Chapter 12: Improved Body Tempering Powder |
Ning Qi lay in the wooden tub, his thoughts gradually drifting.
"Right now, what I need most is to gain strength as fast as possible."
"To speed up martial arts training, the key lies in stance training and medicinal baths."
"My stance training has already peaked. The Bi'an Stance, Qiu Niu Stance, and Baxia Stance have all reached perfection in Divine Intent. There's no room for progress. Compared to the effects of the other six stances, they're about the same. If I want to improve further, I need even stronger stance techniques."
"But there's still room for improvement with the medicinal bath!"
Ning Qi’s eyes lit up.
Maybe he could improve the formula.
That wasn’t difficult for him.
As he recalled the recipe, the dosages and medicinal properties of each herb surfaced clearly in his mind.
In an instant.
Countless flashes of insight sparked in Ning Qi’s mind.
But a recipe wasn’t the same as martial arts—it had to be tested.
As he pondered, he continued to feel the medicine being absorbed through his skin.
Only when the medicinal effects had completely dissipated and most of the fatigue in his body had vanished did Ning Qi leap out of the tub and head straight into the house to start tinkering.
In the past three years, he had read countless medical classics and even compiled his own Ning’s Medical Treatise. So this kind of thing was a breeze for him.
He toiled all the way into the night.
And finally produced the new recipe.
Ning Qi couldn’t wait to pour the improved Body Tempering Powder into the bath, filled it with water, and jumped right in.
In an instant, a wave of incredible relief washed over him.
The lingering soreness, swelling, and redness on his skin disappeared at a visible speed.
"The effect is at least twice as strong as before!"
"With this improved Body Tempering Powder, I can train for longer without worrying about my body breaking down."
A smile spread across Ning Qi’s lips.
If you want to do a good job, you must first sharpen your tools.
This was necessary.
He could continue to improve it further in the future.
...
In the blink of an eye.
Three days passed.
"Third Senior Sister, I’m heading out."
Ning Qi smiled and greeted her, then strode off.
Behind him.
Was Ye Qinghe, eyes lifeless and looking thoroughly drained.
She looked like she had lost the will to live.
At first.
When she learned that her Little Junior Brother could start martial arts training at the age of three, she didn’t believe it. Then she got excited. When she heard that Ning Qi wanted to learn the Chiwen Stance from her, she even vowed to train him hard.
And the result?
Was what you see now.
She was completely crushed.
"Is he even human? We’re both human—why is the gap so huge?"
Ye Qinghe recalled what she had told Ning Qi before, stuff like "once you start martial arts, the suffering will come later." Looking back now...
"I was so stupid... I’m the one suffering, not him."
She rubbed her face in frustration, but still smiled faintly as she looked at Ning Qi’s back, with a trace of comfort in her expression.
No matter what, this was a good thing.
The little brat their Master had brought back was growing up—faster than anyone could have expected.
Ning Qi wore a faint smile.
He didn’t need to turn around to know what Ye Qinghe was thinking.
Because this scene had played out several times over the past few days.
"Over these three days, not only did I advance to the Oxhide Realm, I also learned five more stance techniques from Third Senior Sister and the others—Zhaofeng Stance, Pulao Stance, Suanni Stance, Fuxi Stance, and Chiwen Stance!"
"Of the Nine Sons of Zhenwu, I’ve learned eight. The only one left is the Yazi Stance, which Eighth Senior Brother knows—I haven’t learned that one yet."
Ning Qi was getting impatient.
After mastering eight of the stances, he was beginning to sense the deeper connection between them. If he could learn the final Yazi Stance, he was confident he could create an even stronger stance technique.
"But there’s no need to rush. Eighth Senior Brother is in seclusion to break through. I’ll wait till he’s out."
Ning Qi had thought about asking his other senior brothers to teach him the Yazi Stance, but none of them were skilled in it and worried they’d teach it poorly. As for his Master, Daoist Longshan, he had shut himself in as well.
No choice but to wait.
Seven days passed in a flash.
Ning Qi’s realm broke through again—he had reached the Stonehide Realm.
His skin refinement was now at minor completion.
At this stage, his skin was as tough as stone. Ordinary strikes couldn’t hurt him, and his strength had increased considerably.
In just ten days, Ning Qi had covered ground that would take others years.
His success came from his perfected stance techniques, and also from the improved Body Tempering Paste.
Ning Qi had made further tweaks to it over the past few days, but didn’t bother changing the name—he just kept calling it the improved Body Tempering Paste.
He planned to give the formula to his Master once he emerged from seclusion.
Unlike the many martial arts and secret techniques Ning Qi had created—which required high comprehension—this recipe had no threshold. If it could be widely adopted, it would help Zhenwu Sect disciples grow stronger faster, and deepen the sect’s foundation.
That day.
Ning Qi was wondering whether he should visit Qin Yun’s place.
To his surprise, Qin Yun appeared in the distance.
Qin Yun was only twenty years old, quite handsome. From afar, he looked like a suave young Daoist. He and Ye Qinghe were the closest to Ning Qi and often came to hang out with him.
But Qin Yun was a martial arts fanatic and a top talent, carrying the hope of becoming the strongest in Zhenwu Sect one day. So he spent most of his time training.
"Eighth Senior Brother, you broke through?"
Ning Qi greeted him with a smile. Ever since he began training, his steps had become more stable. Although he was only three, his body was no different from that of a five- or six-year-old child—just stronger.
Qin Yun nodded, then showed a look of shock:
"Little Nine, I didn’t believe it when Senior Brother told me you could already start training. But it’s true."
Ning Qi grinned.
"Eighth Senior Brother, I want to learn the Yazi Stance from you."
Qin Yun was still processing the shock that his three-year-old Little Junior Brother could train. He frowned slightly.
"Learning it is fine, but you should know—biting off more than you can chew is no good. How’s your primary stance, the Bi'an Stance, coming along?"
Ning Qi didn’t say much.
Facts speak louder than words.
Scenes like this had already happened several times with his other senior brothers.
Watching the young Bi’an moving agilely through the courtyard, leaping and weaving, Qin Yun felt a storm rise in his heart—and a tinge of jealousy he didn’t even realize was there.
How long had it taken him to reach the beginner’s Divine Intent level in the Yazi Stance?
Half a year?
A year?
Even then, he had been hailed as a peerless genius. But now, in front of his Little Junior Brother, what did that even mean?
He unconsciously fell silent.
Ning Qi stopped practicing and looked up:
"Eighth Senior Brother, can I learn the Yazi Stance now? I just want to broaden my horizons. Don’t worry—I won’t take on more than I can handle."
Looking at his cute and clever Little Junior Brother, Qin Yun forced a smile.
"Alright, I’ll teach you."
He had instinctively wanted to refuse, but realized that would’ve been wrong.
He silently cursed himself.
Then began demonstrating the Yazi Stance, explaining its various key points.
"Little Junior Brother, have you got it?"
Ning Qi nodded repeatedly.
With the foundation of the previous eight stances, he learned even faster now!
Moments later.
Qin Yun watched Ning Qi perform a smooth and flawless Yazi Stance—and fell silent again.
"Little Junior Brother, keep practicing on your own. I’ve got something to take care of."
He forced a smile, turned around, took a deep breath, and walked away, his expression complicated.
Ning Qi acknowledged him casually, not taking it to heart.
He figured Qin Yun was just a bit discouraged, though he’d already been trying to hold back—he hadn’t even shown the signs of reaching the Stonehide Realm.
Shaking his head slightly, Ning Qi continued training.
With Qin Yun around, he couldn’t go all out in his practice.
Before long, the Divine Intent of the Yazi Stance reached perfection.
Ning Qi’s eyes shone brightly.
The Nine Sons of Zhenwu were finally complete!
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