Recruitment

A trip to the Gravity Chamber costs at least a thousand silver taels, and that's only for a mere three hours!

Three hours is basically the limit. For an ordinary person, lasting one hour in the Gravity Chamber is already impressive, two hours qualifies as a genius, and three hours is monstrous.

But the Treasure Pavilion sets three hours as the basic unit for a single entry into the Gravity Chamber—you can see how extortionate that is!

There was absolutely no way Shi Qingfeng could break through to the Blood Refining Realm in just a few days. So, if he wanted to boost his combat strength, training in the Gravity Chamber was his best option.

Of course, he wasn't pushing himself this hard just because he'd suffered a loss at Zhou Heng's hands. In his view, Zhou Heng had only caught him off guard with a sneak attack. The ones he considered worthy opponents were naturally the other three at the Ninth Layer of Body Refining—Shen Xinqi and the others!

Rich people!

Both were from wealthy families in small towns, but Shi Qingfeng could casually throw around a fortune and train in the Gravity Chamber every single day, showing that his family's wealth was far beyond what the Zhou Family could match.

Zhou Heng grabbed a jade box from the crate. Inside was the gall of a Golden-Crowned Snake, worth about five thousand silver taels on the market. That was a considerable sum, but after a moment's thought, he put the jade box away again.

Better to keep it. It could neutralize a hundred poisons and might save his life someday! And what price could you put on a life?

Knock, knock, knock. A sound came from the door.

Zhou Heng couldn't help but sigh. He somewhat regretted showing off a few days ago—it had left him unable to find any peace, with people constantly coming to visit. He walked over and opened the door. Standing there was a strikingly handsome beauty, dressed in a tight emerald-green outfit that perfectly outlined her impressive figure, her full chest especially captivating.

"My name is Shen Xinqi!" the beauty introduced herself boldly. "Aren't you going to invite me in?"

She was quite the familiar one.

Zhou Heng stepped back half a pace and said, "Please!"

So this was Shen Xinqi, one of the Four Great Geniuses, one of the most eye-catching prodigies in this Nine Spirits Sect's mountain-opening selection. Of course, there were definitely more than just these four geniuses within Fengyu City's range. Since the three major sects shared the talent, there had to be at least a dozen prodigies like her.

After Shen Xinqi entered, Zhou Heng closed the door. She carried an aura that even made him feel a sense of danger. He didn't think this woman had come to curry favor with him like the others.

"Miss Shen, what can I do for you?" Zhou Heng asked, not even bothering to prepare tea or anything.

Shen Xinqi couldn't help but feel a bit annoyed. Not only did her talent in martial arts earn her attention wherever she went, but her stunning beauty also made her irresistible wherever she went!

Was this kid blind? Couldn't he see her breathtaking charm?

She took a breath, suppressing her irritation, and said, "Brother Zhou is a straightforward man, so I won't beat around the bush! I'd like to ask you, after entering the Nine Spirits Sect, to find an opportunity to pledge yourself to Elder Tianzhu's lineage!"

Elder Tianzhu?

Zhou Heng's thoughts raced. It seemed the Nine Spirits Sect was also riddled with factions, not a monolithic entity—otherwise, why would there be this kind of poaching?

Come to think of it, even within families of the same surname, power struggles were rife, so why would a sect be any different?

He looked at Shen Xinqi, paused for a moment, and then said, "Could Miss Shen give me a detailed introduction to the situation in the Nine Spirits Sect?"

"Very well!" Shen Xinqi nodded. "Naturally, the Sect Master is the highest authority in the Nine Spirits Sect, but the Sect Master is devoted to cultivation and rarely handles sect affairs. Therefore, the sect is governed jointly by seven Elders. Elder Tianzhu is one of them, and in terms of strength, he ranks second among the seven!"

Lin Fuxiang's father was quite carefree. How many people could treat power as nothing? But if he delegated so much authority, wasn't he afraid his subordinates would grow too powerful and overthrow him as Sect Master?

"Brother Zhou, although Elder Tianzhu's lineage is temporarily inferior to Elder Sanjian's, it's not far behind! And with Brother Zhou's talent, you're sure to receive Elder Tianzhu's dedicated guidance, eventually becoming a Spirit Gathering Realm expert!"

Shen Xinqi was a good persuader. For the vast majority of martial artists, the temptation of the Spirit Gathering Realm was irresistible.

But Zhou Heng didn't want to achieve progress in martial arts by "selling himself." He believed in his own ability to definitely break through to the Spirit Gathering Realm!

Still, since she had come with good intentions, he couldn't just refuse outright. So he said, "Let me think it over!"

Shen Xinqi couldn't hide her disappointment. She had thought Zhou Heng would readily agree—after all, a stunning beauty was extending the invitation!

To be honest, while she had high hopes for Zhou Heng's potential, it was more because of how the innkeeper had treated him earlier. That man was a Twelfth Layer of Body Refining expert. If Zhou Heng didn't have a Spirit Gathering Realm background, why would he show such respect?

Winning Zhou Heng over would mean winning over one, or even several, Spirit Gathering Realm experts, greatly strengthening Elder Tianzhu's lineage. Her grandfather was the fourth disciple under Elder Tianzhu, and if she accomplished this great feat, her grandfather's standing in Elder Tianzhu's eyes would rise significantly.

"Brother Zhou, Elder Tianzhu is a peak Third Heaven of Spirit Gathering existence, only one step away from completing Spirit Gathering and initially opening the Dantian world, becoming an even stronger Initial Division Realm expert!" Shen Xinqi continued to persuade. "If Brother Zhou performs outstandingly, you'll even qualify to enter the Black Water Hall in the future—something countless people would break their heads trying to obtain!"

"Black Water Hall?" Zhou Heng couldn't help but ask further.

But Shen Xinqi's beautiful eyes flickered. She could tell that Zhou Heng's confusion wasn't feigned!

This guy didn't even know about the Black Water Hall?

Doubt immediately arose in her heart. Could someone who didn't even know what the Black Water Hall was really have a Spirit Gathering Realm expert backing him?

Maybe the innkeeper just had a personal grudge against the Shi Family and deliberately took his side!

With that thought, Zhou Heng's standing in her eyes plummeted. Since he was being lukewarm, she, as the proud princess of the Shen Family, naturally didn't need to lower herself to him. Too lazy to say more, she got up and took her leave.

Zhou Heng had no idea about all the thoughts running through her head. He was completely baffled by her sudden shift from warm to cold, only finding this woman inexplicably strange.

Seven days passed in a flash, and finally, the day of the Nine Spirits Sect's mountain-opening selection arrived.

On this day, the group of young men and women staying at the inn followed a middle-aged man out of Fengyu City. After leaving the city gates, the man stopped and said, "My name is Yu Dongcheng, and I am your first examiner. Now, the first test begins!"

"Follow me and run until we reach the Nine Spirits Sect! Anyone who arrives more than three minutes after me fails the test and need not continue!"

After exchanging glances, one person said, "Senior Yu, you're a Blood Refining Realm expert. How can we possibly keep up!"

"Don't worry about that. I guarantee you can match my speed, but how long you can keep up depends on your endurance and willpower!" Yu Dongcheng said flatly.

"Begin!"

He turned around, spread his stride, and walked forward with large steps. It seemed unhurried, but each step covered over ten meters, and in the blink of an eye, he was a hundred meters away.

The youths naturally didn't dare waste time. One by one, they activated their movement techniques and ran after Yu Dongcheng, forming a long, straight line of over a hundred people.

Yu Dongcheng hadn't lied. His speed was definitely at the Seventh Layer of Body Refining level, just pushed to its absolute limit, as fast as a galloping horse.

The Seventh Layer of Body Refining was a qualitative leap. Martial artists who reached this realm would have greatly enhanced endurance, but even at full sprint, they could last at most half an hour. Yet Fengyu City was a hundred li from the Nine Spirits Sect's headquarters—they would need at least three-quarters of an hour at full speed!

But they could only arrive three minutes later than Yu Dongcheng, which meant they had to break their own limits!

This was absolutely a dual test of endurance and willpower!

To conserve strength, no one spoke along the way. Each person tried their utmost to perfectly utilize every bit of True Essence Power in their body, not daring the slightest waste—of course, those at the Ninth Layer of Body Refining were the exception; their True Essence Power accumulation was far more abundant, so they basically had nothing to worry about.

Zhou Heng said nothing. Flying Cloud Steps consumed very little True Essence Power, so he had no concern about running out of steam.

Time was passing quickly. Half an hour later, the cruel test began!

Gradually, people started falling behind the group—one, two, three—but Yu Dongcheng's speed showed no sign of slowing. He maintained his initial pace, leading the team forward, and soon left the stragglers far behind, out of sight.

Ten, fifteen, twenty!

More and more people dropped out, and those who remained were hardly better off. They were all panting heavily, sweat pouring down in streams. Even Shen Xinqi and the other three at the Ninth Layer of Body Refining had somewhat erratic breathing.

Zhou Heng's breaths were long and steady. A thin layer of sweat covered his forehead, but his True Essence Power consumption was far less than it appeared.

With Flying Cloud Steps in motion, it felt as though heaven and earth were propelling him forward, consuming an extremely small amount of True Essence Power. The fatigue he felt came entirely from physical exertion—like a martial artist staying awake for three days and nights; no matter how abundant their True Essence Power, their body simply couldn't take it!

A few minutes later, a mountain of modest height appeared ahead. At its peak, several fluttering banners were faintly visible, the words "Nine Spirits" rippling in the wind.

They were almost there!

The youths, who had long since reached their limits, seemed to get a shot of adrenaline, their spirits soaring. A few of them sprinted with renewed vigor, even overtaking Yu Dongcheng. But the mountain looked close while the horse ran to death—the peak seemed near, yet in truth there were still over ten li to go. Those youths burst forward briefly, but their stamina gave out, and they were soon caught up by the main group and left far behind.

By this point, more and more people had hit their limits, dropping out of the main group one after another. Still, they weren't without hope—after Yu Dongcheng stopped, they still had three minutes.

Finally, Yu Dongcheng halted at the foot of the mountain. He swept his gaze over the five people who remained, and when his eyes landed on Zhou Heng, a hint of surprise flickered across his face.