Breaking Through the Gates

Early morning.

Fang Yuan came to the newly reclaimed Crimson Jade Rice Field and scattered the seeds of the Jade Spiritual Grass one by one.

"This Jade Grass doesn't have high demands when it comes to its growing environment. It can also strengthen Earth Qi and enrich the soil. Planting it beside the Crimson Jade Rice Field will complement both perfectly!"

Cultivating spiritual plants involved complicated steps. Fang Yuan focused intently, and only after nearly half an hour did he raise his head and wipe the fine sweat from his face.

"Phew... I've opened up several more acres of Crimson Jade Rice Field, and this plantation has reached its limit. If I want to expand production any further, the land strength throughout the Hidden Valley won't be enough... And it'll be far too easy for someone to discover!"

He could only sigh helplessly. "One day, I'm afraid I'll have to move the spiritual plants elsewhere!"

And where would that be? Naturally, Qingfeng Spiritual Land.

It was so well-hidden that even Martial Ancestor Zhen wouldn't notice it without searching thoroughly. The only trouble was the flock of Red-eyed White Birds.

Fang Yuan had already decided that once he came up with a way to deal with them, he would move all the secrets of the Hidden Valley there.

After all, he was different from his master, Heart-Questioning Hermit.

Lately, he had been standing out a little too much, basking in too much glory, which made him all too likely to attract prying eyes.

"But this Red Jade Spirit Rice is enough for me and the Flower Fox Ferret to enjoy at every meal. From now on, we can live on Spirit Rice!"

Fang Yuan stroked the Flower Fox Ferret's head beside him, a smile curling at the corners of his mouth.

Even within the Gui Ling Sect, no single person—not even Sect Leader Shi Yutong—had the final say over the spiritual lands. She had to balance the needs of the various factions, and even sell some produce outside the sect. Even Personal Disciples of the Sect Master had a set allowance, but it certainly wasn't much.

Fang Yuan guessed they either ate it once a week or saved it like a miraculous elixir to enjoy when pushing through a major barrier. How could they be as extravagant as he was?

He had probably consumed several times, even dozens of times, more Red Jade Rice than Lin Leyue!

Not even the entire Gui Ling Sect could afford to heap most of its Red Jade Rice onto one person like this.

Even Shi Yutong couldn't have imagined it. She only thought Fang Yuan had been lucky enough to eat some kind of Heavenly Material, Earthly Treasure.

But even spiritual pills were not naturally occurring, and were exceedingly precious. How could they meet the needs of the human body as well as eating Spirit Rice at every meal?

That was precisely why Fang Yuan's martial foundation was so terrifyingly robust. His Essence Yuan and Qi Yuan had risen at an extraordinary rate, like a rocket taking off.

"If an ordinary person broke through, the benefits might be far less than what I'm getting..."

Fang Yuan had also realized how powerful he was now. His attributes after being converted into numbers would likely far surpass those of ordinary martial artists at the same level.

"Of course, after the sixth gate, the Harm Gate, Internal Breath condenses into Inner Force. Things will be different then. Unless I maintain—or even increase—my supply of Red Jade Rice, others will catch up to this advantage sooner or later!"

That was bad news. It meant one of his advantages would gradually disappear. But as Fang Yuan gazed at the ridges before him, a brilliant smile spread across his face.

Was eating Red Jade Spirit Rice every day really so difficult?

He had more than just Red Jade Rice. Even the more precious Heart-Questioning Spirit Tea was his to drink whenever he pleased.

"The essence, qi, and spirit of a person are the Three Flowers Above the Head, and they're the most important... Essence Yuan is tangible and substantial, while Qi Yuan relies on Essence Yuan and can be traced to a certain extent. Only Divine Essence is the most elusive!"

"But an increase in Divine Essence has a striking effect in every way!"

His recent trip outside, along with several fights, had shown Fang Yuan the wonders of Divine Essence.

Though it couldn't directly be turned into combat strength, it let him anticipate his opponent's moves and gauge the outcome of a fight. It was practically unbeatable.

That was precisely why he had come to value Heart-Questioning Spirit Tea even more.

After finishing his work, Fang Yuan changed into a clean set of clothes and washed off the grime before preparing tea.

With his previous experience, he worked with greater ease and familiarity this time, and even made a few improvements.

First of all, he used different water.

Since ancient times, people had said that mountain water was best for brewing tea, river water came next, and well water was third.

Before, Fang Yuan had always brewed his tea with spring water from the Hidden Valley. It was sweet, pure, and of excellent quality. But after visiting Qingfeng Spiritual Land, he discovered an even better source.

This time, he used Spirit Spring Water that he had collected while replenishing his Spiritual Fertilizer.

Since this water came from a spiritual land, it was even better than top-quality mountain spring water. It was the finest of the fine!

Even the best water needed good teaware.

The set Fang Yuan used was a rare treasure Heart-Questioning Hermit had found years ago, and it was precious beyond measure.

Add to that the extraordinary tea itself, along with the boost from Fang Yuan's own Sitting-Forgetting Tea Ceremony...

By the time the tea was brewed, the Flower Fox Ferret couldn't take its eyes off it.

"Please!"

Fang Yuan swept his right hand and sent the teacup before the Flower Fox Ferret.

"Chirp, chirp!"

The Flower Fox Ferret pressed its little paws together in a bow, then sat cross-legged. Cradling the teacup in both paws, it carefully stuck out its little tongue and licked the tea. Its face was full of contentment.

Even Fang Yuan, who already knew how extraordinary the spirit tea was, couldn't help but feel a jolt at that expression.

"The Way of Sitting and Forgetting begins with sincerity of heart. Only with a sincere heart can one purify their thoughts, free from worry and sorrow, without life or beginning..."

He silently recited a few lines of scripture. A gleam flashed in his eyes, which turned crystal clear as the distracting thoughts in his mind were purified.

Then he raised the teacup to his lips and took a small sip.

"Mmm..."

The spirit tea slid into his belly, bringing a surge far stronger than before, sweeping over him like a raging tide.

Fang Yuan stared blankly, no longer knowing where he was.

Who knew how much time passed? The pot of spirit tea was drained without him noticing, and two trails of clear tears had appeared on Fang Yuan's cheeks.

"I used to think that a flower held a world and a blade of grass held a paradise was merely a myth. But now... is it one tea, one life?"

Fang Yuan wiped away his tears and fell silent for a long time.

As he savored the tea just now, he had seemed to relive his entire life. His whole Sea of Consciousness felt as if it had undergone a Shedding the Fetus and Changing the Bones.

It was simple enough for the physical body to undergo a rebirth, but how difficult was it for the spirit to do the same?

Yet the Heart-Questioning Spirit Tea could do it!

After a long while, he looked at his attributes:

Name: Fang Yuan

Essence: 2.7

Qi: 2.6

Spirit: 2.0

Age: 18

Cultivation: Fifth Gate of the Martial Path

Skills: Black Sand Palm [Level Five], Eagle Claw Iron Cloth Shirt [Level Five]

Specialties: Medical Skill [Level Two], Planting Skill [Level Three]

"Hiss..."

Fang Yuan sucked in a sharp breath. "My Divine Essence just increased by a third. Was it the effect of the spirit tea? No... perhaps it was because of the epiphany I had earlier?"

Just now, under the influence of perfect Heart-Questioning Tea and the Sitting-Forgetting Tea Ceremony, he had entered a strange state, as if he had lived through his life all over again.

That state must have been incredibly rare and precious. A single epiphany had increased his Divine Essence by a full 0.5!

"I'm afraid even a Heavenly Material, Earthly Treasure couldn't help me this much, could it?"

Fang Yuan took a deep breath. He felt Internal Breath surging wildly in his lower abdomen. The Internal Breath from his fifth-level Eagle Claw Iron Cloth Shirt surged back and forth like a roaring river, and, all on its own, began charging at the bottleneck of the sixth level!

"Is this... the natural breakthrough martial artists can only dream of encountering?"

Fang Yuan was startled, but immediately sat cross-legged and had the Flower Fox Ferret stand guard before closing his eyes.

When martial artists broke through a gate, they usually had to drive their Internal Breath through their meridians themselves. It was an extremely difficult process.

But there was another possibility: when their accumulated strength was sufficiently robust—even overflowing—their Internal Breath would begin circulating the next level of the technique on its own, and they would break through naturally, following the Way of Nature.

The chance of success was practically one hundred percent!

At the same time, within the Gui Ling Sect.

"Senior Sister Leyue, please have some Spiritual Porridge!"

A female disciple carefully carried a wooden tray into the room. On it sat a bowl of red jade rice porridge.

Its incredible aroma filled the air, and she couldn't help sniffing.

"The Sect Leader knew you were about to break through, so she set aside this much from her own share especially for you! A full seven days' worth, three meals a day—all Spirit Rice."

The female disciple swallowed, then added another sentence, feeling terribly envious.

"Please thank Master for me. You may leave. I'm about to enter seclusion. Have my meals sent in through the passage over the next few days. There's no need for anyone to come by for anything else!"

Lin Leyue twirled a lock of hair around her finger.

The Spirit Rice allotted within the sect was strictly limited. Even Shi Yutong couldn't casually change the quotas.

Knowing that Lin Leyue was about to break through, she had given her own share to her. It was already tremendous support.

If Fang Yuan—or rather, the Flower Fox Ferret—were here and saw this porridge, it would have scoffed at it.

There was far too much water and far too little Spirit Rice. Of course, most important of all, the grains were nowhere near as large and plump as the ones Fang Yuan had cultivated.

But in Lin Leyue's eyes, wasn't this just what Spirit Rice was supposed to look like?

The Spiritual Porridge went down, and a warm current immediately rose within her, making even her Internal Breath begin to stir.

"Let's begin!"

Lin Leyue sealed the Four Gates and began her martial breakthrough.

The Twelve Gates of Golden Lock and Heavy Tower grew more difficult with each gate! The sixth, Harm Gate, was the foremost of the Three Dangerous Gates. Once she broke through, her Internal Breath would condense into Inner Force as fine as steel wire!

Of course, if she failed, she would suffer serious injuries. That was unavoidable!

This gate was what truly distinguished high-level martial artists from ordinary people of the jianghu. Within the Gui Ling Sect, experts who had passed the sixth gate were all powerful enough to serve as elders and guard a region.

"I have a Spiritual Moon Body, and I've taken a Condensing Moon Pill. I even fought Song Zhong earlier. I have at least a seventy or eighty percent chance!"

Lin Leyue clenched her fists. "With the Spirit Rice helping me, there's no way I'll lose this breakthrough!"

With that thought, she sat cross-legged and gathered her powerful Internal Breath, launching an assault on a towering, imposing gate.

Bang!

The first wave of Internal Breath struck, but the gate didn't budge. It stood like a lofty mountain.

Lin Leyue wasn't the least bit concerned. How could breaking through one of the Three Dangerous Gates be so simple? Until her Internal Breath was exhausted, it couldn't be called a true failure.

Time passed quickly.

In a daze, Lin Leyue lost track of how much time had gone by.

Inside her body, her once-surging Internal Breath was nearly exhausted, while the sixth gate, the Harm Gate, was also on the verge of collapse.

They were locked in their final struggle, waiting for that last straw to tip the scales.

"I can't lose. I still want to see the world outside... I still want to surpass... Fang Yuan!"

At the edge of consciousness, a young man suddenly appeared before Lin Leyue. He looked ordinary, yet seemed taller than a mountain, spreading a shadow over her.

"Pfft!"

She abruptly opened her eyes and spat out a mouthful of blood mist.

Her breakthrough had failed. The Harm Gate had struck back!