[Various Countries Submit, Breakthrough to Essence Solidification, Opening Apertures]

At the junction of the Great Zhou and the Western Regions, Town West Mountain outside Shengyang Pass.

It's been quite lively here recently.

First, Lin Ze, the owner of the Zhi Yuan Merchant Guild, demanded that the Western Regions forces come here to pay respects, but was ignored. Then, the Dawnlight Sect, the largest force in the Western Regions, was exterminated overnight, and even Chen Yang, a Peerless Expert, was found dead in the wilderness.

And now, the various major forces in the Western Regions finally feel a fatal threat and choose to yield.

During the days when the major forces of the Western Regions knelt here begging for forgiveness, scouts from all major forces in the world gathered here, wanting to see with their own eyes what kind of demeanor Lin Ze, who single-handedly suppressed the entire Western Regions, possessed.

At the summit of Town West Mountain, there is a wide platform.

In the center of the platform, the kings of the six Western Region countries, the Heavenly Water Gate Master, and the Yellow Sand Gate Master are all prostrate on the ground, waiting for Lin Ze to appear.

Around them, subordinates of the various Western Region forces are maintaining order, along with Martial World people watching the excitement and scouts from various forces. These Western Region overlords dare not expel these people, because letting them witness their embarrassing appearance is also part of the content of their submission to Lin Ze.

Amidst the attention of the crowd, Lin Ze appeared on Town West Mountain.

He appeared out of thin air in an uninhabited place on Town West Mountain, and then walked towards the summit as if on a spring outing, finally stopping not far from the kneeling overlords of the major forces.

Without anyone introducing him, everyone present recognized Lin Ze's appearance.

At first, no one cared what Lin Ze looked like, but in recent days, with Lin Ze's annihilation of the Dawnlight Sect overnight, information about him has been widely scrutinized.

The industries in Fengping County, the achievements of sweeping away the bandits in the Distant Moon Mountain Range, plus the current record of destroying the Dawnlight Sect.

The name of Thunderbolt Young Master Lin Ze has thus spread throughout the world.

"Greetings, Lord Lin."

"We were blind and ignorant the other day, not recognizing your Lordship's unparalleled divine skills, which led to negligence. Today, we have come here specifically to plead guilty."

The major forces of the Western Regions knelt and kowtowed to Lin Ze, their voices respectful and welcoming his arrival.

At present, the major forces in the Western Regions have been frightened by Lin Ze. Although the Dawnlight Sect cannot be called a Martial Arts Holy Land-level force, it can be regarded as a top force among famous sects.

Lin Ze annihilated the entire Dawnlight Sect in an extremely short period of time, and even the Peerless Expert Chen Yang could not escape.

Defeating a famous sect is easy, but to achieve such a clean and neat result, it would require at least ten Peerless Experts to take action together, or multiple Heaven and Man realm experts, to achieve the same efficiency without any losses.

Originally, many major forces in the Western Regions were thinking, even if I kneel, I will kneel to the Great Zhou court. Your Lin Ze is so high-profile that you are courting death, and naturally there will be experts from Great Zhou to deal with you.

But later, news came from the Great Zhou side that Lin Ze's actions this time were entrusted by the court.

This made everyone helpless. Lin Ze not only had extremely terrifying combat power, but the forces behind him were also frightening.

It was precisely because of this terrifying violent deterrence that the major forces in the Western Regions chose to admit defeat.

"Well, considering your sincerity, I will forgive you."

"From today onwards, this trade route from Shengyang Pass to the Western Regions will be taken over by the Crescent Moon Escort Agency under the Zhi Yuan Merchant Guild."

"All merchant teams holding the Crescent Moon Escort Agency banner passing through the trade route must not be harassed by you and must be provided with protection. Otherwise, if there is a problem, I will hold you accountable. Of course, I will not let you work for nothing. At the end of the year, 30% of the profits from the Crescent Moon Escort Agency's sale of banners will be distributed to you."

"Recently, a steward under my command will come to discuss the specific matters with you."

Lin Ze said calmly.

Pacify the Western Regions, conquer them with force, and let them know who has the final say.

This is the first step.

Next is to realize the benefits of this trade route and maintain its stability and smooth operation in the long term.

Lin Ze's chosen method of monetization is to sell the banner.

Trade caravans with the Crescent Moon Escort Agency banner cannot be robbed by various forces in the Western Regions, and they must also provide corresponding protection when the caravan passes through their territory.

Relying on Lin Ze's violent deterrence, the countries in the Western Regions will definitely not dare to violate it in a short period of time, but as time passes, the deterrence brought by Lin Ze will decrease, and many forces will become complacent.

In order to mobilize their enthusiasm, Lin Ze chose to share 30% of the profits with them.

Only this kind of combination of kindness and power can ensure the long-term smooth flow of this trade route.

Within Great Zhou, the Crescent Moon Escort Agency will pay taxes to the imperial court and help quell the Western Regions issue, reducing military expenditures. They will not have any objections to the Crescent Moon Escort Agency either, which can be said to take care of the interests of all parties.

"As you command."

The high-level officials of various forces in the Western Regions agreed to Lin Ze.

Lin Ze's conversation with the major forces in the Western Regions was clearly heard by the onlookers from the Martial World and the spies from various forces.

Many people were amazed by Lin Ze's domineering and powerful nature, and they also smelled business opportunities from the conversation between the two sides.

If Lin Ze can guarantee the absolute safety of the caravan, then they can reduce a lot of security expenses when traveling to the Western Regions, save a lot of costs, and make a stable profit.

Many spies thought to themselves that they must quickly report this news to their masters.

In fact, the reason why Lin Ze said this in public was to attract various forces to send caravans to take this trade route in the Western Regions, so that he could take the opportunity to earn a steady stream of profits.

"Alright, get up, everyone disperse."

The conversation ended here, and Lin Ze asked the high-level officials of the major forces who had been kneeling for a long time to get up.

Then, he prepared to leave.

At this moment, however, a sudden change occurred.

"Hey, a group of people are being fooled by a little brat who doesn't even have Essence Solidification cultivation."

"Let's see how this old man kills this famous so-called Thunderbolt Young Master today, and also makes a name for himself in the Martial World."

"Little brat, remember, the one who killed you is Dan Mountain Hermit You Wei."

A maniacal laugh sounded, and then a martial artist who looked forty or fifty years old, with ragged clothes and dirty body, rushed towards Lin Ze's location.

His movements were extremely fast. He was still in the distance in the forest when he said the first sentence. By the time the last sentence fell, he had already pounced in front of Lin Ze.

Bang bang bang!

Dense gunshots rang out.

Before the gunshots spread, You Wei's head had already exploded like a rotten watermelon.

A headless corpse fell to the ground, rolled several times, and sprayed a lot of blood.

A martial artist in the Essence Solidification realm dared to be arrogant.

Lin Ze didn't look at the corpses on the ground, his cold gaze turned to the high-level figures of the various Western Regions forces who had just scrambled to their feet.

Did these people see that the assassin had no intention of helping and think that he didn't need guards, or did they want to take the opportunity to test him?

These people who had just stood up, knelt down again with a thump.

"Lord Lin, this matter has absolutely nothing to do with us! This assassin has nothing to do with us. I know this Dan Mountain Hermit, he's from the Beggar Clan, usually making a living by stealing chickens and dogs, coercing sales, and trafficking people. He's used to being arrogant and domineering, and has no brains."

The King of Fengrong Country was the first to disclaim responsibility.

"We haven't eaten for a long time, and we are physically weak. We didn't react in time, and the guards were not timely, causing Lord Lin to be frightened. Please forgive us."

The Heavenly Water Gate Sect Master was more perceptive, knowing what Lin Ze was angry about, and quickly apologized and explained.

Beside him, the Yellow Sand Gate Sect Master added, "Lord Lin, please rest assured, I will go back and capture all the family members and disciples of this Dan Mountain Hermit to apologize to you. No, all the beggars will be captured to apologize to you."

Lin Ze nodded in satisfaction upon hearing this, and said, "My industries happen to be in urgent need of a large amount of labor. Not only beggars, but also the surplus unemployed population in your countries can be sent to me later."

At the same time, Lin Ze was also thinking in his heart.

Later, when the textile factory and the mines are opened, there will be an almost infinite demand for labor.

At that time, he can order the Great Zhou Emperor Ji Yuan to send all the beggars in the country, firstly to reduce these people's trafficking in people and reduce the crime rate, secondly to make up for the shortage of labor, and thirdly to give them a livelihood.

Such a move would achieve multiple goals, not only making money from factories and mines, but also reaping a lot of Luck.

With the matter at Town West Mountain settled, the next step is to return to Fengping County.

In the eyes of the world, it would still take some time for Lin Ze to rush back to Fengping County from the border. Taking advantage of this time, Lin Ze returned to the Two Realms Trade Base in Big Stone Village in the Main World.

After slightly processing the information, Lin Ze opened the Gates to Heavens again, connected to the Heavenly Water Gate, and began to observe the martial arts fanatic he had chosen as a guinea pig.

Recently, this martial arts fanatic obtained the Aperture Opening Method and the Essence Solidification Nine Revolutions, and the whole person has entered a state of extreme concentration. After completing the research, he directly entered a state of forgetting to eat and sleep in his cultivation.

Lin Ze observed this martial arts fanatic and found that he did not have any problems due to cultivating these two secret methods. On the contrary, his spirit was full and his cultivation progressed quickly.

In order to make up for the rapid consumption of Qi and blood in his cultivation, this martial arts fanatic was also decocting Spiritual Medicine to take.

Lin Ze sprayed a little ether into the martial arts fanatic's room through the Gates to Heavens, directly anesthetizing him. Then, he entered his room and began to check his body.

"It looks like there really is no problem."

A wisp of Lin Ze's Inner Breath probed the martial arts fanatic's pulse, and he could clearly feel that his internal organs, meridians, and acupoints were very healthy, and there were no sequelae caused by cultivating the two secret methods.

After the examination, Lin Ze decided to leave.

As for the two secret methods given to this martial arts fanatic, Lin Ze did not intend to take them back, considering them as his reward for helping as a guinea pig.

Returning to his room, Lin Ze closed the Gates to Heavens, and finally decided to start cultivating the two secret methods given by Ji Qingyan himself.

"But before that, I have to condense my Inner Breath and transform Inner Strength into True Qi."

Lin Ze muttered in his heart, sitting cross-legged and began to concentrate on circulating his energy for cultivation.

It has been a while since he broke through to the peak of the Vein Opening realm. During this time, Lin Ze's flesh, bones, tendons, and internal organs have been in a state of transformation.

Now, this transformation is finally coming to an end.

Although he hasn't tested it and doesn't know if he has really become like copper tendons and iron bones, and ordinary knives, guns, crossbows, and arrows can hardly hurt him, there is no doubt that his physique is full of power.

As Lin Ze began to focus on circulating his energy, he could clearly feel the Inner Breath that filled his meridians and acupoints condensing and compressing, gradually transforming from an intangible substance to a tangible one. Numerous frost-white Inner Breaths appeared within Lin Ze's meridians and acupoints.

Lin Ze could achieve this step before, but because his body had not completed its transformation and his physical strength was insufficient.

The Inner Breath would often dissipate after a while, reverting to its previous intangible state. However, Lin Ze's physical strength was now sufficient, capable of generating ample Qi and blood to nourish the Inner Breath, supporting the complete transformation of the Inner Breath throughout his body.

As time passed, the various Inner Breaths within Lin Ze's body successively completed their transformation, eventually turning into frost-white Inner Breath flowing through his meridians and acupoints, thoroughly stabilized under the constant nourishment of Qi and blood.

Lin Ze opened his eyes and pointed his fingers like a sword towards the front.

A visible frost-white sword light spread out, and a glass of water placed not far in front of Lin Ze was directly and neatly cut open.

"Not bad, I can already release True Qi."

"Next, the entire Essence Solidification realm cultivation is about continuously increasing the amount of Inner Breath, while refining it to a more powerful degree. When the True Qi undergoes further qualitative change, I can perform Qi Refining and Spirit Transformation to strengthen my spiritual intensity and comprehend artistic conceptions."

"This is the entire Essence Solidification and Spirit Accumulation realm cultivation. Now, I can start trying the two secret methods I obtained from Ji Qingyan."

Lin Ze sensed his physical state.

He discovered that the intensity of his Inner Breath had undergone a tremendous transformation compared to before. He could release it to injure enemies, and circulating it within his body could also generate extremely powerful and terrifying force.

With his current powerful Inner Breath, coupled with his transformed physique, Lin Ze could completely kill hundreds of Armored Soldiers without any damage. He wondered how much combat power improvement the completion of the two secret methods would bring.

Soon, Lin Ze calmed his mind, swallowed a bottle of Marrow Cleansing Qi Strengthening Pill, and began to cultivate the Aperture Opening Method among the two secret methods.

The so-called Aperture Opening Method is to conduct in-depth cultivation of the acupoints throughout the body.

Normally, most of a martial artist's Inner Breath exists in the Dantian Qi Sea, a small portion circulates in the meridians throughout the body, and only a very small amount flows through other acupoints.

The Aperture Opening Method is to conduct in-depth cultivation of all the acupoints throughout the body, so that they can accommodate and store more Inner Breath, greatly increasing one's True Qi Inner Strength limit, further developing the body's potential, and making one's physique stronger.

According to the description of the Aperture Opening Method, if all the more than a thousand acupoints in the body are cultivated in depth, the amount of Inner Breath will be more than ten times that of martial artists of the same level.

As Lin Ze began to cultivate, the medicinal power of the pills he swallowed was rapidly digested, and the acupoints were also being developed and cultivated to become stronger. The amount of Inner Breath was increasing at a speed visible to the naked eye, which shows that the secret method was not bragging.

A day passed, and Lin Ze completed the development and strengthening of eight acupoints, and his Inner Breath was somewhat enhanced.

If this progress continues, it will take about three to four months to complete the entire Aperture Opening Method cultivation.