Chapter 25: Physical Perfection

Zhenwu knows no years.

Winter fades, spring arrives, and once again, the autumn air is rich with sentiment.

In the blink of an eye, nearly a year has passed. Ning Qi was born in the winter, and he is about to turn five years old.

Ning Qi has grown another notch; he is now slightly taller than the White Ape and looks no different from a child of seven or eight.

Over the past year, the Zhenwu Sect has undergone great changes.

Daoist Longshan frequently enters secluded meditation to seek opportunities for breakthroughs into the Heavenly Realm, leaving all matters, large and small, to his eldest disciple, Luo Wentian, to preside over, assisted by several other disciples. The Zhenwu Sect has gradually begun opening its gates to disciples; by today, the number of followers has exceeded a thousand.

There are even many third-generation disciples.

Ning Qi's seniority has risen once more.

He has begun to be called the Ninth Martial Uncle.

However.

Ning Qi is excessively mysterious and low-profile, so many disciples have little concept of this mysterious Ninth Martial Uncle.

Instead, they are very familiar with the White Ape under his tutelage.

As Ning Qi's disciple, the White Ape naturally counts as a third-generation disciple of the Zhenwu Sect.

It took the White Ape only one month to go from being cautious and wary to exposing its true nature—playful and spirited.

He has a lively temperament after all, unlike Ning Qi, who can endure solitude. The White Ape needs to go out and play from time to time, and because of this, he has become very well-acquainted with the many disciples of the Zhenwu Sect. The disciples have become completely accustomed to such a unique third-generation disciple, and they hold great affection for the mischievous White Ape.

Ning Qi lets him be.

He will not force everyone to be like him.

To him, comprehending the Dao and cultivating is the ultimate enjoyment, but that is not necessarily true for others.

However.

The White Ape is not lacking in ambition; it is simply his nature.

In fact.

The White Ape is more hardworking than most people.

More than half a year ago.

Drawing inspiration from human桩功 (posture/stanchion training), Ning Qi took the "Ape-Elephant" element from the center of the Myriad Manifestations Origin Posture to create a technique for the White Ape.

Having experienced the creation of the Myriad Manifestations Origin Posture, Ning Qi's foundation in martial arts had increased significantly.

Without much effort, he created the Ape King Posture, suitable for the White Ape's cultivation.

From then on.

The White Ape officially embarked on the path of cultivation.

Cultivating the Ape King Posture with the body of an ape was naturally a godsend; he was born with the ability to comprehend the Divine Intent of the Ape King. Combined with his own intelligence, his cultivation speed was incredibly rapid. Although he could not compare to Ning Qi, he was still faster than the peerless geniuses among humans.

Ning Qi was surprised and observed him closely.

He discovered that perhaps because beast bodies are inherently stronger than human bodies, tempering the physique is more convenient.

Perhaps the mysterious red fruit also played a part.

But regardless of the reason.

Ning Qi gave the White Ape an ultimatum: without his permission, he must never reveal that he had stepped onto the path of martial arts, otherwise, he would be expelled from the sect.

Ning Qi worried that if the White Ape's uniqueness were leaked, powerful exotic beasts might come seeking him.

The White Ape naturally agreed obediently.

Thus, until now, no one in the entire Zhenwu Sect except for Ning Qi knows that the White Ape has also begun practicing martial arts and has even reached a significant realm.

But the changes in the Zhenwu Sect and the White Ape are secondary.

The greatest change.

Is Ning Qi himself.

Within the Academy of Seeking the Dao.

Ning Qi was practicing his posture training.

His punches and kicks were light and slow, possessing a unique charm.

But this was not actual cultivation; it was merely instinctive practice born from the past two years.

Reflecting on his cultivation journey over the past year, Ning Qi felt a slight sense of emotion.

Since creating the Myriad Manifestations Origin Posture.

In just two months.

He had already achieved perfection in Organ Refining.

From then on, his internal organs became robust and inexhaustible; on a battlefield, he could fight a thousand men before his strength failed.

Three months later.

He achieved perfection in Marrow Refining.

His marrow fluid was like mercury, his strength was sublimated, and his movements were as agile as a leaping rabbit.

Three months later.

He achieved perfection in Blood Refining.

From then on, his internal blood and qi became one, his body became as flexible as he desired, and he reached a state of flawless harmony.

The final two months.

Which was seven days ago.

Ning Qi had already passed the final hurdle of physique tempering: Spirit Refining.

This realm was the most difficult.

It required using the "Qi" of the posture training to lightly temper the head and stimulate one's own "Spirit."

But for Ning Qi, it was actually not difficult.

His comprehension was extraordinary, and his mastery of the Divine Intent of the postures aided him in the Spirit Refining realm. Furthermore, the variety of Divine Intents he mastered was far beyond what others could compare to; thus, he spent less time on this than on the previous two realms.

"Now, I have reached perfection in Spirit Refining. My thoughts are unobstructed and my mind is clear. When ordinary martial artists reach this realm, they also experience the blossoming of wisdom."

"But for me, it is more than that."

"With 'Spirit' as the coordinator, internal and external are in harmony. My physical body has now reached a state of perfect, seamless completion. I can live for two sexagenary cycles (120 years). My life strength has increased, and my comprehension has strengthened once again!"

Joy shone in Ning Qi's eyes.

He sought the path of longevity.

Although living for two sexagenary cycles was only a slight increase, it still brought him pleasure; it was a step-by-step progression along the Great Dao.

Moreover.

His maxed-out comprehension would increase along with the continuous elevation of his life essence, always remaining in its strongest state.

This was his foundation.

If he could one day elevate his life essence to a level equal to Heaven and Earth, comprehending the myriad Daos with a single thought would likely be an easy feat.

Of course.

It was not just the increase in lifespan.

Ning Qi's combat power was equally exaggerated.

He had forged a supreme foundation with the Myriad Manifestations Origin Posture.

Now that his physical body was perfected, a single thrust of his arms could exert a force of a hundred thousand catties.

Furthermore, Ning Qi had conducted some research into killing techniques; they were beyond the reach of ordinary people, and his effortless execution would likely make even geniuses feel ashamed. In particular, the Myriad Manifestations Fist, which he later created to complement the Myriad Manifestations Origin Posture, was even more powerful.

Ning Qi almost never fought with others.

But he felt that even those in the Inner Yuan Realm might not be his match.

It was hard to imagine.

That this was merely a child under five years old.

He was practically a human-shaped ferocious beast.

"However, I cannot underestimate the Inner Yuan Realm. Inner strength is a very powerful force. Although it cannot burst out of the body to split mountains or sever rivers like Gang Yuan, it can greatly augment the human body. With nine layers of stacked strength, it becomes more formidable the further one progresses."

Ning Qi was not arrogant or complacent.

Although he had achieved certain successes.

It was still far too early to claim to be invincible under heaven.

"Now that my physical body is perfected, the next step is to use 'Spirit' to stimulate the body, give birth to inner strength, and thereby step into the Inner Yuan Realm."

For ordinary people, this hurdle was also not easy to cross; some people were stuck here their entire lives, until they grew old and frail and their bodies withered, unable to break through the realm to extend their lives.

But for Ning Qi.

It was merely a natural progression.

His foundation was too profound, and it was foreseeable that the inner strength born from his physique would necessarily be powerful enough.

"Two months should be enough."

Ning Qi calculated silently.

His eyes held a sense of anticipation.

By then, he would be exactly five years old, allowing him to step into the Inner Yuan Realm and live to two hundred—another leap in life.

"During this time, I can just as well contemplate the path of Inner Yuan cultivation to prepare in advance."

"However, before that, there is one more thing that needs to be resolved."

Ning Qi called out to the White Ape beside him.

"Tiansheng, it is time for us to go."

The White Ape, wearing a grey Daoist robe and looking almost no different from a human, stopped his Ape King Posture training and hurried to catch up.

Today.

Was the ten-year appointment between the Old Man of the Divine Sword and Daoist Longshan.

(End of Chapter)