Cultivating with Top Enlightenment

Chapter 3: Chapter 3: Eight Years is Too Long

True Martial Mountain.

It pierces the sky like a sharp sword, steep and beautiful. Originally called Divine Sword Mountain, it was renamed after Taoist Longshan won it in a bet against the master of Divine Sword Mountain, rebuilding the True Martial Sect here.

Gradually, this mountain became known as True Martial Mountain.

In the Great Yan’s territory of the Thirteen States, True Martial Mountain is located at the border of Qing State and Yun State. Taoist Longshan carried Ning Qi and frequently had to stop to find food for him, so their speed was not fast.

At the foot of the mountain.

Taoist Longshan breathed a sigh of relief, feeling secure now that he was on his own territory.

All along the way, he had been worried about being ambushed, but now he believed the mastermind behind the scenes thought Ning Qi perished in the flames, unaware that one had survived Snow Plum Manor.

This solidified his decision not to reveal Ning Qi’s identity too soon, to avoid bringing danger to him.

Ning Qi curiously examined True Martial Mountain before him.

During his time with Taoist Longshan, he had witnessed some local customs, and from these glimpses, he gained some understanding of the world he had traversed into.

This world resembled the ancient feudal society of his previous life, ruled by a dynasty named the Great Yan. But unlike ancient times, in this world, powerful beings known as martial artists flourished.

Martial Artist.

Pursuers of the Martial Path, whose strength and longevity far exceeded ordinary people.

The lower tier could shatter stone tablets and tear apart tigers and leopards effortlessly, while the higher tier could slice rivers and control water with their sword energy spanning a hundred meters.

And his master, Taoist Longshan, belonged to the latter group, renowned across the land.

This made Ning Qi both amazed and somewhat comforted. Although he started as an orphan, things were going smoothly, as he had at least found a good master.

At this moment.

A group of well-built strong men approached; there were youths and even a female practitioner. Upon seeing Taoist Longshan, they were all excited and greeted him respectfully: ”Greetings, Master!”

Taoist Longshan nodded slightly.

These were the eight disciples he had previously accepted, each highly talented, in whom he had placed high hopes, hoping one day they might rejuvenate the True Martial Sect. ”Wentian, how is everything in the sect lately?”

Taoist Longshan gazed at the honest-looking young man in front, his eldest disciple, Luo Wentian.

Luo Wentian respectfully replied: ”Master, all the disciples are following the usual curriculum, and my junior brothers and sisters are diligently practicing.”

The entire True Martial Sect.

Consists of hundreds of disciples.

They are divided into Outer Sect Disciples, Inner Sect Disciples, and the eight True Disciples like Luo Wentian.

Taoist Longshan smiled with relief: ”Diligence is good, but remember to balance work and rest.” ”We shall heed Master’s teachings. Was everything smooth at Snow Plum Manor?”

The disciples’ eyes were filled with curiosity, not about Taoist Longshan’s whereabouts, but about the baby in his arms. Most notably, the only female disciple, Ye Qinghe, and the youngest male disciple, Qin Yun, started making faces at Ning Qi, attempting to amuse him.

However, Ning Qi merely rolled his eyes and ignored them.

He’s not really an ignorant infant.

This made both even more intrigued, their faces breaking into smiles.

Taoist Longshan didn’t dwell on suspense; he didn’t mention what happened at Snow Plum Manor, but simply smiled and said: ”This baby is named Ning Qi. From now on, he is your ninth junior brother.”

Upon hearing this.

Their eyes were filled with astonishment.

Since their master established the sect, he rarely directly accepted True Disciples. Luo Wentian and the other seven disciples all emerged step by step from the Outer Sect and were eventually included as True Disciples by Taoist Longshan.

Except for Qin Yun, admitted ten years ago, who was an exception. He became a True Disciple immediately due to his extraordinary talent, referred to by Taoist Longshan as having the aptitude of a Celestial Being, with a slight prospect of reaching the Martial Saint Realm.

But unexpectedly, after ten years, their master took another disciple, who turned out to be a mere infant.

Moreover, they knew the ninth disciple held significant meaning for the True Martial Sect.

Could this infant also have extraordinary talent?

Everyone congratulated: ”Congratulations to Master on finding a gifted disciple!”

Taoist Longshan merely smiled.

Qin Yun eagerly took Ning Qi from Ye Qinghe’s arms. He playfully poked Ning Qi’s cheeks, showing obvious fondness. He had always been the youngest, but now there was finally someone younger.

Qin Yun’s voice was jubilant; his spirit soared: ”After ten years, Master has accepted another disciple. Our True Martial Nine Sons are finally complete!” ”Give our junior brother eighteen years, and in the future, our True Martial Nine Sons will awe Great Yan, restoring the True Martial Sect to its former glory!”

Everyone laughed heartily.

In their eyes, there was hope.

Taoist Longshan felt the same.

The True Martial Nine Sons.

Were a concept he developed after acquiring the True Martial inheritance, closely related to the teachings he received.

The True Martial inheritance stated that if the True Martial Nine Sons became Nine Great Celestial Beings, they could rival a Martial Saint.

Therefore.

In the past, the True Martial Sect might not have had a Martial Saint in every generation, but they never feared one.

It was considered a pinnacle.

Later, for unknown reasons, it disappeared from the annals of history.

For years, he hadn’t accepted a final disciple, but fate brought Ning Qi to him, as if destiny willed it. ”True Martial Nine Sons, huh?”

Listening to the genuine laughter, Ning Qi couldn’t help but smile, infected by their joy.

His senior brothers and sister seemed to be all very nice.

He felt a tinge of anticipation for his impending life at True Martial Mountain. ...

In fact.

Ning Qi’s senior brothers and sisters were indeed good to him.

Perhaps because Ning Qi was the youngest and the final disciple, his senior brothers and sisters doted on him, especially Third Sister Ye Qinghe and Eighth Brother Qin Yun, who frequently played with him.

Ning Qi gradually went from resistance to acceptance.

In what seemed no time at all, six months had passed.

He had fully integrated into the True Martial Sect.

During this half year.

Ning Qi also displayed extraordinary abilities, possibly due to the dense Innate Qi within him, his growth and development progressed much faster than typical children.

With maximum comprehension, he learned everything at an incredibly fast pace.

Reading and writing were the most basic of tasks.

At merely half a year old, he could already walk steadily on his own and communicate articulately with others. This astonished everyone, who hailed Ning Qi as a prodigy, eagerly awaiting his progress in martial arts as his root bone developed.

However, this was just what he showed on the surface; in reality, Ning Qi was far more advanced than they imagined.

Since his body had not matured, he couldn’t yet delve into martial arts.

After learning the world’s writing system, Ning Qi immersed himself in the assorted teachings of the True Martial Sect.

Astronomy, feng shui, divination, medicine...

Anything he could learn, he attempted.

In a sense, he was laying the foundation for future martial arts pursuits.

With maximum comprehension, Ning Qi never worried about overextending himself. Merely through self-learning, he had reached a profound level in many areas.

Taoist Longshan and others assumed Ning Qi was exploring out of childhood curiosity, unaware of the level he had achieved.

For example, in medicine.

Ning Qi could already be considered a divine physician.

Building on the medical texts, he created his own unified Ning’s Medical Book, as well as remarkable acupuncture techniques such as the Hanging Needle Technique, Golden Needle Crossing Acupoints, and Ghost Gate Thirteen Needles. These were only restrained by his lack of martial arts experience; otherwise, he would advance even further.

Nonetheless.

Ning Qi has plenty of ideas, just waiting to explore further into martial arts to implement additional skills.

Since his body was not yet developed, he had to wait to explore martial arts.

But ever since he could walk steadily on his own, Ning Qi has pondered one question.

That is.

How to accelerate his growth so his root bone would develop faster, enabling early engagement with martial arts.

It’s a common saying among his senior brothers that most people’s root bones don’t fully develop until age eight, with only a rare few having extraordinary constitutions that enable earlier development.

He thought, waiting until eight years old seemed too long.