Inheritance

The giant tortoise before him was a hundred feet tall, with thick, ancient shells. It came riding the waves like a small mountain, exuding a strong sense of oppression. Although Ning Qi had never seen Martial Saint, he was absolutely certain that this was Martial Saint- level giant tortoise.

Ning Qi's expression instantly turned serious.

To be honest, this was beyond his expectations.

Based on the increase in strength in each of the previous stages, he originally thought that the opponent in this final stage should be at the level of the Grand Elder of the Demon Sect after using the Yu Wang Pearl. Considering the soaring difficulty of the Little True Martial Seal in the final stage of the Nine Enlightenment Stages, he was already prepared to deal with a fake saint.

But to my utter surprise...

What emerged was a true Martial Saint- level giant tortoise!

The spiritual energy emanating from his entire body was unmistakable, possessing a sense of endless vitality, which was different from the false saint that the old Bai Shan had mentioned before.

He scrutinized the giant tortoise before him. There was a hint of indifference in its eyes. It was different from the giant tortoises that had been like Puppet before. It clearly had a lot more intelligence. For some reason, Ning Qi felt that the giant tortoise was looking at him with some ill intent.

He took a deep breath, and his entire body was fully alert.

This opponent is far too powerful, requiring him to go all out. Even he himself is not entirely confident, since he had already tried before and found that he could not rely on the power of the Yu King Pearl in this trial.

"Wanting a Celestial Person Realm martial artist to defeat a true Martial Saint? Looking across the world, it's impossible for anyone to do that. This True Martial Inheritance is probably going to be cut off here," Ning Qi thought to himself.

He didn't think anyone else could achieve such a feat, not even the so-called ancient sages; there was absolutely no way they could, not even a sliver of hope.

Only those who understand these two realms know the true extent of the gap between the Celestial Person Realm and the Martial Saint.

but.

I don't know when.

Ning Qi Qi's fighting spirit gradually rose.

Such an opponent is hard to find.

"Come on, let's see where my limits are!"

The Martial Saint Giant Turtle seemed to sense Ning Qi's fighting spirit. Its eyes seemed to be filled with disdain. It let out a deep roar that shook the sea. Columns of water shot into the sky like raging dragons, trying to strangle Ning Qi. The simple water columns were powerful under the enhancement of spiritual power, capable of instantly killing the top ten experts on the Celestial Person Ranking.

It itself sat upright in the void, like a rock calming the sea, watching Ning Qi with amusement.

Ning Qi quickly squeezed his hands together.

He was Divine Intent and gave it his all for the first time.

The immense power of heaven and earth converged, though its quality was inferior to spiritual energy, its sheer magnitude was breathtaking. An ancient seal materialized and pressed down, freezing even the void itself.

Ning Qi used the Lesser True Martial Seal, which he had just learned. He had gained further insights during the previous battle and improved it even more, making it significantly more effective at suppressing the void.

One by one, the sea dragons were shattered by the suppressing force, but the ancient seal was also on the verge of collapse.

The giant tortoise, which had initially looked mocking, suddenly showed a hint of surprise.

Ning Qi, who had been observing all along, suddenly realized that he had used the Lesser True Martial Seal first to test the waters.

"This giant tortoise can clearly recognize the Little True Martial Seal, and it's different from the previous ones. Could those previous ones have been projections or some kind of creation of its? Could it be that I angered this giant tortoise by blasting those giant tortoises to pieces in my haste, causing it to personally intervene?"

In an instant, Ning Qi seemed to understand something.

He couldn't help but smile bitterly to himself; this was truly an undeserved disaster.

But it's too late for regrets now.

The giant tortoise's body trembled, and the water columns that were about to disintegrate instantly merged into one, transforming into a ferocious sea dragon that pounced on Ning Qi. Its aura was incredibly powerful, far surpassing that of those so-called beast kings, and spatial rifts spread out, preventing Ning Qi from being distracted.

Ning Qi made a decisive decision.

The three flowers converge at the top, the bridge between heaven and Celestial Person operates, and the vast power of heaven and earth gathers in. Moreover, the three flowers vibrate at a special frequency, like a purifier, making each stream of heaven and earth power more resilient and stronger.

This is the result of the experiments conducted with the Demon Blade during this period.

It can be considered a byproduct of studying the methods of the Martial Saint.

It is also incredibly effective in combat.

One after another, heavenly swords materialized, carrying an unparalleled sharpness. Ning Qi's Sword Intent grew stronger every day, and the power of the Heavenly Sword Technique also increased.

A hint of surprise was clearly visible in the giant tortoise's eyes.

In the blink of an eye.

The Heavenly Swords were already scattered across the sky like stars.

One hundred paths!

A thousand paths!

Ten thousand paths!

One after another, celestial swords swept across the sky, their unparalleled sharpness intertwined. The mere passive fluctuations of Sword Qi had already formed a dense net of swords, and cracks were faintly rising in the void. Compared to his previous battle with the Grand Elder of the Demon Sect, Ning Qi had not only reached the Perfection of Celestial Person, but many of his secret techniques had also advanced further, making his combat power completely different from before.

The giant tortoise's eyes had long lost their mocking intent.

The sea dragon roared, whipping up giant waves that crashed against it, the oppressive feeling striking straight to the soul.

But with a thought, Ning Qi's Heavenly Swords split into hundreds of Sword Qi, totaling a million densely packed Sword Qi, forming a terrifying sword net, with each energie intertwined with the others.

The void itself was shattered to pieces.

The giant wave was completely shredded into powder by the Sword Qi, and the Sword Qi was even changing. The roaring sea dragon was also trapped in it. The Sword Qi bombarded it, and the spiritual energy fluctuations in the sea dragon could easily annihilate the sword Sword Qi. However, there were just too many Sword Qi energies. Even if the sea dragon had a high level of power, it was gradually worn down.

The ocean churned and pounded, and the giant turtle's heart trembled.

The young Daoist priest before me was indeed extraordinary, beyond my imagination.

The mockery in its eyes had vanished. If it had initially come out intending to teach this kid a lesson, upon seeing the familiar Little True Martial Seal, it realized that Ning Qi was no ordinary person. Now, it was even more aware of Ning Qi as an opponent worthy of serious consideration.

"To think that someone at the Celestial Person Realm could be this powerful is truly an anomaly."

The giant tortoise also became arrogant.

Seeing the sea dragon being pulverized within the Sword Qi cage, it finally moved.

Buzz!

A series of unusual fluctuations spread outwards.

The giant tortoise moved its four limbs in a seemingly slow motion, but in reality, it was extremely fast.

The moves were simple and unadorned, yet they pressed down like a mountain.

Ning Qi's eyes gleamed with golden light as he tried to find a flaw, but the giant tortoise before him was a unified whole, impossible to break through. Its aura of suppressing the void was even more terrifying. Ning Qi saw a part of the Lesser True Martial Seal within it, but it was a higher level than the Lesser True Martial Seal.

"Sharp!"

He gave a silent thumbs-up, but his movements were anything but slow.

One after another, celestial swords gleamed, this time not as divided Sword Qi, but as the main body of the swords attacking.

Ning Qi formed Sword Art with his hands, his Daoist robe fluttering, his aura as imposing as a rainbow.

"Ten Thousand Swords Return to Their Origin!"

He pointed.

Sword Intent emanated from all directions in the void, crisscrossing and intersecting.

Ten thousand celestial swords simultaneously attacked the giant tortoise, their terrifying killing intent carving out tiny spatial rifts, making the entire void appear somewhat fragmented.

Boom!!

A terrifying tremor resounded.

The aftershocks caused countless drops of seawater to evaporate completely, and the resulting White Mist was also annihilated.

It's a pity.

Such a world-shaking, epic battle didn't attract many spectators.

Rumble!

One after another, celestial swords struck the tortoise shell, greatly alleviating the momentum of the giant tortoise that had been pressing down on it. However, no matter how sharp the celestial swords were, they could not cut through the thick tortoise shell. Layers of dark green spiritual energy flowed on the tortoise shell, making its defense unparalleled.

Ning Qi's eyes flickered. This profound technique was even more powerful than the Azure Profound Body Protection Technique he had created before. He observed it and seemed to have gained some insight. However, now was not the time to delve into it. He simply memorized it and would find time to study it slowly later.

Interrupt the giant tortoise's attack.

Ning Qi pressed on with unwavering determination.

The Sword Art in his hand changed again, and the remaining Heavenly Swords instantly condensed together, transforming into an even more terrifying giant Heavenly Sword!

This is the limit of what his Divine Intent can currently control.

The giant tortoise's pupils changed, sensing a threatening aura emanating from them.

The next moment.

Its head, limbs, and tail all retracted, and its shell closed completely without a gap. Dark green light enveloped it, making it look like a giant egg from a distance. The heavy aura made Ning Qi's eyelids twitch.

A giant celestial sword slashed down.

A terrifying, trembling sound reverberated throughout the heavens and earth, overturning the entire sea, while the dark green tortoise shell was blasted straight into the sky.

Looking at the tortoise shell, almost completely undamaged except for a white mark, Ning Qi couldn't help but curse inwardly:

"This turtle shell is really hard!"

His gaze was fixed on the giant tortoise. He still had his strongest attack left, but he wasn't sure if it could defeat the giant tortoise. This kind of defense was simply too abnormal. He didn't believe that every Martial Saint had such powerful defensive capabilities.

The distant horizon.

The dark green tortoise shell finally came to a stop.

Under Ning Qi's gaze, it trembled continuously, only calming down after a while. Then, the giant tortoise shook itself and stretched out its head and limbs again, shaking several times before gradually regaining consciousness. Ning Qi could clearly see blood seeping from the giant tortoise's limbs, which reassured him.

If even the "Ten Thousand Swords Return to One" move can't break through the giant tortoise's defenses, then things will really get difficult.

Now it seems the giant tortoise isn't having an easy time either.

The giant tortoise's eyes were clear, and then it let out a deep roar. Waves of wind gradually swept over it, and its eyes became more serious than ever before. Ning Qi could even see obvious shock and a trace of anger in its eyes. Clearly, being injured by Ning Qi was unexpected for it, and it also felt somewhat aggrieved.

After all, it was a Beast King at the Martial Saint level.

Buzz!

Dark green spiritual energy swirled around it, emitting waves of energy. The giant tortoise's already enormous body even showed signs of continuing to expand, but this was only incidental. The most astonishing change was in its tail.

What was originally just an ordinary tail has now begun to lengthen and wriggle, Ning Qi senses an astonishing vitality and aura brewing within it.

A strong sense of crisis made Ning Qi's heart tighten.

He took a deep breath and channeled the innate divine Sword Qi within his body. Even after reaching the Perfection the Celestial Person, this was still his strongest attack.

The man and the tortoise were evenly matched.

They were all determined to defeat their opponent. For Ning Qi, there was no reason to fall at the last step. Unconsciously, he had entered a magical state. Under the Golden Eye of Insight, his mind was more focused than ever before. The giant tortoise, which had been without any flaws, finally showed a slight weakness under his Golden Eye.

A thunderous event occurred in the next instant.

The giant tortoise roared deafeningly.

But then it suddenly stopped.

It growled resentfully in a certain direction, paused for a moment, then growled several more times as if trying to explain itself. Finally, a trace of fear appeared in its pupils. It glanced at Ning Qi resentfully, as if glaring at him fiercely, then shook its head and tail and disappeared into the sea.

The turmoil has subsided.

It was as if nothing had ever happened.

Ning Qi was slightly taken aback.

"What does this mean? Did you pass the test?"

He steadied his breathing, sensing the movement ahead, but no more giant tortoises came.

He seemed lost in thought.

Perhaps injuring the giant tortoise earlier had already met the standard, or perhaps there was someone lurking in the shadows who didn't want him to fight the giant tortoise with all his might. But everything was unknown. However, after fighting the giant tortoise, Ning Qi remembered something: the old Daoist of Bai Shan had once referred to the source of the True Martial Inheritance as "Old Tortoise."

Ning Qi initially thought this was just a joke between old acquaintances, such as the Old Man Divine Sword always referring to Daoist Longshan as a "bull nose" (a derogatory term for someone who is considered unreliable). However, Ning Qi now felt he needed to think about it more carefully.

Perhaps... it really is a turtle?

Many thoughts raced through his mind.

Quietly awaiting what happens next.

Ning Qi didn't have to wait long before there was movement on the sea.

"Successfully passing the Nine Trials of Celestial Person Enlightenment and the Nine Trials of Celestial Person Battle will grant you the True Martial Inheritance at the Martial Saint level." The mighty voice rang out again, seemingly with a hint of barely perceptible surprise.

A hint of joy welled up in Ning Qi's heart.

His efforts were worthwhile.

Especially in the final battle against the Martial Saint Giant Turtle, he almost used all his trump cards. If we only talk about combat power, he is probably not much different from the ancient saints who appeared in True Profound Mountain, but he is much more difficult to defeat. Ning Qi is certain that the Ten Thousand Swords Return to the Origin technique did not cause much damage to the giant turtle.

Everywhere the eye can see.

A black vortex gradually appeared and then grew larger and larger.

Ning Qi took a deep breath, became more alert, and stepped inside.

In an instant.

The vortex contracted, and the world had already changed.

When Ning Qi opened his eyes again, he found himself in a vast Scripture Pavilion. He rarely used the word "vast" to describe Scripture Pavilion, but the building before him was simply too awe-inspiring, with a vast collection of books. Even the True Profound Sect's library was nothing but child's play in comparison.

He looked up and saw that the spiral bookshelf had no top, which was visually stunning.

Ning Qi picked up a book at random, which contained a manual on Stake Skill, something he had happened to have seen in the True Martial Mountain Scripture Pavilion.

He instinctively floated up, and books flew up, landing in his hands before flying back down.

It encompasses martial arts theories, path explanations, ancient Ancient Books, and everything from martial arts enlightenment to the Celestial Person Realm. It can be said that if someone obtains these classics, they only need to stay for a period of time to easily establish a behemoth sect.

Everything before him was far too comprehensive. Now it seemed that what his master had obtained was not just incomplete, but less than one percent.

He even saw the secret technique of "Nine Celestial People Battle Martial Saints" in the middle of it. It was indeed extraordinary and could be called a supreme secret technique. Just a glance at it gave him some different ideas.

Ning Qi's gaze grew increasingly intense as he looked towards the very top. If he wasn't mistaken, the Martial Saint's Technique should be stored there.

"Is this the True Martial Inheritance?" he murmured in amazement.

"Strictly speaking, this is only True Martial Inheritance at the Martial Saint level." After an old cough, someone spoke.

Ning Qi was startled.

It was extremely rare for him to be completely unaware.

Turning his head, he saw a hunchbacked old man with thinning hair, leaning on a cane, appear atop the spiral staircase. He stopped at the same level as Ning Qi and smiled peacefully.

"Young man, you're very good."

Ning Qi sensed the praise in the old man's voice, knowing he was satisfied with his performance in the previous assessment. He composed himself, landed beside the hunchbacked old man, and said with a hint of respect:

"Ning Qi greets you, senior. Are you the founder of the True Martial Inheritance lineage?"

The hunchbacked old man shook his head and chuckled.

"Me? I'm not qualified."

Ning Qi felt a slight jolt in his heart.

He felt that the old man in front of him was even more unfathomable than the old Daoist priests from Bai Shan, who actually said that he was not qualified to create the True Martial Inheritance, which made him somewhat alarmed.

The hunchbacked old man slowly walked uphill, and Ning Qi followed closely behind. He then asked:

"Senior just said that this is only Martial Saint- level Inheritance?"

The hunchbacked old man laughed:

"That's right, you only passed the Celestial Person Realm test, so naturally you can only receive Martial Saint- level Inheritance."

"What if I pass the Martial Saint test?"

The old man turned and glanced at Ning Qi:

"Unlikely at the moment."

Ning Qi nodded silently. He guessed that the old man had seen his performance in completing the test and knew his limits very well. However, he couldn't help but feel a little more longing for the Martial Saint test. If he passed the Martial Saint test, wouldn't that mean he could obtain Inheritance above the Martial Saint?

"I didn't defeat my opponent in the ninth level, so why did I pass the test?" Ning Qi suddenly asked.

The hunchbacked old man paused, then coughed heavily.

"That was a minor accident; you did a good enough job."

As he spoke.

He pointed to several classic books in front of him, seemingly trying to change the subject.

"This is the Martial Saint technique you've been waiting for."

Ning Qi's eyes lit up.

Having traveled thousands of miles to get here, wasn't it all for the sake of obtaining the Martial Saint's method for reference? Now, it has finally been placed before me.

"Senior, my apologies."

Ning Qi apologized and began to carefully peruse the document.

"True Martial Scripture!"

"The Classic of Mountain Suppression!"

With the Martial Saint manuals laid out before him, Ning Qi's first choice was naturally the True Martial Scripture.

Open it.

That's the first sentence that catches the eye.

"The Martial Saint refines Spiritual Qi, transforms it into Law Power, integrates it into the five internal organs, gathers the five elements, and lives for three thousand years."

Ning Qi's eyes narrowed:

"Law Power?"

The hunchbacked old man smiled with some emotion:

"It's the same thing as the well-known spiritual power, just called by a different name."

Ning Qi nodded slightly.

His eyes gleamed. During his experiments with the Blade Demon, he had discovered that the five internal organs were the most compatible with spiritual energy in the human body. Now it seemed that his deductions were indeed correct. This was the right path. The ancients were not incompetent. Through generations of exploration, they had already discovered the optimal solution.

He flipped through the pages rapidly, as if he were starving for knowledge.

A series of flashes of inspiration kept appearing in his mind. After a long period of solitary exploration, he finally found the answer. In fact, Ning Qi already had many ideas and directions. Now, when he looked through the True Martial Scripture, it didn't feel like he was learning, but rather like he was verifying it.

"Refining spiritual energy is indeed achieved through the Three Flowers Gathering at the Top, which allows one to cultivate Law Power within the body."

"Martial Saint cultivate Law Power Law Power, Divine Ability possesses vast and wondrous abilities, and the five internal organs are the places where this Law Power resides."

"The heart, liver, spleen, lungs, and kidneys correspond to fire, wood, earth, metal, and water. These are used to refine the five elements of magical Law Power. Therefore, Martial Saint are divided into five realms. When the magical Law Power one organ Perfection, one becomes Martial Saint of that realm. With each additional organ whose magical Law Power Perfection, both the quality and quantity of the power change. One day, when the magical Law Power of all five organs is complete and the five elements Perfection, one becomes Martial Saint of the fifth realm."

The road ahead slowly unfolded before Ning Qi for the first time.

How to cultivate to the Martial Saint realm, the division of the Martial Saint realm, and the various wonders of the Martial Saint realm are all explained in detail.

In just a short moment, countless flashes of inspiration appeared in Ning Qi's mind. He was rapidly deducing the solution, and many of his past doubts were easily resolved. If given some time, he would surely be able to create the Martial Saint Technique that best suits him.

but.

The biggest problem remains unresolved.

Ning Qi turned to the last page, which was completely empty. This made him slightly irritated, as if the page had been abruptly cut off at a crucial moment, a feeling that made him want to vomit blood.

The hunchbacked old man smiled broadly.

Ning Qi asked:

"May I ask, senior, this Martial Saint Technique must be a method from before the cataclysmic changes in the world, right?"

He gazed at the old man with unwavering certainty.

This doesn't mention anything about poisonous substances in the Spiritual Qi. If you practice according to this method, you'll probably never become Martial Saint, even until you die.

The hunchbacked old man was somewhat surprised:

"It seems you're not entirely ignorant."

He then sighed and shook his head. With a wave of his hand, beams of light converged and transformed into characters that were imprinted on the void.

"That's what you need."

Ning Qi took a deep breath, hesitated for a moment, and then looked at it carefully. His mind was shaken, and he immediately knew that the words carved in the void were a supreme secret technique, a secret technique used to alleviate the poison in Spiritual Qi.

"Indeed, the ancient sages found a way to alleviate the side effects of poisons!"

Ning Qi was greatly relieved.

With just a brief glance, he knew that this secret technique would be of great use to him. Although it only provided temporary relief, he could use it to further deduce and even create a method of filtration.

If he were to deduce it alone, he could still do so even with more time, but now that he has a reference, the time required is greatly reduced. He can strengthen his foundation before the Spirituality revives and then soar to great heights.

but.

One question still lingered in Ning Qi's mind.

He bowed slightly to the hunchbacked old man, then asked earnestly:

"I once asked True Lord True Lord what this strange phenomenon in the world was, and he only said 'it cannot be said.' Today, with your guidance, I understand this secret technique. May I ask you again, what exactly is the poisonous substance in this Spiritual Qi?"

Inside the Scripture Pavilion, the atmosphere fell silent instantly.

But Ning Qi felt that the old man in front of him was different; perhaps he could give him an answer.

Unbeknownst to him, Ning Qi's heart began to beat slightly faster.