At this moment, with just a thought, Ning Qi could connect with the False Core inside his body and sense the omnipresent power of Heaven and Earth. If he entered the Unity of Heaven and Man state, it would be even easier.
"This False Core, in a sense, is like a signal receiver and amplifier for the power of Heaven and Earth."
Ning Qi seemed to realize something. Threads of Heaven and Earth power swirled around his fingertips, then dissipated.
Now, if he used the Heavenly Sword Technique, its power would be stronger, and the endurance would be significantly improved. He wouldn't be left awkwardly staring after one swing.
If he had possessed this False Core back when Old Demon Lin attacked—
He was confident he could have killed the old demon with a single strike instead of just severely injuring him.
"However, the False Core also has its drawbacks."
"Every time I use it, it consumes the energy stored within. Once it's depleted, it basically becomes an empty shell. At that point, I can remove it. But with the strength of this Beast King Core, it'll likely only last for a few battles."
In other words, the False Core is a consumable.
Once it's used up, he'll need to find another Beast King Core.
"Still, it'll do for now."
Ning Qi didn't usually fight with others. Fusing the False Core was mainly to deal with the Demonic Sect's spying.
Even if they did attack, it wouldn't result in continuous battles.
It was possible that before the False Core ran out, Ning Qi would have already stepped into the Jade Liquid Realm. By then, he might possess combat power on par with Heaven-Man Ranking experts without relying on the False Core.
This secret technique was the perfect transitional solution.
Ning Qi could feel the False Core beating within his heart. It was through this method that he formed a bond with it, as if they were one.
But in truth, to achieve true perfection, the best method would be to fully merge it into his heart, forming something akin to a "Second Core Formation." This was a further advanced use of the Heaven-Merging False Core Technique.
"If someone were willing to permanently fuse the Beast King Core, forming a 'Second Core Formation,' then it wouldn't be a consumable. It would undergo wondrous transformations with the body and become self-restoring. For those stuck in the Heaven-Man Realm, it could greatly boost their power."
But Ning Qi's standards were clearly much higher.
He didn't want any foreign objects in his body that might 'pollute' his foundation, so he treated the False Core only as a consumable.
As for other Qi Origin Realm experts, they'd first need to learn the Unity of Heaven and Man secret art—it was a prerequisite for the Heaven-Merging False Core Technique. Not to mention, they'd also need to comprehend the Beast King Core's embedded True Intent.
Ning Qi smiled faintly.
White Ape, who had just stepped out of his room, paused when he saw Ning Qi. His eyes filled with awe—he felt as though he was facing a Divine Tiger standing there. That faintly dominant aura made it hard for him to breathe.
"Teacher, why do I feel a sense of bloodline suppression from you?" White Ape voiced his confusion.
Ning Qi chuckled:
"You're imagining things."
White Ape rubbed his eyes and looked again—Ning Qi was still just Ning Qi. No Divine Tiger in sight.
Ning Qi's lips curled slightly.
Actually, White Ape wasn't wrong. Now that he had fused the Beast Core of the Flying Thunder Tiger King, in a way, Ning Qi was already half a Beast King—a humanoid Beast King. ℞ÀꞐòᛒЁꞨ
For example—
He now felt his control over lightning was stronger than in any other area.
...
After creating the Heaven-Merging False Core Technique, Ning Qi's long-tense mental state finally relaxed significantly.
He could now devote more energy to other things.
Each day, he persistently cultivated the Heaven-Earth Grinding Qi Refinement Method to temper his Qi Force. His vast and mighty internal energy was growing in both quality and quantity at a visibly rapid pace.
On the other hand—
Ning Qi also began digesting the Daoist scriptures delivered by the Zhenxuan Sect. These pertained to his future path and had to be diligently studied and steadily accumulated.
Of course—
Ning Qi finally had time to study the other congratulatory gifts he received during the Heaven-Man Ceremony.
"The Relic Pill is something left behind after an Arhat of the Buddhist Sect enters Nirvana. It contains tremendous energy, but usually that energy is restrained. If ground into powder and combined with Luminous Pearl dust and other herbs, it might be refined into a pill that enhances Qi Force."
An Arhat was the title given to Buddhist Heaven-Man Realm cultivators who specialized in the Flower of Essence. Upon death, their body would be cremated and leave behind relic beads with many miraculous uses.
Although a single relic couldn't compare to a Beast King Core, it was still extremely valuable.
"According to Master, he once helped the Ascetic Sect, which is why their monks gave such a generous gift this time."
In truth, the Daoist and Buddhist sects didn't have great relations. The monks of the Ascetic Sect were a rather unorthodox branch of Buddhism.
Ning Qi began experimenting.
Naturally—
He mostly relied on theoretical deduction. Only when he hit a dead end would he carefully scrape off a bit of relic dust to test.
Creating a pill formula this way was slower, but it minimized waste.
After all, he only had one relic—he couldn't afford to squander it.
While refining the formula, Ning Qi also began trying to grow the Enlightenment Tea Tree.
Looking at the nearly depleted seed, Ning Qi silently added another note to the Wang Clan Patriarch's account—it was such a waste of a treasure.
He spent considerable effort and finally managed to reactivate much of the seed's spiritual energy.
He wandered all around the Seeking Dao Courtyard.
But he couldn't find a suitable place to plant it.
After consulting ancient texts and his own research, he learned that the Enlightenment Tea Tree was notoriously hard to grow.
Eventually—
Ning Qi had an idea.
He slightly shifted some of the Zhenwu Peach Trees, surrounding the Seeking Dao Courtyard to form a unified formation, and planted the Enlightenment Tea Tree seed beneath the rattan chair he often lay on.
Ning Qi had studied Geomancy and Feng Shui.
Using the spiritual nature of the Peach Trees to nourish the Enlightenment Tea Tree gave him hope.
Even so, Ning Qi wasn't fully certain it would survive.
He simply buried some additional spiritual materials from the treasure vault underground, hoping it would succeed.
"Hopefully, in two years, I can sit in the shade of the Enlightenment Tea Tree."
Ning Qi mused.
Of course, what he was most curious about was the tree's effect. Would it benefit him? Either way, it would surely enhance the foundation of the Zhenwu Sect.
As for developing a method to enhance the medicinal properties of the Zhenwu Peach Tree using the Bright Fruit—
That was the easiest part for Ning Qi.
With three Bright Fruits in hand, he wasn't afraid to experiment boldly.
After consuming one, he finally succeeded.
...
Ning Qi focused wholeheartedly on cultivation, absorbing all the gains from recent events.
Meanwhile, the public buzz from the raid on the Demonic Sect's Deadfire Abyss division began to fade.
But just as everyone thought the Demonic Sect had gone silent and taken the loss quietly—
Something major happened.
General Shenyu was attacked again.
This time, top experts from the Demonic Sect were involved. General Shenyu was once again injured, and both sides suffered casualties. The Demonic Sect even seemed to have the upper hand.
After lying low for so long, they struck again.
The Demonic Sect showed everyone what it meant to repay vengeance tenfold. For a time, everyone feared them.
But the imperial court was furious.
The Demonic Sect was like a centipede—hard to kill. Though they'd gone quiet for decades after the Martial Saint's intervention, they were becoming bold again.
However, Great Yan itself wasn't entirely united either. The two forces were now locked in a subtle deadlock.
Still, the Demonic Sect could only lurk in the shadows.
The imperial court of Great Yan retained absolute dominance—after all, they had the Martial Saint as the ultimate deterrent. But the Martial Saint rarely made a move, or even appeared.
After learning of this—
Ning Qi immediately made a trip to Zhenwu City.
Sure enough—
Most of the court experts who had been hiding there were gone.
Only the butcher who sold pork remained.
General Shenyu's second ambush made it clear that the Demonic Sect was focusing its efforts on the court. Short on manpower, they had naturally pulled people from here.
"Originally three Heaven-Man Realm and ten Core Formation Realm. Now there's only one Heaven-Man and three Core Formation—over seventy percent withdrawn."
"Indeed, you can't rely on others. Better to rely on yourself."
Ning Qi thought to himself.
Good thing he had already mastered the False Core Technique.
Otherwise, if the Demonic Sect attacked, all he could do was hope for luck.
...
Qingzhou.
In a nameless secluded valley, there was an underground palace.
Usually deserted, today it was gathering powerful figures.
Once everyone had arrived—
The shadowy gates slammed shut. Pale flames lit up.
Everyone now noticed a figure had appeared on the throne without anyone realizing. All of them stiffened.
That figure was cloaked in black robes, wearing a bronze ghost mask—it was intimidating.
"We greet the Deputy Sect Master!"
The many experts of the Demonic Sect bowed in unison, eyes filled with reverence.
In the Demonic Sect, the Sect Master held the highest position—but rarely appeared and was always in seclusion. The affairs were handled by several Deputy Sect Masters. Ghostface was one of them, with many Elders beneath him.
Ghostface nodded slightly.
"Do you all know why I've summoned you here today?"
"Deputy Sect Master, is it because of the recent attack on that b**tard Shenyu?" someone immediately asked.
No one looked surprised—they'd discussed it many times before arriving.
Ghostface slowly nodded.
"That's right."
"Should we continue reinforcing that front? Shenyu must pay a bloody price!"
Everyone's fury surged, their fists clenched.
The destruction of a division was a massive loss to the Demonic Sect—
Not to mention, many of the dead were their friends and family.
To outsiders, it was Old Demon Lin.
But to them, he was Elder Lin.
Only Heaven-Man Realm cultivators could become Elders of the Demonic Sect, and Elder Lin had been one of the highest ranked.
Seeing their fighting spirit, Ghostface nodded with satisfaction, but then continued:
"We will have revenge. But Shenyu is too heavily guarded for now. Attacking again won't be effective. We'll take our time with him. This time, we have a different goal."
The crowd looked confused, but someone quickly caught on.
Ghostface slowly stood up.
A cold, tyrannical aura surged forth—
"Destroy the Wang Clan and the Zhenwu Sect!"