Nine Gates of Profound Pass

Lin Su said, "Yesterday, I wanted to ask you for a favor—to give me some pointers on the martial path—but you... had something to do and left. Then Fairy Zhang stepped in. I really have to say, the Top Experts of immortal sects are truly formidable. With a casual modification, she actually let me break straight into the Martial Ancestor realm. The methods of a heavenly immortal are simply unfathomable! Unfathomable! No Wonder the world places the Immortal Way ahead of the martial path—there's reason for it..."

His face was full of admiration.

Dark Night felt even worse inside.

What was this? She was a Top Expert? She was a heavenly immortal? And I was some... deserter who fled before battle? The martial path was inferior to the Immortal Way?

"Knowing nothing whatsoever about the martial path, making random alterations, and forcibly raising someone's strength—does that count as a top-tier method?"

Lin Su's heart began to race. The provocation had worked!

Yet his expression clearly showed dissatisfaction. "That's not right of you to say. Fairy Zhang..."

Dark Night cut him off directly. "Mundane martial arts know only how to force strength in. If the nine locks remain unopened, one will never truly enter the martial path. If you continue down her route, reaching the Martial Zenith Realm will be your limit. For the rest of your life, don't even dream of entering 'Peering into Man'!"

Nine locks? What were the nine locks?

Dark Night said that the nine locks were the nine restraints within the human body. These invisible locks sealed off the path connecting man and god. Without opening the nine locks, a person could only keep circling within the world of "man." No matter how powerful one cultivated oneself to be, one was still only human! Thus, the peak was merely the "Martial Zenith Realm." At that stage, martial arts were only techniques—called martial arts, not the Way.

Only by opening the nine locks could one truly begin the martial path.

Lin Su was overjoyed, but his face still wore a foolishly innocent expression. "Oh, then when she comes back, I'll ask her..."

Dark Night was thoroughly enraged. "What the hell does she know?!"

Lin Su stared at her in surprise...

Dark Night flicked her finger sharply, and it swept like lightning across nine points on his body. "Sense the nine gates of profound pass I've left behind. Try opening any one of them!"

This was the Nine Gates of Profound Pass within the human body.

Opening each one meant an elevation—not an increase in cultivation, but an elevation of realm and potential.

There was a saying in the martial path: "One step, one great leap; nine steps, shatter heaven's secrets."

"I'll give it a try. After all, Fairy Zhang didn't say... I couldn't try other methods..."

Dark Night was furious. For some reason, whenever praise for Fairy Zhang spilled from his mouth, she felt uncomfortable all over. Whoosh—she vanished!

Lin Su secretly found it amusing. He sat down and sensed the nine gates of profound pass she had left behind.

As he focused his senses, the Flood Dragon Core in his dantian rose like an enraged dragon lifting its head. The first gate of profound pass—whoosh! It broke open! Lin Su's whole body gave a great shake as he experienced a Brand New sensation. The second gate of profound pass, broken! The third, broken! The fourth, broken!

A Shockwave suddenly rose from where he sat cross-legged, pulverizing the grass on the ground.

Inside the pavilion, Dark Night suddenly rose to her feet. Was she seeing things?

He had broken through one gate of profound pass? How could it be so fast?

She was a true genius of the martial path. Back then, breaking through her first gate of profound pass had taken only one night, and she was still a legend within her sect...

Another Shockwave blossomed from him as its center.

Dark Night staggered...

Two gates of profound pass?

Impossible!

Then came another. Dark Night Stepped Across the air itself and appeared before him.

Another one...

Dark Night's eyes widened enormously.

Whoosh! An immensely powerful Shockwave swept outward. The courtyard wall before them was about to be shoved down when Dark Night moved her foot, sending the Shockwave Soared into the sky. All the leaves from the old locust tree above came raining down.

Lin Su opened his eyes, pleasantly surprised. "Your method really works. After opening the nine locks, I really feel that my five senses have become sharper..."

"The nine locks... all opened?" Dark Night's voice had gone hoarse.

"Yes. I should thank you. Ah, this body... why is there..." Lin Su raised his arm. A thick layer of grime covered it, and his legs too—especially his crotch...

"Sorry, I'm going to take a bath..."

Lin Su Soared into the sky. He failed to control the leap at all and shot directly halfway into the air, ten times higher than the courtyard wall.

"Ah!" Lin Su gave a small cry, twisted his body in midair, and plunged into the Yangtze River...

Dark Night's eyes slowly shifted...

What was going on?

Let me sort this out...

Last night, he had still been a Martial Artist.

Then he swallowed some unknown demon core.

And Fairy Zhang... bullshit! Zhang Yiyu, that complete outsider who didn't know a damn thing, had forcibly raised him to the Martial Ancestor realm.

Just now, I pointed out the locations of the nine gates of profound pass, thinking that if he broke through even one within a few days, he would understand that the martial path wasn't so simple...

Who would have thought that in less than an hour, he would smash through all nine locks in one go.

How many geniuses in the sect had spent a full ten years circling within the nine locks?

How much effort had the sect expended?

How many rare treasures and exotic marvels had he eaten?

Why had everything suddenly been overturned when it came to him?

Dark Night closed her eyes and searched...

About ten minutes later, she opened her eyes. His Eyes Flashed.

She knew why.

There was only one reason: inner force!

The Nine Locks consumed the most inner force. Ordinary People cultivated step by step, and their inner force progressed very slowly. With such inner force, it was difficult to break through the Nine Locks. But he had a demon core within him. The demon core's power was far too great for him. No part of his body could withstand the demon core's power, including the Nine Locks.

The Nine Locks were an exceedingly profound thing. They had to be broken before one reached the Martial Ancestor Realm. Once one passed the Martial Ancestor Realm and entered the Martial Zenith Realm, a Martial Artist's Flesh and blood would be reconstituted, and the Nine Locks would no longer exist.

Among those at the Martial Ancestor Realm, few possessed inner force that completely surpassed that realm.

By the time they entered the Martial Zenith Realm and their inner force became formidable, the Nine Locks would already be gone.

That was why the Nine Locks were so difficult to break.

There was movement by the courtyard wall. Lin Su's head quietly rose above it. After Surveying his surroundings, he slid down soundlessly. When he landed, he was clean, his clothes were clean as well—and already dry.

This Is the ability gained after breaking the Nine Locks: a Body like a furnace, naturally drying itself.

"Dark Night, I have to say, you're incredible!" Lin Su gave her a thumbs-up. "You're evenly matched with Fairy Zhang..."

Dark Night's Heart Leapt Violently. Looking at the teasing gleam in his eyes, she seemed to understand. "You set a trap!"

"Haha... this is called provoking you! I knew you couldn't stand seeing someone flaunt their martial arts in front of you. You surely had a way to suppress her..."

An indescribable expression appeared on Dark Night's face.

That stinking brat, that damned little bastard—he had actually plotted against her, deliberately provoking her into showing off before him. And she had fallen for such a scheme? After roaming the jianghu for all these years, had she become stupid...

Lin Su said, "I know your mission is still the secret formula. How about this? You did help me, after all, so I'll repay you. I can give you the formula..."

Dark Night's Heart Leapt Violently.

Just as she had begun considering whether to teach this overly smug brat a lesson, he suddenly threw out a heavyweight bargaining chip.

He could give her the secret formula?

Had she heard right?

Baiyunbian!

Did he know how popular this wine was now?

The Great Sects throughout the Nine Countries and Thirteen Provinces were lining up to place orders, including the imperial family.

A Jar of Wine—ten jin—had already been driven up to the astronomical price of a hundred taels of gold!

"Of course, I won't just hand it over directly. I can sign an agreement with the people behind you. I'll give you the formula, and you can produce and sell it yourselves. For every jin of wine you sell, you'll give me three qian of silver as a patent licensing fee for the formula."

"Really?" Dark Night's eyes Greatly Lit.

Haining Tower's original agreement with him had been this: the Lin Family would produce Baiyunbian, and accounts would be settled at one tael of silver per jin. The price was already dirt cheap. Haining Tower had become famous across half the realm on the strength of this wine, earning a hundred thousand taels of silver in In Just Over a month.

Compared to the negligible costs, the profits were incomparably generous!

But there was one greatest flaw: the supply was far too scarce. People all over the land were lining up and waiting, and some had even placed orders for three years later.

Once the formula was handed to Haining Tower, wouldn't Haining Tower's capacity and resources increase production tenfold, even a hundredfold?

Its net profits would likewise rise tenfold, even a hundredfold.

At the thought of that terrifying figure, Dark Night was truly moved.

Her Adoptive Father had pulled her out of despair and given her a second life. When her Adoptive Father most needed help, she had to help him! This was help!

Faced with Dark Night's doubts, Lin Su nodded in confirmation.

"What other conditions do you have? State them all."

"No more!"