Above the martial practice ground, all eyes were fixed on the two figures exchanging blows.
Both were at the Ninth Layer of the Inner Yuan Realm. Their Inner Strength was dense and refined, clinging to their bodies and weapons. When pushed to the limit, it could extend nearly a zhang—though it would instantly dissipate once detached.
One cultivated Shaking Heaven Strength, the other Overturning Sea Strength. Each clash carried terrifying destructive force, sending shockwaves rippling across the arena.
Ning Qi watched intently.
Yet as the fight continued, an odd sensation surfaced within him.
Senior Brother and Fifth Brother are strong. Their Inner Strength nearly reaches a zhang…So why do I feel like I could fight them?
The thought surprised him.
For a brief moment, he even felt an urge to step onto the stage and test himself.
But he suppressed it.
Soon, the battle ended.
Jiang Baishan claimed victory by a narrow margin.
Cheers erupted around them.
Luo Wentian laughed heartily, his expression relaxed."Fifth Junior Brother, from today onward, you are the True Martial Sect's second strongest."
Jiang Baishan waved his hands repeatedly."If Senior Brother weren't buried in sect affairs, you would have broken through to the Gang Yuan Realm long ago. I merely took advantage of circumstance."
Luo Wentian laughed even louder."Why speak of seniority and juniority between us? If you are strong, then I, your Senior Brother, am strong as well!"
The surrounding disciples were visibly moved.
Dragon Mountain Daoist watched with quiet satisfaction. Harmony among disciples was worth more than any single prodigy.
The True Disciples continued to spar, while the others looked on with burning admiration.
They had witnessed firsthand the might of superior Multiplied Strength techniques. In the True Martial Sect, strength was never hoarded—so long as one made contributions, such techniques were within reach.
Ning Qi exhaled softly.
Looking at Luo Wentian, he felt something loosen within him.
The sect is one family.If that's the case, why should strength be measured so sharply?
The faint competitive thought he'd harbored earlier dissolved completely.
He suddenly realized how narrow his earlier mindset had been.
When the Divine Sword Sect had once come knocking… even if Ning Qi himself had stood unrivaled within True Martial Sect at the time—what would that have changed?
His state of mind quietly broadened.
This, too, was something he had learned from his Senior Brother.
The year-end grand competition concluded smoothly.
True Martial Sect's cohesion only grew stronger, and the disciples' enthusiasm for cultivation surged.
Winter faded. Spring arrived.
Outside the Seeking Dao Courtyard, several peach trees now stood in quiet bloom.
Ning Qi had personally transplanted them from elsewhere on Zhenwu Mountain. The courtyard had once felt too bare—now, with peach blossoms drifting in the breeze, it carried a gentle serenity that pleased him.
White Ape had delivered several manuals earlier before running off to play.
Ning Qi rarely visited the Scripture Pavilion anymore. Since the grand competition, disciples flocked there daily. Instead, he simply had White Ape fetch the texts he needed.
Ordinary disciples were strictly forbidden from approaching the Seeking Dao Courtyard.
Ning Qi looked down at the manuals in his hands.
Xuan Turtle Breathing Technique.Withered Wood Breathing Method.Breath Concealment Skill.
"These are all high-grade aura-concealing techniques," Ning Qi murmured."When cultivated deeply, they can obscure one's strength from ordinary eyes."
As his thoughts moved, his aura subtly shifted.
At times, it became long and faint—almost imperceptible.At times, it withered like dead wood, stagnant and lifeless.At times, it vanished entirely.
He had already mastered them to an astonishing degree.
Yet Ning Qi frowned.
"They hide depth—but they announce concealment."
Anyone with experience would immediately sense something was amiss.
This wasn't enough.
He needed a method where even vitality itself became indistinct—one that could fake realms.
A spark ignited in his mind.
"The feigned-death state… from the Great Dream Nine Deaths Art."
The principles of multiple breathing techniques flowed together.
Soon, a new martial art took shape.
Quietude Art.
Body still. Vitality calm.
Ning Qi activated it.
In an instant, the vitality within him dropped, settling at the level of an ordinary Refining Tendons practitioner.
He smiled.
Then he reversed the method.
His vitality surged violently—surpassing even Luo Wentian and Jiang Baishan in a breath.
"The Quietude Art doesn't just conceal," Ning Qi thought."It can imitate."
Though his understanding of the Gang Yuan Realm was limited, it was more than enough to deceive ordinary cultivators.
He was confident—even Dragon Mountain Daoist would struggle to discern his true strength while it was active.
As for Heavenly Humans… that would come later.
For now, this was sufficient.
After that, Ning Qi turned to another problem.
"My appearance."
He was too young. Too recognizable.
Remembering his Master's warning, he began preparing again.
Two days later, he set down a stack of manuals.
Bone-shrinking techniques.Body-tempering disguises.
From these, he derived a new art.
Transfiguration Skill.
His background in medicine played a decisive role. With Inner Strength supporting his acupuncture control, his precision far surpassed ordinary practitioners.
Ning Qi activated the technique.
His features blurred, smoothing into something utterly forgettable. Bones cracked softly as his body stretched, growing taller, broader—until he resembled a plain youth of fifteen or sixteen.
The jade-like little Daoist vanished.
Ning Qi nodded in satisfaction.
"This isn't the limit," he murmured."With medicinal assistance, it can be perfected further."
Unlike some techniques, this one still required physical refinement.
But Ning Qi's body… was already far from ordinary.
Time was on his side.