Chapter 265: Old Grandpa
Above the giant lake, waves occasionally surged.
The silver light emanating from the nearby Great Tomb of the Integration Realm Giant reflected on the bodies of the battling few.
Qin Minghao and the other two were besieging one person atop the giant lake, but the figure in the Daoist robes wielded his saber in his hands, defending so airtight that not even a breeze could pass through!
Ning Qi looked over and recognized the man as the mysterious rogue cultivator Fu Chen that Niu Man had mentioned.
When entering the Profound True Secret Realm, Ning Qi had glimpsed him once.
Fu Chen’s physique was like a stone fortress, outstanding and unparalleled, draped in a blue cloak, with disheveled hair scattered casually.
The blood-colored great saber strapped to his back was now gripped in both hands, slashing nonstop.
With every slash, a streak of blood-colored saber qi streaked across the sky!
These blood-colored saber qi were three zhang wide and ten zhang long, incredibly solid, as if bloodfire burned upon them.
From afar, it seemed to dye the silvery white with streaks of red glow.
Meanwhile, Qin Minghao, Jiang Qingxue, and Wang Ye opposite him were exerting their full strength to counter Fu Chen’s attacks.
Qin Minghao’s sword danced in his hand, black and white qi surging forth together.
The white qi blocked the incoming blood-colored saber qi, while the black qi shot toward Fu Chen like flying arrows.
However, Fu Chen had no need for defense at all.
His foundation and physique far surpassed the three, always allowing him to slash out saber qi faster, chopping apart Qin Minghao’s sword qi.
Wang Ye stood to his west, his hundred-zhang Three Heads Six Arms Fiend Body already activated.
Even deploying various magic treasures in coordinated formation attacks, he still couldn’t take down this man.
Whether his binding techniques or the Nascent Soul Dao Fire from his mouth, each time unleashed, they couldn’t approach Fu Chen’s main body.
Jiang Qingxue’s jade feet stepped through the air, the lake surface below automatically forming a water bridge for her to tread upon the waves.
Where there was water, she held the advantage; every move and stance drew upon the lake’s currents, turning them into giant waves or ice mountains that smashed toward Fu Chen.
But like Qin Minghao and Wang Ye’s attacks, they were all neutralized before approaching.
Ning Qi, watching from the side, saw the problem.
Fu Chen’s foundation was indeed deeper than the three; whether his mana, Primordial Spirit Power, spells, physique, speed, or the spiritual treasures he used, all surpassed them.
He too had reached the limit of the Nascent Soul Realm, just one step from stepping into the Void Dao Realm.
Whereas Qin Minghao and the other two clearly hadn’t reached that point yet.
The more Jiang Qingxue attacked, the more shocked she became, a sense of frustration rising in her heart.
First, she perceived that Qin Minghao and Wang Ye beside her had already surpassed her in cultivation, making her feel her progress over these ten years was too small.
Second, even so, the three of them together were still suppressed by this Fu Chen.
They all knew Fu Chen’s background: a rogue cultivator with no sect or faction, yet so powerful.
They could only sigh that the Mountain Sea Realm had too many heavenly prides; there were always people beyond people, heavens beyond heavens.
Jiang Qingxue was truly unwilling. Ning Qi’s figure flashed in her mind; probably only Ning Qi, like an exiled immortal descending to dust, could suppress Fu Chen.
As for Fu Chen, he was actually inwardly startled by the three’s performance.
Wasn’t it said that the Northern Xuan Region was weak, with only one top-tier upper sect? How were the Boundless Sword Sect disciples so ferocious?
He was qualified to say this, for he alone had challenged all sects in the Southern True Domain except those guarded by Integration Realm Giants, and their first true disciples had all fallen to his saber.
Yet these three from the Boundless Sword Sect each rivaled the first true disciples of the sects he defeated, even faintly surpassing them—it was truly inconceivable.
Fu Chen was also helpless; he only wanted to force the crowd back and explore the silver great tomb ahead, but he hadn’t expected the standoff to last so long.
Though his strength surpassed them, he didn’t dare kill, for as a rogue cultivator, offending an upper sect would be a huge problem.
The two sides had battled for so long that both knew continuing would only benefit others.
Suddenly, Jiang Qingxue hovered in the void, her left fingertip pinching a hexagonal ice crystal—the incomplete mid-grade spiritual treasure used in true disciple ranking—about to press it to her brow.
But at that moment, Ning Qi’s arrival was finally perceived by the battling few.
Qin Minghao and the other two’s faces lit with joy; Jiang Qingxue breathed a sigh of relief and withdrew the hexagonal ice crystal in her hand.
Fu Chen naturally also spotted Ning Qi.
For some reason, seeing Ning Qi’s approaching speed made the hairs on his back stand on end; in all his years roaming the Southern True Domain, this was the first time he felt this way.
A elderly voice timely rang in his mind.
“Bad news, this newcomer likely has strength approaching the Void Dao Realm—run, Chen’er!”
Hearing this, Fu Chen dared not hesitate, acting extremely decisively.
His blood qi erupted, simultaneously activating a secret treasure, instantly turning into a blood rainbow that broke through the three’s encirclement, startling Jiang Qingxue and the others!
Seeing the fleeing Fu Chen, Ning Qi’s expression showed a trace of surprise.
His Primordial Spirit Power covered a far greater range than anyone present.
Just before Fu Chen fled, he clearly sensed an unusual fluctuation from Fu Chen.
After a brief thought, Ning Qi connected it to what Niu Man had mentioned about Fu Chen; it must relate to the mysterious inheritance he obtained.
Ning Qi carried Xie Chaolu and instantly arrived before the group.
“Senior Brother Ning, you’ve finally come!” Jiang Qingxue’s beautiful eyes shone with joy.
“Senior Brother Ning is still the best; he just arrived and scared off Fu Chen.” Wang Ye breathed a sigh of relief.
Qin Minghao shook his head, seeming quite regretful. “What a pity; Fu Chen’s strength is impressive, but he didn’t get to see Senior Brother Ning suppress him.”
Ning Qi smiled and asked, “Where is Junior Brother Qingxiao?”
Jiang Qingxue replied, “Junior Brother Qingxiao was injured by Fu Chen; we had him rest before the great tomb.”
Ning Qi nodded slightly.
“By the way, Senior Brother Ning, should we chase Fu Chen?”
Ning Qi said calmly, “Since he’s so sensible, no need to chase. The most important thing now is to open the giant’s tomb.”
Ning Qi’s gaze suddenly swept toward three distant corners; besides those present, the commotion here had already drawn disciples from other sects.
But seeing Fu Chen there before, they hadn’t approached, only watching from afar for an opportunity.
Now, seeing Ning Qi’s gaze upon them, they felt like mortals stared down by tigers and wolves.
With even Fu Chen scared off by the suddenly appearing Ning Qi, how dared they stay? They immediately drove their magic treasures and fled in all directions.
At this sight, Qin Minghao and the other two admired Ning Qi even more.
A man’s fame is like a tree’s shadow.
The name of immortal seed Ning Qi circulated in the North and South Regions, but most had little feeling for it; even many like those from the Feathered Ascension Upper Sect that Ning Qi destroyed paid it no mind.
But now, Fu Chen—who rivaled the first true disciple of a top-tier upper sect—fled swiftly upon seeing Ning Qi.
This instantly gave those onlookers unfamiliar with Ning Qi a profoundly deep impression!
Ning Qi led the group to the tomb entrance.
Fifth true disciple Wu Qingxiao immediately clutched his chest and rose to greet him.
“Senior Brother Ning!”
“Qingxiao.”
Ning Qi examined him closely and found his chest bones fully shattered, with no sign of recovery.
For Nascent Soul Realm cultivators like them, as long as they could absorb spiritual energy and use Primordial Spirit Power, physical injuries were impossible.
If an injury persisted, it must have been inflicted by someone of a higher realm.
On Wu Qingxiao’s chest, a bloodfire palm print lingered persistently, showing Fu Chen’s prowess.
Ning Qi immediately extended one palm, brushing over Wu Qingxiao’s chest; the residual bloodfire mana was instantly drawn away by Ning Qi’s large hand.
Ning Qi carefully sensed the power within; sure enough, Fu Chen had reached the Nascent Soul Realm limit. Through his mana, Ning Qi perceived he was just one step from birthing Power of Rules.
His thoughts returned; Ning Qi handed Wu Qingxiao a bottle of healing sacred medicine he had collected. “Take it first; recover soon to continue fighting.”
Wu Qingxiao’s face flushed with excitement. With Ning Qi here to relieve his pain, how fortunate he was to have such a senior brother!
“Thanks, Senior Brother Ning!”
Then, Ning Qi looked toward this mountain-like great tomb.
Compared to the previous Bronze Tomb, the Integration Realm Giant’s tomb had more Dao Rhyme, seemingly integrated with the surrounding terrain into a whole.
The tomb entrance was a cave emitting dense silver-white light, obscuring what lay within.
“Have you dealt with the guardian fierce beast before the tomb?”
Qin Minghao replied, “Senior Brother Ning, that fierce beast was a two-horned water serpent lurking in the giant lake ahead; Fu Chen chopped it to death earlier.”
Ning Qi nodded. “Good, saves us the trouble. Let’s go in and see what the giant’s tomb hides!”
At the cave mouth, a thick transparent barrier blocked the path.
A five-colored hand rose from Ning Qi’s body, directly tearing it apart, leaving the group dumbfounded.
They had tried their utmost to break it earlier, to no avail.
“Let’s go!”
…
Fu Chen fled all the way, leaving a blood trail behind, with faint fire smoke hidden within.
After fleeing for the time it takes to burn one stick of incense and seeing no pursuit, he finally breathed a sigh of relief and landed in the wilderness below.
Fu Chen sat on the grass, grabbing a bright yellow gourd from his waist and gulping down a mouthful of wine.
Then he muttered to himself, “Teacher, is that Ning Qi really that terrifying? Could your perception be wrong?”
From the gourd in his hand suddenly emerged an illusory image completely formed of spiritual energy, yet sharply defined.
This illusory image was a slightly hunched old man with a Mediterranean hairstyle and a mustache, somewhat comical.
The old man sat cross-legged beside Fu Chen, pointing at the gourd; a stream of spiritual energy emerged, which he swallowed.
“Chen’er, I’ve followed you for so many years through countless perils—have I ever been wrong once?”
Fu Chen gazed at the illusory image and honestly shook his head. “No.”
This teacher of his had appeared one day after he dug up this gourd from the mud while burying his parents as a child.
With this gourd, Fu Chen would have strange dreams every night after sleeping, with a hazy figure teaching him cultivation methods.
Thus, Fu Chen advanced triumphantly, stepping onto the immortal path.
He had asked his teacher’s origins; the teacher said his name was Wei Wu Ya, a Dao Integration Realm old ancestor of a major immortal sect in the Xuanzhen Domain before its destruction.
“Then that’s right. Why are you starting to doubt your teacher’s guidance now?” Wei Wu Ya said discontentedly.
Fu Chen smiled. “That Ning Qi is called an immortal seed; I figure he’s at most the strength of a top-tier upper sect’s first true disciple, or at highest the number one true disciple of the two domains. I really can’t see what’s so terrifying about him to warrant you treating him this way.”
Wei Wu Ya gave a wry smile.
“Kid, you can’t perceive the strangeness on him, but I tell you, you’re absolutely no match for him. Why compete with him now?”
“Your most important task now is to obtain the complete inheritance of the Bloodfire Immortal Sect; you can settle the score later.”
Fu Chen frowned. Even facing top-tier upper sect figures like Niu Man, Ren Zong, and Chu Xiaotian, teacher Wei Wu Ya had never said such things to him; he was truly shocked and a bit indignant.
“Teacher, Ning Qi rose only a few years ago. Could it be he’s like me, with an existence like you behind him?” Fu Chen suddenly asked.
Wei Wu Ya paused, then said, “The world’s affairs are full of wonders. Since you had this fortuitous encounter, perhaps Ning Qi truly is the same.”
Fu Chen stroked his chin. “If he’s really like me, doesn’t that mean his teacher is even more powerful than you?”
“You asking for a beating?”
Fu Chen chuckled, no longer teasing the old man, but he chose to heed his teacher’s words and decided to do as advised.
…
Before Ning Qi’s group of six entered the great tomb, they first sensed the positions of the remaining three true disciples of their Boundless Sword Sect.
They found two had already gathered together, all three still far from their current location; it would probably take days to rendezvous.
Ning Qi led the way into the tomb.
Five-colored divine light expanded three zhang around his body, enveloping all five behind him.
Wrapped in the warm glow, Qin Minghao and the others felt unprecedented security.
Inside the tomb, a winding mountain path twisted seven turns and eight bends; it took about a quarter-hour before the group reached the end.
Ahead was a spacious cavern in the mountain belly.
With Ning Qi’s five-colored divine light illuminating, every detail was clear.
The group gazed at the soil wall ahead, where nine cave mouths gaped.
Drawing closer, each cave mouth emitted winds of differing speeds, likely leading to different places.
“Senior Brother Ning, what do we do?” Wang Ye asked.
Jiang Qingxue furrowed her brows slightly. “Should we split up? But with six of us, even splitting we can’t cover all; three caves would be left empty.”
“If luck is poor, we’d have to backtrack and choose again.”
Her words echoed the others’ thoughts.
No one knew where these cave mouths led or what dangers lurked within.
Except for Ning Qi, none of them felt confident; after all, this wasn’t a great power’s Bronze Tomb, but a silver-lit Integration Realm Giant’s tomb.
The dangers hidden inside, for mere Nascent Soul Realm cultivators like them, would be extremely perilous alone; bad luck might mean death.
Ning Qi stood ahead of them and said calmly:
“No need for such trouble; just all follow me!”
“Ah?” The group was surprised.
“Senior Brother Ning, but trying one cave at a time would take too long. Other sect disciples might arrive behind and beat us to it!”
Ning Qi smiled.
“Rest assured, with me here, no one can enter!”
He spoke without arrogance, as if stating a plain fact.
Except for Qin Minghao, the other four were shocked inwardly.
Ning Qi then summoned a purple sword and casually slashed toward the path behind; a purple sword qi laced with thunder instantly collapsed the rear road.
At the same time, the sword qi didn’t dissipate, emanating thunder true meaning with purple lightning arcing everywhere.
Seeing this, the group was startled again.
They rarely saw Ning Qi act; the last time was the sect’s true disciple ranking ten years ago, where his spell was just unleashed and retracted—opponents surely couldn’t resist.
Now, seeing this undissipating sword intent, their hearts trembled.
They admitted they wouldn’t dare enter it; even attacking from afar to offset its energy would exhaust their full power without budging it.
The group was convinced.
“Alright, let’s continue.”
Ning Qi directly entered the centralmost cave mouth, the others following immediately.
This path sloped; they could feel it led toward the mountainside.
Soon, terrifying roars echoed ahead, like ten thousand fingertips scraping glass—extremely chilling.
The two female true disciples in the group felt a cold chill rush up their spines.
Jiang Qingxue and Xie Chaolu held hands, faces pale, but seeing the fearless figure ahead dispelled their fear.
As the eerie sound drew nearer, Ning Qi’s steps quickened.
Finally, they emerged into another mountain cavity.
The soil walls inside were extremely smooth; closer inspection revealed they seemed clawed out by nails.
Upon entering this space, the eerie sound vanished tracelessly; the whole area was deathly silent.
Only the group’s footsteps echoed.
Suddenly, they clearly heard an extra set of footsteps amid their own.
Pricking their ears to trace it, it seemed from behind.
Turning, it seemed even further back.
Jiang Qingxue and Xie Chaolu even peered back-to-back, but to their terror, the sound still came from behind them.
As for Wu Qingxiao and Wang Ye, their scalps also numbed.
An unseen enemy was the most terrifying!
If not for Ning Qi’s five-colored divine light enveloping them, the group couldn’t have stayed calm.
They involuntarily looked toward Ning Qi ahead.
How would Senior Brother Ning handle this eerie footstep sound? Could he find the enemy?
Ning Qi suddenly stepped left and thrust a sword straight into the soil wall.
Azure blood flowed from that spot, extremely foul-smelling.
Ning Qi withdrew his sword, bringing out clumps of dirt and a terrifying creature that was neither man nor ghost.
The creature was dead, its eight limbs pale and wrapped in human skin, bent and splayed like spider legs.
Its body bulged like a starved ghost’s, flipped front-to-back, neck twisted several turns, head with exploding yellow hair, two horns on the forehead, green face and fangs.
“Could this be the legendary ghost ghoul?”
Jiang Qingxue said.
Wang Ye gulped. “Whatever it is, that appearance is truly stomach-turning.”
“You’d best hold your stomachs; there’s still one more.” Ning Qi’s unhurried voice came.
The group immediately guarded all sides but saw no trace.
Even probing several zhang into the soil walls with Primordial Spirit Power yielded no life fluctuations.
Unease filled them; Ning Qi suddenly took out the Golden Sun Spirit Sword given by True Person Ziyang.
He formed a sword art, infusing spiritual energy and Primordial Spirit Power into the Golden Sun Sword; it erupted in blazing light, like a sun!
Ning Qi pointed it at a spot; the sun the Golden Sun Spirit Sword turned into sliced through, instantly piercing a several-zhang-wide hole in that soil wall.
“Go!”
Ning Qi carried the group instantly into the hole.
After they rushed in, the original space erupted in rolling earth and stone from all sides, like an earthquake, filled with myriad shrill wails.
The group looked back.
The area they came from had completely changed color, from brown to ghastly white; a colossal entity appeared.
Their eyes twitched wildly; what they traversed wasn’t a path but the body of a creature.
Unquestionably, it was an enlarged version of the creature Ning Qi had stabbed!
Just its size likely occupied a tenth of the great tomb’s volume.
The group couldn’t help but feel aftershock; even male disciples like Qin Minghao and Wang Ye broke into cold sweat.
The enlarged ghost ghoul flopped a few times, now dead.
The group looked at Ning Qi, eyes like lamps.
“Senior Brother Ning, did you spot it long ago?” Jiang Qingxue asked.
Ning Qi withdrew the Golden Sun Spirit Sword.
“Yes, back at the nine cave mouths.”
Xie Chaolu suddenly hugged her arms. “Senior Brother Ning, were those nine cave mouths a maze array laid by this ghost ghoul?”
“Something like that. Actually, the patterns engraved at the tomb entrance already indicated what was inside; you just didn’t notice.”
“Ah?” The group exclaimed in unison.
They recalled the tomb cave mouth did have engraved patterns, but treated them as mere decoration.
Yet Senior Brother Ning not only memorized them all but discerned the internal layout from them—this…
Was the gap between people really this vast?
“Let’s go. With that huge ghost ghoul here, no other creatures in the tomb could survive. Onward.”
The group, heads spinning, hurried after.
As Ning Qi predicted, no more demons or ghosts blocked the tomb interior.
Though formations, mechanisms, and traps existed, Ning Qi navigated them effortlessly, proceeding straight.
Finally, the six reached the largest cavern in the mountain.
At its center stood a jade platform with a skeleton lying atop.
As the group approached for a closer look, the skeleton turned to bone dust and scattered from the jade platform.
The jade platform opened like a cabinet door, displaying all the giant’s collections inside.
Among them, a complete Golden Thread Jade Robe shimmered with starlight on its surface, clearly of extraordinary value.
The group’s hearts raced; this was a complete mid-grade spiritual treasure—the great tomb’s harvest was bountiful.
A complete mid-grade spiritual treasure Golden Thread Jade Robe was worth at least ten low-grade spirit treasures.
Judging by its material, it likely surpassed even the complete Wind Dragon Scale Armor Ye Chen once used.
Besides that, the jade cabinet held five low-grade spirit treasures: three swords, one saber, one spear.
A cultivation method jade slip recorded the Jade Warm Smoke Art!
The cultivation method mainly described treating flesh and Nascent Soul as jade to cultivate; at the right heat, jade armor could form over flesh and Nascent Soul, defending against all attacks.
This was a rare defensive cultivation method!
Additionally, they found fifty Void Dao Purple Gold Pills and ten Heaven and Earth Unity Pills—the latter for Integration Realm use, a truly rich haul.
“I’ll value all these gains and divide them evenly back at the sect. How’s that?” Ning Qi said.
Though wealth stirred hearts, none contested; instead:
“Senior Brother Ning, this great tomb was almost all your credit. We couldn’t even hold Fu Chen, let alone share the gains,” Jiang Qingxue said.
The others exchanged glances, sharing the sentiment.
“We’ll discuss then; I won’t let you lose out.”
Then, the group looked upward.
Above, myriad lights radiated in competing colors, all emanating from three Rule Jades.
The three Rule Jades were embedded in the ceiling soil wall, faintly forming an array.
Representing heaven, earth, man; sun, moon, stars!
One was soccer-ball-sized, its surface flashing seven-colored light that merged into white—truly wondrous.
A slightly smaller one, pancake-sized, shone with eight colors; the smallest held a hundred colors!
Ning Qi extended a Primordial Spirit hand to grab the three Rule Jades.
But unexpectedly, his Primordial Spirit hand was blocked outside.
Finally, with ten hands unleashed, shaking the entire great tomb, Ning Qi barely seized the three Rule Jades.
The instant he did, the tomb lost support like the previous Bronze Tomb and collapsed with a boom.
The group rested briefly, caught some spiritual fish from the giant lake to grill and eat, then continued.
Days passed in a blink.
The true disciples of various sects entering the Profound True Secret Realm had mostly gathered.
The reuniting sect disciples also brought intelligence from their journeys.
Two pieces of news spread widest.
One: Southern True Domain heavenly pride Fu Chen encountered Northern Xuan Region immortal seed Ning Qi and fled, abandoning the Great Tomb of the Integration Realm Giant!
The other: Feathered Ascension Upper Sect had only three left!
Ning Qi’s fame soared, resounding through the entire Profound True Secret Realm.
If the crowd knew Ning Qi exterminated Feathered Ascension Upper Sect’s seven, his fame would rise even higher.
Of course, such a perilous reputation—better without!
“Damn, I used to think as a Southern True Domain man, that immortal seed Ning Qi was nothing; didn’t expect our heavenly pride Fu Chen to run at the sight,” a rogue cultivator said.
A Northern Xuan Region rogue cultivator smiled back. “That’s self-awareness. Good you didn’t show your emotions to his face, or else…”
“Or what?”
“Heh,” the Northern Xuan Region rogue cultivator touched his nose and continued, “Ning Qi once slaughtered a million cultivators of the Twelve Sects!”
“Holy shit, that ruthless?”
“Yeah, so if you meet him later, run as fast as you can—no hesitation.”
These rogue cultivators, after entering the Profound True Secret Realm, formed teams on their own, ignoring North-South divides.
True, they might encounter villains, but with enough people, risks diminished.
After all, sect true disciples were all grouping up; if these rogue cultivators didn’t, they’d become cannon fodder!
This news naturally spread through the Profound True Secret Realm.
Some even said Fu Chen’s heavenly pride title should go to Ning Qi; the crowd echoed agreement.
As for why not add Ning Qi to the original five heavenly prides making six, hidden motives lurked.
They knew each heavenly pride cared deeply about face; stripping Fu Chen’s title—would he accept?
He’d either reclaim it from Ning Qi or challenge the other four.
Anyway, the crowd enjoyed the show.
At this moment in the Northern Profound Upper Sect, the eight true disciples had gathered.
Northern Profound Upper Sect lost two true disciples; not only did outside great powers know, the other eight sensed it via light spots.
“Senior Brother Chu, avenge our two fallen senior brothers!”
Chu Xiaotian nodded. “Rest assured, junior brothers; I won’t let them off.”
Another said, “Senior Brother Chu, Feathered Ascension Upper Sect’s disciples wiped out seven; this can’t be coincidence.”
“Yes, so many major sect disciples, yet only they and us lost true disciples. Likely Feathered Ascension Upper Sect folk met our two junior brothers and ganged up to weaken our Northern Profound Upper Sect first.”
Chu Xiaotian’s eyes flashed with divine light.
Not just him; the other seven endorsed this inference.
“This time, we’ll exterminate Feathered Ascension Upper Sect’s remaining three—no survivors!”
“Senior Brother Chu, and that Boundless Sword Sect—lately their immortal seed Ning Qi bumped Fu Chen down, claiming heavenly pride alongside you. Does he deserve it?”
Chu Xiaotian scoffed disdainfully:
“Everyone hypes Fu Chen as so mighty; I say Southern True Domain has no one left, even praising a rogue cultivator so.”
“And now he flees from Ning Qi—proves he’s all hype!”
The true disciples all laughed.
“Pity we haven’t met a single Boundless Sword Sect true disciple on the way; else we’d know Ning Qi’s whereabouts.”
Chu Xiaotian pondered briefly, then said:
“Junior Brother Zhao, spread the word: I challenge Ning Qi under the largest Rule Star at the central sky dome. Let’s see who’s the Northern Xuan Region’s top heavenly pride.”
Zhao Fei instantly understood.
“Good plan, Senior Brother Chu; saves me hunting Boundless Sword Sect folk everywhere. Once word spreads, all their disciples will come—perfect to net them all!”
Chu Xiaotian nodded slightly.
“Junior Brother Zhao gets it; go quickly.”
“Yes!”
Soon after.
Chu Xiaotian’s challenge spread through the entire Profound True Secret Realm.
Meanwhile, Ning Qi’s group had claimed three Bronze Tombs and one silver great tomb, with bountiful gains.
His main body drew ever closer to the Rule Realm; he just needed to integrate the rule imprints from these spiritual treasures and Rule Jades into the True Martial Realm to leap forward!
These days.
His Boundless Sword Sect group didn’t stay together but periodically split by direction to different areas for tombs.
Then regather at appointed times to exchange intel, maximizing gains in the Profound True Secret Realm.
Chu Xiaotian’s challenge first reached Wu Qingxiao’s ears.
Wu Qingxiao informed the group, naturally reaching Ning Qi.
Qin Minghao and the others were indignant, but Ning Qi just smiled calmly.
He saw through Chu Xiaotian’s scheme clearly.
Pity, time in the Profound True Secret Realm was precious; unless they naturally met, he wouldn’t waste it on him specifically.
Jiang Qingxue gazed at Ning Qi, beautiful eyes blinking, gaze revealing an indescribable emotion.
Along the way, Ning Qi resolved countless perils; with Qin Minghao and Wang Ye beside, their trio coordinated seamlessly, perfectly natural.
Jiang Qingxue and the other two watched, deeply moved.
Previously, these true disciples never cultivated together; now acting with Ning Qi’s three from Five Elements Peak, they realized the gap.
Those three from Five Elements Peak had terrifying comprehension.
Wang Ye was slightly weaker but still stronger than them.
And Wang Ye was a body refiner!
During brief rests, Qin Minghao and Wang Ye would verify insights mutually, strength visibly climbing.
Though Ning Qi didn’t join their sparring, they consulted him.
Each of Ning Qi’s words hit the problem’s origin, offering improvements far beyond their understanding.
Not just Qin Minghao and Wang Ye benefiting greatly; Jiang Qingxue, Xie Chaolu, and Wu Qingxiao, merely listening, gained by analogy, minds shocked.
Thus, Jiang Qingxue’s mindset changed.
No wonder Qin Minghao, bottom of Boundless Sword Sect true disciples, entered the Top Ten True Disciples in a blink; no wonder Wang Ye defected from Ye Chen’s Wind Thunder Peak to join Five Elements Peak!
In merely ten years, Jiang Qingxue now fully confirmed they two had surpassed her.
Gazing at Ning Qi, she couldn’t help birthing a desire to follow!
She glanced at Xie Chaolu and Wu Qingxiao beside her; their flickering gazes conveyed mutual understanding!
