Inner Yuan Dao, Exchanging Secret Arts (Two-in-One)

Inner Yuan Dao, Exchanging Secret Arts (Two-in-One)

There was no doubting Chubby Kid Zhuang Chen's passion for the Sword Dao. After seeing that sword strike from Ning Qi, he had even begun thinking of taking him as his master.

Divine Sword Elder nearly saw black before his eyes and fainted on the spot.

If any other disciple had committed such a treasonous, heretical act, he might already have begun cleaning house.

But with Zhuang Chen, this precious lump of treasure, he could only be so angry his liver hurt, yet still be reluctant to hit him.

When Chubby Kid was not in battle mode, he was foolish and muddleheaded; such behavior was not hard to understand.

Ning Qi did not know whether to laugh or cry. He had not expected that giving Chubby Kid a lesson would nearly give himself a disciple. But this Disciple clearly could not be accepted; if he did, Divine Sword Elder would be frantic with him.

Fortunately, Dong He had sharp eyes. Seeing his own master's face as black as the bottom of a pot, he flashed over in an instant and carried Zhuang Chen away.

Chubby Kid could only look at Ning Qi pitifully.

Everyone from Divine Sword Sect let out a breath of relief.

Dragon Mountain Daoist gave a light cough. "Divine Sword Brother, shall we stop here for today?"

Divine Sword Elder was regretting it so much now. If he had known, he would never have competed in this final round. He had lost the wife and the soldiers too.

He had nearly even let his foolish Disciple run off with someone else.

He glanced at the Dragon Owl Sword before him, and a faint pain throbbed in his heart.

But words spoken were like water spilled; naturally, he would not go back on them. With a wave of his hand, the Dragon Owl Sword fell beside Dragon Mountain Daoist.

"Hmph, today I'll admit you, Dragon Mountain old bull's nose, were one skill higher! Ten years from now, we'll compete again!"

He planned to go back and properly discipline Chubby Kid. He absolutely could not let him slack off like this. The other boy had already comprehended Sword Intent, while you, an Innate Sword Bone, were still at Human-Sword Unity—no matter how one put it, that made no sense.

Divine Sword Elder felt that if he trained him with care for ten years, ten years from now, he might not be unable to fight Ning Qi.

An Innate Sword Bone was likewise a Sword Saint Posture; it was just that Chubby Kid had had no opponents before, so he had inevitably grown lax.

He saw it clearly. Ning Qi's Body Tempering progress was at most the same as his own foolish Disciple's, perhaps even inferior.

Dragon Mountain Daoist gave a wry smile.

"Divine Sword Brother, why must you do this?"

But in the end, he still put the Dragon Owl Sword away. Back then, Divine Sword Mountain had been given away as soon as he said so, to say nothing of the Dragon Owl Sword.

Divine Sword Elder rose to his feet. "Today's sparring can be considered to have let these useless disciples of mine understand the principle that beyond people there are other people, beyond the sky there is another sky. But don't get smug, old bull's nose. Ten years from now, who the deer falls to is still unknown!"

With a dark expression, he drew in a deep breath and waved his hand in a low voice, preparing to leave with the disciples.

He felt that the last scrap of his face had already been completely thrown away by Zhuang Chen.

Dragon Mountain Daoist urged him to stay. "Divine Sword Brother, hold a moment!"

Divine Sword Elder was just about to speak when he heard Dragon Mountain Daoist's Voice Transmission enter his ear. "Divine Sword Brother, you and I have not met in ten years. Why be in such a hurry? Recently, I occasionally touched upon the secrets of the Heavenly Human and gained a little insight. Why not stay behind and study them together? It would also be just right to let our disciples exchange with one another. In truth, you and I both know that what happened back then was nothing more than a moment's anger..."

His words were earnest, his expression sincere.

Divine Sword Elder froze where he stood and looked at Dragon Mountain Daoist with a complicated expression.

He was even willing to share his insights into advancing to Heavenly Human with him. For a moment, he did not know what attitude he should use to face him.

"Dragon Mountain, you..."

Dragon Mountain Daoist laughed loudly.

"If you and I study them together, there will naturally be greater hope. This is a good matter of mutual benefit."

A feeling of being sincerely convinced and won over suddenly rose in Divine Sword Elder's heart. He opened his mouth, but in the end, he still said nothing.

Dragon Mountain Daoist pointed, and the Dragon Owl Sword fell before Ning Qi. He nodded approvingly at his youngest Disciple, then instructed Luo Wentian, "Wentian, settle everyone from Divine Sword Sect properly. Over the next few days, you should exchange with one another. Do not harm the harmony between you."

Divine Sword Elder also spoke in a low voice.

"Dong He, you are not to act recklessly on True Martial Mountain."

The disciples of both sects all answered respectfully.

"We respectfully obey the orders of the two masters!"

After that.

Dragon Mountain Daoist and Divine Sword Elder left.

Ning Qi was slightly surprised, but he could roughly guess something. He shook his head. For the moment, that was not a domain he could pry into.

No one had expected the Ten-Year Pact to end in this manner. Ning Qi had originally thought he might have the chance today to see a great battle between two top experts of the Gang Yuan Realm, but he had not expected it to finally turn into sparring between disciples.

However, he had not lost out either.

Pulling out the Dragon Owl Sword, which was almost as tall as he was, Ning Qi inwardly praised it as a fine sword.

A top famous sword of this caliber could not only cut iron like mud, cleave gold and sever jade, but could also amplify Inner Strength and Gang Yuan. He was about to advance to the Inner Yuan Realm; even if he could not use it, he could find a chance to reforge it into a suitable one. Failing that, he could use it to study the Mysteries of such weapons.

Ning Qi tossed the Dragon Owl Sword to White Ape to hold, then left straight away. He had no interest in what came next.

Gazes turned one after another toward Ning Qi and White Ape, who followed closely at his heels, filled with amazement.

They knew this was a true Peerless Genius.

But what they did not know was that what Ning Qi had revealed was not even one percent of his true monstrous talent.

Inside the Seeking Dao Institute.

Ning Qi lay on a rattan chair, reading through the classics.

He sensed his physical body transforming. That feeling of moisture seeping in without a sound intoxicated him, and threads of powerful strength were being born, converging toward his Dantian.

"So this is... Inner Strength?"

Ning Qi's eyes were incomparably bright.

That Mysterious Power flowed through his body. Even though it was only the faintest wisp, he could still sense the power within it. It could easily make his physical body erupt with strength far more terrifying than before; however, with such a tiny amount, it could probably only reinforce a single finger.

This was the essence of the physical body's strength.

"The process of Inner Strength being born will last for two months. This is the 'fruit' borne by the physical body. Only once the fruit has fully ripened can it count as breaking through to the Inner Yuan Realm. Right now, at most, I'm half a step into Inner Yuan?"

He laughed despite himself.

In truth, according to martial artists, a warrior in this transitional stage could also be considered to be in the Inner Yuan Realm. It was just that the Inner Strength had not fully taken shape, so their destructive power was inferior to someone in the Inner Yuan Realm. Most importantly, without the process of fully formed Inner Strength feeding back into the physical body, their lifespan would not change either.

Generally speaking, people in this transitional stage rarely walked around outside.

"But for me, even if it's only a single wisp, it's enough for me to understand the essence of Inner Strength!"

"So-called Inner Strength is not actually a physical thing. It is a Mysterious Power born from the physical body when one's own 'spirit' stimulates it. But it is rather illusory; to some extent, it resembles a power created through psychological suggestion. Because of that, Inner Strength can only reinforce oneself and cannot leave the body. In truth, from the Inner Yuan Realm to the Gang Yuan Realm, it is precisely the process of condensing the void into reality!"

Streaks of Spiritual Light rose in Ning Qi's mind.

The Inner Strength martial arts he had read in the Scripture Pavilion in the past flashed by one after another. Before, it had been pure theory, but now that Inner Strength had also been born within him and he had touched the real thing, it was naturally completely different.

"The Inner Yuan Realm is divided into the Nine Layer Realm, meaning nine layers forming Gang."

"Each time strength is layered, Inner Strength becomes one degree more solid."

"The process of Inner Strength first being born from the physical body is actually the first layer. This is entry into the Inner Yuan Realm."

"After three layers, it is minor accomplishment."

"Six layers, major accomplishment!"

"Nine layers, perfection!"

"After that, one can condense the void into reality and attempt to break through to the Gang Yuan Realm!"

Sensing the Mysterious Power within his body, Ning Qi had already completely grasped the path ahead. From the Inner Yuan Realm to the Gang Yuan Realm, there was no longer the slightest secret to speak of.

He rose and slowly began practicing the Myriad Forms Origin Stake.

The wisps of Inner Strength that had just been born instantly became even more active.

"Inner Strength originates from the physical body, and it can be considered to share the same roots as posture techniques."

"The method for cultivating Inner Strength is called the Layered Strength Art."

"For instance, the Ice Silkworm Strength I obtained before is a superior Layered Strength Art. And in my True Martial Sect, there are four superior Layered Strength Arts, three of which just so happen to correspond to the True Martial Nine Piles: Shaking Heaven Strength, Quaking Earth Strength, and Overturning Sea Strength."

"If what I cultivated before had been the Bi'an Pile, then right now I should cultivate Quaking Earth Strength. By forming links step by step like this—nine merging into three, three merging into one—there would then be a chance to recreate the grand occasion of the Nine Great Celestials Battle Martial Saint."

"And above Shaking Heaven Strength, Quaking Earth Strength, and Overturning Sea Strength is True Martial Strength. Master likewise does not have that inheritance."

"However, for me, this isn't difficult."

Ning Qi let out a long breath, already inspired.

He had pondered bitterly for a long time. These days in the Scripture Pavilion had not been wasted; he had long since begun building up his reserves. Now that Inner Strength had been born and he understood its essence, everything naturally fell into place.

In an instant.

The subtleties of the three Layered Strength Arts, including Shaking Heaven Strength, continuously surfaced in his mind.

Their common points were peeled apart thread by thread, and their essences were fused together.

Who knew how long passed.

A new Layered Strength Art quietly took shape.

It was the True Martial Strength Ning Qi had produced through Reverse Derivation.

Previously, when he had created the True Martial Stance from the True Martial Nine Piles, Ning Qi had spent ten days.

But now, creating True Martial Strength from Shaking Heaven Strength, Quaking Earth Strength, and Overturning Sea Strength had only taken him two hours.

Because the path was similar, it saved him a great deal of time.

Moreover, he had already begun making theoretical preparations beforehand.

This True Martial Strength might not be the same as the original version, but the difference would not be too great.

Yet Ning Qi still was not satisfied.

"The foundation I have laid now is the Supreme Posture Technique, the Myriad Forms Origin Stake, so naturally I can no longer cultivate True Martial Strength. As Master said before, what matches the True Martial Stance is True Martial Strength. Then naturally, I must create a Layered Strength Art that matches the Myriad Forms Origin Stake myself."

To some extent, this was also a flaw of creating one's own methods: the path ahead had to be opened by oneself.

If Ning Qi lowered his standards to practice True Martial Strength, he would feel extremely uncomfortable. It would be letting the Supreme Foundation he had built go to waste.

And it would also slow his growth.

"Inner Yuan Realm martial artists live for two hundred years. To cultivate to the Nine Layer Realm in twenty years would already count as heaven-sent talent, but for me, twenty years is too long!"

"Right now, there are still two months until my Inner Strength fully takes shape. That time is more than enough for me to create a supreme Layered Strength Art that matches the Myriad Forms Origin Stake. In fact, I may not even need that long."

Confidence gleamed in Ning Qi's eyes.

With the experience of creating the Myriad Forms Origin Stake, True Martial Strength and numerous Layered Strength Arts as references, and with his Comprehension now even greater than before, he had absolute confidence.

He let out a long breath.

Ning Qi's gaze shifted slightly, and he said, "Tiansheng, we have a guest."

White Ape, who had been practicing the Ape King Stake off to the side, immediately stopped. He went inside to brew tea, but when he came back out with the teapot, he instantly lost his composure.

In the distance, a sneaky Chubby Kid was creeping over, looking east and west.

White Ape set down the teapot in his hand and charged over in a fury. Now that he had just begun to make progress in martial arts, as long as he did not use martial techniques, others would only think his bloodline was powerful.

White Ape was extremely fast, and Zhuang Chen was startled.

"Yuan Tiansheng, you—you noticed me!"

But White Ape only bared his teeth in a cold grin and kicked out, straight toward Zhuang Chen's backside. He still remembered how Chubby Kid had called him a pet two days ago, and now Chubby Kid had come sneaking over again. New grudges and old hatred would be settled together.

Zhuang Chen dodged in a panic.

But he could not get away.

He took the kick solidly.

Zhuang Chen began to counterattack, but he was shocked to discover that he actually could not suppress White Ape. The man and ape fought fiercely, locked in a struggle that was somehow evenly matched.

"Yuan Tiansheng, you're so strong," he cried in surprise.

Ning Qi watched from a distance and nodded slightly.

White Ape was indeed extraordinary. How long had it been since he started practicing martial arts? Yet he could already fight Zhuang Chen to a standstill. And White Ape had not used any martial techniques. Of course, Zhuang Chen had not drawn his sword either.

There was a bang.

Zhuang Chen was kicked in the backside again.

Ashamed and annoyed, he said, "Yuan Tiansheng, if you keep doing this, I won't go easy on you anymore."

Seeing that Zhuang Chen was about to draw his sword, Ning Qi finally spoke. "Tiansheng, let him come over."

White Ape immediately stopped respectfully.

He made a face at Zhuang Chen and then slipped back into the courtyard.

Zhuang Chen also grinned. He looked at Ning Qi, his eyes lighting up, and quickly rushed over as well.

"Little Master Ning Qi, I finally found you!"

The people of the Divine Sword Sect were still staying at the True Martial Sect, but Ning Qi had not shown himself because he wanted some peace and quiet. He had not expected Zhuang Chen to actually find his way here.

Lying on the rattan chair, Ning Qi said flatly, "Don't call me master. Be careful, or Senior Divine Sword will expel you from the sect."

Zhuang Chen hurriedly shook his head.

"He won't. My master said before that if I ever saw someone I wanted to take as my master, I could."

"Little Master Ning Qi above, please accept a bow from your Disciple."

"I don't take disciples. Even if you kowtow a hundred times, it's useless."

"Then will you teach me that sword technique from that day?"

"With your talent, comprehending Sword Intent is only a matter of time. You don't need me to teach you."

"No, it's not the same!"

"Your sword is different from everyone else's sword I've ever seen."

Seeing the certainty in Chubby Kid's eyes, surprise flickered in Ning Qi's gaze.

The sword he used had been born from the Myriad Manifestations Fist. That strike was not as simple as containing Sword Intent. Even Divine Sword Elder and the others probably had not seen through it, yet this Chubby Kid before him had actually noticed? This Innate Sword Bone really did seem extraordinary.

"What's different about it?" Ning Qi became interested.

"It was cool! Invincibly cool!"

Zhuang Chen's face was full of excitement.

"Even Master's sword isn't as cool as yours!"

He only instinctively felt that Ning Qi's sword was very powerful, but he could not say exactly what made it powerful.

The corner of Ning Qi's mouth twitched.

"You have some taste, but not much."

Still, having someone appreciate his sword technique so much did put him in quite a good mood.

Ning Qi looked at Chubby Kid with a beaming smile.

"I don't take disciples, and I don't casually teach people."

As if blessed with sudden insight, Chubby Kid's intelligence abruptly came online. He leaned in mysteriously and said, "Ning Qi, I'll tell you an unrivaled secret art. In exchange, can you teach me that sword technique from that day?"