Chapter 54: Bloodline Awakening, Longshan Emerges from Seclusion (Two-in-One)

The white ape had always believed he was merely an ordinary primate, but Ning Qi had told him that the reason he had failed to become a mutated beast was that the bloodline within him was too powerful and difficult to awaken.

This filled him with both anticipation and a desperate longing for the day his bloodline might finally awaken.

In recent days, the Zhenwu Sect had been under constant enemy attacks. He had watched with an anxious heart, feeling helpless. Although he cultivated rapidly, he was only in the Body Tempering Realm; in such matters, he truly could not offer much help, at most being able to assist with patrols.

But now.

He finally had a way to grow strong quickly.

As long as he awakened his bloodline, his strength would inevitably leap forward. Furthermore, by continuously excavating his bloodline, he could become even more powerful. Combined with the martial arts Ning Qi taught him, his growth rate would far exceed that of ordinary mutated beasts.

"Please, Teacher, teach me!"

The white ape bowed respectfully.

He had always felt nothing but admiration and gratitude toward Ning Qi. Had Ning Qi not brought him back, he would still be just an ordinary white ape in the mountains, perhaps only slightly smarter than other beasts.

Ning Qi smiled faintly and began to speak.

"The so-called Ape King True Body begins with the heart. Visualize the Ape King, condense the physical body, and allow the divine sense to permeate..."

The white ape sat cross-legged on the ground.

Listening to Ning Qi’s slow recitation, he felt intoxicated, as if the doors to a new world were slowly swinging open.

The mysteries between the physical body and the soul unfolded before his eyes.

He didn't even realize when Ning Qi’s voice had stopped; he remained in a cross-legged, eyes-closed posture, his mind filled with the secret technique he had just heard.

After a long time.

The white ape finally emerged from that trance-like state.

His eyes were filled with adoration, looking at Ning Qi as if he were looking at a celestial deity.

"Student thanks Teacher for granting this method!"

Ning Qi merely nodded with a smile and encouraged him

"With your talent, if you work diligently, you should see results within two months."

With that, he departed with his hands clasped behind his back.

Ning Qi was now seven years old. He looked like a young boy, and his posture with hands behind his back was somewhat amusing, yet in the white ape's heart, he appeared unfathomably profound.

The white ape's greatest desire was to one day earn Ning Qi's true recognition and become his formal disciple.

Others did not know of Ning Qi's prowess, but the white ape lived with him day and night and naturally understood a thing or two. He felt that for a peerless figure like his teacher, if he wanted to become an inner disciple, he had to work twice as hard.

Otherwise, even if Ning Qi agreed, he would not have the face to accept it.

"This student will definitely work twice as hard!" The white ape's gaze was incredibly determined.

...

After imparting the technique.

Ning Qi did not halt his own progress. Although the Ape King True Body was a secret technique crafted specifically for the white ape, it could also be adapted for his own use. Ning Qi continued to compare the differences between his physical body and the white ape's.

As long as he grasped the underlying principles, he could easily apply it to himself.

While steadily advancing toward the Nine-Fold Realm, Ning Qi was also constantly accumulating knowledge. Creating techniques was a daily activity for him. To this day, the number of martial arts and secret techniques he had created—large and small—was more than he could count. Some were placed in the Scripture Pavilion, while others had not yet been recorded.

One night.

Ning Qi stood in the mountain forest, his perception expanded to its limit.

After ensuring no one was around, he began his movements.

His originally small frame expanded like a breath of air, exceeding two meters in the blink of an eye, and continued to swell at a staggering speed, finally stabilizing at just over ten feet.

Like a small giant!

Had his Taoist robe not been woven from an extremely special material, it would have been completely shredded. Even so, it now clung tightly to his expanding body, looking somewhat strange.

But Ning Qi's focus was not on that.

He was sensing his own immense power.

At this moment, he moved casually, throwing massive boulders with his hands, smashing ferocious craters into the mountainside, or uprooting giant trees by their roots. The pleasure of venting such power made him almost want to let out a long roar.

However, he held it back.

Although this place was some distance from the Zhenwu Sect's mountain gate, it wouldn't be good if the commotion was too loud and attracted everyone.

A strange light flickered in Ning Qi's eyes.

"Such strong power—at least five times stronger!"

This was somewhat exaggerated.

One must realize that Ning Qi's physical body was already terrifyingly strong. Now, in this special state, if his body was five times stronger, he could likely shatter a White Mist Realm expert with a single punch.

This was the fruit of Ning Qi's efforts during this period.

It was also the Ape King True Body, but he had optimized it to better suit himself by combining it with the Bone-Shifting Technique.

After experimenting for a while longer, Ning Qi slowly reverted to his original form.

"It's a pity that the Ape King True Body state only strengthens the physical body. If my internal energy could also be five times stronger, I might even be able to go head-to-head with the Golden Core Realm."

"But this can be a direction for future effort—striving to make this secret technique even more powerful."

"If one day I reach the level of Law Manifestation, it will be a true divine ability!"

Ning Qi felt a sense of anticipation.

In the myths of his previous life, immortals would reveal their divine forms during combat—limitless in height and distance, harboring boundless might. Perhaps one day, he could achieve this as well.

The white ape was the best subject for observation.

By letting the white ape practice the Ape King True Body, the subsequent feedback from the bloodline might cause unexpected changes in the technique.

Next.

Ning Qi left the white ape to practice on his own. Although he looked forward to the day the white ape succeeded, he would not push too hard; everything should follow the heart.

However, the day the white ape mastered the Ape King True Body came much earlier than Ning Qi's estimated two months.

Snow fell heavily.

The white ape had succeeded. Early in the morning, he was already waiting outside Ning Qi's room. Seeing Ning Qi come out, he immediately said respectfully

"Teacher, this student has mastered the Ape King True Body!"

A look of surprise flashed in Ning Qi's eyes.

He then nodded with satisfaction.

It was half a month earlier than expected; it seemed the white ape had put in a great deal of hard work.

"Come, try it out."

The white ape hesitated slightly.

Because Ning Qi had once told him not to reveal his martial arts in front of others, he worried that the commotion here would be too great and attract attention.

Ning Qi saw through his thoughts and smiled

"It matters not. If anyone comes, I will notice."

Every time his senior brothers or sisters came by, he could sense them from a great distance.

Hearing this.

The white ape did not hesitate.

Under Ning Qi's expectant gaze, he activated the Ape King True Body. In an instant, Ning Qi's expression turned to astonishment. He saw the white ape's body expand at a visible speed; whereas he was originally only slightly taller than Ning Qi, in a flash, he approached twenty feet in height!

This was even more exaggerated than when Ning Qi had activated the Ape King True Body.

The white ape at this moment.

Could no longer be called a little monkey, but a giant ape twenty feet tall. His white fur was not withered at all, but rather extremely lustrous, and his muscles bulged high, exuding a sense of raw power.

Not only that.

The gold in the white ape's pupils became increasingly prominent, carrying a certain divine quality!

The white ape's face was incredibly excited, seemingly wanting to howl, but he forcibly suppressed the instinct.

Ning Qi observed the white ape and asked

"Tiansheng, how do you feel now?"

The white ape's heavy, humming voice rang out

"Teacher, I feel better than ever before. I feel my strength has become much, much greater. It feels as if a mysterious power is surging within my body."

Ning Qi's eyes flickered, lingering for a moment on the white ape's golden pupils

"Is this the bloodline? Just as I speculated, the rapid strengthening of the physical body has forced the awakening of the bloodline. I wonder what kind of bloodline Tiansheng actually possesses; perhaps Master will know."

He continued to ask

"Do you find it easy to maintain this state?"

Yuan Tiansheng scratched his head and said

"It feels alright. If there isn't intense combat, I can even maintain it indefinitely!"

Ning Qi was somewhat surprised.

One had to know that when he maintained the Ape King True Body state, he had to constantly consume his energy. With his physical foundation, he could at most maintain it for a few hours before needing to rest. He hadn't expected the white ape to be able to maintain it continuously.

"It seems that after the bloodline awakened, its combination with the Ape King True Body caused some changes. To some extent, this current state is Tiansheng's true form, so maintaining it doesn't require much effort; it's just that combat will consume more energy."

Ning Qi was quite pleased.

He liked these unexpected changes.

Although he had created the Ape King True Body, its combination with the white ape's bloodline could bring new variations, providing him with more inspiration.

"Come, test your current strength."

Ning Qi stood with his hands behind his back.

The white ape did not hesitate.

Any shred of hesitation would be a sign of disrespect to his teacher; it would be a miracle if his meager strength could even scratch him.

Yuan Tiansheng took a deep breath, his right arm muscles suddenly swelling. With the momentum of ten thousand tons, he struck down like a mountain. There were no flashy movements, only the pressure of absolute strength.

But Ning Qi remained calm and composed.

His left hand remained behind his back as he slowly raised his right palm.

The white ape's massive palm, which looked like a giant boulder, was easily halted by Ning Qi's palm. The visual impact was incredibly shocking, but the disparity in strength left the white ape in awe. He had originally thought that in this state, he might be able to slightly shake his teacher, but only through this close contact did he realize how much his teacher stood above him like an unreachable mountain.

Ning Qi slowly withdrew his hand and nodded approvingly.

"Not bad. You have about thirty thousand catties of strength. Once you reach the perfection of Body Tempering and your bloodline is further developed, you might reach eighty or ninety thousand catties."

Even though he was in the giant ape state, it was quite impressive.

However, it still could not compare to the supreme foundation Ning Qi had established back then.

Without using any secret techniques or martial arts, Ning Qi possessed a single-arm strength of one hundred thousand catties.

The white ape returned to his original state, scratching his head sheepishly

"I feel better than ever, but I'm a bit hungry."

Ning Qi nodded

"It should be due to the bloodline awakening. I will ask Eldest Senior Brother to prepare more food and precious materials for you. Your strength will leap forward during this period. Since your bloodline has awakened, you no longer need to be as cautious as before. It is fine to gradually reveal a bit to the Eldest Senior Brother and the others."

Previously, he had not allowed the white ape to show off in public out of caution, to prevent people from discovering his Stance Training.

But now that the bloodline was gradually awakening, with the cover of being a mutated beast, revealing his strength would not be a major issue.

Ning Qi stared at the white ape's golden pupils.

Some powerful mutated beasts awaken innate talents, and he felt the white ape's golden pupils might be one such talent. The white ape had just said that if he focused his gaze, moving objects would appear to slow down. However, for such a talent to fully awaken, the bloodline would need to be developed to a certain degree.

He believed the white ape's golden pupil talent would be very strong.

If he could study it thoroughly, the harvest would surely be significant.

"But with my current internal energy strength, I can at most investigate to this level. To involve the deeper changes of a Heavenly Beast bloodline, I need to become even stronger. I'm afraid even the Astral Yuan Realm won't be enough."

Ning Qi could only temporarily suppress these thoughts.

Following this.

The white ape's strength improved almost every day, and his Body Tempering progress began to skyrocket.

In just a few short days.

He had broken through from the perfection of the Viscera Refining stage to the Marrow Refining stage.

Afterward, he continued to advance, aided by divine luck following the bloodline awakening.

At this rate, he might reach the perfection of Body Tempering by next year.

Even now, as long as the white ape manifested the Ape King True Body, he could overpower most martial artists at the perfection of the Body Tempering Realm.

Luo Wentian and the others arrived upon hearing the news.

They all knew that the white ape had awakened his bloodline.

Ning Qi did not hide it from them; after all, the white ape's rapid growth during this period required a large amount of resources.

"We don't know what kind of bloodline Tiansheng has, but to be this strong immediately after awakening?"

The eyes of the true disciples were filled with joy.

In the distance, Yuan Tiansheng manifested the Ape King True Body, his abundant strength leaving them in awe. They all assumed this was the white ape's innate talent.

They searched through various ancient records, ruling out most known primate mutated beast bloodlines.

Beasts such as the Heaven-Reaching Ape, Iron-Arm Ape, White Giant Ape, and Silver-Ear Ape were all different from what Yuan Tiansheng was currently displaying.

Ye Qinghe remarked with emotion

"There are thousands of mutated beast bloodlines in the world, and special ones appear from time to time. Tiansheng might be one of those. We can only wait until Master finishes his seclusion to see if he can recognize it. I never expected that the little monkey who couldn't even beat a gibbon back then would become so powerful now."

The white ape scratched his head honestly.

Everyone praised him.

In the eyes of the crowd, with the white ape's aptitude, he would definitely become a major pillar of the Zhenwu Sect when he grew up!

Ning Qi merely watched with a smile.

Originally, the white ape had strength but could only suppress it; now he could finally show himself openly. As long as he didn't tell anyone about the Stance Training, ordinary combat martial arts would not be a problem.

That only involved the application of strength.

But in the future, if he stepped into the Internal Yuan or Astral Yuan Realms, he would have to be more careful.

Regarding this.

The white ape was also very aware.

Though he was sometimes mischievous, he knew how to distinguish between what was important and what was not.

Time passed.

The news of Yuan Tiansheng's bloodline awakening caused quite a stir among the disciples of the Zhenwu Sect. Everyone was excited and happy for him, though the white ape only manifested the Ape King True Body in front of the true disciples.

Gradually.

The hype began to fade.

The white ape continued to mingle with the disciples as before, but now there was a new activity: he could spar with the Zhenwu Sect disciples to increase his combat experience.

Yuan Tiansheng's strength progressed steadily.

So did Ning Qi's.

After the white ape awakened his bloodline, Ning Qi investigated the changes in the Ape King True Body and constantly adjusted the technique.

Thus.

In the blink of an eye, the year's end arrived.

This year's Zhenwu Sect New Year Competition was noticeably quieter. The previous events had dealt a significant blow to the sect; although the turmoil had gradually subsided, the disciples remained on guard every day, fearing the enemy was merely paralyzing them.

"Master has not yet emerged from seclusion. I wonder if his state of mind has been affected."

After the competition ended, Ye Qinghe said with some concern.

Daoist Longshan had been in seclusion for nearly a year.

But at that moment.

Ning Qi was the first to cast his gaze toward the back mountain, followed by Jiang Baishan, and then the many true disciples.

Everyone sensed that peculiar fluctuation.

A look of pleasant surprise appeared in Ning Qi's eyes.

"Could it be that Master is about to break through?"

(End of Chapter)