Chapter 55: Unity of Heaven and Man |
That fluctuation from the back mountain was extremely obvious and unusually distinctive, filled with a sense of oppression.
Everyone immediately thought of one thing.
Because at this moment, the only one cultivating in seclusion at the back mountain forbidden area was Daoist Longshan.
“All disciples, hear my order! Guard Zhenwu Mountain immediately!”
Luo Wentian was the first to react, shouting directly.
All the inner and outer sect disciples immediately dispersed and moved out in all directions.
The True Disciples exchanged glances and then rushed toward the back mountain together. Hope and anticipation filled their eyes—Daoist Longshan had been in closed-door seclusion for so long, and the disciples all wished for his success.
The closer they got to the back mountain, the more they could feel the powerful oppressive force.
At this moment.
With every step forward, the pressure intensified.
Everyone stopped in their tracks.
“The power of heaven and earth! This is the might of the Heaven-Man Realm!”
“Master has really succeeded!”
Jiang Baishan shouted with joy.
Joy shone in everyone’s eyes. Although they had long believed that Daoist Longshan would surely succeed in breaking through, when it actually happened before their eyes, the feeling was entirely different.
Ning Qi was joyful too, but there was something strange in his eyes.
He was carefully sensing the pervasive force of heaven and earth all around.
There were records in the Scripture Pavilion stating that when someone first ascends to the Heaven-Man Realm, the force of heaven and earth will gather. The Heaven-Man Realm can draw upon the power of heaven and earth. For lower realm martial artists, this oppressive force is overwhelming—it’s called the Might of Heaven and Man.
With Ning Qi’s strength, he could continue forward, but since his senior brothers and sisters had all stopped, it wouldn’t be appropriate for him to keep moving ahead.
He simply immersed himself in comprehending the pervasive force of heaven and earth.
Normally, the power of heaven and earth lay dormant. Even if he wanted to sense it, he had no opportunity. But now, encountering a breakthrough from a Heaven-Man Realm expert, the energy was extremely active—this was a once-in-a-century opportunity.
“It feels… like I’ve sensed this force before?”
Flashes of inspiration flickered in Ning Qi’s mind.
At this moment.
All the disciples were staring intently at that area.
Suddenly.
A figure in a Daoist robe appeared in the distance, then soared into the sky. The Daoist stood with his hands behind his back, smiling. Standing high in the firmament, he looked just like an immortal.
Who else could it be but Daoist Longshan?
Even some outer and inner sect disciples saw this scene.
All the disciples erupted!
“Soaring through the air—Heaven-Man Realm!”
This was the hallmark of the Heaven-Man Realm. Core Formation Realm experts could only rely on their powerful Qi to float briefly, and the energy consumption was enormous. Only those at the Heaven-Man Realm could manipulate the force of heaven and earth to fly freely—this was a qualitative leap.
At this moment.
Everyone looked at Daoist Longshan with reverence, especially Luo Wentian and the others. Thinking back on the hardships of the past year, they felt like they had finally emerged from the storm.
Daoist Longshan slowly closed his eyes, as if sensing something.
When one ascends to the Heaven-Man Realm, the power of heaven and earth becomes highly active. To some extent, this was heaven and earth granting a blessing to the newly ascended. One must seize this opportunity tightly.
Luo Wentian and the others knew this well.
So they didn’t say a word to disturb him.
Moreover, they themselves were trying their best to sense it. Unfortunately, all they could feel was the awe-inspiring pressure radiating outward from Daoist Longshan, as if it were tangible. After he appeared, everyone was even forced to retreat a step.
Luo Wentian, Jiang Baishan, and the others exchanged wry smiles.
They all felt like they had entered a treasure mountain but left empty-handed.
The blessing was right in front of them, yet they couldn’t grasp it.
“Fifth Junior Brother, can’t you feel it either?”
Jiang Baishan slowly shook his head.
“A little bit, but my realm isn’t high enough. If only I had stronger comprehension, maybe I could gain something.”
He was helpless too.
Everyone sighed.
At that moment.
Ye Qinghe let out a surprised sound, instantly drawing everyone’s attention.
She said in a low voice:
“Little Nine seems to be in a moment of enlightenment?”
Everyone was startled, then all turned to look at Ning Qi. At that moment, Ning Qi had his eyes tightly closed, his entire body surrounded by a unique aura, seemingly unaware of the outside world.
“When he was four, Little Nine had a moment of enlightenment. I didn’t expect him to enter that state again now.”
There was a trace of envy in Ye Qinghe’s voice. Most people go their whole lives without experiencing true enlightenment, but Ning Qi had already entered that state twice in just three years!
Everyone felt envious.
At the same time, they were happy for Ning Qi.
Today was truly a double blessing—not only had their master broken through to the Heaven-Man Realm, but their Little Junior Brother had also entered a state of enlightenment again.
What they didn’t know was that this wasn’t just Ning Qi’s second moment of enlightenment in three years.
At this moment.
Flashes of inspiration surged through Ning Qi’s mind.
All his past accumulation erupted in an instant.
He finally remembered why the force of heaven and earth felt so familiar.
“This was when my Bone Foundation formed back then!”
“I once sensed a subtle, mysterious connection between myself and the world. I even used it to track down Second Senior Brother. I didn’t know what it was back then, but now I realize—that was the power of heaven and earth!”
“So that means Bone Foundation isn’t just related to starting the Martial Path—it’s also connected to the Heaven-Man Realm. The Bone Foundation might be the key to unlocking the power of heaven and earth?”
At this moment.
Ning Qi had countless thoughts in his mind.
Bone Foundation, Innate Spiritual Radiance, the power of heaven and earth, Innate Bone-Nourishing Technique—all kinds of records and descriptions about the Heaven-Man Realm, and even that one Heaven-Man Realm cultivation method hidden in the Scripture Pavilion… all merged into his mind like threads of light.
Ning Qi hadn’t expected to encounter the power of the Heaven-Man Realm so early.
Though he could only observe it from afar, not grasp its essence.
He still benefited immensely.
He now had a much deeper understanding of the Heaven-Man Realm. When the day came for him to step into it, things would be much simpler. He wouldn’t have to grind through bottlenecks like others.
He didn’t know how much time had passed.
Ning Qi finally opened his eyes again.
“The human body’s Bone Foundation is naturally linked to heaven and earth. This is a shortcut—through it, one can grasp a trace of the mysteries of the power of heaven and earth ahead of time. This secret art shall be called Unity of Heaven and Man!”
His eyes were filled with joy.
The secret art Unity of Heaven and Man!
It was the result of his enlightenment just now.
It could be used in combat—by activating the wondrous nature of his Bone Foundation, he could draw upon a trace of the power of heaven and earth in advance. Although he couldn’t directly control it, it could greatly amplify his Internal Energy!
Besides combat, it could also be used for comprehension.
By occasionally drawing upon the power of heaven and earth—even if it wasn’t as active as now—over time, with Ning Qi’s comprehension, he could still gain a lot from it. It would also help clear the way for his future ascension to the Heaven-Man Realm.
In other words, this was a secret art that brought Ning Qi even more joy than the Ape King True Form.
This was a huge gain!
If not for Daoist Longshan’s breakthrough today, which created such a rich and active field of heaven and earth force, then even with Ning Qi’s monstrous comprehension, he wouldn’t have been able to create such a secret art. This kind of opportunity could only be encountered by chance.