That night.
Ning Qi didn't ascend to the heights, but instead went alone to a remote mountain range away from Zhenwu Mountain.
Then, he began to use the Heavenly Thunder Method to draw heavenly thunder.
In an instant.
Streaks of violet lightning came crashing down from the void. The power was immensely concentrated—indeed stronger than that of heaven and earth. Following his prior ideas, Ning Qi split the incoming thunder force into three parts.
One to temper the body, one to refine the Qi, and one to forge the spirit.
The three advanced side by side, aiming to condense the Three Flowers of Essence, Energy, and Spirit.
This was another marvelous use of the Heavenly Thunder Method.
Ning Qi sat cross-legged.
He only stopped after a full hour. At this point, he could already feel that his essence, energy, and spirit had reached their limit. If he continued refining, it would exceed his threshold and backfire instead.
He opened his eyes, revealing a gleam of joy.
"This is twice as efficient as using heaven and earth power to refine the Three Flowers!"
This confirmed—
His approach was correct. This method worked.
"If I can draw even stronger thunder, the refinement efficiency could be even higher." Ning Qi couldn't help but look up at the sky. In that Lightning Forbidden Zone, countless bolts of powerful and domineering thunder swirled. If he could use that kind of lightning for refinement, another two- to threefold boost wasn't out of the question.
He pondered and had made up his mind.
"I'll devote myself fully to elevating the Heaven-Human Unity Technique first. After that, I'll ascend to the sky each day and train there for one hour."
Although Ning Qi wanted to go now, he ultimately decided to be cautious.
That Lightning Forbidden Zone was terrifying. Even just drawing thunder from the edges required great care. Better to go after making full preparations—only a few days' wait anyway.
Ten days later.
Ning Qi sat idly at the Seeking Dao Courtyard. It was winter and snow was falling, but the Enlightenment Tea Tree remained lush and green, unaffected by the season. New tender leaves sprouted at the top, gathering spiritual essence—more than last year. At this point, the tree had already grown taller than Ning Qi. Nourished by the physical bodies of the two Heaven-Man Realm elders from Wenjian Pavilion, it flourished rapidly. The dream of relaxing beneath its shade was drawing ever closer.
He loved to sit beneath the Enlightenment Tea Tree and reflect.
It seemed to subtly bring calm and clarity to his thoughts.
At this moment.
A thousand inspirations fused within his mind, and changes rippled through his body.
His Origin Core spun with golden light, and the invisible Heaven-Man Bridge trembled. Affected by this, his entire body vibrated—as if something within was being activated. This was the invisible, formless "Bone Foundation," the very potential and hidden treasure of the human body.
As his divine will moved, his body began to link with the world—and a second invisible Heaven-Man Bridge was formed.
The two Heaven-Man Bridges resonated faintly with each other, their effects multiplying—one plus one became greater than two.
In that instant, wind and cloud shifted.
Ning Qi opened his eyes, joy shining within.
With a mere thought, streams of heaven and earth power gathered to him. Even before, his ability to resonate with the world already far exceeded a typical Heaven-Man Perfection cultivator. Now it had tripled again.
If he went all-out, he might upend the world in moments.
Without doubt, his strength had risen greatly once more.
With this secret art as the foundation, the might of his other techniques had also increased significantly.
"This secret art, now ascended, no longer suits the name Heaven-Human Unity. It should be called Heaven-Man Bridge."
"This Heaven-Man Bridge technique can be taught to Master. It'll massively boost his combat power—maybe even give him strength comparable to those on the Heaven-Man List."
Ning Qi's lips curled into a smile.
Daoist Longshan hadn't been idle these past years. Any secret art he could learn, Ning Qi had passed on. Unknowingly, Daoist Longshan's strength had steadily grown. Now, with this Heaven-Man Bridge, his power would surge explosively.
"Heaven-Man Bridge is complete. It's time to head to the sky again." Ning Qi's gaze flashed.
That night.
Ning Qi silently ascended into the void.
His strength now far surpassed his former Jadehide Realm self. His speed was even faster. Though the world's power rapidly consumed around him, Ning Qi's foundation was solid and he felt no pressure. He hadn't even used his vast Origin Core Qi yet. There was no way he'd face danger.
Silence grew around him, broken only by the whistling Qi wind.
A faint pressure loomed.
Soon—
He felt something and stopped.
In the distance, thunder dragons twisted and roared.
This time, he didn't bring the Thunderblade, so the lightning wasn't drawn to him. But he could clearly see some thunderbolts still randomly struck around. Some of them made even him uneasy.
"But if I'm careful, it won't be a problem."
His strength and mindset were both different now.
Arriving once again at the Lightning Forbidden Zone, Ning Qi realized he no longer felt helpless before it.
Curiosity stirred again.
"What lies beyond the Lightning Forbidden Zone? Could it be... another world?"
But with his current strength, crossing it was unrealistic.
Ning Qi estimated—he might only have a chance after stepping into the Martial Sage Realm.
If so—
Even an ordinary Martial Sage might not be able to cross this forbidden zone.
He shook his head and cleared his thoughts. He hadn't forgotten his purpose.
Calming his mind.
He began to circulate the Heavenly Thunder Method.
In an instant, the distant forbidden zone responded—a purple-black bolt of thunder shot toward him. Ning Qi's eyes flashed. The world's power formed a giant palm that seized it, split it into three, and began refining the Three Flowers.
His body trembled fiercely. He felt he'd reached his limit. Drawing stronger thunder might be counterproductive.
Ning Qi closed his eyes and sat cross-legged in midair.
From time to time, he would draw in thunder. Sometimes he accidentally drew lightning that was too strong and had to shatter it instead. Though there were hiccups, things mostly remained under control.
Another hour passed.
Ning Qi opened his eyes and ended his training.
"Compared to ordinary heavenly thunder, this is over twice as efficient. Now the time needed to condense the Three Flowers is greatly reduced. Not only that, this isn't the limit. As the Three Flowers near completion, my strength will continue to rise, letting me handle even more powerful lightning and thus further shorten the time to completion. It's a positive cycle."
Ning Qi smiled.
There were a few unpredictable elements, but overall, it was manageable.
Which meant—
From now on, this place would be his 'cultivation ground.' He'd spend one hour here every day.
At this point—
His cultivation in the Heaven-Man Realm had entered the right track. From here, it was just a matter of progressing step by step. The rest of his time could be spent exploring the path to the Martial Sage. He was getting ever closer. It was time to start preparing.
"I'll begin with Tiansheng and Xiao Shi."
Ning Qi's eyes flashed.
This was something he had considered long ago. The legendary Heavenly Beasts were rumored to be on par with Martial Sages. White Ape's bloodline was unique—if studied thoroughly, it might shed light on related mysteries.
As for Zhuang Chen's Innate Sword Bones, Ning Qi believed it was somewhat like a human version of a Heavenly Beast bloodline—perfect for comparison.
…
Ning Qi focused wholeheartedly on cultivation and enlightenment.
Meanwhile, the world continued to boil.
The storm caused by the Blade Demon was about to reach its peak.
This storm, which had raged for over half a year, was nearing its finale. No one knew how it would end. But right now, all eyes were locked on Zhenwu Mountain.
Who was stronger—Blade Demon or Heavenly Sword True One?
That question haunted everyone's mind.
Especially among blade and sword cultivators—they were ecstatic.
If the Heavenly Sword True One's battle with the Thunderblade Master had been a milestone in the sword-blade rivalry, then this showdown between the Blade Demon and Heavenly Sword True One was the true peak.
It represented the strongest of sword and blade practitioners.
Although the Heavenly Sword True One's achievements and ranking were far beneath the Blade Demon's, the Blade Demon himself had admitted that he once went to Zhenwu Mountain and then left—proof enough of the Heavenly Sword True One's worth.
Not only that—
Even the Daychaser Sword King had spoken highly of him.
This made everyone all the more eager for the coming battle.
Winds and clouds gathered.
Martial artists flocked to Zhenwu City.
Among them were many who had once lost to the Blade Demon—including several from the Heaven-Man List. Some came to witness the final battle firsthand, to see the Blade Demon's limits. For instance, the Thunderblade Master had arrived early. He was certain the Blade Demon would win—believing him to be a once-in-centuries blade genius, on the verge of reaching the pinnacle of blade cultivation.
Also present were Canghai Sword Sect, the Daychaser Sword King, and many other peerless powerhouses.
Their arrival—
Naturally brought both pros and cons.
The benefit was clear. With so many top experts, many couldn't help but be curious about the Zhenwu Sword Stele and Myriad Dao Tower. Their intermingling sword intents gave Ning Qi significant inspiration. In just a few days, his sword Dao advanced by leaps and bounds—an incredible gain.
But the downside was that these peerless powerhouses were all eccentric. Conflicts were easily sparked, and Luo Wentian and the others were hardly qualified to stop them—only able to barely mediate.
Fortunately—
After seeing the Zhenwu Sword Stele, all of them fell silent in awe. Their hearts filled with reverence, and they began to act more low-key.
Some had once dismissed the Heavenly Sword True One being chosen as the Blade Demon's final opponent.
But now—they were convinced.
Even though the Sword Stele hadn't shown any reaction, just comprehending the vast and boundless sword intent within was enough to humble them. In mere days, they gained insights—and greatly admired the Heavenly Sword True One's generosity. If it were them, they could never have let their sword intent be publicly studied.
The Daychaser Sword King stared at the stele in amazement.
"I'm no match."
He had already guessed the stele's power from his disciples' descriptions. But seeing it for himself far exceeded his imagination.
"Could it be... the Heavenly Sword True One has already reached the pinnacle of the sword Dao?" His eyes sparkled with anticipation. To witness such a sword Dao would make death worthwhile!
He slowly descended the mountain, waiting silently for the Blade Demon's arrival. He hoped to learn something profound from their duel.
And when those nearby heard the Daychaser Sword King's humble words—
They were shaken.
"This is a duel between the number one swordsman and the number one bladesman!"
"It'll be a battle that shakes heaven and earth! I'm ready to record every detail as a family heirloom for the Li clan!"
"To miss this fight... who knows when the next would be."
Time passed slowly.
No one knew when the Blade Demon would arrive.
But during his duel with the Daychaser Sword King, he had vowed to fight the Heavenly Sword True One. He would not go back on his word.
Zhenwu City burned with excitement.
Every day, rumors about the duel flew.
Zhenwu Sect disciples were excited and anxious. The city kept expanding outward, yet it still couldn't hold all the martial artists arriving. Some simply built wooden huts in nearby mountains. The hills were filled with people. The surrounding beasts suffered.
This would be the most influential battle in nearly a hundred years.
Even Ning Qi was affected—not because he lacked focus, but because so many people in Zhenwu City made him uneasy. He couldn't even head to the heights to train.
"This guy's dragging it out. Hurry up and get here," Ning Qi muttered in frustration.
Beside him, Zhuang Chen heard and asked curiously:
"Who needs to hurry? Ninth Senior Brother, who are you waiting for?"
Ning Qi chuckled.
"No one. How's your training in the Innate Sword Body Secret Art?"
Zhuang Chen answered quickly:
"Nearly complete! This secret art is incredible. With my Innate Sword Bones, it's like adding wings to a tiger!"
His eyes glowed with admiration. Only he knew the Innate Sword Body secret art was something Ning Qi created. The more he trained it, the more he realized its depth—and the more respect he had for Ning Qi.
Aside from Luo Wentian, Zhuang Chen might be the one who most fully grasped just how monstrous Ning Qi was.
Ning Qi grinned.
"Wanna learn an even stronger sword secret art?"
His voice carried a hint of temptation.
Zhuang Chen's eyes lit up, but unease crept in. He remembered the pain of working with Ning Qi to develop the Innate Sword Body. Ning Qi didn't press—he just waited. Like fishing with patience. Sure enough, moments later, Zhuang Chen couldn't hold back.
He gritted his teeth and said:
"Tell me, Senior Brother. What do I need to do?"
Beside them, the White Ape showed a look of shared suffering.
Ning Qi laughed softly and waved his hand. A secret manual, freshly written the day before, fell into Zhuang Chen's hands.
"Master this art. I'll call you when it's time."
These past few days, he'd been pondering how to further explore the White Ape bloodline and Innate Sword Bones.
After reaching the Heaven-Man Realm, he could resonate with heaven and earth power, but couldn't yet draw that power into his body—much less into the White Ape's or Zhuang Chen's.
The greatest edge of the Heaven-Man Realm was the strength of divine intent—far beyond before.
So he blazed a new path.
Inspired by resonance with the world, he designed a method to explore bloodlines via resonance. But it required their cooperation.
This secret art would activate Zhuang Chen's Innate Sword Bones into a resonant state, allowing easier exploration.
A few days ago—
He had given the same secret art to the White Ape.
Zhuang Chen took the manual, eyes sparkling. He nodded firmly:
"Senior Brother, I'll work hard and master it as soon as possible!"
Ning Qi smiled and nodded.
Suddenly, his expression shifted. He looked to the horizon.
A faint smile curved his lips.
Looks like all that grumbling worked. The one he was waiting for... had finally arrived.