Dragon Mountain Daoist gained a lot this time.
Sharing the secrets of the Heavenly Human Realm with Divine Sword Old Man was not only helping Divine Sword Old Man, but it was also a win-win situation.
Although Divine Sword Old Man's Aptitude was not as good as Dragon Mountain Daoist's, he was still a Core Formation Realm Sword Dao expert, and sometimes his flashes of insight gave Dragon Mountain Daoist a lot of inspiration.
This time in seclusion,
He fully digested the insights from this period.
Dragon Mountain Daoist now possessed a more ethereal quality.
He merely stood there, yet he exuded a unique sense of oppression, as if his Physical Body was merging with the world; he could now truly be called a Half-step Heavenly Human, fundamentally different from his previous Core Formation Perfection.
Luo Wentian, standing nearby, had reverence and adoration in his eyes; he was the earliest Disciple to follow Dragon Mountain Daoist, even joining his School before Dragon Mountain Daoist rebuilt the True Martial Sect.
He could perceive the changes in his Master's aura.
The subtle oppressive feeling emanating from him made his heart pound.
"Master, are you…" Luo Wentian asked cautiously.
Dragon Mountain Daoist smiled:
"Soon, in as little as one year or as long as three years, I will surely achieve the Heavenly Human Realm!"
It seemed like a long time, but in reality, he was already very confident.
Looking across the Great Yan Dynasty, how many people dared to speak such words before entering the Heavenly Human Realm? Even if he only successfully broke through after three years, given Dragon Mountain Daoist's age, he was still far from a hundred years old. Such Aptitude was enough to reign supreme in the Great Yan Dynasty.
Luo Wentian was overjoyed:
"Congratulations, Master! It seems your Disciple needs to prepare for the Heavenly Human Grand Ceremony in advance!"
According to custom, if there was a newly advanced Heavenly Human expert in the Great Yan Dynasty, a Heavenly Human Grand Ceremony would be held. This was an excellent opportunity to strengthen the True Martial Sect's prestige, and it could even allow the True Martial Sect to break out of Qingzhou and become famous throughout the Great Yan Dynasty.
Throughout the Great Yan Dynasty,
The Heavenly Human Realm experts were considered among the few peerless powerful individuals, deserving of respect from countless people.
Dragon Mountain Daoist composed himself and waved his hand slightly:
"Has anything important happened within the School recently?"
Luo Wentian thought for a moment and said:
"Everything within the School is as usual, except for Eighth Junior Brother, who went down the mountain for training and hasn't returned; it seems he's been gone for quite some time."
Dragon Mountain Daoist frowned slightly:
"Never mind, it seems Little Eight hasn't resolved his obsession yet. It looks like he won't be back for the New Year this year. Let him be; he'll naturally return when he figures things out."
Luo Wentian was silent, then added:
"Oh, and about a month ago, Little Nine came to look for you once. I wonder if it was something important."
Dragon Mountain Daoist was startled.
His youngest Disciple, Ning Qi, was the one he was most proud of and the least worried about.
Aside from painstakingly imparting some martial arts experience when Ning Qi first stepped into the martial Dao, he basically didn't need to worry about him afterward; Ning Qi generally wouldn't actively seek him out. Dragon Mountain Daoist only needed to provide the necessary resources.
Suddenly,
Dragon Mountain Daoist remembered something.
His eyes widened.
"No way? Little Nine is only five years old… Even if he had already reached the Spirit Refining Realm before, the Bottleneck of reaching the Flawless Physical Body Realm and generating Inner Strength isn't that easy to break…"
At this thought,
Dragon Mountain Daoist couldn't sit still.
He wanted to go to the Seeking Dao Courtyard to see if it was truly as he suspected.
But just as he stood up,
He looked outside the pavilion, his eyes moved slightly, and he sat back down.
"Wen Tian, you may leave first."
Luo Wentian was a little surprised, as he had only just arrived, and logically, there were still some matters that needed to be reported.
However, he had always respected his Master.
After bowing, he strode away.
But just as he walked out of the pavilion, Luo Wentian saw Ning Qi, and he smiled:
"Little Nine, you've come at a good time. Master has come out of seclusion. We were just talking about you."
Ning Qi smiled and nodded.
Looking at Ning Qi's back, Luo Wentian belatedly realized.
"Did Master sense that Little Nine was coming, and that's why he told me to leave?"
This thought arose in his mind, but he had no particular feelings or dissatisfaction, only a little curiosity about what Master wanted to talk to Little Nine about alone.
Then, he shook his head and chuckled; this was not something he should worry about.
"If Master breaks through to the Heavenly Human Realm within the next two years, the Heavenly Human Grand Ceremony will be held then. The Disciples must further improve their strength so as not to diminish Master's prestige."
"Perhaps, at the end of the year, we can hold a School-wide competition and let Second Senior Brother and Third Junior Sister guide the Outer Sect and Inner Sect Disciples?"
Various thoughts arose in his mind as his figure gradually moved away.
And inside the Mingwu Pavilion.
After Ning Qi respectfully bowed, Dragon Mountain Daoist's eyes had already fixed on him, sensing carefully, he suppressed his inner excitement and asked:
"Little Nine, have you broken through?"
Ning Qi was slightly startled, then nodded.
"I just broke through to the Inner Yuan Realm a few days ago. I was going to tell Master then, but you were in seclusion."
Upon receiving Ning Qi's affirmative reply,
Dragon Mountain Daoist stood stunned.
Guessing was one thing, but when the fact was truly laid out before him, it was another matter entirely.
The impact was completely different.
"Dao Ancestor above, Little Nine is only five years old…"
He started practicing martial arts at three and broke through to the Inner Yuan Realm at five.
What kind of peerless Prodigy was this!
Originally, according to Dragon Mountain Daoist's estimation, Ning Qi might step into the Inner Yuan Realm after six years old. Even then, he already felt it was incredibly prodigious, but he never expected Ning Qi to be even more astonishing. It seemed like only a year earlier, but the difference in Aptitude it represented was incalculable.
At this moment,
Dragon Mountain Daoist felt a bit of regret. He should have stopped Ning Qi from making a move when the Divine Sword Sect came up the mountain earlier. It would have been fine to lose some Face.
Fortunately, the Body Tempering Realm Ning Qi displayed at that time was not high; it was estimated that only Divine Sword Old Man saw some clues, but Dragon Mountain Daoist still trusted Divine Sword Old Man's character.
"Little Nine, from now on, you must remember not to reveal your cultivation in front of outsiders. Even if you do reveal it, it's best not to expose your age, unless one day you have already become a Heavenly Human."
Dragon Mountain Daoist sternly instructed.
One must always be wary of others.
For Prodigies with Aptitude like Qin Yun or Zhuang Chen, unless there was deep hatred from an enemy force, no one would specifically target them. But someone like Ning Qi was too terrifying; if his abilities were known, even without enmity, there might be thoughts of eliminating him prematurely.
Only by reaching the Heavenly Human Realm would one have the power to protect oneself.
However, in another year or two, Dragon Mountain Daoist estimated that he himself would have already advanced to the Heavenly Human Realm, and then protecting Ning Qi safely in Zhenwu Mountain would not be a problem.
His warning to Ning Qi was merely a double safeguard, preventing problems before they arose.
Ning Qi nodded seriously.
He felt his Master's care and concern.
"Master, you previously said you had something important to tell me after I broke through to the Inner Yuan Realm. What is it?"
Ning Qi asked.
He already had a few guesses in his heart.
Sure enough,
Dragon Mountain Daoist's expression stiffened. He sighed deeply, seemingly with some hesitation, but finally said slowly:
"It's about your origins."