In Ning Qi's vision, this "False Core" was somewhat like an "amplifier" that could greatly enhance his ability to control the power of heaven and earth.
"Consider it a type of secret art, but it must be paired with a beast core at the level of a Beast King, and one must also have the ability to communicate with the power of heaven and earth."
"How can the latent power within a Beast King's core be unleashed?"
"First, it must be harmonized."
Ning Qi could sense that within this core, not only was there the power of heaven and earth, but also lingering resentment. The Flying Thunder Tiger was clearly long dead, but as a Beast King capable of rivaling the Heaven-Man Realm, it naturally possessed mysteries beyond human understanding.
Ning Qi released his hand.
The core floated before his chest, rising and falling.
He used the Heaven-Man Unity Secret Art to touch it with the power of heaven and earth. In an instant, lightning burst forth, tearing through the void, and the core at his chest transformed into a lightning sphere covered in thunder spikes.
Not only that, Ning Qi could also hear a thunderous tiger's roar echoing in his mind. For a brief moment, he seemed to see a Thunder Tiger with wings standing atop a great marsh, roaring at the sky, filled with killing intent and resentment.
Ning Qi's expression remained calm:
"Since you're already dead, better to serve me and rest in peace."
He controlled the intensity of the heaven and earth power, carefully washing over the core again and again. During this, he also applied some techniques from the Heaven-Earth Grinding Qi Refinement Method and found them to be highly effective.
Like this.
One hour later.
He visualized again.
There was still a Thunder Tiger with wings standing in the great marsh, fierce and majestic, but the killing intent and resentment were no longer present.
Yet Ning Qi frowned slightly.
He discovered that while the Beast King's core had become pure, it also lost the divine spirit of the Thunder Tiger.
But that wouldn't stop him.
"Maybe I can draw inspiration from the Dominant Tiger True Intent Diagram."
Ning Qi slowly closed his eyes.
A constant stream of inspiration poured into his mind.
Challenges appeared one after another, and he overcame them one by one.
The envisioned method of the "False Core" was naturally excellent, but creating it quickly was no simple matter. This was a brand-new attempt, filled with obstacles—not only involving the mysteries of heaven and earth, but also the treasure troves of the human body. Replacing a Core Formation with a False Core was no easy feat.
However, Ning Qi was confident he could solve it without taking too long.
This was already the fastest way he had thought of to boost his combat power.
From then on.
He dedicated most of his energy to creating the False Core method. The progress was encouraging—he believed that within a month, he would succeed.
Of course.
Ning Qi didn't neglect his own cultivation. Every day he pushed the Heaven-Earth Grinding Qi Refinement Method to its limit, and his cultivation improved at a tremendous pace.
...
Zhenwu Mountain was calm and peaceful.
The spring sun gradually rose.
During this period, the Zhenwu Sect disciples kept a low profile and rarely descended the mountain. Luo Wentian understood well that "the tall tree invites the wind," so he strictly restrained his disciples. With Zhenwu Sect being in the limelight recently, it was best to lay low for a while to avoid unnecessary attention.
The martial world was ever-changing; it wouldn't be long before martial artists were distracted by other events.
But while Zhenwu disciples didn't go down the mountain.
Others still came to visit. Though many knew Zhenwu Sect was now targeted by the Demonic Sect and visiting was risky, it was also the best time to establish ties—since few dared to come, there was less competition.
Otherwise, when visitors flooded in and the sect was overwhelmed, they might not even get a chance.
But today.
A special group of guests arrived.
Daoists from the Zhenxuan Sect.
They brought Daoist scriptures.
Luo Wentian personally led the True Disciples to greet them. Ning Qi came along too. He was very much looking forward to the Daoist scriptures gifted by Zhenxuan Sect. He had already browsed Zhenwu Sect's Scripture Pavilion, and only a few texts required deeper understanding. He needed new materials.
Luo Wentian laughed heartily:
"Fellow Daoists from Zhenxuan Sect have come a long way. Thank you for your trouble."
The Zhenxuan Sect members were all dressed in white Daoist robes, with golden cloud patterns on the cuffs—seemingly random at first glance but deeply intricate upon closer look. This was their sect's emblem. The middle-aged Daoist leading them returned the gesture politely:
"Friend Luo is too kind. We should have come earlier, but due to some delays, we're late. Please forgive us."
Luo Wentian waved his hand repeatedly:
"Friend Ye, you're being too formal. My master has always appreciated the kindness of Daoist Baihe."
The Daoist surnamed Ye smiled and said:
"This time, our Zhenxuan Sect brings a total of 1,800 volumes of Daoist scriptures. Please check them."
Luo Wentian was stunned.
Wasn't it supposed to be 1,200 volumes? How did it become 1,800?
He looked at Daoist Ye, who simply smiled without explaining. Realizing what happened, Luo Wentian quickly gave his thanks and led them to the main hall to receive them properly.
Ning Qi, listening nearby, had a look of pleasant surprise in his eyes.
But he also understood—those additional 600 volumes didn't appear out of nowhere. It must've been because Daoist Baihe, after witnessing the power of the Heavenly Sword True Person, wanted to strengthen their ties.
"No wonder the scriptures took so long to arrive. Most likely they were waiting on those 600 volumes to catch up."
After all, it would've seemed too deliberate to split a gift into two deliveries.
Ning Qi shook his head and chuckled:
"Didn't expect this Daoist Baihe to be an investment master?"
It reminded him of angel investors from his past life.
Little did he know, Daoist Baihe had secretly added two extra rounds of investment. The original gift was only 800 volumes. After witnessing Zhenwu Sect's potential and foundation, he changed his mind.
Ning Qi watched Luo Wentian and the others leave. He didn't follow but stayed behind with a few disciples to organize the scriptures. His eyes burned with excitement.
Nearby, the disciples respectfully greeted, "Ninth Uncle," then got to work.
Ning Qi casually picked up a Daoist scripture not found in Zhenwu Sect and started reading, quickly becoming engrossed.
These scriptures often contained the insights of Daoist experts gained through communing with nature, worldly experience, or encounters with exotic beasts. They offered great inspiration to Ning Qi.
For example, many "phenomena" in his Myriad Phenomena True Qi didn't originate from other martial arts but from Daoist scriptures.
Ning Qi was fully absorbed.
Drawing nourishment from them, he felt he was gaining a lot.
An old Daoist with wild grass stuck in his hair came over grinning:
"Hey kid, you understand what you're reading?"
Ning Qi glanced sideways.
The old man also wore a Zhenxuan Sect robe, but unlike the others' pristine white, his was nearly yellow and wrinkled. His Daoist hairpin was crooked.
Ning Qi looked away, replying blandly:
"Of course I understand."
The old Daoist grinned, showing his big teeth: "Then let this old man quiz you."
"No."
Ning Qi's unconventional response choked the old Daoist.
"Hey now, I heard those kids calling you Ninth Uncle. You must be Daoist Longshan's little disciple. How can you be so disrespectful to your elders?" The old man huffed.
Ning Qi ignored him.
The old Daoist scratched his head, frustrated that his opening failed.
Seeing Ning Qi deeply immersed, his eyes lit up:
"Kid, you really like Daoist scriptures?"
"Yeah."
"Then how about I take you to find more?"
"Where?"
Seeing Ning Qi finally show some interest, the old Daoist thumped his chest:
"Daozhou, of course!"
"To be honest, I love Daoist scriptures too, but Zhenxuan Sect's are boring. You gotta read other sects' scriptures. If you're tired of Zhenwu's, and you clearly love ours, then hey, we're kindred spirits."
"Seventy percent of the Daoist sects in the world are in Daozhou. Especially the top ten sects—six of them are there, including the top three."
"Just imagine if we looted them all. You'd have enough scriptures to read for ten lifetimes!"
He beat his chest like a war drum, eyes gleaming like he was narrating a grand endeavor.
Ning Qi was speechless.
Knew this shady old Daoist was up to no good—shouldn't have expected anything.
Robbing Daoist sects?
He actually said it out loud.
Ning Qi could sense that this old man wasn't weak—possibly on the verge of reaching the Heaven-Man Realm, similar to Daoist Longshan before his breakthrough. But so what? Even Zhenxuan Sect, ranked fifth, had three Heaven-Man experts.
Not to mention the top three sects.
Ning Qi gave him a sideways glance.
The old Daoist glanced back:
"Kid, you don't believe in the power of Daoist Baishan?"
Ning Qi snorted:
"What's your relationship with Daoist Baihe?"
"He's my junior!" Daoist Baishan said proudly.
"Junior?" Ning Qi dragged out the word.
Daoist Baishan instantly caught his implication and panicked.
"Kid, don't underestimate this old man. My junior may have reached Heaven-Man Realm, but his foundation is weak—he'll go no further. But I'm different! I practice a peerless secret art, building slowly to explode later!"
"It won't be long before I step into the Heaven-Man Realm, soar into the sky, enter the Heaven-Man Ranking, and aim straight for Martial Saint!"
"By then, I'll take you to loot Yin-Yang Sect, Cleanseheart Sect, and Heavenly Thunder Gate. We'll hit every one of the top ten Daoist sects—I'll take you flying!"
Daoist Baishan got more excited, clearly thinking Ning Qi would regret not grabbing this golden thigh.
Ning Qi lowered his head and read:
"Oh."
By the time you reach Martial Saint, who knows what realm I'll be in—take me flying?
Daoist Baishan was losing it.
The Zhenxuan disciples sorting scriptures nearby all wore bitter smiles. They'd heard this same "soon stepping into Heaven-Man Realm" line ten years ago. A decade later, Daoist Baishan was still the same old Baishan—not yet Baishan True Person.
Now he was even trying to fool kids. Worse, the kid wasn't buying it.
They lowered their heads in shame—it felt like they'd embarrassed their sect in Zhenwu.
Ning Qi chuckled inwardly, then closed the scripture and asked:
"How about you tell me about Daozhou?"
Might as well ask something useful—this old man won't stop babbling anyway. Zhenwu Sect would eventually need to deal with Daozhou to get ranked among the Daoist sects.
The old Daoist's eyes sparkled.
"You're asking the right person!"
"I've been scouting for decades—no one knows those sects better than I do. Daozhou is full of powerful Daoist sects. Among the thirteen provinces of Great Yan, it ranks near the top. Let's start with the number one, Yin-Yang Sect. They cultivate the Dao of Yin and Yang and—hehe—have the most female cultivators..."
The old man got excited, spittle flying.
Ning Qi asked questions now and then, finding it very rewarding. The old man's chatter became oddly pleasant.
He now had a rough understanding of Daozhou's major sects.
"Yin-Yang Sect that cultivates the Dao of Yin and Yang, Cleanseheart Sect that excels at alchemy, Lingbao Sect that specializes in forging, and Heavenly Thunder Gate that practices thunder-based arts?"
"Interesting."
However.
The old man would occasionally ask about Zhenwu Sect's situation and sneak glances all around. Ning Qi couldn't help but wonder—
Was this guy here to scout the place too?
...
In the days that followed.
Daoist Baishan often came to find Ning Qi, saying Ning Qi was the only one in Zhenwu he approved of. He even tried to coax him into returning to Zhenxuan Sect together. Ning Qi thought—thank goodness Master doesn't know about this, or he'd be furious.
Ning Qi flipped through the newly arrived Daoist scriptures. Even after removing duplicates, there were over a thousand fresh resources.
He felt immensely rewarded.
Some rare volumes gave him great inspiration—he believed his creation of the False Core method would now take much less time, maybe even succeed in a few days.
During this.
Daoist Baishan saw the White Ape and his eyes sparkled, calling him clever.
He thought someone like him needed an exotic beast servant to show off his status.
"Little White Ape, I'll soon reach the Heaven-Man Realm, then soar into the sky, enter the Heaven-Man Ranking, and aim straight for Martial Saint!"
"If you leave with me now, you'll become the number one Daoist servant under a True Lord!"
He spoke temptingly, even pulling out a spiritual fruit from who knows where.
In response.
The White Ape bared his fangs, eyes fierce.
He held deep reverence and fear toward Ning Qi. If he weren't sure he couldn't win, he might've already revealed his Ape King True Form and fought.
Ning Qi laughed heartily. Daoist Baishan left disgruntled.
His desire to snatch Ning Qi only grew stronger.
After all, it was a buy-one-get-one-free deal.
Unfortunately.
Even until the day Zhenxuan Sect departed, he hadn't succeeded.