In such an atmosphere, all the Zhenwu Sect disciples were equally thrilled.
This time, with heroes gathering at Zhenwu Mountain, it could be said to be the grandest event since the founding of the Zhenwu Sect—truly a turning point for its rise. Luo Wentian had issued strict orders within the sect to greet the arriving guests with their best energy, spirit, and presence—no mistakes were allowed.
Luo Wentian sat in command at Zhenwu Mountain, while Xiong Shi was dispatched to Zhenwu City.
Nowadays, more and more martial artists were gathering in Zhenwu City. While many would restrain themselves, frictions were inevitable with so many people. Having a powerhouse to keep the peace was certainly better.
As for those stronger than Xiong Shi—they wouldn't cause trouble. Daoist Longshan's recent reputation for decisive killing still lingered in everyone's memory. No one would seek trouble at such a critical moment.
The disciples each carried out their duties.
Ning Qi, on the other hand, found peace once again.
He wanted to help, but there really wasn't much he could do. After all, he hadn't usually involved himself with the sect's internal affairs. As for having him go down the mountain to deliver invitations—that was completely out of the question.
In Luo Wentian and the others' eyes, Little Junior Brother was still only eight years old. It was best for him to stay within the sect.
Ever since Daoist Longshan spoke to him about the path of the Heaven-Man Realm and he gained insights, creating the Heavenly Sword Technique, Ning Qi had returned to his usual cultivation.
However, he felt that tempering his Qi was a bit too slow.
"Cultivation in the Qi Origin Realm involves turning White Mist into Jade Liquid, and condensing Jade Liquid into the Core. Each realm represents a qualitative leap in Qi. The Tempering Qi Pill works for me, but the consumption is too great. The sect's supply of spiritual herbs can't sustain my cultivation. Unless I go down the mountain to search for resources myself, but that might not even be faster."
"Combining it with the Dream Devourer secret art I used before, I could try extracting energy for tempering Qi from food or other resources. But this still doesn't solve the fundamental issue."
"Is there an inexhaustible source of energy?"
Ning Qi fell into deep thought.
In fact, he had already thought of it—that would be the power of heaven and earth.
If he could use the power of heaven and earth to temper his Qi, the effect would definitely be excellent.
But the problem was, his limited control over that power came entirely from the Heaven-Man Unity Secret Art. At best, he could crudely gather it into a mass, like in the Heavenly Sword Technique—good for battle, but not refined enough for Qi tempering.
Flashes of insight rose in his mind, ideas swept past one after another.
Ning Qi let out a long breath.
"Step by step."
This was a hardware limitation, and it wasn't easy to make up for.
Still, Ning Qi felt that even if he continued cultivating at this pace, breaking into the Heaven-Man Realm wouldn't take too long. Seven or eight years should suffice. That pace was leagues ahead of anyone else.
After all, even the peerless genius Daoist Longshan had spent forty to fifty years reaching the Heaven-Man Realm.
One could imagine the difficulty.
…
Time flowed slowly.
The eighth day of the twelfth lunar month was drawing ever closer. After going down the mountain, Daoist Longshan returned once again.
He personally delivered invitation letters to several Heaven-Man Realm experts. But how many would actually attend was uncertain. Daoist Longshan had only just stepped into the Heaven-Man Realm. Most of the Heaven-Man experts had only briefly met him in the past during their travels—true friendships were few.
All the Zhenwu disciples who went out to deliver invitations had also returned.
Ning Qi was no longer staying in the Seeking Dao Courtyard—it was time for the guests to begin arriving.
The days were cold, and snow fluttered through Zhenwu City, but Zhenwu Mountain remained untouched.
This was due to Daoist Longshan's prior manipulation of heaven and earth power. At the Heaven-Man level, changing the local weather was no longer difficult.
On Zhenwu Mountain—
The pavilions looked brand new, and the disciples were full of spirit.
Daoist Longshan wore a white Daoist robe, his appearance exuding immortal grace. All True Disciples wore blue robes. Inner Sect and Outer Sect disciples wore dark green and light green, respectively.
Three days remained before the Heaven-Man Ceremony.
Zhenwu Mountain welcomed its first guest.
Divine Sword Sect.
The strong and upright Divine Sword Elder looked at the familiar Zhenwu Mountain with a complicated expression. Originally, he thought he wouldn't return until the next ten-year meeting. Unexpectedly, only three years had passed, and he was here again.
"Longshan… old Daoist."
The Divine Sword Elder ultimately didn't say "ox-nose," opting for "old Daoist" instead. Now that Daoist Longshan had reached the Heaven-Man Realm, the gap between them was considerable.
Daoist Longshan laughed heartily, not putting on any airs of a Heaven-Man Realm expert:
"Brother Divine Sword, this really isn't like you."
The Divine Sword Elder glared and snorted:
"Longshan old Daoist, don't get cocky. Give me a few more years and I'll surpass you!"
Still as sharp-tongued as ever.
His gaze swept over the disciples behind Daoist Longshan. After sensing a few Qi Origin Realm auras, he sighed inwardly, then looked toward the youngest boy.
Ning Qi.
The Divine Sword Elder's eyes narrowed—he found that Ning Qi's figure hadn't changed at all, still as proportionate as ever.
"Could it be he hasn't grasped the Dream Devourer secret art?"
He was puzzled. With Ning Qi's comprehension, that shouldn't be the case. Three years ago, his little disciple Zhuang Chen had stunned him with a single sword strike.
But before he could think more—
Daoist Longshan was already laughing and pulling him inside.
The two masters led the way, with disciples following closely behind.
This time, though, the Divine Sword Sect's disciples were clearly more restrained.
After all, Zhenwu Sect had been in the spotlight lately—not only had Daoist Longshan reached the Heaven-Man Realm, but several Qi Origin Realm experts had emerged in succession.
Only one person was unaffected.
"Ning Qi! Long time no see!"
Zhuang Chen's excited voice rang out.
Ning Qi looked at the "little meat mountain" before him, somewhat stunned.
If Zhuang Chen had been a little chubby three years ago, now he was a full-blown fatty.
Only eleven years old, Zhuang Chen was about as tall as Ning Qi, but his girth was more than double. His face was still simple and cheerful, and the standard uniform of the Divine Sword Sect looked a bit comical stretched over him.
"Zhuang Chen?"
"That's right, that's right."
Zhuang Chen nodded repeatedly. Though quite fat, he didn't seem greasy. As he walked, his body jiggled with every step—almost comically.
The two lagged behind, while the other disciples just smiled knowingly.
"Did you get like this from practicing Dream Devourer?" Ning Qi couldn't help but ask.
Zhuang Chen scratched his head and chuckled:
"Partly, yeah. But the other reason is I just like eating more and more."
Then he frowned a bit.
"Ning Qi, didn't you practice Dream Devourer? How come you didn't gain any weight?"
Before Ning Qi could answer—
He continued:
"If you didn't practice it, let me tell you—you definitely can't beat me now. Just between us, I'm almost at the Inner Origin Realm. Master told me not to tell anyone."
Yep, still the same chatterbox.
Still, Ning Qi glanced at Zhuang Chen with mild surprise.
His physical body was flawless and complete—he'd probably develop Internal Energy soon. His cultivation speed wasn't as fast as Ning Qi's, but compared to the average person, he was definitely a prodigy.
It seemed Zhuang Chen had great compatibility with the Dream Devourer secret art.
However—
What truly intrigued Ning Qi wasn't the compatibility between Zhuang Chen and the secret art.
It was the innate sword bone within Zhuang Chen's body…