Great Dream Nine Deaths, Advancing to Inner Yuan (Two-in-One)

Great Dream Nine Deaths, Advancing to Inner Yuan (Two-in-One)

Within the Seeking Dao Institute.

Ning Qi was slowly practicing the Myriad Forms Origin Stake. Though his Physical Body was now flawless and whole, having reached its limit, he still needed to use his "spirit" to stimulate his Physical Body, thereby continuously giving birth to Inner Strength.

Like now.

The Inner Strength inside Ning Qi's body was no longer merely wisps and strands as it had been before. Instead, it had gradually gathered into a mass. In just some more days, it would be able to fully condense into an Inner Yuan "fruit," then feed back into his Physical Body and make his lifespan surge once again.

That would be true advancement to the Inner Yuan Realm.

For Ning Qi, that day was not far away. Another twenty days or so would be enough.

During this time, Ning Qi's understanding of the essence of Inner Strength had grown even more thorough.

"Inner Strength is formless and without appearance. It is an 'empty thing.' Whether it was the wisps and strands I sensed before, or the mass condensing now, in truth, all of it is the perception my Physical Body feeds back to me. It may not truly exist inside my body."

"But cultivation in the Inner Yuan Realm is to condense emptiness into reality. After reaching a profound level in the Inner Yuan Realm, Inner Strength is more or less already in a 'Half-Solid' state. Besides amplifying the Physical Body, it can also attach to fists, palms, and weapons to increase their might."

"How does one condense emptiness into reality?"

Ning Qi lightly swung his fist, sensing his Physical Body gently "peeling" and "squeezing" out strand after strand of Inner Strength.

Spiritual Light kept rising in his mind.

The Layered Strength Arts and various secret arts he had read during these days continuously surfaced in his mind, and he had also found an answer to this question.

"Every layering of strength is, in truth, making Inner Strength become one with the Physical Body again, thereby allowing the Physical Body to give birth to stronger, more 'solid' Inner Strength. After nine times like this, it can completely transform into Gang Yuan!"

"Because of this, all the Layered Strength Arts under heaven can be divided into two steps."

"The first step is for Inner Strength and the Physical Body to form a connection, merge once more, and raise the strength of the Physical Body. The second step is to squeeze new Inner Strength out from the enhanced Physical Body!"

"In other words, in this process, the Physical Body plays the role of 'strengthening' and 'compressing' Inner Strength. Whether a Layered Strength Art is powerful or not lies in whether it can make use of the Physical Body to the utmost in this process. For example, Ice Silkworm Strength—nine times breaking the cocoon and being reborn—is in truth nine times squeezing the Physical Body to an extremely high degree, even surpassing the four superior Layered Strength Arts of my True Martial Sect by a step."

"But I feel this is not the true limit!"

Ning Qi had already forgotten that he was practicing the Stake Skill. His entire being had entered a wondrous state of sudden enlightenment.

Spiritual Light in Ning Qi's heart surged like a spring, constantly gushing forth.

"If I want the Physical Body to reach the true limit every single time in this process, I must let the Physical Body 'die,' and then be newly born again afterward. Not only can this squeeze out stronger Inner Strength, it can also make the Physical Body transform once more. This is the true breaking of the cocoon and rebirth!"

"However, the Physical Body dying is an extremely dangerous act. One wrong step, and all vitality will be severed completely, resulting in real death. So 'feigned death' can be used as a substitute. Nine deaths and nine lives, thereby reaching the true limit of the Physical Body!"

Vaguely, thunder seemed to explode in his mind.

At some unknown point, Ning Qi had already stopped practicing the Stake Skill. He closed his eyes, his entire body standing in the courtyard like a statue.

A fine rain began to pour from the sky.

Seeing this, White Ape hurriedly stopped practicing the Ape King Stake, took an oil-paper umbrella from the storeroom, and carefully walked to Ning Qi's side to hold it over him. Throughout the entire process, he did his utmost to make no sound, afraid of disturbing Ning Qi.

His eyes held reverence.

Only after living together with Ning Qi did he learn just how formidable Ning Qi truly was. Ning Qi was also extremely good to him. Though Ning Qi had not acknowledged him as a disciple, in White Ape's heart, he had long since regarded Ning Qi as his master.

One man and one ape stood silently in the rain.

Until the rain ceased deep in the night.

Only then did Ning Qi slowly open his eyes. His gaze carried heartfelt joy.

"Tiansheng, go rest."

He spoke gently.

White Ape bowed respectfully, then returned to his own courtyard.

Ning Qi gazed at the faint threads of rain in the sky and smiled.

He had read seventy-six Layered Strength Arts, taken the Myriad Forms Origin Stake as his foundation, adopted the meaning of breaking the cocoon and rebirth from the Ice Silkworm Art, and drawn upon the essence of the Dream Taotie. He had already gained insight.

Great Dream Nine Deaths Technique.

This was Ning Qi's achievement during this period, and it was also the Layered Strength Art he had tailored for himself.

"The Physical Body dies within a sleeping dream, and after waking, it is newly born. Every layering of strength can reach the true limit. This is the Great Dream Nine Deaths!"

"Every breakthrough can be replaced with a long sleep. This way, there will be no danger at all. It is just that before falling asleep, I need to take in sufficient energy. Fortunately, I have already optimized the issue of absorption for the Physical Body's next transformation, so I won't end up becoming a Chubby Kid like Zhuang Chen."

Ning Qi smiled.

He stretched lazily, feeling very satisfied.

Next, he only needed to wait until he completely set foot in the Inner Yuan Strength. The second and third layerings afterward would let him test the power of the Great Dream Nine Deaths Technique.

Looking across the world, cultivating to the end of the Inner Yuan Realm in twenty years was already a talent gifted by the heavens, but Ning Qi felt that he would be very fast.

"However, strictly speaking, the current Great Dream Nine Deaths Technique is still missing the latter half of its contents."

"After reaching great completion in the Inner Yuan Realm and arriving at the 'Half-Solid' state, one can make Inner Strength attach various attributes. For example, Ice Silkworm Strength can condense Ice Silkworm Inner Strength; gathered in the palm, it can freeze through a person's bones. Its power is great, and it is even related to the method of cultivating true gang in the later Gang Yuan Realm."

"But there's no need to hurry for now. Reaching great completion in the Inner Yuan Realm will take at least over a year. I must ponder it a little."

Ning Qi pressed the thought down.

He would work in that direction from now on.

Autumn gradually faded, and the cold wind blew bitterly.

An icy chill had deepened atop True Martial Mountain. The uproar caused by the Divine Sword Sect's ascent had gradually settled. That day, Ning Qi had acted and easily suppressed Chubby Kid Zhuang Chen, which had drawn no small amount of attention within the True Martial Sect. For the first time, many people gained a clear understanding of the talent possessed by Ning Qi, this Ninth True Disciple.

Some curious disciples inevitably used borrowing books from the Scripture Pavilion as an excuse to get close to Ning Qi.

However.

Ning Qi had always been mysterious and rarely interacted with other disciples. Slowly, the heat around him passed, and the Scripture Pavilion gradually became quiet again.

After all, what most disciples cared about was still the improvement of their own cultivation.

Instead, Third Senior Sister Ye Qinghe and Fifth Senior Brother Jiang Baishan each came by in succession to see how Ning Qi was doing. After teasing White Ape for a while, Ye Qinghe told Ning Qi a piece of news.

Ye Qinghe told Ning Qi.

After the Divine Sword Sect descended the mountain, Qin Yun had been ordered by Dragon Mountain Daoist to go down the mountain for training.

Ning Qi merely sighed softly.

Qin Yun had not come to the Seeking Dao Institute for a very long time.

Regarding this, he could only feel helpless.

Ning Qi still remembered the Qin Yun of the past telling him that he wanted to become number one under heaven and make the True Martial Sect become the foremost Daoist Sect in the world once again.

But today.

There was no one disturbing him inside the Seeking Dao Institute. Even White Ape was not around. Apart from diligently practicing the Stake Skill, White Ape would sometimes go into the Sect to find younger disciples to play with, and sometimes Ye Qinghe would even bring him along as she wandered around. White Ape's status in the True Martial Sect was still fairly good.

Rarely, Ning Qi sat cross-legged on his own bed.

His five centers faced the sky, his expression solemn, yet carrying a certain anticipation.

Within his body.

Astonishing changes were taking place.

His profound Physical Body foundation made the Inner Strength produced within Ning Qi's body incomparably majestic; in quantity, it was probably more than ten times that of an ordinary person.

And at this moment.

The Inner Strength born from his Physical Body was about to completely form into a "fruit."

Ning Qi could sense that the area of his dantian seemed to have already been filled by something invisible, taking on a state of mixed wholeness.

"Gather!"

After a certain instant.

The final trace of "sweet rain" within his Physical Body was squeezed out, and his Inner Strength fully condensed into a fruit. Ning Qi only felt his spirit shake, and his entire state was elevated.

At the place of his dantian, the Inner Strength within his body could be drawn on at will. When it gathered over his right arm, he immediately felt as though that arm could blast apart a great mountain. This was an illusion brought on by an immense increase in power.

Inner Strength reinforced the Physical Body, allowing it to erupt with strength far greater than the Physical Body itself.

The current Ning Qi was terrifyingly powerful.

Originally, his Physical Body had already far surpassed others. Now, with an even more vast Inner Strength reinforcing it, he was even stronger than before. He had just broken through to the Inner Yuan Realm, but ordinary experts of the Six Layer Realm or Seventh Layer Realm might not necessarily be his match.

But what delighted Ning Qi the most.

Was still the Physical Body's sublimation in the unseen.

After condensing the Inner Strength fruit, his lifespan increased once more and could already reach two hundred years.

The current Ning Qi was still only five years old, which meant he could still live a full one hundred and ninety-five years, perhaps even more. His Physical Body was overly powerful, having reached a realm with no ancient predecessor before him, and perhaps his lifespan would also surpass ordinary people's.

At this moment.

His spirit was bright and vigorous, and his Physical Body felt at ease.

Ning Qi only felt that the speed of his thoughts turning had once again risen by a notch. When the occasional Spiritual Light appeared, it was even greater than before.

"So this is the Inner Yuan Realm? Truly marvelous."

Ning Qi smiled slightly.

Cultivation was indeed an interesting thing. The feeling of climbing toward the peak step by step fascinated him greatly. The current him was one step closer to immortality.

After immersing himself in it for a moment.

Ning Qi began to attempt the Great Dream Nine Deaths Technique.

In an instant, he entered a cultivation state, and Ning Qi immediately found the feeling. For other people, just reaching this step would require no small amount of time.

Ning Qi controlled the Inner Strength fruit, step by step forming a deeper connection with his Physical Body.

Once that connection was fully formed, he could attempt to use his Physical Body to absorb the Inner Strength and transform it into even more powerful Inner Strength.

"However, this process of forming the connection is purely work like water grinding away at stone. Even an unparalleled genius would still need one or two years."

"Fortunately, the Great Dream Nine Deaths Technique I created can greatly shorten this process. Two or three months will be enough."

Ning Qi smiled with confidence.

He slowly ended his cultivation and decided to go find his master.

Dragon Mountain Daoist had once said that if Ning Qi broke through to the Inner Yuan Realm, he should go find him, as he had something important to tell him. Because of that, Ning Qi had never hidden the progress of his cultivation from Dragon Mountain Daoist. There was no need.

Ning Qi rose and circulated the Ephemeral Swimming Dragon Steps he had created. Inner Strength silently merged into them, and his speed instantly soared. In just a brief moment, he had already grown familiar with the use of Inner Strength across many martial arts.

By touching one thing and understanding its kin, the martial arts he created could easily be adjusted in step with his own cultivation.

However, in the future, he could create a few even more formidable martial arts.

For one, they could enrich the foundation that protected his Dao. For another, they could also be handed to Dragon Mountain Daoist to add to the collection of the Scripture Pavilion. In the current Scripture Pavilion, there were already many Cultivation Techniques created by Ning Qi. Sometimes, when he was idle and bored, he would secretly observe the disciples of the True Martial Sect as they cultivated, creating suitable martial arts for them.

Walking with his hands clasped behind his back, Ning Qi's figure carried an indescribably carefree air.

But when he arrived at Bright Martial Pavilion, he found the Pavilion tightly shut.

Ning Qi froze in place. From behind him came the voice of Eldest Senior Brother Luo Wentian:

"Little Nine, you came at a bad time. Master just entered seclusion yesterday. He originally wanted Tiansheng to notify you, but there wasn't time yet. Were you looking for Master for something? Eldest Senior Brother will solve it for you!"

Ning Qi looked at Eldest Senior Brother's concerned expression and smiled. "It's nothing important. Since Master has entered seclusion, I'll come find him again after he comes out."

After thinking it over, he still did not tell Luo Wentian that he had already advanced to the Inner Yuan Realm.

Although Eldest Senior Brother was a very good person, the fewer complications, the better.

The two chatted idly for a while, then Ning Qi left.

Looking at Ning Qi's back, Luo Wentian's eyes held some puzzlement. He felt that compared to two months ago, Ning Qi seemed to have undergone some sort of change, but he could not quite say what that change was.

In the end, he shook his head and erased a certain absurd guess from his mind.

"Junior Brother is only five. How could that be possible?"

He shook his head and laughed despite himself. Then, after bowing toward the tightly shut Bright Martial Pavilion, he strode away. With Dragon Mountain Daoist in seclusion, he had to put more effort into managing the affairs of the True Martial Sect.

The current Luo Wentian was already almost fifty years old, but he was only at the Inner Yuan Realm Ninth Layer. Looking across the world, that counted as decent, but he still could not be considered among the very top ranks. Although part of the reason was that he had been held back by the affairs of the True Martial Sect, his talent truly was not among the foremost batch of the True Martial Nine Sons.

For example, Fifth Disciple Jiang Baishan had now come from behind to overtake him and had also reached the Inner Yuan Realm Ninth Layer, with hope of becoming the first among the True Martial Nine Sons to step into the Gang Yuan Realm.

Luo Wentian did not have any particular thoughts about this.

He only felt gratified.

Luo Wentian felt that if his Junior Brothers and Sisters were gifted and powerful, advancing bravely and diligently, then it was no problem for him to sacrifice some cultivation time to handle logistics for them.

Dragon Mountain Daoist had entered seclusion, and Ning Qi did not dwell on it too much.

He continued cultivating step by step as before.

He read scriptures and classics in the Scripture Pavilion and cultivated the Great Dream Nine Deaths Technique in the Seeking Dao Institute. His days were incomparably fulfilling.

During this period, Ning Qi had tried to see whether he could use Inner Strength to explore White Ape's bloodline and constitution, but ultimately failed.

Inner Strength was still too "empty."

Perhaps only on the day he stepped into the Gang Yuan Realm would it be possible for Gang Yuan to probe into White Ape's body and then explore the Mysteries within.

Just like Zhuang Chen's innate sword bone, Ning Qi was also extremely curious about White Ape's constitution.

After cultivating the Ape King Stake during these days, Ning Qi had already discovered that White Ape had not displayed anything extraordinary.

There were two possibilities.

Either the Heavenly Beast bloodline within White Ape's body was extremely faint, unable to be activated at all and insufficient to let him become an Exotic Beast and increase his strength through his bloodline, or the Heavenly Beast bloodline within White Ape's body was too powerful, making it far too difficult to activate.

Ning Qi leaned toward the latter. He felt that a mere few Red Fruits should not have made White Ape this intelligent. He had also asked White Ape, and before eating the Red Fruits, White Ape's wisdom had already been unlike that of ordinary wild beasts.

Ning Qi could only suppress his desire to explore.

He would slowly investigate once his strength became even greater in the future.

Time drifted on.

In the blink of an eye, Year-End was approaching.

Ning Qi's cultivation was incomparably smooth. He had already once again formed connections between all the Inner Strength in his body and his physical body. The next step was to make his physical body "die" and achieve transformation.

According to the method of the Great Dream Nine Deaths Technique, he needed to sink into a brief slumber.

This was Ning Qi's first attempt, and he was not certain how long he would sleep. Just as he was hesitating, White Ape brought news.

Dragon Mountain Daoist had come out of seclusion.