Chapter 24: Supreme Foundation |
After Ning Qi saluted, he left with Yuan Tiansheng.
Seeing the situation wasn't good, Ye Qinghe stuck out her tongue slightly, ready to slip away, but was still called back by Daoist Longshan.
She pulled a bitter face and said:
"Master, this time it wasn't me bothering Little Junior Brother, he asked me to accompany him into the mountains."
Daoist Longshan snorted, but his expression eventually softened.
"You, you, your talent is no weaker than Baishan’s, but you've put all your heart into wine. Now even Baishan’s cultivation has surpassed you."
He scolded lightly, but Ye Qinghe just giggled and said:
"With Fifth Senior Brother holding up the front, isn't that great? Later we have Little Eight and Little Nine. Once they grow up, our Zhenwu Sect will be full of experts. As a disciple, I'm very reassured."
"You might be reassured, but this old man is not!"
The only thing that comforted him was that, despite being carefree and fond of wine, this third disciple had a pure heart and was still one of the outstanding cultivators among her peers, though she could have been even stronger.
"Forget it, forget it. When autumn comes next year, that old man from Divine Sword Mountain will visit with his disciple. Just don’t embarrass me then."
Ye Qinghe froze for a moment, then seemed to remember something.
The so-called old man from Divine Sword Mountain wasn't an ordinary person. Strictly speaking, he was the former master of Zhenwu Mountain, back when it was still called Divine Sword Mountain.
A sense of urgency finally rose in Ye Qinghe’s heart, and she said seriously:
"Disciple understands."
Daoist Longshan waved his hand.
"Go ahead. Tomorrow, tell your Senior Brother about Tiansheng’s situation so he can inform the sect’s disciples to avoid any accidents."
"Disciple obeys."
Ye Qinghe respectfully left.
...
Ning Qi brought the wide-eyed White Ape back to his small courtyard.
"Tiansheng, from now on you’ll live here with me. That room over there is yours. Take good care of it."
"When I’m practicing martial arts or reading, don’t disturb me. You can roam the Zhenwu Sect freely, but remember not to disturb other disciples' cultivation. As for the path of cultivation suitable for you, I’ll sort it out and teach it to you slowly."
"For now, learn to read more characters and read more books."
The White Ape nodded repeatedly, extremely excited.
He felt like he had stepped into a whole new world.
The night passed without incident.
The next day.
When Ning Qi woke up, he found that the White Ape was already busy with chores, and he couldn't help but smile, feeling a shift in his mindset.
Having a living being by his side felt quite nice.
Ning Qi found a wooden plank and wrote the words "Seeking Dao Courtyard" on it, setting it up outside the courtyard.
Inspired by naming the White Ape yesterday, he thought he should name his own courtyard too. Seeking the Dao, seeking the path to immortality — it would be a constant reminder to himself.
Looking at the simple wooden plaque.
Ning Qi felt his thoughts become even clearer.
He wanted to practice martial arts.
After creating the Origin of All Phenomena Stance yesterday, he hadn't fully tested it yet.
"Perfect time to retrain the first four realms and forge the supreme foundation."
He hadn’t rushed to break through Bone Refinement exactly because of this reason.
With that thought.
Ning Qi moved.
His body followed his heart, instantly entering a profound, mysterious state. Since the Origin of All Phenomena Stance was his own creation, he naturally understood all its subtleties, and achieving Divine Intent Perfection was as easy as breathing.
The White Ape, who had been chopping wood nearby, widened his eyes until they were round.
It was like he saw the scene of a Golden Monkey questioning the heavens again, taking him a long while to recover.
Looking at the firewood in his hands, the White Ape's eyes gradually became determined.
A journey of a thousand miles begins with a single step. He believed that as long as he did his small tasks well, one day he would surely receive true teachings.
He continued chopping wood, even more seriously.
Ning Qi was practicing martial arts.
He could feel the "Qi" of his stance flowing freely within his body, starting from the skin and retraining it. This time, he suddenly found that even the skin tempered by the True Dragon Qi still had many flaws.
White clouds, green mountains, soaring hawks... he slowly patched every flaw.
The process was very fast.
After all, it was just walking the path once more.
Ning Qi’s growth was visible to the naked eye.
In the blink of an eye, seven days passed.
Inside the Seeking Dao Courtyard.
Ning Qi was practicing punches. There was no astonishing phenomenon, only simple and plain movements, but the changes within his body were enough to leave anyone dumbfounded.
"Among the outer four realms of Body Tempering, skin refinement provides unrivaled defense, flesh refinement grants strength enough to lift cauldrons, tendon refinement makes one swift as a leopard, and bone refinement unites the three, further elevating strength, speed, and defense!"
"Those with inferior foundations have only about a thousand pounds of strength per arm at perfect Bone Refinement. Those with superior foundations, like the Nine Sons of Zhenwu, can have three thousand pounds per arm. When I tempered my body with the Zhenwu Stance, I achieved a peerless foundation of five thousand pounds per arm!"
"But now, with the Origin of All Phenomena Stance forging my supreme foundation, I have ten thousand pounds per arm!"
"This time was well spent."
It wasn't just a gap in strength, but a deep difference in foundation.
From now on, Ning Qi would be invincible among those of the same realm.
He gently pushed out his palm.
It looked light, but to the White Ape it felt like a prehistoric beast had walked by — the sense of oppression was overwhelming.
Then.
The White Ape widened his eyes even further, seeing Ning Qi slowly stop and exhale a stream of white breath. That breath shot through the air and struck the ground, leaving a pit.
The corners of Ning Qi’s mouth slowly curled up.
"Exhaling like an arrow. Even full Bone Refinement cultivators can't necessarily do this. Yet I’ve just started Bone Refinement and have already reached this level. This is the difference in foundation."
Advancing to the Bone Refinement Realm was a natural progression — he had been ready for a while but had waited until he created the stance first.
He could feel that he was in the best state ever.
The inner four realms of Body Tempering involved deeper human secrets.
"From now on, Body Tempering will be a smooth journey."
"Organs govern endurance, marrow governs explosiveness, blood governs longevity, and finally, everything is unified by spirit. Once the inner four realms are perfected, the body will have no flaws, no sickness, and a lifespan of 120 years."
Ning Qi was looking forward to it.
That might be the first true transformation of his life's essence.
He turned his head and looked at the White Ape’s eager eyes and said:
"Tiansheng, how did you do on today's lesson?"
The White Ape snapped back from his daydreaming and pulled out a small booklet from his robe, writing:
"Please test me, teacher."
Now the White Ape was also wearing the Zhenwu Sect disciple robe, and he was very proud of it. Using the booklet to communicate was also a way to practice, so others didn’t have to guess what he meant.
As for calling Ning Qi “teacher,” that was the White Ape’s own insistence.
He felt that having entered Ning Qi’s tutelage, he should call him Master.
But Ning Qi, believing he was still seeking the Dao himself and not yet qualified to accept disciples, firmly refused.
In the end, the White Ape could only pitifully call him "teacher."
Ning Qi tacitly agreed.
It was almost like accepting a pupil.
Ning Qi smiled and began questioning him.
The White Ape wrote answer after answer without any mistakes, which made Ning Qi very satisfied.
Though this student was far inferior to him, among humans he would still be among the top geniuses.
"Writing like this is a bit inconvenient. Later, if Tiansheng steps into martial arts, perhaps I can create a ventriloquism technique for him."
Ning Qi thought silently.
He was still considering the White Ape’s martial path.
Once he fully understood the White Ape’s body structure, he could try simplifying a stance from the Origin of All Phenomena Stance — maybe it would work.
Comments 2