In his previous life, Ning Qi suffered from gradual paralysis and died in despair.
In this life, he was caught in a perilous situation at birth and learned that he had already endured a hundred lifetimes of suffering, which made him obsessed with living.
He loathed death.
He wanted to live, to achieve immortality.
As Ning Qi finished speaking, Taoist Longshan was slightly stunned, and Jiang Baishan was even more surprised.
Taoist Longshan frowned slightly, initially intending to scold Ning Qi for his lofty ambitions, but when he saw the astonishing desire in the eyes of the half-year-old child, he fell silent, swallowing back the rebuke that had reached his lips.
Jiang Baishan said:
"Jiu, how can there be a method for immortality in this world..."
But before he could finish, Taoist Longshan interrupted him with a wave of his hand.
His expression was incredibly solemn, staring intently at Ning Qi.
And Ning Qi did not retreat in the slightest; this was his goal and it would not change.
After a long while.
Taoist Longshan gazed at Ning Qi and slowly began to speak:
"The beginning of the Martial Path involves refining skin, refining flesh, refining tendons, refining bones, refining organs, refining marrow, refining blood, and refining spirit. These are the Body Tempering Eight Realms. If one succeeds in achieving perfection without any deficiency, one's qi and blood will not dissipate, and one will be free from all maladies. At this stage, one's lifespan reaches the mortal limit of two Jiazi."
Ning Qi's eyes were bright, but he was unmoved.
Two Jiazi is too little.
"Achieving Body Tempering Perfection and gaining insight into Inner Strength, one enters the Inner Essence Realm. With Inner Essence, every move carries great force, and one's lifespan can reach two hundred years!"
Ning Qi still remained unmoved.
Two hundred years is not enough.
Taoist Longshan withdrew his gaze, turning towards the myriad green mountains outside the Bright Martial Pavilion.
"Inner Strength Ninefold achieves Gang Formation, which is the Gang Essence Realm. The Gang Essence bursts forth, its power unparalleled, and one's lifespan extends to four hundred years!"
"Gang Essence passes through three realms of White Mist, Jade Liquid, and Primordial Core. Divine Intent increases, resonating with Heaven and Earth, reaching the Realm of Celestial Being Unity, where splitting rivers and mountains is but a trivial matter. This is the Celestial Human Realm, with a lifespan of eight hundred years!"
At this point.
Taoist Longshan's words carried a faint, almost imperceptible yearning.
He was half a step away from the Celestial Human Realm, but that half step was as difficult as climbing to the heavens. Under the heavens, all were ants; fortunately, with his unparalleled talent, it would only take a few years to reach it, or else he would not have gained the True Martial inheritance back then.
Eight hundred years!
Legend tells of a long-lived person named Peng Zu in the past, who lived for eight hundred years. With such a lengthy lifespan, one could witness the changes of dozens of generations of mortals. To mortals, what difference is there between them and an immortal?
Ning Qi gained a deeper understanding of the wonders of this world.
He felt a slight anticipation, but still slowly shook his head.
Eight hundred years is long, but compared to immortality, it's just as fleeting as closing one's eyes for a nap.
"Master, is there anyone with a longer lifespan than the Celestial Human Realm?"
Jiang Baishan was holding his breath, listening to the conversation between master and disciple. He felt his ninth junior brother was indeed different; the Celestial Human Realm was already the pinnacle strength in the world, enough to make countless people pursue it their entire lives, yet he was still not satisfied?
The surprise in his eyes intensified.
Perhaps this is not a child's wild talk. A person's achievements are inseparably linked to their ambition. At least he had never thought of such a question; thinking of it like this, he even developed a sense of respect for his junior brother.
Taoist Longshan answered without directly responding:
"How do you find these blue mountains?"
Ning Qi followed his gaze, seeing the majestic expanse of the mountains, which made one feel insignificantly small, instinctively sighing:
"Born of nature, unchanging over ten thousand years."
Taoist Longshan spoke earnestly:
"Though unchanged for ten thousand years, it does not mean they cannot be changed. Even the mountains do not last forever, let alone humans. How can one achieve immortality?"
"The essence of a person's life is not in how long they live, but in what they achieve."
Having great ambitions is good, but he worried about his disciple having unrealistic thoughts and losing his way.
Ning Qi remained silent for a moment, hearing the admonition from Taoist Longshan.
Though the average person would not dare to have extraordinary thoughts, he possessed complete comprehension; immortality was not a mere fantasy.
Ning Qi respectfully kowtowed, solemnly saying:
"Please guide me, Master!"
Taoist Longshan helped Ning Qi up and sighed lightly:
"Foolish child."
Having such intelligence at such a young age cannot be viewed with ordinary eyes.
His voice extended like a distant echo:
"Above the Celestial Human, there is the Martial Saint. When a Martial Saint arises, the world is without opponents. As for lifespan, it is said a Martial Saint can live for thousands of years, but no one has ever seen one. Some say they might have broken the limits of the world and reached other realms."
"As for beyond the Martial Saint, I do not know. Perhaps a higher peak in the Martial Path can lead to eternal immortality. Everything is unknown; only those who achieve the Martial Saint would know."
"If you aspire for longevity, attaining the highest peak of the Martial Path may grant you a different perspective."
Taoist Longshan decided to guide him; this might not be a bad thing.
He smiled at Ning Qi standing before him.
Ning Qi's eyes were bright.
A Martial Saint invincible in the world, living for thousands of years?
Though it differed greatly from his expectations, it wasn't bad; once he becomes a Martial Saint in the future, he will naturally have more time to pursue the true method for immortality.
One must take things step by step.
Instant success is unrealistic.
"Set a small goal first, to become a Martial Saint!"
Ning Qi committed himself to this determination.
If at that time it is confirmed that the Martial Path cannot achieve longevity, then he will change paths.
By then, with an enhanced essence of life, his comprehension will be stronger, and standing on a high point with rich experience, opening a new path will be simpler than currently searching blindly for a method of longevity.
After hearing the lengthy talk from Taoist Longshan, Ning Qi felt his goal became much clearer, once again expressing gratitude:
"Thank you, Master, for resolving my confusion."
Seeing Ning Qi's radiant Essence, Qi, and Spirit, Jiang Baishan feared he might face setbacks in the future and couldn't help but remind:
"Jiu, perhaps there really is no method for immortality in this world?"
Ning Qi smiled faintly.
He respectfully bowed to Taoist Longshan and Jiang Baishan, then left, swinging his arms.
Only his voice echoed in the pavilion.
"If there's no road to immortality, I will blaze one myself."
Inside the Bright Martial Pavilion.
Spirit Concentration Incense ascended in spirals, a silent atmosphere.
Taoist Longshan and his disciple exchanged a glance, each seeing the astonishment in the other's eyes.
This child is extraordinary.
...
Since that conversation with Taoist Longshan, several True Disciples of the True Martial Sect were surprised to find that their precocious ninth junior brother stopped pestering them about the Martial Path, and instead pondered something on his own.
"Jiu, the things you asked for are here, remember to take them on time."
Luo Wentian called out to Ning Qi inside his courtyard, then shook his head as he left.
Ning Qi was very independent; except for tasks limited by his small body that required assistance, he completed everything himself.
After learning that Ning Qi's Root Bone had begun to accelerate in formation, Taoist Longshan started supplementing him with medicine, mostly foundational strengthening herbs.
Ning Qi seized this opportunity to acquire some other medicinal materials.
As for their purpose, naturally, it was for his plans.
At the moment in the room.
Ning Qi consumed the medicinal porridge he had prepared, then sat cross-legged on the bed as if a little adult, closing his eyes tightly.
Within his body.
The Innate Qi circulated in a specific pattern, dissipating slightly with each cycle, as if spreading throughout his limbs and bones. Then Ning Qi felt an intense itching sensation arise deeper within, much more severe than before!
Ning Qi was not startled but delighted.
"Success!"
He discerned the essence of the Root Bone, using Innate Qi as the foundation, supplemented by the Ning's Medical Book he created himself, finally gaining complete insight into the Bone Nourishing Technique.
"This skill shall be named Innate Bone Nourishing Skill!"
This was Ning Qi's achievement over this period.
After conversing with Taoist Longshan, he realized the Root Bone was an intangible thing and continually experimented with actively activating Innate Qi to accelerate Root Bone growth, certainly faster than passively accelerating like before.
And now, success was finally his!
"With Innate Bone Nourishing Skill, I can actively nourish the Root Bone, its growth accelerating several times!"
Filled with anticipation, Ning Qi's eyes shined brightly.