Protector of the Dao

Protector of the Dao

In all the years since he had obtained the True Martial Inheritance, he had tried as well, but no matter how he scratched his ears and cheeks in frustration, it was useless. He had thought that perhaps after advancing to Heaven-Man, there might be the faintest sliver of hope, but most likely it would still come to nothing. Perhaps only a Martial Saint could do it.

Yet he had never expected this.

After he had gone into seclusion for a month, this True Martial Stance had actually appeared before his eyes in this way.

When he had first seen Ning Qi cultivating this stance skill, Dragon Mountain Daoist's first reaction had been that some peerless expert left behind by the True Martial Sect had arrived, which was why he had asked those questions earlier.

Only now did he know that this was something his little disciple had created himself.

He looked at the manual in his hands.

Gradually, he sank into it.

"So that's how it is!"

"Brilliant!"

"A stroke of divine inspiration!"

He sat on the stone block beside him, slapping his thigh from time to time.

Solving the problem while looking at the answer was always faster.

No matter what, he was a Top Expert of the Core Formation Realm, and he was incomparably familiar with the True Martial Nine Piles. In the past, he had tried to deduce it many times and had even found several vague directions. Now that he saw this stance-skill manual, he could naturally immediately discern the exquisite wonders within.

Those wondrous, fantastical ideas left him gasping in admiration.

At last.

Dragon Mountain Daoist let out a long sigh and closed the manual. His gaze, faintly complicated, turned toward Ning Qi.

Originally, he had felt that if Ning Qi followed the path he had planned for him, there was an extremely high chance he would become a Martial Saint in the future.

But now he felt.

For Ning Qi to become a Martial Saint in the future was already as certain as a board with nails hammered in, and even stepping above Martial Saint in the future would not be anything strange.

Such Comprehension was truly too heaven-defying!

He could no longer guess Ning Qi's upper limit.

At this moment.

Dragon Mountain Daoist thought of the day Ning Qi had asked for longevity.

A phrase suddenly surged into his mind.

How could sparrows and swallows know the ambitions of a swan?

He could not help giving a wry smile.

"As Master says, this stance skill should be named True Martial Stance?"

Ning Qi's curious question pulled Dragon Mountain Daoist's thoughts back.

He smiled and patted the stone block beside him. Only after seeing Ning Qi sit down did he continue:

"Little Nine, do you still remember Master telling you that the stance skills under heaven are divided into upper, middle, and lower grades?"

"Your disciple remembers."

"But now, your master is telling you that apart from these upper, middle, and lower-grade stance skills, there is actually another kind of extremely rare stance skill unknown to most, called a peerless stance skill!"

"Looking across the world, the forces that possess peerless stance skills can be counted on one hand. At least, of the ones your master knows, only two places definitely have them: the Great Flame Imperial Family has one, and the Demonic Sect has one. As for the rest, Great Enlightenment Temple, Sword Inquiry Pavilion, and other such sects have at most half-step peerless ones."

Hearing Dragon Mountain Daoist begin to speak of the hidden secrets of the world, Ning Qi's eyes instantly lit up.

"And when our True Martial Sect was at its peak in the past, it also had a peerless stance skill."

Looking at Ning Qi's bright eyes, a smile appeared on Dragon Mountain Daoist's face:

"That's right. It was the True Martial Stance!"

"The True Martial Nine Piles your master passed down to you all actually originated from the True Martial Stance. It is the general outline, and it is also peerless. Those who practice it can forge a peerless foundation and have a greater hope of reaching the summit as a Martial Saint. Unfortunately, when your master obtained the True Martial Inheritance back then, there were only the True Martial Nine Piles, without the general outline. I have always regarded that as a regret."

"But I never expected that you would actually comprehend it."

"Perhaps this is the will of heaven."

Dragon Mountain Daoist smiled as he stroked Ning Qi's head.

"Master, you mean the True Dragon Stance I created is the True Martial Stance?"

"That's right. There was a description in the True Martial Inheritance: the True Martial Stance can obtain True Dragon Divine Will. Even if the stance skill you created is not completely identical to the True Martial Stance, it is absolutely not too far off. However, since this stance skill was created by you, from now on it shall be called the True Dragon Stance."

"Speaking of which, your master actually feels that the name True Dragon Stance is even more fitting. Just as the Bi'an Pile can obtain Bi'an Divine Will, since what is obtained is True Dragon Divine Will, it should naturally be called True Dragon Stance."

Dragon Mountain Daoist respected Ning Qi greatly.

He chuckled, in a very good mood.

Ning Qi also smiled. He had finally resolved the question in his heart and knew that above the True Martial Nine Piles, there was indeed an even more powerful stance skill. It was just somewhat regrettable that his master did not have it, so he could not take it out and compare them against each other for verification.

Hearing Dragon Mountain Daoist's words, Ning Qi shook his head and said, "Since it was called the True Martial Stance in ancient times, then from now on it will be the True Martial Stance. Master, please keep it well. In the future, if there are suitable Junior Brothers and Sisters, you can pass it on to them."

As for those Senior Brothers and Senior Sisters, they had all already stepped into the Inner Yuan Realm and had no way to recultivate.

Ning Qi did not care what this stance skill was called. It was a trivial matter.

Dragon Mountain Daoist looked at Ning Qi and laughed heartily.

The name truly was a trivial matter, but from it, he saw Ning Qi's intentions.

He did not accept the secret manual, only saying, "This True Martial Stance can only be handed over to your disciples and descendants to practice."

Ning Qi said in surprise, "Why?"

Dragon Mountain Daoist's gaze grew distant.

"Do you still remember your master once saying that the True Martial Nine Sons could rival a Martial Saint?"

"Your disciple remembers."

"In truth, in the True Martial Sect of old, besides the True Martial Nine Sons, there was an even more powerful hidden existence: the True Martial Protector! Protecting the Dao, protecting the Dao—not escorting and shielding any one person, but protecting the True Martial Inheritance!"

"What the Protector cultivated was the True Martial Stance. Though the Peerless Stake Skill is powerful, its requirements are also high. In each generation there was only one Protector, and he was almost certain to become a Martial Saint!"

Ning Qi was somewhat surprised.

"In that case, at the height of the True Martial Sect, didn't it have the combat strength of two Martial Saints?"

"Exactly!"

"With a True Martial Sect that powerful, how did it end up buried in the long river of history?"

Ning Qi was somewhat puzzled. By now, he already knew that becoming a Martial Saint was no easy feat. Looking across ancient history, in some eras there had even been only one Martial Saint suppressing all under heaven. Even in eras when the martial path flourished, the number might not have exceeded the fingers of two hands.

By rights, with such a foundation, the True Martial Sect should have been able to continue on forever, shouldn't it?

Dragon Mountain Daoist shook his head slightly.

"Perhaps it was internal strife, perhaps it met with some accident. The truth is no longer known to anyone. It was not mentioned in the inheritance your master obtained back then."

Ning Qi suppressed the guesses in his heart, then heard Dragon Mountain Daoist's expression gradually turn solemn.

"Ning Qi, are you willing to become the True Martial Sect's Protector of this generation?"

There was some expectation in Dragon Mountain Daoist's eyes.

Originally, without the True Martial Stance, he naturally had never thought about the matter of the Protector. But now, was there anyone more suited to be the Protector than Ning Qi? As long as Ning Qi grew up, the True Martial Sect would have no worries for a lifetime.

At that moment, Ning Qi immediately understood why Dragon Mountain Daoist had said the True Martial Stance could only be practiced by their later disciples and descendants.

So he had already had this thought.

Ning Qi did not hesitate.

He rose, his expression solemn.

"Your disciple is willing!"

A person had to know gratitude. Dragon Mountain Daoist had saved his life, protected him, and even taught him with painstaking care. All his Senior Brothers and Senior Sisters doted on him beyond measure. Even if he were not some Protector, he absolutely would not sit by and watch if something happened to the True Martial Sect.

This was not something that conflicted with anything to begin with. Now, it was merely that he had a more proper and justified identity.

Dragon Mountain Daoist laughed loudly.

"Good! Very good!"

"Little Nine, keep this secret manual yourself. If in the future you encounter a suitable candidate for Protector, then pass it on to him. As for everyone else, there is no need to tell them."

"Yes, your disciple will remember."

Master and disciple looked at each other and smiled.