After his discourse with the Blade Demon, Ning Qi's life returned to its previous tranquility.
This exchange had yielded Ning Qi considerable gains, providing him deeper insight into breaking through to the Martial Sage realm—a faint outline now taking shape. Naturally, the Blade Demon had also benefited immensely.
Ning Qi had held nothing back during their discussion, leaving the Blade Demon with numerous new ideas and directions. The demon promptly entered seclusion afterward, though he hadn't forgotten his agreement with Ning Qi—should anyone dare attack, he would emerge to suppress them.
With this arrangement, the Zhenwu Sect became even more secure.
Ning Qi exhaled in relief. His greatest concern had been the Demonic Sect and Southern Alliance exploiting his absence to assault Zhenwu Mountain. But now, with the Blade Demon guarding the mountain, supplemented by the Zhenwu Sword Stele and the many martial artists comprehending its secrets there, any invaders would likely suffer a crushing defeat.
"This way, I can descend the mountain to investigate the Martial Sage secrets of the Southern Alliance and Demonic Sect. If I can locate their hidden bases, I can strike first and eliminate this threat in its cradle."
Ning Qi's eyes flashed with determination.
The twin swords hanging over his head hadn't escaped his notice. Despite his current strength, he might not be able to fully protect the Zhenwu Sect if Martial Sages came knocking.
"Senior Brother, any leads from the imperial court?" Ning Qi inquired.
Luo Wentian shook his head helplessly:
"Recently, the court has been locked in fierce battles with both the Demonic Sect and Southern Alliance. They've been investigating the clues about exotic beast inner cores and the Blood King Gu, but the enemies are extremely cautious—often using them as bait in traps. The court has lost many experts, only learning that the Southern Alliance seeks to refine a Blood Emperor Gu while the Demonic Sect works on some treasure called Sacred Pills. More specific information remains elusive."
"I suspect they've already relocated their operations, deliberately creating diversions."
Ning Qi frowned: "Relocated?"
"The Hundred Thousand Mountains? Or beyond Great Yan's borders?"
Luo Wentian nodded: "Exactly. That's the court's current suspicion too. But the Hundred Thousand Mountains are the Southern Alliance's stronghold—teeming with exotic beasts, miasma, and poisonous fogs. The court can't penetrate it. As for beyond Great Yan, the most populated area would be the Northern Barbarian steppes. Though their population isn't one-tenth of Great Yan's, it could still sustain Blood King Gu cultivation."
"Given the court's relations with the Northern Barbarians, they're equally powerless there. General Shenyu even suspects the Demonic Sect and Southern Alliance may have formed an alliance with the Northern Barbarians. If true, the situation becomes even more troublesome."
Ning Qi exhaled slowly.
The Demonic Sect and Southern Alliance were troublesome enough—adding the Northern Barbarians to the mix would complicate matters further.
"Truly, everyone wants to tear a piece of flesh from Great Yan's body."
If possible, Ning Qi would prefer to stay uninvolved. Unfortunately, the Zhenwu Sect had already been dragged into this conflict, forced to side with Great Yan. And he still didn't know whether that Great Yan Martial Sage was friend or foe.
The situation had become increasingly intricate.
Ning Qi steeled his resolve. He needed to strike first, but couldn't reveal his identity or true strength to the court—lest he attract a Martial Sage's attention, which might prove even more dangerous than the current predicament.
"Senior Brother, I plan to descend the mountain," Ning Qi announced.
Luo Wentian started: "Xiao Jiu, you mean to—"
Ning Qi nodded: "Exactly. Rather than wait for them to attack, we should strike first. But don't inform the court—just help me gather as much intelligence as possible about the Blood King Gu."
Regarding the Demonic Sect's Martial Sage treasure, they only knew it was called Sacred Pills, with no concrete details except that it required exotic beast inner cores.
But Ning Qi had personally encountered the Southern Alliance's Blood King Gu before. Previously, to avoid risks, he'd used it immediately after obtaining it to prevent detection. Now, he could take the opposite approach—if he obtained another Blood King Gu, he might decipher their mutual sensing mechanism and potentially eliminate all of the Southern Alliance's Blood King Gu at once.
Thus, he decided to start with the Blood King Gu.
Luo Wentian's expression showed guilt—his junior brother was only eleven, yet bore such heavy responsibilities.
But he didn't dissuade him, knowing this was indeed the best course.
"Xiao Jiu," he said gravely, "the new year approaches. Stay a few more days while I organize the intelligence from the court before you descend."
Ning Qi nodded slightly—a few days' delay wouldn't matter. This year's new year competition would surely be lively. The three hundred seedlings had made notable progress in their training, and their results could be assessed—perhaps some outstanding individuals might be promoted to core disciples.
Sensing Luo Wentian's concern, Ning Qi smiled:
"Don't worry, Senior Brother. With my current strength, even if I uncover nothing, I won't be in danger."
Luo Wentian smiled bitterly:
"This senior brother only regrets being too weak."
Ning Qi offered some comforting words.
This wasn't their fault—under normal circumstances, the Zhenwu Sect's revival would have taken generations of gradual effort. Ning Qi's meteoric rise had drastically accelerated this timeline, leaving others struggling to keep pace.
This was natural—not everyone possessed Ning Qi's monstrous comprehension.
But it wasn't a major issue either. Given time to digest these gains, they would gradually transform into genuine strength.
Daoist Longshan exemplified this. After receiving the Heaven-Man realm techniques Ning Qi created, his progress had skyrocketed. He was now fully devoted to closed-door cultivation, determined not to rely on Ning Qi to solve every crisis.
...
Time flowed steadily onward.
In the twelfth lunar month's bitter winter, heavy snow fell relentlessly.
Yet the Zhenwu Sect remained as vibrant as ever. The Zhenwu Sword Stele and Myriad Dao Tower were constantly crowded—countless martial artists came to comprehend their secrets, many achieving breakthroughs that further enhanced the two landmarks' reputation.
Ning Qi naturally welcomed this development.
Currently, his sword dao stood unrivaled—even among peak experts. But his other insights had also reached extraordinary levels.
Understanding one principle illuminated ten thousand others. The myriad martial paths left by practitioners in the Myriad Dao Tower supplemented Ning Qi's cultivation, complementing his celestial observations from the Dao scriptures and accelerating his progress.
Beyond his daily routine of summoning heavenly lightning for cultivation, Ning Qi now devoted most effort to studying the White Ape and Zhuang Chen.
Yesterday, the White Ape had finally mastered the resonance technique Ning Qi taught him.
Now in the Seeking Dao Courtyard, the White Ape activated the technique, his bloodline entering an excited state. With a savage roar he couldn't suppress, his body rapidly expanded—in moments, a sixteen-foot giant ape stood in the courtyard, mountain-like in stature. His golden-irised eyes radiated extraordinary power, unmistakable signs of an extraordinary bloodline.
"Teacher." The White Ape scratched his head sheepishly—this display wasn't intentional, but beyond his control.
Ning Qi waved dismissively. He'd already used heaven-earth energy to mask their activities.
Anticipation gleamed in his eyes as vast heaven-earth energy converged, enveloping them before vibrating at frequencies opposite to the White Ape's internal rhythms.
This was a technique Ning Qi created by studying yin-yang principles—mutual attraction could draw out deeper secrets from the White Ape's bloodline.
Instantly, excruciating numbness erupted throughout the White Ape's body—as if every bone might shatter. Cold sweat poured from his pores, his heart spasming violently. Yet he endured—he never refused Ning Qi's requests, knowing his teacher's research ultimately benefited him.
Ning Qi inwardly nodded approval. After years of cultivation under his guidance, the White Ape's dao heart had grown exceptionally steadfast, surpassing most so-called geniuses.
Without wasting time, Ning Qi maintained the resonant frequency while channeling gentle yet vast qi force into the giant ape's body, probing carefully.
Previously, his study of the White Ape's physiology had birthed the Ape King True Form technique. Taught to the White Ape, it had mysteriously integrated with his bloodline, becoming almost like an innate ability.
But now, Ning Qi sought to delve deeper—exploring the White Ape's bloodline's most profound secrets.
The All-Seeing Golden Eyes.
This was Yuan Tiansheng's true formidable ability. According to Yuan Tiansheng himself, his current All-Seeing Golden Eyes could even affect Heaven-Man realm experts, revealing weaknesses in their heaven-earth energy resonance. Presently, even Luo Wentian with his False Core might not defeat Yuan Tiansheng.
This naturally intrigued Ning Qi. If he could decipher the White Ape's bloodline secrets, he might replicate the All-Seeing Golden Eyes—an absolutely peerless technique that could prove invaluable against Martial Sages.
Nowadays, Ning Qi's opponents existed solely at the Martial Sage level—no Heaven-Man realm practitioner could challenge him, differing only in how many strikes they could withstand.
Closing his eyes, Ning Qi carefully merged his divine intent with the White Ape's bloodline.
Strange undulations gradually spread.
Ning Qi shuddered.
Suddenly, his consciousness found itself in a vast, primordial land. As he looked around bewildered, an earth-shaking roar capable of startling the sun and moon echoed across the wilderness. To his astonishment, Ning Qi saw a silver giant ape howling at the moon—its mountainous frame making Yuan Tiansheng's sixteen-foot form seem insignificant in comparison.
"Heavenly Beast!"
The thought came unbidden.
The giant ape beat its chest, the thunderous impacts sending visible shockwaves rippling through the air—power beyond any Heaven-Man realm existence. Ning Qi watched as heaven-earth energy voluntarily flowed into its body, while mystical power from the moonlight streamed into its nostrils and mouth.
"Legends say Heavenly Beasts are nature's darlings, born capable of controlling heaven-earth energy—it's true!" Ning Qi's breathing grew rapid.
Humans strained every nerve to reach the Martial Sage realm and refine heaven-earth energy, yet this merely equaled the beasts' starting point. The disparity left him speechless. He felt certain this silver giant ape was at least Martial Sage level—and no weakling among them.
Ning Qi continued observing. Though only seeing the ape's profile, its oppressive aura battered his spirit with tremendous pressure.
The silver giant ape continuously devoured moonlight and absorbed heaven-earth energy, but for some reason, Ning Qi sensed growing agitation in the beast—manifesting as increasingly violent behavior.
Enraged, the ape shattered mountains with punches and severed rivers with kicks—even the residual shockwaves from its chest-beating carved horrific scars across the land.
Ning Qi held his breath.
Abruptly, the ape seemed to detect something. Whirling around, its dazzling golden eyes locked onto Ning Qi's consciousness, freezing his thoughts in this strange spacetime.
Instantly, the vision shattered like spiderwebbing cracks, carrying bone-chilling cold.
Ning Qi barely registered the giant ape's roar now carried traces of... fear?
His body jolted as he returned from the bloodline connection, face slightly pale with lingering trepidation.
That gaze...
Had been terrifying.
It felt as if it pierced through time itself to see Ning Qi—he'd never experienced such complete exposure before, leaving him deeply unsettled.
The White Ape had collapsed unconscious at some point. Alarmed, Ning Qi hurried to check, relaxing only after confirming mere exhaustion.
He began recalling the vision.
"To actually witness a legendary Heavenly Beast—bloodline inheritance is truly miraculous," Ning Qi marveled.
This marked his first close encounter with such an existence. He sensed the vast gulf between them—facing it directly, escape might prove impossible.
"Could this be Yuan Tiansheng's bloodline origin? If he fully awakens his bloodline, perhaps he could one day reach such heights."
"But... that gaze likely wasn't directed at me."
The memory of those golden eyes remained vivid—their penetrative quality making Yuan Tiansheng's seem childish by comparison. Initially, Ning Qi thought the ape had detected him, but reconsidered—spanning countless years seemed impossible. If achievable, such power would rival gods.
"The subsequent scenes were inaccessible because my divine intent wasn't strong enough—not because the ape 'saw' me. If I'm not mistaken, something unexpected occurred—its roar carried traces of fear."
Ning Qi's curiosity burned.
Instinct suggested this might relate to the severed Martial Sage inheritance.
After several deep breaths, he gradually calmed his agitation.
Haste wouldn't help—the White Ape wasn't going anywhere. Once his divine intent grew sufficiently strong, the secrets would reveal themselves. Given his current cultivation speed—progressing by leaps daily—reaching Three Flowers perfection and uncovering the truth was inevitable.
"Though limited for now, this doesn't hinder replicating the All-Seeing Golden Eyes. A few more attempts should succeed."
Ning Qi smiled.
This endeavor hadn't been fruitless.
However, each bloodline connection strained the White Ape—they couldn't rush this. But the silver lining was that frequent such exercises would greatly benefit his bloodline development.
Ning Qi wondered—did Zhuang Chen's sword bones contain similar visions?
In a few days, Zhuang Chen should master the resonance technique too.