Chapter 286: A Hundred Battles Forge the Body, the Northern Heavenly Gate Opens

Above the dantian sea.

Waves churned violently.

Above the vast expanse of ocean, a mirage appeared, resembling the legendary Immortal Palace—clouds and mist drifted lazily, suffused with divine aura, and faintly visible upon it stood two ancient, primordial stone gates, one to the south and one to the west.

At that moment.

The Immortal Palace began to tremble slightly.

From the north of the Immortal Palace, a stone gate, similar in appearance to the Southern Heavenly Gate and Western Heavenly Gate, slowly rose.

Seeing this gate.

Li Rui's breath halted instantly.

"Northern Heavenly Gate!"

After a quarter hour, the Northern Heavenly Gate finally fully emerged north of the Immortal Palace, its surface scarred with countless marks, as if slashed by innumerable weapons, its intent of slaughter threatening to tear through the clouds.

"It is said that the north governs war, and the Northern Heavenly Gate borders the Demon Realm—the ancient Immortal Court's war with the Demon Realm began at the Northern Heavenly Gate."

"The guardian of the Northern Heavenly Gate was none other than the famed War God of the ancient Immortal Court, who need not kneel even before the Immortal Emperor."

A flash of understanding passed through Li Rui's eyes.

The Northern Heavenly Gate governs slaughter—perfectly aligned with the Hundred Battles' killing intent. Having absorbed sufficient Hundred Battles killing intent, he had unintentionally stirred the Northern Heavenly Gate's own slaughterous aura.

Allowing the Immortal Form to coalesce into the Northern Heavenly Gate.

Unexpected fortune!

Li Rui's lips could not suppress their upward curve.

Without the Hundred Battles killing intent, the Northern Heavenly Gate might have become a bottleneck for him.

No other reason.

He had killed too few.

His talent was indeed high, but that did not guarantee smooth sailing—killing intent, by its very nature, could only be gained through killing.

He had rarely drawn his blade.

In terms of number of kills, save for certain civil officials, he could rank among the lowest.

Naturally, his killing intent could not be strong.

Much less could it stir the Northern Heavenly Gate's slaughterous aura.

Yuan Dingting, as the Martial Sage of Yu State, a warrior forged in ten thousand battles, had soaked his hands in the blood of countless enemy troops, and after becoming Viceroy, all his killing karmas converged upon him alone.

His Hundred Battles killing intent was peerless.

This killing intent had done Li Rui a great favor.

"The Northern Heavenly Gate governs slaughter—it must greatly enhance combat power."

Li Rui's eyes gleamed sharply.

Thinking of this,

he shook his right hand, and the Obstructing Blade, Zangfeng, appeared in his grasp.

In the instant he held it, an odd sensation spread through his heart.

Familiar.

Utterly familiar.

At that moment, Li Rui felt himself a master of weapons—his mind involuntarily filled with intricate details of countless arms.

The next instant,

he slowly moved his arm, and Zangfeng swung with the motion.

Each strike and posture flowed effortlessly, without the slightest hesitation, perfectly natural.

At that moment,

Li Rui seemed to enter the realm of Sword and Self as One, momentarily losing himself, his blade intent spilling freely.

In the sealed chamber, there was no sun or moon.

He did not know how long had passed before he awoke from the strange sensation.

Li Rui gazed at the Obstructing Blade in his hand and murmured:

"Is this the Northern Heavenly Gate's effect?"

The Southern Heavenly Gate and Western Heavenly Gate had each granted Li Rui a unique ability—the Northern Heavenly Gate was no exception: Weapon Mastery.

Literally.

Li Rui had become a master of weapons—any weapon in his hands gained at least a fifty percent increase in lethality.

The Northern Heavenly Gate governs slaughter.

How does one slaughter?

Naturally, with weapons—so enhancing weapon prowess was only logical.

A fifty percent increase in weapon lethality?

What did that mean? It was equivalent to a direct boost of at least thirty percent in combat power!

This was the realm that sword and spear masters dreamed of.

Li Rui had simply acquired it effortlessly.

"The Immortal Form is truly extraordinary!"

As his realm advanced, the Immortal Form's power gradually revealed itself—the Dragon Form had already been formidable, yet under comparison, it now seemed dimmed.

With one Form in hand, the world is mine!

Originally, Li Rui had considered forming other Qi Forms, but as his understanding of the Immortal Form deepened,

he abandoned the idea.

The Immortal Form and Dragon Form alone already consumed all his focus.

Forming more Qi Forms would not enhance his combat power—it would only scatter his energy.

Not worth it.

Better to specialize in just two Qi Forms—after all, one must not be greedy.

Not all powerful cultivators are like Jiang Lin, who terrifyingly opened nine Qi Forms.

"Nine swords fully unleashed—what a sight that must be."

The thought of Jiang Lin's nine flying swords stirred Li Rui's heart with heat.

If only he had known,

he would have swallowed his pride and asked Jiang Lin in Qinghe to demonstrate—then he could have simulated it in the Great Dream Immortal Realm.

He could have tested how many swords he could withstand.

Now, it was too late to regret.

When Li Rui opened the sealed chamber and stepped out, he saw Wang Zhao and Tan Hu waiting at the door.

Seeing their dark circles,

Li Rui realized his seclusion must have lasted longer than expected.

Seeing Li Rui emerge, Wang Zhao and Tan Hu leapt to their feet.

"Master, you're finally out!"

Wang Zhao exclaimed, delighted.

And indeed, prophecy had come true.

He had just claimed his master was in seclusion and would not receive visitors—and now Li Rui had actually gone into seclusion.

During this time,

he could now confidently tell anyone who came to visit: "My master is in seclusion," without having to lie anymore.

"How long was I in seclusion?"

Li Rui asked curiously.

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

"That long?"

Even Li Rui was startled.

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

Four days and four nights without food or water—and yet he felt full of vigor, his combat power at peak superlative levels.

Tan Hu rubbed his hands: "Big Brother, did you just attain another enlightenment?"

Li Rui blinked: "You could say that."

Tan Hu glanced at Wang Zhao, his face as if written upon.

It read: "See? I told you so."

For Li Rui's enlightenment, Tan Hu had long become immune—what others dreamed of as divine fortune had become routine for Li Rui, as if he might attain enlightenment while eating or sleeping.

"What can you do? My big brother is a true genius."

Tan Hu grinned widely:

"Big Brother, teach me your secret—I want to attain enlightenment too."

"."

"Hu Zi, some things are innate."

In the blink of an eye,

another month passed.

"My lord, this is something sent from the capital."

A courier from the relay station arrived at the Assistant Regional Commander's residence, trembling. "You've worked hard, Huzi. Give the young man some hardship silver."

The courier was startled.

"They say Li Da-ren of Anning Guard is generous—truly so."

He was but a lowly runner at the relay station; to be called "young man" by a high-ranking Assistant Regional Commander—this would be a tale to boast about for years.

The courier departed.

Only then did Li Rui turn his gaze to the large box, reaching up to his knees.

These were ancient texts sent from the Imperial Astronomical Bureau; he had not sought Jiang Lin, but instead turned to Yao Xue.

Though Jiang Lin called him "big brother," he was merely a fifth-rank official, while Jiang Lin was a terrestrial immortal—the gap was too vast. To truly treat him as a senior brother would invite disaster.

Yao Xue was a better choice.

As he had expected.

!. Read

These ancient texts were not valuable within the Imperial Astronomical Bureau; Yao Xue, as Li Rui's pen pal in the capital, had sent them all with just one letter.

It was as if, in his past life, he had merely asked "Are you there?" and the items had arrived immediately.

He opened the box.

It was packed solid with books.

"Huh."

The yellowed, crumbling covers made it clear these were ancient relics.

Li Rui casually opened one and began reading.

"To seek immortality and cultivate the ultimate Dao, the key lies in resolve, not wealth or status. The method of learning immortality demands tranquility, detachment, the cleansing of desires, inner observation and inward listening, remaining like a corpse—without thought."

He was now Assistant Regional Commander.

If he wished to idle, he had more than enough time.

Practicing, reading books—it felt familiar again.

While flipping through the books,

he noticed, at the side of the box filled with ancient texts, a sheet of paper.

It must be Yao Xue's reply.

Li Rui set down the ancient text, pinched the paper between two fingers, and unfolded it.

"Senior Li, your steadfast heart in seeking immortality and the Dao moves me deeply. I have sought out these ancient miscellaneous texts, hoping they may offer insight. Since our parting in Qinghe, years have passed. I long for the day we may meet again in the capital. Awaiting it, Yao Xue."

From previous letters, Li Rui knew that since Master Gu had become Director of the Imperial Astronomical Bureau,

aside from the elusive Xu Xuan, the Daoist who appeared only in glimpses, and Qu Chengfeng, who had passed the Metropolitan Examination and taken office,

Master Zhang and Yao Xue seemed trapped within the imperial city.

At most, they could walk the streets of the capital—never leave the city walls.

There was nothing to be done.

The higher one's status, the more restrictions one faced.

Wasn't the Emperor himself the same?

Without these ever-present, inescapable rules, the world would descend into chaos.

Who among all beings in the world is not a caged bird?

From Yao Xue's letter, it was clear she disliked the imperial palace.

But ever since she became a disciple of the Immortal Inquiry Pavilion, and Master Gu emerged to become Director of the Imperial Astronomical Bureau, she had been powerless to change her fate.

Yet how many in this world truly live as they please?

Li Rui picked up his brush and wrote several hundred characters.

It was not that he felt sympathy for Yao Xue's plight.

She had gone to great trouble to procure these ancient texts; if he could not help, he must at least offer emotional value.

Right?

"Is Li Rui still in seclusion?"

He Wanchun sat expressionless upon the grand chair in the main hall of Guiyun Sect.

A disciple bowed and said:

"Yes. Li Da-ren is in seclusion and refuses all visitors. Rumor says he refuses not only our Guiyun Sect, but all other sects as well."

He Wanchun narrowed his eyes slightly:

"This Li Da-ren is rather interesting."

But in his view, seclusion was likely a pretense—avoiding suspicion was the real reason.

Who ever heard of a martial cultivator sealing himself away for a full month? Was he trying to become a cultivator of the Dao?

Li Rui was clearly trying to prevent other factions from meddling in the beast trade.

"How is things in Wu Country?"

"We've sent people to investigate. But it's said that old dog has defected to the Wu rebels—troublesome."

He Wanchun's heart sank.

Yu Country had few beasts to begin with, and the imperial court had formally sanctioned many as official beasts—making them difficult to touch. They were bound hand and foot.

Thus, Guiyun Sect's Beast Taming branch had long maintained secret ties with Wu Country.

Until two months ago.

The beast trader from Wu Country suddenly vanished.

With the beasts cut off, the Beast Taming branch would become a laughingstock.

That was why He Wanchun, head of the branch, had come personally to Qinghe—to secure the beast supply.

But now that the route was severed, restoring it would not be simple.

Guiyun Sect was a major sect, but even its reach could not extend to Wu Country.

Moreover, Guiyun Sect had four branches; the Beast Taming branch was already weak and could expect little support.

That was why they sought to connect with Li Rui.

But from Li Rui's current attitude, it was clear Guiyun Sect's involvement would not be easy.

They must seek another path.

As the young disciple turned to leave, He Wanchun called him back:

"Prepare a gift. Remember—it must be substantial."

"A gift?"

The young disciple was surprised.

He Wanchun nodded. "Yes. Prepare the carriage and horses. Tomorrow, accompany me to Qianhe Martial Hall."

Before a vast, imposing mansion of grayish-blue stone,

voices buzzed loudly.

Crackling sounds echoed.

Thick clouds of gray-black smoke drifted into the air; after a burst of deafening firecrackers, a crowd poured in, each carrying heavy boxes.

Clearly, the gifts were not light.

Today was the opening day of Qianhe Martial Hall, accepting new disciples.

All seventeen masters of Qinghe's martial halls had come to offer congratulations.

According to Qinghe's martial hall customs, any new master wishing to open a hall in Qinghe must first pay formal visits to all seventeen masters—and gain approval from at least half before opening.

Otherwise, it would violate the rules; even if the hall opened by force, endless troubles would follow.

How was this visit conducted?

It was simple.

Each side selected a disciple; if one's disciple defeated the other's, the visit was successful.

Half approval meant defeating half the halls.

Someone might ask:

Why not let the masters themselves fight, instead of their disciples?

This concerns face.

Anyone who opens a hall is a prominent figure in the martial world. If he wins, fine. But if he loses, whether the visitor or the host, his chance to open a hall is gone—his face is lost, and who would then wish to become his disciple?

One must not cut off another's livelihood too brutally—it invites enemies.

Thus, a compromise was devised:

Let the disciples conduct the visit.

If the disciple loses, only the disciple loses; the master's reputation remains intact.

It preserved dignity for both sides.

All seventeen halls had followed this tradition—except Qianhe Martial Hall.

In fact, before opening, the Qianhe master had not even informed the other seventeen.

Yet,

the seventeen had not a single complaint—or rather, they dared not.

Why?

It's just that a powerful dragon suppresses the local snake.

This is because the master of the Thousand Crane Martial Arts Hall has a well-known nickname—White Crane Divine Fist.

Or it could also be called.

Ranked five hundred thirty-seventh on the Global Martial Arts List.

(End of Chapter)