The next day.

Jiang Ning pushed open the bamboo door.

Outside was a thick layer of snow, a vast expanse of white.

Only the ancient well slanted ahead seemed to have a thin mist rising from it.

Jiang Ning walked to the well, lifted a bucket of water, and washed up simply, then shook his hands dry, letting the water on his face drip down.

"Next, I shall continue my training and cultivation. Now that Dongling County is blocked by heavy snow, it is temporarily safe, no need to return so soon! Perhaps there are still things for me to deal with these days!"

The thought flashed through his mind, then he made slight adjustments and closed his eyes.

In an instant, he entered his inner realm.

Using the inner realm to accelerate the practice of the Spirit Platform Meditative Insight Method was something he did every day.

Although without the aid of cultivation resources now, with the help of the inner realm, the efficiency of his practice was not low.

...

In the blink of an eye.

Several days had passed.

During these days, continuous snowfalls occurred. Although the snowfall was not heavy, the entire Royal Capital was covered in snow.

"Phew—"

Jiang Ning slowly opened his eyes, gently exhaled a breath of impure energy from his abdomen, then stood quietly on the snow, letting the falling snowflakes settle on him, on his hair.

He quietly felt the tangible world, listened to the silent snow falling, listened to the snowflakes falling on himself, and his drifting thoughts gradually returned to calmness.

These days, besides practicing the Spirit Platform Meditative Insight Method every day, he practiced the Spirit Platform Meditative Insight Method.

Besides that, he never stepped out of his home.

He only received visits from a few princes at home, but the solicitations in their words were all firmly rejected by him.

After a long while.

He slowly opened his eyes.

[Skill]: Spirit Platform Meditative Insight Method (Great Success 3877/10000)

After several days of focused practice, the progress of the Spirit Platform Meditative Insight Method had surpassed one-third.

He knew that, at the current rate, it would not take more than half a month to completely achieve perfection in the Spirit Platform Meditative Insight Method.

Once this method is perfected, he can start searching for the balance of the forces of Essence, Qi, and Spirit.

Once this balance is found and the three forces merge, it will generate Divine Power, leading to the First Grade.

As for the step after that, it did not seem very difficult to him.

The Inner Elixir Cultivation Skill in his hands had long reached an inscrutable realm, allowing him to master the divine power that Martial Arts First Grade could only control.

Like the golden mist in his dantian, it was this special energy named divine power by the Martial Saint.

With such experiences, reaching that step was not difficult.

Thinking of this, his heart surged with excitement.

The First Grade Mixed Element Realm is right ahead.

At this moment.

Rustle—

The sound of someone stepping on accumulated snow came, growing from distant to near.

A thought flashed through his mind, he closed his panel and then glanced over, seeing the slender figure of Qinghe in a green fur coat.

The thick hat on her head looked exceptionally large compared to her head, the brim almost covered her eyes, and the size seemed a bit mismatched.

She walked up to Jiang Ning, lifted the hat off her head with both hands, and her pretty face was flushed red from the cold wind she faced on her way.

"Marquis!" she respectfully spoke to Jiang Ning, "There is a guest requesting to see you in the front courtyard, a woman who claims to know you, named Shen Mengyun."

Shen Mengyun?

Hearing those three words, Jiang Ning was surprised.

The scene from the day of the Martial Arts Examination flashed in his mind.

On that day, those who participated in the Martial Arts Examination were local distinguished individuals from the county, each absolutely a pride of heaven and a true genius.

Yet among geniuses, there stood one great mountain after another even higher.

Only those high mountains on that day could seize the title of martial scholar.

And among the martial scholars, there were ordinary ones and outstanding ones.

Shen Mengyun was undoubtedly an outstanding one among those martial scholars, a genius among geniuses.

She still had three years until the age limit for the Heavenly List yet had already seized the title of martial scholar, ranking high with great fame.

As a woman, achieving such accomplishments was even more challenging.

Truly embarking on the martial path reveals a truth, a woman’s achievements in martial arts compared to a man’s are even more challenging.

For Shen Mengyun to have such achievements at her age, while related to her father, it was equally inseparable from her own efforts.

In the journey of martial arts, one’s efforts can never be lacking.

No matter how high the talent, how abundant the resources, if one doesn’t endure hardship, they cannot succeed.

Thus, he also understood Shen Mengyun’s excellence.

"Marquis, would you like to see her?" Qinghe looked at Jiang Ning, who showed a thoughtful expression, and asked.

"See her! Let’s see why she has come to find me, I have little interaction with her!" Jiang Ning replied.

As he finished speaking, he turned and walked towards the front courtyard.

Seeing this, Qinghe hurried to follow Jiang Ning’s footsteps, trailing closely behind.

She re-attached the detachable hat to her fur coat.

The wide brim instantly covered her forehead, nearly shadowing her eyes.

...

Passing through several connecting corridors.

Arriving at the front courtyard laid out with a pattern of Bagua stone bricks, Jiang Ning immediately saw a tall woman draped in a blue fur coat.

At this moment.

Shen Mengyun heard the sound of snow being stepped on, turned her head, and saw Jiang Ning strolling towards her amidst the snow.

Though Jiang Ning was not holding an umbrella at the moment, an invisible barrier of Qi seemed to surround him, causing the falling snowflakes to avoid him, drifting down around him.

His white silk robe matched seamlessly with the pristine snowy ground, appearing even more harmonious.

As she watched Jiang Ning approach, her eyes couldn’t help but reveal a hint of amazement.

Even though she already had someone in her heart, she had to admit, in the entire Royal Capital, there were few who could compare with Jiang Ning.