Heaven's Gate and the Divine Realm

The gravity chamber.

Beside a giant spiked mace in the center, Shi Yan wore nothing but a pair of shorts. His body was petrified, and he slammed into the mace again and again, drenched in sweat.

The mace stood seven meters tall and three meters wide, driven deep into the stone floor at the center of the gravity chamber. Its protruding spikes resembled short clubs, gleaming with a dark sheen.

Shi Yan's body was a deep brown. Gasping for breath, he circled the enormous mace, striking it with every part of his body—his shoulders, arms, waist, abdomen, thighs, back, and more.

A muffled rumble echoed without end through the gravity chamber.

To bring out the full potential of the Shi Family's Petrifying Martial Soul, one had to hone oneself through this near self-mutilation. Only by meeting hard things head-on could one make the greatest use of the petrification ability.

And only through this merciless torment of his own body could the Petrifying Martial Soul within him adapt to an opponent's relentless bombardment.

Seven gleaming black gravity pillars stood around the chamber. With these pillars in place, the gravity in the spacious room remained at seven times normal.

Bang! Bang! Bang!

Bare-chested, Shi Yan kept pushing his body to its limits with unyielding resolve, utterly absorbed in the task, determined to bring out every last bit of the Petrifying Martial Soul's potential.

Each time he struck the mace, a faint brown glow shimmered wherever his body made contact.

The light vanished in a flash. It only flared at the instant his body hit the mace, then disappeared the moment he pulled away.

After five thousand impacts across different parts of his body, Shi Yan was reduced to a limp heap. He couldn't muster a shred of strength. Lying in the middle of the gravity chamber with his arms and legs splayed, he streamed with sweat, which ran off him like rivulets and left the flagstone floor slick with water.

Half a month had passed.

For the past half month, Shi Yan had eaten and slept in the gravity chamber. Apart from taking care of necessities, he had hardly left.

This had been Shi Jian's arrangement.

After discovering that Shi Yan's Petrifying Martial Soul had entered its second stage, Shi Jian had ordered him to stop all other cultivation and devote himself entirely to training his body.

He wanted Shi Yan to draw out the full potential of the second-stage Petrifying Martial Soul as quickly as possible, using it to transform his physique to the greatest extent and make his body tough enough to withstand attacks from a Human Realm martial artist!

Over the past half month, Shi Jian, Han Feng, Yang Hai, and even the elders of the Shi Family had dropped by from time to time.

Shi Jian came most often, almost once every three days. He carefully examined Shi Yan's progress and the subtle changes in his body, then set the direction and intensity of his next round of training.

Lying on the ground, Shi Yan was utterly spent. He slowly regulated his breathing, and as soon as he felt a little strength return to his hands and feet, he forced himself to sit up and began circulating the essence within him.

Though his body was completely drained, his essence circulated much faster than usual. As he cultivated silently with his eyes closed, he let his mind go still.

At times like this, he could feel his flesh, cells, and bones quietly nourishing his body in a way he couldn't understand.

His body, exhausted to the brink of collapse, quickly regained its strength, and his weariness soon faded away.

This was the Undying Martial Soul's self-recovery ability!

Shi Yan understood it perfectly.

He had no idea how much time passed before he slowly awoke. His eyes were bright as cold stars. After that period of meditation, all the weariness in his body had vanished. Essence surged within him, and his whole body seemed to brim with an explosive force that demanded release.

Just then, the stone door to the gravity chamber opened slightly.

Han Zhong walked in, smiling, carrying seven bamboo baskets of various sizes.

Once inside, Han Zhong set down the baskets and took out the dishes one by one, arranging them as he spoke. "Today we've got bird's nest, sea cucumber, century-old softshell turtle, bear's paw, and lingzhi. Yan, you can really eat! The other young masters of the Shi Family don't eat as much in five meals as you do in one. You could eat some small families into poverty."

Chattering away, Han Zhong set down plate after plate and jar after jar of delicacies. Then he secretly pulled a jug of liquor from his robes and chuckled. "This jug of Blazing Flame is one of my treasured reserves. Drink it quickly, so I can get rid of it before anyone notices."

Shi Yan didn't stand on ceremony. He ambled over to Han Zhong, sat down, and wolfed down the nourishing delicacies—foods ordinary people would never even get near. Then he lifted the jug of Blazing Flame and drained it in one go.

Wiping his mouth, he put down the empty jug and grinned. "Old Han, bring two jugs of this next time. One isn't enough."

"Yan, this Blazing Flame is a fine liquor from Yingchun Pavilion. One jug costs five hundred Purple Crystal Coins!" Han Zhong said with a wry smile. "This one was left over from last time. If I come again tomorrow, I'll keep bringing you Shao Daozi. That liquor only costs a hundred Blue Crystal Coins a jug. I can bring you four jugs at a time without a problem."

"They're just crystal coins." Shi Yan was completely unconcerned. "Keep bringing me Blazing Flame. I'll make sure you get your coins. I'll pay you back next time."

"In that case, no problem." Han Zhong chuckled. "Yan, the Patriarch is keeping your becoming a Martial Artist under tight wraps. Most of the family's Martial Artists and guards don't even know about you. Do you know why?"

"Why?" Shi Yan asked lazily.

"The Martial Arts Tournament, held once every five years, starts in three months. You know how we came off a little worse for wear last year when we clashed with the Mo Family and the Ling Family. The Patriarch came back and roared for days. So this time..."

"He's planning to have me compete in the Martial Arts Tournament?" Shi Yan realized, surprised, before Han Zhong could finish.

The Martial Arts Tournament was jointly organized and run by the five great families of the Merchant Alliance. Any Martial Artist could take part.

The tournament had five divisions: Houtian, Xiantian, Human Realm, Hundred Tribulations, and Earth Realm. Experts at each level competed for the top three places in their division.

The five great families offered generous rewards, such as pills, Secret Treasures, Martial Skills, and other cultivation resources. The winners received prizes according to their results.

The tournament was run by the five great families of the Merchant Alliance. Its purpose was partly to scout promising fighters and strengthen their own families' martial forces, and partly to keep the Alliance's Martial Artists in a constant state of cultivation, improving their overall strength.

Martial Artists unaffiliated with the great families, along with lone-wolf mercenaries, had a powerful desire for the pills, Secret Treasures, and Martial Skills the five families offered. Some independent Martial Artists also hoped to catch the attention of a great family through the tournament, and perhaps earn a chance to join one.

As a result, every Martial Arts Tournament drew a flood of participants and was a lively affair.

Besides the unaffiliated Martial Artists, the five great families also sent their own young men to compete for the tournament rankings.

They did this to demonstrate their family's strength and show the Martial Artists who stood out at the tournament which family they ought to choose.

The Martial Arts Tournament was a fine opportunity to recruit talent, and a stage for the five great families to contend in secret.

So the tournament mattered greatly not only to the Merchant Alliance's Martial Artists and mercenaries, but also to the five great families themselves, who treated it with great care.

Sometimes, even disputes over the ownership of the five great families' lesser-known businesses were settled through the tournament.

For instance, last time, the Shi Family and the Mo Family had wagered ownership of three mines.

Unfortunately, in the clash between the third-generation heirs of the two families, only Shi Tianyun won. Shi Tianluo and Shi Tianke both lost to the Mo Family's young men. In the end, the Mo Family won ownership of two mines, while the Shi Family got only one.

"You don't know? The family and the Mo Family have been fighting fiercely lately, embroiled in disputes over all sorts of businesses that they haven't been able to resolve. This Martial Arts Tournament may turn out like the last one, with ownership of some businesses put up for grabs again," Han Zhong said.

"So that means I'll get a chance to compete?"

"You'll definitely compete. The Patriarch is counting on you to win a match. Otherwise, he wouldn't keep such a close eye on you, coming by every three days. You have no idea how busy the Patriarch has been lately. The fact that he still makes time to check on you shows how much he values you."

"Oh, I see."

Inside Boulder Hall.

Shi Jian sat on a massive boulder, his expression solemn and his eyes glinting as he seemed to ponder something.

"A fragmentary map marked with 'Heaven's Gate' has appeared at the auction house in Misty Pavilion..." Han Feng stood to one side, reporting the latest news to Shi Jian.

"Heaven's Gate" was a strange gateway that led to the "Divine Realm." The "Divine Realm" was a mysterious space. It might lie in some strange place on the Divine Grace Continent, or it might not belong to the continent at all, but be an entirely separate space.

No one knew how the "Divine Realm" had formed, what its structure was, or where it would appear. No one could say for certain.

Only "Heaven's Gate" could lead to the various "Divine Realms." It was the entrance to the "Divine Realm."

All sorts of legends about the "Divine Realm" had circulated across the Divine Grace Continent for ages.

It was said that the "Divine Realm" often held all manner of mysteries. Different "Divine Realms" supposedly contained different Spirit Grade, Mysterious Grade, and even God Grade Martial Skills, as well as strange pills that had been spoken of for ages but never seen, and treasures of the world...

"About four months ago, there was also a report that Kalu, the disciple of the Medicine King Mu Xun, had stolen a fragmentary map marked with 'Heaven's Gate' from him. Could these two fragments have come from the same treasure map? Are they parts of one map, or two separate ones? Could the one that's appeared now be the one Kalu stole?" Shi Jian's thoughts raced, quickly bringing him back to the fragmentary map from a while ago.

Han Feng shook his head. "Kalu disappeared long ago, and there's been no news of him. But supposedly, the fragmentary map at Misty Pavilion was brought to auction by a woman. Since Misty Pavilion realized how important it was, they didn't dare put it straight up for auction. They've kept it for now, claiming they need to verify whether it's genuine."

"The fragmentary map is still at Misty Pavilion?" Shi Jian asked in a low voice.

"Mm." Han Feng nodded. "The Bei Ming Family, the Mo Family, the Ling Family, and the Zuo Family have all contacted Misty Pavilion after hearing the news, hoping to buy the fragmentary map. But Misty Pavilion says they won't put it up for auction until they verify its authenticity. The four families had no choice but to express their strong desire to buy it. They haven't made a move behind the scenes yet."

"That's because there's only one fragmentary map. If it were a complete treasure map, the Bei Ming Family wouldn't care about Misty Pavilion's feelings. They'd have already snatched it by force," Shi Jian snorted.

"Should we get involved?"

"Keep a close eye on the situation, but don't take part for now. Remember to share information with the Zuo Family. Until a second fragmentary map appears, we won't act rashly."

"Mm."