In such an atmosphere, all True Martial Sect Disciples were equally excited.
The gathering of heroes on Zhenwu Mountain this time could be said to be the greatest event since the True Martial Sect's founding, a turning point for the True Martial Sect's prosperity. Luo Wentian had repeatedly instructed within the Sect to greet the arriving guests with the best spirit and not to make any mistakes.
Luo Wentian was stationed on Zhenwu Mountain, while Xiong Shi was dispatched to Zhenwu City.
Now, more and more Martial Artists were gathering in Zhenwu City. Although many people would restrain themselves, a large crowd always led to some friction, so having a strong individual who could maintain order was naturally better.
As for those stronger than Xiong Shi, they would not cause trouble. The Dragon Mountain Daoist's reputation for killing from a while ago was still fresh in everyone's minds, and no one would seek trouble at this critical juncture.
The Disciples each performed their duties.
Ning Qi, on the other hand, became quiet again.
He wanted to help, but there was truly nothing he could do, as he rarely dealt with the Sect's affairs on a daily basis. As for sending him down the mountain to deliver invitations, that was even more impossible.
In the eyes of Luo Wentian and others, Junior Brother was only eight years old and it was better for him to stay within the Sect.
Ever since the Dragon Mountain Daoist expounded on the Dao of Heavenly Human that day, Ning Qi seemed to have gained some Comprehension Ability. After creating the Heavenly Sword Technique, he resumed his daily Cultivation.
However, the tempering of his Protective Aura felt a bit too slow.
"Inner Yuan Realm Cultivation involves transforming White Mist into Jade Liquid, and condensing Jade Liquid into Core Formation. Each stage is a qualitative change in Protective Aura. Tempering Gang Pill is useful to me, but the consumption is too great. The Sect's Spirit Medicine reserves cannot support my Cultivation, unless I go down the mountain myself to find resources, but even that might not be faster."
"Combining the Dream Gluttony secret technique from before, I could try to obtain energy for tempering Protective Aura from food or other resources, but the fundamental problem has not been solved."
"Is there an inexhaustible and endless source of energy?"
Ning Qi fell into deep thought.
In fact, he had already thought of it: the Heaven and Earth Power.
If he used the Heaven and Earth Power to temper his Protective Aura, the effect would definitely be good.
But the problem was that his slight control over the Heaven and Earth Power was entirely through the Heaven and Earth United as One secret technique. At most, he could roughly condense it into a ball like the Heavenly Sword Technique, which was fine for combat, but it couldn't be precise enough for tempering Protective Aura.
Flashes of inspiration kept appearing in his mind, and various ideas flickered past.
Ning Qi let out a long breath.
"Slowly."
This was a difference in hardware conditions, and it was naturally not easy to make up for it.
However, Ning Qi felt that even if he continued to Cultivate like this, it wouldn't take too long to Breakthrough to the Heavenly Human Realm; seven or eight years should be sufficient. Such a timeframe would be unparalleled across the world.
After all, the Dragon Mountain Daoist, who was once called a peerless Genius, took forty to fifty years to Breakthrough into the Heavenly Human Realm.
The difficulty involved can be imagined.
...
Time flowed slowly.
The eighth day of the twelfth lunar month was getting closer and closer. The Dragon Mountain Daoist, after having gone down the mountain, had returned again. He personally delivered invitations to some Heavenly Human Realm powerhouses, but it was unknown how many would arrive, as the Dragon Mountain Daoist had only just stepped into the Heavenly Human Realm. He had only interacted with some Heavenly Human Realm powerhouses during his past travels, and there weren't many with whom he had genuinely good relationships.
The True Martial Sect Disciples who had gone out to deliver invitations had all returned to the mountain.
Ning Qi no longer stayed in the Seeking Dao Courtyard; guests should begin arriving on the mountain soon.
The weather was cold and freezing, with heavy snow falling in Zhenwu City, but Zhenwu Mountain itself was unaffected.
This was due to the Dragon Mountain Daoist's prior manipulation of the Heaven and Earth Power. At the level of the Heavenly Human Realm, changing the weather within a small area was no longer difficult.
On Zhenwu Mountain.
The pavilions were completely new, and the Disciples were in high spirits.
The Dragon Mountain Daoist wore a white Daoist robe, appearing like a crane-boned immortal. All True Disciples wore blue Daoist robes, while Inner Sect and Outer Sect Disciples wore dark green and light green, respectively.
There were three days left until the Heavenly Human Grand Ceremony.
Zhenwu Mountain welcomed its first guest.
Divine Sword Sect.
The robust and upright Divine Sword Old Man looked at the familiar Zhenwu Mountain with a complex expression. He had originally thought he would only return for the next ten-year agreement, but he didn't expect to be back after just three years.
"Dragon Mountain...Old Taoist."
The Divine Sword Old Man ultimately did not utter the phrase 'old ox-nose', replacing it with 'Old Taoist'. The current Dragon Mountain Daoist had already reached the Heavenly Human Realm, and there was a significant gap between him and the other party.
The Dragon Mountain Daoist laughed heartily, showing no pretense of being a Heavenly Human Realm expert:
"Divine Sword Senior Brother, this is not like you at all."
The Divine Sword Old Man's eyes widened, and he snorted coldly:
"Dragon Mountain Old Taoist, don't get too smug. Give me a few years, and I will surely surpass you!"
He was as stubborn as ever.
His gaze fell upon the Disciples behind the Dragon Mountain Daoist. After sensing the several Gang Yuan Realm auras, he sighed inwardly, then looked at the youngest boy.
Ning Qi.
The Divine Sword Old Man's eyes narrowed. He noticed that Ning Qi's physique had not changed at all; he was still as well-proportioned as ever.
"Could it be that he hasn't fully comprehended the Dream Gluttony technique?"
He felt a bit puzzled. According to Ning Qi's Comprehension Ability, this shouldn't be the case. The sword strike his Junior Brother Zhuang Chen displayed three years ago still amazed him.
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But before he could think further.
The Dragon Mountain Daoist was already laughing and pulling him inside.
The two Masters walked ahead, followed closely by their Disciples.
However, the Divine Sword Sect Disciples this time were noticeably more reserved. After all, the True Martial Sect had been too prominent lately; not only had the Dragon Mountain Daoist stepped into the Heavenly Human Realm, but several Gang Yuan Realm experts had also emerged consecutively.
Only one person remained unaffected.
"Ning Qi, long time no see!"
Zhuang Chen's excited voice rang out.
Ning Qi looked at the small mountain of flesh before him, somewhat stunned.
If Zhuang Chen three years ago was just a little chubby, then now he was a veritable big fatty.
Eleven-year-old Zhuang Chen was about the same height as Ning Qi now, but his girth was more than twice as wide as Ning Qi's. However, his face was still simple and honest, and the Divine Sword Sect's uniform was stretched so tightly on him that it looked somewhat comical.
"Zhuang Chen?"
"That's right, that's right."
Zhuang Chen nodded repeatedly. Although he was a bit too fat, he didn't appear greasy, and his flesh jiggled as he walked, which was quite amusing.
The two fell to the back, and the other Disciples merely smiled knowingly when they saw them.
"Did you get like this from Cultivating Dream Gluttony?" Ning Qi couldn't help but ask.
Zhuang Chen scratched his head and chuckled:
"Partly that, and partly because I've grown to like eating more and more."
Then he looked a bit puzzled.
"Ning Qi, didn't you Cultivate Dream Gluttony? How come you haven't gained any weight at all?"
Before Ning Qi could reply.
He continued:
"If you haven't Cultivated it, then I can tell you, you definitely can't beat me now. I'll tell you secretly, I'm already close to the Inner Yuan Realm now. Master doesn't let me tell anyone else."
Alright, he was still as talkative as ever.
However, Ning Qi looked at Zhuang Chen, still slightly surprised. His Physical Body was flawless, and it seemed he would develop Inner Strength in a few days. This Cultivation speed couldn't compare to his own, but compared to ordinary people, it was somewhat Prodigy-like.
It seemed that Zhuang Chen was extremely compatible with the Dream Gluttony secret technique.
However.
What interested Ning Qi most wasn't Zhuang Chen's compatibility with Dream Gluttony, but the Congenital Sword Bone within Zhuang Chen's body!