The Descent from Mount Innerheart

Chapter 0394

Early morning.

"Uncle-Master." "Grand-Master."

Amidst a chorus of respectful greetings, Ji Ning arrived at the entrance of the Tristar Crescent Abode on Mount Innerheart. He took out a broom and began to personally sweep the mountain path.

Swish… Swish… The fallen leaves on the path were all swept away.

"How strange." "Grand-Master is personally sweeping the mountain path? Isn't that the trial for the first layer of the Divine Immortal Palace?" "Never mind the first layer; Grand-Master could enter the ninth layer of the Divine Immortal Palace whenever he wished. He could easily defeat those nine-level puppets too." "But Grand-Master is indeed doing the sweeping himself. We can't be mistaken about that." "Maybe Grand-Master is comprehending something."

The two young Daoist boys guarding the entrance stared in astonishment as Ji Ning swept the path. They secretly transmitted to each other. This news was certain to spread quickly, and soon all the disciples on the mountain would know.

Ji Ning, however, was calm. As he swept, his head bowed, it felt as if his heart were being cleansed with each stroke.

Step by step down the mountain path, Ji Ning continued sweeping. He was not fast, seeming to savor the act.

By the time he reached the bottom, it was already afternoon.

"Oh, finished?" Ji Ning came back to his senses. He straightened his back and murmured to himself, "It seems Master's assignment of sweeping the path and pulling weeds had some other purpose after all."

"Disciple." A voice suddenly sounded beside his ear.

Ji Ning was startled, then quickly responded, "Master!"

In all his years on the mountain, his master had never directly transmitted to him like this.

"Go and learn the Candle Dragon's Gaze, then come see me." The voice sounded again.

"Yes, Master." Ji Ning replied respectfully.

Ji Ning immediately headed back up the mountain, his heart filled with confusion. Master is summoning me? That's very rare. Could it be… that I am about to leave?

Ji Ning went to the Three Realms Palace and obtained the complete version of the Candle Dragon's Gaze.

Thus, Ji Ning had now learned a total of three techniques from the Three Realms Palace: the Eight-Nine Arcane Art, the Archery of Houyi, and the Candle Dragon's Gaze.

Receiving the inheritance of the Candle Dragon's Gaze alone took another day. On the second day, after waking up, he finally headed to the Daoist temple where Patriarch Subhuti resided.

"Uncle-Master." "Uncle-Master."

The two Daoist boys at the temple gate called out respectfully.

One of the boys, Qingshui, said, "Uncle-Master, Grand-Master has already instructed that you may enter directly."

Ji Ning nodded with a smile and stepped inside.

Inside the Daoist temple.

Ahead in an empty courtyard was a mat upon which sat a thin, elderly man in a loose Daoist robe. His hair and beard were white, but he had no sense of frailty. What Ji Ning felt more was an aura of endless, eternal existence, along with a boundless, vibrant vitality. Under his master's influence, Ji Ning's heart involuntarily became completely calm.

"Master." Ji Ning walked over and bowed respectfully.

"Sit." The Patriarch said.

Ji Ning chose a mat and sat cross-legged, awaiting instruction.

The Patriarch looked at Ji Ning and said slowly, "How long have you been on my Mount Innerheart now?"

"Thirty-five years. This is now my thirty-sixth year." Ji Ning replied respectfully.

"What skills have you learned?" The Patriarch asked.

"Your disciple has cultivated the Eight-Nine Arcane Art and reached the third cycle. I have also trained in the Archery of Houyi, just an initial entry. I have cultivated the Candle Dragon's Gaze and reached the second stage, the Lifebound Candle Flame. Over these thirty-plus years, I have spent most of my energy on my swordplay. I have now perfected the ninth stance of the Three-Foot Sword and have also learned several other powerful sword techniques." Ji Ning said respectfully.

The Patriarch nodded. "You now possess many abilities. Compared to when you first came up the mountain, you have been reborn. At this point, remaining on Mount Innerheart will not bring you much more progress. What you need next is to temper yourself in the mortal world, to prepare for your future Heavenly Tribulation. With such abilities, and having received Brother Threelives' inheritance, your future tribulation will surely be extraordinary and incredibly difficult."

"Your disciple will remember this." Ji Ning's heart was clear.

Just as I expected…

It seemed it was time for him to leave.

"The time has come for you to depart." The Patriarch looked at Ji Ning. "I once said that when you finished your training, I would give you two great gifts."

Ji Ning's heart stirred.

"After you joined the sect, I often observed you, examining your comprehension, talent, and preferences. I have created a unique movement technique for you, named the Nine Heavens Annihilating Wind." The Patriarch said.

Ji Ning was overjoyed.

Created specifically for me?

He was currently lacking a good movement technique. He had been thinking about choosing one from the Divine Immortal Palace if he couldn't find a good one. He never expected his master had already planned for this, crafting a technique perfectly tailored to him.

"After all, you are human. It would be very difficult for you to reach the pinnacle of any other movement technique. Even if I gave you the original version of the Windwing Evasion, the Garuda Wings, you could never reach the level of that great roc." The Patriarch said. "The one that suits you best is the best. Though this Nine Heavens Annihilating Wind, when cultivated to its peak, is inferior to the Garuda Wings, the gap is not enormous. In an instant, you can cover ninety thousand li."

"Ninety thousand li in an instant?" Ji Ning was delighted.

Ninety thousand li… just pure speed, that was extremely impressive.

"This is the movement technique I created for you. In the future, when you have your own insights, you may be able to improve it and make yourself faster. That will be up to you." The Patriarch said.

Ji Ning nodded.

A movement technique created by Patriarch Subhuti himself… he probably wouldn't have the ability to improve it until he became a True God. Improving it… that was still a long way off.

"I can see you will become a Sword Immortal. And a truly powerful Sword Immortal must have a powerful sword formation." The Patriarch said. "The so-called Plow Heaven Sword Formation was merely something that Daofather Plowheaven used to teach his disciples. Its true power and mysteries, even I do not know… it was Daofather Plowheaven's life-saving trump card."

Ji Ning nodded.

"Your Lesser Thousand Sword Formation is a multi-treasure technique. By relying on numerous treasures, combined with a suitable formation, it can indeed possess formidable power. Both the Daoist and Buddhist schools have such multi-treasure formations. I have taken your original Lesser Thousand Sword Formation and absorbed the essence of some Daoist and Buddhist multi-treasure formations, creating a sword formation technique for you. I have named it the Greater Thousand Sword Formation." The Patriarch said. "As long as you have enough treasures, the power of this Greater Thousand Sword Formation will be terrifyingly immense. It can be considered one of the top sword formations in the Three Realms."

"Thank you, Master!" Ji Ning was overcome with excitement and joy.

The movement technique Nine Heavens Annihilating Wind and the sword formation Greater Thousand Sword Formation… both were created for him alone by his master.

What Ji Ning didn't know…

Was that Patriarch Subhuti took teaching his disciples very seriously. Over the endless years, he had accepted few disciples. But each time he accepted one, he would focus entirely on their instruction, pouring all his effort into them for at least the early period. Although it seemed Ji Ning didn't meet his master often, the Patriarch was constantly observing him, and based on Ji Ning's traits, he would create techniques in another 'world'.

For instance, the Nine Heavens Annihilating Wind had taken Patriarch Subhuti hundreds of thousands of years to create.

The Greater Thousand Sword Formation was relatively easier. After all, this kind of multi-treasure formation mainly relied on having many treasures. The Patriarch created it in a little over a thousand years.

Because time flowed differently in that other world.

This was how the Patriarch was able to present these two techniques to Ji Ning now.

"Come forward." The Patriarch instructed.

Ji Ning immediately stepped forward and, as soon as he reached his master, the Patriarch pointed a finger at the center of Ji Ning's brow.

A flood of information surged into his mind.

By the time Ji Ning regained his senses, the Nine Heavens Annihilating Wind and the Greater Thousand Sword Formation were already fully recorded in his memory.

"Alright, it's time to go." The Patriarch said.

"Master." Ji Ning said respectfully. "Your disciple also wishes to study the Lotus Secret Art more deeply. I would like to go to the Divine Immortal Palace to obtain some lotus techniques."

The Patriarch waved his hand, producing a bamboo slip, and handed it to Ji Ning. "This is a set of lotus techniques I happened to acquire. They are mysterious and profound, more than enough for your comprehension. Take them with you."

"Thank you, Master." Ji Ning was overjoyed as he received it. He then quickly added, "Master, your disciple's apprentice, Qingya Xiaoyu, has only been on the mountain for a few years and is still weak. I would like to ask that she be allowed to stay on Mount Innerheart for now…"

"Let her cultivate quietly on the mountain. On the day she defeats the nine-level puppet, I will send her away, sending her to your Grand Xia World." The Patriarch said.

Only then did Ji Ning feel at ease.

Everything was settled.

"Alright, go down the mountain." The Patriarch instructed. "Remember, you are not permitted to reveal that you are my disciple unless I allow it. Do not blame your master for being heartless if you do. Only when I summon you may you come to Mount Innerheart again."

"Yes." Ji Ning replied respectfully.

"The Three Realms are now seething with undercurrents. Even your master might lose his life. You must be cautious; do not be arrogant or foolhardy, and bring disaster upon yourself." The Patriarch said.

Ji Ning's heart trembled.

What?

Undercurrents in the Three Realms? Master might lose his life? Then what was he, a little fellow who wasn't even a Celestial Immortal?

The Patriarch waved his hand. "Fortune and calamity are all of your own making. You cannot blame others. Go!"

Ji Ning knelt down reverently and kowtowed heavily nine times. "Your disciple is leaving. Master, take care!"

His master had indeed expended a great deal of effort for him. Techniques like the Nine Heavens Annihilating Wind and the Greater Thousand Sword Formation, which were top-tier movement techniques and sword formations even in the Three Realms, could not be casually created by even Daofather-level beings. Although his master hadn't said it, Ji Ning knew that after observing him, his master must have spent an enormous amount of effort to create them.

This kindness, Ji Ning naturally remembered.

Furthermore, the thirty-plus years on Mount Innerheart had been the most peaceful time he had ever known. They were the years he had laid a solid foundation. When he went down the mountain, just as his master had said, the Three Realms were seething with undercurrents; it would be hard to find such peace again.

After Ji Ning left, another person appeared in the Daoist temple. It was his second senior apprentice-brother, Jidian.

"Master." Jidian gazed into the distance at Ji Ning's departing figure, sighing. "This little junior apprentice-brother is truly a man of deep emotion."

"But he was born at an inopportune time." The Patriarch shook his head. "When you elder brothers and sisters were growing up, I could still shelter you to some extent. But now, as he grows, a great calamity is befalling the Three Realms. The undercurrents in the Three Realms are already surging; perhaps this calamity will be even more terrifying than the destruction of the primordial Pangu's World."

"What?" Jidian's face changed.

"Nuwa has long since departed, entering the endless chaos. She has not returned in all these endless years." The Patriarch said. "When Nuwa was here, the Three Realms were ultimately stabilized. The Six Paths of Reincarnation were established, the Heavenly Court managed the Three Realms, and the various Daofathers and True Gods were scattered in different places. Now that Nuwa is gone… the Six Paths of Reincarnation have long been breached and shattered. The Heavenly Court is nothing but an empty name. The undercurrents in all corners of the Three Realms are growing more turbulent. This calamity…"

The Patriarch shook his head.

Jidian was also worried.

"In a great calamity, fortune and misfortune are of one's own making. Only by saving oneself can one survive." The Patriarch said. "Even all of you must be careful. In this calamity, Daofathers and True Gods will likely fall in droves. It will be a good result if even half of the True Immortals and Empyrean Gods survive. If you all face danger, I will be unable to save you."

"Your disciple will remember this." Jidian said respectfully.

Ji Ning, meanwhile, took Little Qing and Uncle White and left Mount Innerheart.

On the mountain path of Mount Innerheart, Qingya Xiaoyu knelt and kowtowed, saying, "Disciple will train diligently. On the day I reach the ninth layer of the Divine Immortal Palace, I will immediately go to the Grand Xia World to reunite with my master."

Ji Ning nodded with a smile.

With that, he took Little Qing and Uncle White and flew out of Mount Innerheart into the void. A spatial passage directly appeared before them, one opened by Patriarch Subhuti.

Ji Ning, Little Qing, and Uncle White flew straight into it.

Whoosh!

Ji Ning and the others had already vanished, and the spatial passage closed as well.

"Master!" Qingya Xiaoyu knelt, unable to hold back her tears. "I will surely go to the Grand Xia World to see you, Master!"

(End of this Volume)

(Ji Ning has finally finished his training and left the mountain. The Three Realms are in turmoil, and the grand story is truly beginning… Tomato is taking this opportunity to ask for your monthly votes. If you have any, please support me!)