Inside the Seeking Dao Courtyard.
Ning Qi was slowly practicing the Ten Thousand Manifestations Source Stake. Although his Physical Body was now flawless and had reached its limit, he still needed to use his ‘spirit’ to stimulate his body, thereby continuously generating Inner Strength.
For example, at this moment.
The Inner Strength within Ning Qi’s body was no longer just wisps like before; instead, it had gradually condensed into a mass. It would only be a matter of time before it completely condensed into an Inner Yuan ‘fruit,’ which would then nourish his Physical Body and significantly increase his Lifespan once again.
This was the true advancement to the Inner Yuan Realm.
For Ning Qi, this day was not far off; about twenty more days would be enough.
During this period.
Ning Qi had an even more thorough understanding of the essence of Inner Strength.
“Inner Strength is formless and intangible, a ‘virtual substance.’ Whether it was the wisps I perceived before or the current condensed mass, these are actually perceptions fed back to me by my Physical Body. It may not truly exist within the body.”
“However, the cultivation of the Inner Yuan Realm is about solidifying the virtual. After reaching a profound stage in the Inner Yuan Realm, Inner Strength is almost in a ‘semi-solid’ state. Besides augmenting the Physical Body, it can also attach to fists, palms, and weapons, enhancing their power.”
“How does one solidify the virtual?”
Ning Qi gently threw a punch, feeling his Physical Body gently ‘peeling’ and ‘squeezing’ out wisps of Inner Strength.
Flashes of inspiration constantly arose in his mind.
The Multiplied Strength Skills and various secret arts he had read during this time continuously surfaced in his mind, providing him with answers to this question.
“Each multiplication of strength is actually about letting Inner Strength merge with the Physical Body once again, thereby allowing the Physical Body to generate stronger and more ‘solid’ Inner Strength. After nine such times, it can completely transform into Gang Yuan!”
“Therefore, all Multiplied Strength Skills in the world can be divided into two steps.”
“The first step is for Inner Strength to establish a connection with the Physical Body and merge again, enhancing the Physical Body’s strength. The second step is to squeeze out new Inner Strength from the enhanced Physical Body!”
“This means that the Physical Body plays the role of ‘strengthening’ and ‘compressing’ Inner Strength in this process. The effectiveness of a Multiplied Strength Skill lies in its ability to utilize the Physical Body to its extreme during this process. For instance, the Ice Silkworm Strength, with its nine times of breaking the cocoon and Rebirth, is actually nine instances of pushing the Physical Body to an extremely high degree, even surpassing the four superior Multiplied Strength Skills of my True Martial Sect.”
“However, I don’t think this is the true limit!”
Ning Qi had forgotten that he was practicing a stance. He had entered a marvelous state of enlightenment.
In Ning Qi’s heart, inspiration surged like a spring.
“To allow the Physical Body to reach its true limit every time in this process, it must ‘die’ and then be reborn. This not only extracts stronger Inner Strength but also allows the Physical Body to transform again. This is the true breaking of the cocoon and Rebirth!”
“However, the death of the Physical Body is a very dangerous act; if not handled well, life force can be completely severed, leading to actual death. Therefore, ‘feigned death’ can be used as a substitute—nine deaths and nine lives—to reach the true limit of the Physical Body!”
A faint peal of thunder seemed to explode in his mind.
He didn’t know when.
Ning Qi had stopped practicing the stance. He closed his eyes, standing in the courtyard like a statue.
A fine drizzle began to fall from the sky.
Seeing this, White Ape quickly stopped his Ape King Stance, retrieved an oil-paper umbrella from the shack, and carefully walked to Ning Qi’s side to hold it over him. Throughout the process, he tried to be as quiet as possible, fearing he might disturb Ning Qi.
His eyes held reverence.
Only after living with Ning Qi did he realize how powerful Ning Qi was and how well he treated him. Although Ning Qi had not acknowledged him as a Disciple, in White Ape’s heart, he had long regarded Ning Qi as his Master.
One man and one ape stood silently in the rain.
Until the rain stopped late at night.
Ning Qi slowly opened his eyes, which shone with genuine joy.
“Tiansheng, you should rest,” he said gently.
White Ape bowed respectfully and returned to his own courtyard.
Ning Qi looked at the faint rain in the sky and smiled.
After reviewing seventy-six Multiplied Strength Skills, using the Ten Thousand Manifestations Source Stake as a Foundation, drawing inspiration from the Ice Silkwered Strength’s concept of breaking the cocoon and Rebirth, and extracting the essence of Dream Gluttony, he had gained an understanding.
Great Dream Nine Deaths Art.
This was Ning Qi’s achievement during this period, a Multiplied Strength Skill he had tailor-made for himself.
“In the dream, the Physical Body dies, and upon awakening, it is reborn. Each multiplication of strength can reach the true limit; this is the Great Dream Nine Deaths!”
“Each Breakthrough can be replaced by a long sleep, which eliminates any danger. However, before falling asleep, one needs to ingest enough energy. Fortunately, I have optimized the absorption problem, which will be used for the Physical Body’s re-transformation, so I won’t end up like Little Fatty Zhuang Chen.”
Ning Qi smiled faintly.
He stretched, feeling very satisfied.
Now he just needed to fully step into Inner Yuan Strength. For the second and third multiplications of strength later, he could try the power of the Great Dream Nine Deaths Art.
Across the world, completing the Inner Yuan Realm in twenty years was already considered a heaven-defying talent, but Ning Qi felt he would be much faster.
“However, strictly speaking, the current Great Dream Nine Deaths Art still lacks the latter half of its content.”
“After reaching great completion in the Inner Yuan Realm, and achieving a ‘semi-solid’ state, Inner Strength can be imbued with various attributes. For instance, the Ice Silkworm Strength can condense Ice Silkworm Inner Strength, which, when gathered in the palm, can freeze human bones, possessing immense power, and it’s even related to the true Gang Yuan cultivation method of the Gang Yuan Realm.”
“But there’s no need to rush for now. Reaching great completion in the Inner Yuan Realm will take at least over a year. I need to ponder it for a while.”
Ning Qi suppressed the thought.
He would work towards this direction in the future.
...
Autumn was fading, and the cold wind was biting.
Zhenwu Mountain grew colder, and the commotion from the Divine Sword Sect’s visit gradually subsided. The day Ning Qi easily suppressed Little Fatty Zhuang Chen had originally drawn considerable attention within the True Martial Sect. Many people gained a clear understanding of Ning Qi, the Ninth True Disciple’s talent, for the first time.
Some curious Disciples inevitably used the excuse of borrowing books from the Scripture Pavilion to get close to Ning Qi.
However.
Ning Qi had always been mysterious and rarely interacted with other Disciples. Gradually, this fervor died down, and the Scripture Pavilion became quiet.
After all, most Disciples were focused on improving their own cultivation.
However, Third Senior Sister Ye Qinghe and Fifth Brother Jiang Baishan visited one after another to see how Ning Qi was doing. After teasing White Ape for a while, Ye Qinghe shared some news with Ning Qi.
Ye Qinghe told Ning Qi that Qin Yun had been ordered by Dragon Mountain Daoist to go down the mountain for training after the Divine Sword Sect left.
Ning Qi merely sighed slightly.
Qin Yun hadn’t visited the Seeking Dao Courtyard in a long time.
He could only feel helpless about it.
Ning Qi still remembered Qin Yun telling him in the past that he wanted to become the strongest in the world and make the True Martial Sect the greatest Taoist Sect once again.
However, today.
The Seeking Dao Courtyard was undisturbed, and even White Ape wasn’t there. Besides diligently practicing his stance, White Ape sometimes went inside the sect to play with younger Disciples, and sometimes Ye Qinghe would even take him along. White Ape’s status in the True Martial Sect was quite good.
Ning Qi, uncharacteristically, sat cross-legged on his bed.
His five centers facing upwards, his expression was solemn, yet held a certain anticipation.
Inside his body.
Astonishing changes were occurring.
The profound physical Foundation allowed the Inner Strength generated within Ning Qi’s body to be incredibly vast, likely more than ten times that of an ordinary person.
And at this moment.
The Inner Strength generated by his Physical Body was almost completely forming a ‘fruit.’
Ning Qi could feel that his Dantian, located within his body, seemed to be filled with an invisible substance, presenting a chaotic, primordial state.
“Gather!”
After a certain instant.
The last trace of ‘sweet dew’ was extracted from his Physical Body, and the Inner Strength completely condensed into a fruit. Ning Qi felt his spirit invigorated, and his entire state was sublimated.
Within his Dantian, Inner Strength could be freely drawn upon and condensed into his right arm. He instantly felt as if his right arm could blast apart a mountain, an illusion brought about by the immense increase in power.
Inner Strength, when applied to the Physical Body, can unleash power far greater than the Physical Body alone.
The current Ning Qi was terrifyingly powerful.
His Physical Body was already far superior to others, and now with the addition of even greater Inner Strength, he was even more formidable than before. Although he had just broken through to the Inner Yuan Realm, it was likely that even ordinary experts of the sixth or seventh multiplication stages might not be his match.
But what delighted Ning Qi the most was the subtle sublimation of his Physical Body.
After condensing the Inner Strength fruit, his Lifespan increased once again, now reaching two hundred years.
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Ning Qi was only five years old now, meaning he could live for a full one hundred and ninety-five years, and perhaps even longer. His Physical Body was too powerful, reaching an unprecedented level, and his Lifespan might also exceed that of ordinary people.
At this moment.
He felt refreshed and his body was comfortable.
Ning Qi felt that the speed of his thoughts had increased again, and occasional flashes of inspiration were even stronger than before.
“Is this the Inner Yuan Realm? It’s truly wondrous.”
Ning Qi smiled faintly.
Cultivation was indeed an interesting thing. The feeling of climbing to the Peak step by step fascinated him. Now, he was one step closer to immortality.
After a brief immersion.
Ning Qi began to try the Great Dream Nine Deaths Art.
He instantly entered a state of cultivation, and Ning Qi immediately found the feeling. For others, reaching this step would take a considerable amount of time.
Ning Qi controlled the Inner Strength fruit, step by step forming deeper connections with his Physical Body.
Once the connections were established, he could try to absorb Inner Strength with his Physical Body and transform it into even stronger Inner Strength.
“However, this process of establishing connections is purely a matter of grinding work. Even a heaven-defying talent would need one or two years.”
“Fortunately, the Great Dream Nine Deaths Art I created can greatly shorten this process; two or three months will be enough.”
Ning Qi smiled confidently.
He slowly ended his cultivation, deciding to go find his Master.
Dragon Mountain Daoist had previously said that if Ning Qi broke through to the Inner Yuan Realm, he should go find him, as he had important things to tell Ning Qi. Therefore, Ning Qi never concealed his cultivation progress from Dragon Mountain Daoist; there was no need to.
Ning Qi rose and activated the Ethereal Roaming Dragon Steps he had created. Inner Strength silently integrated into it, and his speed immediately soared. In just a short moment, he had already become familiar with the application of Inner Strength in various martial arts.
By analogy, the martial arts he created could easily be adjusted according to his cultivation level.
However, he could create a few more powerful martial arts in the future.
Firstly, they could be used to enrich his own Foundation for protecting the Dao, and secondly, they could be given to Dragon Mountain Daoist to enrich the collection of the Scripture Pavilion. Currently, the Scripture Pavilion already contained many cultivation methods created by Ning Qi. Sometimes, when he was bored, he would secretly observe the True Martial Sect Disciples practicing and create some suitable martial arts for them.
Walking with his hands behind his back, Ning Qi’s figure exuded an indescribable sense of freedom.
But when he arrived at the Mingwu Pavilion, he saw the pavilion closed.
Ning Qi stood stunned, and from behind him came Senior Brother Luo Wentian’s voice:
“Xiao Jiu, you’ve come at an inconvenient time. Master just went into seclusion yesterday. I was going to have Tiansheng inform you, but I didn’t get a chance. Is there something you need to see Master about? Your Senior Brother can help you solve it!”
Ning Qi looked at Senior Brother’s concerned expression and smiled:
“It’s nothing important. Since Master is in seclusion, I’ll wait until he comes out to find him.”
He thought for a moment and decided not to tell Luo Wentian about his advancement to the Inner Yuan Realm.
Although Senior Brother was a very good person, it was better to avoid unnecessary trouble.
The two chatted for a moment, then Ning Qi left.
Looking at Ning Qi’s retreating figure, Luo Wentian’s eyes held some doubt. He felt that compared to two months ago, Ning Qi seemed to have undergone some change, but he couldn’t quite put his finger on what it was.
Finally, he shook his head, dismissing a ridiculous guess in his mind.
“Junior Brother is only five years old, how could that be?”
He shook his head and chuckled, then bowed to the closed Mingwu Pavilion before striding away. With Dragon Mountain Daoist in seclusion, he had to worry more about the True Martial Sect’s affairs.
Luo Wentian was nearly fifty years old now, but he was only at the ninth multiplication of the Inner Yuan Realm. While considered good across the world, he wasn’t among the top tier. Although being burdened by True Martial Sect affairs was a contributing factor, his talent was indeed not among the foremost batch of the True Martial Nine Sons.
For example, the fifth Disciple, Jiang Baishan, had now surpassed others and had also reached the ninth multiplication of the Inner Yuan Realm, with hopes of becoming the first among the True Martial Nine Sons to step into the Gang Yuan Realm.
Luo Wentian, however, had no particular thoughts about this.
He only felt pleased.
Luo Wentian felt that if his Junior Brothers and Junior Sisters had strong talents and made rapid progress, then sacrificing some of his cultivation time to help them with logistics was not a problem.
...
Dragon Mountain Daoist had gone into seclusion, and Ning Qi wasn’t overly bothered by it.
He still cultivated methodically.
Reading scriptures and classics in the Scripture Pavilion, and cultivating the Great Dream Nine Deaths Art in the Seeking Dao Courtyard, his days were incredibly fulfilling.
During this time.
Ning Qi tried to use Inner Strength to explore White Ape’s Bloodline and Physique, but ultimately failed.
Inner Strength was still too ‘virtual.’
Perhaps only when he stepped into the Gang Yuan Realm would it be possible to penetrate White Ape’s body with Gang Yuan and explore its mysteries.
Like Zhuang Chen’s Congenital Sword Bone, Ning Qi was equally curious about White Ape’s Physique.
After practicing the Ape King Stance during this period, Ning Qi had discovered that White Ape showed no unusual traits.
There were two possibilities for this.
Either White Ape’s Heavenly Beast Bloodline was minuscule and couldn’t be activated at all, insufficient to make him an exotic beast and enhance his strength through Bloodline.
Or White Ape’s Heavenly Beast Bloodline was too powerful, making activation extremely difficult.
Ning Qi leaned towards the latter. He felt that a few red fruits alone wouldn’t make White Ape so intelligent. He had also asked White Ape, and before consuming the red fruits, his intelligence was already unusual compared to ordinary wild beasts.
Ning Qi could only suppress his desire to explore.
He would gradually explore it later when his strength became greater.
Time flowed by leisurely.
In a blink of an eye, the year-end was approaching.
Ning Qi’s cultivation progressed incredibly smoothly. He had already re-established all connections between his Inner Strength and Physical Body. The next step was to let his Physical Body ‘die’ and undergo transformation.
According to the method of the Great Dream Nine Deaths Art, he would need to fall into a brief slumber.
This was Ning Qi’s first attempt, and he wasn’t sure how long he would sleep. Just as he was hesitating.
White Ape brought news.
Dragon Mountain Daoist had emerged from seclusion.
