Chapter 45: The Zhenwu Peach Blossom Festival

As soon as this thought arose, Ning Qi's curiosity became uncontrollable.

"Tiansheng, come here."

Ning Qi said with a kind smile.

The white ape, however, could not help but tremble uncontrollably; he felt his teacher's gaze was somewhat terrifying.

"Don't worry, this is a good thing for you. If I can investigate the condition inside your body, I might be able to help you activate your bloodline in the future."

Hearing this, the white ape's eyes lit up.

Speaking of which, the white ape's physique had grown quite a bit lately, even surpassing Ning Qi. Perhaps he was in a growth spurt; one wondered how tall he would eventually become.

Ning Qi smiled as he placed his hand on the white ape's shoulder. He had originally intended to start from the head, but feeling it might be somewhat dangerous, he decided it was better to start from the torso.

"Relax."

With that, wisps of gentle internal energy seeped from Ning Qi's palm. This was him activating his 'Water Softness' trait. The white ape let out an instinctive cry of alarm, but immediately realized that besides a slight itchiness, there was a sensation of gentle comfort on his shoulder.

However, Ning Qi's brow gradually furrowed.

He had discovered something.

Once his internal energy entered the white ape's body, he could sense it initially, but it was immediately exhausted at a terrifying speed. It couldn't travel far at all; he could only barely perceive the skin and flesh of the shoulder.

"Is it... perhaps because my internal energy is not consolidated enough?"

Ning Qi withdrew his hand, speculating inwardly.

Internal energy was a miraculous power born from one's own physical body; it was likely that attempting to penetrate someone else's body would trigger rejection.

"It seems I must wait until my internal energy becomes stronger."

He was not disappointed.

On the contrary, the white ape, after his initial anticipation, felt a sense of loss.

"You little monkey, now you're disappointed? Practice your martial arts diligently and strive to reach the perfection of the Viscera Refining stage as soon as possible; then you can learn Ventriloquism."

Looking at the aggrieved white ape as he wrote, Ning Qi scolded him playfully.

He had long since devised a Ventriloquism technique for the white ape. It was simply that the technique required powerful internal organs.

A look of anticipation appeared in the white ape's eyes. He bowed respectfully, then went back to practicing. Although Ventriloquism wouldn't allow him to truly speak with his mouth, it would at least allow for communication.

He wasn't too far from that step.

...

As expected, Ye Qinghe's peach blossom wine failed once again.

However, she felt she had made great progress this time; at least the wine didn't taste sour or stinky—it just had no flavor.

Fortunately, there was the wine brewed by the white ape to fall back on.

This time, she was completely transparent.

"This was brewed with the help of the little white ape!"

The true disciples all chuckled inwardly, though they continued to offer praise on the surface.

Daoist Longshan had not yet emerged from his seclusion. This was a deathly seclusion; he would not emerge without breaking through to the Celestial Realm, and no one knew how long it would take.

Perhaps a year, perhaps two.

But everyone felt that given Daoist Longshan's talent, it would definitely not take more than two years to succeed. If not for the previous influence of Qin Yun's matter, Daoist Longshan might have already broken through to the Celestial Realm.

It was a rare occasion for everyone to gather at Ning Qi's Seeking Dao Courtyard.

Drinking the peach blossom wine "jointly" brewed by Ye Qinghe and the little white ape while eating fresh peaches, they enjoyed a harmonious atmosphere.

The incident with Qin Yun had actually made everyone cherish their bond as fellow disciples even more.

"Xiao Jiu, I always feel that the peaches outside your courtyard taste better than those elsewhere. They seem even better than last year."

The second disciple, Xiong Shi, was quite blunt.

"Qinghe, I think next time you brew wine, you should wait until the peaches are fully ripe. Adding them might create a different sensation."

Ye Qinghe was not convinced. She crossed her arms and looked at Xiong Shi sideways.

"Are you saying the wine I brew isn't good, Second Senior Brother?"

Xiong Shi hurriedly begged for mercy, and everyone burst into laughter.

"But in all fairness, the peaches outside Little Junior Brother's courtyard are indeed delicious."

Everyone nodded in unison.

Having tasted them last year, they had developed a real craving for them.

Ning Qi smiled and said, "If my senior brothers and sisters find them delicious, how about we gather here every year when the peaches ripen?"

He had further optimized his cultivation technique. Perhaps in a few years, these peach trees would begin to exhibit divine qualities.

Everyone's eyes lit up.

"Xiao Jiu, that's a great suggestion! But won't it disturb your cultivation?"

Ning Qi shook his head with a smile.

He increasingly felt that while seeking immortality, one must also cherish the people before them.

Luo Wentian made the decision immediately.

"Alright then! From now on, every year at this time, no matter what we are doing, we must come to Little Junior Brother's courtyard to gather. Hmm... let's call it the 'Zhenwu Peach Assembly,' how about that?"

Everyone became excited. Perhaps many years later, this would become a legendary tale.

Ye Qinghe quickly added, "Little Junior Brother provides the peaches, and I provide the peach blossom wine. They complement each other perfectly!"

The crowd laughed. Everyone was already calculating what they should bring next time to make the gathering lively.

Watching his senior brothers and sisters chatting excitedly, Ning Qi watched with a smile, feeling an even deeper sense of inner peace.

After the clamor subsided, the Seeking Dao Courtyard became quiet once more.

Ning Qi was used to it. He continued his cultivation.

...

Time passed leisurely.

In the blink of an eye, the autumn chill arrived.

Daoist Longshan still showed no sign of emerging from seclusion.

On the contrary, Ning Qi had broken through again.

He had successfully established a connection between his internal energy and his physical body, entering his sixth state of suspended animation.

Half a month later, he woke from his suspended state. The light in his eyes was piercing, and his aura was powerful.

"The Seventh Fold Realm. My internal energy can now extend more than thirty feet outside my body. It's somewhat terrifying; the level of consolidation even has a hint of the quality of Astral Qi. If an enemy is caught off guard, they will suffer greatly."

Ning Qi felt that he was very strong now.

As his internal energy grew stronger, he had begun to study killing moves. If the martial intents he had previously comprehended, such as sword intent or fist intent, were applied to his internal energy, they would unleash immense power. This was especially true since Ning Qi's internal energy traits could be stacked, making it even more terrifying.

For example, there was a move called the "Triple Cold Flame Sword." It contained not only the dual traits of ice and fire but also the triple traits of vibration, rotation, and cutting.

If this move were used, the Fifth Senior Brother's protective Astral Qi would certainly be unable to withstand it.

Ning Qi tried again to use his internal energy to penetrate deep into the white ape's body, but he failed again.

However, this failure only made Ning Qi more certain that it was a matter of insufficient internal energy strength.

"One more breakthrough to reach the Eighth Fold Realm, and there should be no problem."

Ning Qi felt that reaching the Eighth Fold Realm around the age of seven should be no issue.

As he was thinking, a joyful shout from Luo Wentian came from outside the courtyard.

"Xiao Jiu, you've emerged from seclusion?"

Luo Wentian had come before, but the white ape had told him Ning Qi was in seclusion, so he hadn't disturbed him. This time, upon arriving, he found that Ning Qi had already come out.

Ning Qi smiled and said, "I just came out today; I haven't had the chance to inform you, Senior Brother."

Luo Wentian waved his hand. "It doesn't matter. I just came by to take a look. If you need anything, tell the Eldest Senior Brother anytime."

Ning Qi nodded.

He had no doubt about this. Speaking of which, he had not yet descended the mountain to obtain martial resources. Unlike those rogue cultivators without masters who might have to fight desperately for a single breakthrough pill, he felt quite fortunate. He had been spared from conflict during his weakness.

"Eldest Senior Brother, how are things in the sect lately?"

"Quite good, nothing major. It's just that Master still hasn't emerged from seclusion."

Luo Wentian's brow showed some worry. Although he trusted his master, this seclusion had already lasted nearly half a year.

"Master will definitely be fine."

As the two were chatting, a call from Jiang Baishan came from the distance.

"Eldest Senior Brother, the people from the Purple River Sword Sect are here again!"

(End of Chapter)