Chapter 94: Massive Boost In Combat Power
The eighteen hundred volumes of Daoist Scriptures were indeed very useful.
On the day the True Profound Sect disciples descended the mountain, Luo Wentian escorted the True Disciples all the way to the outskirts of True Martial City, and they parted reluctantly.
“Daoist Luo, this is far enough. Come visit our True Profound Sect another day, and I’ll entertain you all properly.”
The Daoist surnamed Ye from True Profound Sect felt the enthusiasm of the True Martial Disciples and smiled broadly.
Luo Wentian laughed:
“Certainly! We’ve long heard of True Profound Sect’s great reputation, and we’ll surely visit to pay our respects!”
Over these past few days, disciples from both sects discussed the Dao and sparred, each gaining something, and their impressions of each other were quite good. The True Profound Sect disciples were not arrogant, and did not look down on True Martial Sect just because they were ranked fifth among the Daoist Sects.
“Farewell!”
The Daoist surnamed Ye waved with a smile.
He turned his head, instantly covered in black lines.
In the distance, two figures, one old and one young, were arm-in-arm—or more accurately, the old Daoist was clinging to the young Daoist, whispering who-knows-what.
“Martial Uncle Bai Shan!”
The Daoist surnamed Ye’s temple veins throbbed as he raised his voice, feeling his face burn hot. He didn’t need to guess; it must be his martial uncle fooling someone again—those words had worn calluses on his ears.
White Mountain Old Daoist waved impatiently, then grinned at Ning Qi:
“Little Ning Qi, you must come play in Dao State sometime. Within three years, this old Daoist will definitely enter the Heavenly Human Realm—no fooling you! When the Heavenly Human Ceremony comes, drop by, and this old Daoist will take you to snag some minor Daoist Sect scriptures first!”
Ning Qi was somewhat astonished.
The old Daoist was always unserious, but this statement came out very naturally.
He sensed the old Daoist’s aura and felt it was indeed somewhat possible, so he nodded slightly.
“Be sure to bring the Little White Ape too!”
The old Daoist was reluctant to part, but was dragged away by the black-faced Daoist surnamed Ye.
The True Profound Sect congregation departed.
Faintly, they could still hear the old Daoist bickering with the Daoist surnamed Ye; everyone smiled knowingly. Luo Wentian also knew of White Mountain Daoist’s affairs and couldn’t help sighing:
“Senior Bai Shan is truly a remarkable person.”
Ning Qi’s lips curved.
Luo Wentian waved his hand:
“Let’s go, back to the mountain.”
But Ning Qi shook his head with a smile:
“Senior Brother, I’m going to check out True Martial City.”
The congregation was stunned.
They saw Ning Qi already heading toward True Martial City. Ye Qinghe’s eyes lit up:
“I’ll go with Little Nine. You all head back first.”
Luo Wentian chuckled helplessly.
But he thought it was a good thing. Ning Qi usually stayed in the sect and rarely went down the mountain, so it was rare for him to proactively want to stroll True Martial City. Everyone was pleased.
“Come back soon.” Luo Wentian only reminded.
…
This was indeed Ning Qi’s first time in True Martial City.
He had visited the former town once or twice before, but now, after being rebuilt into True Martial City for Dragon Mountain Daoist’s Heavenly Human Ceremony, it was far more grand.
The four gates in the southeast, northwest, and north subtly aligned with the Four Symbols. The main roads extended in all directions, dividing the city into neat little blocks—a boon for the original townsfolk, many of whom benefited in the process.
“How about it? This True Martial City is pretty good, right? I was one of the overseers back then, Little Nine—you should’ve come to see it sooner.”
Ye Qinghe walked beside him, enthusiastically introducing everything.
Ning Qi just smiled and nodded.
He hadn’t come here today to sightsee.
He had come to find the Heavenly Human Realm experts secretly planted by the Imperial Court.
If the Imperial Court had sent experts to lurk around True Martial Sect, True Martial City was the most suitable spot. If Demonic Sect experts attacked True Martial Mountain, they could immediately rush to support.
Ning Qi’s Silent Art concealed his aura imperceptibly, and likewise, he had reverse-engineered a perception martial art from it, with extremely powerful effects.
Over these past few days, thanks to the many Daoist Scriptures sent by True Profound Sect, Ning Qi drew inspiration from one on sensing the aspect of wind, advancing this perception martial art further and creating the Wind Sensing Chapter.
At this moment.
Walking on the bustling streets of True Martial City.
Ning Qi could perceive the flow of the wind—strands of invisible wind drifting, landing on passersby, their faint auras detectable to him.
Ning Qi stopped in front of a pork shop.
The shopkeeper was a bare-chested, burly Butcher, barely suppressing his ferocity and forcing a smile:
“Little kid, top-quality black pork—want some?”
Ning Qi smiled faintly:
“One jin, please.”
Ye Qinghe was puzzled. There was plenty of exotic beast meat on the mountain, far better than this ordinary pork, but she tactfully didn’t ask.
“Alright, here you go—take it!”
After Ning Qi took it, the two left. Watching their backs, the Butcher was baffled. He recognized them as Dragon Mountain True Person’s two disciples, but why come buy meat from him?
Had they recognized his identity?
But even Dragon Mountain True Person didn’t know he was here. He was confident in his Breath Concealment technique.
How strange.
He shook his head, thinking nothing of it—just a coincidence.
Ning Qi turned, smiling faintly. From that close contact just now, he had finally pinpointed the Butcher’s strength.
No doubt about it.
A solid Heavenly Human Realm expert.
“It seems the Great Yan Dynasty isn’t just bluffing.”
Ning Qi relaxed slightly.
He had feared the Great Yan Imperial Court playing games of virtual and real, true and false—that would make it unbearable if the Demonic Sect really came, landing squarely on True Martial Sect.
Next.
He and Ye Qinghe wandered the city casually, stopping now and then to buy or ask—this looked just like a curious kid, and Ye Qinghe happily explained each one to Ning Qi.
However.
What Ye Qinghe didn’t know was that Ning Qi had used this to thoroughly scout all the Imperial Court experts lurking in the city.
The Wind Sensing Chapter first screened broadly, then finely sensed any anomalies—no one could escape Ning Qi’s pháp nhãn.
Two hours later.
Ning Qi looked at the big and small packages in his hands and smiled:
“Senior Sister, let’s head back.”
On the way back to the mountain.
Ning Qi’s mood was much lighter.
“There are three Heavenly Human Realm experts and ten Core Elixir Realm experts in the city. It seems Great Yan truly values this place. Though Divine Feather Great General and Wang Clan draw more fire, the Imperial Court might still be waiting here to guard against surprises from the Demonic Sect.”
“Just not sure if, besides those in True Martial City, there are other hidden Heavenly Human experts elsewhere.”
Ning Qi pondered.
At least on the surface, adding himself and his master, that made five Heavenly Human Realm in combat power. Thus, the Demonic Sect would need to send seven or eight—or more—Heavenly Human Realm experts to forcibly take this tough nut.
That likelihood was low.
True Martial Sect didn’t carry that much weight.
And if fewer Heavenly Human Realm came, they could easily be blocked.
“At least while the Imperial Court’s Heavenly Human Realm experts are here, True Martial Mountain is relatively safe. As long as I create the False Core Method before they leave, it’ll be even safer.”
Ning Qi breathed a sigh of relief.
That night, he ate two extra pieces of pork.
He had loved pork in his previous life, but today, this black pork tasted especially delicious.
…
Ten days passed in the blink of an eye.
In the Seeker’s Courtyard.
The White Ape was cultivating Ape King Strength. After entering the Inner Yuan Realm, his cultivation remained as diligent as ever. Ning Qi had also taught him the Sleep Dream Skill and prepared a portion of Sleep Dream Pill, so the White Ape’s progress was extremely rapid, far surpassing ordinary people.
As for Ning Qi himself.
He was enlightening on the Dao.
The Daoist classics in his hands flipped unconsciously, but in his mind, he was replaying the scene from that day when Divine Feather Great General and Green Ox Swordsman teamed up to besiege Old Demon Lin—or strictly speaking, it was the only Heavenly Human Realm battle Ning Qi had witnessed.
Not to mention, all three were Heavenly Human Ranking level masters, their use of Heaven and Earth Power surpassing ordinary Heavenly Humans.
Many parts inspired Ning Qi.
He was researching the False Core Method, which essentially studied the use of Heaven and Earth Power. That battle allowed him to draw broader insights.
“The Beast King Inner Elixir is ultimately an external object. To use it in place of a Core Elixir, perhaps I need to take a risky gamble?”
Ning Qi recalled that during the battle, Old Demon Lin’s body was mangled, blood mist spraying, granulation tissue writhing nonstop, yet he still fought ferociously against the two, astonishing all.
“That’s because his body had already formed some connection with Heaven and Earth Power. As long as the Core Elixir didn’t shatter, Heaven and Earth Power would pour in—even if the body was mangled, it didn’t matter.”
“Since that’s so, perhaps I can try linking my body and false core?”
A burst of spiritual insight flooded Ning Qi’s mind, like a great bell tolling.
The biggest problem troubling him these days was now solved.
The jade box before him opened automatically.
The Inner Core gleaming with thunder light floated up.
Now, after being cleansed by Heaven and Earth Power, the Beast King Inner Elixir resembled a flawless pure purple pearl.
Ning Qi’s gaze was calm and resolute. Gang Qi surged from his fingertip, lightly slicing across his heart. Skin and flesh parted like cloth, even faintly revealing the beating heart; the blood that wanted to gush out was locked by his powerful body.
Then, he grasped the Inner Core and slowly pressed it to the bloody mark on his heart.
As the bloody mark gradually healed, the Beast King Inner Elixir merged into Ning Qi’s body.
In an instant, Ning Qi entered the Unity of Heaven and Man state. Heaven and Earth Power surged around him. Looking inward, he saw the Beast King Inner Elixir resting on the heart’s surface, not yet fused within.
Gang Qi began vibrating and circulating at a special frequency, Overlord Tiger True Intent permeating his body.
Tiny blood-red branches extended from the surfaces of the Inner Core and heart, like blood vessels, then connected together.
In that instant.
Ning Qi’s body shuddered.
An unprecedented sense of power filled his entire body.
“Using the Beast King Inner Elixir as the foundation to condense a false core, preemptively peeking into the Heavenly Human Realm—this method can be called the False Core Unification Technique!”
Ning Qi opened his eyes, clenching his fist slightly, excitement in his gaze.
He felt that right now, he was somewhat strong.
