Dragon Mountain Daoist Emerges from Seclusion

Time slowly passed.

Bright Martial Pavilion.

Dragon Mountain Daoist slowly opened his eyes and sighed softly. "The Heaven-Human Realm truly is as difficult as ascending to the heavens. I've been in the Core Formation Realm for more than ten years, but if I want my divine intent to resonate with heaven and earth, I'm still lacking a bit of refinement."

He gave a wry smile.

More than a month ago, after finishing Ning Qi's instruction, he had been quite stimulated. A faint sense of crisis had emerged within him, so he had taken advantage of that momentum and tried to break through the bottleneck in one go. Unexpectedly, he had still failed. The foundation he lacked would require time to slowly polish.

However, he had not grown discouraged.

The Heaven-Human Realm had a lifespan of up to eight hundred years. To a Heaven-Human Realm expert, a hundred years was still very young. Most Heaven-Human experts only achieved success around the age of two hundred, and some did not finally break through until their four-hundred-year lifespans were nearing their end.

Dragon Mountain Daoist was only a little over eighty—still very young.

He felt that he had been somewhat impatient lately, perhaps influenced by the increasingly chaotic situation in the Great Yan Dynasty.

He shook his head, realizing that this was not right.

Although this seclusion had not resulted in a breakthrough, it had not been without gains. At the very least, it had allowed him to straighten out his state of mind once more.

"More than a month has passed. I wonder how Little Nine is doing now? Little Nine has only just begun learning martial arts, yet I've been rather negligent as his master."

Dragon Mountain Daoist felt somewhat vexed.

When he recalled the scene of imparting martial arts that day, he could not help but smile helplessly. He had indeed been shaken at the time, making him think he had found an opportunity to break through the pass. That was why he had hurriedly entered seclusion.

"Little Nine is an unmatched piece of jade, with talent far surpassing mine. If he is properly nurtured, there's a great chance he'll become a Martial Saint!"

Dragon Mountain Daoist rose to his feet. His figure appeared at the pavilion entrance as though he had shrunk the earth beneath him. This was an extremely profound movement technique. He planned to first go see Ning Qi and fulfill his duty as a teacher. No matter how talented a disciple was, there would always be things he did not understand. Having practiced Stake Skill for so many years, Dragon Mountain Daoist had the advantage of standing on higher ground and would certainly have something worth Ning Qi learning.

He felt he needed to plan a suitable path for Ning Qi, lest such splendid talent go to waste.

Although the True Martial Sect occupied True Martial Mountain, in truth, it had only built pavilions in the mountain waist's most vital region.

Dragon Mountain Daoist and the nine True Disciples occupied the innermost area, while the residences of the other Inner and Outer Disciples were arranged progressively farther out.

Given Dragon Mountain Daoist's speed, it would not take long to reach the small courtyard where Ning Qi lived.

He wore a smile, his hands clasped behind his back. His Daoist Robe fluttered, and he possessed an Immortal-like Bearing.

He had already sensed the life force in the distance.

But suddenly, his expression changed.

"Roar!"

A faint dragon's roar rose from the courtyard ahead, carrying an indistinct hint of majesty.

"What is this..."

Dragon Mountain Daoist's pupils contracted sharply. His heart jolted, and his figure appeared silently outside the courtyard. What he saw at a glance immediately left his entire body frozen in place.

Within the courtyard,

White Mist billowed and churned incessantly. At times, dragon roars emerged from within, as if a young True Dragon were soaring and leaping through the sky.

With Dragon Mountain Daoist's eyesight, it was naturally not difficult for him to see that this was no young True Dragon, but his frighteningly talented little disciple.

At this moment, Ning Qi's Skin Membrane was translucent and jade-like, while the flesh beneath faintly reddened and throbbed without end.

Compared to a month ago,

Ning Qi's figure had grown somewhat taller and become much sturdier. Most eye-catching of all was his life force, which had become far more vigorous.

"Flesh Refining Realm?!"

Dragon Mountain Daoist's breathing quickened slightly.

Even his state of mind was on the verge of breaking under the strain. This speed was simply too outrageous. Although he had anticipated that Ning Qi's cultivation speed would surpass imagination, he was still frightened by it. He nearly thought he had remembered the dates incorrectly—that he had not been in seclusion for a month, but much longer.

But this was not what shocked him the most.

"This Stake Skill... isn't the Bi'an Pile!"

With Dragon Mountain Daoist's cultivation level, he immediately saw the foundation of the True Martial Nine Piles within this unfamiliar Stake Skill. He could see the shadows of nearly every type of Stake Skill.

Yet the more he watched, the more his heart pounded with alarm. The domineering force of its Body Tempering was far beyond what the True Martial Nine Piles could rival.

As he continued watching,

a sudden thunderbolt flashed through Dragon Mountain Daoist's mind, and his entire body began trembling with excitement.

"This is... the True Martial Stance?!"

His breathing quickened, and his emotions surged. The Breath Concealment Technique that had originally blended him into heaven and earth immediately fluctuated.

Ning Qi almost instantly sensed that another aura had appeared outside the courtyard. He stopped practicing his Stake Skill and shouted sharply:

"Who is it?!"

When his fierce gaze swept over, Ning Qi immediately froze. Then delight rose in his eyes.

"Master, you've emerged from seclusion? How did you come over without making a sound?"

He had only gone to ask the Eldest Senior Brother yesterday. He had not expected his master to emerge from seclusion today.

Dragon Mountain Daoist felt slightly awkward. He had originally wanted to observe his little disciple's martial progress in secret, so he could prepare himself for the instruction to come. He had not expected to witness such a shocking scene.

He had no time to worry about anything else.

In an instant, he appeared before Ning Qi.

He stared at Ning Qi and forcibly suppressed the excitement in his heart as he asked:

"Little Nine, tell your master—who was the expert who taught you the True Martial Stance? Is he still on True Martial Mountain? Did he say anything else?"

Dragon Mountain Daoist pressed him with question after question.

Ning Qi stood rooted to the spot.

He hesitated before asking:

"Master, which True Martial Stance are you talking about?"

"The Stake Skill you were practicing just now!"

Ning Qi suddenly understood. He instantly grasped a few things. His previous guess might have been close to the truth after all. Above the True Martial Nine Piles, there truly was an even stronger Stake Skill, seemingly called the True Martial Stance? But judging from his master's expression, this True Martial Stance was probably not in the True Martial Sect.

He answered truthfully:

"Master, this is the True Dragon Stance I created myself. It isn't the True Martial Stance you mentioned."

As soon as the words fell,

Dragon Mountain Daoist's twitching goatee froze. He looked at Ning Qi like a statue, suspecting that he had heard incorrectly.

"You said... you created this yourself?"

This was even more absurd than someone from the True Martial Sect having left behind a legacy in the mortal world and come to bestow it upon him. However, Dragon Mountain Daoist understood his disciple. Although Ning Qi was young, he was absolutely not someone who spouted nonsense.

Ning Qi had long since prepared himself to come clean with Dragon Mountain Daoist. At this moment, it was merely that Dragon Mountain Daoist had come looking for him first.

"Master, after you entered seclusion, I learned several other Stake Skills from the various Senior Brothers and Senior Sisters. After mastering all of the True Martial Nine Piles, I always felt there was some common thread connecting the nine Stake Skills. Eventually, I entered a state of sudden enlightenment and reverse-derived a Stake Skill..."

Ning Qi explained his thoughts and process for creating the True Dragon Stance.

At the same time, he presented a manual he had prepared long ago. It contained a detailed record of the True Dragon Stance.

Dragon Mountain Daoist finally recovered from his shaken state. He forcibly calmed himself, flipping through the manual in his hands while listening to his little disciple's explanation. The turmoil in his eyes had yet to subside.

Of course he knew that there was a common thread among the True Martial Nine Piles.

But knowing was one thing. To reverse-derive the True Martial Stance from them was no less difficult than creating an entirely new Peerless Stake Skill! It was simply a flight of fancy!