Four Gates and Seven Paths

Four Gates and Seven Paths. When Liang Qu appeared in the hall again, fully dressed, everyone's eyes lit up.

Ape arms, wasp waist, mantis legs—simply put, long arms and legs, a slim waist, and broad shoulders. With the Mountain Ox Hide belt cinching his clothes snugly and showing off his figure, Liang Qu looked tall, straight, and heroic, like a long spear.

Yang Dongxiong praised him loudly. "Good! This is the vigor young people should have!"

"It's over. My title as the most handsome is really going to change hands!"

"Give it a rest, Senior Brother Xu. It was always me, all right?" Cao Rang scoffed.

"What a pity Senior Brother isn't here. He's the richest, so whatever he gives is sure to be the best. Who knows, maybe some miraculous pill or medicine."

"Right, Master, did you notify Senior Brother?"

Yang Dongxiong nodded. "I wrote him a letter last night, but it hasn't been sent yet. I'll send someone with it later. We should get a reply in about a month or so, and he'll definitely make up for it then."

Seeing Liang Qu's confusion, Xu Zishuai explained, "Senior Brother joined the Western Army. He's now a Thousand Household Head, and I heard he'll be promoted again soon. It isn't convenient for him to return, which is why you haven't seen him."

Liang Qu suddenly realized.

The group chatted for a while longer, mostly asking Liang Qu about his life.

Half an hour later, Third Senior Brother Lu Gang took his leave. He was not good with words and preferred blacksmithing; he already wanted to go back and design a long spear.

"Junior Brother, just come to my house tonight. Follow the road outside Yang Residence straight ahead, and you'll see a grain shop called Xu's. There's an alley beside it. Go straight down that alley, and you'll see a large anvil. That house is mine."

"Alright, I'll remember it. Take care, Third Senior Brother."

After Lu Gang left, the others chatted a little longer. Seeing that it was about time, they departed one after another, leaving behind only the three youngest disciples.

Yang Dongxiong took a sip of tea. "Xiao Jiu, how thick is your Chest Qi now?"

Liang Qu had no intention of lying about cultivation. In the end, it would only harm his own interests. He answered frankly, "About as thick as an index finger."

The moment he said it, Hu Qi and Xiang ChangSong were both shocked. "Junior Brother, you've only trained for a month, right? How is your progress so fast? We haven't seen you take any medicine!"

"I caught another Treasure Fish a few days ago." Liang Qu scratched his head. "It was an eel, crimson all over, with an ox tail growing from its rear. I was so overjoyed that I stewed and ate it right away. Afterward, my whole body heated up, and I kept practicing my fists. By the time I finished, Qi that had been as thick as a chopstick had become as thick as my index finger."

"A crimson eel with an ox tail?"

Hu Qi and Xiang ChangSong fell into thought. They did not seem to recall any Treasure Fish like that.

"Master Yang, do you know what kind of fish that is?"

"I do not either. But the Jianghuai Marshlands are so vast; there are too many fish species we don't know. It is nothing strange." Yang Dongxiong delivered the final verdict.

Of course you don't know. I made it up.

Liang Qu had initially wanted to say he had caught another Bullhorn Pomfret. That was the fish he knew to have the best effect. But on second thought, it seemed that fish could not directly increase his Blood Qi from chopstick-thick to index-finger-thick in one go, so he simply fabricated one.

There were countless species in modern rivers that had yet to be discovered, let alone in ancient times.

Besides, if there were Red Blood Perch worth one tael per jin and Bullhorn Pomfret worth two taels per jin, then naturally there could be other Treasure Fish worth ten taels or a hundred taels per jin. No effect would be too strange.

"Still, Junior Brother, reaching chopstick-thick in one month without medicine means your talent is quite good. When Master has time, perhaps he can measure your Fate Standard and see just what your aptitude is. Bone-feeling reveals far too little."

Fate Standard?

Having learned another new term, Liang Qu silently turned it over in his mind, unable to understand its meaning.

As if seeing Liang Qu's confusion, Hu Qi said, "This Fate Standard is not that Fate Standard. It does not mean something destined by fate; it refers to talent. Junior Brother, just understand it that way. As for the specifics, you'll know once your Fate Standard has been measured."

Unexpectedly, Yang Dongxiong shook his head. "I have no Incense Ash left. Without the full set of tools, measuring a Fate Standard will have to wait awhile."

Liang Qu asked, "Master, I previously heard Senior Brother Hu say that once Chest Qi reaches the thickness of a little finger, one can break the Skin Gate. I didn't know how to break through before, so I forcibly compressed it until it was as thick as my index finger. Will that cause any problems?"

"You needn't worry about that. There's no difference. After breaking the Skin Gate, you still need to keep accumulating Chest Qi. Little-finger thickness is merely the minimum requirement for breaking through. Index-finger thickness will only make it easier."

Liang Qu relaxed. He truly had worried that he had gone astray in his training. He had never encountered any of this before, and the novels he had read certainly could not be trusted—one was fantasy, the other reality, and they could not be applied to each other. It was only natural that he had felt uneasy.

"Your injuries have not healed yet. You can wait until they do before cultivating. For now, continue following Hu Qi. Whenever he is at the Martial Arts School, he can teach you along the way. He can also teach you some common knowledge and key points. Then have Xiang ChangSong take you to Evergreen Medical Hall so you can familiarize yourself with it. It will be more convenient when you need medicine in the future."

Yang Dongxiong settled everything in a few words. He had accepted Liang Qu as a disciple, but Liang Qu's realm was simply too low. There was no need for him to teach personally; Hu Qi would do just as well.

"By the way, can you read?"

"I know some characters, but not many."

"Then you must also set aside time every day to learn at a private school. I'll arrange a teacher for you."

"Thank you, Master."

By the time Yang Dongxiong had finished his instructions, it was already nine in the morning. Liang Qu and his two Senior Brothers did not linger and went together to Evergreen Medical Hall to familiarize him with the place.

Evergreen Medical Hall was the largest medical hall in all of Ping Yang Town. In the main hall alone, four or five physicians sat behind their tables seeing patients, while a long queue stretched outside the entrance.

Hu Qi and the others had no intention of lining up and led Liang Qu into the hall.

The moment they entered, Xiang ChangSong shouted toward the counter, "Shopkeeper Chen, this is the Ninth Disciple my Master just accepted—my Junior Brother. Come show him around so he knows the place."

The white-haired shopkeeper hurried away from the counter to greet them. Looking at Liang Qu, he flattered him, "This must be Ninth Young Master, then? Ninth Young Master is truly a man of outstanding appearance, unforgettable at a glance. You lot, get over here and greet him. Be sharp about it."

Several busy servants put down their work and came forward to greet him. But rather than calling him Ninth Young Master, they called him Ninth Master.

"Have you remembered?"

"Yes, Shopkeeper Chen, we've remembered."

"Good, get back to work." Shopkeeper Chen turned around. "Then we'll follow the old rule. Whenever you come, it will definitely be half price."

"Thank you, Shopkeeper Chen."

"You are too courteous. Your presence makes Our Humble Home Shines."

After exchanging a few simple words, the three prepared to leave the medical hall. Before leaving, Hu Qi grabbed three more packets of medicine, but the shopkeeper refused to take any money, treating it as a celebration for Master Yang taking in another fine disciple.

As Liang Qu accepted the flattery, he thought of the IOU he had written when accompanying Chen Qingjiang to the medical hall for medicine. He felt a thousand emotions.

He had truly Reached the Sky in One Step.

On the road back to the Martial Arts School, Hu Qi began explaining to Liang Qu how to break through.

The method was simple: Surge Blood Qi—the Long Qi within one's chest—causing it to circulate and melt away, stimulating the skin across the entire body.

Once the stimulation reached a certain degree, the skin would undergo a leap in strength, becoming as tough as oxhide.

"This stage of cultivation carries some danger. It is best to have someone guide you. Once we reach the Martial Arts School, I'll demonstrate it for you again."

"After the Four Gates of Skin, Flesh, Bone, and Blood come the Seven Paths: Galloping Horse, Wolf Smoke, Hunting Tiger, True Image, Young Dragon, Furnace, and Rainbow Transformation. Each Path is further divided into smaller stages."

"At the peak of the Galloping Horse Realm, one can hold back dozens of galloping horses without budging.

"At the Wolf Smoke Realm, one's Blood Qi rises like wolf smoke, billowing a zhang high. One seems almost divine; when strength erupts, it is like being beset by a pack of wolves, with a terrifying presence.

"At the Hunting Tiger Realm, Blood Qi surges like a tidal wave. When strength erupts, ordinary people gaze upon it with the fear of weak rabbits encountering a fierce tiger, their courage shattered and their guts torn apart.

"At the True Image Realm, Every Move shakes the earth, collapses mountains, and suppresses rivers. One may enter and leave as a great general.

"At the Young Dragon Realm, a person is like a heavenly dragon, able to break free from heaven and earth's shackles. With a single leap, one can soar three thousand zhang into the clouds, becoming a nation's Martial Saint.

"As for Furnace and Rainbow Transformation, I do not know much. I have only heard that at Rainbow Transformation, one can Turned Into a flying rainbow with the physical body and ascend in feathered transformation.

"Actually, after Skin, Flesh, Bone, and Blood, there should be another gate: the Five Viscera and Six Entrails Gate. But once the Five Viscera and Six Entrails Gate is broken, one enters the initial Galloping Horse Realm, where one can hold back galloping horses. Therefore, the two realms are usually spoken of together."

Was martial cultivation in this world really this formidable?

Liang Qu did not know whether those descriptions contained any exaggeration, but they certainly sounded incredibly impressive.

"Then what realm is Master Yang in?"

"Hunting Tiger."

"Hunting Tiger!?"

Liang Qu's pupils constricted slightly. There was a Hunting Tiger strongman in a tiny place like Ping Yang Town? Could martial cultivation be easy to break through, as common as cabbages? Hu Qi smiled. "Junior Brother, do you know that there are three Martial Arts Schools in Ping Yang Town?"

"I do."

"The other two remain in Ping Yang Town because they are only capable of opening schools here. Master Yang remains in Ping Yang Town only because this is his hometown."

Liang Qu suddenly realized. So it was the difference between a hundred points and ninety-nine? Martial cultivation in this world was far stronger than he had imagined, and he looked forward to breaking through more and more.

As for Damocles' Master Zhao, who had once hung over his head—what kind of pathetic old nobody was that?