Half-Step Heavenly Human

Dragon Mountain Daoist gained a great deal this time.

Sharing the secrets of the Heavenly Human with Divine Sword Elder was not merely helping Divine Sword Elder; in truth, it was a win-win.

Although Divine Sword Elder's talent could not compare to Dragon Mountain Daoist's, he was, after all, a Sword Dao powerhouse of the Core Formation Realm, and at times, some of his flashes of Spiritual Light gave Dragon Mountain Daoist no small amount of inspiration.

This secluded cultivation session.

He had fully digested the insights he had gained during this period.

Dragon Mountain Daoist now carried a few extra traces of Transcendent Aura.

Simply standing there, he already gave off a unique sense of pressure. That was Body Merged with Heaven and Earth. The current him could genuinely be called a Half-Step Heavenly Human, fundamentally different from his previous Core Formation Completion.

Beside him, Luo Wentian's eyes held respect and filial admiration. He was the earliest Disciple to follow Dragon Mountain Daoist; he had even entered his tutelage before Dragon Mountain Daoist rebuilt the True Martial Sect.

He could see the change in his master.

That faintly revealed pressure made his heart tremble.

"Master, have you perhaps..." Luo Wentian asked cautiously.

Dragon Mountain Daoist smiled.

"Soon. In as short as one year, as long as three. Your master will certainly achieve the Heaven-Human Realm!"

It seemed as if it would still take a long time, but in truth, this already meant he had absolute confidence.

Looking across the world, how many people would have the courage to say such a thing before entering the Heaven-Human Realm? Even if he truly only succeeded in breaking through three years later, at Dragon Mountain Daoist's age, he was still far from a hundred. Such talent was enough to look down upon Great Yan with a proud smile.

Luo Wentian was overjoyed. "Congratulations, Master! It seems your disciple must prepare the Celestial Being Ceremony in advance!"

According to custom, if a newly advanced Heavenly Human powerhouse appeared in the Great Yan Dynasty, a Celestial Being Ceremony would be held. This was an excellent opportunity to strengthen the prestige of the True Martial Sect, and might even allow the True Martial Sect to burst out of Qing Province in one stroke and become famous throughout Great Yan.

Looking across the Great Yan Dynasty.

The Heaven-Human Realm represented a counted few peerless powerhouses, enough to receive courteous treatment from countless people.

Dragon Mountain Daoist restrained his emotions and waved his hand slightly.

"Have any important matters occurred in the Sect recently?"

Luo Wentian thought for a moment and said, "Everything in the Sect is as usual. It is only that Eighth Junior Brother went down the mountain to temper himself and has not returned. It seems to have been rather long."

Dragon Mountain Daoist frowned slightly.

"Forget it. It seems Little Eight still hasn't quelled his Obsession. Looks like he won't be coming back this Year-End. Let him be. When he thinks it through, he'll naturally return."

Luo Wentian fell silent, then said again:

"Right, a little over a month ago, Little Nine came to seek you once. I don't know if it was something important."

Dragon Mountain Daoist was startled.

His youngest disciple, Ning Qi, was the one who made him proudest and the one who caused him the least worry.

Aside from painstakingly teaching him some martial arts experience when he had just stepped onto the martial path, afterward, he basically needed no attention. Under ordinary circumstances, he would not take the initiative to seek him out either; Dragon Mountain Daoist only needed to provide the corresponding resources.

Suddenly.

Dragon Mountain Daoist thought of something.

His eyes shook.

"No way, right? Little Nine is only five... Even if he had already reached the Spirit Refinement Realm before, the Bottleneck of reaching the Flawless Physical Body Realm and giving birth to Inner Strength isn't that easy to break..."

As soon as that thought arose.

Dragon Mountain Daoist could no longer sit still.

He wanted to go to the Seeking Dao Institute and see whether it was truly as he had guessed.

But just as he rose.

He looked outside the pavilion, his eyes moving slightly, then sat back down.

"Wentian, you may withdraw first."

Luo Wentian was somewhat stunned. After all, he had only just arrived not long ago, and by rights, there were still some matters he needed to continue reporting.

However, he had always respected his master.

After bowing, he strode away.

But as soon as he walked out of the pavilion, Luo Wentian saw Ning Qi. He smiled and said:

"Little Nine, you've come at just the right time. Master has already emerged from seclusion. We were just mentioning you."

Ning Qi smiled and nodded.

Looking at Ning Qi's back, Luo Wentian belatedly reacted.

"Master sensed that Little Nine was coming, so he had me leave?"

This thought rose in his heart, but he did not have any particular ideas or dissatisfaction. He was only somewhat curious what business his master had in seeking Little Nine alone.

Immediately, he shook his head and laughed despite himself. This was not something he ought to worry about.

"If Master breaks through to the Heaven-Human Realm in the next year or two, the Celestial Being Ceremony will have to be held then. The disciples under him will also need to raise their strength a bit more, lest they weaken Master's awe-inspiring prestige when the time comes."

"Perhaps at Year-End this year, we can hold a Sect Grand Competition and have Second Junior Brother and Third Junior Sister give some pointers to the outer and inner disciples?"

All sorts of thoughts rose in his heart as his figure gradually receded into the distance.

Meanwhile, inside Bright Martial Pavilion.

After Ning Qi bowed respectfully, Dragon Mountain Daoist's eyes were already fixed on him. Sensing him carefully, he suppressed the excitement in his heart and asked, "Little Nine, you broke through?"

Ning Qi was slightly taken aback, then nodded.

"I broke through to the Inner Yuan Realm just a few days ago. I meant to come and tell you then, Master, but you were in seclusion."

After receiving Ning Qi's confirmation, Dragon Mountain Daoist stood rooted to the spot.

Guessing was one thing, but when the truth was truly laid out before his eyes, it was another matter entirely.

The force of the impact was completely different.

"Dao Ancestor above, Little Nine is only five years old..."

He had begun martial training at three, and broken through to the Inner Yuan Realm at five.

What sort of unparalleled Heavenly Prodigy was this!

Originally, according to Dragon Mountain Daoist's estimates, Ning Qi might step into the Inner Yuan Realm after the age of six. Even then, he had already felt that was monstrously abnormal beyond measure, but he never would have imagined that Ning Qi would be even more shocking to the world. It seemed like only a year earlier, but the difference in aptitude it represented could not be measured by reason.

At this moment, Dragon Mountain Daoist felt somewhat regretful. When the Divine Sword Sect came up the mountain before, he should have stopped Ning Qi from making a move. If he had to lose some face, then so be it.

Fortunately, the Body Tempering Realm cultivation Ning Qi had displayed back then had not been high. Presumably only Divine Sword Elder had seen a few clues, and Dragon Mountain Daoist still trusted Divine Sword Elder's character.

"Little Nine, from now on, you must remember not to reveal your cultivation in front of outsiders. Even if you do reveal your cultivation, it would be best not to expose your age, unless one day you have already become a Heaven-Human."

Dragon Mountain Daoist warned him solemnly.

One could not do without a heart that guarded against others.

With aptitude like Qin Yun's or Zhuang Chen's, unless an opposing faction bore some deep blood feud, no one would specifically come after them. But someone like Ning Qi was far too terrifying. If others learned of him, even without hatred, they might still think of snuffing him out early.

Only after reaching the Heaven-Human Realm would he have the strength to protect himself.

However, in another year or two, Dragon Mountain Daoist estimated that he himself would have advanced to Heaven-Human as well. At that time, protecting Ning Qi on True Martial Mountain and keeping him free of worries would not be a problem.

His warning to Ning Qi was merely a double safeguard, guarding against trouble before it happened.

Ning Qi nodded seriously.

He felt his master's care and concern.

"Master, you said before that after I broke through to the Inner Yuan Realm, there was something important you would tell me. May I ask what it is?"

Ning Qi asked.

In truth, he already had a few guesses in his heart.

Sure enough, Dragon Mountain Daoist's expression stiffened. He let out a faint, drawn-out sigh, seeming somewhat hesitant, but in the end, he slowly said, "About your origins."