Chapter 38: Zhenwu’s Second |
Ning Qi got some auxiliary medicine from Daoist Longshan and spent half a month to finally cultivate the Body-Altering and Bone-Changing Technique to the highest level he had envisioned.
From then on.
He had much greater control over altering his appearance and physique—he could switch easily between faces of old, young, or middle-aged, and even his body shape. Thanks to his powerful physique, Ning Qi could shrink to half his current height or grow to over two meters tall.
As his body grew even stronger in the future, he’d be able to do even more.
However.
The Body-Altering and Bone-Changing Technique was only for use when needed.
The Silent Technique was undoubtedly more useful.
Ning Qi usually kept his aura suppressed to the level of the Muscle Refinement Realm. Occasionally, a hint might leak, but only those with aura-sensing martial arts could possibly detect anything.
Whether a martial artist was strong or weak could only be proven in combat.
With these two techniques, Ning Qi felt much more at ease.
He still trained diligently, step by step.
Even though his senior brothers and sisters would sometimes return from worldly training and talk about the bustling world below the mountain, which stirred a faint longing in Ning Qi, he was able to endure the solitude.
Of course, the most important thing was—Ning Qi could feel his growth every single day.
The joy of cultivation was immense.
That dulled his desire for the outside world.
The peach blossoms outside the Seeking Dao Courtyard were blooming brighter and more dazzling than ever.
Even Second Senior Brother Xiong Shi, that big rough guy, couldn’t help but praise it when he visited, saying, “Little Junior Brother’s place has great Feng Shui. Even the peach blossoms are better than the rest of Zhenwu Mountain.”
Ye Qinghe cheerfully picked a few and said she wanted to make peach blossom wine.
Ning Qi chuckled.
He figured Third Senior Sister would definitely fail.
Ye Qinghe loved drinking, but she was terrible at brewing. Once, she asked the White Ape to teach her how to make Monkey Wine, but it ended up sour and stinky, leaving the White Ape shaking his head nonstop.
This time.
When the White Ape saw Ye Qinghe planning to make peach blossom wine, he quickly started brewing a batch himself to avoid disaster later.
None of them knew.
Ning Qi had specifically studied cultivation techniques for plants. These peach trees would become increasingly full of vitality, growing stronger year after year. Perhaps one day, they might even bear spiritual fruits.
As the peach blossoms gradually withered.
Peaches began to appear on the branches, looking incredibly pleasing.
Ning Qi picked one and took a bite.
Juicy and fragrant—it was delicious.
He had the White Ape deliver some to his Master and all his senior brothers and sisters.
They were full of praise.
Ning Qi's state of mind became even more serene.
Daoist Longshan was surprised to find that he could no longer see through his little disciple. That made him feel deeply moved.
And Ning Qi.
Had already entered his second false-death state.
With the experience of the first time, the second time was much easier. After preparing the necessary resources and giving the White Ape some instructions, he locked himself in the room and entered the Silent State.
The White Ape had also started training in Muscle Refinement. He moved with incredible agility, practicing the Ape King Stance and steadily improving.
This time, he didn’t panic—he simply waited quietly for Ning Qi to wake up.
Ten days later.
Ning Qi awoke.
His gaze had grown even calmer. He realized that the recent changes in his state of mind might be related to the two false-death experiences. But he didn’t panic—in fact, he quite liked this current state.
“Broke through to the Third Fold Realm—Inner Origin small achievement!”
“My physical body has doubled again. In other words, it’s now three times stronger than when I was at Perfect Body Tempering with a Flawless Body. I think… my lifespan might’ve increased too?”
Ning Qi’s eyes lit up slightly.
That was an unexpected bonus.
He had never heard of breakthroughs within the Inner Origin Realm coming with such changes. He guessed it might be due to each of his rebirths pushing his body to its absolute limits.
Though he didn’t know exactly how much his lifespan had increased, the sensation he felt in the depths of his being wasn’t fake. His mental clarity had also improved noticeably.
That was a good thing.
At this rate, when he eventually reached perfection in the Inner Origin Realm, he might even attain a lifespan comparable to someone in the Qi Origin Realm.
“Besides physical strength and lifespan, my internal energy has also changed. As expected, my internal energy is now ‘half-substantial’—a state usually only reached after great success in the Inner Origin Realm. And even then, they might not match me.”
“Normally, at this stage, martial artists can begin cultivating the ‘Force Conversion’ method from the Fold Energy Technique, allowing their internal energy to gain various powerful properties.”
Ning Qi reflected.
As he circulated his internal energy, he could clearly feel it was no longer as ‘illusory’ as before—it had begun to take on a ‘solid’ presence, greatly boosting its power and enhancing his body even further.
“There are many types of internal energy traits. For example, Ice Silkworm Force can be trained into extremely cold internal energy. Others can imbue it with fire, poison, killing intent, and more. Some special Fold Energy Techniques even require specific resources to succeed.”
“There’s also Earth-Shaking Force, which gives the internal energy a ‘shocking’ trait—one palm strike can shake a person’s internal organs.”
“But none of these are what I want.”
These past days, aside from training in Fold Energy Techniques, Ning Qi had also been pondering the second half of the Force Conversion method in the Great Dream of Nine Deaths Force. He was starting to get somewhere.
He had ambition—normal traits weren’t enough for him.
If he was going to train, it would be in the strongest.
Force Conversion wasn’t just a way to empower Inner Origin Realm martial artists—it also played a role in cultivating Qi Origin Force down the line.
“I’ll wait a bit longer—there’s no rush. I can do the Force Conversion later. Besides, I’m not competing with anyone right now, so I don’t need to rush.”
Ning Qi made up his mind.
Even without converting his force, it wouldn’t delay his cultivation or improvement.
He figured his current strength was far from weak.
With his powerful physique, dense and solid internal energy, and ability to master numerous martial arts with ease, his combat strength was getting ridiculous.
“If I was unsure before, I’m certain now—Senior Brother and Fifth Senior Brother shouldn’t be a match for me anymore.”
Ning Qi wasn’t being arrogant.
His body was too powerful. At this rate, he might one day be able to lift a million pounds with one arm—something most people wouldn’t even dare to dream of.
No one knew that this Ninth True Disciple had already, quietly and without notice, become the second strongest in the Zhenwu Sect.
“As for the Qi Origin Realm... I wonder if I could win.”
The Qi Origin Realm had three stages: White Mist, Jade Liquid, and Core Formation—each vastly different.
The only two people Ning Qi had seen up close who were in the Qi Origin Realm were the Divine Sword Elder and his own Master. But both were at the Core Formation Realm—the highest stage. There was no way he thought he could match them now.
Still, Ning Qi didn’t waste time worrying about it.
He’d find out naturally when the time came.
...
Summer was gradually arriving.
One afternoon, Ye Qinghe was shocked to find that all her sealed peach blossom wine had gone flat, turning into sour water. She was extremely frustrated, lamenting that the heavens envied talent and wouldn’t let her win at brewing.
Fortunately, the White Ape had brought out his own batch of peach blossom wine in time.
After tasting it, Ye Qinghe’s eyes lit up, and she beamed with joy.
She dragged Yuan Tiansheng around to have all the senior brothers and disciples taste the wine, boldly claiming that she and the White Ape had brewed it together. Everyone praised her, secretly laughing.
It gave her vanity a huge boost.
“Hmm… I’ll save this jar for Eighth Junior Brother to try.”
Maybe her words had some magical power.
Just a few days later.
The Eighth Disciple, Qin Yun, really returned to the mountain.
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