Dream Taotie, the Divine Sword Descends the Mountain (Two-in-One)

Dream Taotie, the Divine Sword Descends the Mountain (Two-in-One)

Ning Qi's eyes brightened slightly.

"A secret art of the Divine Sword Sect?"

Chubby Kid nodded again and again, like a chick pecking at rice.

"That's right."

"Ning Qi, I'll tell you, I have three hobbies."

"Which three?"

"My favorite is practicing the sword. My second favorite is eating, and my third favorite is sleeping. Eating and sleeping are both because of this secret art I cultivate."

Zhuang Chen's face was full of pride.

Ning Qi, meanwhile, was thoroughly interested.

During the banquet, he had seen Chubby Kid wolfing down food, but he had only thought he was born that way. Now, though, it seemed that was not the case.

"This secret art is called Dream Taotie."

"The Taotie devours heaven and earth, draws in the essence of all things, and in the midst of sleeping dreams transforms it for its own use..."

Zhuang Chen's young voice began to ring out.

He explained it slowly, line by line, and the astonishment in Ning Qi's eyes grew deeper and deeper.

This Dream Taotie secret art was not simple!

After listening to Zhuang Chen's explanation, its exquisite details and whimsical ingenuity made Ning Qi feel greatly refreshed. This was a secret art independent of cultivation techniques like Stake Skill and Layered Strength Art, yet it could also assist and enhance the former.

Thus making cultivation faster.

By devouring large quantities of food, or other, even more precious treasures, one could draw out their essence and digest it through the special state that came during sleep.

It had to be said, the person who created this art was truly talented.

"Ning Qi, this Dream Taotie is definitely amazing. I'm telling you, the reason I was able to reach the Tendon Training Realm so quickly now is partly because of this secret art."

"My master said that if this secret art can reach a profound level, you can even eat treasures like iron blocks and crystals, causing both your physical body and Inner Strength to change. It's extremely powerful. Unfortunately, I can only eat food for now."

"Don't think I'm stupid, okay? I'm the only person in the Divine Sword Sect who has learned this secret art. Even my master hasn't learned it!"

Chubby Kid proudly puffed out his chest, then seemed to feel a little guilty.

"But Ning Qi, don't worry. You're so smart, you'll definitely be able to learn it."

Seeing that Ning Qi did not speak, Chubby Kid grew anxious.

"Ning Qi, I've already told you the secret art. You're not going to refuse to teach me swordplay now, are you?"

It was not that he had deliberately wanted to trick Ning Qi. He had simply forgotten how difficult Dream Taotie was, only remembering as he spoke. He was afraid that Ning Qi would fail to learn it and thus refuse to teach him swordplay.

Ning Qi came back to himself and smiled. This Chubby Kid had a few little schemes, but not many.

If it were an ordinary person, learning this secret art would be very difficult. It might even require a specific constitution.

But to Ning Qi.

Simple.

He could completely take its essence and perfect it into a secret art suited to himself.

To him, what mattered were the idea and inspiration.

But with a ready-made path, he could also save a great deal of time.

He had not expected Zhuang Chen to bring him such a surprise.

All kinds of inspiration were already constantly bubbling up in his mind.

However, Ning Qi naturally would not bully him and take advantage of him for nothing.

"Don't worry. I said I'd teach you, so I'll teach you."

Zhuang Chen nodded repeatedly, joy appearing on his face.

"Then I'll tell you a few more times, in case you forget."

"No need. I've already memorized it all."

Zhuang Chen immediately scratched his head.

"Ning Qi, you're so smart. Back then, it took me a really long time to memorize this secret art, but you did it so fast."

However, he did not think too much about it.

He felt that no matter how fast Ning Qi was, he could not possibly have learned this secret art right now.

Ning Qi smiled faintly and did not explain further.

"Stand properly. Practice the sword once for me now so I can take a look."

Since he had obtained someone else's secret art, he had to teach him properly in return. Ning Qi would not be perfunctory.

His expression was calm, yet he carried a majesty of his own.

Zhuang Chen, who had still been laughing and joking a moment ago, could not help trembling. A trace of instinctive fear appeared on his face; he felt as if he had seen his own master's shadow in Ning Qi.

In the entire Divine Sword Sect, only when the Divine Sword Elder was imparting martial arts would he feel that degree of fear.

"Yes!"

Chubby Kid answered respectfully, then drew in a deep breath and slowly pulled the wooden sword from his back.

His gaze suddenly sharpened.

With a soft shout, Zhuang Chen's plump body became nimble. He swung his sword and slashed, executing a profound sword technique as easily as plucking it from thin air.

Zhuang Chen held nothing back and went all out.

Inside the Seeking Dao Institute, streaks of sword light danced and swept up the fallen leaves. Whenever a flash of sword light passed, it would split them precisely in two, displaying his formidable control over the Sword Dao.

At this level, many veteran swordsmen who had trained bitterly for ten or twenty years might still not be able to reach it.

Zhuang Chen's sword was at times as light and drifting as fallen leaves, at times like a green mountain pressing down from above, its weight and lightness shifting at will. Later on, only the sound of the sword could be heard, while the person could no longer be seen—not that he had truly vanished, but that the exquisite sword was already enough to make people overlook the existence of the man.

"The realm of Human-Sword Unity is growing ever more practiced. In just a few short days, Zhuang Chen has improved a little more. Just what kind of Mysteries does this Innate Sword Bone hold?"

A trace of curiosity flashed through Ning Qi's eyes. He even had half a mind to "dissect" Chubby Kid. If he could observe the Mysteries of the Innate Sword Bone up close, perhaps it would let him comprehend something extraordinary.

Of course, it was only a thought.

He was not that kind of person.

At some point, Zhuang Chen had already stopped. When he saw Ning Qi's gaze, his whole body could not help going cold, and he said timidly, "Ning Qi, was there something wrong with my sword technique just now?"

Ning Qi came back to himself and smiled. "It can still be considered passable."

With his eyesight, it was naturally not hard to see that Chubby Kid was walking the path of tyranny.

Overbearing Sword Intent was also a very powerful type of sword intent.

He roughly understood now why Chubby Kid especially wanted to learn his sword technique. It was precisely because the sword intents Ning Qi grasped were far more than just one. That casual sword strike that day had, in truth, been formed from several types of sword intent compounded together.

From observing the myriad forms of heaven and earth, the gains Ning Qi had obtained were far from as simple as creating the Myriad Forms Origin Stake. This was an accumulation sufficient to benefit him for a lifetime, something he could draw upon at any time.

However, Ning Qi had used it very subtly that day. He was confident that even the Divine Sword Elder and his own master would not have been able to see through it.

He had not expected this Chubby Kid to instinctively sense a thread of strangeness.

He already knew how he should teach Chubby Kid.

Exhaling softly, Ning Qi said solemnly:

"Watch this sword of mine carefully."

Zhuang Chen's eyes widened.

With a casual wave from Ning Qi, the wooden sword in Zhuang Chen's hand flew out of his control and into Ning Qi's grasp.

Then.

Ning Qi moved.

His left hand rested behind his back, and his right hand lightly swung the sword.

Chubby Kid's eyes instantly widened even further.

In his eyes, Ning Qi had abruptly disappeared.

That utterly ordinary sword swung toward him, yet it was as if he saw an ancient mountain leisurely bearing down to suppress him, as if he saw an ancient divine elephant roaring up at the sky, and, indistinctly, as if he saw a round of Great Sun slowly rising.

He stood there like a wooden chicken, frozen in place.

Only when Ning Qi's voice sounded did he hear: "What did you see?"

Zhuang Chen shuddered and snapped awake. The way he looked at Ning Qi was filled with worship.

"I saw an ancient mountain, a divine elephant, and a golden-bright Great Sun."

As he spoke, he could not help swallowing with a gulp.

Ning Qi nodded faintly.

"Your Comprehension is passable."

"Keep watching."

Ning Qi swung the sword again.

Zhuang Chen stared without blinking.

Afterward, Ning Qi asked again.

Zhuang Chen answered truthfully.

This repeated over and over.

Only when the eagerness to try in Zhuang Chen's eyes grew more and more intense did Ning Qi finally say:

"Try it yourself."

Zhuang Chen swung the sword.

Compared to before, there was already something a little different about it.

Ning Qi nodded inwardly.

This Innate Sword Bone was extraordinary after all. His Comprehension in the Sword Dao far surpassed ordinary people's. Ning Qi had only ever seen this kind of learning speed when White Ape was learning the Ape King Stake. Compared to this one man and one ape, everyone else fell short.

Ning Qi had Zhuang Chen practice the sword, correcting him from time to time, and only told him to stop when he was drenched in sweat and his face had gone pale.

Coming into contact with sword intent likewise required a powerful Physical Body and "spirit" to support it.

Zhuang Chen still wanted more, his face full of excitement. "Ning Qi, I felt it! I felt it!"

"You're really incredible!"

He felt that, by following Ning Qi's guidance, it was simply as if he had Divine Aid; any casual remark from him could save Zhuang Chen from taking many wrong turns.

He even thought in his heart that even his own master, Divine Sword Elder, was not as good at teaching as Ning Qi.

Zhuang Chen's eyes were filled with worship.

But Ning Qi only smiled faintly. "For the next few days, come here every day at noon for half an hour to practice the sword. You are not allowed to come at any other time."

If it had been before, Chubby Kid might have pestered him to death, entangling him endlessly.

But now, he already felt an indescribable awe toward Ning Qi.

Though reluctant in his heart, he still said respectfully:

"Yes!"

Over the next few days, Every noon, Chubby Kid arrived as promised and practiced the sword in the Seeking Dao Institute.

Ning Qi occasionally gave him pointers, but he had already created a tailor-made sword strike for him. As long as Chubby Kid did not slack off and practiced step by step, comprehending Overbearing Sword Intent ahead of time would happen naturally.

This Overbearing Sword Intent even held a few other wondrous aspects.

Chubby Kid practiced the sword, while White Ape watched from the side. After several days passed, Chubby Kid humbled himself and spoke softly, and at last White Ape's anger faded. This one man and one ape could be considered to have become acquainted through a fight, and now their relationship was unexpectedly rather good.

However, when Chubby Kid was present, White Ape did not practice the Stake Skill. This was the rule Ning Qi had set for him: he was not to reveal the Stake Skill when outsiders were around.

As for Ning Qi himself, aside from occasionally giving Zhuang Chen some guidance, he was comprehending the newly obtained secret art, Dream Taotie.

This secret art was indeed extraordinary, but Ning Qi had also discovered its drawbacks.

That was, if one kept cultivating this secret art, one's body would grow increasingly fat. Later on, one might even become a mountain of flesh. This was something Ning Qi could not tolerate.

"In the end, it's because the Dream Taotie secret art cannot completely digest the energy taken into the body, and has to transform it into fat to store it."

Ning Qi planned to take its essence, refine and perfect it, and merge it into the Layered Strength Art he had envisioned.

He already had an idea.

And so, Seven days flashed by.

The Inner Strength within Ning Qi's body grew stronger day by day. At the same time, he was also re-comprehending those Layered Strength Arts one by one, especially Ice Silkworm Strength. He felt its conception was quite good, perhaps not even inferior to Dream Taotie, and was worth drawing from.

On this day, Chubby Kid walked to the outside of the Seeking Dao Institute but did not come in.

There was some dejection on his face. "Ning Qi, Yuan Tiansheng, I have to go."

Today was the day the Divine Sword Sect was leaving. They had exchanged here for so many days, and it truly was time for them to depart.

White Ape darted out, and there was some reluctance in his eyes as well.

Although at first he had greatly disliked Chubby Kid's disrespect, after they became familiar with each other, he found that Chubby Kid was still a decent person.

"You can't bear to part with me?"

Zhuang Chen looked toward Yuan Tiansheng with slightly brightened eyes.

White Ape haughtily curled his lip and turned his head away.

Zhuang Chen chuckled, looking at the figure inside the courtyard as reverence rose in his eyes.

"Ning Qi, I'll miss you all."

Ning Qi smiled.

"Go back and cultivate properly."

Zhuang Chen nodded again and again.

"I'll definitely work hard and try to surpass you in ten years!"

With that, Chubby Kid sprinted away.

Ning Qi glanced at his back and shook his head with a laugh. As for surpassing him, that was not very likely.

A faint ripple stirred in his state of mind, but it soon returned to calm.

Given Chubby Kid's natural talent, barring accidents, he would at least reach the Heaven-Human Realm and enjoy a long life. If they wanted to meet in the future, there would be plenty of chances. There was no need to rush this moment.

His gaze turned back to the parchment in his hand.

"Ice Silkworm Strength—nine times breaking the cocoon and being reborn, which means nine layers of accumulated strength. Each Qualitative Change is extremely thorough, but how easy is it to break the cocoon and be reborn? Every time requires going through hardship. Perhaps there's another way..."

Spiritual Light kept surfacing in Ning Qi's mind.

And at this moment, outside True Martial Mountain.

Divine Sword Elder and Dragon Mountain Daoist were also bidding farewell.

"This time, consider it that I owe you a favor," Divine Sword Elder said, a rare thing for him.

They called it the two of them jointly studying the secrets of Heaven-Human, but in truth, it was mostly Dragon Mountain Daoist sharing with him. At most, Divine Sword Elder occasionally offered a few different Insights. With these, though Divine Sword Elder could not say he was immediately confident of breaking into the Heaven-Human Realm, at least he had gained a little more hope and seen the Path Forward.

Dragon Mountain Daoist laughed loudly.

"It's rare to hear such words from your mouth, Divine Sword Brother."

Divine Sword Elder turned his head away in annoyance and snorted coldly. "Dragon Mountain old bull's nose, don't think that just because this old man owes you a favor, I'll go easy on you. For the next Ten-Year Pact, you had best not slack off, or beware this old man's disciples sweeping yours clean!"

Dragon Mountain Daoist only smiled.

After Divine Sword Elder said that, he also let out a loud laugh. "I'm off. We'll meet again in ten years!"

The members of the Divine Sword Sect performed a sword salute, then circulated Sword Step and sped away.

On the road.

Chubby Kid was absentminded, wanting to speak yet stopping himself again and again.

Seeing his youngest little disciple like this, Divine Sword Elder's heart tightened. He pulled Zhuang Chen to the very front, waiting until the disciples behind them could no longer be seen before asking amiably, "Chen'er, is there something you want to tell your master?"

Zhuang Chen said cautiously, "If I say it, Master, can you not spank me?"

Divine Sword Elder's heart gave a thump. He took a deep breath and smiled.

"Say it."

"I... I taught Dream Taotie to Ning Qi."

Chubby Kid mustered his courage.

Divine Sword Elder froze in place.

He knew his young disciple had been playing with that prodigy of the True Martial Sect these past few days, but he had never imagined that his own silly disciple would actually pass on this peerless secret art. Yet he did not fly into a rage. Instead, his feelings grew complicated.

"Dragon Mountain shared the secrets of Heaven-Human with me, and Chen'er passed Dream Taotie to Ning Qi. Could this be fate?"

He felt the affairs of the world were somewhat wondrous.

Seeing his master remain silent for a long time, Zhuang Chen thought he was angry and hurriedly said, "Master, don't be angry. Ning Qi didn't take my secret art for nothing. He taught me a sword technique."

Divine Sword Elder's spirit shook.

A moment later.

As he watched Zhuang Chen swing his sword, he immediately stood rooted to the spot like a sculpture, stormy waves surging through his heart.

"In just a few short days, Chen'er has actually already glimpsed the threshold of Sword Intent?!"

At this moment.

He understood. That Ninth True Disciple of the True Martial Sect was probably far more monstrous than he had imagined.

"Dragon Mountain has taken in one incredible Disciple!"

He sighed deeply in his heart, a little envious, and also a little happy for his old friend.

Afterward, he solemnly brushed his hand over the top of Zhuang Chen's head and said gravely, "Chen'er, from now on, you cannot tell anyone that Ning Qi taught you this sword technique. If anyone asks, say I taught it to you. Do you understand?"

Zhuang Chen had never seen his master look so serious.

But he still answered respectfully, "Mm! I understand, Master!"

Divine Sword Elder smiled in relief. No matter how monstrous another family's disciple was, his own silly disciple was still the best.

Time drifted by leisurely.

A month had already passed since the Divine Sword Sect's departure, and the True Martial Sect had once again returned to peace.

And Ning Qi's creation of his own Layered Strength Art had also reached a critical moment.