True Dragon Stance

True Dragon Stance

Within Ning Qi's small courtyard.

The roars of Exotic Beasts, sometimes low and sometimes shrill, rang out from time to time. If anyone had been present, they would surely have gaped in shock.

Ning Qi's gaze was solemn and focused. His entire being had already immersed itself completely in the world of Stake Skills.

At times, he roared like Bi An; at times, he leaped like Suan Ni; at times, he stood firm as Ba Xia suppressing the sea; at times, he crossed water like Qiu Niu...

He had practiced the True Martial Nine Piles until he could wield and withdraw them entirely at will. Even switching Divine Intent was incomparably smooth. One move would be the Bi'an Pile, and the next would become the Chiwen Stance. The nine originally distinct Stake Skills now seemed like a single one, as though they had fused into one whole.

If the True Disciples had seen this, they would probably have begun to Doubt life.

Ning Qi's eyes gleamed brightly.

Spiritual Light continuously flickered through his mind.

"Not enough! Still not enough!"

"It may seem that I've fused the nine Stake Skills into one, but that is merely an outward appearance. Though combining several of their advantages has further improved my skin-tempering efficiency, it is still far from what I expected. It has yet to break free of the scope of superior Stake Skills."

Ning Qi practiced his Stake Skills as he thought. Having reached his current level, he hardly needed to think about several of them at all; following instinct was enough.

At this moment.

Ning Qi's Skin Membrane constantly surged, a terrifying sight. His reddened Skin Membrane had already taken on an iron hue, brimming with a powerful texture.

Ten days passed.

He advanced another step, reaching the Ironhide Realm. Beyond this realm, blades and swords could scarcely wound him.

Though still young, his combat strength had already surpassed that of many adults.

Such cultivation speed was already astonishingly fast, yet Ning Qi remained dissatisfied.

"There is clearly some sort of pattern among the True Martial Nine Piles. Simply merging their outward forms is useless. The key lies in Divine Intent!"

After stepping into the Ironhide Realm yesterday, Ning Qi felt distinctly different when looking upon the True Martial Nine Piles again.

The process of Body Tempering was also a process of comprehension.

The higher one stood, the farther one could see.

If Ning Qi were currently in the Inner Yuan Realm and had fully experienced the Body Tempering process once, he felt that grasping the connection between the True Martial Nine Piles might take only a quarter of an hour, perhaps even less.

No matter how strong one's Comprehension was, it still required sufficient knowledge and foundations to support it.

After all, Stake Skills were not merely for Skin Refinement; they encompassed the entire Body Tempering process.

However.

Ten days of study were enough.

The Spiritual Light in Ning Qi's mind grew ever more vigorous. With a thought, Divine Intent descended upon him and shifted continuously. Later, it gradually began to merge—not forcibly kneaded together, but taking the essence of each and transforming it into something new.

"Bi An's fierceness, Ba Xia's heaviness, Chao Feng's agility, Qiu Niu's steadiness, Ya Zi's savagery..."

"The Nine Sons of the Dragon each have their differences, yet all were born from the body of the True Dragon!"

"Tracing things back to their origin, it is... the True Dragon!"

The instant Ning Qi comprehended it.

The roars of Exotic Beasts within the courtyard vanished, replaced by an incomparably majestic dragon's cry that resounded through the air.

The rate at which Ning Qi's sweat evaporated suddenly accelerated, turning into White Mist that shrouded him and concealed his true appearance. His every movement gradually changed. They stemmed from the True Martial Nine Piles, yet were utterly different. From afar, it looked as though a young True Dragon were soaring through the White Mist.

Ning Qi felt incomparably exhilarated.

This was a Stake Skill he had created himself, so he immediately attained its highest realm. His Body Tempering efficiency surged once more, feeling fully twice as great as before! "Wonderful! Wonderful! Wonderful!"

Ning Qi laughed heartily in delight.

He did not stop, practicing until he was utterly exhausted before leaping, still wanting more, into the Medicinal Bath he had prepared long ago.

He closed his eyes.

Ning Qi was still somewhat excited.

The sense of accomplishment from solving a difficult problem after painstaking contemplation was in no way inferior to a breakthrough in cultivation, perhaps even greater. It was somewhat like the exhilaration of solving an extremely difficult mathematics problem in high school in his previous life—only far more intense.

"I can now say for certain that above the True Martial Nine Piles, there must be an even stronger Stake Skill!"

"In a sense, I Reverse Derived it. I wonder whether this True Dragon Stance I created is the same as the Original Version—stronger, or weaker?"

"Perhaps... I should ask Master?"

The thought surfaced involuntarily.

Yet he felt he might not receive an answer.

He had previously heard Eldest Senior Brother Luo Wentian say that the True Martial Inheritance obtained by their master, the Dragon Mountain Daoist, seemed incomplete, lacking certain more fundamental things.

Besides.

From Ning Qi's understanding of the Dragon Mountain Daoist.

He felt that his master was not someone who would hold something back. If there truly were a Stake Skill stronger than the True Martial Nine Piles, he would certainly have revealed it long ago.

Still, he planned to find time to ask. If such a Stake Skill truly existed, it could mutually verify the True Dragon Stance he had created. Perhaps that would make the True Dragon Stance even stronger.

Though the True Dragon Stance could already be called a Peerless Stake Skill, Ning Qi still wanted to see whether he could continue strengthening it.

Furthermore.

Ning Qi felt it was necessary to reveal some of his cultivation progress to the Dragon Mountain Daoist. This concerned whether he could gain greater freedom afterward.

As for his other Senior Brothers and Senior Sister, he did not intend to tell them what realm he had reached for the time being.

Ning Qi was afraid of dealing them a blow.

His other Senior Brothers and Senior Sister were fine. When he saw them again, they acted as usual. But Eighth Senior Brother had been rather strange that day. Only when Ning Qi went to find Qin Yun again another day did he discover that Eighth Senior Brother had entered seclusion once more.

Could he have been provoked?

Ning Qi found it rather puzzling and planned to visit him again later.

"Once Master emerges from seclusion, I'll first speak to him about the True Martial Stance and the Improved Body Tempering Powder."

Ning Qi cast aside his Distractions, emptied his mind, and focused on the Medicinal Bath.

A burning, stinging pain came from his Skin Membrane, yet he relished it. It was a sign that he was gradually growing stronger.

Time slipped away in the blink of an eye.

Another eight days passed.

Ning Qi did not wait for the Dragon Mountain Daoist to emerge from seclusion. Instead, he was the first to step into the Jadehide Realm.

It had taken him ten days to advance from Stone Skin Realm to the Ironhide Realm, yet advancing from the Ironhide Realm to the Jadehide Realm took only eight days. One of those days had even been specially used to recultivate the first three realms once. This showed just how formidable the True Dragon Stance was.

Ning Qi curiously examined the skin covering his body.

It was fair as precious jade, completely different from before.

Yet the Jadehide Realm was the realm of Skin Refinement perfection. Not only were blades and swords unable to easily harm it, it could also withstand the impact of tremendous force—hard when needed, soft when needed.

Moreover, Ning Qi cultivated the Peerless Stake Skill known as the True Dragon Stance. His foundation was far more solid than that of others.

"Next comes the Flesh Refining Realm!"

"Strictly speaking, reaching perfection in Skin Refinement took me only a month, perhaps even less. At this pace, one realm per month—wouldn't a single year be enough to complete the Body Tempering Grand Realm and give birth to Inner Yuan?"

Ning Qi was initially somewhat delighted, but then shook his head.

"No. Body Tempering begins easy and grows difficult. The farther one advances, the more time it takes. Especially in the later realms, which go deep into the body, one must be exceedingly careful."

"And the fundamental reason I possess such swift speed now is that the moment I stepped onto the Martial Path, I had already comprehended a Stake Skill at Divine Intent Perfection. I even created a Peerless Stake Skill like the True Dragon Stance."

"But thinking carefully, Eighth Senior Brother is likewise extraordinarily gifted. He came into contact with the Martial Dao at seven years old, and in three or four years he could likely cultivate the Yazi Stance to Divine Intent Perfection. Yet even so, it still took him a full eleven years to complete Body Tempering and give birth to Inner Yuan. That shows how difficult the later stages are."

"Still, my speed will be much faster. My Martial Path has only just begun. Later, I will have more time to create methods and accelerate my progress."

"The True Dragon Stance is not my limit."

Ning Qi's gaze was resolute and confident.