The next day.
Zhenwu Mountain.
The Twin Spear Sisters stepped onto this mountain that had recently shaken the world, awe flickering in their hearts.
The mountain had no name, but gained renown because of the people on it.
They saw swordsmen climbing the mountain with excited expressions, eventually led by Zhenwu disciples toward a certain location.
"That must be the legendary... Zhenwu Sword Monument!"
The sisters were visibly shaken. Even from afar, they could sense the overwhelming sword intent radiating from it. Though they used spears, the concepts were still relatable.
They saw it.
Around the Zhenwu Sword Monument, many tall platforms had already been built, rising in tiers with the monument at the center. Faintly, they could make out figures sitting cross-legged, swords on their backs—some frowning in deep thought, others beaming in realization. A few among them had auras so intense that even the sisters felt cautious.
They paused to watch.
The sisters, full of emotions, arrived at the mountain gate.
After revealing their identities, the gatekeeping disciple dared not be negligent and immediately took them to see Daoist Longshan.
Moments later.
Zhenwu Grand Hall.
The sisters greeted respectfully:
"Chen Xing and Chen Yue pay respects to Daoist Longshan. We are here under our Lord's command to deliver a secret letter. Please take a look."
They were very courteous.
As she spoke, the younger sister Chen Xing took the letter from her robe and handed it over.
Daoist Longshan's heart grew alert.
The sisters hadn't concealed their auras—their cultivation at the Heaven-Tier Realm was fully on display. Deploying two Heaven-Tier experts to deliver a letter clearly showed how important it was. Daoist Longshan quickly responded: 𝔯₳ΝＯBĚš
"You've traveled a long way—thank you for your efforts. Did the Northern Suppression King give any other instructions?"
Chen Yue smiled and said:
"Our Lord has prepared an apprentice ceremony gift for the Young Lord. He ordered copies of all the Daoist scriptures in the royal archives to be transcribed and sent over. They're still en route and should arrive in about half a month."
Daoist Longshan's eyes lit up.
The Northern Suppression King had mentioned preparing a gift for Li Ling before, but he hadn't taken it seriously. He didn't expect to receive such a pleasant surprise.
Though the royal estate wasn't a Daoist holy ground, its Daoist scripture collection was surely vast.
Having them all copied and delivered would significantly enrich Zhenwu Sect's scripture library.
Moreover,
This would be a great benefit to his ninth disciple, Ning Qi.
Daoist Longshan knew Ning Qi had always loved studying Daoist texts. He had already finished digesting the scriptures sent earlier by the Zhenxuan Sect. Though the Zhenwu disciples had been collecting more over the years, they couldn't keep up with Ning Qi's pace.
The incoming collection from the royal estate would allow Ning Qi to dive back into deep study.
"Many thanks to the Northern Suppression King for his generosity," Daoist Longshan said with a smile, not bothering with modesty.
Chen Xing added:
"There's one more thing to inform you, Daoist. The two of us will be staying in Zhenwu City to protect the Young Lord. If you ever need us for anything, please let us know. And if the Young Lord has any needs, he can speak to us directly."
Daoist Longshan nodded in agreement.
This was a good thing.
While Chen Xing and Chen Yue were protecting Li Ling, they were also protecting the Zhenwu Sect.
If the sect ever encountered danger, these two wouldn't stand by idly.
Daoist Longshan stood up and said:
"I'll summon Li Ling over so you can have a chat."
He could tell the two sisters likely had something to say to Li Ling privately.
Moments later.
Li Ling arrived.
He respectfully greeted his master, then his eyes lit up as he called out, "Aunt Xing! Aunt Yue!"
Daoist Longshan smiled faintly and left the three to themselves.
He took the Northern Suppression King's secret letter and headed toward the Seeking Dao Courtyard.
Ning Qi was cultivating.
With the support of the Blood Jade Pill, even the grinding force of the converging world energy was tinged with a bloody hue. The effect was outstanding, and streams of jade-liquid qi became even more refined, rejoining the sea of jade essence.
Sensing Daoist Longshan's approach, Ning Qi paused his cultivation. The pressure around him flickered and disappeared.
Upon seeing the secret letter in his master's hand, Ning Qi's heart trembled and he couldn't help asking:
"Master, has the Northern Suppression King replied?"
Daoist Longshan smiled and nodded:
"Yes. He sent two Heaven-Tier experts to deliver this letter. I reckon he's agreed to your terms. Take a look."
He handed over the letter.
From beginning to end, he had no intention of opening it.
This was a matter between the Northern Suppression King and his disciple—curiosity was no excuse to pry.
Ning Qi took a deep breath.
He opened the letter.
To his surprise, it was divided into two parts.
On top was a sheet of golden silk.
Ning Qi focused his gaze—and his pupils shrank in shock.
Daoist Longshan was surprised. He had rarely seen such an expression on his disciple's face. Most of the time, Ning Qi remained calm—even if the sky were falling.
Just as he wondered,
Ning Qi handed over the golden silk.
Daoist Longshan couldn't help but look. In the next instant, he froze in place as if petrified. His heart surged with crashing waves.
The message wasn't long.
Just a single sentence:
"The Martial Saint Methods no longer exist in this world. If you want to become a Martial Saint, you must carve a new path yourself."
While he was still in shock,
The golden silk in Daoist Longshan's hand ignited spontaneously—without any wind.
In the blink of an eye, it turned to ash and vanished into the void.
Master and disciple exchanged a look, both filled with speculation. That single sentence contained immense information. Judging by the fact that the Northern Suppression King had used a windless-burning golden silk, it was clearly a top secret not meant for others. Ning Qi had even tried to suppress the burn with his qi but failed.
"The Martial Saint Methods no longer exist... Does that mean all Martial Saint techniques have been cut off? Why? Were they erased deliberately, or was it something else?"
Daoist Longshan murmured, unable to calm his thoughts.
Martial Saints had once existed.
The Flame Martial Saint of Great Yan was living proof. But now the Northern Suppression King claimed one must forge a new path to become one.
"Could it be that the Flame Martial Saint's path can no longer be followed? Or perhaps someone didn't want others ascending to that realm, so they destroyed all the Martial Saint methods?"
Daoist Longshan narrowed his eyes.
He actually had an even more startling suspicion but didn't voice it.
The Flame Martial Saint had reigned supreme for two thousand years. What if he deliberately severed the path so no one else could rise?
Ning Qi, just by looking at his master's eyes, already knew what he was thinking.
He had the same thoughts at first.
But soon,
He considered more possibilities.
When he received the Qingfeng Sword Saint's inheritance from Zhuang Chen, it too lacked the Martial Saint portion—seemingly erased. But it included a note stating that to become a Martial Saint, one must absorb the power of heaven and earth into oneself.
"If this was done by the Flame Martial Saint, does he really have the power to erase the Martial Saint part from every inheritance in history? And if he did, why not destroy the whole inheritance? Why leave a note?"
"Also, if he wanted to reign alone, wouldn't it be easier to quietly kill off Heaven-Tier experts close to breakthrough? Why allow them to keep growing?"
It didn't add up.
"But if this wasn't done by the Flame Martial Saint, then who erased all the Martial Saint Methods?"
He voiced these doubts.
Daoist Longshan fell silent.
"Now that you mention it, maybe the Zhenwu inheritance I received wasn't incomplete after all. Perhaps even its Martial Saint Method was deliberately removed." He offered a bold thought, then shook his head.
That was just a guess. Maybe the Zhenwu inheritance was one of the few complete ones.
"But why?"
They couldn't figure it out.
After all, having no method was completely different.
Take the Heaven-Tier Realm for example.
If someone reached the Peak Origin Realm but had no Heavenly Secret Manual to guide further cultivation, it could take a lifetime to figure out the breakthrough on their own.
Now, with no Martial Saint Method in existence, any peak Heaven-Tier expert would need to carve out their own path to reach that level.
That was equivalent to reinventing the next stage of martial cultivation—reliving the ancient human struggle, but with the knowledge that the next realm was called Martial Saint.
It was unimaginably difficult.
Ning Qi didn't know how long it took the first humans to develop the Martial Saint realm, but it must've been a long time.
Even with Martial Saint methods, breaking through from Heaven-Tier Peak was incredibly difficult—sometimes centuries passed without a single success.
Now, with no methods at all, it was practically hell difficulty.
"No wonder no new Martial Saints have appeared in the past two thousand years," Daoist Longshan finally understood.
Ning Qi's eyes glinted:
"Maybe this wasn't one person's doing, but a group—or another force entirely?"
He recalled the blind old man he met in the small town, who had warned him not to probe too deeply into matters related to Martial Saints. It seemed like a warning.
He felt one step closer to the truth.
"Good thing it's only the methods that are missing," Ning Qi said with a grin.
When it came to comprehension, he feared no one.
So what if there were no Martial Saint methods? He'd just create his own.
For others, it was nearly impossible.
For him—it wasn't that big a deal.
"Once I break into Heaven-Tier, I'll begin crafting my own Martial Saint Method. But even if I succeed, I'll keep a low profile until I fully grasp the truth."
Ning Qi had a feeling—
There were deeper secrets hidden beyond the Martial Saint realm. Especially concerning the Flame Martial Saint—the only one alive today. He was wary.
Though Ning Qi doubted the Flame Martial Saint had wiped out all the methods alone, his existence was still highly unusual.
Master and disciple discussed further.
In the end, they agreed not to focus too much on this for now—it was best to keep a low profile.
Ning Qi let out a light breath, clearing his mind of distractions.
Then he carefully continued reading the next part of the secret letter.
This thick stack was the main content of the letter, detailing the Northern Suppression King's signature martial art—Heaven-Suppressing Fist.
Clearly.
The Northern Suppression King had thought that the information he had on Martial Saints might not be enough to satisfy Divine Sword Elder, so he included his own ultimate technique as well—truly a gesture of sincerity.
No wonder this letter required two Heaven-Tier experts to escort it.
Ning Qi studied it seriously, a trace of amazement in his eyes, and gave a slight nod.
The Northern Suppression King truly deserved the title of peerless genius.
The Heaven-Suppressing Fist he created was indeed something special—it offered Ning Qi great inspiration, especially in the usage of suppressing and sealing techniques with the power of heaven and earth. The Northern Suppression King had demonstrated it once before in front of Ning Qi, and at the time, Ning Qi had only grasped a portion of it.
But now, after reading the complete version of the Heaven-Suppressing Fist, he realized that what he saw back then was only a fraction of its secrets.
"This is the Heaven-Suppressing Fist—worthy of being called a supreme fist art."
Ning Qi did not hold back on his praise.
Daoist Longshan smiled and nodded. He kept his self-discipline and did not look at the scroll, even when Ning Qi offered it. Unlike the Martial Saint intelligence earlier—which wasn't a problem if shared—this was the Northern Suppression King's personal martial art, meant to be exchanged with Divine Sword Elder. He couldn't bring himself to be that shameless.
Ning Qi didn't press him either.
He was already organizing several Heaven-Tier secret arts that he would later pass on to Daoist Longshan—none would be inferior to the Heaven-Suppressing Fist. As for anything stronger, it wasn't that he was keeping it to himself—it was because he feared his master wouldn't be able to learn it yet.
"In a few days, I'll have 'Divine Sword Elder' secretly appear to instruct Little Eleven. Master, please write a reply to the Northern Suppression King to set his mind at ease." Ning Qi smiled.
Since he had received both the intelligence and the martial art from the Northern Suppression King, he naturally would not go back on his word.
Daoist Longshan also nodded with a smile.
He went on to mention the apprentice ceremony gift from the Northern Suppression King, and Ning Qi was overjoyed.
This was truly a timely blessing.
The scriptures from Zhenxuan Sect had already been fully digested by him. The Daoist texts from the Northern Suppression King's estate would greatly enrich his foundation again.
...
Half a month later.
The transcribed Daoist texts from the Northern Suppression King's estate arrived at Zhenwu Mountain. Excluding duplicates, there were still over two thousand volumes!
It had to be said.
The Northern Suppression King was truly generous, and the depth of his estate's foundation was truly impressive. This level of collection was comparable to that of a major Daoist sect.
Ning Qi once again immersed himself in the life of reading scriptures and comprehending the Dao. His inner energy continued to grow in strength and density by the day, bringing him ever closer to his final transformation.
During this period.
Ning Qi also cultivated the Formless True Body, and in the back mountain, began instructing Li Ling in some prerequisite sword techniques for Divine Sword Style.
Li Ling was overjoyed.
He had been somewhat frustrated these days. Although he was also extremely gifted, compared to Zhuang Chen's innate sword physique, he still fell short. It was only through his sheer obsession with swordsmanship that he barely kept up with Zhuang Chen—but it had been a struggle.
Now, with Divine Sword Elder's personal guidance, he felt everything became much easier.
However, during this time of close interaction with Divine Sword Elder, although he admired him even more, in his heart he secretly felt—his own master was still better.
Why?
Because Divine Sword Elder was simply too strict, too cold.
His swordsmanship was peerless, but Li Ling preferred his master's teaching style.
After some inner conflict, Li Ling eventually told Zhuang Chen in secret that his father had 'funded' Divine Sword Elder to personally instruct him in swordsmanship.
Zhuang Chen was a bit envious but genuinely happy for him.
The two senior brothers were friendly with one another, and as long as the competition remained healthy, there was no jealousy.
Daoist Longshan saw it all and smiled in comfort.
After the incident with Qin Yun, he paid close attention to this aspect of his disciples' development.
Time flew by.
By the time Ning Qi took his eighth Blood Jade Pill.
The end of the year had arrived.
Something major also happened within the Zhenwu Sect.
Daoist Longshan passed on the mantle—Luo Wentian succeeded him as the Sect Leader of Zhenwu Sect.