Chapter 29: The Law Enforcement Team Arrives
'I thought it would take a week, but in less than three days, my Spirit Rhinoceros Body Refining Technique has already reached the First Layer of Great Success!'
With a SPLASH, Nie Tian leaped out of the wooden barrel in his room.
After speaking with his father, he had returned to his room. Using his pure Pill Fire, he refined the Stem Lotus and other prepared medicinal materials into a medicinal liquid and poured it into a large wooden barrel.
While refining elixirs was a complex process, creating a medicinal liquid was simple. In less than ten minutes, the massive wooden barrel was filled with a fragrant, jade-green solution. The mere scent of it was enough to make one's blood race and muscles quiver with excitement.
He had gotten into the barrel and activated the Spirit Rhinoceros Body Refining Technique. 'I originally thought that soaking in the Stem Lotus solution would take a week to reach the First Layer of Great Success. I can't believe I succeeded in less than three days!'
'Although cultivating it for a second time in this life let me avoid many pitfalls, reaching the First Layer of Great Success with the Spirit Rhinoceros Body Refining Technique this quickly has to be thanks to the Nameless Technique!'
'When the Nameless Technique first awakened in my body, it tempered my flesh, producing many effects that happened to align perfectly with the first layer of the Spirit Rhinoceros Body Refining Technique!'
'Now that the Spirit Rhinoceros Body Refining Technique has reached Great Success, my Nine-Turn Nirvana Skill has also progressed. I haven't reached the Fourth Layer Mid Stage yet, but I'm not far off!'
For Qi Sea Cultivators, each progressive level was harder to achieve than the last, like trying to climb the Nine Layers of Heaven. If word got out that Nie Tian had reached the threshold of the Mid Stage less than three days after entering the Fourth Layer, it would be enough to shock anyone to death.
'When my Nine-Turn Nirvana Skill reaches the Peak of the Qi Sea Fourth Layer, I'll probably have to undergo my first Nirvana. I wonder just how much my strength will increase after that!'
He had obtained the Nine-Turn Nirvana Skill from a set of ancient ruins. The technique itself didn't specify its rank, so the "Royal Family's Top Grade" designation was something he had come up with on his own.
And why had he assigned it such a high rank? Because he had seen plenty of Royal Family's Low-Grade Cultivation Techniques, and not a single one could compare.
This cultivation technique didn't just accelerate one's cultivation speed; its most important aspect was the Nine-Turn Nirvana.
As the name suggested, the Nine-Turn Nirvana involved experiencing nine Nirvana-like transformations during cultivation. Each transformation was like a chrysalis becoming a butterfly, causing a qualitative leap in one's strength, vitality, qi, and spirit.
He knew from cultivating this technique in his past life that if he continued on this path, he would face his first Nirvana upon reaching the Peak of the Fourth Layer of the True Qi Realm.
While the Nirvana transformation granted a huge boost in strength, it was also exceptionally dangerous. The slightest mistake could cause one to suffer a qi deviation and enter the Demon Realm. Even in his past life, he had only experienced six transformations and hadn't dared to attempt the seventh.
'Even though I haven't eaten or slept for three days straight, my spirit and stamina are completely unaffected. Now that I'm done with my cultivation, I should go out and take a look around.'
Thinking about how he hadn't slept a wink since his rebirth, Nie Tian shook his head with a wry smile.
At his current level of strength, he couldn't actually go without food or sleep indefinitely. But with his branch facing dangers from all sides, he had no choice but to improve his strength as quickly as possible.
"Young Master, the Clan Law Enforcement Team is here to see you! They're asking for you in the main hall!"
Just as he finished changing and was about to head out, he heard the voice of his butler, Nie Chong, call from outside the room.
'The Law Enforcement Team? They're a little faster than I expected.'
Nie Tian wasn't surprised to hear they had come for him; instead, a faint smile touched his lips.
He had beaten Nie Chao half to death, and even though he'd used the Meridian Bone Grinding Force to coerce Nie Chaoxing into silence, he knew the matter couldn't be covered up for long. He'd thought he might have ten days, maybe even half a month, but they had shown up at his door after only four.
The main hall was located in the center of the branch residence. Following Nie Chong, Nie Tian arrived there in no time.
The moment he stepped into the hall and took in the scene, Nie Tian's eyes narrowed.
Two young men were seated in the host's seats at the head of the hall. Several other members of the Law Enforcement Team were seated below them, and his mother was relegated to the very last seat.
This was the main hall of the Nie Tian Branch, and only the host was qualified to sit in the seats of honor. Even the most distinguished guest would be seated as a guest. By taking the hosts' seats for themselves and forcing his mother into the most remote guest seat, they were clearly trying to put him in his place.
"You must be Nie Tian. We need to investigate the matter of Nie Chao's injuries. Come with us immediately. Tarry, and we'll have your hide!"
The moment Nie Tian entered the room, one of the young men shot to his feet and bellowed.
"The Law Enforcement Team requires a warrant signed by a Clan Elder to carry out a punishment! Never mind that my son has done nothing wrong—even if he had, as the heir to the Luoshui Golden Shield, you have no right to speak to him that way!"
Before Nie Tian could say a word, his mother, Nie Ling, flew into a rage. She shot to her feet, flicking her sleeve in indignation.
The Luoshui Golden Shield was akin to the Yellow Mandarin Jacket of some imperial dynasties—both a symbol of honor and a protective talisman. As the sole heir to the Golden Shield, even if the Law Enforcement Team wanted to arrest Nie Tian, they should have presented a warrant from an Elder, invited him courteously, and only resorted to force after presenting conclusive evidence. Speaking to him this way right from the start was outrageously arrogant!
"Insolence!" the young man roared, his arrogance boundless. "Does our Law Enforcement Team need a wretched woman like you spouting nonsense about how we do our jobs? Hmph, I'd say you're his accomplice! We'll take you along with him. Once we get you to headquarters, you can either confess, or we'll show you one of the ten thousand ways we have to make you wish you were dead!"
"Wish they were dead? Who are you going to make wish they were dead?"
A dragon has a reverse scale that, when touched, sends it into a rage. For Nie Tian, his family was that scale.
In his past life, his inability to protect his family had been his greatest regret. Now that he was reborn, Nie Tian cherished his family above all else. Hearing this youth not only insult his mother but also make baseless accusations, his expression turned dangerously grim.
"I'm talking to whoever's spouting nonsense, of course. What? You dare question a decision made by the Law Enforcement Team? You dare defy a clan order? You ignorant fool! You and that wretched woman get on your knees and beg for forgiveness right now. Maybe then you'll be spared. Otherwise, you'll die without even a grave to your name!"
The young man sneered, a vicious glint in his eyes.
"Who did you call a wretched woman?" Nie Tian was about to explode with rage.
"This Nie Ling, of course. Your mother—"
The youth pointed at Nie Tian's mother, but before he could finish, a sharp pain shot through his hand. CRACK! CRACK! With two sickening crunches, his entire hand and fingers were crushed to dust.
"AAAAH..." The youth shrieked in agony. When he saw that it was the boy in front of him who had attacked, he couldn't help but roar, "You dare attack me?! This is a monstrous crime! You're going to die, and so is everyone in your entire branch—"
"Monstrous crime? Everyone will die? Heh. You should worry about yourself first."
Nie Tian ignored his pointless rant. With a downward press of his palm, the screaming youth was instantly silenced. THWACK! He slammed into the floor, flattened like a stepped-on toad.
Silence.
The entire hall fell silent.
The members of the Law Enforcement Team were used to being outrageously arrogant wherever they went. They were accustomed to people bowing and scraping, confessing their guilt and admitting defeat. None of them had ever expected a boy to dare attack them so openly. For a moment, no one could even react. It felt as if the world had turned upside down, as if they were going mad.
"Excellent. Just excellent. I've recorded what just happened using a special method. Nie Tian, you dared to attack a member of the Law Enforcement Team. Even without the matter of Nie Chao, you cannot escape punishment for this today!"
Nie Liao, who was in the host's seat, didn't even glance at the youth lying on the ground, his condition unknown. Instead, he rose and gave the boy before him a faint smile.
"Cannot escape punishment? Heh. Deputy Captain Nie Liao, I don't much care for the way you say that. By the way, let me ask you something."
Nie Tian recognized the man before him. His previously ferocious expression vanished, replaced by a faint, almost pleasant smile as he asked in a mild tone, "That mother of yours—that bitch, that whore—has business been good lately? How many men does she take in a day?"