At the border between Great Zhou and the Western Regions, outside Shengyang Pass, stood Town West Mountain.
It had been bustling lately.
First, Lin Ze, the owner of the Zhiyuan Trading Company, had demanded that the various powers of the Western Regions come here to pay their respects, only to be ignored. Then, the Western Regions' greatest power, the Dawnlight Sect, had been wiped out overnight, and even Chen Yang, a Peerless Expert, had been found lying dead in the wilderness.
And now, the many great powers of the Western Regions had finally sensed the deadly threat and chosen to yield.
During the several days that the Western Regions' major powers had knelt here, begging for forgiveness, spies from all the great powers under heaven had gathered to witness at the earliest opportunity what the man who had made the entire Western Regions struggle to breathe all by himself—Lin Ze—was like.
At the summit of Town West Mountain lay a broad platform.
In the center of the platform, the kings of the six Western Regions nations, along with the leaders of Heavenly Water Gate and Yellow Sand Gate, were all prostrate on the ground, waiting for Lin Ze to appear.
Subordinates of the various Western Regions powers maintained order nearby, along with martial artists who had come to watch and spies from the great powers. These Western Regions overlords didn't dare drive them away, because allowing them to witness their humiliation was part of their submission to Lin Ze.
Under the gaze of countless onlookers, Lin Ze appeared at Town West Mountain.
He opened a door and stepped out in an unoccupied spot on the mountain. Then, as if he were strolling on a spring outing, he made his way toward the summit, finally stopping a short distance from the kneeling overlords of the great powers.
No one needed to introduce him. Everyone present recognized Lin Ze.
At first, no one had cared what Lin Ze looked like. But in recent days, after he had wiped out the Dawnlight Sect overnight, people had taken a keen interest in information about him.
His industries in Fengping County, his feat of sweeping away bandits throughout the Distant Moon Mountain Range, and now his record of destroying the Dawnlight Sect.
The name Thunderbolt Young Master Lin Ze had spread across the land as a result.
"Greetings, Lord Lin."
"We were blind and failed to recognize Your Lordship's peerless divine skills, and so we neglected you. We've come today to beg your forgiveness."
The great powers of the Western Regions knelt and kowtowed to Lin Ze, their voices respectful as they welcomed his arrival.
By now, the many great powers of the Western Regions were scared out of their wits by Lin Ze. The Dawn Gate might not have been on the level of a Martial Arts Holy Land, but it was still one of the top powers among the renowned sects.
Lin Ze had wiped out the entire Dawn Gate in an extremely short time, and even Peerless Expert Chen Yang hadn't escaped.
Defeating a renowned sect was easy enough. But to do it as cleanly and decisively as this would take at least ten Peerless Experts acting together, or multiple experts at the Celestial Realm, to achieve the same efficiency without suffering any losses.
At first, the many great powers of the Western Regions had thought, Even if I have to kneel, I'll kneel to the Great Zhou court. Lin Ze is making such a spectacle of himself that he's asking for death. Surely experts from Great Zhou will deal with him.
But later, word came from Great Zhou that Lin Ze had acted on the court's orders this time.
That left everyone helpless. Lin Ze possessed incredibly terrifying combat power, and the power behind him was just as frightening.
It was precisely this terrifying display of force that had made the great powers of the Western Regions choose to back down.
"Since you've shown such sincerity, I'll forgive you."
"From today on, the trade route from Shengyang Pass to the Western Regions will be taken over by the Crescent Moon Escort Agency under the Zhiyuan Trading Company."
"Any merchant caravan carrying the Crescent Moon Escort Agency's banner may travel this route. You must not make things difficult for them; you must also provide protection. If anything goes wrong, I'll hold you responsible. Of course, I'm not asking you to work for nothing. At the end of the year, the Crescent Moon Escort Agency will give you thirty percent of the profits from selling its banners."
"Someone under my command will come to discuss the details with you soon."
Lin Ze spoke in an even tone.
To pacify the Western Regions, he had first used force to make them understand who had the final say.
That was the first step.
Next came turning the trade route's advantages into profit while ensuring that it remained stable and open over the long term.
Lin Ze's chosen way to do this was to sell banners.
The Western Regions' powers couldn't rob caravans carrying the Crescent Moon Escort Agency's banner. They would also have to provide protection whenever such caravans passed through their territory.
Under the threat of Lin Ze's overwhelming force, the nations of the Western Regions would certainly obey for a while. But as time passed, the deterrent Lin Ze represented would fade, and the various powers would become lax.
To keep them motivated, Lin Ze had decided to give them thirty percent of the profits.
Only a combination of favor and force could ensure that the trade route remained open in the long term.
Within Great Zhou, the Crescent Moon Escort Agency would pay taxes to the court. It had also helped pacify the Western Regions, reducing military expenses, so the court wouldn't object to the agency. In this way, the interests of all sides had been taken into account.
"We obey."
The leaders of the many Western Regions powers all agreed to Lin Ze's terms.
The martial artists watching nearby and the spies from the great powers heard every word of the conversation between Lin Ze and the Western Regions' major powers.
Many marveled at Lin Ze's dominance and strength, and they also smelled a business opportunity in the exchange.
If Lin Ze could guarantee the absolute safety of merchant caravans, traveling through the Western Regions would let them cut back on security costs and save a great deal of money. They could make a steady fortune.
Many spies thought to themselves that they had to report the news to their masters as soon as possible.
In fact, Lin Ze had announced this in front of everyone precisely to attract merchant caravans from the great powers to use this trade route through the Western Regions. Only then could he earn a steady stream of profits from it.
"All right, get up. That's enough; you can all leave."
The discussion ended there, and Lin Ze told the leaders of the great powers, who had been kneeling for a long time, to rise.
He then prepared to leave.
Just then, an unexpected event suddenly occurred.
"Heh, a bunch of people got bluffed by a little brat who hasn't even reached the Essence Solidification realm."
"Watch as this old man kills the so-called Thunderbolt Young Master, famed across the land, and makes a name for himself in the martial world."
"Little brat, remember this: the one who kills you is Dan Mountain Hermit You Wei."
A wild laugh rang out. Then a martial artist who looked to be in his forties or fifties, dressed in rags and filthy from head to toe, lunged toward Lin Ze.
He moved incredibly fast. When he spoke his first words, he was still in the distant woods. By the time his last words fell, he had already reached Lin Ze.
Bang! Bang! Bang!
A dense burst of gunfire rang out.
Before the gunshots had even faded, You Wei's head had already burst apart like a rotten watermelon.
His headless corpse hit the ground and tumbled several times, spraying blood everywhere.
He was just a martial artist at the Essence Solidification realm. How dare he act so arrogantly?
Lin Ze didn't look at the corpse on the ground. His cool gaze fell on the leaders of the Western Regions' great powers, who had just stood up.
When they saw the assassin, they hadn't made the slightest move to help. Did they think he didn't need protection, or were they trying to take advantage of the situation to test him?
The people who had just stood up dropped to their knees again with a thump.
"Lord Lin, we had absolutely nothing to do with this! The assassin has no connection to us. I know this Dan Mountain Hermit. He belongs to the Beggar Clan and makes his living stealing chickens, forcing people to buy and sell, and trafficking people. He's always been arrogant and domineering, and he's not very bright."
The king of Fengrong Country was the first to deny any responsibility.
"We haven't eaten in a long time and are weak from hunger. We didn't react in time and failed to protect Your Lordship, giving you a fright. Please forgive us."
The leader of Heavenly Water Gate was more perceptive. He knew what had angered Lin Ze and hurried to apologize and explain.
Beside him, the leader of Yellow Sand Gate tried to make amends. "Rest assured, Lord. I'll go back and seize the family and disciples of this Dan Mountain Hermit to offer to you as an apology. No, I'll seize every beggar and offer them to you."
Only then did Lin Ze nod in satisfaction. "My industries are in urgent need of labor. Not just beggars—send me any surplus unemployed people in your countries as well."
At the same time, Lin Ze was thinking things over.
Once the textile mills and mines were up and running, they would have an almost limitless demand for labor.
When that time came, he could have Emperor Ji Yuan of Great Zhou order every beggar in the country to be sent over. First, this would reduce the number of people who kidnapped and trafficked others, lowering the crime rate. Second, it would make up for the labor shortage. Third, it would give the beggars a livelihood.
It would achieve several goals at once. Not only could he make money from the factories and mines, he could also harvest a good deal of fortune.
With matters at Town West Mountain settled, the next thing to do was return to Fengping County.
In the eyes of the world, Lin Ze still needed some time to travel back to Fengping County from the border. Taking advantage of this, Lin Ze returned to the Two Realms Trade Base in Big Stone Village in the Main World.
After briefly dealing with some messages, Lin Ze opened a door again and connected to Heavenly Water Gate, beginning to observe the martial arts fanatic he had chosen as a test subject.
Recently, this martial arts fanatic had obtained the "Aperture Opening Method" and "Essence Solidification Nine Revolutions." He had become utterly absorbed in his studies, and once he had finished researching them, he'd thrown himself into cultivation, neglecting food and sleep.
As Lin Ze watched him, he found that the martial arts fanatic hadn't run into any problems from practicing the two secret arts. On the contrary, he was brimming with vitality, and his cultivation was advancing rapidly.
To make up for the qi and blood he quickly burned through while cultivating, the martial arts fanatic had also been boiling Spiritual Medicine and taking it.
Through the Gates to Heavens, Lin Ze sprayed a little ether into the martial arts fanatic's room, knocking him out. Then he entered the room and began examining him.
"He seems fine."
Lin Ze sent a thread of Inner Breath into the martial arts fanatic's pulse. He could clearly feel that the man's internal organs, meridians, and apertures were all healthy, with no side effects from cultivating the two secret arts.
Having finished the examination, Lin Ze decided to leave.
As for the two secret arts he had given the martial arts fanatic, Lin Ze had no intention of taking them back. He'd consider them payment for serving as a test subject.
Back in his own room, Lin Ze shut down the Gates to Heavens and finally decided to begin cultivating the two secret arts Ji Qingyan had given him.
"But before that, I need to condense my Inner Breath and turn my internal force into True Qi."
Lin Ze murmured to himself, sat cross-legged, and began focusing on circulating his energy.
He had been at the peak of the Vein Opening realm for some time. During this period, his flesh, muscles, bones, and internal organs had all been undergoing a transformation.
Now, that transformation had finally reached its final stages.
He hadn't tested whether his body had truly become as strong as bronze sinews and iron bones, impervious to ordinary blades, spears, and crossbow bolts. But there was no doubt that his body was brimming with strength.
As Lin Ze focused on circulating his energy, he clearly felt the Inner Breath that filled his meridians and apertures condensing and compressing. Gradually, it changed from having substance but no form to having both substance and form. Streams of frost-white Inner Breath appeared in his meridians and apertures.
Lin Ze had been able to achieve this before, but his body hadn't finished transforming, and his physical strength hadn't been enough.
After a while, his Inner Breath would disperse and return to its previous state of having substance but no form. But now Lin Ze's body was strong enough. It could produce ample qi and blood to nourish his Inner Breath, allowing all the Inner Breath throughout his body to complete its transformation.
As time passed, the Inner Breath in Lin Ze's body transformed one stream after another. In the end, it all turned into frost-white Inner Breath, flowing through his meridians and apertures. Under the constant nourishment of his qi and blood, it finally stabilized.
Lin Ze opened his eyes and pointed two fingers like a sword straight ahead.
A visible streak of frost-white sword light spread out, slicing a glass of water placed a short distance in front of him cleanly in two.
"Not bad. I can already project True Qi."
"The rest of cultivation in the Essence Solidification realm is about continuously increasing the amount of Inner Breath and condensing it to an even more powerful degree. Once the True Qi undergoes another transformation, I can refine qi into spirit to strengthen my spiritual power and comprehend an intent."
"That's the cultivation of the Essence Solidification and Spirit Accumulation realms. Now I can try out the two secret arts I got from Ji Qingyan."
Lin Ze sensed the state of his body.
He found that the strength of his Inner Breath had undergone a tremendous transformation compared to before. He could project it to harm enemies, and circulating it through his body could also produce an extremely powerful force.
With his powerful Inner Breath and transformed physique, Lin Ze could kill hundreds of Armored Soldiers without suffering a scratch. He wondered how much his combat power would increase after he finished cultivating the two secret arts.
Soon, Lin Ze gathered his thoughts, swallowed a bottle of Marrow Cleansing Qi Strengthening Pills, and began practicing the Aperture Opening Method, one of the two secret arts.
The Aperture Opening Method involved cultivating every aperture in the body in depth.
Normally, more than half of a martial artist's Inner Breath was stored in the Dantian Qi Sea, while a smaller portion circulated through the meridians throughout the body. Only a tiny amount flowed through the other apertures.
The Aperture Opening Method involved cultivating every aperture in the body in depth, enabling them to hold and store more Inner Breath. This greatly increased the limit of one's True Qi and internal force, further developing the body's potential and making one's physique even stronger.
According to the Aperture Opening Method, if one thoroughly cultivated all the body's more than one thousand apertures, the amount of Inner Breath one could hold would be more than ten times that of a martial artist at the same level.
As Lin Ze began cultivating, the medicinal power of the pills he had taken was rapidly absorbed. One aperture after another was opened and strengthened through cultivation, and the amount of Inner Breath grew at a visible rate. It was clear the secret art wasn't exaggerating.
After one day, Lin Ze had completed the opening and strengthening of eight apertures, and his Inner Breath had increased.
At this rate, he would be able to finish cultivating the entire Aperture Opening Method in about three or four months.
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