Chapter 24: Supreme Foundation

After bowing, Ning Qi departed with Yuan Tiansheng.

Seeing that things were not going well, Ye Qinghe slightly poked her tongue out, preparing to slip away, but she was called back by Daoist Longshan.

With a bitter expression, she said, "Master, it wasn't me bothering Junior Brother this time; he was the one who actively asked me to accompany him into the mountains."

Daoist Longshan snorted, but his expression eventually softened.

"You, you... your talent is by no means inferior to Baishan's, but unfortunately, your heart is entirely set on wine. Now, Baishan's cultivation has already surpassed yours."

He scolded her softly, but Ye Qinghe merely gave a giggle.

"With Old Fifth acting as the face of the sect, isn't that great? We still have Little Eighth and Little Ninth coming up. Once they grow up, our Zhenwu Sect will be filled with experts like clouds. As a disciple, I feel very at ease."

"You might be at ease, but I, this old Daoist, am not!" Daoist Longshan said helplessly.

The only thing that comforted him was that although this third disciple was casual and fond of alcohol, she possessed a pure heart and her cultivation was among the best of her peers; it was just that she could have been even stronger.

"Fine, fine. Next year in autumn, that Old Sword God will bring his disciple to our door again. Just make sure you don't lose face for your Master when the time comes."

Ye Qinghe froze, then seemed to remember something.

The "Old Sword God" her master spoke of was no ordinary person. To be precise, he was the former master of Zhenwu Mountain, though back then, Zhenwu Mountain was still called Divine Sword Mountain.

A sense of urgency finally rose in Ye Qinghe's heart, and she said solemnly, "This disciple understands."

Daoist Longshan waved his hand.

"Go. Tomorrow, tell your Eldest Senior Brother about Tiansheng's situation so he can inform the sect disciples, lest they cause accidental harm."

"This disciple obeys."

Ye Qinghe departed respectfully.

...

Ning Qi led the wandering white ape all the way to his small courtyard.

"Tiansheng, you will live here with me from now on. The room next to mine is yours; take good care of it yourself."

"Do not disturb me when I am practicing martial arts or reading. You may move about the Zhenwu Sect freely, but remember not to disturb the cultivation of other disciples. As for a cultivation path suitable for you, I will teach it to you slowly once I have organized it."

"For the time being, learn to read and read many books."

The white ape nodded repeatedly, feeling incredibly excited. He felt as though he had touched upon a brand-new world.

The night passed in silence.

The next day.

When Ning Qi woke up, he found the white ape already busy with chores. He couldn't help but smile, feeling a slight shift in his state of mind. Having a living being by his side felt quite good.

Ning Qi found a wooden board, wrote the words "Seeking Dao Courtyard" on it, and set it up outside the courtyard.

Inspired by naming the white ape yesterday, he felt he should give his small courtyard a name. "Seeking Dao, seeking Dao"—seeking the path of longevity; this was meant to serve as a constant reminder to himself.

Looking at this simple wooden plaque, Ning Qi felt his thoughts become even more unobstructed.

He wanted to practice martial arts.

After creating the Myriad Manifestations Origin Stance yesterday, he had not yet begun to test it with his full strength.

"It is the perfect time to re-cultivate the first four realms to forge an unsurpassed foundation."

The reason he hadn't rushed to break through to the Organ Refining stage before was precisely for this reason.

With that thought, Ning Qi moved.

His body moved in accordance with his mind, and in an instant, he entered a profound and mysterious state. The Myriad Manifestations Origin Stance was his own creation, so he naturally understood all its intricacies; the so-called state of "Perfect Divine Intent" was easily within his grasp.

The white ape, who was chopping wood nearby, stared with wide eyes. He felt as if he were seeing the scene of the Golden Monkey questioning the heavens once again, and it took him a while to recover.

Looking at the firewood in his hands, the white ape's gaze gradually became determined.

A journey of a thousand miles begins with a single step. He believed that as long as he did these small things well, one day he would surely receive the true teachings. He continued chopping wood, doing so with even greater focus.

Meanwhile, Ning Qi practiced his martial arts.

Ning Qi could feel the "Qi" of his stance moving according to his will, starting from his skin. As he re-cultivated, he suddenly discovered that his skin, which had been tempered by the "True Dragon Qi," actually still had many inadequacies.

Qi transforming into white clouds, transforming into green mountains, transforming into a soaring eagle... every deficiency was gradually filled.

This process was extremely fast, as he was essentially retracing his steps.

Ning Qi's growth was visible to the naked eye.

In the blink of an eye, seven days had passed.

Inside the Seeking Dao Courtyard.

Ning Qi practiced his punches. There were no extraordinary phenomena, only plain and simple strikes, but the changes within his body were enough to leave anyone speechless.

"The four external realms of Body Tempering: Skin Tempering provides peerless defense; Muscle Tempering provides strength capable of lifting a tripod; Tendon Tempering provides speed as swift as a leopard; and Bone Tempering integrates the three, elevating a martial artist's strength, speed, and defense to a new level!"

"Those with inferior foundations find that Bone Tempering perfection only grants a thousand pounds of strength in a single arm. For those with a superior foundation like the Nine Zhenwu Stances, it is three thousand pounds. When I practiced the Zhenwu Stances to forge a peerless foundation, I reached five thousand pounds!"

"But now, by using the Myriad Manifestations Origin Stance to forge an unsurpassed foundation, I have ten thousand pounds of strength in a single arm!"

"This time spent was well worth it."

This was not merely a difference in strength, but a difference in the depth of one's foundation. From now on, Ning Qi would be invincible within his same realm.

He lightly pushed his palm. Though the movement was seemingly weightless, the white ape watched with a racing heart, as if seeing a prehistoric beast passing by his side, feeling an instant surge of pressure.

Then, the white ape's eyes widened. He saw Ning Qi slowly come to a halt and exhale a long breath of white mist. That mist was like an arrow, piercing through the void and striking the ground, actually creating a pit.

The corners of Ning Qi's mouth curled up slightly.

"Exhaling like an arrow—even those at the perfection of the ordinary Organ Refining stage might not achieve this. I have only just begun Organ Refining, yet I have already reached this level. This is the gap in foundations."

Advancing to the Organ Refining stage was merely a matter of course; after all, he could have broken through long ago, but he had been waiting for his stance to be fully created.

He could feel his condition was better than ever before.

The latter four realms of Body Tempering are known as the four internal realms, involving more secrets of the human body.

"From here on, the path of Body Tempering will be smooth sailing."

"The Organs govern endurance, the Marrow governs explosive power, the Blood governs longevity, and finally, the Spirit unifies them all. Upon perfection of the four internal realms, the physical body will be flawless and immune to all diseases, granting a lifespan of one hundred and twenty years."

Ning Qi felt a sense of anticipation. That might be the first true enhancement of his life essence.

He turned his head and looked at the white ape's longing gaze, saying, "Tiansheng, how was your lesson today?"

The white ape jolted, snapping out of his reverie, and then pulled a small booklet from his Daoist robe, writing: "Please allow Teacher to examine me."

The white ape was also currently wearing the Zhenwu Sect disciple's robe, which he took great pride in. Using a booklet to communicate through writing was also a way to practice, preventing others from having to guess his meaning. As for the white ape's way of addressing Ning Qi, it was something the ape himself insisted upon.

He felt that since he had entered Ning Qi's service, he should call him Master.

But Ning Qi felt that he himself was still seeking the Dao and was not yet qualified to take disciples, so he had flatly refused.

In the end, the white ape could only pitifully call him "Teacher."

Ning Qi tacitly allowed it. He would consider him a student.

Ning Qi asked questions with a smile, while the white ape continuously wrote his answers. There were actually no errors, which left Ning Qi very satisfied. Although this student was far inferior to himself, even among humans, he would belong to the top tier of intelligence.

"Writing like this is indeed a bit troublesome. If there is a chance in the future to let Tiansheng step onto the path of martial arts, perhaps I can create an abdominal speech technique for him," Ning Qi thought silently.

He was still pondering the white ape's martial path. Once he understood the white ape's physical structure, he might be able to simplify a stance from the Myriad Manifestations Origin Stance for him.