Above the Martial Arts Practice Ground.
Everyone's gaze was drawn to the battle between the two.
Inner Yuan Realm Ninth Multiplied, the Inner Strength was extremely condensed and could attach to the body or weapons; powerful practitioners could even extend it for a zhang, but it would dissipate immediately upon leaving the body.
One of them cultivated Shaking Heaven Strength, and the other cultivated Overturning Sea Strength; their destructive power was astonishing with every move.
Ning Qi watched intently.
However, a strange feeling gradually arose in his heart.
“Senior Brother and Fifth Brother are very strong, their Inner Strength extends nearly a zhang, but why do I feel like I have the strength to fight them?”
He somewhat wanted to fight the two of them to verify how strong he was now, but he ultimately suppressed this thought.
Soon.
Jiang Baishan won by a narrow margin.
Everyone watched, excited and fervent.
Luo Wentian said with a face full of relief:
“Fifth Junior Brother, from now on, you are the True Martial Sect’s second strongest expert!”
Jiang Baishan repeatedly waved his hands:
“If Senior Brother hadn’t been distracted by sect chores, I’m afraid you would have already broken through to the Gang Yuan Realm. This Junior Brother is ashamed.”
Luo Wentian laughed loudly:
“Why should we, Senior and Junior Brothers, be so estranged? If you are strong, then I, your Senior Brother, am strong!”
Everyone was moved.
Dragon Mountain Daoist also smiled with relief, seeing his Disciples so harmonious.
Next.
The True Disciples sparred with each other, and the other Disciples watched with longing, feeling even more motivated.
They witnessed the power of the superior Multiplied Strength Skill. In the True Martial Sect, as long as you made contributions, you would have the opportunity to exchange for the superior Multiplied Strength Skill.
Ning Qi looked at Luo Wentian, sighing in his heart. The True Martial Sect was all one family. If that was the case, what did it matter who was stronger or weaker? Whether he was stronger or weaker than Senior Brother and Fifth Brother now was not important at all. His original slight competitive thought immediately dissipated.
He suddenly felt that he had been a bit naive before. When the Shenjian Sect ascended the mountain previously, what if Little Fatty had indeed been unrivaled throughout the True Martial Sect?
Quietly, he felt his state of mind had broadened considerably.
This was something he learned from Senior Brother.
...
The year-end grand competition concluded smoothly, and the True Martial Sect's cohesion was stronger than ever before. The Disciples' enthusiasm for martial arts practice was even higher.
Winter passed and spring arrived.
Outside the Seeking Dao Courtyard.
A few more peach trees had appeared.
Ning Qi had moved them from Zhenwu Mountain. He always felt the courtyard was a bit monotonous sometimes, and now it looked much better. With the peach blossoms in full bloom, there was a certain artistic conception, which could also make him feel more comfortable.
Ning Qi was creating a cultivation method.
White Ape had gone to play after delivering a few Secret Manuals.
Ning Qi rarely went to the Scripture Pavilion now. Since the last year-end grand competition, the Disciples' enthusiasm for martial arts practice had surged, and they would frequently borrow books from the Scripture Pavilion, which naturally made it less idle.
So Ning Qi simply had White Ape bring him the books he wanted to read from the Scripture Pavilion.
At the Seeking Dao Courtyard, ordinary Disciples were strictly forbidden from approaching.
Ning Qi looked at the several martial arts in his hands.
“Xuan Turtle Breathing Technique.”
“Withered Wood Breathing Method.”
“Breath Concealment Skill.”
“...”
“These martial arts are all superior techniques for concealing one’s aura. If practiced to a profound level, they are enough to make it impossible for ordinary people to discern your true strength, truly essential for roaming the martial world.”
Ning Qi's thoughts stirred.
The aura on his body had already begun to change.
Sometimes his aura was long and slow, almost imperceptible; sometimes it withered like dead wood, resembling a lifeless, secluded pond; sometimes his aura completely disappeared, making people feel as if there was nothing there...
He had clearly practiced these martial arts to an extremely formidable level.
After chatting with Dragon Mountain Daoist last time, Ning Qi had been thinking about paying more attention to concealing his aura in the future. After his Senior Brothers and Senior Apprentice Sister vaguely noticed something peculiar about him this time, his resolve to create a formidable aura-concealing martial art became even stronger.
“These breathing methods are all good, but they all have flaws. After operating them, others indeed can't see your depth, but with a single glance, they’ll know you’re not simple.”
For example, with the Xuan Turtle Breathing Technique, after activation, the aura is long and slow. As long as you don't use your cultivation or actively display your strength, ordinary people indeed cannot discern your power, but the characteristic of concealing your aura is also extremely obvious, so others will naturally know that you are deliberately hiding yourself.
The other aura-concealing martial arts were largely similar.
This did not meet Ning Qi's expectations.
He needed a method where others couldn't perceive the intensity of his vitality at all, even to the point of being able to fake his Realm and deceive others.
“Perhaps… I can draw inspiration from the feigned death state of the Great Dream Nine Deaths Skill.”
A flash of inspiration appeared in Ning Qi's mind.
The essences of several aura-concealing martial arts flowed through him one by one.
Soon.
A martial art had already taken shape. For Ning Qi, the difficulty of creating such a skill-oriented martial art was far lower than that of cultivating a cultivation method.
Quietude Art.
Meaning the body is still, and vitality is calm.
Ning Qi activated the newly created cultivation method, and the vitality within his body immediately decreased. Soon, it reached the vitality intensity similar to an ordinary Refining Tendons Realm practitioner.
A smile appeared at the corner of his mouth.
Then, he reversed the cultivation method, and his vitality intensity surged at a visible rate, instantly reaching a level surpassing Luo Wentian and Jiang Baishan!
“The Quietude Art I created can not only conceal the intensity of my vitality but also imitate higher Realms. However, I have only seen Master and Divine Sword Old Man among Gang Yuan Realm experts, so the imitation might not be perfect, but even so, it’s enough to fool ordinary people.”
Ning Qi was in a good mood.
He was confident that even Dragon Mountain Daoist would not be able to discern his true strength when he activated the Quietude Art.
Even during combat, as long as he wasn't going all out, he wouldn't expose his true Realm.
However, he had not yet seen a Heavenly Human Realm expert.
He didn't know what the so-called Heavenly Human resonance of this Realm was about. The Quietude Art might not be able to deceive a Heavenly Human, but he could gradually perfect it later when he encountered such experts.
As for now, it was temporarily sufficient.
“Besides an aura-concealing martial art, I also need a martial art that can transform my body.”
Ning Qi thought, his current body was too young and its features too obvious. If he ever truly needed to act, it would be best not to reveal his identity.
He kept Dragon Mountain Daoist's instructions from that day in mind.
Two days later.
Ning Qi looked at the pile of body-tempering martial arts and bone-shrinking techniques in his hand, having gotten what he wanted.
Transfiguration Skill.
It could be used for disguise and shape-shifting.
Ning Qi's expertise in medicine played a significant role in this. As his Martial Dao reached the Inner Yuan Realm and Inner Strength was born, his medical skills became even more formidable. His control over acupuncture techniques became more subtle, and the Transfiguration Skill was just one manifestation of this.
Ning Qi activated the Transfiguration Skill.
He saw his originally jade-like face visibly become unfamiliar, his facial features becoming unremarkable. Then, the sound of bones cracking continuously echoed, and his body began to grow taller, instantly becoming similar to a fifteen or sixteen-year-old youth.
The originally charming and intelligent little Daoist boy instantly transformed into an ordinary, plain youth.
Ning Qi nodded in satisfaction.
“Not bad, but this is not the limit of the Transfiguration Skill.”
“This type of cultivation method, after all, still requires the aid of some medicinal substances to Cultivate to the perfect Realm. At that time, the effects of both disguise and shape-shifting will be even better.”
This was different from the various cultivation methods he had created before. For example, with the Iron Cloth Shirt, even if Ning Qi could instantly comprehend its intricacies, he still had to practice step by step, because this type of cultivation method essentially polished the Physical Body and didn't rely solely on comprehension.
However.
Ning Qi's Physical Body was very strong, so he would spend less time practicing than ordinary people.