Chapter 12: The Great Upheaval of Heaven and Earth

Although Ji Mo begged to become his disciple, how could Ji Ning agree? After all, the sword technique required a soul, a need to comprehend the Dao, which could not be directly taught! Then Ji Ning gave guidance to the others one by one. The other youths immediately became extremely humble, each bringing their usual doubts to ask Ji Ning. For Ji Ning, it was naturally very easy; in terms of sword technique alone, no one in the Ji clan could surpass him.

This guidance session lasted a full two hours, after which Ji Ning saw the guests off.

"Go back and ponder carefully. I won't keep you any longer." After giving his guidance, Ji Ning left directly.

The six youths watched Ji Ning with longing eyes, wishing he would guide them for a longer time.

...

Night.

Ji Ning was sitting cross-legged on his bed, cultivating. The natural energy of heaven and earth surged toward him continuously, flowing into his body and liquefying into true essence. After a long while, feeling his dantian somewhat distended, he stopped.

"In a few more months, I should be able to open the Zifu in terms of Qi Refining," Ji Ning thought to himself. "But as for reaching the seventh level of the 'Redmoon Diagram of Nine Heavens' and opening the Zifu, I don't know when that will be."

Currently, both his divine body training and Qi Refining had reached the peak of the Xiantian stage.

The Qi Refining method was a common one within the Ji clan, called the 'Water Element Art.' The true essence produced by this method was inferior in both quality and quantity, but breaking through to the Zifu was easier! With Ji Ning's current comprehension of the Dao, once he accumulated enough true essence, he could break through to the Zifu stage in one go.

"This 'Water Element Art' is just a common method," Ji Ning thought. "It can only be cultivated up to the Zifu stage. After opening the Zifu, I'll need to find a new Qi Refining method."

Cultivation methods become more precious as one advances.

"Then I'll need to find a more powerful Qi Refining method," Ji Ning mused. "The 'Water Element Art' is a shallow method. If I continue using shallow methods, my Qi Refining will likely stop at the Wanxiang stage."

That's the difference between profound and shallow methods!

Profound and difficult methods are hard to cultivate at the beginning, requiring steady progress step by step, but they allow continuous advancement.

Shallow methods, on the other hand, make it relatively easy to open the Zifu at first, and with great effort, one might reach the Wanxiang stage. But reaching the Yuanshen Daoist stage? There is no hope.

The Ji clan was a relatively low-level tribe. They had no profound methods for divine body training or Qi Refining. Only because of the special nature of the 'Redmoon Diagram of Nine Heavens,' which was widely spread, did the Ji clan possess it. Their Qi Refining methods were all very poor. For example, Ji Jiuhuo and Granny Ying had been stuck at the Zifu stage for nearly four hundred years.

This was because shallow methods made breaking through to the Zifu easier, but reaching Wanxiang was very difficult, and Yuanshen Daoist was impossible.

"I must go out and explore," Ji Ning thought with anticipation. "I'll wait until I open the Zifu; then my means of survival will be stronger. My current strength is still a bit weak."

Ji Ning was very clear about his own strength.

In Qi Refining, he was at the peak of Xiantian. However, half a year ago, he could already execute the ninth layer of the 'Lesser Thousand Swords Formation,' and his offensive power should be comparable to a Zifu-stage cultivator at the peak! The weakness was that his true essence was consumed too quickly, unlike ordinary Zifu cultivators who could fight for a long time.

In divine body training, with the 'Redmoon Diagram of Nine Heavens' at the peak of Xiantian, he could already match an ordinary divine body cultivator at the early Zifu stage! With his current vitality, even if his head was pierced, he wouldn't die! Although his offensive power was inferior to the Lesser Thousand Swords Formation, in actual combat, his divine body training was stronger.

"The Lesser Thousand Swords Formation is extremely sharp," Ji Ning thought. "But if I encounter a divine body cultivator at the Zifu stage, their body is extremely tough. Even if a sword light barely pierces them, they can recover quickly."

"Against Qi Refining Zifu cultivators, even at the peak of Zifu, I can fight."

"Against divine body cultivators, I'm confident against early Zifu, but anything stronger is troublesome," Ji Ning was clear about this. "I wonder how I can break through in the 'Redmoon Diagram of Nine Heavens.' How can I achieve yin-yang transformation and rebirth from a single drop of blood?"

Surviving a pierced head was nothing.

Once he reached the seventh level, he would achieve rebirth from a single drop of blood! Such terrifying vitality would trouble other Qi Refining Zifu cultivators. Killing such a divine body cultivator would be very difficult; they would have to slowly drain all his divine power.

"Rebirth from a single drop of blood," Ji Ning looked forward to it.

In fact, Ji Ning was already incredibly formidable. In offense, he had the Lesser Thousand Swords Formation! His divine body training, using the foremost method, had reached the peak of Xiantian, making it hard for Zifu cultivators to kill him. While others found it hard to kill him, he could kill them from afar with the Lesser Thousand Swords Formation.

"Not enough, not enough. Like the Gu worms raised by Bo Zishan, if there were ten times as many, they could wear me down through sheer attrition." Ji Ning did not dare to be the slightest bit careless.

He remembered the words of the black ox...

Never underestimate any cultivator! You may be formidable, but how could your opponent lack some powerful tricks?

"Whoosh."

Ji Ning closed his eyes and began to visualize the Nüwa Diagram. He had been continuously visualizing it, and the fact that he could now execute the ninth level of the Lesser Thousand Sword Formation was largely due to his divine sense.

...

The sky was dimly lit at dawn.

Ji Ning, who had been sitting cross-legged on his bed, suddenly opened his eyes and frowned as he carefully sensed something.

"An illusion?" Ji Ning murmured to himself.

"Boom~~~" An immensely powerful surge of natural energy, like a raging wave, swept across Serpentwing Lake in an instant. Such a violent fluctuation of natural energy made Ji Ning's face change color. Whoosh! He shot out through the window and immediately stood atop the crown of a large tree.

"North."

Standing on the treetop, Ji Ning gazed into the distance to the north. The extremely violent fluctuation of natural energy was coming precisely from the north.

Like a pebble thrown into water creating ripples, a point far to the north was emitting terrifyingly powerful waves of natural energy in all directions... Wave after wave, like ripples, swept across thousands of li of land, continuously spreading farther away.

"Such a terrifying fluctuation of natural energy." Ji Ning was shocked. "The speed at which I absorb natural energy during cultivation, compared to this fluctuation, is like the light of a firefly compared to the sun and moon. What on earth is happening to cause such a violent fluctuation?"

Whoosh!

From another part of the island, a figure swiftly approached, stepping on treetops and buildings, and soon arrived beside Ji Ning. It was Ji Yichuan, dressed in a white beast-hide garment.

"Father." Ji Ning looked at his father beside him.

"You felt it, right?" Ji Yichuan said solemnly, looking north.

"Yes, the north." Ji Ning nodded gravely. "A very terrifying fluctuation of natural energy, unimaginably intense. If my sensing is correct, the source of this violent fluctuation should be several thousand li to the north."

Ji Yichuan also nodded. "My sensing is a bit fuzzier, not as clear as yours, but I estimate it's about the same."

"Father, what could cause such a violent fluctuation of natural energy?" Ji Ning quickly asked.

"There are many possibilities," Ji Yichuan said. "It could be the fluctuation from an immortal battle, or the emergence of some ancient relic, or the appearance of some immortal treasure."

Ji Ning's expression changed. "Then my Ji clan..."

Several thousand li to the north was still within the Ji clan's territory. The Ji clan's Western Prefecture City was southwest of the clan's main city. Several thousand li to the north was precisely the core region of the entire Ji clan!

"No matter which case it is, it's not good for my Ji clan," Ji Yichuan said in a low voice.

Ji Ning's face turned grim.

An immortal battle? An ancient relic emerging? An immortal treasure appearing? Other unknown situations? How could the Ji clan, whose strongest member was merely a Zifu Disciple, withstand any of these?

"Let's go take a look," Ji Yichuan said.

"Alright." Ji Ning was also anxious and worried. He immediately sent a voice transmission via true energy to Qiuye, who lived not far from his own residence. "Qiuye, I'm going out. Mingxin Island is in your hands."

Whoosh!

The two of them shot into the air, then walked on the waves at a speed so fast they became mere blurs, heading rapidly north. At their level of cultivation, when they fully exerted their movement techniques, they were faster than a Cyan Flame Bird and far swifter than ordinary mounts.