The Heaven-Slaying Martial Saint descended the mountain and departed.

But the disciples of the True Martial Sect were still immersed in the shock of the previous battle.

Their admiration for Ning Qi was beyond measure.

After all.

The Heaven-Slaying Martial Saint was unparalleled, ranking first on the Celestial Being List before the resurgence of spiritual energy, enigmatic and unfathomable. After the spiritual awakening, even the ancient saints could not lift their heads under his pressure.

And now.

Ning Qi was able to hold his ground with the Heaven-Slaying Martial Saint. Although it was just one strike, it was significant enough.

Not only the disciples of the True Martial Sect.

This scene was witnessed by many martial artists in True Martial City.

The Heaven-Slaying Martial Saint made no effort to conceal his whereabouts upon arrival, naturally being sensed by some powerful figures within True Martial City. Since the spiritual awakening, the city's reputation had grown considerably, attracting many admirers. These people vaguely harbored intentions of becoming part of the True Martial Sect's external forces, but Luo Wentian was still contemplating the specific management details.

At this moment.

The entire city was in an uproar.

A myriad of astonished and admiring gazes were cast toward the towering True Martial Mountain.

Many resolved to tightly cling to this powerful support of True Martial Mountain.

Everyone wasn't foolish.

With ancient saints manifesting, the resurgence of spiritual energy, and the martial path flourishing as never before, unrest was bound to follow this great prosperity. At such a critical juncture, securing a powerful ally might be more important than anything else.

And then.

The news of the Heaven-Slaying Martial Saint ascending True Martial Mountain and engaging the Celestial Sword Martial Saint in an evenly matched duel spread across the world at an astounding pace.

Although the world was now broader, on the day of spiritual awakening, many martial artists in the Primordial Core Realm seized the opportunity to reach the Celestial Human Realm. The overall cultivation level of martial artists had increased by more than a notch. As a result, the speed of information dissemination had not decreased, but rather increased.

For a time.

The world turned its attention.

Countless discussions erupted in various places.

True Martial Mountain became a focal point in a short period, drawing in endless exclamations.

"Was the Heaven-Slaying Martial Saint here because of the previous incidents with the Red Sun Martial Saint and Martial Saint Ziyue?"

"I didn't expect the Celestial Sword Martial Saint to be so formidable, even unable to be dealt with by the Heaven-Slaying Martial Saint. Does that mean the deaths of the two Red Sun Martial Saints were in vain?"

"It's said that the Celestial Sword Martial Saint wasn't the reincarnation of an ancient saint. Is this true?"

"Impossible... Without being an ancient saint, how could someone have such incredible strength? The current world's people reaching the Martial Saint Realm is already an extraordinary feat, and to compare with ancient saints would be too difficult."

"But there's a rumor that the Celestial Sword Martial Saint is now a Fourth Realm Martial Saint..."

…

The focus of everyone almost converged on Ning Qi.

Some said that the Ancient Saint Tianjian was actually under twenty years old, an individual of the current world, but no one believed it, dismissing it as nonsense.

Some said that the Celestial Sword Martial Saint was merely a Fourth Realm Martial Saint, also ridiculed by some, doubting how such a realm could be so powerful.

Regarding this.

Ning Qi just smiled slightly.

Sometimes, an overly outrageous truth won't be believed by the public, as people only tend to trust things within their knowledge.

A not yet twenty-year-old Ancient Saint Tianjian?

People would just think it was a joke.

That was one of the reasons why, since revealing his identity as the Celestial Sword Martial Saint, Ning Qi no longer deliberately concealed it: one being it was unnecessary, and the other being that others wouldn't believe it anyway.

After learning from the Heaven-Slaying Martial Saint about the current situation of the Martial Realm, there was even less necessity to hide it.

As everyone was in the same boat now, anyone with a bit of sense wouldn't choose to oppose Ning Qi.

The world was full of chaos.

Yet due to two battles within a short period, the name of the Celestial Sword Martial Saint reverberated throughout the world.

But three people were more restless than anyone else.

The Thunderstorm Martial Saint, White Cloud Martial Saint, and Martial Saint Heize.

The three of them were already worrying about what to give as an appropriate gift of apology. They hadn't expected to be greeted with such a shocking revelation—that even the Heaven-Slaying Martial Saint could face an equal challenge. If the gift was too paltry, it might not be well-received.

The thought of being secretly watched by an influential figure on par with the Heaven-Slaying Martial Saint made their scalps tingle.

In the dead of night.

Three sneaky figures gathered in an unnamed valley.

Seeing the worry on each other's faces, they all fell silent.

"What should we do now?" Martial Saint Heize took the initiative to speak.

Thunderstorm Martial Saint's brows furrowed in anger:

"Damned bastards, if it weren't for you saying to wait a few more days, maybe the Heaven-Slaying Martial Saint would resolve this matter, and we could have just gone through the motions; would we be in this situation now?"

He wished he could strike down this unfortunate fellow with a bolt of lightning.

White Cloud Martial Saint also nodded in agreement.

Originally, they were ready to offer a gift, but because of those words, they waited a few more days. Now things had turned around; the opponent was even more assured. If they didn't make a substantial offer, they might provoke trouble, something no one dared to gamble on.

The thought that they initially only needed to make a small offering, which now had to become a substantial one, pained them greatly.

Martial Saint Heize spoke in aggrieved anger:

"That day we all made the decision together, how did it become my problem?"

The trio were silent.

Eventually.

Thunderstorm Martial Saint spoke gloomily:

"Enough, enough, talking about it now is pointless. We should rather think about what would be more appropriate to give. The gift must strike the right chord to appease the Celestial Sword Martial Saint's anger. Let's not have any delusions; our hesitation this time was probably noticed."

Martial Saint Heize and White Cloud Martial Saint nodded repeatedly.

"Perhaps... we could offer spiritual treasures rich in Earth Qi!" White Cloud Martial Saint had a sudden insight, his eyes lighting up.

Martial Saint Heize immediately caught on:

"Brilliant! The cultivation displayed by the Celestial Sword Martial Saint that day was a Fourth Realm Martial Saint. If my perception is correct, he lacks the Earth Qi of the spleen. By offering spiritual treasures with earth attributes, we're sure to win the Celestial Sword Martial Saint's favor, and thus he likely won't hold a grudge over this matter."

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