After Ning Qi finished his salute, he left with Yuan Tiancheng.
Ye Qinghe prepared to slip away with a playful tongue, but still got called by Taoist Longshan.
With a bitter face, she said:
"Master, it wasn't me bothering my little junior brother this time, he took the initiative to let me accompany him into the mountain."
Taoist Longshan snorted, but eventually his expression softened.
"You, compared to Bai Shan, are not lacking in talent at all, yet all your mind is set on drinking. Now, Bai Shan's cultivation has surpassed yours."
He scolded lightly, but Ye Qinghe still giggled:
"With Fifth Brother as the facade, isn't it nice? Behind still are Ba and Jiu. When they grow up, our True Martial Sect will be as strong as clouds, and the disciples will be very assured."
"You are assured, but I'm not!"
Taoist Longshan was helpless.
The only comfort for him was that this third disciple, although she loved her liquor, had a pure heart and was an outstanding cultivator among her peers. She could have been stronger.
"Forget it, forget it. Next autumn, the Divine Sword Old Man will bring his disciple here again, just make sure you don't embarrass me then."
Ye Qinghe was stunned, then seemed to remember something.
The Divine Sword Old Man mentioned by her master was no ordinary person. In fact, he used to be the owner of the True Martial Mountain, although back then it was still called Divine Sword Mountain.
A tinge of urgency finally rose in Ye Qinghe's heart; she solemnly said:
"I understand, Master."
Taoist Longshan waved his hand.
"Go now, tell your senior brother about Tiansheng tomorrow, and inform the disciples inside the sect to avoid accidental injury."
"I accept the task, Master."
Ye Qinghe left respectfully.
...
Ning Qi, accompanied by the curious White Ape, arrived at his small courtyard.
"Tiansheng, from now on, you'll stay here with me. That room beside is yours; take good care of it."
"When I practice martial arts or read, don't disturb me. You may move around the True Martial Sect freely, but remember not to disturb the cultivation of other disciples. As for the path of cultivation suitable for you, I will sort it out and slowly teach you."
"During this period, learn to read more and read books."
The White Ape nodded repeatedly, extremely excited.
He felt he had entered a new world.
A night passed without words.
The next day.
Ning Qi woke up to find the White Ape was already busy with chores, which made him smile, feeling a change inside.
It wasn't bad having a living being around.
Ning Qi found a wooden board and wrote the words 'Seeking Tao Institute', placing it outside the courtyard.
Inspired by naming the White Ape yesterday, he felt he should name his small courtyard. Seeking Tao, seeking immortality, was a constant reminder to himself.
Looking at this simple wooden plaque,
Ning Qi felt his thoughts clearer.
He wanted to practice martial arts.
After creating the Myriad Phenomena Origin Stance yesterday, he hadn't begun to fully attempt it.
"Just right to redo the Front Four Realms and establish a Supreme foundation."
He had not rushed to breakthrough the Refining Organ due to this very reason.
With this thought,
Ning Qi moved.
With a swing of his body, he entered the profound state in an instant. The Myriad Phenomena Origin Stance was his creation, and he naturally understood its intricacies. The Realm of Perfect Divine Intent came as easily to him as raising a hand.
Watching from the side, the White Ape's eyes widened, as if he was witnessing the scene of the Golden Monkey questioning the heavens again, taking a while to come back to his senses.
Looking at the wood in his hand, the White Ape's eyes gradually hardened.
A journey of a thousand miles begins with a single step; he believed that if he did well with these small matters, he might one day gain the True Skill.
He continued to chop the wood, applying more seriousness to it.
Meanwhile, Ning Qi practiced martial arts.
Ning Qi could feel the 'Qi' of his stance skill moving at will, starting from the skin, re-training it. This time, he found that the skin tempered by the True Dragon Qi still had many inadequacies.
The Qi transformed into a white cloud, into a green mountain, into a gray eagle… One by one, the gaps were gradually filled.
This process was very fast.
After all, it was retracing the path once more.
Ning Qi's growth was visible to the naked eye.
In the blink of an eye, seven days had passed.
Inside the Seeking Tao Institute,
Ning Qi practiced fist techniques, without any phenomena, just calmly punching, but the changes within him would leave anyone speechless.
"Body Tempering Outer Four Realms, with Refining Skin providing unparalleled defense, Refined Flesh giving the strength to lift cauldrons, Refining Tendons being swift as a leopard, and Refining Bone coordinating all three, further elevating a Martial Artist's power, speed, and defense!"
"A Lower Grade Foundational Cultivator with Bone Refining Perfection wields a one-armed strength of a thousand pounds, while a Superior Root like True Martial Nine Stances wields three thousand pounds. Previously, I began the True Martial Stance, creating an unparalleled foundation, reaching five thousand pounds of one-armed strength!"
"But now, I forge a Supreme foundation with Myriad Phenomena Origin Stance, reaching ten thousand pounds of one-armed strength!"
"The time spent on this was worth it."
This isn't merely a difference in strength, but a variation in the depth of underlying foundation.
From now on, Ning Qi would be unrivaled among his peers.
He gently pushed his palm out. Though the movement seemed light, the White Ape was shocked as if seeing a prehistoric beast walking past, an overwhelming pressure arising.
Then,
The White Ape's eyes widened as he saw Ning Qi slowly stop and exhale a long breath of white air. The white air, like an arrow, pierced through space, and on the ground, left a pit.
The corners of Ning Qi's mouth curled up slowly.
"Exhaling like an arrow, common refining organ perfection may not achieve this level, and I have only just begun to refine organs, already reaching this realm. This is the difference in foundational strength."
Advancing to the Refining Organ Realm was a matter of course. After all, he could've broken through earlier, but he wanted to wait for the stance skill to be created.
He could feel his state was better than ever.
Body Tempering's last Four Realms, called the Inner Four Realms, cover more mysteries of the human body.
"From now on, Body Tempering will be a smooth journey."
"Organs represent endurance, marrow symbolizes explosiveness, blood signifies longevity, and finally consolidates with spirit. The Inner Four Realms reach Perfection, and thus the body is flawless, immune to all diseases, and can live for two Jiazi cycles."
Ning Qi was slightly looking forward to it.
That might be the first elevation in the essence of life.
He turned his head, and looking at White Ape's earnest eyes, said:
"Tiansheng, how did today's homework go?"
The White Ape shivered, coming back from his reverie, then took out a small booklet from the Taoist robe, writing:
"Please, Teacher, inspect."
Now the White Ape also wore the Taoist robe of a True Martial Sect disciple, taking much pride in it. Writing in the booklet was a way to practice writing so others wouldn't need to guess, and the White Ape insisted on calling Ning Qi 'Teacher.'
He felt he had joined Ning Qi's tutelage and wanted to call him Master.
But Ning Qi felt himself was still seeking the Tao and not yet qualified to take disciples, so he firmly refused.
In the end, the White Ape could only pitifully call him Teacher.
Ning Qi tacitly agreed.
Considered as a pupil.
Ning Qi laughed as he quizzed.
The White Ape continued writing and answering, with hardly any mistakes, which made Ning Qi very satisfied. This pupil, though far below him, would be considered among the most intelligent even among humans.
"Writing like this is indeed cumbersome. In the future, if the chance arises for Tiansheng to step onto the Martial Path, maybe I can create an Abdominal Language Skill for him."
Ning Qi thought to himself.
The Martial Path for the White Ape was something he was still pondering. Once he understood the White Ape's body structure, he could simplify a stance skill from the Myriad Phenomena Origin Stance, which might be feasible.