Chapter 13

Scattered starlight in the heavens, bright moonlight, shone upon Tiger's Mouth, making it especially beautiful.

"But you know, one thing for another—you really helped me a lot this time; otherwise, without this cart of gems, I'd be in trouble!" the Dragon King suddenly exclaimed, sighing.

"How come you say that?" Chen Yi He wondered curiously.

"You don't know? This is a major event in the martial world!"

"But isn't it the once-in-ten-years August fifteenth?" Xu Jia asked.

"Exactly! It's the cycle of every ten years; this year's August fifteenth is the day the Thousandfold Gate opens!" the Dragon King excitedly crushed the wine bowl in his hand.

"Thousandfold Gate?" Chen Yi He asked, puzzled.

"Right! Thousandfold Gate—you haven't heard of it? These three words are known to everyone in the martial world!"

"Having just entered the martial world, I don't know these things—what is the origin of the Thousandfold Gate?" Chen Yi He asked. In the Scripture Pavilion of the Xiao Family Fortress, he seemed to have seen an ancient text bearing those three characters, but when he opened it, it was all classical Chinese he couldn't read a word of; thinking it wasn't a martial arts manual, he didn't pursue it further……

Thousandfold tribulations, to enter this gate.

The Thousandfold Gate is an extremely mysterious place located in the southern borders, belonging to no sect. With a three-thousand-year history, it opens once every ten years, recruiting disciples on August fifteenth regardless of origin or morality, taking a hundred; after ten years, those who emerge are top-tier experts in the martial world! Xu Jia answered on behalf of the Dragon King.

Exactly! Since ancient times, those who enter the Thousandfold Gate and emerge alive are rare masters under heaven. The Dragon King wore an expression of longing; his dark face, flushed from drink, turned reddish-black.

That powerful?! Then what does this have to do with the gems? Chen Yi He asked again.

These gems are the tuition! That cart of gems is worth at least a hundred thousand taels of gold… The Thousandfold Gate's admission requirements are extremely strict: money comes first, then your strength, and finally you must be under thirty. All three are indispensable; to enter the Thousandfold Gate, even if you break your head and bleed, snap your arms and legs, it's trivial—within ten years, who knows how many people die on that August fifteenth! the Dragon King blurted out in one breath.

Chen Yi He's intoxication instantly cleared. "The Dragon King has already reached the level of the Third Heaven, an outstanding talent—even he wants to study at the Thousandfold Gate, so it's no simple place. If I could go too… hehe, when I leave, I'll hang Xiao Yu up and whip her with a leather strap…"

"Brother Chen, Brother Chen!" Only when Xu Jia shook Chen Yi He did he snap out of his thoughts.

"Could it be that Brother Chen also has this idea?" the Dragon King glanced at Chen Yi He and asked.

"Um, my mediocre three-legged cat skills are probably not enough to serve as a stepping stone for you young experts!"

"Frankly, with your current skill level, you're indeed a bit lacking, but there are still over four months until August fifteenth. If you seize the opportunity and reach the breakthrough stage, you'll have a good chance!"

The Dragon King's words struck Chen Yi He's heart, yet they were not without reason.

Chen Yi He fell into thought again: "I have the cheat ability of copying divine skills and a superior physique; if I could enter that Thousandfold Gate, what would I have to fear learning nothing? After staying there ten years, when I emerge from the mountains, I may not be invincible under heaven, but I'll be unbeatable among my peers!"

"Then what about my chances?" Xu Jia interjected.

The Dragon King answered embarrassedly, "If you go, you'll truly be just a stepping stone..."

"Brother Dragon! Can I go with you?" Chen Yi He slapped the stone table, quite excited, rose and asked.

"Of course, over these four months we'll temper each other; if you just make a little more breakthrough, you should barely scrape in. In past years, those slightly stronger than you could rank ninety-seventh or ninety-eighth, just squeaking by..."

The three words "squeak by" sounded odd to Chen Yi He; he raised his wine bowl and said to the Dragon King, "Please!"

The Dragon King, having no wine bowl, simply lifted the wine jar, clinked it, then gulped down large mouthfuls with glug-glug-glug sounds; the empty jar he smashed to pieces, "Burp..." after a long belch, he said, "Don't call me Brother Dragon; since we're brothers, just call me Twelve from now on!"

"Twelve?" Chen Yi He and Xu Jia asked in unison again.

"Right, my father had twelve children; I'm the youngest, my given name is Long Twelve. To roam the martial world, damn, this name lacks prestige, so I self-proclaimed the title Dragon King, dominating this Tiger Mountain..."

"So you still have eleven older brothers and sisters above you?" Chen Yi He asked.

"Exactly, I'm the youngest! But they're all dead!" the Dragon King, seeming drunk, staggered, fell onto the stone bench, and sorrowfully said, "I'm entering the Thousandfold Gate because I'm not strong enough yet; once I complete my studies and return, I will surely uncover who killed them and my father!"

Who would have thought that after such a funny name, the Dragon King actually has such a tragic background!

Chen Yi He and Xu Jia stared at each other.

On the road, Chen Yi He had heard Xu Jia say that the Dragon King's father, Long Kui, had been a formidable figure who roamed the martial world thirty years ago—unexpectedly he was brutally killed, along with his eleven children……

"Let's still call you Dragon King from now on; if outsiders heard the name Long Twelve, you'd lose face!" Chen Yi He proposed.

In the blink of an eye it was night; Xu Jia helped the Dragon King to rest.

Chen Yi He sat alone at the edge of Tiger's Mouth, gazing at the star-filled sky… He pulled out an Apple 17 from his pocket and snapped pictures of all those stars……

"My current strength can't even hit the cutoff for entering the Thousandfold Gate; with four months left, how should I break through?" Chen Yi He muttered to himself.

"Breakthroughs come better through actual combat, putting theory into practice!" At some point, Xu Jia had already sat beside Chen Yi He, his gaze flicking to Chen Yi He's pocket……

"I know that, but where am I supposed to find opponents? Where would I get that much practice to break through?" Chen Yi He marveled at Xu Jia's conclusion—coming from someone who doesn't know martial arts—indeed, although he has a cheat ability, merely watching and reading martial arts manuals, focusing solely on theory, no longer works well for him.

Moreover, he can't rely forever on his copying ability to learn martial arts; that would leave him unaffiliated with any sect or school...

"You should ask the Dragon King about that—he definitely has a way!" Xu Jia replied.

"Ugh ah ah! My head feels like it's exploding!" the Dragon King clutched his head, stepped out of the wooden hut, and saw someone practicing sword forms on Tiger's Mouth. Rubbing his sleepy eyes, he finally recognized it as Chen Yi He.

"Hah..." exhaling the qi of heaven and earth, Chen Yi He finished his form, both hands gripping the long sword as he lowered his body forward, instantly feeling refreshed and invigorated.

"Not bad, Brother Chen!" the Dragon King said while walking over, clapping.

Only then did Chen Yi He notice the Dragon King's presence: "Hahaha. Since you told us yesterday not to call you Brother Dragon, don't call me Brother Chen either. You're older than me, so from now on just call me Yi He."

"All right! Yi He!" the Dragon King took the long sword from Chen Yi He's hand, weighed it, and asked, "What sword technique was that just now? It looks grand and mighty, vast and imposing!"

"Mountain River Sword Technique? Such a strange name?" the Dragon King symbolically waved the sword, as if testing the feel.

Chop, hack, thrust, stab, pull, etc. —in his hands they actually had rhythm and form! The long sword sliced through the air with a whooshing sound.

In his final move, he stood on one leg, left arm drawn back, right arm thrusting the sword diagonally upward—it was actually the "Lone Mountain Setting Sun" stance of the Mountain River Sword Technique!

Chen Yi He gasped, "You… you actually know this entire sword set!!"

"I don't, I just watched a few of your moves, followed the sword intent, and guessed that there should be such a move later." the Dragon King returned the long sword to Chen Yi He, shrugged his shoulders…

Chen Yi He suddenly felt a sense of loss.

"Don't be discouraged, this sword technique isn't particularly strong, and it's also easy for others to see through its moves, but there is still a difference between having practiced it and not having practiced it. In this regard, swords and blades are interchangeable; you just need to remember one point: as your own strength grows, your sword grows stronger. True unparalleled masters can even kill with a pinch of a branch or leaf!" The Dragon King comforted Chen Yi He.

Actually, what Long Wang said, Chen Yi He understands better than anything; having read so many martial arts novels, how could he not grasp the principle of reaching the pinnacle?

The principle that 'the swordless defeats the sword' surely holds here!

By the way, what is your internal cultivation method?

It's the Wither-Flourish Heart Sutra.

"Wither-Flourish Heart Sutra? That isn't the internal cultivation method of the Xiao family of Clear Water City, is it?" Long Wang said in surprise, then added, "I never asked about your background; could you be from the Xiao family?"

Um, I stole it, just a half-baked background." Chen Yi He replied embarrassedly.

Long Wang gave Chen Yi He a thumbs-up, "Even with a half-baked background, reaching the level of Second Heaven is no easy feat!"

Sigh!

You lack real combat experience!" Long Wang hit the nail on the head.

Sigh!" Chen Yi He sighed again.

Yi He, don't sigh, come on, let's go get something to eat first; this afternoon I'll take you to a place!" Long Wang patted the dejected Chen Yi He and said.