Zhenwu Mountain.
Like a sharp sword piercing the clouds, it was steep and beautiful, originally named Shenjian Mountain. But ever since Dragon Mountain Daoist won this mountain in a bet with the owner of Shenjian Mountain, he rebuilt the True Martial Sect here.
Slowly, this mountain became Zhenwu Mountain.
In the Great Yan Dynasty’s thirteen states, Zhenwu Mountain was located at the border of Qingzhou and Yunzhou. Dragon Mountain Daoist held Ning Qi, occasionally stopping to get him some food, so his pace was not fast.
At the foot of the mountain.
Dragon Mountain Daoist breathed a sigh of relief. It was good to be on his own territory.
Along the way, he had been worried about someone coming to intercept them. Now, he thought, the mastermind probably believed Ning Qi had perished in the fire, completely unaware that such a survivor was left at Snow Plum Manor.
This made him even more determined not to reveal Ning Qi's identity for now, to avoid bringing danger to Ning Qi.
Ning Qi curiously surveyed the Zhenwu Mountain before him.
During this time following Dragon Mountain Daoist, he had witnessed some local customs and through these scattered pieces of information, he had gained a certain understanding of the world he had Transmigrated to.
This world was similar to the feudal society of his previous life's ancient times, with the ruling Dynasty named Great Yan. However, unlike his previous life's ancient times, this world had powerful existences called Martial Artists, and martial arts flourished.
Martial Artists.
Those who pursued the Martial Dao, whose combat power and lifespan far exceeded ordinary people.
The lower ones could easily split stone tablets, crack rocks, and tear apart tigers and leopards. The higher ones could even unleash Sword Qi for a hundred zhang, cutting rivers and blocking currents.
And his Master, Dragon Mountain Daoist, belonged to the latter, enjoying a considerable reputation throughout the land.
This left Ning Qi secretly amazed and somewhat comforted. Although he started as an orphan, which was not very smooth, at least he had a good Master.
At this moment.
A group of Daoists with powerful aura and agile figures had already come to greet them. There were young men and boys, and among them was a female Daoist, Ye Qinghe. Everyone was excited to see Dragon Mountain Daoist and respectfully saluted:
“Greetings, Master!”
Dragon Mountain Daoist nodded slightly.
These were the eight Disciples he had taken in before, all of them extraordinarily talented, on whom he placed great hopes, wishing that one day they could revive the True Martial Sect.
“Wen Tian, is everything well in the sect recently?”
Dragon Mountain Daoist looked at the honest-faced young man at the forefront. This was his Eldest Disciple, Luo Wentian.
Luo Wentian respectfully said:
“Reporting to Master, the Inner Sect Disciples’ studies are all as usual, and all the Junior Brothers and Junior Sisters are diligently cultivating.”
The entire True Martial Sect.
It had hundreds of Disciples.
Divided into Outer Sect Disciples, Inner Sect Disciples, and Luo Wentian’s eight True Disciples.
Dragon Mountain Daoist smiled with satisfaction:
“Diligence is good, but you also need to combine work with rest.”
“We will remember Master’s teachings. Was your trip to Snow Plum Manor smooth, Master?”
The Disciples showed curiosity in their eyes, not about Dragon Mountain Daoist’s whereabouts, but about the infant he held in his arms, especially the only female Daoist, Ye Qinghe, and the youngest boy Daoist, Qin Yun. The two had already started winking and making faces at Ning Qi, trying to tease him.
However, Ning Qi just rolled his eyes and ignored them.
He wasn't really an infant who understood nothing.
This, instead, made the two even more surprised, and they couldn't help but smile.
Dragon Mountain Daoist didn't keep them in suspense. He didn't mention what happened at Snow Plum Manor, only smiled and said:
“This infant is named Ning Qi. From now on, he will be your Ninth Junior Brother.”
Upon hearing this.
Everyone’s eyes showed surprise.
After all, since his Master established the sect, he rarely directly took in True Disciples. Luo Wentian and the other seven Disciples had all gradually distinguished themselves from Outer Sect Disciples and were eventually listed as True Disciples by Dragon Mountain Daoist.
Only Qin Yun, who joined ten years ago, was an exception. He became a True Disciple as soon as he entered the sect, but Qin Yun’s talent was so extraordinary that he was called a 'Heavenly Human Talent' by Dragon Mountain Daoist, even having a glimmer of hope to reach the Martial Saint Realm.
Yet, they didn't expect that their Master, after a decade, would take another Disciple, and it was a small infant.
Moreover, they all knew that the ninth Disciple had an unusual significance for the True Martial Sect.
Could it be that this small infant also possessed extraordinary talent?
Everyone congratulated:
“Disciples congratulate Master on finding a worthy Disciple!”
Dragon Mountain Daoist merely smiled.
Qin Yun was already impatient to take Ning Qi from Ye Qinghe’s hands. He giggled, poking Ning Qi’s cheek with his finger, his affection evident in his eyes. He used to be the youngest, but now, finally, someone even younger had arrived.
Qin Yun’s voice was joyful and full of heroic spirit:
“After ten years, Master has taken another Disciple. Our True Martial Nine Sons are finally complete!”
“Give Junior Brother eighteen years, and in the future, our True Martial Nine Sons will together awe the Great Yan Dynasty, making the True Martial Sect regain its former glory!”
Everyone laughed heartily.
Their eyes filled with longing.
Dragon Mountain Daoist was also like this.
True Martial Nine Sons.
This was a concept he had after obtaining the True Martial Legacy back then, and it was inextricably linked to the Legacy within it.
The True Martial Legacy stated that if the True Martial Nine Sons were nine Heavenly Beings, they could contend with a Martial Saint.
Because of this.
The former True Martial Sect might not have had a Martial Saint in every generation, but they never feared a Martial Saint in any generation.
It was considered prosperous.
It was just that later, something unforeseen happened, causing it to completely disappear into the long river of history.
These years, he had not taken the last Disciple. He didn’t expect to meet Ning Qi by chance, which could be considered destiny.
“True Martial Nine Sons, huh?”
Ning Qi listened to the heartfelt laughter, infected by it, and couldn’t help but smile.
His Senior Brothers and Senior Sisters seemed to be very good.
He had a slight anticipation for his upcoming life on Zhenwu Mountain.
…
In fact.
Ning Qi’s Senior Brothers and Senior Sisters were indeed very good.
Perhaps because Ning Qi was the youngest and the last, the ninth Disciple, all the Senior Brothers and Senior Sisters were especially fond of Ning Qi. Especially Third Senior Sister Ye Qinghe and Eighth Senior Brother Qin Yun, who would come over to play with Ning Qi every few days.
Ning Qi also went from initial resistance to gradually accepting it.
In a blink of an eye, half a year had passed.
He had completely integrated into the True Martial Sect.
During this half a year.
Ning Qi also showed extraordinary qualities. Perhaps due to the rich Innate Qi in his body, his growth and development speed were much faster than that of ordinary infants.
With his max-level Comprehension Ability, he learned everything extremely quickly.
Literacy was merely the most basic thing.
At only half a year old, he could already walk steadily on his own and could communicate clearly with everyone, which surprised everyone even more. They all called Ning Qi a child prodigy and were even more eager to see his performance in martial arts after his bone structure matured.
And this was only what was revealed in front of everyone. In reality, Ning Qi was far more exaggerated than they imagined.
Because his body had not yet fully formed, he temporarily couldn't engage in martial arts.
After Ning Qi learned the written language of this world, he plunged into the miscellaneous texts of the True Martial Sect.
Astronomy, Feng Shui, Qimen Dunjia, medicine…
He basically didn't miss anything he could learn at the moment.
To some extent, he was also laying the foundation for his future martial arts.
With his max-level Comprehension Ability, Ning Qi didn’t have to worry about biting off more than he could chew. He simply self-studied and had already reached a very profound Realm in various Domains.
Dragon Mountain Daoist and others only thought that Ning Qi was just curiously flipping through books, but they had no idea what Realm Ning Qi had already reached.
For example, medicine.
Ning Qi could already be called a generation’s Divine Doctor.
Based on the theoretical foundations of numerous medical texts, he created his own unique Ning Clan Medical Book, and even devised exquisite acupuncture techniques such as “Suspended Needle Method,” “Golden Needle Crossing Acupoints,” and “Thirteen Ghost Gate Needles.” He was only limited by not yet having engaged in martial arts, so some techniques could not be fully utilized, otherwise, he would undoubtedly reach a higher level.
However, even so.
Ning Qi had many ideas, just waiting for his strength to be sufficient in the future, then he could achieve them in one go.
Recently.
After his body grew to the point where he could walk steadily, Ning Qi had been pondering a question.
That was.
How could he accelerate the formation of his bone structure and engage in martial arts sooner?
According to his Senior Brothers, the bone structure of most people only fully formed at eight years old, with only a very small number of individuals with special Physiques potentially maturing earlier.
He felt that waiting until he was eight was too long.