Chapter 286: Hundred-Battle Body Tempering, North Heaven Gate Opens

Above the dantian's sea of Qi.

Waves rolled.

Above the vast sea, there was a mirage, like a legendary immortal palace, with clouds drifting and immortal energy swirling. Faintly, one could see two ancient and desolate stone gates, one south and one west, standing upon it.

Just at this moment.

The immortal palace began to shake slightly.

Seeing the north of the immortal palace, a stone gate, roughly similar in appearance to the South Heaven Gate and West Heaven Gate, slowly rose.

Seeing this stone gate.

Li Rui's breathing stalled instantly.

"North Heaven Gate!"

A quarter of an hour later, the North Heaven Gate finally appeared completely in the north of the immortal palace, covered in mottled marks, as if it had been hacked by countless blades and weapons, its killing intent threatening to tear the clouds apart.

'Legend has it that the north governs war; the North Heaven Gate borders the Demon Realm, and the war between the ancient Immortal Court and the Demon Realm began from the North Heaven Gate.'

'The guardian of the North Heaven Gate was a renowned War God of the ancient Immortal Court, who did not need to kneel even when seeing the Immortal Emperor.'

A flash of realization crossed Li Rui's eyes.

The North Heaven Gate governs killing, which perfectly matches the Hundred-Battle Killing Intent. By absorbing enough Hundred-Battle Killing Intent, he had unintentionally triggered the killing intent of the North Heaven Gate.

Allowing the Immortal Form to condense the North Heaven Gate.

An unexpected joy!

The corners of Li Rui's mouth curled up uncontrollably.

Without the Hundred-Battle Killing Intent, this North Heaven Gate would likely have become a bottleneck for him.

For no other reason.

He had killed too few people.

His aptitude was indeed high enough, but that didn't mean everything would go smoothly; killing intent, by its nature, could only be acquired by killing.

He had only taken action a handful of times.

If one were to compare the number of people killed, except for some civil officials, he could almost be ranked at the bottom.

The killing intent naturally couldn't be too strong.

And it would be even more impossible to trigger the killing intent of the North Heaven Gate.

Yuan Dingting, as the Military Saint of the Yu Kingdom, was a body of ten thousand battles, having no idea how much enemy blood had stained his hands, not to mention that after becoming a Viceroy, the karma of killing intent all converged upon him.

His Hundred-Battle Killing Intent was naturally peerless.

This killing intent had done Li Rui a huge favor.

'The North Heaven Gate governs killing; it will certainly be of great benefit to combat power.'

Li Rui's eyes shone with brilliance.

Thinking of this.

His right hand flicked, and the Barrier Blade Hidden Edge appeared in his hand.

Just the moment he held it, a strange feeling spread in his heart.

Familiar.

Extremely familiar.

At this moment, Li Rui felt like a master of weaponry, and countless details of weapons involuntarily surfaced in his mind.

The next instant.

His arm swayed slowly, and Hidden Edge swung along with it.

Every move and style was smooth and natural, without a trace of stagnation, as if created by nature.

At this moment.

Li Rui seemed to have entered the realm of man and blade as one, forgetting himself for a time, his blade intent splashing wantonly.

There was no sun or moon in the secret chamber.

He didn't know how much time had passed before he woke up from the wonderful feeling.

Li Rui looked at the Barrier Blade in his hand and muttered to himself:

"Is this the function of the North Heaven Gate?"

Both the South Heaven Gate and the West Heaven Gate had given Li Rui a special ability, and the North Heaven Gate was no exception; the ability was Weapon Mastery.

It meant exactly what it said.

Li Rui had become a weapon master; any weapon in his hands would have its lethality increased by more than fifty percent.

The North Heaven Gate governs killing.

How to govern killing?

Naturally by using blades and weapons, so strengthening the ability of blades and weapons was a matter of course.

Weapon lethality increased by fifty percent?

What kind of concept was that? It was equivalent to raising his combat power by at least thirty percent!

This was a realm that those sword and spear experts dreamed of.

Li Rui had mastered it just like that.

'The Immortal Form is truly extraordinary!'

As his realm grew, the power of the Immortal Form gradually revealed itself; the Dragon Form had originally been powerful enough, but compared to the Immortal Form, it was somewhat eclipsed.

With one form in hand, the world is mine!

Originally, Li Rui had thoughts of opening other Qi Forms, but as he understood the Immortal Form more deeply.

He dismissed this idea.

Just the Immortal Form and the Dragon Form were enough to exhaust all his energy.

Continuing to open Qi Forms would not only be of no benefit to combat power but would also disperse his energy.

The loss would outweigh the gain.

So it was better to specialize in two Qi Forms; after all, one shouldn't be too greedy.

Not all strong people in the world were like Jiang Linxian, who had terrifyingly opened nine major Qi Forms.

'Nine swords opening together, that scene must be spectacular.'

As soon as Li Rui thought of Jiang Linxian's nine flying swords, his heart burned.

If he had known.

He should have put aside his pride and let Jiang Linxian, who was still in Qinghe, demonstrate it; that way, he could have simulated it in the Great Dream Immortal Journey.

And tested how many swords he could block.

Now, it was too late for regrets.

When Li Rui opened the secret chamber and walked out of the room, he saw Wang Zhao and Tan Hu guarding the door.

Seeing the two of them with dark circles under their eyes.

Li Rui knew that his seclusion this time probably hadn't been short.

Seeing Li Rui come out, Wang Zhao and Tan Hu stood up abruptly.

"Master, you've finally come out."

Wang Zhao looked at Li Rui, pleasantly surprised.

It was truly a self-fulfilling prophecy.

He had just said his master was in seclusion and not seeing guests, never expecting Li Rui to actually be in seclusion.

During this period.

He could finally tell those who wanted to pay a visit with a clear conscience that his master was in seclusion, never having to say those insincere words again.

"How long have I been in seclusion?"

Li Rui asked curiously.

Tan Hu replied: "Big Brother, you've been in the room for four days and four nights."

"So long?"

Even Li Rui was startled.

And ever since entering that special state, he hadn't even felt hungry.

Four days and four nights without eating or drinking, yet he felt full of energy, and his combat power was at a super-peak level.

Tan Hu rubbed his hands: "Big Brother, did you have another epiphany?"

Li Rui blinked: "I suppose so."

Tan Hu looked at Wang Zhao, his face as if it had words written on it.

It just said, "Look, was I right or not?"

Regarding Li Rui's epiphanies, Tan Hu had long been immune; the fortune others dreamed of had become a daily occurrence for Li Rui, as if he might have an epiphany while eating or sleeping.

'No way, who told me my Big Brother is a true genius.'

Tan Hu grinned:

"Big Brother, is there any trick to it? Teach me, I want to have an epiphany too."

"."

"Tiger, some things are innate."

In the blink of an eye.

Another month passed.

"Lord, this is something sent from the capital."

A courier from the post station came to the Li Canjun's Prefecture, trembling. "Thank you for your hard work, Tiger, prepare some silver for the little brother."

The courier was startled.

'They all say Lord Li of the Anning Guard is generous; it's truly so.'

He was just a small errand runner at the post station, yet he was called "little brother" by the dignified Li Canjun; he could brag about this for a long time.

The courier left.

Li Rui looked at the large box that was knee-high.

These were all ancient texts sent from the Imperial Observatory; he hadn't asked Jiang Linxian, but Yao Xue.

Although Jiang Linxian called him "old brother" every other word, he was a Fifth-Rank, and the other was an Earth Immortal; the gap was too large. If he really took himself as the big brother, trouble would arise.

Finding Yao Xue was more appropriate.

Just as he thought.

!. Read

These ancient texts were not valuable items in the Imperial Observatory; Yao Xue, as Li Rui's pen pal in the capital, only needed one letter to send these items over.

It was roughly equivalent to asking "Are you there?" in his previous life, and the item arriving.

Opening the box.

It was packed full of books.

"Whoa."

Just looking at the yellowed covers that were almost falling apart, one knew they were old objects.

Li Rui casually opened one and began to read.

"To seek eternal life, cultivate the Great Dao; the secret lies in the will, not in wealth. The method of learning immortality requires tranquility and detachment, cleansing desires, looking inward and listening outward, dwelling in the corpse without a heart..."

He was now a Li Canjun.

If he wanted leisure, he had plenty of time.

Practicing, flipping through books—it was a familiar feeling.

While flipping through the book.

His peripheral vision caught a letter on the side of the large box filled with ancient texts.

It should be Yao Xue's reply.

Li Rui put down the ancient text, picked up the letter, and opened it with two fingers.

"Senior Li's determination to seek immortality is firm, and this junior deeply admires it. I have specially sought out these miscellaneous ancient books, which may provide some inspiration. It has been several years since our parting in Qinghe; I hope to see you in the capital one day. Looking forward to it, Yao Xue."

From previous letters, Li Rui knew that ever since the Pavilion Master Gu became the Gu Jianzheng of the Imperial Observatory.

Except for the elusive old Daoist Xu Xuan and Qu Chengfeng, who had placed high in the imperial examination and was sent out to be an official.

Old Daoist Zhang and Yao Xue seemed to be trapped in the Jingcheng.

At most, they could walk around the capital, but they were completely unable to leave the city.

There was no way around it.

The more noble the status, the more restrictions there actually were.

Wasn't the Emperor the same?

If it weren't for these constant, shadow-like rules, the world would have been in chaos long ago.

Among all living beings in the world, who isn't a bird in a cage?

From the lines of Yao Xue's reply, it wasn't hard to see that Yao Xue didn't seem to like the Imperial Palace.

But ever since she became a disciple of the Immortal-Seeking Pavilion and Pavilion Master Gu came out of the mountains to become the Gu Jianzheng of the Imperial Observatory, everything had been beyond her control.

But how many people in the world can do as they please?

Li Rui picked up his pen and wrote several hundred words.

It wasn't that he felt sympathy for Yao Xue's plight.

Since she had helped find so many ancient texts, if he couldn't help, he should at least provide some emotional value.

Right?

"Li Rui is still in seclusion?"

He Wanchun sat expressionless on the grand chair in the main hall of the Return Cloud Sect.

A disciple bowed and said:

"Yes, Lord Li is in seclusion and not seeing guests; I heard he is not only refusing our Return Cloud Sect but also all other sects."

He Wanchun narrowed his eyes slightly:

"This Lord Li is quite interesting."

However, in his view, seclusion was probably fake, and avoiding suspicion was the truth.

Where is there a martial artist who stays in seclusion for a month? Is he cultivating immortality?

It was obvious that Li Rui didn't want other forces to intervene in the monster business, so he did this on purpose.

"How is it over in the Wu Kingdom?"

"We have sent people to investigate, but I heard that the old dog has already defected to the Wu Kingdom's rebels, which is a bit tricky."

He Wanchun's heart sank.

The number of monsters in the Yu Kingdom was not large, and the imperial court had sealed them, making them "official monsters" eating the government's food; many could not be moved, so they were inevitably tied up.

Therefore, their Return Cloud Sect's Beast-Taming lineage had always been in secret contact with the Wu Kingdom.

Until two months ago.

That monster trafficker in the Wu Kingdom suddenly lost contact.

If the monsters were cut off, wouldn't the Beast-Taming lineage become a joke?

That was why He Wanchun, the leader of this lineage, had come to Qinghe in person to preside over it, all for the sake of the monster path.

But once the path was cut off, reconnecting it was not such a simple matter.

The Return Cloud Sect was a large sect, but no matter how long their hands were, they couldn't reach the Wu Kingdom.

Moreover, the Return Cloud Sect had four lineages, and the Beast-Taming lineage was already weak, so it was even more impossible to get much support.

That was why they wanted to get on Li Rui's line.

But from Li Rui's current attitude, it was not hard to see that it would not be an easy thing for the Return Cloud Sect to participate.

They could only look for another way.

The young disciple was about to leave, but was called back by He Wanchun:

"Go prepare a gift, and remember, it must be heavy."

"Prepare a gift?"

The young disciple was a bit surprised.

He Wanchun nodded: "Yes, prepare the carriage and horses; tomorrow, follow me to the Thousand Crane Martial Hall."

In front of a blue-gray, magnificent mansion that occupied a vast area.

It was bustling with noise and excitement.

*Crackling. *

A large patch of dark gray thick fog drifted into the air; after a burst of ear-piercing firecrackers, a large group of people filed in, all carrying heavy boxes in their hands.

It was evident the gift would not be light.

Today was the day the Thousand Crane Martial Hall opened to accept disciples.

The masters of the seventeen martial halls in Qinghe had all arrived to congratulate them.

In fact, according to the rules of the Qinghe martial hall circle, a new master who wanted to come to Qinghe to open a hall and accept disciples had to first pay a visit to the masters of the seventeen martial halls one by one, and more than half had to agree before the hall could be opened.

Otherwise, it was breaking the rules, and even if the hall was opened by force, there would be endless trouble later.

As for how to pay a visit?

That was even simpler.

Both sides would choose a disciple; as long as one's disciple could defeat the other's, the visit was considered successful.

Half agreeing actually meant defeating half of the martial halls.

Someone might ask?

Why not let the masters fight directly instead of letting the disciples do it?

This involved a matter of face.

Those who could open a hall were all figures with status in the Jianghu; if they won, that was fine, but if they lost, whether it was the one visiting or the one sitting in the hall, it would be difficult to have the opportunity to open a hall again. If face was lost, who would still be willing to take you as a master?

Cutting off someone's livelihood and making enemies was something that couldn't be done too ruthlessly.

So a compromise method was devised.

That was to let the disciples pay the visit.

In this way, even if they lost, it was the disciple who lost, and the impact on the master wouldn't be too great.

It could maintain the final dignity for both sides.

The previous seventeen martial halls had all come through this way, but an exception was made only for this Thousand Crane Martial Hall.

Even before opening the hall, the master of the Thousand Crane Martial Hall hadn't notified the seventeen peers.

But regarding this.

The seventeen people had no opinion at all, or rather, they didn't dare to have one.

Why?

A strong dragon suppresses the local snake.

It was just because the master of this Thousand Crane Martial Hall had a rather resounding nickname—White Crane Divine Fist.

Or it could also be called.

Five hundred and thirty-seventh in the world's martial arts ranking.

(End of chapter) ===== CHAPTER 287 =====