On the Dao arena.
Most people had confused expressions in their eyes, unable to understand. The explanations from the Heaven-Man experts grew more and more profound, and only a tiny minority could grasp even a fragment of it.
But in Ning Qi's mind, inspiration surged like a great river, endlessly flowing.
Beside him, Zhuang Chen was frowning in deep thought, but felt that the lectures from the seniors above were like celestial scriptures—no matter how hard he tried, he couldn't understand a thing. At this moment, catching a glimpse of Ning Qi seemingly falling into a state of enlightenment, he couldn't help but feel a sense of admiration.
Fortunately, everyone's attention was focused on the Heaven-Man discourse, and no one else noticed Ning Qi's abnormal state.
A myriad of thoughts arose in Ning Qi's mind.
"It's extremely difficult to improve my control over the power of heaven and earth in a short time. After all, there's still a layer of separation. I can only rely on the Heaven-Man Unity Secret Art to manipulate this power. If that's the case, why not try a different approach?"
"Instead of using the power of heaven and earth to actively temper the qi, why not reverse the process—let the Qi enter into a 'model condensed by the power of heaven and earth'? After all, Qi moves with my intent, as naturally as moving my arm."
…
In an instant.
A flash of insight appeared.
Seizing the opportunity provided by the Heaven-Man discussion, Ning Qi also realized what form the model condensed from the power of heaven and earth should take.
A millstone.
He began refining the details.
Unknowingly.
Ning Qi opened his eyes again, joy gleaming in them.
"If it's in the form of a millstone, let's call it the Great Heaven-Earth Mill Tempering Qi Method."
This method uses the power of heaven and earth to form a great mill around the body, which can be used to temper the Qi.
He didn't expect to gain such an unexpected reward this time. Originally, he thought it would take quite some time to create a method for condensing Qi, but now, with this success, he could save a significant amount of time.
With this, the time he would take to reach the Heaven-Man Realm could be cut by at least half, if not more.
Since there were many people around, Ning Qi suppressed the urge to try out the Great Heaven-Earth Mill Tempering Qi Method. The faint ripples around him gradually calmed down.
Atop the high platform.
The discourse of the five Heaven-Man experts was also drawing to a close.
The Green Ox Bladesman couldn't help but sigh:
"The deeper we explore, the more feasible this idea seems. It's just a pity that, with our level of wisdom and comprehension, it's hard to fully understand it. There are still several major obstacles to overcome. Who knows what kind of world-shaking genius would be able to fully decipher it?"
Daoist Baihe was also filled with emotion:
"Let future generations handle it. With one generation after another striving, there will be hope. Even so, discussing the Dao with you all today has been immensely beneficial."
As he spoke, he bowed slightly to the others.
The other Heaven-Man experts returned the gesture, all feeling they had gained much. Perhaps only the Wang Clan Patriarch had the poorest comprehension and gained the least, but he didn't show it, to avoid being looked down upon.
However, there was one thing the four of them agreed on.
Their attitude toward Daoist Longshan became even more friendly. In their eyes, someone capable of proposing such a brilliant concept clearly had limitless potential.
Daoist Longshan wore a smile, but inwardly offered a silent apology.
The Heaven-Man experts thought this was merely a flash of inspiration he had stumbled upon, but they didn't know he actually had the complete secret technique. However, since it was his disciple's enlightenment, he couldn't take the liberty of teaching it in full. Being able to present a few ideas was already the limit.
At this moment.
Seeing that the Heaven-Man discourse had ended.
Voices of heartfelt thanks echoed through the Dao arena:
"Many thanks to Daoist Longshan and all the Heaven-Man experts for your teachings. We will remember them for life!"
Every gaze was still reluctant to part, but they knew they had already gained immensely and couldn't ask for more.
Daoist Longshan nodded with a smile.
"I only hope everyone has gained something."
By now, the Heaven-Man Ceremony was nearly complete.
Next.
Came the customary sparring segment.
Martial artists are naturally competitive. Whenever they gather, they inevitably compete for fame and fortune. Today was Daoist Longshan's Heaven-Man Ceremony, so no blood would be shed, but sparring was inevitable. Moreover, this was a great opportunity to make a name for oneself.
In addition, if one could receive some pointers from a Heaven-Man expert, it would be a tremendous opportunity.
With five Heaven-Man experts present, everyone was especially eager.
As per usual, if the Heaven-Man discourse was too perfunctory and caused guests to feel dissatisfied, they would challenge many disciples of the host sect during the sparring round to vent their frustration.
But this time.
Daoist Longshan had delivered plenty of solid insights, and with five Heaven-Man experts discussing the Dao, everyone had no complaints.
As a result.
When the crowd challenged the Zhenwu Sect disciples, they were very restrained and gave them a lot of face.
More importantly, the Zhenwu Sect disciples themselves were strong—from the Body Tempering Realm to the Inner Origin Realm, and even several in the White Mist Realm—all performed excellently. Few had worthy opponents, and even in defeat, their performance was admirable. This impressed everyone even more, and they were amazed at the excellence of Daoist Longshan's disciples.
The entire Zhenwu Sect was thriving.
And that was natural.
After all, they had the Improved Body Tempering Powder and many martial arts secret techniques created by Ning Qi, combined with the superior inheritance of the Zhenwu Sect. Such results were not surprising.
For a time.
The Zhenwu Sect's reputation soared even higher.
Ning Qi just sat back and watched with a smile, occasionally snacking on some fruits and pastries. Although, apart from a few Heaven-Man experts, no one here was his match, the occasional flashes of brilliance in these battles still offered him a bit of inspiration.
Especially the battles involving some Core Formation Realm experts—those were even more so.
During this period.
The White Ape couldn't help but go out and fight a few matches. Though he didn't reveal his stance techniques or Fold Energy Techniques, his physical strength combined with several lethal martial arts was more than enough to defeat many opponents.
This made everyone even more amazed by the Zhenwu Sect's foundation. No one expected the Zhenwu Sect to have such a powerful and intelligent exotic beast disciple.
However, the White Ape didn't reveal his Ape King True Form. Otherwise, it would surely have caused an even greater stir.
Ning Qi himself remained much more low-key. Fighting these people wouldn't benefit him much. It was better to just watch from the sidelines. For someone like him, seeking fame would do more harm than good.
The Heaven-Man experts were still a bit immersed in the earlier Dao discussion and only gradually recovered in the later half.
Occasionally, they would pick out a few juniors they found pleasing and gave them a bit of guidance, setting off small waves of excitement and further boosting the crowd's enthusiasm.
And so.
Time flew by.
The sun had already set in the west.
The entire Heaven-Man Ceremony was gradually drawing to a close.
Everyone still felt reluctant to leave, but knew it was almost time.
As the final two fighters stepped down, Luo Wentian stood up, cupped his fists to the crowd, and laughed heartily:
"Today marks my master's Heaven-Man Ceremony. It has been a complete success. We of the Zhenwu Sect are deeply grateful to all our fellow Daoists for coming. Since it's already late, we invite everyone to rest here at the Zhenwu Sect for the night, and depart in a few days."
Everyone was smiling, offering various compliments.
Some wanted to stay a few more days to build a stronger connection with the Zhenwu Sect. Others were eager to return home and spread what they had witnessed today, and some had already prepared to take their leave.
Daoist Longshan simply smiled and chatted with the nearby Heaven-Man experts, saying words of farewell and encouragement.
But then, the Wang Clan Patriarch suddenly stood up. He looked around at everyone, and his voice echoed throughout Zhenwu Mountain:
"Everyone, please wait."
"Today, we can't leave just yet."
In an instant, everyone was stunned.