"Master, can I feel the power of heaven and earth one more time?" Ning Qi's voice interrupted Daoist Longshan's thoughts.
There was curiosity in Ning Qi's eyes.
Earlier was to test his strength, but now he wanted to get a closer feel of the power of heaven and earth. He had wanted to do this before, but Daoist Longshan had been too busy, and he never found the chance.
A rare smile appeared on Daoist Longshan's face, and a trace of eagerness flickered in his eyes.
Sometimes having an overly monstrous disciple was both a joy and a pain.
Daoist Longshan recalled how he had only been able to teach Ning Qi during his initial steps into the Martial Path. After that, he could no longer find a sense of accomplishment from his disciple—he even felt defeated.
No matter what he taught, Ning Qi learned it quickly, and before he knew it, Ning Qi was using it even better than he could.
Who could handle that?
But now—
The opportunity had come.
Surely you haven't mastered things at the Heaven-Man Realm yet, right?
A smile remained on Daoist Longshan's face.
"Of course you can. This is the perfect time for me to explain the path of the Heaven-Man Realm to you, so you can get familiar with it in advance."
Ning Qi nodded repeatedly.
Master and disciple sat quietly at the cliffside.
Although the cold wind was biting, to the two of them it was no different from a breeze.
"The so-called Heaven-Man Realm is all about using human strength to leverage the power of heaven and earth. Human strength is limited, while the power of heaven and earth is infinite. By merging the spirit with the Core, you resonate with the will of heaven and earth…"
Daoist Longshan spoke patiently, his tone gentle. He held nothing back and shared all the insights he had gained recently.
As he spoke, threads of heaven and earth power began to gather, spiraling around Ning Qi.
Though not as active as when he had broken through, they were calm and gentle, unlike the violent force from earlier.
As Ning Qi listened, streams of insight surged within his mind.
Compared to when Daoist Longshan had advanced to the Heaven-Man Realm, Ning Qi's comprehension had improved significantly, and his realm was higher—leading to different realizations.
Before he knew it, Ning Qi had already closed his eyes.
The Heaven-Man Unity Secret Art activated unconsciously, putting him into a miraculous state. The power of heaven and earth around him became even clearer. 𝘳𝓪ŊɵʙΕ𝙎
"The power of heaven and earth is a mystical force that permeates all things. However, before stepping into the Heaven-Man Realm, one cannot perceive it, much less control it in advance."
"Human power is finite, heaven's power is infinite. The only reason I can currently match up against Heaven-Man Realm experts is because my Qi is overwhelmingly vast. But what if I could control a bit of heaven and earth power ahead of time? Maybe the gap would shrink even further."
"Spirit merged with Core… but I don't have a Core yet. Could I substitute it with something else?"
…
Thoughts continuously surged through Ning Qi's mind. Insights flashed like a waterfall—he was already in a wonderful state of enlightenment.
Daoist Longshan gradually realized something was off as he kept explaining.
His beard twitched slightly.
"Little Nine is… having a moment of enlightenment?"
"And that power surrounding him… is the power of heaven and earth?!"
Daoist Longshan couldn't help but take a sharp breath.
When Ning Qi displayed strength rivaling the Core Formation Realm, he hadn't been this shocked. But now that Ning Qi was showing signs of controlling the power of heaven and earth—he was truly stunned!
Advancing to the Heaven-Man Realm?
Impossible.
That would mean Ning Qi could already resonate with the power of heaven and earth without reaching the Heaven-Man Realm.
Unheard of.
Waves stirred in Daoist Longshan's heart. Even his voice lowered instinctively, afraid of disturbing Ning Qi's enlightenment.
No one knew how much time passed.
Dawn slowly broke.
Ning Qi finally opened his eyes.
Joy was written in his gaze.
Daoist Longshan's lecture this time had been incredibly rewarding!
Not only did it deepen his understanding of the path to the Heaven-Man Realm, it also inspired a secret technique—
Heavenly Sword Technique.
This sword technique was the result of Ning Qi's attempt to control the power of heaven and earth.
Only by entering the state of Heaven-Man Unity could he draw a bit of that power, then condense it with his Qi to form a Heavenly Sword.
Ning Qi believed that even a Heaven-Man Realm expert would have to avoid its edge.
Facing the rising sun, Ning Qi respectfully saluted Daoist Longshan:
"Thank you, Master, for passing on your knowledge!"
Daoist Longshan gave a bitter smile. He had originally hoped to use his knowledge of the Heaven-Man Realm to impress his young disciple a little—but instead, he got dealt another heavy blow.
Still, he couldn't help but ask:
"Qi'er, that power surrounding you just now…"
Ning Qi suddenly realized something. He naturally pulled out a scroll he had long prepared from his robe.
"Almost forgot to tell you, Master. This is the Heaven-Man Unity Secret Art I comprehended while watching you break through to the Heaven-Man Realm. I was just about to hand it over to you."
The Heavenly Sword Technique was a unique move that only a monstrous talent like Ning Qi, still in the Qi Origin Realm but able to use the power of heaven and earth, could perform—so he didn't hand that over.
But the Heaven-Man Unity Secret Art was fine—Daoist Longshan could use it, and it might help him greatly.
"Heaven-Man Unity Secret Art?" Daoist Longshan paused, initially about to refuse, but his hands had already accepted it instinctively.
He exhaled slowly and opened the scroll.
"The mysteries of heaven and earth lie hidden within the bones of man."
The very first line struck him like lightning—his mind lit up.
Daoist Longshan began flipping through the scroll like a starving man, fully immersed.
No one knew how much time passed.
When he finally lifted his head in a daze, his eyes were filled with awe.
Even the words "astonishing genius" weren't enough to describe this secret art. Such ingenious insight—he could live for hundreds of years more and still never reach it.
He actually felt like an ant gazing upon the heavens.
A trace of embarrassment crept over his face—after all, the one who created this secret art was his own young disciple.
When he saw that no one was around and Ning Qi had already left, Daoist Longshan finally exhaled.
He looked out toward the green mountains and burst into laughter.
He felt that taking Ning Qi as a disciple might have been the wisest decision of his life.
…
After obtaining the Heaven-Man Unity Secret Art, Daoist Longshan began studying it diligently.
The technique made it much easier for him to perceive the power of heaven and earth, and even improved his combat strength. He felt that if he were to face the Wang Clan Patriarch again, it would be far less difficult.
Until one month before the Heaven-Man Ceremony—
Daoist Longshan finally set out from the mountain.
The Heaven-Man Ceremony required inviting a few Heaven-Man Realm experts, so he had to go personally. With his speed, it wouldn't take long.
At this time, as disciples of the Zhenwu Sect returned from delivering invitations, the martial world of Qingzhou grew even more heated. People kept arriving ahead of time, and the newly expanded Zhenwu City became livelier than ever.
All eyes turned to Zhenwu Mountain, awaiting the arrival of the Heaven-Man Ceremony.
Zhenwu Mountain had already become the focus of all attention.