Beginning with the Five Animals Fist to Become a Saint

In the training ground.

Jiang Ning was bathed in lightning, yet felt completely refreshed.

With each swing of his staff, lightning exploded all over his body.

"Thunder tempering the body, is this the mystery of the Kui Niu Drum!"

He felt that as the lightning flowed through his body, every cell seemed to awaken from its dormancy, frantically absorbing the energy flowing within him.

The cells also become more active in this process.

Boom——

Another booming sound came from above.

That was the deafening roar of the heavens and earth caused by the collision of clouds.

This roaring sound travels much faster than sound, and faster than thunder.

The sound rang out simultaneously over a radius of dozens of miles.

Countless bolts of lightning once again poured down from above, flowing down his body and then converging into the Kui Niu drum in front of him.

Each bolt of lightning that flowed through his flesh and meridians seemed to re-organize him.

He could feel his already strong body becoming even stronger.

The body is getting stronger, and the blood vessels are expanding.

"Kui Niu Drum!" he thought to himself.

His hands were waving wildly.

With each strike, he mobilized the power of his entire body.

With each vibration of the drum, he could feel his blood and energy boiling even more intensely.

I felt the vibrations of the Kui Niu drum travel deep into the earth along the veins of the ground.

Boom——

Another deafening roar followed, as lightning exploded overhead, then a torrent of light poured down.

at this time.

chant—

Suddenly, a dragon's roar echoed in everyone's minds.

next moment.

They saw the red dragon rise into the sky, enveloped in lightning.

"Qi and blood transform into a crimson dragon!!" someone exclaimed in surprise.

Seeing this, Wan Jianyi, Mingxin, and the others looked slightly serious.

"The Crimson Dragon is nine feet and six inches long!!" Mingxin slowly uttered these five words.

“Master Mingxin, how do I compare to you?” Wan Jianyi suddenly asked.

“Amitabha!” Mingxin slowly put his hands together and then said, “I am far inferior to him; the Crimson Dragon is only six feet seven inches long.”

Upon hearing this, Wan Jianyi remained silent.

Compared to Mingxin, his accumulation of qi and blood is insignificant, not to mention compared to Jiangning at this moment.

The Crimson Dragon is nine feet and six inches long, an accumulation that even a second-grade Grandmaster would find difficult to achieve.

At that moment, he clearly realized just how vast the gap was between himself and Jiang Ning.

It was a chasm that stood before him, a chasm that was impossible to cross.

“Jiang Kuishou, he has already stepped into the realm of martial arts legends!” Mingxin added.

“Master Mingxin, how far are you from taking this step?” Wan Jianyi asked again.

"It's just one step away. It could take two or three months at the earliest, or a year and a half at the latest!" Mingxin said.

Upon hearing this, Wan Jianyi clenched his fists even tighter.

At this moment, he realized that not only was there an insurmountable gap between him and Jiang Ning, but the gap between him and Ming Xin was also like an insurmountable chasm.

Although his swordsmanship was strong and his sword intent was unparalleled, his foundation in martial arts was far less profound than Mingxin's.

The realm of martial arts mythology was something he had never considered before.

But now he understands that if he doesn't take this step, he will never be able to catch up with Mingxin's pace, let alone Jiangning's pace.

"Master Mingxin, do you mean that Daoist He Shouchi really lost to me?" At this moment, Wan Jianyi couldn't help but feel a doubt that he had never had before.

Upon hearing this, Mingxin turned her gaze away from the crimson dragon in front of her and looked at Wan Jianyi.

“Benefactor Wan, even today, I am not confident that I can defeat Tsurugashi.”

Upon hearing this, Wan Jianyi's face turned slightly pale.

In the past, he would not have believed Mingxin's words, and would have thought that Mingxin was shaking his Dao heart. He would have only believed in the sword in his hand.

Tsurumori Pond was defeated by his sword that day.

But now, after a series of setbacks, he has come to understand himself better.

He had no doubt about the truthfulness of what Mingxin said.

At that moment, he realized just how ridiculous and false his title of number one on the Heavenly Ranking truly was.

After pondering for two breaths...

"Thank you, Master Mingxin!" Wan Jianyi bowed to Master Mingxin.

"Qi and blood transform into a crimson dragon, a crimson dragon nine feet and seven inches long!" Mingxin slowly uttered these words again.

Upon hearing this, Wan Jian turned his head and looked towards the center of the training ground.

The thunderous drumbeats shook the heavens, and the torrential lightning had already engulfed the figure in the training ground.

As lightning struck, a crimson dragon soared into the sky, seemingly battling the thunder.

at the same time.

Under the tempering of countless lightning bolts, Jiang Ning felt the medicinal power that had unintentionally accumulated in his body was completely activated at this moment.

I felt the switch to unlock my body's potential was also turned on.

Every moment, he could feel his body getting stronger and transforming, a transformation that spread from the inside out throughout his entire body.

Boom! !

The blood in his body surged and flowed like a great river, making a roaring sound like surging waves.

A crimson dragon hovered overhead, its size slowly growing.

boom--

Another deafening roar echoed through the heavens and earth.

The lightning, which had been gradually fading, surged once more.

Countless bolts of lightning passed through Jiang Ning's body and into the Kui Niu Drum through the drumstick in his hand.

crackling-

Lightning crackled and exploded throughout his body, yet it did not harm him in the slightest, as if a mysterious force was protecting his flesh.
The Kui Niu drum in front of him also gave him a different feeling than before.

That feeling is hard to describe.

But he could clearly sense that the Kui Niu drum in front of him had changed significantly compared to before.

At this moment, as his physical strength continued to increase, the crimson dragon phenomenon above his head became even more ferocious, and the crimson dragon grew along with him.

After a while.

The lightning suddenly stopped, and what had gathered began to spread.

boom--

As the final drumbeat sounded, the center of the training ground fell silent.

After a breath, the lightning completely dissipated.

The Kui Niu Drum was now flashing with a strange purple light.

Jiang Ning, with his slender build, stood in front of the Kui Niu Drum.

His muscles may not look exaggerated, but everyone can feel the terrifying power they contain.

That is the power that can beat the Kui Niu drum and summon heavenly lightning to temper the body.

The extraordinary phenomenon that seemed like the descent of divine power was still fresh in their minds.

"What a perfect body!" exclaimed the man on the dragon throne.

He looked at Jiang Ning's well-defined muscles and perfect skeletal structure, like a finely crafted work of art, and his body immediately merged with the image in his mind.

The thought of that figure made his already weak body tremble involuntarily.

That is a god, a god who reigns supreme over all the heavens, a nightmare in the hearts of countless people, and the heaven in the hearts of all.

"Can he really reach that level?" The question that had just been on his mind resurfaced in the mind of the man on the dragon throne.

He had seen the Martial Saint, and he had seen the Martial Saint emerge from the bathhouse.

To know what the perfect physical body looks like.

It's not about sculpting a single part of the body into a work of art, but about the whole body—the skin, flesh, bones, and limbs—combined together to give people a holistic visual impression.

This feeling is very mysterious and indescribable. But it makes one feel that this is what a truly perfect body should be like.

He called this feeling his innate constitution.

He had seen descriptions of primordial beings in ancient texts.

True, innate beings possess a beauty that touches the soul.

That kind of beauty is natural and just right; adding or subtracting even a little would ruin it.

He had only ever experienced this feeling with two other people in his entire life.

One was the Martial Saint who had dominated the world for over eight hundred years, and the other was Jiang Ning, who was standing in the training ground at this moment.

at the same time.

In the stands.

Several people looked at Jiang Ning, their eyes revealing a strange expression.

One of them was King Wu, Xiang Yuan.

He and Xiao Wuque locked eyes, their gazes meeting.

The two then nodded slightly.

Looking at Jiang Ning in the center of the training ground again, Xiao Wuque's mind was filled with the image of his teacher.

"A perfect physique, almost innate, with a solid foundation, to have reached this level at such a young age, his chances of catching up with the teacher are much greater than mine!"

In the training ground.

Jiang Ning reinserted the drumsticks in his hands onto both sides of the Kui Niu drum.

As the qi and blood within his body subsided, the crimson dragon phenomenon in the sky also stopped at nine zhang nine feet, and then slowly dissipated.

"Minister Jiang, please come up to the stage!" The man on the dragon throne suddenly spoke, his upright and calm voice resounding throughout the training ground.

"Yes!" Jiang Ning bowed towards the direction of the high platform to the north.

They then headed towards the high platform to the north.

"Little Seventeen! Go and put a coat on Minister Jiang!" The man's voice rang out once again from the dragon throne.

The words fell.

Beside the starlight-shrouded veil, a maid immediately carried a long black and gold robe towards Ji Mingyue.

The long robe on the tray is the robe worn by the top scholar.

at this time.

The Second Princess, who had been sitting in her seat, suddenly stood up, taking the lead before Ji Mingyue, who had just stood up.

"Little Seventeen, as the second princess of the royal family, this is something I should do! And how can I, the current martial arts champion, be negligent!"

As they were talking, the second princess had already taken the black and gold scholar's robe from the tray in the maid's hand.

Feeling the gazes falling upon her, the second princess smiled gently.

Especially when she felt the sternest gaze behind her, she felt no fear at all; instead, her smile widened.

Dengdengdeng-

She jogged along, one hand holding her purple-gold scholar's robe, the other lifting the hem of her long skirt, taking small, quick steps on the wooden planks.

Her headdress swayed from side to side with her steps, making a jingling sound.

Just as Jiang Ning reached the wooden steps, a woman dressed in a deep purple palace dress appeared before him.

Although the woman in the palace dress in front of him looked relatively young, Jiang Ning could see the wrinkles at the corners of her eyes at a glance.

One could sense that the aura emanating from him was completely different from that of Ji Mingyue.

She completely lacked the youthful and lively spirit that Ji Mingyue possessed.

"Greetings, Second Princess!" He quickly changed the subject and bowed respectfully.

"You're too kind, Scholar! My name is Ji Mingya! You can call me Mingya, or Ya'er!" Ji Mingya said with a charming smile.

"The Second Princess is of noble status, how could I possibly speak offensively!" As he spoke, Jiang Ning saw Ji Mingya take a step forward and immediately took a step back to maintain a sufficient distance.

Upon seeing this, Ji Mingya smiled gently.

"Don't move, Top Scholar! I still need to put this top scholar's robe on you before you can go see my father, the Emperor!"

As she spoke, Ji Mingya unfolded the scholar's robe that she had just been holding onto her arm.

With black brocade as the base and gold thread as the thread, a pattern of a roc spreading its wings and soaring high is embroidered.

Fluffy white clouds dot the ground beneath the roc's feet.

Beneath the white clouds, deep blue threads embroider the surging blue waves.

At this moment, as the clouds overhead dispersed, golden sunlight shone on the scholar's robe, instantly adding to the roc's divine charm.

"Thank you, Second Princess!" Jiang Ning then bowed to Ji Mingya in thanks.

"You're too kind, Scholar!" Ji Mingya smiled slightly and immediately came up behind Jiang Ning, holding the scholar's robe.

"The top scholar's back is so broad! You're so tall! The top scholar's muscles are so strong!"

As they were talking, Jiang Ning felt Ji Mingya's long fingernails scrape against his back, and he immediately frowned.

"Second Princess, please hurry!" Jiang Ning whispered.

"Why are you so nervous, top scholar? Do you think I'd eat you in front of everyone?!" Ji Mingya smiled faintly.

Then she put her arm on Jiang Ning's arm.

"The top scholar's body is so hot!!" Ji Mingya's exclamation rang out softly beside her again, and then she said, "Please raise your left hand, top scholar."

After a while.

Jiang Ning suppressed the urge to punch Ji Mingya and send her flying before finally managing to put on the scholar's robe.

Ji Mingya stood in front of Jiang Ning and looked him over twice.

Seeing half of his muscular chest exposed beneath the wide collar, a hint of infatuation flashed in his eyes.

"He was just like that back then! Just as outstanding as a crane among chickens! Just as imposing as a man!!"

Hearing Ji Mingya's murmured words, Jiang Ning's gaze narrowed slightly.

Although he had not specifically looked into the information about the princes and princesses of the royal family.

However, I have also heard that the legitimate princess of the royal family married more than 20 years ago.

The man who married her was a renowned martial arts champion from all thirty-six prefectures of the Nine Provinces.

Later, an unexpected event occurred, leaving this legitimate princess a widow.

"Second Princess, it's time to set off!" Jiang Ning reminded Ji Mingya, who was lost in thought.

"Top scholar, please!!" Upon hearing Jiang Ning's reminder, Ji Mingya instantly snapped back to her senses, then composed herself and spoke.

Subsequently.

The two of them walked up the wooden steps towards the platform, one after the other.

Jiang Ning was in front, and Ji Mingya was behind.

Ascend to the high platform.

I spotted Ji Mingyue among the princesses at a glance.

Seeing Ji Mingyue's slightly furrowed brows, Jiang Ning smiled at her.

Then, his eyes turned to the man on the dragon throne.

Even though the starlight-shrouded veil made the man's face extremely blurry, one could still feel the oppressive aura contained in his gaze.

On the dragon throne was Emperor Changning, who ruled over the thirty-six prefectures of the nine provinces of the Great Xia Dynasty.

This year also marks the 83rd anniversary of Changning.

With a slight thought in his mind, Jiang Ning continued forward.

With his arrival, Mingxin and Wan Jianyi followed in his footsteps.

Both of them were half a body length behind him.

"Greetings, Your Majesty!" Jiang Ning bowed.

He knew that the rulers of the Xia Dynasty throughout history had all favored the title of "Human Emperor".

"Greetings, Emperor!" Mingxin also bowed in greeting.

"Greetings, Human Emperor!" Wan Jianyi also bowed.

After he finished speaking, the entire platform fell into an unusual silence, without the slightest sound.

The three of them could feel the authoritative gaze sweeping over them.

"not bad!"

A dignified voice of approval slowly rose.

He then added, "My three ministers, remember to attend the court assembly tomorrow!"

"Yes!" The three of them bowed in unison.

"Return to the palace!" Emperor Ning's authoritative voice rang out. (End of Chapter)