But the enemy isn't a wooden dummy who would just stand there waiting for Ning Qi to kill them.
In truth, as an assassin organization, Blood Rain Pavilion operated far more covertly than ordinary forces. The difficulty of revenge didn't lie in wiping them out, but in finding their base.
So Ning Qi had considered it, but never acted rashly. If he accidentally startled the enemy, they could go into hiding, making them even harder to track down later.
"Don't worry, Master. I remember this matter, but I won't let it mess with my mindset. Revenge is one of my goals, but it's not the whole reason I live."
Ning Qi said seriously.
Daoist Longshan felt a weight lift off his chest. What he feared most was Ning Qi holding a lifelong grudge. But after tonight's chat, he realized he had underestimated his little disciple's state of mind. That calm and steadfast will—it even made him feel slightly inferior.
"Blood Rain Pavilion's movements are secretive. After the Heaven-Man Ceremony ends, I'll start working on this. It won't take long before we have results. When the time comes, I'll assist you."
There was confidence in Daoist Longshan's tone.
At the end of the day, Blood Rain Pavilion was just a first-rate force. No matter their tricks, they were no match for someone in the Heaven-Man Realm. Plenty of people would be willing to do Daoist Longshan a favor.
Ning Qi nodded and said:
"Master, when the time comes, leave the 'Wind' from 'Wind, Rain, Thunder, Lightning' to me. I want to take that revenge myself."
Daoist Longshan froze.
The four gold-medal assassins—Wind, Rain, Thunder, Lightning—were all Qi Origin Realm experts. Especially that "Wind," who once assassinated a Core Formation Realm expert. That very battle had made Blood Rain Pavilion's name infamous, making many first-rate forces in Qingzhou extremely wary of them.
Now, hearing Ning Qi say this, he couldn't help but tense up.
"Qi'er, you..."
Ning Qi smiled softly and said:
"Master, I'm confident."
Daoist Longshan stared at Ning Qi, a ripple stirring in his heart. If someone else had said this, he wouldn't have believed it at all. An eight-year-old child, claiming he could defeat a Core Formation Realm expert?
It sounded like utter nonsense.
The fact that Ning Qi had previously killed Iron Eagle was already defying the heavens. But the gap between the White Mist Realm and the Core Formation Realm was vast—far from a small step. Even Daoist Longshan himself had taken decades to cross from White Mist to Core Formation.
But he knew Ning Qi never exaggerated.
"Truly?"
"Truly."
Ning Qi and Daoist Longshan looked each other in the eye, calm and full of confidence.
A moment later.
Daoist Longshan let out a light breath. He decided to test it himself.
No matter how much he trusted Ning Qi, he couldn't afford to be careless. Wanting to take revenge personally was good, but only if one had the strength.
Ning Qi's eyes also lit up with a bit of excitement. He had always been curious about a Heaven-Man Realm expert's strength, but had never had the chance.
"If it's too much, just tell me anytime."
"Okay."
Master and disciple stood facing each other, ten zhang apart.
As soon as the words fell.
Daoist Longshan's expression turned serious. His Daoist robe stirred slightly as the power of heaven and earth began to gather, descending like a massive mountain to suppress Ning Qi.
Ning Qi's body trembled. He immediately felt the invisible pressure.
Unlike the unconscious wave of heavenly power from when Daoist Longshan broke through, this time it was focused suppression. Ning Qi felt like he had fallen into a swamp.
He raised his hand slightly—it took several times more effort than usual.
His flesh quivered, his bones vibrated, and his spine cracked audibly.
Qi within him couldn't help but circulate automatically, resisting the omnipresent and growing pressure.
"No wonder Qi Origin Realm cultivators stand no chance against Heaven-Man experts. This isn't even in the same class of power," Ning Qi thought.
Just the suppression from heaven and earth was already terrifying. If it came to real combat, the outcome was obvious. No wonder Ning Qi had heard the Purple River Sword Master—who was at the Core Formation Realm—couldn't withstand a few moves before being killed by his master.
Imagine two adults wrestling, but one is tied up in ropes—wouldn't that be a slaughter?
Putting an average Qi Origin Realm expert up against someone in the Heaven-Man Realm was too cruel.
But Ning Qi was clearly not average.
The powerful Qi within him suddenly surged, forcefully pushing back the oppressive pressure. Daoist Longshan's eyes widened slightly, then immediately increased the intensity. A formless prison descended toward Ning Qi.
Ning Qi's Qi shifted—like clouds and mist, ethereal and elusive, like water and marsh, winding endlessly.
Daoist Longshan's eyes opened wider.
"What kind of Qi is this?"
His heavenly pressure landed, but it felt like he was trying to suppress a loach. The power couldn't stick—either bounced back, redirected, or absorbed. The Qi's nature was shockingly mysterious. It was clearly unlike any of the known cultivation techniques in the Zhenwu Sect.
Daoist Longshan was amazed. He had a sense now that Ning Qi was forging his own path.
Unconsciously, his robe billowed even more violently.
He wanted to test the limit of Ning Qi's Qi.
The power of heaven and earth surged fiercer. The wind howled around the cliffs. Though he hadn't personally made a move, Daoist Longshan was no longer holding anything back in terms of heavenly suppression.
Ning Qi was gradually reaching his limit. Resisting this shocking pressure consumed a tremendous amount of Qi every second. Even though his Qi was vast, this rate of consumption was wearing him down.
He was starting to see his limit.
"Heaven-Man Realm experts really are extraordinary. My Qi might be immense, but its quality still lags a bit. Being able to last this long is already impressive."
"Unless I use either the Ape King True Form or Unity of Heaven and Man—those two secret arts—only then could I tear through this pressure. Or maybe if I advance to the Jade Liquid Realm, where my Qi would undergo a qualitative leap."
"In other words, if I went all out, I might barely be able to fight a newly advanced Heaven-Man expert like Master. Winning is uncertain, but I definitely wouldn't die. Escaping wouldn't be hard either."
Ning Qi smiled inwardly. He now had a much clearer grasp of his strength.
At this rate, even without Daoist Longshan's help, he could easily destroy Blood Rain Pavilion.
With that thought, Ning Qi spoke:
"Master, I can't hold on much longer."
This wasn't a life-or-death battle—there was no need to use his trump cards.
Daoist Longshan slowly withdrew the heavenly pressure. He let out a breath as well. Ning Qi's performance was just too monstrous. If the kid hadn't admitted defeat soon, he might've been forced to take action himself.
Daoist Longshan was filled with awe.
Ning Qi was only eight!
And yet, his performance today—even if compared to Daoist Longshan's own pre-Heaven-Man days—was no less, perhaps even better. Back then, he had already been over eighty years old!
Looking at it like that, he felt like he had lived in vain.
Ning Qi smiled and asked:
"Master, what do you think?"
Meeting that expectant gaze, Daoist Longshan cleared his throat and tried to keep a calm face:
"Not bad."
He turned away, hands clasped behind his back.
"Not bad" didn't begin to cover it—this was monstrous. Taking on a Core Formation Realm expert would be no issue at all.
"Later on, the Blood Rain Pavilion's gold-medal assassin 'Wind' will be yours to handle."
Daoist Longshan's tone was calm, but the curve at the corner of his lips betrayed his mood completely.