Five Gates

Time flows like water, years fly like a shuttle.

In the blink of an eye, another ten-plus days have passed.

"The last portion of Red Jade Rice!"

Fang Yuan tilted his head back and finished the last of the Red Jade Spirit Rice porridge, feeling a warm current of Qi spread throughout his body.

He glanced at his status panel.

"Hmm... Black Sand Palm fourth layer, proficiency already at 99%?"

Even though the Flower Fox Ferret had acknowledged his strength to travel to the land of Spiritual Fertilizer, Fang Yuan still wanted to add a little more insurance for himself.

With his diligent practice over these past ten-plus days, he had not only trained Black Sand Palm to near perfection, but had also begun to get a handle on Eagle Claw Iron Cloth Shirt. Because he had already broken through the first four stages, and his foundation was solid, his progress in practicing it was like breaking through bamboo.

"Unlike Black Sand Palm, Iron Cloth Shirt's defense is very comprehensive and balanced. The land of Spiritual Fertilizer will surely be dangerous. Having an extra hard skill to protect myself can't hurt!"

Fang Yuan muttered, then suddenly called out, "Flower Fox Ferret!"

"Hiss hiss!"

With a hiss, a white shadow suddenly appeared in the arena, which was none other than the Flower Fox Ferret.

However, when faced with Fang Yuan's challenge, it seemed a little fearful.

After all, during the sparring sessions these past few days, Fang Yuan's 'craziness' had truly frightened it, and being swept by the poisonous wind of Black Sand Palm was not a pleasant experience.

"Haha... Next time the spirit rice ripens, I'll let you eat your fill, how about that?"

Seeing this, Fang Yuan immediately used the temptation of Red Jade Spirit Rice.

"Hiss hiss!"

Upon hearing this, the Flower Fox Ferret's eyes lit up, and it pounced forward.

"Good one!"

Fang Yuan faced it with a solemn expression, his hands moving like black windmills, striking out in a continuous barrage, stirring up black whirlwinds.

"Whoosh whoosh!!!"

After an unknown amount of time, the Flower Fox Ferret let out a strange cry and leaped out of the combat circle, looking at the figure in the center with trepidation.

"So... the fifth layer of Black Sand Palm is returning to simplicity!"

Fang Yuan looked at his hands.

The previously bulging veins on his hands had returned to normal, now appearing white and crystalline. Not only his palms, but also his arms, which had grown thicker, now appeared slender.

Yet, he could still feel an astonishing internal Qi surging through his meridians and acupoints.

Although they looked normal, their destructive power was several times greater than at the fourth layer!

He looked at his status panel and saw that the description for Black Sand Palm had completely changed:

"Black Sand Palm [Fifth Layer] -- Outer sect technique, has reached peak realm, returning to simplicity. Palms are harder than steel, capable of shattering metal and jade, with enhanced poison and internal Qi!"

"Internal Qi?!"

Fang Yuan could indeed feel a more intense internal Qi filling his hands, then flowing along his arms and chest, all the way to his lower abdomen, like a small furnace, where something was being nurtured.

"After internal Qi comes condensing it into one stream, which is internal force! This is also the essence of the sixth gate, the Gate of Injury... However, if the breakthrough fails, the whole body will be injured, and death is even possible!"

Martial arts at this point had entered deep waters, where a moment of carelessness could lead to the shipwreck and the death of all on board.

"But now..."

Fang Yuan closed his eyes and took a deep breath.

Crack!

The furnace in his lower abdomen churned, and a distinct barrier shattered.

"The fifth gate of martial arts is achieved!"

At this point, less than two months had passed since Fang Yuan began practicing martial arts, yet he had already broken through five gates, surpassing even the most heaven-blessed prodigies!

"This is mainly due to the system's proficiency, and of course, the aid of Red Jade Rice, Spirit Tea, and so on!"

Fang Yuan did not become complacent and looked at his stats:

"Name: Fang Yuan Essence: 2.7 Qi: 2.5 Spirit: 1.5 Age: 18 Cultivation: Martial Arts Fifth Gate Skills: Black Sand Palm [Fifth Layer], Eagle Claw Iron Cloth Shirt [Third Layer] Specialties: Medical Skill [Level 2], Planting Skill [Level 3]"

"Eagle Claw Iron Cloth Shirt -- An internal and external cultivation technique, complete and flawless, can be cultivated to the Great Perfection of the twelfth gate. Upon Great Accomplishment, the entire body is like being encased in an iron cloth, impervious to water and fire, difficult for blades and swords to wound, with an accompanying Eagle Claw internal force! Currently at the third layer!"

"As martial arts break through to the later stages, the amplification becomes more terrifying. Just the fifth gate alone brought me a 0.5 increase in both Essence Yuan and Qi Yuan. It's a shame... there's no Spirit Yuan..."

At this point, Fang Yuan also realized that Spirit Yuan seemed to be the most difficult to improve among the three flowers of Essence, Qi, and Spirit.

His previous rapid progress was likely entirely due to the effects of Heart-Questioning Spirit Tea and the Sitting-Forgetting Tea Ceremony.

"The martial path becomes increasingly difficult as it progresses. Breaking through the Gate of Injury is extremely prone to backlash, and the subsequent Gate of Shock tests the martial artist's Spirit Yuan. Shocking the Spirit! Shocking the Spirit! Once a martial artist's Spirit Yuan is weak and they are backlashed by the Gate of Shock, becoming a lunatic or an imbecile can happen in minutes..."

With the Gui Ling Heart Method and the Eagle Claw Iron Cloth Shirt, Fang Yuan no longer had any doubts about the Twelve Gates of Golden Lock and Heavy Tower.

Of course, in terms of danger, these two gates were nowhere near comparable to the last gate of the Three Dangerous Gates—the Gate of Death!

Even if the Gate of Injury and the Gate of Shock breakthroughs fail and result in backlash, there is still a slim chance of survival. As long as one is alive, there is hope for recovery!

But the Gate of Death offers no chance of a do-over if one fails; it means death, absolutely no second chances!

Because of this, even seasoned martial arts masters like Song Zhong would not dare to attempt such a realm without a ten-tenths certainty!

"And Zhou Tong, who already has the cultivation of the peak of the fifth gate and possesses the Iron Cloth Shirt secret manual, still doesn't dare to attempt the Gate of Injury... With such a disposition, his life is over!"

Fang Yuan shook his head, feeling quite disdainful.

Possessing a divine technique manual but not daring to cultivate it, could there be anyone more foolish?

Even if Zhou Tong had his own difficulties, such as the Zhou Family's glory resting entirely on him, and he couldn't afford any harm.

But the price is that now, when encountering true martial arts masters, he can only respond with trepidation, letting others do as they please.

'However, according to many seniors in the books and my own observations and deductions, these Three Dangerous Gates, while seemingly terrifying, actually test the martial artist's physical fitness... If the three flowers of Essence, Qi, and Spirit are abundant, the so-called Three Dangerous Gates are nothing more than a broad and smooth road!'

It was precisely for this reason that Fang Yuan was determined to obtain the Spiritual Fertilizer.

Only with sufficient Spirit Tea and Spirit Rice could his Essence, Qi, and Spirit be pushed to a horrifying level, thereby breaking through the bottleneck of the Three Dangerous Gates in one fell swoop.

"Perfect, I'll prepare to set off today!"

Fang Yuan slung a bamboo basket over his shoulder, called the Flower Fox Ferret, and headed outside the valley.

In the original Zhou Family camp, Zhou Wenxin's figure had already disappeared.

'The Zhou Family servant came yesterday with news about Song Zhong. The other party doesn't seem particularly deranged, so Old Master Zhou is slightly relieved. Coupled with the fact that Miss Zhou was emaciated from torment and nagged him incessantly, she finally went back. It's good this way, saving me trouble!'

Fang Yuan, dressed in a green robe, breathed a sigh of relief.

After all, they were from the same sect. Song Zhong, grieving the loss of his son in his old age, was madly seeking revenge on his old enemies, but he still had some reservations and didn't dare to commit egregious acts.

Otherwise, no matter how high his position, he was still just an elder of the Gui Ling Sect, not someone who couldn't be dealt with.

"The traces I left behind are definitely minimal. As long as I don't expose my current martial arts, especially the cultivation of Black Sand Palm, how many people can suspect me..."

Fang Yuan was quite confident about this.

The safer the Zhou Family was, the safer he was.

And as long as he delayed enough time for him to fully grow, what would these things matter?

"This time... it's up to you, Flower Fox Ferret!"

Fang Yuan patted the Flower Fox Ferret's head, and the man and beast quickly plunged into the jungle, disappearing in an instant.

Qingye City.

"Trash!"

With Song Zhong's angry roar, Song San immediately vomited blood and flew backward, rolling on the ground in a sorry state.

"I want information on all Black Sand Palm experts in the prefecture, and you've spent so much time only to get this little clue..."

Song Zhong stepped forward, looking at the still-vomiting Song San, his expression growing grim.

"Master, spare me!"

Song San repeatedly kowtowed and begged for mercy. "Black Sand Palm is too widely spread, and there are several poisonous palm techniques that are similar... I think..."

Bang!

Before he could finish speaking, he was kicked heavily again. "Are you saying Yu Jie misidentified him? That his judgment was flawed?"

"This disciple wouldn't dare!"

Song San clutched his chest, not even daring to cry out in pain. "...My junior brother naturally has discerning eyes, but it's possible that the servants made mistakes in their haste and misheard something... Please give me more time, Master!"

"Hmph, get lost!"

Following Song Zhong's roar, Song San scrambled away from the courtyard in a panic, but as soon as he turned around, his eyes were filled with gloom.

"Master!"

After Song San left, a female disciple gracefully entered and bowed respectfully to Song Zhong. "Disciple has made arrangements as you instructed. That Zhou Tong has let down his guard and recalled his previous disciples..."

"Very good!"

Song Zhong's expression finally softened a little upon hearing this, but he looked even more sinister. "When his precious son returns, we'll catch them all in one net!"

"However... Master, the Zhou Family is not like the Kou Family Village. They are still members of our sect! And it has been confirmed that when Junior Brother Yu Jie died, he was suffering from the poison of Lover's Intoxication and was completely uninvolved..."

The female disciple's face showed a hint of hesitation.

"...So what?"

Song Zhong asked with a sideways glance, "Do you think I don't know? It was his Lover's Intoxication, and our doing. And recently, he's been actively contacting the elders of his faction, saying I've made this place a living hell for the people..."

"If I don't kill this chicken to warn the others, what else can I do?"

The Female Disciple fell silent upon hearing this.

After a long pause, she finally said, "If we do this, won't we be cutting ourselves off from the sect?"

"Heh heh..."

Song Zhong gave a sinister smile, "Who says the Zhou Family was destroyed by me? It was completely the work of a passing one-legged bandit. Anyway, as long as they can't find any evidence, will anyone punish an elder for a mere outside steward?"

He's gone mad!

The Female Disciple couldn't help but shudder. She knew that ever since her beloved son died, her Master had become increasingly extreme.

"Jie'er..."

Song Zhong, completely oblivious, continued to mutter to himself, "Don't worry, not a single one of the people you hated will escape. And the things you liked, Father will personally bring them to you..."

Sunlight streamed down, casting half a shadow across Song Zhong's face, making him look like a dancing demon