Spring comes and goes.
Ning Qi is almost one year old now.
However, with the nourishment of Innate Qi, supplemented by unparalleled medical techniques, his physical development has been rapid, and he is now almost like a three-year-old child.
Ning Qi optimized the Innate Bone Nourishing Skill a few more times.
He finally felt there was no further improvement to be made.
He had reached the limit of what he could currently achieve.
He speculated that at this rate, his root bone would be fully formed by the age of three!
This speed far exceeded the previous estimation of Taoist Longshan.
Don't underestimate the few years' difference, as it's important to know that the earlier it is, the harder it gets. Practicing martial arts at three and at six is not simply a double difference; it could be several times harder.
Every day, he used a special ointment in combination with his exercises.
His root bone was forming faster each day.
Not only that, but his physical growth was accelerating.
A tiny body is never very convenient, and Ning Qi hopes to grow up quickly.
Unable to practice martial arts yet, Ning Qi did not waste time and read books of all kinds daily, increasing his depth.
He possessed maxed-out comprehension, unprecedented, but creation never comes out of thin air.
Take medicine for example.
Even without reference to the writings of predecessors, Ning Qi can constantly try, summarize, and forge a path in medicine, reaching unprecedented heights, but the time spent must be doubled.
In that case, why not stand on the shoulders of the wise men of the past for a better view?
Others may have comprehension not as good as Ning Qi's, but the accumulation over generations is also not to be underestimated, and some ingenious ideas that shine with brilliance are surprising.
The same is true in other fields.
Although he hasn't started practicing martial arts yet.
Ning Qi was already making preparations.
Learning from others, from books, from heaven and earth, from nature.
Gathering the best of all schools to blaze new trails.
This is the correct opening method for maxed-out comprehension.
There are numerous texts from the True Martial Sect, enough for Ning Qi to read for a long time. Sometimes after reading once, the second reading offers different insights, especially some Taoism texts that contain profound principles, benefiting Ning Qi greatly. These are his depths, only needing a key to unlock the treasure.
"If I have the opportunity to browse through the Great Yan records in the future, my foundation would be rich beyond any previous level."
"One day, obtaining the marvelous thoughts of all living beings, how exhilarating that would be, perhaps even the method of longevity would be within reach!"
Thinking about that scene.
Ning Qi himself felt somewhat longing.
He hasn't forgotten that his ultimate goal is longevity.
These days.
His senior brothers and sisters sometimes go down the mountain for training and bring back some fresh knick-knacks or share some experiences with Ning Qi. As Ning Qi exhibited more and more peculiar traits, they subconsciously no longer treated Ning Qi as a child under one year old.
Thanks to this.
Combined with the records in books.
Ning Qi gained a deeper understanding of the dynasty he was in.
"The Great Yan spans thirteen states with vast territories, and just one Qing State is larger than the land of my previous life. The martial sects are numerous but mostly rely on imperial authority, needing permission from it."
"For instance, when Master rebuilt the True Martial Sect, he didn't just win the foundation of True Martial from the master of Divine Sword Mountain by betting but also needed the endorsement of the Governor of Qing State to gain final recognition."
He flipped through the Great Yan Record in his hand, with something akin to amazement in his eyes.
"But the most amazing thing is, the Great Yan has stood for two thousand years, just the lifespan of this dynasty equals nearly half of ancient history in the previous life!"
"This should be related to the long life of martial artists in this world. Celestial Human Realm practitioners have an eight-hundred-year lifespan, and with some life-extending means, might live over a thousand years. As for Martial Saints, they might indeed live for thousands of years!"
"And the establishment of a dynasty often has a direct connection with Martial Saints; a Martial Saint is invincible in the world, and even beings of Celestial Being Perfection are no match in front of a Martial Saint. Setting up a dynasty isn't difficult for Martial Saints; the Great Yan Dynasty was founded by the Great Yan Martial Saint."
A thought arose in Ning Qi's heart, he couldn't help but sigh:
"The Great Yan has lasted two thousand years, I wonder if the Great Yan Martial Saint is still alive?"
The Martial Saint is his goal, but such an existence is extremely rare, sometimes there might only be one in an entire era, elusive as a dragon.
A cheerful voice came from afar:
"They must be alive, otherwise the world would have been in chaos long ago."
Ning Qi looked over.
He saw a figure speeding towards him, taking a few leaps to stand in front of him; the blue Taoist robe was slightly oversized, but it couldn't hide the slender and exquisite body, rising up to the beautiful apricot eyes carrying a smile.
Ye Qinghe first pinched Ning Qi's tender face and then hugged him with a cheeky grin, making it hard for Ning Qi to breathe.
"Jiu, have you missed Third Senior Sister?"
Ning Qi frowned and struggled to jump away.
"Senior Sister, you've been drinking again!"
He smelled a strong scent of alcohol, very pungent.
Ye Qinghe giggled and took out a gourd like performing a magic trick, taking a hearty swig, the liquid sliding down her fair neck into the Taoist robe.
"Wine is a rare gem of the world; a woman who doesn't drink is not a good woman. You're still too young to understand, Jiu."
She produced a small wine cup from somewhere and filled it to the brim.
"Want to try?"
Looking at Ye Qinghe's expectant eyes, Ning Qi was filled with black lines.
Getting a one-year-old to drink?
You're something else!
Ye Qinghe tempted him:
"If you take a sip, I'll tell you a secret about the Great Yan Dynasty."
Ning Qi had no choice but to take a sip. This much alcohol had no effect on him, and Ye Qinghe only drank the finest, which wouldn't harm his body, though Ning Qi didn't have much interest in alcohol.
Ye Qinghe clapped her hands and laughed heartily:
"Jiu, you understand me well, unlike Qin Yun and the others, they're no fun at all."
Ning Qi just rolled his eyes.
Ye Qinghe took the Great Yan Record from Ning Qi's hand and pouted:
"There's too much official language on this. It's true that the Great Yan Dynasty has lasted for two thousand years, making it the longest-lived dynasty in history, but there have been many upheavals."
Ning Qi instantly perked up.
"None of those times managed to overthrow the Great Yan?"
Ye Qinghe shook her head:
"No, every time at the critical moment, a Martial Saint from the Great Yan intervened, suppressing all enemies and prolonging the national fortune."
"The Great Yan Martial Saint is still alive? Even after two thousand years without ascending?" Ning Qi's eyes widened.
Ye Qinghe tilted her head back for another swig.
"Actually, I can't say for certain the Great Yan Martial Saint is still around."
"Rumor has it the Martial Saint has reached the pinnacle of the Martial Path and can transcend the world. Every Martial Saint in each era, after a period of brilliance, falls silent, seemingly unable to linger in this world any longer."
"Therefore, the duration of previous dynasties was not particularly exaggerated, mostly lasting a few hundred years, at most a thousand."
"But the Great Yan is an exception."
Ye Qinghe tilted the gourd, watching the last few drops of wine slowly fall, frowning in dissatisfaction but still carefully swallowed them down.
She remarked wistfully:
"Some say the Great Yan Martial Saint is extraordinarily talented and reluctant to ascend due to attachment to imperial authority. They've used some secret technique to avoid the world's oppression, allowing them to stay long, but they can't easily intervene and only appear when the Great Yan faces calamity."
"Others say the Great Yan Martial Saint has already ascended, but he created an earth-shattering secret technique that enables the royal family of the Great Yan to continuously produce Martial Saints, thereby ensuring its long-lasting prosperity. Every Martial Saint of the Great Yan uses this secret technique to train a new Martial Saint before ascending."
"So, the Great Yan surely has a Martial Saint, but whether it's the original one, no one knows, as no one has seen their true form."
Ye Qinghe shrugged slightly.
Ning Qi's eyebrows twitched, speechless for a long time, not expecting the Great Yan Dynasty to have such hidden secrets.