That day.
Zhenwu Sect disciples all descended the mountain, galloping horses heading across Qingzhou and even into several nearby provinces.
Soon after, Qingzhou was once again stirred.
"Daoist Longshan is finally going to hold the Heaven-Man Ceremony!"
"I wonder which Heaven-Man Realm experts will show up this time. This is an unparalleled opportunity—if a Heaven-Man expert takes notice of you, even if they don't take you as a disciple, just being their attendant is a massive stroke of fortune!"
"What I long for most is the Heaven-Man Dao Discourse. If I could just comprehend a bit of it, I'd benefit for life. Unfortunately, for rogue cultivators like us with no sect or faction, it's way too hard to get an invitation."
"Opportunities favor the prepared. Even if we can't go up Zhenwu Mountain, staying nearby for a while could be good. Who knows, maybe some Qi Origin Realm expert will notice us?"
"A grand event like this—of course I have to witness it. It's a chance to see what kind of foundation the Zhenwu Sect really has."
...
Voices of discussion echoed throughout the Qingzhou region.
Those who received invitations were naturally overjoyed, starting to prepare congratulatory gifts. By then, the place would be filled with experts gathered to offer their congratulations. If your gift was too shabby, you'd only invite ridicule. It was also the perfect opportunity to build connections.
Those who didn't receive an invitation didn't give up either. Many still flocked toward Zhenwu Sect. They were mostly low-level rogue martial artists, clinging to the hope that they might stumble upon a sliver of good fortune where winds of destiny converged.
Fortunately, the city below Zhenwu Mountain had been expanded significantly. At Daoist Longshan's suggestion, it was named "Zhenwu City."
It was foreseeable.
Zhenwu City would gradually develop into another great martial city in Qingzhou.
Zhenwu Sect had become the center of countless gazes.
As for Daoist Longshan, he was pondering over matters concerning Ning Qi.
Late at night.
He stood with hands behind his back by the window of Mingwu Pavilion, gazing into the night.
In recent times, he had first descended the mountain to pursue Qin Yun's whereabouts. Then he went into closed-door seclusion to break through to the Heaven-Man Realm. After coming out, upon hearing that his disciples had been bullied, he rushed down the mountain again and killed a bunch in swift retaliation. Once he returned, he hurried back into seclusion to digest the gains from his Heaven-Man breakthrough.
Busy as he had been, nearly two years had passed, and he'd had almost no spare time to pay attention to his disciples.
Daoist Longshan wasn't worried about Luo Wentian and the others—they were already grown and could take care of themselves. But Ning Qi was still too young, only eight years old now. With a blood feud on his shoulders and such formidable power at his fingertips, Daoist Longshan was concerned that Ning Qi's thirst for vengeance would grow stronger with power and cloud his judgment.
When one bears a sharp blade, the desire to kill arises naturally. It's only human to want revenge after gaining strength.
"A year ago, Little Nine already had the strength to suppress the White Mist Realm. I wonder how far he's gotten now?"
Daoist Longshan pondered.
In the entire Zhenwu Sect, only he knew that the one who killed Iron Eagle was this little disciple.
Even now, when he occasionally recalled the event, he still found it hard to believe. A year ago, seven-year-old Ning Qi had already been able to effortlessly kill a White Mist Realm expert—that was so unbelievable no one else would buy it. Ｒ𝔞ℕο𝐛ÈＳ
Luo Wentian and the others hadn't guessed wrong either. It was indeed a move backed by Zhenwu's foundation. But they never imagined that this "foundation" was actually their own little junior brother.
"With my current strength, I can suppress Blood Rain Pavilion with no problem. I just need to avoid alarming them too soon, lest those four—Wind, Rain, Thunder, and Lightning—flee ahead of time. Plus, I need to uncover the truth about the massacre back then. I have to handle this carefully."
Rumor had it that Wind, Rain, Thunder, and Lightning once escaped unscathed even in the face of a Heaven-Man Realm expert. To be safe, it was best to pick them off one by one.
"Perhaps I should talk to Little Nine about this so his state of mind remains stable."
With that thought, Daoist Longshan made up his mind and headed toward Seeking Dao Courtyard.
Soon after.
He appeared outside the courtyard, eyes flashing with a trace of surprise.
Peach trees stood upright outside the yard. Though there were no blooming flowers and they looked somewhat withered, with his eyesight, it wasn't hard to tell the peach trees had been planted in a rather peculiar formation, subtly resonating with the little courtyard ahead. It was a feeling even he couldn't quite put into words.
Looking at the characters "Seeking Dao Courtyard," he smiled knowingly, as if he could see his little disciple's ambition through those words.
He stepped in slowly, and Ning Qi was already waiting inside—he had sensed Daoist Longshan's arrival.
"Master."
Ning Qi smiled and saluted.
Daoist Longshan looked at Ning Qi, filled with emotion. At eight years old, Ning Qi was already as tall as a young teen. Draped in a blue Daoist robe, he exuded a hard-to-describe aura of Dao. It was the air cultivated from years of comprehending the Dao and reading scriptures.
"Qi'er, you've grown."
Daoist Longshan let out a deep sigh. He had to admit—even though he had stepped into the Heaven-Man Realm, he still couldn't see through his little disciple. He couldn't help but feel like the waves behind push the waves ahead in this long river of time.
He remembered when Ning Qi, just six months old, had asked him about immortality. In a little over seven years, the boy had grown so much. If it hadn't all happened right before his eyes, he would never have believed it.
Ning Qi said earnestly:
"If not for Master, I wouldn't have grown this smoothly."
He didn't ask why Daoist Longshan came late at night.
Daoist Longshan didn't explain either.
Master and disciple, a tall and a small figure, unconsciously wandered out of the courtyard and strolled aimlessly along Zhenwu Mountain.
They talked about things that had happened recently, shared interesting stories from their cultivation, chatted about the Zhenwu Peach Gathering the disciples had organized, and spoke of the upcoming Heaven-Man Ceremony.
It was a comforting feeling.
Rare was such an opportunity between master and disciple.
Ning Qi had always been deeply grateful to Daoist Longshan. Not only had he been rescued from death, but he was also meticulously guided. Even though later there wasn't much more that could be taught, Daoist Longshan still did everything he could to create the best conditions for him—and never once interfered in his choices.
Such a master was near impossible to find in this world.
Seeing Daoist Longshan's hesitation, he chuckled lightly and took the initiative to say:
"Master, you want to talk about Blood Rain Pavilion, right?"
Daoist Longshan was stunned, then gave a helpless smile. He realized he wasn't even as decisive as an eight-year-old child—perhaps still affected by the matter with Qin Yun.
Daoist Longshan nodded solemnly:
"I told you once that I would help you avenge your family. Now that I've reached the Heaven-Man Realm, destroying Blood Rain Pavilion is no longer an issue. I don't want this matter to weigh on your heart for too long."
Ning Qi felt a bit touched.
Truthfully, he had thought about when to take revenge.
Back when he was still in the Inner Origin Realm, even though he could contend with the Qi Origin Realm, it wasn't stable enough. After advancing to the White Mist Realm, he felt confident he could easily suppress the Core Formation Realm, and so that thought had begun to resurface.
He hadn't forgotten what happened eight years ago, right after he crossed over.
That "Lord Feng" had once greatly feared Daoist Longshan, who was then at the Core Formation Realm. Now, eight years later, even if Lord Feng had made progress, at most he'd still be at the Core Formation Realm.
Ning Qi believed—killing him wouldn't be a problem.