Chapter 7: Aptitude Achieved
A long time passed.
Ning Qi exhaled lightly, fighting spirit rising in his eyes.
Regardless of what secrets the Great Yan Martial Saint held, he was confident that with time, surpassing him would be incredibly simple.
The Great Yan’s secrets, on the other hand, reminded him once again.
If, in the future, after achieving Martial Saint, he still couldn’t see hope for longevity, then breaking through realms and ascending would also be a path. In a vaster world, his limits would inevitably be higher.
Ning Qi’s thoughts became even clearer.
“With endless Martial Saints in the Great Yan Dynasty, will they continue to dominate this land forever?”
Ye Qinghe scoffed:
“That’s not necessarily true.”
Her eyes showed no respect for imperial power, but rather a hint of dissatisfaction.
Ning Qi could understand.
Martial Arts Sects were reliant on imperial power. Two thousand years was too long, enough to breed countless conflicts, which had only been suppressed until now.
All it needed was an opportunity, and then it would be earth-shattering.
“Sister, when you came down the mountain this time, you discovered the occasional presence of the Demonic Sect within Qingzhou. This Demonic Sect is not simple; it’s suspected to be related to the previous dynasty.”
“Not only that, but the attitudes of the Martial Arts Sects in various prefectures are quite ambiguous, and the borders of Great Yan are also restless.”
“Keep in mind that only one hundred years have passed since the Great Yan Martial Saint last acted. If they hadn’t discovered something significant then, they wouldn’t be initiating a second probe so soon.”
Ye Qinghe’s expression gradually became excited.
“Little Nine, do you think there might be internal trouble brewing in Great Yan? Is the lifespan of Martial Saints nearing its end? Or perhaps no new Martial Saints are being born?”
Ning Qi was somewhat surprised.
When Fifth Senior Brother returned from his experience, he had also mentioned discovering traces of the Demonic Sect. Now Third Senior Sister had also found them; it seemed the Demonic Sect was making significant moves.
Listening to Ye Qinghe’s speculation, he merely shrugged slightly.
“In any case, it’s not something we can interfere with.”
He hadn’t even started practicing martial arts yet.
In the face of such grand world affairs, he was indeed a bit too insignificant.
Even if chaos were to truly erupt, he could only go with the flow. He had time to think about this, it was better to seize this time to improve himself. With enough strength, everything would naturally fall into place.
“That’s true.”
Ye Qinghe mumbled a few words.
Suddenly realizing she was being lectured by a one-year-old child, she couldn’t help but pinch Ning Qi’s cheeks.
“You’re old for your age!”
Ning Qi paid her no mind.
He put down the Great Yan Records and took out another book on Feng Shui to read.
This made Ye Qinghe a bit frustrated. She couldn’t help but scratch her hair and said angrily:
“Sometimes I wonder if there’s an old monster living inside your body, Little Nine!”
Ning Qi paused his movements and continued to look down at his book.
“Oh, stop reading. You need to balance work and rest. Little Nine, if you want to work hard, you’ll have plenty of hardships to face once you start practicing martial arts. For now, cherish this rare leisurely time.”
Ye Qinghe chattered on.
Ning Qi responded:
“Is practicing martial arts difficult?”
Ye Qinghe’s spirits lifted:
“Of course. To achieve anything in martial arts, talent alone isn’t enough. You also need to work hard and spend a lot of time.
“Take your Eighth Senior Brother, for example. His talent is top-notch in Great Yan, but guess how long it took him for Body Tempering.”
Ning Qi flipped through the pages, and spiritual insights continuously arose in his mind, which he absorbed into his Feng Shui system. Even so, he had enough mental capacity to deal with Ye Qinghe.
“Five or six years?”
Ye Qinghe chuckled:
“It seems Little Nine, you still don’t realize the difficult life ahead!”
“Let me tell you, from seven to eighteen years old, a full eleven years! Qin Yun practiced day and night without stopping, and only then did he complete Body Tempering and step into the Inner Yuan Realm!”
“It takes that long?” This indeed exceeded Ning Qi’s expectations.
“And that’s with your Eighth Senior Brother’s exceptional talent. For others, it would take even longer. In Great Yan, anyone under thirty is considered part of the younger generation. Those who can reach Inner Yuan before twenty are peerless prodigies.”
“Although Little Nine, you are certainly a prodigy, it’s completely normal to take ten years for Body Tempering.”
“Now you know, there will be plenty of hardships later, so no need to rush now. There’s a saying, isn’t there? As long as you are willing to endure hardship, you will have endless hardship to endure. How about it? Shall Senior Sister take you out to play? Senior Sister always regrets that her carefree eight years of childhood were too short.”
Facing Ye Qinghe’s incessant chatter and expectant gaze.
Ning Qi glanced at her indifferently and responded.
“Oh.”
He didn’t think he would need that long.
Mortals wouldn’t understand the world of prodigies.
Ye Qinghe became exasperated, feeling like her efforts were in vain.
Following this.
No matter how she tried to strike up a conversation, Ning Qi paid her no further attention. He was completely immersed in his own world of contemplation.
Ye Qinghe sighed, lay back on the rattan chair in the courtyard, and before she knew it, she fell sound asleep.
Ning Qi glanced at Third Senior Sister and smiled slightly.
Third Senior Sister was boisterous, but in reality, she was afraid of being lonely.
However, he was not lonely.
With Max Level Comprehension, he gained something every single moment. That feeling was quite exhilarating, something ordinary people couldn’t experience.
…
Time flowed leisurely.
Life on True Martial Mountain was very comfortable. Compared to his previous life, confined to a sickbed, his current life was too wonderful.
Although his body was small, he could at least move freely. Moreover, he had a Master and Senior Brothers and Sisters who doted on him, which made Ning Qi very content.
In the blink of an eye.
Two and a half years had passed since his discussion on longevity with the Dragon Mountain Daoist.
Ning Qi was three years old.
In these two and a half years, his Senior Brothers and Sisters had shown Ning Qi immense care. Every time they went down the mountain, they would bring him a pile of things. Knowing Ning Qi liked to collect classics, they would consciously search for and bring them back. In their leisure time, they would play with Ning Qi.
Master Dragon Mountain Daoist also patiently taught him, holding nothing back. Apart from not allowing Ning Qi to come into contact with martial arts too early, he gave his all, making the other disciples a little envious.
Furthermore.
Ning Qi noticed that his Master had gone down the mountain several times in the middle, seemingly pursuing the culprits who massacred Snow Plum Villa three years ago, but it didn’t seem to be going smoothly.
The Dragon Mountain Daoist had never actively spoken to Ning Qi about the events of that year, perhaps hoping Ning Qi would remain carefree and not be blinded by hatred. However, he didn’t know that Ning Qi clearly remembered everything that happened that day.
Ning Qi was not in a hurry.
He needed time to grow.
When the time came, he would resolve it himself.
In these three years, he had displayed enough intelligence to make the Dragon Mountain Daoist, Luo Wentian, and others eagerly anticipate how astonishing Ning Qi would be once he started delving into martial arts.
They had estimated the time for Ning Qi’s Bone Structure to mature more than once.
They generally believed it was likely to mature around the age of six.
But what they didn’t know was that the changes within Ning Qi were growing stronger with each passing day.
Early morning.
Ning Qi woke up.
His expression was expectant, yet calm. Everything was proceeding as he had predicted.
He circulated the Innate Bone Nourishing Technique as usual. The last trace of extremely subtle Innate Qi within his body, along with the final circulation, completely dispersed into every part of his body. It was as if some mysterious power from heaven and earth surged into his body.
In an instant.
Ning Qi’s body trembled slightly. An unprecedented sense of satisfaction rose in his heart, as if something missing within him had finally reached perfection. He even vaguely felt a connection with heaven and earth, something that had never happened before.
Without any world-shattering anomalies, Ning Qi opened his eyes, a look of joy flashing within them.
Two and a half years, nine hundred days and nights of persistent cultivation.
His Bone Structure had finally completely matured!
