Chapter 485: Breaking the Second

After mastering martial arts, they shall see me as a god!

In the fighting arena.

Fang Xing sat cross-legged, gazing at Shi Lei kneeling reverently before him, along with the four secret texts laid out, thinking thus to himself.

"So... you've resolved the Mechanic Ring?"

"Yes, those humble, weak insects were not worth the Master's effort." Shi Lei bowed deeply and replied: "I offer the spoils and my family's secret texts… I beg the Master to permit me to transmit the Esoteric Doctrine to my clan."

"Hmm. Once you break the First Limit, I shall appoint you as Guardian of this Sect and allow you to bestow initiation upon other disciples."

Fang Xing nodded, knowing Shi Lei's current state was nearing the threshold of breaking the First Limit.

"So… my Esoteric Martial Arts require one to go mad first to cultivate… the madder, the smoother the progress?"

He silently flipped through the spoils before him:

"Ritual of Blood and Shadow," "Unclean Secret Mantra," "Chalati Psalms," "The Path of the Mechanic"...

Besides these four secret texts, there was also a strangely shaped mechanical arm, a stack of talismans, and several vials of pills…

Fang Xing picked up the first one, "Ritual of Blood and Shadow," and swiftly flipped through it.

In this world, mortals seeking the arcane have six paths.

He had only known the Mechanical, the Stone, and the Blood paths before.

Now, opening this secret text, he learned the remaining three: the Shadow, the Mind, and the History paths!

Even within the "Blood Path" alone, there were divergent routes, manifestations, and distinct "Opening Rituals."

This "Ritual of Blood and Shadow" primarily dealt with bodily transformation and using blood to appease the Unfixed Gate and the Deep Sea Gate… to ascend continuously through sacred rites.

He turned pages rapidly, finished the other three texts, and began to ponder slowly.

"Within the Blood Path, beyond bodily modification, one may focus on 'desire'… using intense desire to elevate oneself, passing through the great gates… even achieving immortality."

"This section… suits my new martial arts well."

Fang Xing looked at Shi Lei and spoke calmly: "The arcane has six paths; my Esoteric Sect likewise has six divisions: Mechanical, Blood, Stone, History, Mind, and Shadow."

"For your achievement, once you break the First Limit, I shall transmit to you the 'Blood Division Esoteric Martial Art'—the supreme yogic practice of dual cultivation of form and emptiness, capable of attaining perfect enlightenment… it includes the 'Joyful Zen Art,' 'Vajra Club Divine Art,' and 'Consort Initiation Art'…"

"Once you master the Blood Division Esoteric Martial Art, should you encounter any extraordinary practitioner of the Blood Path, you may subdue them with a single thought…"

"Thank you, Master." Shi Lei bowed, grateful—any arcane martial art interested him.

And this "Blood Division Martial Art" sounded… delightfully pleasurable…

"They say some aberrant arcane practitioners of the Blood Path have altered their bodies, calling themselves 'Succubi' or 'Vampires,' indulging in lust, luring strong men to devour them… if I encounter such, I might as well try it out…"

At this thought, Shi Lei suddenly understood: "Master… our Esoteric Sect's martial arts seem to have originated from the arcane world, yet surpass it utterly?"

"Precisely."

Fang Xing's gaze turned dark: "I intend for the Esoteric Sect to replace all existing arcane sects and become the foremost religion of this world—and even the Aether Layer!"

Esoteric Martial Arts are rooted in the Aether, yet more extreme, more powerful!

Perfect for usurping the nest!

Fang Xing planned to develop the Esoteric Sect not to rule or dominate, but solely to seek the Creator.

Replacing the arcane paths with the Esoteric Doctrine was meant to leave the Creator with no path left to tread!

But this matter need not be told to his disciples.

"I pledge my every drop of blood and soul to fulfill the Master's grand vow!"

Shi Lei's blood boiled with fervor.

Clearly, this was not merely a miracle of the mortal world—it promised immense rewards!

If, through his efforts, the Esoteric Sect became the dominant force in the mortal realm, his status and power would rise with it!

"Those arcane practitioners, all like women—punch them and they either die or weep for days… they deserve nothing but to kneel beneath us."

Shi Lei licked his lips, already feeling the thrill of future challenges.

…

"My disciple is nearly ready to break the First Limit. I, as his Master, must strive harder."

After Shi Lei departed, Fang Xing sighed, picked up the "Mechanic Hand," and sensed a coordinate deep within the sea of the Aether Layer.

Now, when he entered the Aether Layer with a thought, he no longer wandered the outer fringes—he pierced straight through the Unfixed Gate into the Deep Sea.

What he found there, what he gained—entirely dependent on his own fortune.

Only certain schools and societies' practitioners could, based on ancestral records, locate hidden realms in the Deep Sea and reap great benefits, like mining.

This is what is called "foundation."

Of course, the greatest boon in the Deep Sea layer is the "Deep Sea Gate" itself!

Once broken, the practitioner ascends to the Second Rank: the "Profundity."

How to locate and find the "Deep Sea Gate" is also a secret doctrine.

These seals of Aetheric power have no fixed form—or even fixed location.

They may multiply into countless forms, simultaneously traversed by multiple practitioners, or appear anywhere at all.

But for Esoteric martial artists, once they push their bodies to the limit, the moment they enter the Aether Layer, the corresponding gate immediately appears to test them!

Nor do they need to refine offerings or turn them into keys, or bribe gatekeepers.

All they need is their own fists—channeling the strongest martial will to smash through the barrier. This is "breaking the limit."

With a single thought, Fang Xing's martial will surged like a vast rainbow, piercing into the Aether Realm, arriving at the Deep Sea Layer.

Darkness. Oppression.

In the profound, gray abyss of the Deep Sea Layer, as Fang Xing arrived, a gate suddenly appeared.

It was entirely pale blue, as if carved from the finest sapphire, radiating a deep, luminous glow.

Upon the gate were countless moth motifs—myriad mysterious symbols of moths linked end to end, forming a pattern beyond mathematical and human aesthetic limits, covering the entire surface. Gazing at these glyphs, information directly surfaced in Fang Xing's mind:

【The moth flies into the flame—what does it seek?】

【Burn yourself with desire; guide the ash with reason…】

"To pass the Deep Sea Gate, I must sacrifice my reason?"

"No wonder those arcane practitioners always seem brain-dead…"

Fang Xing muttered.

If he were Yin Huan, he would have known the moment Mon Qi suffered misfortune that the situation was hopeless—least he could do was flee.

As for a small factory? Who cared?

And yet they carried these secret texts with them, handing them freely to later seekers.

Perhaps this was some form of inheritance or dissemination requirement.

"Reason?"

"A mere broken gate dares demand my sacrifice?"

Fang Xing sneered. His martial will surged violently, rising into a giant identical to himself.

His conscious mind sat within the giant's body, like piloting a mech, fingers clenched into a single fist.

Hssss!

Vast steam erupted from the giant's body, contained by valves, driving turbines, summoning meditative bells, raising pendulums high.

BOOM!

Fang Xing, in the form of a mechanical armored giant, slammed his fist straight into the Deep Sea Gate!

A storm of waves surged through the Deep Sea; countless bizarre white moths flew out.

The moths swelled, sprouting strange white bony armor, mandibles sharpened into blades, claws transformed into knives.

Some moths even fused together, forming a vast, formless white mass—each wingbeat seemed capable of shattering a human skull…

Yet all of this, before Fang Xing's Mechanical Martial Art, was as fragile as paper.

Vast steam burned countless white moths to ash.

The colossal, fat moth was pierced clean through by Fang Xing's fist—white fluid sprayed everywhere like rain…

Then, Fang Xing's sweeping punch met no resistance—it struck the Deep Sea Gate.

Crack!

Crack!

Cracks spread across the sapphire-like gate, branching like ice fractures, until it shattered with a thunderous crash.

Splash!

As if breaking a dam, a torrent of Aether surged forth, washing over Fang Xing, forming a cycle.

"Breaking the Second Limit!"

In the fighting arena.

Fang Xing exhaled a long breath, feeling the dense Aetheric power flowing through his body: "Indeed… every arcane path becomes less human the higher one ascends."

Two crimson dots glowed in his pupils—clearly, his "Blood Division Martial Art" had reached a profound level.

"The Blood Division Martial Art begins by controlling one's own blood, then the enemy's blood… then one's own bodily fluids, then the enemy's fluids…"

"Human perception—even joy, anger, sorrow, pleasure—is merely a cascade of pheromonal stimuli…"

"Thus, the ultimate secret of the Blood Division Martial Art is controlling endocrine secretions… to achieve total domination over the enemy!"

"It is, in essence, a supreme art of enslavement!"

Who says martial arts cannot control minds or cast spells?

Is Esoteric Martial Art so crude?

Even ordinary martial paths attain divine powers at high levels.

Fang Xing felt no sense that his family's "Blood Sect Martial Arts" had gone astray; he found them quite excellent.

"Hmm… Once I acquire other sects' secret transmissions, the Six Bloodline Martial Arts of the Esoteric Sect can truly be established."

"Wait—the real treasure is actually the Aether Layer… Countless mysterious figures in lost histories once left their legacies here… I must explore it thoroughly later."

Fang Xing stirred his thoughts and looked at his attribute panel.

At this moment, the attribute panel was utterly different from before:

【Name: Fang Xing】

【Age: 16 (114)】

【Profession: Master of the Esoteric Sect】

【Realm: Broken Second Limit】

【Machinery Martial Flow: 1/100 (Proficient)】

【Blood Martial Flow: 1/100 (Beginner)】

……

"With this attribute panel, even starting from the same point, my progress will far surpass everyone else's."

"What can the Creator possibly use to compete with me?"

(End of Chapter)