The closer they got, the more everyone felt the True Martial Hall towering magnificently before them, endlessly rising. An overwhelming sense of insignificance welled up in their hearts, mixed with reverence.
As if sensing their arrival, the hall's previously shut doors suddenly burst open.
A gentle light radiated out, engulfing them. Even Ning Qi instinctively felt his heart skip a beat. The Yu King Bead was already in an activated state.
The group stepped forward slowly.
When the light finally faded, the scene before them stunned everyone. The vast hall was almost empty, with only three towering doors, each emitting a different glow, standing at a hundred zhang tall. Each door also carried a distinct aura.
Almost instantly, everyone understood.
"The bronze door corresponds to warriors below the Heaven-Man Realm, the silver door corresponds to Heaven-Man Realm warriors, and the golden door... must be for those above the Heaven-Man Realm?"
Everyone's minds trembled, their breaths caught.
Although rumors outside always spoke of the True Martial Hall holding a Martial Sage inheritance, they were mixed with doubt. Now, standing inside the hall, they truly grasped its overwhelming power.
"Even Martial Sages must undergo trials here. What exactly is the background of this True Martial Hall?"
Ning Qi sensed that this True Martial inheritance was no ordinary legacy.
Originally, from what Daoist Baishan said, he thought it was just a sect founded by a powerful Ancient Saint, but what he saw and heard now told him otherwise.
The group stopped before the three doors.
Ye Qinghe stepped forward.
"Master, I'll try first."
Apart from Daoist Longshan, she was the highest-ranking among them and naturally should take the lead. The road ahead was unknown and risky; it was good to test the waters.
Daoist Longshan nodded slowly.
Under everyone's expectant gazes, Ye Qinghe walked toward the bronze door slowly.
Suddenly, a blinding light flashed. Everyone was shocked as Ye Qinghe was sucked straight inside, disappearing without a trace.
Daoist Longshan's voice was grave.
"Hurry in together. If anything happens, you can support each other."
He Yan and the others quickly responded, and one by one, the disciples rushed into the bronze door without hesitation.
Only Ning Qi and Daoist Longshan remained.
"Master, let's go together," Ning Qi smiled.
Daoist Longshan's eyes showed anticipation. The two walked side by side and were then sucked into the silver door.
The once lively True Martial Hall fell silent again. Only the three doors stood quietly. A faint, low sigh echoed, then vanished.
...
Daoist Longshan opened his eyes again and found Ning Qi was no longer beside him.
"It seems that upon entering the trials, they get separated," he said with some helplessness. But since this was an inheritance, it shouldn't pose real danger. After all, the True Martial Sect and the True Martial Hall shared a deep bond. There was no need to overly worry about the disciples' safety.
Setting aside distractions, he began to examine his surroundings.
It was a quiet chamber.
Empty except for a bookshelf, which held only two items: a book and an hourglass. The sand was all collected in the lower half.
Opposite him stood a door.
Daoist Longshan tried to push it but it didn't budge. He tried communicating with the power of Heaven and Earth, even using the Heaven-Man energy, yet the door remained as steady as a mountain. Suddenly, he understood.
"It seems I must pass this trial before I can leave."
He took a deep breath and slowly approached the bookshelf.
The three characters on the book cover, 'Yin Yang Fist,' immediately caught his eye. He flipped it open casually and couldn't help but be impressed. This was a Heaven-Man martial art. If placed in the martial world, it would surely cause countless warriors to fight to the death.
At the same time, the hourglass stirred. As Daoist Longshan picked up the Yin Yang Fist manual, the sand, previously settled in the lower half, began to rise and reverse into the upper half.
A bright idea struck him.
"To pass the trial, I must comprehend the Yin Yang Fist to a certain level before the hourglass runs out, only then can I open the door!" He was eager to start.
When he obtained the True Martial inheritance and founded the True Martial Sect years ago, Daoist Longshan's talent and comprehension were naturally excellent.
He studied the manual carefully, occasionally mimicking moves, his eyes growing serious.
"The Yin Yang Fist embodies the way of yin and yang, a profound Heaven-Man martial art. If I had enough time, I could master it fully, but now I have at most one hour... This is tough." He exhaled lightly, feeling a bit defiant. He couldn't believe he would fail even the first trial.
He focused all his strength and began to comprehend.
He felt hopeful.
Meanwhile, in another quiet chamber, Ning Qi also opened the Yin Yang Fist manual.
He raised his brow, glanced at the hourglass starting to run, then flipped through the manual. After just over ten breaths, he stood before the door.
He clenched his fist and punched.
The action was fluid.
The power of Heaven and Earth condensed, transforming into yin and yang energies. Two fist imprints, one yin and one yang, each full of mystery, merged into one, and the power surged.
With a hum, the originally unbreakable door shattered into pieces.
This Heaven-Man martial art, which could confound countless geniuses, was frighteningly simple for Ning Qi. His super strong comprehension was one part, and his profound foundation another. Since he aimed to master all Dao, the way of yin and yang was naturally included. His attainment was high, so understanding the Yin Yang Fist was a dimensional downgrade, an easy feat.
However, Ning Qi's focus wasn't just on that. He was sensing the power residue after the door shattered.
"As expected, this isn't a physical object. It must be a special force that makes this door unbreakable, only penetrable by the Yin Yang Fist." A clear realization flashed in his mind.
He had tried before. No matter what powerful force he used, the door wouldn't break. Though he didn't use his full strength, he understood its difficulty.
This further confirmed his thoughts.
"The True Martial inheritance has some serious background." Ning Qi's curiosity was piqued.
He stepped through the door.
Before him was another quiet chamber, with the same layout. Only the martial art on the bookshelf changed to 'Four Symbols Palm.'
"Is this testing comprehension?" Ning Qi thought, though not surprised. To select qualified successors, comprehension naturally mattered.
"Let's see your limits."
He opened the Four Symbols Palm. The difficulty clearly increased another level.
But for him, it was not a problem.
After just a few more breaths than before, Ning Qi condensed the power of Heaven and Earth to manifest the Azure Dragon, White Tiger, Vermilion Bird, and Black Tortoise—the four symbols—and shattered the second door to pieces.
For ordinary people, even these two powerful Heaven-Man martial arts would be a great gain. But Ning Qi's goal was naturally beyond that.
Another quiet chamber appeared.
Ning Qi studied the next martial art.
Without exception, all were top-tier Heaven-Man martial arts. If placed in the most prestigious martial sects, they would be foundational legacies. The later the chamber, the more so. Some even made Ning Qi's eyes light up as he absorbed abundant nourishment from them.
The third chamber.
The fourth chamber.
...
Until the ninth chamber.
Ning Qi looked at the identical layout patiently, even with some anticipation.
This test was easy for him but yielded rich rewards, so he wasn't impatient. Especially by the seventh and eighth chambers, the martial arts' sophistication almost rivaled Ning Qi's own created Heavenly Sword Technique.
"Little True Martial Seal?"
Seeing the martial art in the ninth chamber, Ning Qi was stunned.
The name was deeply meaningful.
Little True Martial Seal? So there must be a True Martial Seal? What level of martial art could that be? The answer was obvious.
He opened the manual.
He immediately sank into it. Radiant spiritual light rose, and awe slowly appeared in his eyes.
"What a powerful martial art! It can rival my Thousand-Star Sword Formation created with the Heavenly Sword Technique!" Across the world, he had never seen such a powerful martial art. The inherited legacies of top sects didn't come close to the Heavenly Sword Technique.
In fact, to some extent, the Little True Martial Seal was even more profound. After all, the various sword formations evolved from the Heavenly Sword Technique required his overwhelming, incredible power of Heaven and Earth, but the Little True Martial Seal's requirements in that regard were lower.
Correspondingly, the difficulty of comprehending the Little True Martial Seal rose geometrically, far harder than the eighth chamber's martial art.
Learning the Little True Martial Seal fully within an hour—there were probably very few, if any, who could accomplish that under heaven.
Even Ning Qi took a whole incense stick's time to perfect it.
"Indeed impressive."
Ning Qi couldn't help but smile. His martial arts were mostly self-created because those learned elsewhere rarely allowed his strength to fully manifest. But this Little True Martial Seal was different.
He moved his fingers, gathering Heaven and Earth's power. An ancient seal suddenly condensed, carrying a primitive aura as if space itself had frozen.
With a thunderous boom, the door was crushed into dust. Under Ning Qi's control, the Little True Martial Seal unleashed power beyond normal limits.
Ning Qi was elated.
Not only because of the Little True Martial Seal, but also because from this martial art, he gained inspiration. Even without further teachings, he could deduce the complete True Martial Seal. After fully comprehending the Little True Martial Seal, he was utterly convinced it was the simplified result of a Martial Sage-level martial art.
That, of course, was for later.
Right now, the key was passing the trials and obtaining the True Martial inheritance.
He stepped slowly through the door.
Everything around vanished. What appeared wasn't a quiet chamber but a vast ocean. Ning Qi was surprised, unsure if he was still on that small island or if it was an illusion. He scanned the surroundings with his All-Seeing Golden Eyes but found no flaws.
At the same time, a vast voice echoed:
"Successfully pass the nine comprehension trials of the Heaven-Man, and earn half of the Martial Sage-level True Martial inheritance. Do you wish to continue to accept the nine battle trials of the Heaven-Man?"
Ning Qi stood on the ocean's surface, trying to locate the voice, but found nothing.
His face was calm.
"I accept."
Having come this far, he naturally wouldn't settle for half the inheritance.
As his words fell, the calm ocean suddenly churned violently.
He narrowed his eyes and watched.
A slash of sword qi split the ocean precisely, and two walls of water spread around. A watery path appeared, and then a giant turtle slowly emerged. Its grand appearance made Ning Qi cautious.
But as he approached, his expression gradually turned strange.
He had to admit this giant turtle wasn't weak. According to Ning Qi's estimation, it ranked between an ordinary Heaven-Man Realm cultivator and the strongest on the Heaven-Man List. For an average Heaven-Man, such an opponent was formidable, but for Ning Qi, it was child's play.
He was both amused and exasperated.
Before the giant turtle could attack, Ning Qi waved casually.
Two fist imprints, yin and yang, merged instantly and blew it apart. Strangely, the turtle's explosion didn't produce a blood mist but turned into clusters of seawater.
For some reason, Ning Qi felt a chill at the back of his neck after smashing the turtle.
He didn't dwell on it, assuming it was a trick of the mind, because his attention was immediately drawn to fluctuations under the water.
The waves parted further.
Another giant turtle stepped on the waves.
"The strength of the lowest on the Heaven-Man List," Ning Qi's eyes flashed. After assessing this turtle's power, he casually struck it with a Four Symbols Palm, blasting it to dust.
He planned a quick battle, not wanting to waste time.
From the vast voice's words, the Heaven-Man nine battle trials meant there would be nine opponents.
He stood on the ocean, hands behind his back, looking relaxed.
One by one, giant turtles came riding the waves.
Their strength grew stronger.
They kept rising.
Soon, the seventh giant turtle reached the level comparable to Blade Demon.
Ning Qi used the Little True Martial Seal again and blasted this turtle apart.
The previous trials were easy for him. His combat power could no longer be measured by conventional realms.
But vaguely, a bad feeling stirred in his heart.
Taking a deep breath, Ning Qi pushed aside distractions.
Another giant turtle appeared. It was tens of zhang in size, resembling a huge sea rock moving, its aura overwhelmingly powerful.
A fierce battle was about to erupt.
Ning Qi condensed the Little True Martial Seal again to suppress the turtle. Simultaneously, he activated the Thousand-Star Sword Formation, unleashing sword qi waves that engulfed the turtle.
With this double assault, he finally blasted the giant turtle apart again. But it was no longer as effortless as before, costing him some energy.
"It's not much different from the blood demon monsters condensed by the Demonic Sect," Ning Qi sighed in relief. Judging by the trend, the giant turtle appearing in the ninth trial would be at the level of the Demonic Sect's Grand Elder after using the Yu King Bead.
He couldn't help but feel some excitement.
Once he passed both the nine comprehension trials and the nine battle trials, he would obtain the Martial Sage inheritance smoothly!
Thinking back on these trials, though they seemed simple, Ning Qi had cut through them like a hot knife through butter—but only he could. For others, it would be nearly impossible.
Some distracting thoughts rose, but Ning Qi's Divine Intent moved and severed them.
The ocean waves stirred more violently.
His ominous premonition grew stronger.
Then.
A hundred-zhang giant turtle appeared before him. Its eyes carried coldness, and its powerful aura stunned Ning Qi.
Martial Sage Giant Turtle?!