Chapter 21: The Origin of All Phenomena

Ye Qinghe looked at Ning Qi and was instantly frozen in place.

She saw that Ning Qi had closed his eyes at some unknown moment. His hands hung loosely at his sides, his posture exceptionally relaxed, yet there seemed to be a peculiar charm contained within him. As the afterglow of the setting sun slanted across his body, the young child's silhouette actually carried a sense of divinity.

"Could Junior Brother be in a state of epiphany?"

Ye Qinghe was startled, followed immediately by great joy.

She had once heard her master, Daoist Longshan, speak of this miraculous state. If one could achieve epiphany, it was as if aided by the gods; all the difficulties and confusion that could not be solved in the past would be resolved effortlessly. This was a supreme opportunity that some people could not even enter in their entire lifetimes.

"To achieve epiphany at only four years old—what incredible comprehension!"

Ye Qinghe felt a mix of envy and admiration.

Both of them witnessed this wondrous sight, yet she felt nothing at all. This was the difference. In the eyes of commoners, she was an undisputed genius, but compared to Ning Qi, she was on an entirely different dimension.

However, thinking that Ning Qi had already reached the Bone Refining stage after only one year of cultivation, she felt relieved; there was no point in comparing oneself to such a monster.

She began to guard Ning Qi seriously, lest his opportunity be disturbed.

Upon the stone platform.

Two humans and one ape.

Both Ning Qi and the white ape had their eyes closed, while Ye Qinghe focused all her attention on sensing her surroundings to prevent any exotic beasts from appearing.

At this moment.

In Ning Qi's mind, streaks of spiritual inspiration came rushing in like a torrent.

Everything he had contemplated over the past year erupted in an instant.

The various pillar stances he had read about in the Sutra Pavilion, and the various aspects of heaven and earth and nature he had observed, all surged forth.

He had indeed attained enlightenment.

But it wasn't entirely because of the wondrous scenery before him; that was merely a catalyst. His accumulation was already sufficient, and today, accompanied by Ye Qinghe, he had verified the thoughts in his heart. He would have succeeded in a few days regardless.

Now, it had happened ahead of schedule.

"The essence of Body Tempering Pillar Stances is 'tempering the body with Qi.' The Bi'an Stance condenses Bi'an Qi, while the Zhenwu Stance condenses True Dragon Qi. The Bi'an is fierce and savage, while the True Dragon is majestic and noble—both are powerful types among the myriad phenomena of heaven and earth. Therefore, the 'Qi' condensed by mimicking such creatures is naturally stronger, making the body-tempering effect excellent."

"However, the secrets of the human body are infinite. Even True Dragon Qi is not entirely beneficial; it might have excellent effects in certain areas, but in others, the effect might be inferior to others."

"The best method is to guide the momentum and change with the trend—using different 'phenomena' to temper different parts of the body. This way, every part can achieve an extremely powerful tempering effect."

"Therefore... grasp the myriad phenomena of heaven and earth to temper the human body!"

Various thoughts continuously surfaced in Ning Qi's mind, like a rope gradually stringing together the previously scattered sparks of inspiration.

He began to move.

Under Ye Qinghe's astonished gaze.

Ning Qi's eyes remained closed.

But his hands had already taken a stance.

His punches and kicks were not fast, but they were powerful.

"Is Xiao Jiu... practicing a pillar stance?"

Ye Qinghe was stunned.

With her level of perception, she could only discern that this was roughly a type of Body Tempering Pillar Stance.

"But isn't Xiao Jiu practicing the Bi'an Stance?"

She knew.

Her Junior Brother possessed heaven-sent talent; he might have already practiced the Bi'an Stance to a profound level of perfection, especially considering the overwhelming talent he displayed when learning the Chiwen Stance from her.

But now, she could not understand this stance.

It was clearly not the Bi'an Stance.

It lacked the divine intent of the Bi'an, it wasn't even the basic moves, and there were no manifested visions, yet it possessed a mysterious charm.

Her gaze sharpened, and she observed even more intently.

As she watched.

Ye Qinghe's pupils gradually dilated.

In her eyes, Ning Qi's figure slowly vanished.

She seemed to see a river, a mountain, a cloud, a wisp of wind; she seemed to hear the roar of a tiger and the cry of a dragon, the strike of a wolf and the scream of an eagle.

Mountains, waters, clouds, mists, dragons, tigers, eagles, wolves...

Ye Qinghe did not understand it, but she was profoundly shaken.

She rubbed her eyes vigorously, only to find that those visions had all vanished. Before her eyes, Ning Qi was still practicing his punches. The movements were still plain and simple, but Ye Qinghe knew that this was likely an extraordinary pillar stance.

Perhaps it could rival the Bi'an Stance.

As for surpassing it?

She didn't dare to think it. After all, the Nine Zhenwu Stances were the foundational true arts created by generations of the Zhenwu Sect. For her Junior Brother to create a stance comparable to them at the age of four was already incredibly extraordinary.

"This kid, Xiao Jiu, is defying the heavens!"

At some unknown point.

The white ape had woken up.

Hearing the movement, Ye Qinghe looked over and saw that after digesting the red fruit, the white ape's body had become even whiter—so white it seemed to glow with vitality. White fur covered its limbs, brows, and face, appearing almost divine. If not for the clever and cunning light in its eyes, others might have mistaken it for an enlightened old ape.

The white ape was about to roll around in excitement.

Ye Qinghe quickly signaled for it to be quiet.

It immediately saw Ning Qi in the distance, practicing his punches with his eyes closed. Being intelligent, it stopped its movements to avoid disturbing him; the scene where Ning Qi had struck the Iron-Armed Ape had left a deep impression on it.

Curiosity rose in its eyes, and like Ye Qinghe, it began to observe Ning Qi's movements carefully.

The white ape's nimble eyes gradually widened.

In its vision, Ning Qi slowly vanished, replaced by a golden monkey clad in a Daoist robe. The golden monkey's punches and kicks were filled with a special charm, as if asking the heavens for the Way. This struck the white ape like a bolt of lightning, making it unable to resist trying to follow along.

But no matter how hard it tried, it could not learn it.

Even though the movements were clearly simple, when it tried to perform them, they felt incredibly discordant and even extremely uncomfortable.

Seeing the stumbling white ape, Ye Qinghe whispered a warning

"Little monkey, this is a pillar stance that only humans can learn. Don't try to force it, or you'll get hurt."

The white ape froze, its face filled with profound disappointment.

But then.

It could not help but look back at Ning Qi's silhouette, its eyes filled with intense reverence and longing.

It felt that this was different from anything it had seen before.

Ye Qinghe marveled inwardly.

She was amazed both by the white ape's intelligence and by the magic of Ning Qi's pillar stance, which had even made a white ape want to learn it.

Finally.

Under the gaze of the human and the ape, Ning Qi slowly stopped his movements.

He opened his eyes and found that he was only one punch away from the edge of the stone platform, yet he showed no sign of panic. Although his eyes were closed, he could "see with his spirit" and perceive his surroundings, so he would not fall off the cliff.

Having read one hundred and thirty-two pillar stances, understanding their essence, observing the myriad phenomena of heaven and earth and the scenery of the four seasons, and using the Zhenwu Stance as a foundation to melt all phenomena together, he had finally attained enlightenment.

A smile curled at the corners of Ning Qi's mouth.

The Myriad Phenomena Origin Stance.

This was the fruit of his epiphany.

The meaning of the "Myriad Phenomena Origin" carried his expectations. He had only just caught a glimpse of the myriad phenomena and could perhaps only grasp their outward appearances for now, but once his cultivation grew profound and he could stand higher and see further, he might not be unable to point directly to the Origin.

Without a doubt.

This was a supreme-grade pillar stance. In Ning Qi's estimation, it was far stronger than a peerless-grade pillar stance.

From now on.

The path of body tempering would be a smooth road.

Ning Qi could not help but burst into loud laughter.

(End of Chapter)