Chapter 116: Chapter 102 Jade Liquid
Ning Qi arrived upon hearing the news.
Just as he reached the courtyard of Jiang Baishan, he heard the hearty laughter of his senior brother:
"Old Five, are you saying you got yourself beaten by a little girl?"
Ning Qi walked into the courtyard and saw Jiang Baishan with his left arm wrapped in layers of white cloth, looking a bit disheveled.
"What happened here?"
Ning Qi became somewhat curious.
Originally, he thought the matter was serious, but seeing his senior brother and fifth brother like this, it didn’t seem too severe; instead, he wanted to know what Jiang Baishan had gone through. A master of the White Mist Realm shouldn’t be this embarrassed, right?
Jiang Baishan, upon seeing Ning Qi, became even more embarrassed but still slowly recounted the events.
Ning Qi’s expression gradually turned peculiar.
So, it turned out.
Jiang Baishan’s recent descent from the mountain had been smooth, everything going well. He was even helping Ning Qi gather strange tales about the Martial Saint, but one night, while traversing through the mountains, he came upon a secluded pool and decided to take a bath.
Who would have thought that during the bath, he accidentally emerged from the other side, finding himself face to face with a woman in her natural state?
The consequences were as expected.
The woman was no easy mark; her cultivation was not low. She chased Jiang Baishan with her sword for a month.
Jiang Baishan felt guilty, thinking that since he had seen the woman’s body, he shouldn’t retaliate. But he never expected to almost lose his left arm to her sword. In the end, it was thanks to the Blood Burning Pill Ning Qi gave him that he managed to escape her.
Ning Qi’s expression grew even stranger, while Luo Wentian couldn’t hold back his laughter and teased:
"Old Five, oh Old Five, you’re usually so decisive in battle, yet you showed mercy to a woman. I bet that woman must be a stunning beauty, making you so reluctant to harm her."
Jiang Baishan’s face turned slightly red, then he retorted fiercely:
"Nonsense! I felt guilty first, so I kept letting her off. Just wait; once I heal and go down the mountain again, I’ll teach her a harsh lesson."
He felt a bit humiliated.
Ning Qi chuckled softly but thought that this woman indeed had a ruthless side — she genuinely wanted to hack him. If Fifth Brother hadn’t dodged quickly, he might have lost an arm.
"Fifth Brother, you’d better heal up first before anything else."
Jiang Baishan patted his chest decisively and said:
"Little Junior Brother, don’t worry. This time, I won’t hold back. I’ll strip that little vixen naked and throw her into the river!"
The three of them joked around a bit before discussing more serious matters.
"However, during this descent, I found that the Great Yan Dynasty is indeed different from a few years ago."
Luo Wentian asked with concern:
"How so?"
Currently overseeing many aspects of the True Martial Sect, he was particularly concerned about such matters.
"This time I went to Chu State, and if a few years ago the Demon Sect was just a fleeting rumor, now they are much more frequent, found in prefectures, counties, and cities. The Demon Sect’s reach has extended to many areas, suggesting that their century of recuperation should not be underestimated."
"The Imperial Court and the Demon Sect are subtly clashing, with some areas already vaguely under the Demon Sect’s control. I originally thought the Demon Sect was no match for the Imperial Court, but now it seems otherwise. The recent wartime truce by the Imperial Court might also stem from concern over this."
After all, even if Celestial Beings are mighty, if the dynasty’s foundation is controlled, it would be difficult to sustain.
You can’t just destroy cities and states with a single strike.
The Great Yan evidently doesn’t want its own realm to be left in ruins, so it’s trying to find a solution.
"Moreover, the Martial Realm is much more chaotic than before. Many martial sects, taking advantage of the conflict between the Demon Sect and the Imperial Court, started to eliminate dissent and settle old scores. The fighting is far more frequent, and tales of annihilated sects are common. It seems there’s a great upheaval on the horizon."
"I wonder if it will be like a hundred years ago when the Great Yan Martial Saint intervened to stabilize the world."
At this, Jiang Baishan lowered his voice and said:
"There are vague rumors in the Martial Realm that the Great Yan Martial Saint has long since perished, though it’s unsure if they’re true."
Luo Wentian seemed a bit worried.
He was pondering what path the True Martial Sect should take amidst such a situation.
Even with the backing of his master and True Man Tianjian, two Celestial Human Realm experts, caution was necessary.
Ning Qi quietly listened.
He felt that the current turmoil would last for some time, and the situation was far from clear. From the previous truce between the Imperial Court and Demon Sect, it was evident that both sides were still restraining themselves, brewing something.
As for the rumor of the Great Yan Martial Saint’s fall?
Ning Qi felt it was likely untrue. Thinking from another perspective, if it were his time to go, he would at least clear a path for those after him, rather than slipping away silently.
Ning Qi wasn’t overly worried.
In another two or three years, as long as he reached the Celestial Human Realm, protecting the True Martial Sect shouldn’t be difficult.
Jiang Baishan’s injuries weren’t too severe. After a month, he descended the mountain again, eager to redeem his previous disgrace, while also promising Ning Qi that this time he would bring back more information about the Martial Saint Realm.
Ning Qi merely nodded with a smile and then gave him two more Blood Burning Pills, urging him to stay safe.
He wasn’t particularly worried. Jiang Baishan was strong, and having seen his wounds, although they looked vicious, the other party had actually shown restraint. In this light, the two seemed a bit like old foes.
...
Time passed quietly.
The chill of autumn slowly set in.
Thanks to the dual effects of the Thousand-Year Flame Sun Jade and Blood Sun Ginseng, Taoist Longshan’s injuries healed faster than expected.
He hadn’t forgotten his promise to Ning Qi. After explaining the situation to Ning Qi, he quietly descended the mountain to trace the whereabouts of the Blood Rain Tower.
Such assassin organizations are extremely secretive.
To destroy the Blood Rain Tower, with their strength, it wouldn’t be difficult, but the premise is to first find the Blood Rain Tower and find the culprit who annihilated the Snow Plum Manor back then.
Fortunately, over the years, Taoist Longshan has many friends who can help.
Ning Qi is very grateful for this.
If he were to search by himself, it would probably take a lot of effort, and he might not even find it.
In his spare time, he is attempting to simplify several secret techniques that he knows, intending to hand them over to Taoist Longshan later. It’s not that he doesn’t want to teach the full version, but due to others’ lack of comprehension, they wouldn’t be able to learn it.
As for the numerous Martial Arts Secret Techniques that Ning Qi placed in the Scripture Pavilion, he had already informed Taoist Longshan, who then informed Luo Wentian to handle them properly.
Although he hopes for the disciples of the True Martial Sect to become stronger, there must be corresponding regulations. Otherwise, if everyone becomes complacent with ready-made ultimate skills and secret techniques, the sect would not be far from extinction.
During this period.
When Ning Qi had just swallowed the sixth Golden Jade Pill, Ye Qinghe also returned to the mountain.
Her situation was much better than Jiang Baishan’s. This journey down the mountain brought her opportunities, and she has already touched upon the chance to advance to the Gang Essence Realm. Upon returning to the mountain, she only needs to take a Gang Condensing Pill to accelerate this process and smoothly become the fourth Gang Essence Realm expert of the True Martial Sect.
However.
Before entering seclusion, Ye Qinghe sought out Ning Qi.
"Jiu, during my trip down the mountain, I passed through a small town and heard from a blind old man about a rumor concerning a Martial Saint. It’s said that it is the hometown of that Martial Saint, and someone once saw the Martial Saint in his old age, a fleeting glance, incredibly aged. It seems that the Martial Saint did not ascend, and ultimately his whereabouts became unknown."
"This rumor has been passed down by word of mouth for many years, and it’s unknown how much truth there is to it."
Ye Qinghe felt a bit embarrassed.
With great ambition before descending the mountain, only to realize how scarce the information about the Martial Saint was after descending, and this rumor was the only one vaguely relevant.
She felt a bit sorry towards her little junior brother.
Ning Qi inquired about the location of that small town and expressed that he liked hearing such rumors, which brought joy back to Ye Qinghe.
After Ye Qinghe left, Ning Qi fell into contemplation.
This rumor at least offered two points for Ning Qi to ponder.
"Firstly, the Martial Saint’s Three Flowers of Essence, Qi, and Spirit is at Perfection. Logically speaking, even if approaching life’s end, the physical body shouldn’t just wither, right? Could it be that he was severely injured?"
"Secondly, the Martial Saint did not ascend? Is it due to insufficient realm, or other reasons?"
Ning Qi silently noted down this information.
He simply placed a mental question mark since it was a rumor Ye Qinghe heard, and its authenticity was unknown. If there’s an opportunity, he could visit that small town himself to see.
Shaking his head.
Ning Qi temporarily set these matters aside.
This is destined to be a long exploration process. If by then he has not found more records regarding the Martial Saint Realm, he would set out personally to search. However, that would be after he sets foot on the Celestial Human Realm.
Only then would he have enough confidence.
Inner observation.
His internal Gang Qi had surged significantly compared to when he initially entered the White Mist Realm, and the dantian area was shrouded in white mist, already shining with a luster. After months of cultivation, aided by the Heaven and Earth Grinding Wheel’s Quenching Gang Technique and the Golden Jade Pill, Ning Qi’s progress was exceptionally rapid.
If ordinary people saw such immense Gang Qi within Ning Qi, they would probably be speechless in shock.
"Now it’s the last Golden Jade Pill, and in half a month to a month, I can attempt White Mist transforming into Jade Liquid."
Ning Qi was somewhat expectant.
This would be a qualitative transformation.
The Gang Qi of the Jade Liquid Realm would be much stronger and gradually possess a wonderful spirituality. For ordinary Jade Liquid Realm experts, this spirituality might only make their Gang Qi more nimble, but with Ning Qi’s exceptionally vast amount of Gang Qi, it could possibly offer more wondrous phenomena, perhaps enabling him to accomplish things previously impossible.
...
Time passed slowly.
The peach trees outside the Seeking Tao Institute gradually withered, life faded, and a cold wind howled, with sporadic small snowflakes falling.
Ning Qi stood within the Seeking Tao Institute, experimenting with improvements to the Cyan Profound Body Protection Technique.
A faint cyan light intermittently appeared on his body surface, occasionally solidifying, exuding a sense of heaviness. Ning Qi integrated the essence of mountains and the Profound Turtle’s intent, significantly increasing the defense, now reaching seventy percent of the Cyan Profound Treasure Armor’s defense capability.
"But... it’s already at its limit."
Ning Qi sighed.
Further improvements wouldn’t be cost-effective, as spending a great amount of time might only yield minimal enhancements, making it unworthy.
The reason lies in.
Ning Qi’s Gang Qi quality setting its limit.
Even if it’s a piece of paper, no matter how folded, there’s always a limit; if it’s iron, it would be entirely different.
If one wishes to make the Cyan Profound Body Protection Technique more potent, they must enhance the Gang Qi quality.
Fortunately, it’s not difficult.
A slight smile appeared on Ning Qi’s lips.
He stood with hands behind his back, looking up at the sky. As the sparse snow turned heavier, with a thought, he instantly entered the Realm of Celestial Being Unity.
The Heaven and Earth Grinding Wheel gathered around his whole body.
His Gang Qi, already immense to an incredible extent, started rotating in a wondrous manner. The Myriad Phenomena True Gang technique operated, the white mist continually compressed and condensed, everything falling into place and following its natural course.
Drip!
In the dantian, a drop of liquid with a jade-like luster splashed, and waves of Gang Qi ripples spread outwards, initiating the transformation process.
White Mist transforming into Jade Liquid, and so it is.