In the small town.
Ning Qi strolled through the streets. His current appearance was that of an utterly ordinary young man.
Now that things were settled, he finally had the rare mood to enjoy a bit of worldly life, which brought on a different kind of emotion.
Having avenged the massacre of his family, his state of mind had unknowingly become much more peaceful, his heart calm.
He wasn't in a hurry to head straight to where Daoist Longshan had discovered the Zhenwu Underground Palace.
After all, using the Virtual Sword Core Shattering Technique to deal with the Skinny Elder had still caused some physical strain.
Though the explosive technique had minimal side effects, it wasn't without cost.
Ning Qi planned to spend two to three days adjusting his condition before condensing another Virtual Sword Core.
That way, he would have the confidence to handle any unexpected changes.
The calls of street vendors rang in his ears from time to time. Ning Qi also overheard many martial artists' hushed conversations and sightings—some even mentioned things like "treasures" and "secret realms."
But he wasn't interested in any of it.
To him, putting effort into those kinds of matters would only waste precious time.
That said, this first solo journey so far from the mountain did give him a deeper understanding of the Great Yan Dynasty.
Reading ten thousand books wasn't as good as walking ten thousand miles.
Previously, Ning Qi's understanding of Great Yan came from books or secondhand accounts—it was never as clear as what he saw with his own eyes.
"This world's Great Yan Dynasty holds absolute control over the Central Region, occupying fertile lands. Beneath it are thirteen provinces, with Yanzhou at the center. Beneath the provinces are prefectures, counties, and districts, each governed accordingly. Controlling such vast land is no easy feat."
"From what I've seen now, though the people of Great Yan don't match the civilization of my previous life, they're living relatively peaceful lives. The recent unrest has affected them, but so far it's within manageable bounds."
Ning Qi could see it clearly.
When martial artists fought, they still tried to avoid impacting ordinary people. That was due to Great Yan's powerful deterrence against martial artists—no one dared provoke the tiger.
In a way, Great Yan had indeed preserved a long-lasting era of peace.
"Unfortunately, that peace may not last much longer."
"Great Yan controls the Central Region. To the east lies the endless sea; to the west, the yellow-sand desert; to the south, the Ten-Thousand Mountains; and to the north, the grasslands where barbarian tribes dwell. Now, the Demonic Sect is stirring within the borders, and the Southern Frontier has formed an alliance and is watching closely. Even the northern grassland barbarians, though suppressed by the North-Stabilizing King, may be brewing something—who knows?"
"If all that erupts, Great Yan will likely be attacked from all sides."
As Ning Qi listened to a storyteller exaggerating various rumors, he became lost in thought.
With his cultivation growing deeper by the day—especially after experiencing several Heaven-Man Realm battles—he gradually began to understand the mechanisms of this world.
"Martial Saints are existences that suppress the heavens. Other than Great Yan's open presence of a Martial Saint, no other factions have shown theirs. But surely, each must have ways to counter Martial Saints."
"And below the Martial Saint are the Heaven-Man Realm experts. Their destructive power is already immense. That's why they rarely act unless conflict reaches an extreme."
"As for below the Heaven-Man Realm—those are the main forces in regular times. Looking at the prefectures and counties, these people are the true backbone."
"I wonder when... true chaos will erupt."
Ning Qi pondered.
Ever since learning about the Blood Emperor Gu, he increasingly felt that undercurrents were surging.
He silently slipped away from the alley where the storyteller was, unnoticed by anyone.
Three days later.
Ning Qi condensed another Virtual Sword Core. Seeing that it was even stronger than before, he gave a faint smile.
After using the technique once, he had refined a few minor flaws—making the method even more perfect.
Ning Qi left the small town, heading first toward the location of the Zhenwu Underground Palace—it was closer.
...
In the towering mountain ranges.
This was one of Qingzhou's more remote ranges.
Ning Qi arrived in the air.
He slowly descended, releasing his senses as he landed near a mountain stream. There were traces left by Daoist Longshan—only Zhenwu disciples could recognize them.
"So this is where Master discovered the Zhenwu Underground Palace back then?"
When Daoist Longshan was young, he had accidentally stumbled into the palace and received part of the Zhenwu inheritance—leading to the birth of the Zhenwu Sect.
If it had been the full inheritance, it likely would've included records about the Martial Saint Realm.
Though Ning Qi was still far from that realm, his combat strength was steadily approaching it. He was preparing himself for the road ahead.
"Master once said that after multiple investigations, he still couldn't find the Zhenwu Underground Palace again. He even asked a friend skilled in the occult to examine the place, and there was no formation concealing it."
Thoughts swirled in Ning Qi's mind as his senses expanded outward.
He was well-versed in various miscellaneous disciplines. Back when he couldn't train in martial arts, he often delved into them—and had never stopped. He believed no one in the world surpassed him in this field.
But soon after—
Ning Qi furrowed his brows slightly.
There really was no formation hiding anything here.
He was confident in his knowledge of occult formations. If one existed, he would've sensed even a trace.
But he also couldn't sense any trace of the underground palace's presence.
Did that mean the palace had already "left" decades ago?
"Let's go down and take a look!"
Ning Qi's curiosity deepened. At the very least, one possibility had been eliminated—this wasn't a total waste.
As for how the Zhenwu Underground Palace had left, there were many possibilities.
His Jade Liquid Sea churned as he activated the Innate Sword Body Secret Art. In an instant, streams of Sword Qi surged around him.
During the process of reviving Zhuang Chen's Sword Bone, this technique had become even more refined.
The light, razor-sharp Sword Qi carved out a tunnel in the blink of an eye.
Ning Qi stepped inside.
Into the underground.
The world beneath held nothing special—just dirt and soil.
Which shocked Ning Qi even more.
He had expected at least a hollow space, since the Zhenwu Underground Palace had truly existed here. But no—it was all just dirt.
Ning Qi carefully expanded his senses but still found nothing unusual.
Then suddenly—
His eyes lit up.
He finally found something off.
The farther he went, the more he could feel that the soil outside grew just slightly harder. The difference was extremely subtle, detectable only across a thousand meters underground—and only someone like Ning Qi would notice.
He followed the trail of the soil's hardness, but the path completely ended a hundred li away.
That meant the Zhenwu Underground Palace had once traveled underground from here and vanished somewhere beyond that range—how, no one knew.
"Could it be that the Zhenwu Underground Palace is a living creature that can move on its own? After Master received part of the inheritance, it left."
He couldn't help but speculate.
"A massive exotic beast? Or some kind of mechanical construct?"
Ning Qi emerged from the underground.
Now that he had confirmed the palace was gone, staying any longer was pointless.
Still, it wasn't without harvest.
"No matter what the Zhenwu Underground Palace is—machine, beast, or something else—if it appeared here decades ago, it will likely appear again. Maybe it follows some kind of pattern."
"Master only received part of the inheritance—perhaps his talent was lacking. If the palace appears again, I should be able to obtain the full legacy."
Ning Qi planned to ask Master in detail about that year's events after returning to the mountain, hoping to find some pattern to the palace's reappearance.
Maybe Daoist Longshan hadn't been the first to receive the inheritance. Perhaps the others had all perished.
Ning Qi erased all traces.
Then soared into the air and left.
He didn't dwell on it—if nothing was found here, he'd go to the next place. It was a matter of luck, anyway.
Back when Ye Qinghe had gone down the mountain to train, she had mentioned to him—
In a small town, she'd heard an old blind man speak of a Martial Saint rumor.
...
Early the next morning.
Ning Qi slowly entered the small town.
He had asked Ye Qinghe for details before. The old blind man was a storyteller.
He asked for directions and quickly received a warm reply:
"You mean Old Mister Sun, right? He's over on the east side of town—you'll see him once you head that way."
Ning Qi smiled and thanked them, then walked slowly east.
There was nothing particularly special about this town.
If anything stood out, it was that the residents were very friendly—more so than in other places.
"Martial Saint's hometown? I wonder if it's true."
With that thought, Ning Qi stopped outside a wooden shed.
The shed was packed, both inside and out.
It was quite lively.
Voices shouted from inside:
"Old Li, tell us another one, will ya? I haven't had enough today!"
"Old mister, I'm begging you, just one more story. Otherwise, I won't be able to sleep tonight."
"How about the story of the Sky-Slaying Martial Saint?"
Ning Qi's attention sharpened. Listening from outside, he recognized that "Sky-Slaying Martial Saint" was the title Ye Qinghe had mentioned before.
An aged voice responded from within.
Everyone held their breath.
Listening, spellbound—gasps and exclamations broke out from time to time.
But Ning Qi's expression slowly turned odd.
"Cutting off nine heavenly meridians to save all life? Chasing the Great Sun and finally struck down by divine lightning?"
Even though he hadn't yet reached the Martial Saint Realm, Ning Qi knew such things were impossible. Clearly, the old man had added dramatic flair—but the townsfolk loved it.
No wonder Ye Qinghe hadn't mentioned it in detail.
Still, Ning Qi listened carefully, hoping to catch something useful.
Before long.
With a loud knock on the storyteller's wood block, the crowd dispersed, reluctantly leaving their tips.
Ning Qi looked toward the blind old man who was gathering his things.
His gaze showed surprise.
This old man wasn't ordinary—he had a decent cultivation base.
The elder looked up and smiled:
"Young man, you're from out of town, right? Today's storytelling is over. Come back tomorrow."
Ning Qi smiled and replied:
"Sir, you're blind. How did you know I'm a young man, and how did you know I'm from out of town?"
Though to be fair, his current appearance was indeed that of a young man.
The old man chuckled:
"Just because my eyes are blind doesn't mean I can't perceive things. I've been blind so long, I can sense things that regular folks can't. You don't carry the decay of an old man like me. As for knowing you're not from around here..."
The blind elder laughed.
"Locals wouldn't stick around just to watch this blind old man pack up."
Ning Qi smiled and placed a handful of copper coins down, saying:
"I really enjoy the story you told about the Sky-Slaying Martial Saint."
The old man waved his hand and said:
"You're not the only one—lots of folks enjoy it. If you want to hear more, come back tomorrow."
Ning Qi cupped his fists and left.
The old man raised his head to glance in the direction Ning Qi had gone, shaking his head slightly.
The next day.
Ning Qi came again.
That day, the blind old man told another tale of the Sky-Slaying Martial Saint, still exaggerated and outrageous, but the crowd listened with delight.
At the end—
Ning Qi exchanged smiles with the blind old man and left.
He planned to stay in this place for a while.
It was the perfect chance to study the Blood King Gu.
With his prior experience in creating the Golden Jade Pill, this time would take far less effort. All he needed to do was compare the medicinal properties of the Relic Pill and the Blood King Gu, then use a Luminous Pearl as a catalyst to create a pill even more potent than the Golden Jade Pill.
After all, the Blood King Gu's energy was even more abundant than the Relic Pill.
Day three.
...
Day four.
...
Ning Qi went to listen to the stories every day. Many locals gradually became familiar with this frequent out-of-town visitor.
"Hey, Liu! You're here again!" someone greeted. That was Ning Qi's alias.
Ning Qi smiled and nodded.
On this day—
Ning Qi finally heard a slightly different piece of news.
"Our little town is the hometown of the Sky-Slaying Martial Saint. He grew up here and returned in his old age. Someone even caught a glimpse of him once, but he looked impossibly ancient..."
This was what Ye Qinghe had mentioned before.
It seemed she had stayed here for a few days as well.
Ning Qi was very patient.
He kept listening.
This piece of information clearly felt more real—painting a sense of sorrowful decline about the Martial Saint.
And so—
Time passed.
Ning Qi had now stayed here for nearly a month—the longest he had spent anywhere outside of Zhenwu Mountain since birth.
Why had he stayed so long?
First, to see if he could learn anything more about the Martial Saint.
Second, because of the Blood King Gu.
Even though he had already confirmed from the Skinny Elder that there was no resonance or tracking imprint on the Gu, Ning Qi still chose to deal with it outside of Zhenwu Mountain, just in case it caused future trouble there.
Three days ago—
Ning Qi had already derived the pill formula using the Blood King Gu as the main ingredient.
He named it the Blood Jade Pill.
He sent word to Luo Wentian to have the other supplementary materials prepared and delivered to a nearby location.
Once that was done—
He would refine the Blood Jade Pill outside the mountain, then return. That way, even if the Southern Frontier Alliance did have some secret method to track the Gu, they wouldn't trace it back to Zhenwu Mountain.
Ning Qi looked up at the pouring rain outside his window and sighed lightly:
"Maybe Old Mister Sun only knows this much."
Now that the Blood Jade Pill formula was complete, he planned to leave a few days later once the ingredients were delivered.
Though staying here hadn't interfered with his cultivation, he still preferred the environment at Zhenwu Mountain.
Besides, many Daoist scriptures awaited his perusal.
Ning Qi picked up an umbrella and stepped outside.
There were almost no people on the streets.
At the storytelling shed—
It was completely empty.
Only the blind old man was there.
It was pouring rain. No matter how addicted people were to his stories, none would come out today. Ning Qi had assumed Old Mister Sun wouldn't show up either—but to his surprise, he had.
And Old Mister Sun hadn't expected Ning Qi to come, either.
"So it's you, Liu..."
The old man chuckled with a sigh, then began telling stories as usual—it had become his lifelong routine.
Ning Qi listened quietly, relaxing his mind.
Over the past month, many of the tales he had heard multiple times.
Gradually, he came to view this period as a special experience—something that, when recalled in the future, might bring a faint smile.
Only a few days remained before his departure.
He didn't have many lingering thoughts.
The rain poured heavily against the shed's roof—an old man telling tales, a young man listening. It carried an odd kind of poetic atmosphere.
After a long while—
Old Mister Sun finally stopped. He looked out at the rain, as if he could truly see it.
"Young man, how long have you been here?" he asked suddenly, not calling Ning Qi 'Liu.'
Ning Qi also looked outside the shed and replied calmly:
"Nearly a month now."
"A month... how many months like that does a man get in his life? Go back soon. There's no need to waste so much time on this blind old man."
Ning Qi smiled:
"This place is quite nice. I think this month has been very meaningful."
It was the truth. During this month, his state of mind had subtly transformed.
It was a feeling completely different from being at Zhenwu Mountain.
Silence returned.
After a moment, Old Mister Sun's faint voice rang out again:
"Perhaps the story of the Martial Saint should have ended long ago. I'll be leaving soon, too."
He could tell that Ning Qi had a particular interest in the Martial Saint's story.
Ning Qi was stunned:
"Where are you going?"
The blind old man looked to the distance:
"The world is my home."
He waved his hand and began packing up his storytelling tools. His voice carried a strange charm:
"Matters concerning Martial Saints are best left alone. Sometimes, curiosity isn't a good thing."
Ning Qi fell silent, then asked:
"Old sir, did someone really see the Sky-Slaying Martial Saint return in his old age?"
The blind old man gave a dry chuckle:
"Maybe. Who can tell what's real and what's false? No one knows anything about Martial Saints. Maybe they suffer calamities in their old age. Maybe they try to pass on messages—but simply can't."
His unfocused eyes suddenly lifted—
There was a strange eeriness in them that made Ning Qi's heart jolt.
The blind old man drifted away.
The rain poured down, yet he carried no umbrella.
But not a single raindrop touched him.
Some passersby caught sight of the scene, but showed no surprise—as if they hadn't seen anything at all.
Ning Qi stood alone inside the storytelling shed.
"Calamity? Misfortune?"
He faintly felt that he had touched upon some hidden truth regarding the Martial Saint.
A long time passed.
Ning Qi finally let out a deep breath.
When the boat reaches the bridge, it will naturally go through.
Though he still didn't know what secrets lay beyond that realm, at least he was mentally prepared.
As for the rest—
He would have to wait until he reached Martial Saint-level strength before slowly uncovering the truth.
Ning Qi believed—
That step might be within reach after breaking through to the Heaven-Man Realm.
And that breakthrough—
Would come soon after he refined the Blood Jade Pill and advanced to the Core Formation Realm.
The next day.
Ning Qi departed quietly.
The storytelling shed remained.
A few days after Ning Qi's absence, people finally realized he had left.
They sighed and expressed regret—one less companion.
The blind old man gave a faint sigh but still continued telling tales of the Sky-Slaying Martial Saint.
...
After leaving the town, Ning Qi arrived at a prefecture city near Zhenwu Mountain.
This was the place he had told Luo Wentian to send the Blood Jade Pill's supplementary ingredients.
When Ning Qi arrived, the materials were already there.
Inside a small courtyard.
Ning Qi laid out each precious herb, casually picked a pill furnace—he didn't need any external aid to refine pills.
Only the main ingredient remained.
He pulled two purple jade bamboo tubes from his robes.
Opening one—
The Blood King Gu emerged, circling around Ning Qi.
Even with Ning Qi using special tones to control it, the Gu still radiated a violent aura.
Ning Qi had already noticed—
It seemed that once the Blood King Gu matured, it became increasingly vicious.
If he were to release both at once now, they might completely lose control.
Even so—
The one he released now was constantly circling the other bamboo tube that contained the second Blood King Gu.
With a thought, Ning Qi froze it midair with Qi.
Over the past month, he had already studied how to use the Blood King Gu.
Its essence lay in its three pairs of wings. The rest of its vibrant body was secondary.
Ordinary people wouldn't even know how to utilize it properly.
But for Ning Qi, it was no challenge.
Over the past month, he had regularly observed the Blood King Gu—
He had also studied the special tones learned from the Fat and Skinny Elders, and managed to develop a method to extract the Gu's vital essence.
At this moment—
His Qi began to vibrate at a special frequency. The unique tone reached the Blood King Gu's mind—something only it could hear.
The next instant—
Dense blood patterns began to emerge across the Gu's body.
They all flowed toward the three pairs of wings.
As time passed—
The three pairs of wings became like masterpieces—blood-jade wings, stunningly beautiful.
But what moved the heart most was the immense energy stored within.
The Blood King Gu's eyes were now completely lifeless.
Ning Qi casually plucked off the three pairs of wings.
With a pulse of his Qi—
The Gu's lifeless body turned to ash and scattered into the wind.
Ning Qi's eyes held a touch of anticipation.
No hesitation.
He opened the furnace and began refining the pill!
His Qi transformed into an incredibly fierce flame, but its form shifted with Ning Qi's will.
Each ingredient was tempered one by one—the entire pill refining process was as beautiful as a painting.
Unfortunately, no one was there to witness it.
An hour later.
The pill was complete.
Ning Qi's expression shifted slightly as he released his Qi to completely shroud the courtyard, preventing any sound from leaking out.
He opened the pill furnace—crimson light surged forth, filled with overflowing vitality and energy.
"Six Blood Jade Pills."
Without the slightest hesitation, Ning Qi swallowed one, then activated the Heaven-Earth Grinding Qi Refinement Method to begin tempering his Qi and cultivating.
Rumble!
A roaring sound only Ning Qi could hear rang out.
His Jade Liquid Sea quaked, streams of water flooding into the grinder for refinement.
After taking the Blood Jade Pill, the grinder now glowed with crimson light, and its refining efficiency had doubled.
Ning Qi felt the much faster rate of tempering and was overjoyed.
"Just like with the Golden Jade Pill, a single Blood Jade Pill is enough to accelerate my cultivation by a full month—but with even better results."
"At this rate... just ten Blood Jade Pills would be enough for me to naturally step into the Core Formation Realm."
Ning Qi nodded in satisfaction.
One Blood King Gu could produce six Blood Jade Pills, which meant he'd have two left over.
Whether he kept them as foundational resources for the Zhenwu Sect or used them for something else—it would work either way.
Still, he couldn't help but feel a bit wistful.
He really had surpassed his realm by too much.
One Blood King Gu could help an ordinary Core Formation cultivator break through to the Heaven-Man Realm.
But for him—two Gu only barely helped push him toward the Core Formation Realm.
And that wasn't even a direct breakthrough—just an acceleration.
But it made sense.
After all, Ning Qi was still in the Jade Liquid Realm, yet his strength far surpassed ordinary Heaven-Man Realm experts.
Naturally, breaking through would be harder.
That said—
Even if there were pills that could directly help him break through, Ning Qi wouldn't take them.
He needed to ensure his foundation was absolutely flawless.
That's why whether it was the Golden Jade Pill or the Blood Jade Pill, Ning Qi had always developed them to accelerate cultivation—not to force a breakthrough.
Ning Qi felt relaxed.
Following the same process—
He successfully refined the other Blood King Gu into another six Blood Jade Pills.
With that—
Even if the Southern Frontier Alliance had heaven-defying methods, there was no way they could trace the Blood King Gu now.
For the moment—
The Southern Frontier Alliance still hadn't made a move.
They likely hadn't realized that the Fat and Skinny Elders had lost contact.
But if they did figure it out eventually, they'd probably suspect the Demonic Sect.
After all, that unique venomous martial art could be traced easily. Elder Wang had used it at Zhenwu Mountain before.
Even though Ning Qi had deliberately erased all traces, he believed that with the Southern Frontier Alliance's capabilities, they would uncover the truth—
Otherwise, they wouldn't be worthy of being compared to the Demonic Sect.
As for Zhuang Chen escaping to Zhenwu Sect after the Divine Sword Sect was destroyed—
That could also make Zhenwu Sect a suspect.
But on the other hand, the Southern Frontier Alliance might just think it was the Demonic Sect using Zhenwu Sect as a proxy.
After all, Zhenwu Sect's apparent strength wasn't enough to wipe out a Southern Frontier Alliance stronghold.
Even adding the Heavenly Sword True Person, it would still be difficult.
The strength displayed by the Fat and Skinny Elders wasn't inferior to Daoist Longshan and the Heavenly Sword True Person.
Ning Qi thought things through carefully.
Once he confirmed there were no loose ends—
He set off in the direction of Zhenwu Mountain.
This was the first time he'd been away from home for so long.
He was starting to miss it a bit.