Chapter 4: Asking About Immortality |
Although Ning Qi wasn’t an impatient person, the thought of having to wait another seven and a half years before he could begin practicing the Martial Path still felt way too long.
After all.
He possessed full-level comprehension. Once he set foot on the Martial Path, his progress would be lightning fast.
Ning Qi hadn’t forgotten the extermination of his clan six months ago.
He didn’t want to end up like Huang Shang, achieving great mastery only to find that all his enemies were already dead.
These past few days.
He had been thinking about how to speed up the formation of his bone foundation. The dense innate spiritual radiance in his body seemed to be working well, but he hadn’t fully tapped into its potential. Everyone in the Zhenwu Sect knew that Ning Qi was a prodigy and feared he would stray from the right path if he started too early, so they never let him read martial arts scriptures.
The bits he did know were pieced together from miscellaneous classics, which might not be entirely accurate.
“Maybe I should ask Master.”
He was afraid of misunderstanding something and wanted to know the true nature of the so-called bone foundation. Only then could he create a secret technique to accelerate its formation and make use of the innate spiritual radiance he had intercepted earlier.
He started walking, his little arms and legs swinging adorably. With his chubby, sculpted features, he looked even more lovable.
Along the way.
Both outer and inner sect disciples of Zhenwu Sect greeted Ning Qi respectfully, calling him Ninth Junior Brother.
That was the rule—true disciples were held in the highest regard.
Ning Qi clasped his hands behind his back and nodded in a mature tone:
“Greetings, junior brothers and sisters.”
The disciples all chuckled inwardly, surprised as well. This Ninth Junior Brother really was extraordinary. Just half a year old and already so mentally mature, walking with such steady steps, he was clearly different from others.
Though the way his little arms and legs swung was just too amusing.
As Ning Qi walked.
A strong pair of arms scooped him up.
“Little Nine, running around again!”
He didn’t need to turn around to know who it was—the laughing voice was enough. It was Fifth Senior Brother, Jiang Baishan. Ning Qi squirmed to get down:
“Fifth Senior Brother, put me down! I can walk by myself!”
The fair and handsome young man burst out laughing, his eyes full of doting affection.
“Okay, okay, don’t fall now. I’ll put you down.”
“Fifth Senior Brother, are you going to see Master?”
“Yep. I’ve been on the mountain too long—it’s time to head down and train a bit. Don’t want people to look down on us Zhenwu Sect folks.”
There was excitement in Jiang Baishan’s eyes.
Before Qin Yun joined, he had the highest talent. Now, his strength was nearly on par with First Senior Brother Luo Wentian.
“Fifth Senior Brother, you’re amazing. What realm are you in now?”
“Of course your Fifth Senior Brother is amazing. Only twenty-five and already... pfft, Little Ning Qi, trying to get it out of me? Not telling you! You little rascal, you’ll find out when you’re older.”
“If you won’t tell me, I’ll ask Master myself!”
This scene had played out more than once. None of the senior brothers or sisters would tell him about the martial realms. Ning Qi pouted and ran into the Mingwu Pavilion, arms swinging.
Jiang Baishan couldn’t help but laugh.
Shaking his head, he followed behind.
Inside the pavilion.
Daoist Longshan was meditating with his eyes closed. After a while, he slowly opened them.
“Disciple greets Master!”
Ning Qi and Jiang Baishan bowed respectfully.
Daoist Longshan smiled at the two disciples, his gaze especially fond when resting on Ning Qi. He made no effort to hide his affection—this disciple was just too lovable and learned everything so quickly. He was already looking forward to the day Ning Qi began walking the Martial Path.
Perhaps the future of Zhenwu Sect lay in this disciple.
“Master, I’d like to go down the mountain to train and bring honor to our Zhenwu Sect,” Jiang Baishan stated his purpose.
Daoist Longshan looked pleased.
“Going down the mountain to train is good. Bringing honor is secondary; gaining experience is what matters most. You must take care of your safety. In recent years, signs of the demonic path’s resurgence have reappeared. Be sure not to get involved.”
Feeling the warmth in his master’s words, Jiang Baishan looked deeply moved.
“Your disciple will remember Master’s teachings.”
Daoist Longshan nodded slowly, then smiled kindly at Ning Qi:
“Little Nine, what brings you here today? Did your Third Senior Sister tease you again, so you came to complain?”
Jiang Baishan chuckled as well.
Ye Qinghe loved teasing Ning Qi the most.
But Ning Qi shook his head. His little face scrunched up, and he leaned in mysteriously:
“Master, I’ve discovered something weird. Every night I feel this tingly, itchy sensation deep inside. Could there be a monster on Zhenwu Mountain?”
Daoist Longshan scolded with a laugh:
“Nonsense.”
But after hearing Ning Qi’s words, he seemed thoughtful. He placed a hand on Ning Qi’s shoulder, and Ning Qi could feel a strange power stirring inside him. Then a hint of surprise appeared on Daoist Longshan’s face.
“This is... your bone foundation is accelerating its formation. How can it be happening so early?”
Joy lit up Ning Qi’s face:
“Master, are you saying I can start martial training early like Eighth Senior Brother?”
Jiang Baishan looked excitedly at Daoist Longshan too, but the Daoist just smiled and tapped Ning Qi’s head:
“You little trickster, trying to test your Master again.”
With this little disciple’s intelligence, there was no way he hadn’t noticed the change. Talking about monsters was just a ploy to make his master say it out loud.
Ning Qi chuckled and finally asked the question he had long wondered about:
“Master, what exactly is the bone foundation?”
Daoist Longshan paused briefly, then said:
“Very well, I’ll explain it today so you won’t worry or get restless. Now that your bone foundation is accelerating, you’ll also need to pay attention to medicinal and nutritional supplements.”
Ning Qi sat upright and solemn.
“The so-called bone foundation isn’t your meridians or your bones. It’s not something tangible. It’s the human body’s inner foundation, a hidden treasure. When a baby is born, the seed is planted and needs time to be nourished. As long as it grows under the heavens, nourished by a mysterious power, it can continue to develop.”
“Countless ancestors have studied this and concluded that most children’s bone foundations form around the age of eight. A few with dense innate spiritual radiance can form theirs earlier—like your Eighth Senior Brother, who began his Martial Path at seven.”
“As for you, it may happen even sooner.”
Daoist Longshan stroked his beard and smiled. He remembered seeing Ning Qi in the fire chamber’s hidden compartment six months ago—his innate spiritual radiance was indeed strong. But he hadn’t expected him to begin developing so early, at just half a year old.
Generally speaking, those who train early tend to achieve great things, with a higher chance of reaching advanced realms in the Martial Path—though it’s not guaranteed.
What he didn’t know was that Ning Qi had already begun consciously channeling his innate spiritual radiance into his body.
Ning Qi suddenly understood.
He had always thought the bone foundation referred to tendons or bones and that it needed time to mature before one could bear the Martial Path.
Now it seemed that was just the surface.
The concept of the bone foundation was actually so mystical—it involved the body's inner potential and even the power of the world itself.
He had stumbled upon the right direction by accident, moving from the surface to the essence.
Good thing he had clarified things in time. That was the benefit of having a master. Even with full-level comprehension, some guidance early on could save him many detours.
“Thank you, Master, for resolving my doubts!” Ning Qi said respectfully.
His heart was filled with joy, and his confusion was gone. He had found his direction. With just a little time, creating a secret technique to accelerate bone foundation formation wouldn’t be hard.
Six years old?
He still thought that was too long.
Daoist Longshan smiled and said:
“Now that we’ve talked about bone foundation, if you have other questions, go ahead and ask. Otherwise, you’ll just keep obsessing over them.”
Ning Qi’s eyes lit up. He asked something he’d been dying to know:
“Master, may I ask—can the Martial Path lead to immortality?”
The desire in his eyes was dazzling.