Chapter 117: Chapter 103: Strength Soars 滴答. 滴答. ... One drop after another of Gang Qi Jade Liquid condensed, dripping into the boundless space of the dantian. In the blink of an eye, it formed a ’small pond’. Yet above the ’small pond’, there was a vast and majestic white mist, and endless white mist continually surged out from within Ning Qi’s body. It can be foreseen. This transformation is not something that will end in a moment. Snow like goose feathers gradually covered the peach blossom trees outside the courtyard. Ning Qi stood quietly, but the snowflakes seemed to have their own spirit, bypassing him and creating a small snowflake vacuum. When the White Ape returned from play and saw this scene, it instinctively acted as a guardian for Ning Qi. In fact, Ning Qi didn’t need it. Advancing to Jade Liquid was natural and inevitable. He could start or stop at any time. This transformation lasted three days. The heavy snow had long stopped, and the changes within Ning Qi’s body had reached the final moment. As the last wisp of white mist condensed into Jade Liquid and dripped into the Jade Liquid Sea below, Ning Qi’s entire body trembled, and a series of wonderful changes began to occur. The previously calm Jade Liquid Sea within him surged, with each wave carrying a powerful force. Ning Qi felt his physical body growing stronger and more vibrant. He could feel that his lifespan seemed to have increased mysteriously, which was quite incredible, as ordinary martial artists, whether at the White Mist, Jade Liquid, or Primordial Core stages, all within the realm of Gang Essence, had a lifespan of four hundred years. But he had far exceeded this realm. As his thoughts turned in his mind, waves of spiritual light emerged, the most direct manifestation. Every time his life essence improved, his capacity for understanding increased once again. Ning Qi opened his eyes and nodded with a smile at the White Ape. He then focused on his own changes. "So much stronger than before!" He casually clenched his fist, and the power of the Jade Liquid Sea within him burst forth, with an intention to tremble the void. This transformation once again uncovered a large amount of potential in Ning Qi’s physical body, allowing his Gang Qi not only to transform in quality but also to surpass expectations in quantity. If others’ Jade Liquid were just a small pond, Ning Qi’s was a vast ocean, an unbelievable difference. "Now, just with the power of Gang Qi itself, I should be able to contend with the strong ones on the Celestial Being List, right?" Ning Qi compared himself to the Celestial Being List level strong ones he had encountered before. The Divine Feather Grand General, Cyan Bull Blade Master, Old Demon Lin, that unknown Elder, and the Town North King. At least the first four, he felt he could contend with even without entering the Realm of Celestial Being Unity, or even defeat. "As for the Town North King... it’s hard to say, as that day he didn’t fight with all his might. Even if I use all my methods now, I’m uncertain if I could contend with him." Ning Qi’s gaze flickered. He estimated that his combat power should be between the top ten to twenty on the Celestial Being List, but it’s hard to measure accurately, as there are too few samples, and Ning Qi has many methods, which makes it hard to judge. But undoubtedly. This level of power. Already stands at the pinnacle of Great Yan. Without the Martial Saint’s appearance, few could threaten Ning Qi’s life. The constant sense of crisis Ning Qi had felt was greatly reduced. Although the Demon Sect was temporarily at rest, Ning Qi dared not be completely lax. If the Demon Sect resurged, relying solely on the power of a Fake Pill would be far from enough, but now, it was much better. Even if there were such unparalleled strong ones from the Demon Sect, they wouldn’t be many. Moreover, he would continue to grow. "If I step into the Primordial Core Realm, I might be invincible among the Celestial Beings." Ning Qi was somewhat expectant. The cultivation ahead. Was to condense the Primordial Core from Jade Liquid. Ning Qi sensed the vast sea of Jade Liquid within him and smiled helplessly. In everything, there are pros and cons. With such a colossal Jade Liquid Sea as his, forming it into a Primordial Core wasn’t an easy task. Of course, it wouldn’t be too troublesome either. At most, it would just take some time to gradually polish. Without dwelling on this too much, Ning Qi began to carefully comprehend the changes in his Gang Qi. After advancing to the Jade Liquid Realm, he could distinctly feel that his Gang Qi had become much more agile, possessing some kind of previously unseen spirituality. He extended a finger, and the Gang Qi surged and condensed, instantly conjuring a mighty and fierce Bian in the courtyard. The Bian’s gaze was fierce, lifelike. The White Ape, who had just settled in for cultivation, instinctively had its hair standing on end. It opened its eyes, was startled by the Bian. But soon. The Bian vanished. Then Qiu Niu, Chaofeng, Divine Eagle, True Dragon, among many other Divine Beasts appeared, each with an extraordinary presence. Accompanied by the True Intents Ning Qi had mastered, they seemed like real Exotic Beasts, though after all, they were Gang Qi condensed and couldn’t compare to flesh and blood. White Ape was in awe, his eyes widened in shock at the miraculous sight. Having spent much time with Ning Qi, Ning Qi didn’t bother to hide his methods from him. He was probably the one who knew Ning Qi best, aside from Taoist Longshan. In his heart, he always regarded Ning Qi as a goal to aspire to. After the White Ape reached the Inner Essence Realm, its cultivation speed remained unstoppable. Its overall combat power now was likely approaching the Gang Essence Realm. After all, its bloodline had a natural advantage compared to the Human Race, able to unleash stronger fighting abilities. Ning Qi was absorbed in his activities, feeling somewhat intrigued. A flash of insight occurred in his mind as the Jade Liquid Sea surged, and a humanoid figure condensed from Gang Qi emerged beside Ning Qi. Its gaze was cold and emotionless, and although its movements were initially stiff, they soon became remarkably agile. With a cloak, it could deceive the eye. The only drawback was that it would collapse if subjected to a powerful attack. "Perhaps I can explore this further. If I can form a Gang Qi avatar, it might be exceptionally useful at certain times." Ning Qi mused to himself. True Man Tianjian cannot remain hidden forever; if the enemy is too strong, Ning Qi would have to intervene personally. If the Town North King hadn’t intervened last time, Ning Qi would have had to reveal himself. Although it was possible to use disguise, having such a Gang Qi avatar as a substitute might be better. However, to reach the level where a Gang Qi avatar can contend with a strong opponent from the Celestial Human Realm or even the Celestial Being List would require additional time for deduction. Otherwise, at its current level, its practicality is limited. Ning Qi dissipated the Gang Qi figure. Then he continued deducing the Cyan Profound Body Protection Technique. Now that the Gang Qi had greatly improved, this Defense Secret Technique could be further enhanced. It was originally capable of achieving seventy percent of the defense of the Cyan Profound Treasure Armor, and now, after reaching the deduction’s limit, surpassing the Cyan Profound Treasure Armor was an easy feat. ... A few days later. Ye Qinghe successfully broke through and advanced to the White Mist Realm, becoming the fourth Gang Essence Realm True Disciple of the True Martial Sect on the surface. The members of the True Martial Sect were all joyful, as this signified a stronger foundation for the True Martial Sect. To this point, aside from the fourth disciple He Yan, the sixth disciple Sun Chuanhai, and the seventh disciple Song City, all True Disciples had entered the Gang Essence Realm. Of course, they were unaware that Ning Qi had long since reached the Gang Essence Realm. Ning Qi advanced to the Jade Liquid Realm, unknown to anyone. He was not one to flaunt, and had always been this way. In the days that followed, his life remained just as before. He spent part of his time in the Scripture Pavilion studying Taoist Scriptures to enhance his own foundation, and part of his time was dedicated to improving and creating various Secret Techniques. After advancing to the Jade Liquid Realm, there was still room for improvement in several Secret Techniques. Lastly, he methodically refined Gang Qi daily. To break through from the Jade Liquid Realm to the Primordial Core Realm was essentially no different; it was still about refining Gang Qi. Although the Jade Liquid within Ning Qi was quite abundant, a thousand-mile journey begins with one step, and with daily cultivation, his progress was remarkably fast. Unfortunately, without the Golden Jade Pill, the cultivation would have been much quicker. "There’s still the Luminous Pearl and other spirit medicines, but the relic is hard to find." Generally speaking, 𝒻𝑟ℯℯ𝑤𝑒𝑏𝑛𝘰𝓋𝑒𝓁.𝒸𝑜𝘮 the Buddhist Sect usually considers relics as precious gifts to repay kindness and won’t trade them. To do so would desecrate the venerable Arhat monks who passed on, making obtaining a relic from the Buddhist Sect unrealistic unless one annihilates a sect and destroys temples. This did not align with Ning Qi’s principles. If someone provoked him, he could deal with them decisively, but he could not bring himself to annihilate a sect and commit senseless slaughter for the sake of his own cultivation. Another option was to exchange with someone who had been gifted a relic in the past, but such people were rare. Ning Qi had already spoken with Taoist Longshan and Luo Wentian about this, merely expressing that the relic was useful to him and asking them to help search for one. Of course, Ning Qi didn’t pin all his hopes on acquiring a relic; he was also searching for alternative items. Taoist Longshan had already returned to the mountains some time ago. Currently, the Great Yan was in chaos; the Imperial Court and the Demon Sect were in constant conflict. Likewise, Martial Sects were at odds with each other. Assassin organizations like the Blood Rain Tower naturally wouldn’t stay hidden and occasionally made moves. Through certain connections, Taoist Longshan had located some traces of the Blood Rain Tower, but it only made him more alarmed. This Blood Rain Tower was no simple matter, as there seemed to be traces of other forces behind them. Taoist Longshan became more cautious, fearing he might alert the enemy. If he were to continue probing persistently, it might raise suspicion, causing the Blood Rain Tower to hide even deeper. After informing Ning Qi, Taoist Longshan and Ning Qi made a plan to descend the mountain together once they had a clearer picture of the Blood Rain Tower’s movements, ensuring a decisive strike to avoid future troubles. Unknowingly, Ning Qi had already turned nine. Currently, Ning Qi’s physique was tall and slender, almost comparable to teenagers, and years of studying the scriptures and seeking enlightenment had given him an intangible aura of transcendence that captivated others. His thoughts drifted back to nine years ago. At that time, when he had just traveled to this world, he encountered a murderous situation. His mother in this life was only glimpsed briefly, and he never even saw his father, becoming an orphan. Ning Qi himself almost perished in a sea of flames. If Taoist Longshan hadn’t arrived in time, he would probably have met his end already. Ning Qi naturally remembered all of this. Over the years, he quietly cultivated, occasionally using these events as one of his motivations, for he did not wish to emulate Huang Shang and achieve mastery only to find that his enemies were already dead. Now, Ning Qi’s strength was now among the highest in the Great Yan, giving him the means for revenge. He no longer needed to wait. "Father, Mother, I cannot repay your kindness in bringing me into this world; I can only offer the blood of my enemies to honor your spirits in the heavens." Ning Qi watched the heavy snow falling in the courtyard and sighed softly. That year, it was also snowing heavily. ps: Seeking monthly votes, 160 more needed to reach 1000!