Cultivating with Top Enlightenment
Chapter 37 - 33: The Great Dream of 9 Deaths, Advancement to Inner Essence (Two-in-One)_2

Chapter 37: Chapter 33: The Great Dream of 9 Deaths, Advancement to Inner Essence (Two-in-One)_2

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The autumn gradually faded away, and the cold winds were biting.

There was a chill on True Martial Mountain, and the commotion of the Divine Sword Sect’s visit gradually subsided. That day, when Ning Qi easily subdued the chubby Zhuang Chen, it attracted quite a bit of attention within the True Martial Sect. Many people gained a clear understanding of Ning Qi’s talent as the ninth true inheritor for the first time.

A few curious disciples would inevitably find excuses to visit the Scripture Pavilion to get a closer look at Ning Qi.

However.

Ning Qi had always been mysterious and rarely interacted with other disciples. Gradually, the heat died down, and the Scripture Pavilion became quiet again.

After all, most disciples focused on the improvement of their own cultivation.

But the third senior sister Ye Qinghe and fifth senior brother Jiang Baishan visited one after the other to see how Ning Qi was doing. After teasing the White Ape for a bit, Ye Qinghe told Ning Qi some news.

Ye Qinghe told Ning Qi.

After descending from the Divine Sword Sect, Qin Yun was ordered by Taoist Longshan to go down the mountain for training.

Ning Qi could only sigh lightly.

Qin Yun had not been to the Seeking Tao Institute for a long time.

He felt helpless about this.

Ning Qi still remembered Qin Yun telling him that he wanted to become the number one in the world and restore True Martial Sect to the pinnacle of Taoism in the world.

But today.

There was no one to disturb him in the Seeking Tao Institute, not even the White Ape. While diligently practicing stance skills, the White Ape sometimes went to play with young disciples, and occasionally Ye Qinghe would take it for a stroll. The White Ape held quite a good position in the True Martial Sect.

It was rare for Ning Qi to sit cross-legged on his bed.

He had his five hearts facing the heaven, with a solemn expression, and carried some expectation.

Inside his body.

A startling change was occurring.

The robust foundation of his physical body generated a vast amount of Inner Strength within Ning Qi, probably ten times more than that of an average person.

At this moment.

The Inner Strength generated by his body was about to completely form a ’fruit.’

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

"Gather!"

In that instant.

The last trace of ’sweet dew’ was extracted from his body, and the Inner Strength was completely condensed into a fruit. Ning Qi felt a surge of spirit, and his entire state sublimated.

In his dantian, the Inner Strength could be freely extracted, concentrated on his right arm, making it feel like he could smash mountains, an illusion brought by the massive increase in power.

The Inner Strength, enhancing his physical body, could erupt with far greater force than his body alone.

The current Ning Qi was frighteningly powerful.

Originally, his physical body surpassed others by far, and now with the more abundant Inner Strength augmenting it, he was beyond his past self. Although he just broke through to the Inner Essence Realm, he feared that even typical Sixfold or Sevenfold Realm experts might not be able to rival him.

What delighted Ning Qi the most.

Was the mysterious sublimation of his body.

After condensing the Inner Strength fruit, his lifespan increased again, now reaching two hundred years.

Now, Ning Qi was only five years old, meaning he could live for a full one hundred and ninety-five more years, or even more. His body was so strong, reaching a preeminent state that his lifespan might surpass ordinary people.

At this moment.

His spirit rejuvenated, his body at ease.

Ning Qi felt his thought processes speed up once more, with occasional spiritual enlightenment, surpassing before.

"Is this the Inner Essence Realm? It’s truly marvelous."

Ning Qi smiled slightly.

Cultivation indeed was an interesting thing, the feeling of climbing towards the peak step by step fascinated him. Now, he was one step closer to immortality.

After a moment of reflection.

Ning Qi began to try the Great Dream Nine Deaths Strength.

Instantly entering a state of cultivation, Ning Qi swiftly found his footing, which for others at this stage would take quite some time.

Ning Qi controlled the Inner Strength fruit, step by step establishing a deeper bond with his body.

Once the bond was fully established, he could begin to absorb Inner Strength with his body, transforming it into even stronger Inner Strength.

"However, the process of establishing this bond is purely a drawn-out effort. Even a natural genius would need one to two years."

"Fortunately, my creation of the Great Dream Nine Deaths Strength can greatly shorten this process, making two to three months enough."

Ning Qi smiled with confidence.

He slowly concluded his cultivation, deciding to find his master.

Taoist Longshan had previously said that once Ning Qi broke through the Inner Essence Realm, he should seek him out, as there was something important to tell him. Therefore, Ning Qi never concealed his cultivation progress from Taoist Longshan—there was no need.

Ning Qi stood up, employing his self-created Misty Dragon Roaming Step, with Inner Strength silently merging into it, making his speed soar instantly. In just a brief moment, he already became familiar with utilizing Inner Strength in various martial arts.

By drawing analogies from known concepts, the martial arts he created easily adjusted with his cultivation.

Though in the future, he could create several more formidable martial arts.

One purpose was to enrich his Path Guardian Foundation, and another was to present them to Taoist Longshan, enriching the Scripture Pavilion’s collection. The current Scripture Pavilion already housed many martial arts created by Ning Qi. Sometimes, when he was bored, he would secretly observe the cultivation of True Martial Sect disciples and create suitable martial arts for them.

Walking with hands behind his back, Ning Qi exuded an indescribably graceful demeanor.

But upon reaching the Bright Martial Pavilion.

He saw the pavilion tightly shut.

Ning Qi froze in place, hearing his senior brother Luo Wentian’s voice from behind:

"Jiu, you came at an inconvenient time. Master just went into seclusion yesterday. He wanted Tiansheng to inform you, but there wasn’t enough time. Do you have any matters to discuss with Master? Let your senior brother help you resolve it!"

Looking at his senior brother’s concerned expression, Ning Qi said with a smile:

"It’s nothing important. Since Master is in seclusion, I’ll wait for him to come out before visiting."

He hesitated but chose not to mention to Luo Wentian that he had already ascended to the Inner Essence Realm.

Although his senior brother was kind, it was better to avoid unnecessary trouble.

After chatting for a while, Ning Qi departed.

Watching Ning Qi’s departing figure, Luo Wentian showed a hint of puzzlement in his eyes. Compared to two months ago, Ning Qi seemed to have undergone some change, but he couldn’t quite put his finger on it.

Finally, he shook his head, dismissing an absurd notion in his mind.

"How could it be possible? Junior brother is only five years old."

He shook his head with a chuckle, then bowed to the closed Bright Martial Pavilion and walked away, focusing on more affairs of the True Martial Sect while Taoist Longshan was in seclusion.

Luo Wentian, now nearly fifty, was about to reach Inner Essence Realm Ninefold, a respectable achievement, but still not among the very top of the world. Though his progress was somewhat hindered by the sect’s duties, his talent wasn’t considered top rank among the True Martial Nine Sons.

For example, the fifth disciple, Jiang Baishan, had also reached the Ninthfold of the Inner Essence Realm and was likely to become the first of the True Martial Nine Sons to step into the Gang Essence Realm.

Regarding this,

he felt that if his younger disciples and juniors were talented and progressing rapidly, it was worth sacrificing some of his cultivation time to support them with logistical tasks.

The two chatted briefly before Ning Qi left.

He continued his structured training.

Perusing the texts in the Scripture Pavilion, practicing the Nine Deaths Great Dream Strength in the Seeking Tao Institute.

Ning Qi’s cultivation was going exceptionally well, and he had once again established a complete connection between his Inner Strength and his physical body. The next step was to allow his body to absorb the Inner Strength, converting it into a more powerful form.

"However, the process of forming this connection is purely tedious work. Even a prodigy would need a year or two for it."

"Luckily, the method I created, the Great Dream Nine Deaths Strength, can significantly shorten this process to just two to three months."

Ning Qi smiled confidently.

He decided to go find his master.

Earlier, Taoist Longshan had mentioned that Ning Qi should seek him out once he broke through the Inner Essence Realm, as there was something important to tell him. Therefore, Ning Qi never hid his cultivation progress from Taoist Longshan—it wasn’t necessary.

With hands clasped behind his back, there was an indescribable grace in his demeanor.

But when he arrived at the Bright Martial Pavilion.

He found the pavilion closed.

Ning Qi paused in his tracks.

Looking at Ning Qi’s departing silhouette, Luo Wentian shook his head and dismissed the absurd speculation in his heart.

"How could it be? My junior siblings are talented and brave, always improving. If I have to sacrifice some cultivation time to help them with the sect’s affairs, so be it."

With that thought, he paid his respects to the closed Bright Martial Pavilion with a wry smile and walked away, pondering True Martial Sect’s matters while Taoist Longshan was in seclusion.

Ning Qi still practiced steadily.

He continued to read through the books and records in the Scripture Pavilion, practicing the Nine Deaths Great Dream Strength in the Seeking Tao Institute.

Ning Qi’s cultivation was incredibly smooth, and he had once again established a complete bond between his Inner Strength and his physical body. The next step was to let his body absorb the Inner Strength, transforming it into a more powerful force.

At that point in time.

To further explore the bloodline and constitution of the White Ape using his Inner Strength, Ning Qi tried but ultimately failed.

The Inner Strength was still too ’ethereal.’

Like with Zhuang Chen’s Innate Sword Bone, Ning Qi was equally curious about the White Ape’s constitution.

There were two possibilities.

Either the heavenly beast bloodline within the White Ape was too weak to detect,

or the heavenly beast bloodline within the White Ape was too strong, making it difficult to activate.

Ning Qi tended to lean toward the latter.

He could only suppress his curiosity to explore further.

He would have to wait until later to attempt to activate the celestial bloodline.

During his hesitation on his first attempt.

Ning Qi continued to immerse himself in his training.

He decided to execute the Nine Deaths Great Dream Strength.

Instantly entering a state of cultivation, Ning Qi found the feeling immediately. It would have taken others quite some time to reach this point.

Ning Qi manipulated the Inner Strength fruit, step by step forging a deeper bond with his body.

Once the bond was fully established, he could attempt to use his body to absorb the Inner Strength, transforming it into even greater power.

"But the process of establishing this bond is just pure grinding work. Even a talent bestowed by the heavens would take a year or two to finish."

"Fortunately, the Great Dream Nine Deaths Strength I created can drastically shorten this process to just two or three months."

Ning Qi smiled with confidence.

He slowly concluded his practice and decided to find his master.

Taoist Longshan had mentioned earlier, that once Ning Qi achieved the Inner Essence Realm, he should come to him, as there was something important to discuss. Consequently, Ning Qi never hid his cultivation progress from Taoist Longshan, as there was no need.

Ning Qi got up, executing his self-created Misty Dragon Roaming Step, and seamlessly integrated Inner Strength into it, his speed increased drastically. In just a brief moment, he already familiarized himself with the application of Inner Strength across numerous martial arts.

He drew inferences by analogy, easily adapting the martial arts he created to his cultivation.

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

One is to enrich his Path Guardian Foundation, and the other is to offer them to Taoist Longshan, enriching the Scripture Pavilion’s collection. Currently, the Scripture Pavilion already bears many cultivation techniques created by Ning Qi. Occasionally, when he was bored, he would secretly observe the True Martial Sect disciples’ cultivation, creating suitable martial arts for them.

Walking with his hands behind his back, there was an indescribable charm in Ning Qi’s demeanor.

When he reached the Bright Martial Pavilion.

He found it tightly closed.

Ning Qi paused in his steps.

He heard from Luo Wentian that his master had entered seclusion. Tiansheng wanted to inform him, but there was not enough time. If he had any issues, the senior brother offered to resolve them.

After considering, he decided not to share this with his master now.

Although his master was in seclusion, the affairs of the True Martial Sect still needed attention.

Your junior brothers and sisters will continue to progress with their strong talents.

If necessary, he would assist his junior brothers and sisters with the sect’s responsibilities, even at the cost of sacrificing some time for his own cultivation.

He walked away, looking at the departing figure of Ning Qi.

He could only shake his head and dismiss the absurd thought forming in his mind.

In the future, there is a possibility that he can create several more powerful martial arts.

This would serve two purposes: enrich his Path Guardian Foundation and provide Taoist Longshan with more books for the Scripture Pavilion. The current collection already included many of Ning Qi’s creations, as he would sometimes discreetly observe the True Martial Sect disciples practicing and create suitable martial arts for them when he was bored.