Chapter 12: Improved Body Tempering Powder

Ning Qi lay in the wooden barrel, his thoughts gradually drifting.

"My top priority right now is to gain powerful strength as quickly as possible."

"To progress quickly in martial arts, one must rely on stance training and medicinal baths."

"My stance training has reached its limit for now. The Bi'an Stance, Qiuniu Stance, and Baxia Stance have all reached the perfection of divine intent; there is no further room for advancement. Compared to the other six stances, the effects are similar. If I want to improve further in this area, I must find more powerful stances."

"But there is still room for improvement in the medicinal baths!"

Ning Qi’s eyes lit up.

Perhaps he could improve the prescription.

That was not a difficult task for him.

Recalling the prescription, the dosage and medicinal properties of each ingredient immediately surfaced in his mind.

"Honeysuckle doesn't seem to be a necessity. I think the amount of purple root can be reduced, and blood-patterned flower can be used to replace the blood-strengthening grass..."

In an instant, many flashes of inspiration emerged in Ning Qi's mind.

However, a prescription is different from a martial art; it requires testing.

As he thought, he felt the medicinal power being absorbed by his skin and membranes.

Only when the medicinal power had completely dissipated and Ning Qi felt that most of the fatigue in his body had vanished did he leap out. He immediately dove into his room to start tinkering. Having read so many medical books and classics over the past three years, and even having synthesized them to create his own "Ning Family Medical Book," this small matter was easy for him.

He busied himself until late at night.

Only then was the prescription perfected.

Ning Qi couldn't wait to pour this improved version of the Body Tempering Powder into the wooden barrel, fill it with water, and jump in.

In an instant, an extraordinary sense of refreshment washed over him.

The soreness and swelling that had remained on his skin and membranes disappeared at a speed visible to the naked eye.

"The effect is at least twice as strong as before!"

"With this improved Body Tempering Powder, I can have more time to practice without worrying about my body not being able to handle it."

A smile curled at the corners of Ning Qi's lips.

To do a good job, one must first sharpen one's tools.

This was essential.

He could continue to improve it slowly in the future.

...

In the blink of an eye.

Three days passed.

"Third Senior Sister, I'm leaving now."

Ning Qi said goodbye with a smile and strode away.

Behind him.

Was Ye Qinghe, her eyes vacant and her expression looking completely drained.

She looked quite hopeless.

At first.

Upon learning that her little junior brother could start practicing martial arts at the age of three, she was first skeptical, then excited. When she heard that Ning Qi wanted to learn the Chiwen Stance from her, she even boasted that she would definitely put Ning Qi through a rigorous training session.

And the result, naturally, was what it was now.

She had been hit hard.

"Is he really human? We are both human, so why is the gap so big?"

Ye Qinghe recalled what she had said to Ning Qi before, about how he would know the bitterness of martial arts later on. Now that she thought about it.

"I'm such a fool... the one suffering is clearly me."

She frantically rubbed her face, but in the end, she looked at Ning Qi's retreating figure and smiled, carrying a trace of relief.

Regardless, this was a good thing.

The little brat the master brought back was growing up bit by bit, and at a speed no one had anticipated.

A smile played on Ning Qi's lips.

He didn't need to look back to know what Ye Qinghe was thinking.

Because this scene had repeated itself several times over the past few days.

"In these three days, not only have I advanced to the Ox-Hide Realm, but I have also learned five more stances from Third Senior Sister and the others: the Zhaofeng Stance, Pulao Stance, Suanni Stance, Bixi Stance, and Chiwen Stance!"

"I have already obtained eight of the Nine True Martial Stances. The only one left is the Yazi Stance, which Eighth Senior Brother knows."

Ning Qi was already impatient.

After learning eight stances, he felt the connection between the Nine True Martial Stances more and more. If he could learn the remaining Yazi Stance, he was absolutely confident that he could use it to create an even more powerful stance.

"But there's no rush. Eighth Senior Brother is currently in seclusion breaking through; I'll go find him after he comes out."

Ning Qi had thought about asking other senior brothers to teach him the Yazi Stance, but they weren't proficient in it and were afraid of teaching him poorly. As for his master, Daoist Longshan, he had gone straight into seclusion.

There was no choice but to wait.

Seven days passed in a flash.

Ning Qi's realm broke through again, reaching the Stone-Hide Realm.

His skin tempering was already at a minor success.

At this realm, his skin and membranes were as tough as stone, resistant to ordinary punches and kicks, and his strength had increased significantly.

In just ten days, Ning Qi had completed a journey that takes many people years to finish.

Such an achievement was due to the several stances that had reached the perfection of divine intent, as well as the improved Body Tempering Paste. Ning Qi had optimized it a little more over the past few days, but he was too lazy to change the name, so it remained the "improved version."

Ning Qi planned to find an opportunity to give this improved Body Tempering Paste to his master after he came out of seclusion.

Many of the martial arts or secret techniques Ning Qi created had high thresholds for comprehension, but this prescription had no such threshold. If it could be popularized, it would allow the disciples of the True Martial Sect to improve their strength more rapidly, and their foundation would grow deeper day by day.

This day.

Ning Qi was wondering whether to go to Qin Yun's residence to take a look.

Unexpectedly, Qin Yun's figure appeared in the distance.

Qin Yun was only twenty years old and quite handsome. From afar, he looked like a dashing young Daoist. He and Ye Qinghe had the best relationship with Ning Qi and visited him the most often. However, Qin Yun was a martial arts fanatic with high talent, shouldering the hope of becoming the future strongest of the True Martial Sect, so he spent most of his time practicing.

"Eighth Senior Brother, have you broken through?"

Ning Qi smiled and greeted him. His gait was steady after practicing martial arts; although he was only three, his body was no different from a five or six-year-old child, and even stronger.

Qin Yun nodded, then a look of shock appeared in his eyes

"Little Nine, when First Senior Brother and the others told me you had started practicing martial arts, I didn't believe it. I didn't expect it to be true."

Ning Qi chuckled.

"Eighth Senior Brother, I want to learn the Yazi Stance from you."

Qin Yun was still digesting the shock of his little junior brother being able to practice martial arts at three years old. He frowned slightly.

"Learning is no problem, but you must know that greed leads to poor digestion. How is your main practice, the Bi'an Stance, coming along?"

Ning Qi didn't say much.

Facts were the best words.

Such a scene had already occurred several times with his other senior brothers.

Watching the young Bi'an leaping and maneuvering in the courtyard, Qin Yun felt a stormy sea in his heart, along with a trace of sourness he hadn't even noticed himself.

How long did it take him to practice the Yazi Stance to the point of catching a glimpse of divine intent?

Half a year?

Or a year?

Even so, he was already praised as a peerless genius, but now, in front of his little junior brother, what was he?

He fell silent unconsciously.

Ning Qi stopped his stance and looked up, asking

"Eighth Senior Brother, can I learn the Yazi Stance from you now? I just want to broaden my horizons. Don't worry, I won't be greedy."

Looking at his cute and intelligent little junior brother, Qin Yun forced a smile

"Alright, I'll teach you."

He instinctively wanted to refuse, but felt that doing so would be wrong.

He cursed himself inwardly.

Then he began to perform the Yazi Stance, while explaining its various key points.

"Little Junior Brother, have you learned it?"

Ning Qi nodded repeatedly.

With the foundation of the previous eight stances, he was learning much faster than before!

A moment later.

Qin Yun looked at Ning Qi's already highly proficient Yazi Stance and fell silent again.

"Little Junior Brother, practice slowly on your own. I have something to do, so I'm leaving."

He tried his best to force a smile, turned around, and left. He took a deep breath, his eyes complex.

Ning Qi responded, not taking it to heart, assuming Qin Yun was just discouraged by him. But he had tried his best to restrain himself, even controlling the Stone-Hide symptoms so they wouldn't appear.

Shaking his head slightly, Ning Qi continued his practice.

If Qin Yun were here, it would be harder for him to let go and practice. Before long, the Yazi divine intent reached perfection.

Ning Qi's eyes were incredibly bright.

The Nine True Martial Stances were finally complete!

(End of chapter)