Chapter 5: Innate Bone-Nourishing Technique |
In his past life, Ning Qi had suffered from ALS and died in despair.
In this life, he was born straight into a crisis, and upon learning he had already endured a hundred lifetimes of suffering, he developed an obsession with staying alive.
He hated death.
He wanted to live, and he wanted immortality.
As soon as Ning Qi finished speaking, Daoist Longshan was slightly stunned, and Jiang Baishan was even more shocked.
Daoist Longshan frowned slightly. He was about to rebuke Ning Qi for aiming too high, but when he saw the astonishing desire in the eyes of the half-year-old child, he fell silent. The words of reproach died on his lips.
Jiang Baishan said:
“Little Nine, there’s no such thing as an immortality method in this world...”
But before he could finish, Daoist Longshan waved his hand to interrupt him.
Ning Qi, however, didn’t retreat in the slightest. This was his goal—it would never change.
A long silence followed.
Daoist Longshan gazed at Ning Qi and slowly opened his mouth:
“The beginning of the Martial Path involves refining the skin, flesh, tendons, bones, organs, marrow, blood, and spirit. These are the Eight Body Tempering Realms. If one achieves perfection, without flaw or leakage, then their blood and energy will never fade, and no illness will arise. At that point, their lifespan will reach the mortal limit—two cycles of sixty years.”
Ning Qi’s eyes lit up, but he remained unmoved.
Two cycles of sixty years was too little.
“Once body tempering is perfected and internal energy is awakened, one enters the Inner Origin Realm. With Inner Origin, even simple movements possess immense power. Lifespan: two hundred years!”
Ning Qi still wasn’t moved.
Two hundred years was also not enough.
Daoist Longshan looked away, turning his gaze to the countless green mountains outside Mingwu Pavilion.
“When Inner Force stacks nine times to form Qi, that is the Qi Origin Realm. Qi Origin bursts forth from the body, with unmatched might. Lifespan: four hundred years!”
“Qi Origin progresses through the three stages of White Mist, Jade Liquid, and Origin Pill. Divine will grows stronger, and one can resonate with the world itself. Reaching the Heaven-Man Realm, splitting rivers and mountains becomes a casual feat. Lifespan: eight hundred years!”
At this point.
Daoist Longshan’s voice carried a trace of subtle longing.
He was just half a step away from the Heaven-Man Realm, but that half-step was as hard as ascending the heavens. Beneath Heaven-Man, all were ants. Fortunately, his talent was extraordinary. Within a few years, he would definitely reach it—otherwise, he wouldn’t have received the Zhenwu legacy.
Eight hundred years!
In past legends, a long-lived man named Peng Zu was said to have lived eight hundred years. With such a lifespan, one could witness dozens of mortal generations come and go—what difference was there between that and being a god?
Ning Qi’s understanding of this world's wonders deepened.
He felt a flicker of anticipation but still shook his head.
Eight hundred years was long, but compared to true immortality, it was just the length of a nap.
“Master, is there anyone with a longer lifespan above the Heaven-Man Realm?”
Jiang Baishan held his breath, listening to the master-disciple exchange. He felt that his Ninth Junior Brother truly was different from the rest.
The Heaven-Man Realm was already the pinnacle of the world, a goal that countless people spent their lives chasing—and yet he still wasn’t satisfied?
His eyes were full of even more surprise.
Perhaps this wasn’t just childish talk. A person’s achievements were closely tied to their ambitions. At the very least, he had never thought about such questions before. Thinking this, he actually felt a bit of respect for his little junior.
Daoist Longshan answered with a question:
“What do you think of these green mountains?”
Ning Qi followed his gaze. The vast, majestic mountains made him feel small. He couldn’t help but sigh:
“Born of the heavens and nourished by the earth, unmovable for ten thousand years.”
Daoist Longshan said meaningfully:
“Unmovable for ten thousand years doesn’t mean unmovable forever. Even green mountains are not eternal. So how could humans be? How could one live forever?”
“A person’s life is not about how long they live, but what they do with it.”
Having great ambition was good, but he worried that his disciple might be chasing something illusory and go astray.
Ning Qi fell silent, sensing the warning in Daoist Longshan’s words.
For ordinary people, it was true they shouldn’t have extraordinary ambitions. But with full-level comprehension, eternal life wasn’t just a fantasy.
Ning Qi bowed respectfully and said solemnly:
“Please guide me, Master!”
Daoist Longshan helped him up with a sigh:
“Foolish child.”
At just half a year old, with such wisdom—it was impossible to view him through ordinary eyes.
His voice echoed gently:
“Above Heaven-Man is the Martial Saint. When a Martial Saint emerges, they are invincible in the world. As for lifespan, it’s said Martial Saints can live for several thousand years, but no one has ever seen one. Some say they may have already broken the limits of this world and gone to another.”
“As for what lies beyond Martial Saint, even I don’t know. Perhaps there’s a higher peak in the Martial Path where one can live ten thousand years, even achieve immortality. It’s all unknown. Only those who reach the Martial Saint level will know.”
“If you truly seek immortality, reaching the peak of the Martial Path might show you a different view.”
Daoist Longshan decided to guide him. Perhaps this wasn’t a bad thing.
He smiled at Ning Qi in front of him.
Ning Qi’s eyes sparkled.
A Martial Saint, invincible in the world, living thousands of years?
Though still far from what he had hoped, it wasn’t bad. Once he achieved Martial Saint, he would have more time to search for the true path to immortality.
One step at a time.
It was unrealistic to expect overnight success.
“First, set a small goal—become a Martial Saint!”
Ning Qi made up his mind.
If it turned out the Martial Path couldn’t lead to immortality, then he’d take another path.
By then, with a transformed life essence, his comprehension would be even stronger. Standing at a higher vantage point with a deep foundation, paving a new path would be much easier than blindly groping for immortality now.
After hearing Daoist Longshan’s words today, Ning Qi felt his goals had become much clearer. He thanked him again:
“Thank you, Master, for clearing my doubts.”
Seeing Ning Qi so full of vigor, Jiang Baishan worried he might be hurt in the future and couldn’t help but warn:
“Little Nine, maybe there’s no immortality method at all in this world?”
Ning Qi smiled faintly.
He bowed respectfully to Daoist Longshan and Jiang Baishan, then swung his arms and left.
Only his voice echoed through the pavilion.
“If there is no path to immortality, I’ll carve one myself.”
Inside Mingwu Pavilion.
The aroma of meditation incense curled into the air, and silence filled the room.
Daoist Longshan and his disciple looked at each other, both seeing the shock in the other’s eyes.
This child was no ordinary one.
...
Ever since that conversation with Daoist Longshan, the true disciples of Zhenwu Sect were surprised to find that their precocious Ninth Junior Brother no longer pestered them about the Martial Path. Instead, he seemed to be quietly working on something on his own.
“Little Nine, the stuff you asked for is here. Don’t forget to eat it on time.”
Luo Wentian shouted toward Ning Qi’s courtyard, then shook his head and left.
Ning Qi was very independent. Except for the things he physically couldn’t do due to his small body, he handled everything himself.
After learning that Ning Qi’s bone foundation had begun accelerating, Daoist Longshan had instructed him to start taking medicinal supplements—mostly tonics to strengthen his foundation and nourish his vitality.
Ning Qi used this as an excuse to gather some other herbs as well.
As for their purpose, it was, of course, for his own plans.
Inside the room at this moment.
Ning Qi ate the medicinal soup he had concocted, then sat cross-legged on his bed like a little adult, eyes shut tightly.
Inside his body.
The innate spiritual radiance was circulating in a specific pattern. With each cycle, a bit of it dispersed, as if it were being absorbed into his limbs and bones. Immediately afterward, Ning Qi felt a tingling itch arise deep within his body—far stronger than before!
Ning Qi was not alarmed but overjoyed.
“It worked!”
He had understood the essence of the bone foundation and, using the innate spiritual radiance as a base and Ning’s Medical Treatise as support, had finally comprehended the art of nourishing the bones.
“I’ll call this technique Innate Bone-Nourishing Technique!”
This was Ning Qi’s achievement over the past few days.
After his conversation with Daoist Longshan, he had learned that the bone foundation was intangible. So he began experimenting with how to actively channel innate spiritual radiance to accelerate its growth. This approach was definitely faster than the passive method from before.
And now, he had finally succeeded!
“With the Innate Bone-Nourishing Technique, I can actively nourish my bone foundation. Its growth will now be several times faster!”
Ning Qi’s eyes were full of anticipation.