Chapter 55: Unity of Heaven and Man

That fluctuation from the back mountain was incredibly conspicuous and extremely unique, filled with a sense of overwhelming pressure.

Almost immediately, everyone thought of it.

Because at this moment, the only person in the forbidden area of the back mountain was Daoist Longshan, who was in secluded cultivation.

"All disciples, heed my command! Immediately prepare for defense at Mount Zhenwu!"

Luo Wentian was the first to react, shouting out directly.

All inner and outer disciples immediately dispersed, heading toward the surrounding areas.

The several true disciples exchanged glances before simultaneously rushing toward the back mountain. Hope and anticipation flickered in their eyes; Daoist Longshan had been in death-seclusion for so long that all the disciples hoped he would achieve success soon.

The closer they got to the back mountain, the more they could perceive that powerful sense of pressure.

At this very moment, that area seemed to have become the center of heaven and earth.

With every step closer, the pressure grew heavier.

Everyone came to a halt.

"The power of heaven and earth! This is the Might of a Celestial!"

"Master has truly succeeded!"

Jiang Baishan cried out in wild joy.

Joy filled everyone's eyes. Although they had long known that Daoist Longshan would surely succeed in his breakthrough, the feeling was entirely different now that the reality was unfolding before their eyes.

Ning Qi felt joy in his heart, but his eyes also held a strange light.

He was earnestly perceiving the heaven and earth energy permeating the surroundings.

The records in the Sutra Pavilion stated that upon ascending to the Celestial Realm, heaven and earth energy would converge. A Celestial could manipulate this energy, and for low-level martial artists, this pressure was extremely severe—it was also known as the Might of a Celestial.

With Ning Qi's strength, he could continue forward, but since his senior brothers and sisters had already stopped, it would be inappropriate for him to keep going.

Ning Qi simply focused on carefully comprehending the pervasive heaven and earth energy.

On ordinary days, the energy of heaven and earth remained dormant; even if he wanted to comprehend it, he would have no opportunity. Now, witnessing the breakthrough of a Celestial expert, the energy was incredibly active. This was an opportunity encountered once in a hundred years.

"It feels... as if the energy of heaven and earth is somewhat familiar?"

Flashes of inspiration sparked within Ning Qi's mind.

At this moment, all the disciples were staring intently at that area.

Suddenly, a figure clad in a Daoist robe appeared in the distance and then soared into the sky. The Daoist stood with his hands behind his back, a smile on his face; standing amidst the firmament, he looked like an immortal.

If it wasn't Daoist Longshan, then who could it be?

Even some of the outer and inner disciples witnessed this scene.

All the disciples erupted in excitement!

"Flying through the air—the Celestial Realm!"

This was the hallmark of the Celestial Realm. A Yuan Dan Realm expert could only achieve brief levitation by relying on powerful astral qi, which consumed immense energy. Only a Celestial expert could manipulate the energy of heaven and earth to fly; it was a qualitative breakthrough.

At this moment, the gaze everyone directed toward Daoist Longshan was filled with reverence. Especially for Luo Wentian and the others, reflecting on their tribulations over the past year gave them a sense of bitter end and sweet beginning.

Daoist Longshan slowly closed his eyes, as if sensing something.

Upon ascending to the Celestial Realm, the energy of heaven and earth is incredibly active. To some extent, this is a blessing bestowed by heaven and earth upon a newly ascended Celestial, and one must grasp the opportunity firmly.

Luo Wentian and the others knew this as well.

Therefore, none of them spoke to disturb him.

Furthermore, they were all trying their best to perceive it themselves. Regrettably, they could only feel that awe-inspiring pressure, which felt almost physical, spreading outward in ripples from Daoist Longshan. Even after Daoist Longshan emerged, the crowd was forced to retreat another step.

Luo Wentian, Jiang Baishan, and the others exchanged smiles, feeling helpless.

They all felt as though they had entered a treasure mountain only to return empty-handed.

The blessing was clearly right before their eyes, yet they could not touch it.

"Fifth Junior Brother, can you not feel it either?"

Jiang Baishan shook his head slowly.

"I feel a tiny bit, but my realm is insufficient. Or perhaps, if my comprehension were stronger, I could gain something from it."

He was also quite helpless.

Everyone sighed.

At that moment, Ye Qinghe let out a gasp of surprise, instantly drawing everyone's attention.

She whispered, "It seems Little Jiu has entered a state of epiphany?"

Everyone was startled, then they all turned to look at Ning Qi. They saw that Ning Qi currently had his eyes tightly shut, surrounded by a peculiar aura, as if he were completely oblivious to the outside world.

"When he was four years old, Little Jiu had an epiphany once. I didn't expect him to enter one again now."

There was a hint of envy in Ye Qinghe's voice. An ordinary person might never enter a state of epiphany in their entire life, yet Ning Qi had achieved it twice in just three short years!

Everyone was envious.

At the same time, they felt happy for Ning Qi.

Today was a day of double blessings: not only had Master successfully broken through to the Celestial Realm, but his Junior Brother had also entered a state of epiphany once again.

However, what they did not know was that Ning Qi had experienced more than just two epiphanies in these three years.

At this moment, flashes of inspiration continued to dance in Ning Qi's mind.

The accumulations of his past days erupted all at once.

He finally remembered why the energy of heaven and earth felt so familiar.

"It was back when my bone structure was forming!"

"I once perceived a faint, wondrous connection between myself and heaven and earth. Back then, I even used it to discover Second Senior Brother's whereabouts. I didn't know what it was then, but now I know—it was the energy of heaven and earth!"

"In other words, bone structure is not just related to entering the martial path, but also involves the level of the Celestial Realm. Perhaps bone structure is the key to prying open the energy of heaven and earth?"

At this moment, too many thoughts flooded Ning Qi's mind.

Bone structure, innate qi, the energy of heaven and earth, the Innate Bone-Nurturing Art, various descriptions and records regarding the Celestial Realm, and even the one and only Celestial Realm technique in the Sutra Pavilion... threads of inspiration merged into his mind.

Ning Qi hadn't expected that he would have the chance to touch the power of the Celestial Realm so early.

Although it was merely from a distance and had not reached the essence, he still benefited immensely.

He gained a deeper understanding of the Celestial Realm. In the future, when he finally stepped into the Celestial Realm, it would be much simpler, and he wouldn't have to struggle at bottlenecks like ordinary people.

After an unknown amount of time, Ning Qi finally opened his eyes again.

"Human bone structure is inherently connected to heaven and earth. This is a shortcut; through it, one can touch a sliver of the mysteries of heaven and earth in advance. This secret technique can be called 'Unity of Heaven and Man'!"

His eyes were full of joy.

The secret technique: Unity of Heaven and Man!

It was the result of his recent epiphany.

It could be used for combat; if this secret technique were used, it could activate the divine properties of the bone structure within the body, inducing a sliver of heaven and earth energy in advance. Although Ning Qi could not directly control this level of energy, it could greatly amplify his internal strength!

Beyond combat, it could also be used for comprehension.

By occasionally inducing the energy of heaven and earth—even if it wasn't as active as it was now—over time, Ning Qi's comprehension would allow him to realize many things, and he could even clear the obstacles to ascending to the Celestial Realm ahead of schedule.

It could be said that this was a secret technique that brought Ning Qi even more joy than the Ape King True Body.

This harvest was immense!

If it hadn't been for Daoist Longshan's breakthrough today, which had created a field where the energy of heaven and earth was active and dense, even if Ning Qi's comprehension were heaven-defying, he would not have been able to create such a secret technique. This kind of opportunity was something that could be met but never sought.

(End of Chapter)