What Ning Qi saw before him truly exceeded his imagination. Even the accumulated knowledge from Wenjian Pavilion paled in comparison. He turned his head to look at Daoist Baishan, who arrogantly looked back at him.
"How is the scripture collection of my Zhenxuan Sect?"
He chuckled, revealing yellowed teeth, brimming with pride. Finally, he had a chance to boast in front of Ning Qi.
"You can freely browse the scriptures here. If you want, you can even stay here. But I'm already a bit tired of reading them. If you need anything, just tell me."
Ning Qi smiled.
"Can I really read everything?"
"Of course! In Zhenxuan Sect, when I speak, it's absolutely final!"
Hearing such bold words, Ning Qi couldn't help but glance sideways.
That a newly ascended Heaven-Man Realm cultivator like Daoist Baishan could make such a boast only meant one thing: his seniority and status were very high.
Ning Qi nodded without hesitation.
"Does your Zhenxuan Sect have any records about the Martial Sage Realm?"
Daoist Baishan, originally brimming with pride, suddenly paused.
Ning Qi's interest dropped sharply.
"None?"
"Not exactly. It's just that, young Ning, your cultivation is still far from that realm. Don't be too ambitious." A flicker of inquiry appeared in his pupils, but he quickly covered it up with a chuckle.
Ning Qi casually opened a scripture.
"Martial Path must have ambition. I'm curious."
Daoist Baishan fell silent and led Ning Qi directly to the top floor.
The higher they went, the fewer scriptures there were. Ning Qi knew these must be the essence, rarely shown to outsiders. He silently marveled at the profound heritage of the Zhenxuan Sect.
Patting the white jade bookshelf holding a dozen ancient books, Daoist Baishan curled his mouth.
"Here, all the records about the Martial Sage Realm are here. Take a look yourself."
Saying this, he reclined on a nearby Daoist mat, his eyes vacant, gazing at the ceiling as if he were at home.
A hint of delight flashed in Ning Qi's eyes. This was truly an unexpected treasure.
He reached out, took an ancient book, and slowly opened it. A heavy atmosphere immediately washed over him.
The first line shook his spirit:
"The power of Heaven and Earth is called Spiritual Energy, and the path of the Martial Sage lies in refining this Spiritual Energy into the body to obtain many profound mysteries."
Spiritual Energy?
This was the first time he had encountered such an expression. Previous ancient books only had fragmentary records, but this one seemed detailed, delivering a different kind of shock right from the start.
Ning Qi couldn't help but glance at Daoist Baishan, but the latter was indifferent, already in a state of spiritual wandering.
Suppressing the stirring in his heart, Ning Qi continued reading.
"The Martial Sage is one who transcends the extraordinary to enter the saintly! How to obtain sainthood? The key lies in Spiritual Energy. The Heaven-Man Realm only perceives Spiritual Energy and can barely resonate with it, but like a child swinging a heavy hammer, it cannot grasp its profound mysteries..."
"The power of the Martial Sage is extraordinarily spiritual, capable of unparalleled slaughter, burning mountains and boiling seas. It can also prolong life and ensure eternal legacy for a thousand years."
"..."
Unconsciously,
he entered a state of enlightenment.
He read with extra care, often pausing to ponder deeply.
Time passed unknowingly.
When he finished the last ancient book and instinctively flipped on, he realized it was the last page. His eyes were filled with reluctant satisfaction.
"That's it?" he sighed deeply and said instinctively.
Daoist Baishan, who had by then awakened, chuckled.
"This is already quite good!"
Ning Qi nodded slowly.
This was no lie. Indeed, these ancient books were already quite excellent. To put it bluntly, these books contained more and far more detailed content than all he had previously obtained combined. Yet Ning Qi still felt a bit itchy in his heart.
It was simply because
these ancient books all ended abruptly, often stopping at the most critical moments or only touching on the surface.
For example, some ancient books mentioned that the power of Heaven and Earth is called Spiritual Energy, and the key to the Martial Sage path is refining Spiritual Energy—but how to refine it was vague.
Some described how terrifying the combat power of the Martial Sage was, even describing battle scenes, but when it came to the core details of the Martial Sage Realm, all were omitted or replaced by unrelated terms.
This left Ning Qi feeling like scratching an itch without reaching the spot.
He looked at Daoist Baishan.
"I feel like the authors of these ancient books deliberately wrote them to be so obscure and vague. Why is that?"
He increasingly felt Daoist Baishan was no ordinary person and might know some secrets.
But Daoist Baishan just shrugged.
"How should I know? These books have been around for a long time. Maybe you'll understand when you reach that realm. I've told you before, peeking ahead at such realms early isn't good; it might bring setbacks and wild thoughts."
Ning Qi smiled.
"You just barely stepped into the Heaven-Man Realm, and the Martial Sage Realm is probably tens of thousands of miles away. You must have read these books more than once."
Daoist Baishan flipped over and sat up.
"That's different. I have been accumulating steadily and might soon step into the Martial Sage Realm. How about this: if you switch over to my Zhenxuan Sect now, there's still a last chance to ride the big ship!"
He looked at Ning Qi expectantly.
Ning Qi chuckled silently.
He only shook his head slightly and looked back at the ancient book, not mocking out of respect for the scriptures.
He had to admit,
these ancient books were quite useful.
Although they all ended abruptly, which might be for others only useful for broadening horizons, Ning Qi's comprehension was such that even a faint clue could let him deduce useful things.
"The power of the Martial Sage is extraordinarily spiritual. This must not be a feature of Martial Sage power itself, but that Spiritual Energy inherently possesses such a feature. But now when I sense Spiritual Energy, I don't find this. Does that mean the changes in Heaven and Earth have weakened the spirituality of Spiritual Energy?"
"If it can be weakened, can the spirituality within Spiritual Energy be extracted independently?"
Ning Qi thought of another direction.
He gradually fell into deep contemplation.
"Also, the Three Blossoms Converge refers to the Heaven-Man Realm, but what is the Five Qi Returning to Origin mentioned in one ancient book? Could it be the profound mystery within the Martial Sage Realm?"
Seeing Ning Qi ignoring him, Daoist Baishan grew a little anxious but was secretly amazed by Ning Qi's obsession. He was very familiar with these ancient books; ordinary people probably couldn't even understand them, but Ning Qi was seriously pondering.
"This young Ning is even more extraordinary than I imagined!" he gradually paid full attention.
His curiosity grew stronger, and for the first time, he tried his utmost to sense Ning Qi's true nature.
In an instant,
the clouds parted.
But what stunned him was that what appeared was not a peak but a vast mountain range with overlapping ridges, and he couldn't discern which mountain was Ning Qi's true form.
"This…" Daoist Baishan's heart grew cautious.
Although he had only recently awakened his latent wisdom and hadn't fully restored his strength, he was absolutely standing at the peak of the world. Yet now, he could not see through an eleven-year-old child. Previously, his sensing was casual; now it was with full effort, which was a completely different meaning.
"Could it be that some old monster is deliberately playing tricks on me?" he thought helplessly.
But he shook his head.
People like them carried similar auras that could not be concealed.
"Could it be that old turtle's arrangement?" Daoist Baishan thought of another possibility.
Only he knew the true martial heritage wasn't that simple.
When he invited Ning Qi and Daoist Longshan, he didn't tell Daoist Baihe and the others that the true martial heritage actually traced back even further than Zhenxuan Sect, only interrupted mid-way.
After awakening his latent wisdom, he intercepted some intelligence of the Zhenwu Sect and confirmed his suspicions.
This time inviting Ning Qi and the others was also a covert observation.
Originally, he thought Daoist Longshan only got some part of the true martial heritage by luck, since Longshan's performance wasn't outstanding.
But now, sensing the extraordinary from Ning Qi, he somewhat overturned his previous guess.
"That old turtle has lived too long; no one knows what he's scheming. Perhaps Daoist Longshan isn't his chosen heir, but Ning Qi is? But that shouldn't be... if Ning Qi were the chosen heir, he should have some understanding of the Martial Sage Realm..."
For a moment, Daoist Baishan couldn't figure out Ning Qi's origin.
He planned to observe longer.
Seeing Ning Qi close the ancient book, he hurriedly put on a serious face and leaned over.
"Ning, do you want to see more Daoist scriptures?"
Ning Qi nodded.
"All right, after my Heaven-Man Ascension Ceremony ends, we'll visit other Daoist sects?" Daoist Baishan winked.
After some thought, Ning Qi nodded slowly.
After all, he wasn't the main planner. If something really happened, it would be Daoist Baishan they sought out. If the sky fell, there was a tall one to bear it. Having gained much information about the Martial Sage Realm from Zhenxuan Sect's collection, he also wanted to see if other sects' collections were as profound.
More importantly, he wanted to see Daoist Baishan's background.
This was the first person in a long time he couldn't see through.
Seeing Ning Qi agree, Daoist Baishan was overjoyed and somersaulted several times.
"Then it's a deal!"
Ning Qi smiled.
...
In the following two days,
Ning Qi, led by Daoist Baishan, practically toured the forbidden areas of the Zhenxuan Sect.
The Scripture Library, Treasure Pavilion, Divine Weapon Vault, Spirit Herb Garden...
He indeed saw many good things. While admiring Zhenxuan Sect's profound foundation, he felt even stranger. Daoist Baishan truly acted without any taboos. Sometimes he wondered if this was on purpose, just to flaunt Zhenxuan's foundation before him, enticing him to 'abandon darkness and embrace the light.'
Besides,
Ning Qi had asked several times about the True Immortal of Zhenxuan Sect out of curiosity, but Daoist Baishan was indifferent, showing no respect, which made Ning Qi even more puzzled about Baishan's identity.
This was probably the living ancestor of Zhenxuan Sect, allowing him to behave so recklessly.
After all, in these two days, sometimes he was quite flamboyant. The higher-ups of Zhenxuan Sect surely noticed.
He pondered quietly.
But he was in no hurry.
During these two days,
more and more martial sects arrived, many top Daoist sects sent Heaven-Man Realm experts to support. Zhenxuan Mountain grew livelier. Even Daoist Longshan urged his disciples to avoid causing trouble.
Fortunately, with Zhenxuan Sect mediating, there were no major issues.
Instead, many came to the guesthouse of Zhenwu Sect to make friends, speaking highly respectfully of Heavenly Sword True Immortal.
On this day,
the Heaven-Man Ascension Ceremony was finally held on schedule.
Such a grand event stirred countless waves in Daozhou. Especially since Zhenxuan Sect didn't intend to be low-key this time, many martial artists gathered at the foot of Zhenxuan Mountain. The foundation of Zhenxuan Mountain was much deeper than the original Zhenwu Sect's, enough to accommodate many warriors.
The mountain was crowded with people.
Powerful auras filled the air, and nearly thirty Heaven-Man Realm experts were present. Unlike Daoist Longshan's Heaven-Man Ascension Ceremony, where Heaven-Man Realm experts appeared at the end, these experts had all taken their seats in order.
The people of Zhenwu Sect sat in the front rows. The disciples were amazed; such grand events were extremely rare.
Once everyone was seated,
Daoist Baiye, the leader of Zhenxuan Sect, floated up and smiled, cupping his hands.
"Thank you all for coming from afar to attend my senior brother Daoist Baishan's Heaven-Man Ascension Ceremony. The Zhenxuan Sect is deeply grateful!"
Everyone smiled in response.
Daoist Baishan took the main seat.
Today, Daoist Baishan was completely different from usual. Wearing a purple Daoist robe full of majesty, his aura was somewhat ethereal. Even Daoist Baixiang, Daoist Baiye, and Daoist Baihe were overshadowed, astonishing everyone.
But Ning Qi was slightly speechless because Daoist Baishan's occasional glances carried a sleazy meaning that instantly shattered his lofty aura.
"The Heaven-Man Ascension Ceremony officially begins!"
As Daoist Baiye's voice fell,
Zhenxuan Sect disciples filed out, swords flying, bearing an imposing aura.
This was a congratulatory gift for Daoist Baishan.
Many guests observed carefully, amazed. Zhenxuan Sect was usually low-key, but they didn't expect the disciples to be so formidable. Many sect disciples secretly felt competitive.
One event after another passed. Occasionally, applause broke out.
Guests and hosts were all joyful.
Then it was time for the gift-giving ceremony.
Ning Qi felt a little emotional. Three years ago, at his master's Heaven-Man Ascension Ceremony, the gifts were abundant. At that time, he already thought it was quite impressive, but seeing Daoist Baishan's ceremony today, he understood what it meant to be a small fry among greats. The gifts were truly dazzling.
The difference in foundation was vividly displayed at this moment.
Gifts like thousand-year-old Jade Ginseng and deep-sea cold iron were all treasures.
Soon,
it was Zhenwu Sect's turn.
Daoist Longshan smiled and presented the gifts.
They were Enlightenment Tea Leaves and a set of rare tea utensils from the Demonic Sect's treasury.
This immediately drew many surprised glances.
People thought that although Zhenwu Sect had been flourishing recently, it lacked deep roots. They didn't expect it to present such a rare treasure as Enlightenment Tea Leaves. For a time, everyone regarded Zhenwu Sect more highly.
Daoist Baihe was thoughtful.
He vaguely recalled that when Daoist Longshan held his Heaven-Man Ascension Ceremony, Wang Quan, the ancient ancestor, had gifted a seed of an Enlightenment Tea Tree.
"Could it have grown? I remember that seed was almost dead." He was shocked, realizing its true value. If Zhenwu Sect really had a living Enlightenment Tea Tree, that would be their pillar foundation.
He looked at Daoist Longshan with a kinder gaze.
One by one, sects presented gifts.
But not many.
Only those qualified to give gifts at such an occasion had to be Heaven-Man Realm experts. Others at the Qi Origin Realm had no right to show face.
After the last Heaven-Man Realm expert presented gifts,
Daoist Baixiang slowly stood up, smiling and cupping his hands.
"Thank you, fellow Daoists, for your gifts. As a token of gratitude, please listen to our insights on the Way of the Heaven-Man!"
With the grand setup of Zhenxuan Sect, naturally it was not just Daoist Baishan speaking. Several other True Immortals joined. This was a show of strength. Many Heaven-Man Realm experts came mainly for Daoist Baixiang, whose power was quite remarkable.
Everyone eagerly awaited.
But just as Daoist Baixiang began to speak, a grand voice rang out from afar:
"Daoist Baixiang, don't be hasty! The Great Awakening Temple still has a gift to present!"
Everyone's expressions turned strange.
Great Awakening Temple?
Wasn't that a Buddhist force? How did they suddenly appear at Zhenxuan Sect's Heaven-Man Ascension Ceremony?