To be honest, the Green Ox Bladesman had originally only been listening symbolically. After all, he had stepped into the Heaven-Man Realm for over three hundred years and was ranked on the Heaven-Man Ranking. He had eaten more salt than someone like Daoist Longshan—who had just broken through—had eaten rice.
But when he heard the phrase "Could there be something innate within the human body that resonates with heaven and earth?", he froze.
As Daoist Longshan continued his explanation, his expression grew more serious than ever.
The other three Heaven-Man experts were even more so—they had already started listening intently.
On the Zhenwu Arena.
Daoist Longshan's voice echoed out, while the others listened carefully to his preaching.
Only one person had his mind elsewhere.
That was Ning Qi.
He listened for a while before realizing that everything his Master was teaching now had already been fully passed on to him that night. There wasn't anything new—in fact, a lot had been left out. And what came later was part of the Heaven-Man Unity secret art that he himself had comprehended.
Although his Master had decent comprehension and managed to blend it into his own path, the core essence hadn't changed. With Ning Qi's own insight, he could see that at a glance.
Of course.
Daoist Longshan wasn't a fool. He naturally wouldn't generously pass on this supreme secret art to everyone. He merely shared the philosophy and some moments of inspiration. The reason he chose to explain this portion was clearly because of the presence of the Heaven-Man experts.
Lord Xiaoyao and the Green Ox Bladesman were his friends, and Daoist Baihe was of the Daoist sect. All three had shown him great respect and brought generous gifts. Naturally, Daoist Longshan wanted to return the favor.
Even if it meant giving a bit of advantage to the Wang Clan Patriarch, it was no big deal.
At this moment.
Everyone was fully engrossed. The latter part of the sermon became too profound—even Core Formation Realm experts couldn't understand it anymore. Only the Heaven-Man experts showed increasingly fervent eyes.
...
Within Zhenwu City.
Zhenwu disciples were constantly running to and fro.
Daoist Longshan's preaching on Zhenwu Mountain was being relayed in real time. Inns and taverns were all packed to the brim, and everyone waited with bated breath. ṛâɴՕ𝐁ÊꞨ
Even if most couldn't understand, that didn't stop them from discussing it enthusiastically.
"Daoist Longshan is truly a peerless genius. No wonder he broke into the Heaven-Man Realm before reaching a hundred years of age—amazing!"
"This trip was absolutely worth it!"
"I must write all this down and pass it down in our clan as a secret inheritance. Even if I don't understand it, what if some future descendant does? That would be a stroke of immense fortune!"
Everyone was marveling.
Only a handful of Qi Origin experts and the exceptionally gifted could understand the true value within. Their awe of Daoist Longshan was even greater.
Some who weren't invited had initially felt disgruntled, but by now, those feelings had completely disappeared.
In a private room.
A white-haired young man stared blankly in the direction of Zhenwu Mountain, dazed. As he listened to the continuously relayed preaching from Daoist Longshan, his expression grew more and more complex.
He had once had the chance to listen to it on the mountain himself, but that opportunity was now lost forever.
He kowtowed deeply in the direction of Zhenwu Mountain, lips moving soundlessly.
At some point, the white-haired youth was already in tears.
...
Back on Zhenwu Mountain.
Daoist Longshan's preaching was nearing its end. Martial artists were all deeply moved—this trip had been well worth it.
But the Heaven-Man experts still hadn't had their fill.
Seeing that Daoist Longshan seemed about to stop, Daoist Baihe flicked his horsetail whisk and couldn't help but ask:
"May I ask, Daoist Longshan—if the Way of the Heaven-Man Realm lies in resonance with innate parts of the human body, how does one achieve it?"
As soon as he spoke,
Everyone immediately perked up.
Normally, during a Heaven-Man Ceremony, only the newly advanced Heaven-Man would speak. No matter what was said, the others wouldn't interrupt.
But if an invited Heaven-Man expert took the initiative to speak, it meant—they were going to join in the discussion!
Immediately, the many martial artists in the arena were thrilled.
They had already felt that hearing Daoist Longshan's sermon alone was worth the price of admission—but now, there was an unexpected bonus?
Daoist Longshan was momentarily stunned, then filled with joy.
Fellow cultivators discussing the Dao together—naturally, mutual improvement would be faster.
"The human body has skin, tendons, bones, blood, marrow, and organs—all are innate parts." Daoist Longshan replied with a smile.
Lord Xiaoyao also joined in:
"Besides those, what else is there?"
"Tracing it to its essence—bone foundation."
Now even the Green Ox Bladesman couldn't sit still.
"Martial arts require one's bone foundation to be formed—so how does that resonate with heaven and earth?"
That question made all the Heaven-Man experts' hearts jump.
They felt the idea was truly brilliant, something unheard of before. Their gazes toward Daoist Longshan grew even more admiring.
In an instant.
The Heaven-Man experts began offering their own thoughts and guesses centered around the "bone foundation" theory.
They even brought in their own insights into the Way of the Heaven-Man Realm as they elaborated further.
They were completely immersed in this brilliant concept of bone foundation.
Five Heaven-Man experts discussing the Dao together.
Such a scene might not appear even once in a hundred years.
The crowd below trembled with excitement but tried their hardest to stay silent, afraid even the slightest noise might disturb the five Heaven-Man experts.
As they praised their own good fortune, they listened attentively, not daring to miss even a word. If they could gain even a little enlightenment from this exchange—that would be their true opportunity!
At this moment.
Even Ning Qi was no longer drifting off mentally.
His eyes were bright, focusing on the insights of the other four Heaven-Man experts—especially the words of the Green Ox Bladesman, which were clearly more profound than the others'.
Though the discussions weren't as fluid as a lecture, but fragmented—Ning Qi had no trouble piecing it together.
One phrase after another from the Heaven-Man experts echoed in Ning Qi's ears.
Without realizing it, he had already forgotten everything around him—forgotten he was in the Zhenwu Arena. He closed his eyes, his ears filled only with thunderous sounds of Dao discussion.
"The Way of the Heaven-Man Realm is to be carefree and unbound. When the Heaven Flower gathers the spirit, one may merge the spirit with heaven and earth—or perhaps, even merge the spirit with the bone foundation…" —This was Lord Xiaoyao.
"The bone foundation is part of the flesh and blood. It should align with the Human Flower. When the Flower of Essence gathers one's vital essence, perhaps it could awaken divine traits in the bone foundation…" —This was the Wang Clan Patriarch.
"To fully complete the Heaven-Man Dao, one must gather the Three Flowers at the crown of the head. When essence and energy merge, the bone foundation isn't just a physical trait—it may be something more. Its secret might lie in the unity of essence, energy, and spirit…" —This was the Green Ox Bladesman.
...
As the Heaven-Man experts debated, they continuously referenced their respective cultivation paths.
And Ning Qi, naturally, fell into a moment of enlightenment.
He had found the key to developing the Tempering Qi method.
Before the Heaven-Man Ceremony, he had been thinking about how to use the power of heaven and earth to refine his Qi. That way, with its infinite power, he wouldn't need external resources to speed up the refinement of his vast Qi.
But Ning Qi had only been able to use the Heaven-Man Unity secret art to barely tap into some of heaven and earth's power—it was too rough, and not suitable for delicate refining work.
That had been the problem.
But now, as he listened to the Heaven-Man experts discussing the Dao, Ning Qi gained a new understanding of the power of heaven and earth—and that problem resolved itself effortlessly.