Chapter 146: Entering The Heaven-human Realm
The world was in turmoil.
Meanwhile, Ning Qi was cultivating diligently alone in the Seeker’s Courtyard, watching flowers bloom and wither, which was also a wonderful thing. He practiced diligently every day, taking one solid step at a time, with gratifying progress.
By now.
Spirit Tempering was gradually reaching Perfection, and stepping into the Heavenly Human Realm was already a matter of course.
Ning Qi estimated it would be just one or two days.
“Unknowingly, I’ve already turned eleven years old.”
Ning Qi stood with hands behind his back, gazing up at the starry sky, filled with endless emotion in his heart.
At eleven years old, he already possessed the peerless demeanor of a tall and elegant youth; even a fifteen- or sixteen-year-old boy wouldn’t be as tall. An ordinary person glancing at him would inwardly exclaim at the sight of such an unparalleled handsome little Daoist, and upon looking a few more times, they would be even more shocked. That otherworldly, transcendent grace was enough to captivate the heart.
This was the unique temperament formed by Ning Qi’s long years of reading scriptures and attaining enlightenment.
If there were immortals in this world, they probably wouldn’t be much different.
Precisely because of this, the many senior brothers of the True Martial Sect knew that Ning Qi was becoming increasingly extraordinary. This was because Ning Qi didn’t conceal himself; now that his wings had grown strong, he naturally no longer needed to be completely restrained as before. Sometimes acting freely, a move or two would leave Zhuang Chen and Li Ling dumbfounded, regarding this Ninth Senior Brother as a Heavenly Human in their hearts.
Zhuang Chen knew even more in his heart. In his youth, he was a Divine Sword Sect disciple and had exchanged a sword of Ning Qi’s stunning genius with the Dreaming Gluttony technique. Later, Ning Qi taught him the Innate Sword Body Secret Technique, but he had never told anyone else about these matters.
As for Li Ling, he occasionally had a flash of spiritual insight and always felt that Ninth Senior Brother’s demeanor somewhat resembled that of the stern and aloof Heavenly Sword Senior, only Ninth Senior Brother was clearly much more amiable and approachable.
He couldn’t help but have such a thought in his heart: could it be that Ninth Senior Brother had secretly received the Heavenly Sword Senior’s mantle inheritance? His heart became even more reverent. Having spent much time with Heavenly Sword True Person, he knew that gaining recognition from such a profoundly unfathomable senior was no easy feat.
Ning Qi looked back on past events.
Divine Intent dispersed.
The various events of his previous life were almost entirely forgotten; eleven years of this life had passed in a flash, most of them spent on True Martial Mountain.
He gazed into the distance, sensing something in his heart.
“I wonder if the place of my previous life was one of the stars in the sky? Were all my hundred lifetimes of reincarnation like this? In the future, will there be a chance to go back and take a look?”
Ning Qi had no lingering attachment to his previous life; it was purely out of curiosity.
He couldn’t help but recall the trip to the High Heavens before. The rules there were clearly different from those of his previous life’s planet. The might of the Thunder Forbidden Zone still made his heart race even now thinking about it. Even after advancing to the Core Elixir Realm, he hadn’t gone there again.
He even felt that even after stepping into the Heavenly Human Realm, he would need to be extremely cautious and not act rashly.
Various thoughts flashed by.
Many reasons surged into his mind.
Ning Qi stood quietly under the peach tree, slowly closing his eyes.
Everything happened naturally and smoothly. Divine Intent naturally stepped into the realm of Perfection. His Divine Intent far surpassed that of others; covering the entire True Martial Sect Gate was merely routine. At this moment, it swept over everything one by one.
He saw True Martial Disciples diligently training on the Training Ground; it seemed to be that youth named Gou Dan. He saw his Senior Disciple Brother leaving the Training Ground with hands behind his back, a satisfied expression on his face. He saw Second Senior Brother frowning over documents. He saw his Master holding a scripture in contemplation; suddenly, his brows twitched as if sensing something, looking toward the Seeker’s Courtyard in astonishment…
Ning Qi only felt that this state was incredibly wondrous.
But it was also fleeting.
He just tried his best to remember this state.
In an instant.
Vast and boundless Divine Intent contracted, as if drawn by immense suction, stirring up huge waves in the formless void, then all retracting into Ning Qi’s body.
At this moment.
The Core Elixir in Ning Qi’s body bloomed with golden light, spinning ceaselessly.
This was the activated state of the Core Elixir. Now fusing with perfected Divine Intent, it sought the vast power of Heaven and Earth in the mysterious void. From now on, it could easily resonate and control it. Though it was merely like ‘swinging a big hammer’ or ‘leveraging a fulcrum,’ it was enough to unleash unmatched mighty power.
This was the origin of why all below Heavenly Human were ants.
For ordinary people, this hurdle was extremely difficult. Previously, Dragon Mountain Daoist had been stuck here, unable to comprehend, and only broke through after entering secluded death cultivation, during which the True Martial Sect had fallen into a minor crisis.
But for Ning Qi, it was truly as simple as could be.
He had created the Unity of Heaven and Man technique and was already very familiar with it.
At this moment, under his control, Divine Intent instantly bridged with the Core Elixir in his body. This ‘bridge’ was the Heavenly Human Bridge, the key to connecting Heaven and Earth through the human body.
With the Heavenly Human Bridge formed.
Ning Qi naturally stepped into the Heavenly Human Realm.
His body shook.
He immediately felt something extraordinary.
In an instant.
The entire world changed in his eyes. Unlike the vague perception of Heaven and Earth Power through the Unity of Heaven and Man Secret Technique before, now he could clearly ‘see’ it. He saw streams of power like fireflies surging and sweeping through Heaven and Earth, their vastness and immensity almost unimaginable.
“This is Heaven and Earth Power?”
Ning Qi’s heart was shocked, feeling moved by glimpsing the true face of Heaven and Earth. Streams of spiritual insight churned in his mind. If such power could be wielded as freely as an arm, it would truly be unimaginable—probably effortless to destroy heaven and earth.
Unfortunately, Heavenly Human Realm Experts could only use it crudely, unable to grasp its essence. Probably only Martial Saints could truly master such power.
Ning Qi gained some direct understanding of the Martial Saints’ power.
He took a deep breath.
Stabilizing his mind.
He still stood quietly under the peach tree, sensing the changes in his body. Under the effect of the Heavenly Human Bridge, vast vitality spread through every part of his body, advancing his life essence further and extending his lifespan. What followed was another sublimation of his comprehension, with every thought and idea touching the essence.
“Now, my lifespan might already be approaching twice that of an ordinary Heavenly Human Realm!”
The corners of Ning Qi’s mouth curved slightly, somewhat pleased.
Though still far from his pursuit of longevity, this step-by-step growth felt equally joyful. The process of pursuing the path of longevity was equally important.
Every life leap brought him one step closer to his goal.
This was the satisfaction of ‘attaining the Dao.’
Ning Qi continued sensing the changes in his body. Thanks to the Heavenly Human Bridge, Essence, Qi, Spirit had all improved to a certain extent, but not beyond what the Core Elixir Realm could achieve. He knew the ancient books were correct: setting aside Heaven and Earth Power, the Heavenly Human Realm wasn’t exaggeratedly stronger than the Core Elixir Realm.
This was also the fundamental reason why the Southern Border woman had dared to sneak up the mountain at night carrying the Heaven Sensing Gu back then.
Ning Qi was a unique exception unseen for eternity.
He took a deep breath and connected with the Heavenly Human Bridge.
In an instant.
Vast and boundless Heaven and Earth Power came whistling from all directions. The sheer quantity was vastly greater than what Ning Qi had resonated with through the Unity of Heaven and Man Secret Technique before—probably over a hundred times more.
Even though Ning Qi intentionally concealed it, there was still some disturbance.
Ordinary disciples only thought it was a strong night wind, but the astonishment in Dragon Mountain Daoist’s eyes grew even more. A certain guess arose in his mind, turning into thick joy and anticipation. He took a step and slowly walked toward the Seeker’s Courtyard.
“I just stepped into the Heavenly Human Realm, but the Heaven and Earth Power I can resonate with probably isn’t inferior to those Heavenly Human Perfection peerless experts—even surpassing them by much. Plus my massive Gang Yuan, the power of my many secret techniques might not increase a hundredfold, but tenfold is no problem.”
“And this isn’t the limit. This breakthrough to the Heavenly Human Realm brought too many inspirations to my mind. As long as I quietly digest them for a while, whether the Unity of Heaven and Man Secret Technique or the Heavenly Sword Technique, both will see substantial progress.”
“So now, if facing a Martial Saint, I definitely won’t be powerless to fight back!”
Ning Qi was certain in his heart.
Previously, he didn’t know just how powerful Martial Saints were and could only imagine, trying to picture them as formidable as possible.
But now, seeing the truth of Heaven and Earth, he roughly understood. The power of Martial Saints lay in truly tapping into the essence of Heaven and Earth Power. Though his own power essence was inferior, overwhelming with quantity was feasible.
Only Ning Qi could achieve such a thing.
After ordinary people stepped into the Heavenly Human Realm, their own Gang Qi didn’t disappear, but compared to the might of Heaven and Earth Power, it became mere accompaniment, only serving as a primer when cultivating the Qi Flower. But Ning Qi’s Gang Qi also possessed great might; combined, it was unprecedented since ancient times.
In addition.
The many secret techniques he mastered and the high realms of his paths were unimaginable for ordinary people.
Ning Qi felt.
No matter how powerful Martial Saints were, they couldn’t be that heaven-defying.
His heart eased somewhat.
Since learning that the Demonic Sect and Southern Border would soon have Martial Saints born, though he showed no sign on the surface and reassured his Master and Senior Disciple Brother, there was still some pressure deep in his heart. He himself could escape, but the lives of the two thousand disciples of the True Martial Sect could not be preserved.
Now.
He finally had some confidence.
“But it’s still not enough; I need to become even stronger.”
He had just stepped into the Heavenly Human Realm and had vast room for growth. He would progress rapidly in the short term. Moreover, after entering the Heavenly Human Realm, he could continue researching the White Ape bloodline and the secret of Zhuang Chen’s Innate Sword Bone.
But he couldn’t just cultivate behind closed doors.
Ning Qi made up his mind to tackle both aspects.
While continuing to strengthen himself, he also needed to scout the secret locations where the two forces’ Martial Saints were being nurtured, best to strike first and gain the upper hand—how could he wait until they grew strong before resisting.
Now that his strength had greatly increased, he felt he could come and go freely in the Demonic Sect and Southern Border lands. If he could strangle this crisis in the cradle, of course that would be best.
However.
The Demonic Sect had always been like cunning rabbits with three burrows; even Great Yan Martial Saint hadn’t been able to exterminate them. It wouldn’t be easy for Ning Qi to find their secret places. This matter couldn’t be rushed, or it would alert the enemy—failing to destroy the Martial Saint secret place and instead making them more vigilant, hiding even deeper.
As he was thinking, he slightly opened his eyes and smiled toward the front.
Dragon Mountain Daoist strolled over. Seeing Ning Qi’s completely different demeanor, his eyes held expectation and hope:
“Little Nine, you…”
Ning Qi smiled and nodded.
Dragon Mountain Daoist was stunned on the spot. Hope realized felt like a dream instead. Moments later, he burst into laughter.
“Good! Good! Worthy of being the True Martial Sect’s Protector of the Way!”
His laughter grew more relieved as he looked up at the sky, keeping the tears in his eyes from Ning Qi’s notice.
Ning Qi felt emotional in his heart.
During this time, it hadn’t just been him under pressure. Dragon Mountain Daoist and Luo Wentian had also been under no small pressure. While managing the Fire Seed Plan, they couldn’t help but feel anxious. Now, finally, the bitterness had turned to sweetness.
The bright moon hung high.
Master and disciple walked side by side, chatting and laughing, feeling that the True Martial Sect now had hope.
…
No one in the world knew that Ning Qi had quietly broken through and gained combat power far surpassing the Heavenly Human Realm.
Now, all eyes were gathered on the Setting Sun Sword Sect and the True Martial Sect.
Martial Artists gathered.
Waiting for the Blade Demon to arrive.
The atmosphere at True Martial Mountain was unprecedentedly heated, with many leaving their martial paths on the True Martial Sword Stele and the Myriad Dao Tower. This delighted Ning Qi; his Sword Intent had long surpassed the realm the Blade Demon dreamed of—even by more than a little. With one Dao leading to myriad Daos, his Blade Dao had also reached the level of ‘Everything can be a saber.’
Ning Qi had roughly deduced.
This realm was one of the conditions for stepping into Martial Saint, but merely one of them.
Before stepping into the Heavenly Human Realm, the Blade Demon couldn’t possibly be his opponent; now it was even more so. Ning Qi was very calm, not putting any heart power into such entanglements.
If the Blade Demon came early to challenge, defeat him early; if late, defeat him late.
He ignored all the world’s guesses, single-mindedly comprehending the many wonders of the Heavenly Human Realm.
He was improving the Unity of Heaven and Man Secret Technique—or rather, it had already become a brand-new secret technique.
Previously, this secret technique had let him grasp the Secrets of the Heavenly Human ahead of time. Now that he had stepped into the Heavenly Human Realm, it seemed useless. But upon careful comprehension, Ning Qi felt there was still more to excavate. The many wonders of the human body’s bone structure—he hadn’t fully understood them.
Now fully comprehending, a flash of spiritual insight struck: he wanted to emulate the concept of the Heavenly Human Bridge and build a second Heavenly Human Bridge using the human body’s bone structure as the medium!
In this way.
With two Heavenly Human Bridges activating together, the Heaven and Earth Power Ning Qi could resonate with would double. And if the two bridges could mutually enhance each other, the effect wouldn’t just double—it could easily become three or four times.
This would greatly boost Ning Qi’s combat power.
Therefore, he even temporarily set aside subsequent Heavenly Human Realm cultivation, as it was the fastest way to enhance strength and must be mastered immediately.
But others in the world weren’t as calm as Ning Qi.
The matter of the Blade Demon remained tumultuous.
Half a month after the defeat of the Canghai Sword Sect.
Contrary to the expectations of martial artists worldwide, the Blade Demon appeared again. They had thought he would seclude for another month or even longer, but it was still half a month.
He slowly stepped onto the Setting Sun Sword Sect Gate, making everyone boil over.
“The Blade Demon chooses to challenge the Sun Chasing Sword King first!”
“Doesn’t that mean, in his heart, Heavenly Sword True Person is the strongest? It seems the Blade Demon must have gone to True Martial Mountain back then, and only after seeing the True Martial Sword Stele did he realize this was his fated strongest opponent, thus saving Heavenly Sword True Person for last!”
Hearing such remarks, everyone in the Setting Sun Sword Sect was inwardly furious.
But after being rebuked by the Old Ancestor before, the Setting Sun Sword Sect members had adjusted their mindset. Though angry, they didn’t fly into a rage. At this point, only facts would speak.
They only knew.
If the Blade Demon was defeated by their own Old Ancestor, it no longer mattered who the Blade Demon thought was stronger.
