To some extent, they weren't wrong.
Ning Qi was the Protector of the True Martial Sect, and indeed the True Martial Sect's hidden strength, but there was one thing they guessed wrong: Ning Qi was not some 'old man', but merely a child not yet seven years old.
Ning Qi gave a wry smile.
He had no intention of explaining.
Firstly, because of Qin Yun's earlier matter, and secondly, as the Protector of the True Martial Sect, it was naturally better to remain as hidden as possible. Unless absolutely necessary, Ning Qi would not expose his strength. Before becoming strong enough, Ning Qi would keep a low profile as much as possible.
It was better for him to be in the shadows.
"It's a good thing our True Martial Sect still has a strong individual guarding us in the dark, otherwise today would have been terrible."
Everyone then felt a sense of lingering fear.
If the Flying Sky Eagle had ransacked the Scripture Pavilion, it would have been a devastating blow to the True Martial Sect.
"I wonder what the true strength of this Senior is?"
"Jade Liquid Realm, or a Core Formation like Master?"
Everyone was curious, but they were all sensible enough not to inquire about his identity. Since Dragon Mountain Daoist hadn't told them about this hidden strength, there was clearly no need to probe. They only speculated in their hearts.
But undoubtedly, such speculation greatly uplifted everyone's spirits.
After all, today's events had dealt a certain blow to the True Martial Sect's morale.
Ning Qi watched Xiong Shi cut off the Overlord Tiger True Intent Diagram from the Flying Sky Eagle's back. This True Intent Diagram was branded onto the back through a special method, so it could only be cut off.
He felt a little tempted.
Just a simple observation before had already allowed him to comprehend several martial arts.
If he could immerse himself in it carefully, he would definitely gain even greater insights.
However, he was not in a hurry.
This Overlord Tiger True Intent Diagram would most likely be placed in the Scripture Pavilion.
Ye Qinghe was in a daze, thinking about Jiang Baishan and Xiong Shi's words, and always felt a bit strange in her heart.
"Our True Martial Sect's hidden strength? ...I always feel like the Flying Sky Eagle's death was a bit strange, killed on the way to the Scripture Pavilion..."
Her brows were tightly furrowed.
Suddenly.
A figure entered her line of sight, carrying a great sword, meticulously watching Xiong Shi skinning.
Ye Qinghe's pupils constricted.
"Junior Brother?!"
A thought that even she found incredible suddenly arose in her mind, causing a surge of turbulent waves, but then she shook her head and laughed, feeling a bit foolish.
"It's true that Little Nine is a Prodigy, but he's only been practicing martial arts for less than four years. I estimate he should have just recently Broken through to the Inner Yuan Realm, so how could he possibly have the strength to instantly kill a Gang Yuan Realm strong individual?"
Ye Qinghe, as if by a strange impulse, took a step forward and saw that the Long Xiao Sword was spotless, without a trace of blood.
Ning Qi seemed to sense something, turned his head, and smiled:
"Third Senior Sister?"
Ye Qinghe exhaled, secretly scolding herself for being too foolish, how could she have such an unrealistic thought.
She smiled and said:
"You're still young, don't look at these things. When Second Senior Brother finishes processing this True Intent Diagram, he'll send it over for you to see, don't worry."
Saying that, she pulled Ning Qi away.
Skinning was not a beautiful sight after all, and in their hearts, their Junior Brother was still a pure little lamb, spending all day in the courtyard reading and Cultivating.
...
After the Iron Ridge Three Fiends' night raid.
The entire True Martial Sect entered a state of alert, with several times more Disciples patrolling and standing guard, ensuring there were no blind spots. In previous years, there had been some laxity, but last night's incident was enough to awaken everyone. Although there might be a Great Master within the sect, they couldn't gamble.
Now that the Flying Sky Eagle had died in the True Martial Sect, Xiong Shi and others worried that Hun Jianglong and Ground-Walking Tiger might not let the matter rest and might seek revenge.
Moreover, it was still unknown if there were other forces coveting the True Martial Sect.
But Ning Qi was a bit more relaxed, because he knew that he was the one who killed the Flying Sky Eagle. He wasn't worried at all about the other two coming for revenge; if they came, they would just be delivering themselves. He even somewhat hoped the two would come.
In that case.
Perhaps there would be a chance for him to collect all three True Intent Diagrams.
Ning Qi stared at the Overlord Tiger True Intent Diagram in his hand, feeling a bit regretful.
"This True Intent Diagram is indeed not that simple."
"Overlord Tiger Stake, Overlord Tiger Strength, Overlord Tiger True Gang, the Cultivation Technique from Body Tempering Realm to Gang Yuan Realm is a continuous lineage, all of which are superior. Not only that, but it even contains a portion of the Secret Art of Heavenly Connection!"
A few days ago.
After Xiong Shi finished processing the True Intent Diagram, he sent it to Ning Qi. They all knew that Ning Qi was very interested in different martial arts scriptures.
With Ning Qi's Comprehension Ability, this True Intent Diagram held no secrets before him.
Read the error-free version at 1619shuba!
It took Ground-Walking Tiger decades of arduous effort to comprehend only a portion of the Overlord Tiger True Gang from it, which was still no match for Ning Qi's single night of enlightenment.
"This part of the Secret Art of Heavenly Connection is the most powerful, and can even be said to be the essence of the True Intent Diagram!"
"Unfortunately, this is only one-third. The other two parts are probably contained within the Heavenly Eagle True Intent Diagram and the Mad Dragon True Intent Diagram."
Ning Qi slowly put away the human skin scroll in his hand, feeling a bit regretful.
If he had chosen to pursue them that night, he would have had the chance to kill both Hun Jianglong and Ground-Walking Tiger, thus having all three True Intent Diagrams in hand, which would have been much more valuable.
However.
He had no regrets.
Compared to the two True Intent Diagrams, he cared more about the safety of his Senior Brother and Senior Sister. If any accident were to happen, he would regret it deeply.
"It's not a big problem. When my Realm is higher in the future, I can try to complete it, or even take it to the next level."
Ning Qi was, after all, only in the Inner Yuan Realm.
For him to create a Secret Art of Heavenly Connection now would be too much. He still didn't know what kind of method 'Heavenly connection, activating Heaven and Earth Power' entailed.
But even so, this Overlord Tiger True Intent Diagram greatly benefited Ning Qi.
The All-Encompassing Chapter he created had advanced further.
He had even begun to create the Ten Thousand Manifestations True Gang that would be Cultivated in the Gang Yuan Realm.
...
A few more days passed.
The True Martial Sect remained calm, and there was no trace of Hun Jianglong or Ground-Walking Tiger. Jiang Baishan and the others breathed a slight sigh of relief, but they did not relax their vigilance.
This continued for ten days.
Luo Wentian and a group of Disciples appeared outside the mountain gate, their faces anxious. As soon as they saw Jiang Baishan and the others, they immediately asked:
"Little Five, what exactly happened?"
Luo Wentian's expression was a bit grim. They had received the news on their way back from the Purple River Sword Lord's birthday banquet and immediately rushed back at full speed.
Jiang Baishan hurriedly said:
"Senior Brother, the sect is fine."
He immediately recounted the detailed situation of that night's raid. Seeing Luo Wentian return, everyone also felt much more at ease. Although Luo Wentian's Cultivation was not the highest, he had always been the one worrying about the True Martial Sect's affairs, managing everything in an orderly manner. The True Martial Sect's gradual growth was inseparable from his contributions.
Luo Wentian's previously grim expression eased slightly, but he still looked extremely serious.
He let out a long breath and said:
"Soon after we went down the mountain, the sect was attacked at night. It's impossible to say that there's no connection between the two!"
Everyone had already made similar guesses, their eyes burning with anger:
"Senior Brother means, the Purple River Sword Sect?"
Ning Qi's gaze slightly narrowed. The Purple River Sword Lord was a Core Formation expert.