676 Bai Ning's Strength is...

Solving the problem of the demonic cultivators that would attack the Ascendant Frost Hall while at the same time finding out the reason why so many demonic cultivators were trying to leave the Frozen Wastelands in less than a day, Xuan Hao didn't see any need to stay in the Azure Sky Kingdom or the Frozen Wasteland-

Whoosh~!

Instead deciding to make his way back towards the Star Shattering Sect to complete the sect quest and hopefully find a way to perfectly merge his ice and sword domain together into a single domain.

As for the remaining demonic cultivators that had already managed to enter the Azure Sky Kingdom, they would be left for the disciples and elders of the sect to deal with. At least it would serve as an excellent way to give them some real combat experience.

No matter how great the combat hall was, it would never be able to compare to a real life and death battle!

In a way, with how chaotic the current Azure Sky Kingdom was, it had become a perfect training ground for the Foundation Establishment and Core Formation Realm disciples of the Star Shattering Sect…

Given that a lot of disciples should be leaving the sect to help clean up the demonic cultivators of the Azure Sky Kingdom, it should be a perfect time for Bai Ning to go out and get some combat experience!

Thinking this to himself, Xuan Hao could not help nodding his head as he got closer to the Star Shattering Sect.

Bai Ning had close to zero combat experience and had spent most of his time since becoming his disciple locked up in the sect all the time. However, even if he wanted to focus solely on blacksmithing, he still needed to be capable of defending himself!

…

Not taking too long to return back to the Star Shattering Sect, the first thing Xuan Hao did was take out the Ascendant Frost Scroll that he had gotten from the sect master of the Ascendant Frost Hall before placing it inside the Grand Library of the sect with a look of expectation and nervousness on his face.

Although the Ascendant Frost Hall's cultivation mantra was unique, he was not sure whether or not it would qualify for the sect quest…

[Sect Quest: Gather Unique Cultivation Mantras for the Sect. (Complete)]

[Description: The sect is lacking when it comes to the different cultivation mantras available for the disciples. Gather 10 unique cultivation mantras. Not one can be the same and all of them have to at least reach the Earth Rank.]

[Unique Cultivation Mantras: 10/10] (Complete)

[Reward: Enter a State of Enlightenment for one hour]

"Looks like it did indeed count!" Muttering this to himself after pulling up the sect quest, Xuan Hao could not help letting out a sigh of relief after confirming that the sect quest had indeed been completed.

Now… Should I use the reward now or wait until I have more time to cultivate…?

Now that the sect quest had already been completed, Xuan Hao could not help turning his attention towards whether or not he should use the reward from the sect quest now or wait until he was on his way to the capital of the Sky Empire.

Although he might have more time to consume the rewards during his journey to the capital of the Sky Empire, he ran the risk of being interrupted during his travel by bandits or demon beasts that might decide to attack during this time.

Using the reward now would not give him as much time, but he would at the very least be certain that he would be able to cultivate and consume what he comprehended during the one hour of enlightenment for a few weeks without any interruptions.

"Master? You are back already!?"

"Ah?"

Having unknowingly made his way back to his palace while thinking about when to use the reward from the sect quest, Xuan Hao was slightly taken aback upon hearing the voice of Bai Ning calling out to him.

"Bai Ning, good that you are here, I actually have something to talk to you about…"

Deciding to first talk with Bai Ning and inform him of his decision to send him to the Azure Sky Kingdom to get some real combat experience fighting against the bandits and demonic cultivators that roamed the kingdom at the moment, Xuan Hao put the decision about what to do regarding the sect quest reward to the side for the moment…

"-And that is all. For the next few weeks, you will be going around the Azure Sky Kingdom and helping the clean-up of the kingdom!"

Having finished explaining that he planned to send him to the Azure Sky Kingdom and what he would be doing there, Xuan Hao could not help frowning after seeing the distraught expression on Bai Ning's face after learning that he would be going to the Azure Sky Kingdom.

"M-master… Are you sure I have to leave the sect?! Do I do something wrong?!"

"Not leave the sect! You are just going to the Azure Sky Kingdom for a few weeks to gain some combat experience!"

Feeling his frown deepen even further upon hearing what Bai Ning said, Xuan Hao had no idea what to say after seeing the increasingly depressed expression on Bai Ning's face. From the looks of it, he wanted to avoid leaving the Star Shattering Sect!

"Master…"

"Hah… No matter how much you want to focus all your attention on blacksmithing, you still need to learn how to protect yourself in case something happens in the future!

Even if your current cultivation realm is far above that of your peers, your actual strength is nowhere near your cultivation base! Fighting against someone in the same cultivation realm is not possible for you, while even someone a minor realm below you would be able to win against you with your non-existent combat experience!"

"…"

Watching as Bai Ning showed an understanding expression while at the same time blushing ever so slightly after hearing his master tell him that he was far weaker than others at his cultivation realm, Xuan Hao could not help feeling satisfied with his reaction.

Even if Bai Ning's cultivation realm had increased by leaps and bounds over the past few years, his combat strength had not followed along with this rapid improvement… The main reason for this was that Bai Ning focused most of his time towards blacksmithing. Never dedicating more than a few hours a month to practicing in the combat hall.

With this in mind, it was obvious that Bai Ning's strength would be weaker than those at the same cultivation realm…

"I understand master, I will go to the Azure Sky Kingdom…" Knowing that his master was correct, Bai Ning lowered his head as he gave up on trying to avoid going to the Azure Sky Kingdom.

What his master had said about his current strength was indeed true and Bai Ning understood this better than anyone else. After all, the opponents he fought against in the combat hall would normally only be in the Sixth or Seventh Stage of the Foundation Establishment Realm. Far from his current cultivation that had already reached the Ninth Stage of the Foundation Establishment Realm!

Thinking about it, Bai Ning did indeed feel that it was rather embarrassing for him to not even be able to fight someone at his own cultivation realm…

"It's good that you understand, I don't expect you to be a genius when it comes to fighting… But I at the very least expect you to be capable of fighting someone in the same realm!"

Nodding his head as he said this, Xuan Hao felt happy seeing that Bai Ning understood him.

Hopefully, Bai Ning would be able to use a bit more time on training his combat techniques after this… Of course, without him stepping in to remind him…

"Well then, you can get going for now, you should go meet Elder Song tomorrow and ask him to save a spot for you among the disciples that will be going to the Azure Sky Kingdom to clean the place up!"

Swish~

Making his way back to his cultivation room inside the small palace after saying this, Xuan Hao could not help feeling like he had acted as a proper master for once!

"Well then… Now all that is left is deciding whether or not to use the reward from the sect quest…"

Smiling a bit wryly as he turned his attention back towards the reward from the sect quest, Xuan Hao thought about it for a few minutes before finally coming to a decision.

[Use Reward: Enter a State of Enlightenment for one hour]

[Y/N]

"The risk of being interrupted during the journey is simply far too high…" Muttering this to himself as he looked over the system interface, Xuan Hao didn't hesitate any longer and decided to use the reward from the sect quest.

Whoosh~

The next moment, everything in his surroundings began shifting before he suddenly found himself sitting in a completely blank space stretching on without end in all directions around him.