Chapter 33: Nine Deaths in a Great Dream, Advancing to Inner Yuan (Two-in-One)

Inside the Seeking Dao Courtyard.

Ning Qi was slowly practicing the Myriad Manifestations Origin Stake. Although his physical body was now flawless and had reached its limit, he still needed to use "Spirit" to stimulate the flesh, thereby continuously generating internal energy.

For instance, at this moment.

The internal energy within Ning Qi's body was no longer just wispy strands as before; instead, it had gradually condensed into clumps. He only needed to wait a few more days for it to fully condense into an internal essence "fruit," which would then nourish his body and cause his lifespan to surge once again.

This would mark his true promotion to the Internal Essence Realm.

For Ning Qi, this day was not far off; twenty days or so would suffice.

During this period, Ning Qi's understanding of the essence of internal energy had become even more profound.

"Internal energy is formless and shapeless; it is a 'void object.' Whether it is the wispy sensations from before or the current clumping, these are actually perceptions fed back to me by my physical body; they do not necessarily exist truly within the body."

"However, the cultivation of the Internal Essence Realm is the process of condensing the void into reality. Upon reaching the high realms of the Internal Essence Realm, internal energy is nearly in a 'semi-real' state. Beyond merely augmenting the physical body, it can also be attached to fists, palms, or weapons to enhance their power."

"How does one condense the void into reality?"

Ning Qi lightly threw a punch, feeling his body gently 'peeling' and 'squeezing' out wisps of internal energy.

Inspirations continuously flashed through his mind.

The various stacking energy techniques and secret arts he had read over these past days kept surfacing in his mind, providing answers to this question.

"Every instance of stacking energy is actually allowing the internal energy to merge with the physical body once more, thereby allowing the body to birth stronger and more 'real' internal energy. After nine such cycles, one can completely transform into Astral Essence!"

"Because of this, all stacking energy techniques in the world can be divided into two steps."

"The first step is for the internal energy to establish a connection with the physical body and merge again to increase the body's strength. The second step is to squeeze new internal energy out of the enhanced physical body!"

"In other words, the physical body plays the role of 'strengthening' and 'compressing' the internal energy during this process. The effectiveness of a stacking energy technique depends on whether it can utilize the physical body to its absolute limit. For example, the Ice Silkworm Strength, with its nine cycles of cocoon-breaking rebirth, is actually the act of squeezing the physical body to an extreme degree nine times—it is even a step superior to the four high-grade stacking techniques of my Zhenwu Sect."

"But, I feel this is not the true limit!"

Ning Qi had already forgotten he was practicing his stake technique; his entire being had entered a wondrous state of epiphany.

In Ning Qi's heart, inspiration surged like a spring.

"To ensure the physical body reaches its true limit during every cycle of this process, one must allow the body to 'die' and then be reborn. This not only squeezes out stronger internal energy but also allows the body to undergo another transformation. This is true cocoon-breaking rebirth!"

"However, the death of the physical body is a very dangerous act; if handled poorly, one's life force could be completely severed, leading to actual death. Therefore, one can use 'pseudo-death' as a substitute. Nine deaths and nine rebirths to reach the true limit of the physical body!"

Faint cracks of heavenly thunder echoed in his mind.

At some unknown point, Ning Qi had stopped his practice. He closed his eyes, standing in the courtyard like a statue.

A fine drizzle began to fall from the sky.

Seeing this, the White Ape hurriedly stopped his Ape King Stake, fetched an oil-paper umbrella from the storage room, and carefully walked to Ning Qi's side to hold it over him. He moved as silently as possible throughout the process, fearing he might disturb Ning Qi.

His eyes were filled with reverence.

Only after living with Ning Qi did the ape realize just how formidable Ning Qi truly was, and how good he was to him. Although Ning Qi had never officially acknowledged him as a disciple, in the White Ape's heart, he had long since regarded Ning Qi as his master.

A man and an ape stood silently in the rain.

It was not until the rain ceased late at night that Ning Qi slowly opened his eyes, his gaze filled with heartfelt joy.

"Tiansheng, go rest," he said gently.

The White Ape bowed respectfully and returned to his own courtyard.

Ning Qi looked at the faint streaks of rain in the sky and smiled.

He had read seventy-six stacking energy techniques, used the Myriad Manifestations Origin Stake as his foundation, took the essence of the Ice Silkworm's cocoon-breaking rebirth, and obtained the essence of the Taotie from his dreams. He had attained enlightenment.

The Great Dream Nine-Death Strength.

This was the fruit of Ning Qi's recent efforts, and the stacking energy technique he had tailor-made for himself.

"The physical body dies within a dream, and upon waking, it is reborn. Every stack of energy can reach the true limit; this is the Great Dream Nine-Deaths!"

"Every breakthrough can be substituted with a long sleep, so there will be no danger. One only needs to consume sufficient energy before sleeping. Fortunately, I have already optimized the absorption process to be used for the body's transformation, so I won't end up like Zhuang Chen, becoming a little fatty."

Ning Qi smiled faintly.

He stretched, feeling very satisfied.

Next, he only needed to wait until he had completely stepped into the Internal Essence Realm; then he could attempt the power of the Great Dream Nine-Death Strength during his second and third stacks.

In the world, completing the Internal Essence Realm within twenty years was considered a genius talent, but Ning Qi felt he would be much faster.

"However, strictly speaking, the current Great Dream Nine-Death Strength still lacks its latter half."

"After reaching the Great Completion of the Internal Essence Realm and achieving the 'semi-real' state, one can imbue internal energy with various attributes. For example, the Ice Silkworm Strength can condense ice-silkworm internal energy in the palms, which can freeze a person to the bone. Its power is immense and is even related to the future cultivation methods of Astral Essence."

"But there is no need to rush. Reaching the Great Completion of the Internal Essence Realm will take at least over a year. I must ponder this further."

Ning Qi suppressed the thought.

He would work toward this direction in the future.

...

Autumn was fading, and the cold winds grew biting.

A chill settled over Mount Zhenwu. The commotion caused by the Divine Sword Sect ascending the mountain gradually subsided. That day, Ning Qi's easy suppression of the little fatty Zhuang Chen had drawn significant attention within the Zhenwu Sect; many people had, for the first time, gained a clear understanding of the talent of this Ninth True Disciple.

Some curious disciples inevitably used the excuse of borrowing books from the Library to get a closer look at Ning Qi.

However, Ning Qi had always been mysterious and rarely interacted with other disciples. Gradually, the hype died down, and the Library became quiet again.

After all, most disciples were focused on improving their own cultivation.

However, the Third Senior Sister Ye Qinghe and the Fifth Senior Brother Jiang Baishan both visited to see how Ning Qi was doing. After playing with the White Ape for a while, Ye Qinghe shared some news with Ning Qi.

She told him that after Qin Yun descended from the Divine Sword Sect, he had been ordered by Daoist Longshan to go down the mountain for practical experience.

Ning Qi merely sighed softly.

It had been a long time since Qin Yun had visited the Seeking Dao Courtyard.

He could only feel helpless about it.

Ning Qi remembered the old Qin Yun telling him that he wanted to become the number one in the world and make the Zhenwu Sect the supreme Daoist sect once again.

But today, the Seeking Dao Courtyard was undisturbed; even the White Ape was absent. Aside from his diligent practice of the stake techniques, the White Ape would sometimes go into the sect to play with the younger disciples, and sometimes even Ye Qinghe would take him wandering around. The White Ape held a decent status within the Zhenwu Sect.

Rarely, Ning Qi sat cross-legged upon his bed.

His five hearts faced the heavens, his expression solemn, yet carrying a sense of anticipation.

Within his body, astonishing changes were occurring.

His massive physical foundation allowed the internal energy produced within him to be incredibly vast; its quantity was likely more than ten times that of an ordinary person.

And at this moment, the internal energy born from his flesh was about to completely form the "fruit."

Ning Qi could feel that the area of his dantian seemed to be filled with an invisible substance, presenting a state of primordial chaos.

"Condense!"

A moment later, the last wisp of "sweet dew" was squeezed from his physical body, and the internal energy completely condensed into a fruit. Ning Qi felt a jolt of spirit, and his entire state ascended.

Within his dantian, the internal energy could be summoned at will. As he condensed it into his right arm, he felt as though he could shatter a mountain; this was the illusion brought by the massive increase in power.

Internal energy augmenting the physical body could unleash power far greater than the flesh alone.

The current Ning Qi was terrifyingly strong.

His physical body was already far superior to others, and now, with the addition of such massive internal energy, he was even more powerful than before. Though he had just broken through to the Internal Essence Realm, he feared that ordinary experts of the Sixth or Seventh Stack would not necessarily be his match.

But what pleased Ning Qi most was the profound sublimation of his physical body.

After condensing the internal energy fruit, his lifespan increased once again, reaching two hundred years.

Ning Qi was currently only five years old, which meant he could live for a full one hundred and ninety-five years, and perhaps even longer. His body was too powerful, reaching a realm unprecedented in history; perhaps his lifespan would exceed that of ordinary people.

At this moment, he was revitalized, his body feeling comfortable and at ease.

Ning Qi felt that the speed of his thoughts had increased once more, with occasional flashes of brilliance even greater than before.

"Is this the Internal Essence Realm? Truly wonderful."

Ning Qi smiled slightly.

Cultivation was indeed an interesting thing; the feeling of climbing toward the peak step by step fascinated him. He was now one step closer to longevity.

After immersing himself for a moment, Ning Qi began to test the Great Dream Nine-Death Strength.

He entered the cultivation state instantly. Ning Qi found the feeling immediately, whereas for others, reaching this stage would take a considerable amount of time.

Ning Qi manipulated the internal energy fruit, step by step establishing a deeper connection with his physical body.

Once the connection was established, he could attempt to use his body to absorb the internal energy and convert it into even more powerful internal energy.

"However, this process of establishing connections is pure slow work. Even a genius would need one or two years."

"Fortunately, the Great Dream Nine-Death Strength I created can greatly shorten this process. Two or three months should be enough."

Ning Qi smiled confidently.

He slowly withdrew his technique, deciding to go find his master.

Daoist Longshan had previously said that if Ning Qi broke through to the Internal Essence Realm, he should find him, as he had important matters to tell him. Because of this, Ning Qi never hid his cultivation progress from Daoist Longshan; there was no need.

Ning Qi stood up and performed the Ethereal Drifting Dragon Steps he had created. His internal energy merged silently into the movement, and his speed surged instantly. In just a short moment, he had become familiar with the application of internal energy within various martial arts.

By drawing parallels, the martial arts he created could easily be adjusted to follow his cultivation level.

However, he could create several more powerful martial arts in the future.

One was to enrich his own defensive foundation, and the second was to give them to Daoist Longshan to enrich the Library. Currently, the Library already contained many techniques created by Ning Qi. Sometimes, when he was bored, he would secretly observe the disciples of the Zhenwu Sect practicing and create suitable martial arts for them.

Walking with his hands behind his back, Ning Qi's figure possessed an indescribable sense of elegance.

But when he arrived at the Mingwu Pavilion, he found the building tightly closed.

Ning Qi froze in place. From behind him came the voice of his Eldest Senior Brother, Luo Wentian

"Little Ninth, you've come at an unlucky time. Master just entered seclusion yesterday. He originally wanted Tiansheng to inform you, but didn't have time. Do you have something to discuss with Master? Eldest Senior Brother will solve it for you!"

Looking at his Eldest Senior Brother's concerned expression, Ning Qi smiled

"It's nothing important. Since Master is in seclusion, I will come back to find him after he emerges."

After thinking for a moment, he decided not to tell Luo Wentian that he had already promoted to the Internal Essence Realm.

Although his Eldest Senior Brother was a good person, it was better to avoid unnecessary complications.

After chatting for a while, Ning Qi departed.

Watching Ning Qi's retreating back, a hint of doubt appeared in Luo Wentian's eyes. He felt that compared to two months ago, there seemed to have been some change in Ning Qi, but he couldn't quite put his finger on what it was.

Ultimately, he shook his head, brushing away an absurd suspicion in his heart.

"Junior Brother is only five years old, how could that be possible?"

He shook his head with a laugh, bowed toward the closed Mingwu Pavilion, and strode away. With Daoist Longshan in seclusion, he had to worry more about the affairs of the Zhenwu Sect.

Luo Wentian was nearly fifty years old now, but he was only at the Ninth Stack of the Internal Essence Realm. While he was quite good by the standards of the world, he was not among the absolute top tier. Although being bogged down by the sect's affairs was a reason, his talent was indeed not among the foremost of the Nine Sons of Zhenwu.

For instance, the fifth disciple, Jiang Baishan, had now overtaken the others and was also at the Ninth Stack of the Internal Essence Realm, with the hope of becoming the first of the Nine Sons to step into the Astral Essence Realm.

Luo Wentian had no particular thoughts on this.

He only felt gratified.

Luo Wentian felt that if his junior brothers and sisters possessed great talent and were making vigorous progress, then sacrificing some of his own cultivation time to handle the logistics for them was perfectly fine.

...

Since Daoist Longshan was in seclusion, Ning Qi did not dwell on it.

He continued his cultivation step by step.

He read scriptures in the Library and practiced the Great Dream Nine-Death Strength in the Seeking Dao Courtyard; his life was incredibly fulfilling.

During this time, Ning Qi attempted to see if he could use internal energy to explore the White Ape's bloodline and constitution, but he ultimately failed.

The internal energy was still too "void."

Perhaps only on the day he stepped into the Astral Essence Realm would it be possible to probe the White Ape's body with Astral Essence and explore its mysteries.

Just like Zhuang Chen's Innate Sword Bone, Ning Qi was equally curious about the White Ape's constitution.

Through his recent practice of the Ape King Stake, Ning Qi had discovered that the White Ape showed no unusual traits.

There were two possibilities.

Either the Heavenly Beast bloodline within the White Ape was so minuscule that it could not be activated, making it insufficient to turn him into a mythical beast that could enhance strength through bloodline.

Or, the Heavenly Beast bloodline within the White Ape was so powerful that the difficulty of activation was too high.

Ning Qi leaned toward the latter. He felt that a few red fruits alone would not make the White Ape this intelligent. He had also asked the ape, and before consuming the red fruits, his wisdom was already different from that of ordinary wild animals.

Ning Qi could only suppress his desire to explore.

He would explore slowly once he became more powerful in the future.

Time flowed steadily.

In the blink of an eye, the end of the year approached.

Ning Qi's cultivation was incredibly smooth. He had once again established a complete connection between his internal energy and his physical body. The next step was to let the body "die" to achieve transformation.

Using the method of the Great Dream Nine-Death Strength, he would need to fall into a brief slumber.

During his first attempt, Ning Qi was unsure how long he would sleep. Just as he was hesitating.

The White Ape brought news.

Daoist Longshan had emerged from seclusion.