Chapter 33

After returning from the garbage dump to the small courtyard, Lin Xuan felt somewhat apprehensive and respectful towards Ding Ning.

Lightning! A bolt of lightning struck the man, and Ding Ning was right beside him. This scene left a profound impact on Lin Xuan.

He didn't know if it was Ding Ning who did it, but Lin Xuan, the little fatty, had his own small wisdom. Since Ding Ning didn't mention it, he wouldn't ask. Anyway, he had already decided that Ding Ning was his big brother, and as long as he followed his big brother, there would always be beer to drink.

After Ding Ning returned, he didn't immediately break through to the peak of the First Level of Qi Induction. Instead, he began to try to channel his mental energy into the wealth god painting in the room.

There was also a wealth god painting in the room of this small courtyard. After experimenting, Ding Ning reached the same conclusion as in the room at the garbage dump: although his mental energy was weak, it could still attach to the wealth god paintings within a ten-meter range.

The wealth god paintings in every household became Ding Ning's omnipresent eyes. As long as there was a wealth god painting in the room, he could transfer his mental energy to it.

According to Chinese tradition, the wealth god is invited during the New Year and remains posted for a year. Even if the couplets fall off, the wealth god painting must remain intact.

It would only be replaced the following year.

With this discovery, Ding Ning was overjoyed. This way, he would have a great deal of convenience in his future actions.

Of course, he wouldn't frivolously use the wealth god paintings to spy on others' privacy, but if something happened, this unique advantage would provide him with significant convenience.

After confirming that he had this ability, Ding Ning began to push for the peak of the First Level of Qi Induction.

Under the nourishment of the abundant spiritual energy in the spirit acupoint, Ding Ning finally broke through at midnight, officially reaching the peak of the First Level of Qi Induction.

According to the cultivation progress of this spirit acupoint, in about ten more days, Ding Ning would be able to enter the Second Level of Qi Induction.

Of course, entering the Second Level wouldn't be as fast, but Ding Ning was still very happy. Now, if he used spirit stones, he could officially enter the Second Level of Qi Induction, but he hadn't done so yet.

Spirit stones were like a portable spirit acupoint, and Ding Ning didn't plan to use them unless it was a critical moment.

He spent the whole night consolidating his realm, and by dawn, his realm was completely stabilized.

*****

The eastern sky turned a fish-belly white, and Lin Xuan was still in bed. Ding Ning closed the lid of the cellar, got up, tidied up, and changed into his sports clothes to run out of the room.

He had one more thing to do: give the bracelet to An Xiaoyue, and then he planned to return to Green Mountain Village.

By now, his master had probably returned, and he had many things to do back home. He would likely return in about three to five days, which would be around the time school started.

After reaching the peak of Qi Induction, his heart condition improved somewhat. If his heart had a repair progress bar, Ding Ning felt it was now about 20% repaired.

This condition allowed Ding Ning to run for a short time. He left the school district, walked slowly for a while, and then started jogging as he approached the entrance of the seaside park.

He ran all the way to the place where he practiced boxing yesterday and was surprised to find that there were already many people there.

The weather was nice yesterday, and more people came out to exercise this morning.

He looked around but didn't see An Xiaoyue or the two old men who were always there.

"Did they not come?"

After running two laps around the small square, Ding Ning was slightly sweaty. Because there were many people, he couldn't find a suitable place to practice boxing, so he walked slowly around the square.

After walking for a while, his attention was drawn to a few old men in the middle of the square.

Each old man held a bucket in one hand and a large brush in the other. The large brush was about the size of a broom, with a thick handle that required one hand to hold. The old men dipped the brushes in the buckets and wrote on the square's tiles.

Ding Ning curiously walked over and looked at the old men's writing.

Each old man occupied a spot and wrote different things. Some wrote the "Ode to Mulan," others wrote the "Memorial to the Imperial Court," and so on.

Ding Ning knew these poems well. He mainly focused on the writing. After watching for a while, Ding Ning slightly shook his head.

Ding Ning's handwriting was excellent, and his master's handwriting was also top-notch. Normally, he didn't notice this in the Guandi Temple, but after leaving the temple and coming to the seaside city, Ding Ning found that the handwriting of people outside was really not that good.

Just as he was about to turn and leave, a voice suddenly sounded beside him.

"Little brother, do you think the writing is not good?"

Ding Ning turned around and found that Old Feng and Old Chen had already come close. It seemed he was so engrossed in watching that he didn't notice their arrival.

Ding Ning laughed, "It's pretty good."

Old Feng, being a shrewd old man, naturally saw through Ding Ning's insincerity. He said to the old man who was writing, "Old Li, come and give me the brush."

The old men seemed to know Old Feng, and Old Li handed over the brush, laughing, "If Secretary Feng is going to write, I'll have to watch carefully. You haven't given anyone your calligraphy for a long time."

"I'm just writing casually. Let me tell you, the real experts are among the people."

Secretary Feng looked at Ding Ning meaningfully, then picked up the large brush and wrote a large "Fei" (fly) on the ground.

"Little brother, come over and let me see what you think. I believe you have the eye for it."

Ding Ning didn't know why he looked like someone who could write, but since the old man invited him, he couldn't refuse and walked over.

Secretary Feng's writing was, to be fair, decent, but most people wouldn't deserve Ding Ning's "decent" evaluation. After watching for a while, Ding Ning said, "Among all the characters, 'Fei' is the hardest to write. It's clear that the old man has put a lot of effort into this character. The brushwork is heavy, and the strokes are strong. It's a pretty good character."

This evaluation seemed to make Old Chen a bit unhappy. He said to Ding Ning, "Is it just 'pretty good'? Young man, take a closer look. Old Feng's character has won awards, anonymously, of course."

Ding Ning smiled, "That's why I said it's pretty good. In terms of writing, a character that conveys spirit and charm is a good one. Although Old Feng's character is good, it only has the form but lacks the spirit and charm. It can only be considered above average."

Ding Ning was being honest and didn't want to deliberately praise or belittle anyone. He didn't think this was a belittlement.

Unexpectedly, Old Chen pressed on, "Young man, don't talk without feeling the strain. What kind of character has spirit? Can you write a character with spirit?"

Hearing Old Chen's words, Old Feng seemed to think they were a bit too harsh and quickly interjected, "You can't say that. Just because we are older, does that mean we can't hear different opinions? Since this young man can say such things, he must be able to write. Why don't we let him show us?"

It sounded like he was trying to mediate, but he actually wanted Ding Ning to write.

Seeing the two old men's stubbornness, Ding Ning became a bit interested. He also loved writing. "Since both of you have said so, if I just talk and don't practice, I might be looked down upon. Let me try, then. Hey, this is the first time I'm using such a big brush." He rolled up his sleeves and took the large brush.

Seeing Ding Ning take the large brush, Old Feng and Old Chen exchanged glances, their eyes filled with excitement.

Ding Ning didn't know what they were thinking. He dipped the large brush in water, thought for a moment, and wrote a large "Bing" (ice) on the ground.

While writing, Ding Ning didn't deliberately infuse too much elemental energy. He just used the technique of writing talismans to fully express the meaning of the character.

After finishing the character, Ding Ning handed the brush to Old Feng and said to the two old men, "What do you think, old men?"

Looking at the "Bing" character, the two old men were full of excitement but didn't dare to get too close, as if it were a real block of ice that could make them slip if they got too close.

*****

Last night, I tossed and turned, and at midnight, I made a decision. Today, I'm asking for recommendations at 3 AM!

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