother Xu. If Brother Xu has any requests, please feel free to ask."

Shi Chenghao's expression was very solemn.

"polite."

Xu Ning didn't seem to care much.

Afterwards, Shi Chenghao chatted with the two for a while before returning to his seat.

At this moment, Shi Chenghao was already planning how to get closer to Xu Ning.

It would be very beneficial to cultivate a good relationship with a master alchemist of this caliber.

"Sect Master, you are truly a master of disguise..."

After Shi Chenghao left, Cheng Zengtao secretly transmitted his voice to Xu Ning: "This Shi Chenghao is the son of the head of the Shi family in Guanghe County. We are the same age. Although he is unlikely to inherit the position of family head in the future, he will definitely have access to the Shi family's resources. If we are short of resources when rebuilding the sect, we can definitely seek his help."

"so……"

Xu Ning nodded.

Not long after, Shi Chenghao returned.

This time, he brought several of his friends and introduced them to Xu Ning.

Now, Xu Ning has become a familiar face to half of the Dao Realm Grandmasters in Guanghe County.

"Xu Ning's personal charm is truly unique..."

At this moment, Cheng Jinxian, who was sitting above, was also keeping a close eye on Xu Ning.

Seeing that Xu Ning had made so many new friends in such a short time, and that these people all treated her with great respect, Cheng Jinxian felt even more convinced of Xu Ning's abilities.

"Perhaps this Xu Ning really can bring the Yanlu Sect back to life..."

Cheng Jinxian thought to himself.

A qualified sect leader must possess formidable strength and the ability to unite people's hearts.

……

After lunch, the group returned to the Cheng family home.

On the road.

"Xu Ning."

On the carriage, Cheng Jinxian took the initiative to speak: "If you encounter any trouble regarding the reconstruction of the Yanlu Sect, just let me know."

"uncle!"

Cheng Zengtao was startled.

Cheng Jinxian's words can be seen as an acknowledgment of Xu Ning's decision to support the reconstruction of the Yanlu Sect.

"I will select some promising juniors from my family and have them join the Yanlu Sect."

Cheng Jinxian said, "After all, for a sect, people are the foundation."

Xu Ning was quite surprised to hear this.

By doing this, Cheng Jinxian has completely bound the Cheng family to the Yanlu Sect.

"Thank you very much, Patriarch Cheng."

Xu Ning clasped his hands in a fist salute.

With the Cheng family's help, the pressure of rebuilding the sect will be much less.

(End of this chapter)