Heavenly Gate Opening

Zhang Teng's resolve left Zhang Xiaoxiao frozen where she stood.

She looked at the man before her and felt as though he were a stranger.

She had always believed Zhang Teng had a sharp tongue but a soft heart, yet now, she felt his cold indifference.

"Brother! Are you truly going to be so heartless? That's Grandfather..."

At some point, a tremor had crept into Zhang Xiaoxiao's voice.

"Heartless?" Zhang Teng gave a cold laugh, keeping his back to Zhang Xiaoxiao.

"For my fellow disciples, I would stand beside them through life and death. For my master, even if his command meant certain death, I would walk through boiling water and fire without fear."

Zhang Teng said coldly, "It isn't that I have no heart or loyalty. It's just... you abandoned me first."

"Brother, we're your flesh and blood! Why can't you understand us? How can you be so..."

Before Zhang Xiaoxiao could finish, Zhang Teng reached back and slammed the door shut.

Bang!

Zhang Teng shut Zhang Xiaoxiao firmly inside her room.

"Xiao Liuzi, seal the doors and windows!"

Xiao Liuzi exchanged glances with the others. "Senior Brother Zhang, are you serious?"

Zhang Teng's brows shot up.

"What do you think?"

Xiao Liuzi shrank back.

"All right. I'll do as you say."

Soon, Zhang Xiaoxiao heard nails being hammered outside the door.

Meanwhile.

Zhang Teng stood in the Martial Arts Grounds, watching his junior brothers practice their punches, somewhat lost in thought.

"What's wrong, Senior Brother Zhang?"

Tieniu had come up to him at some point.

"Finished practicing?" Zhang Teng looked up and greeted him.

"I gained a little insight while practicing. I keep feeling like I've caught hold of something, but then it feels like I can't grasp anything at all."

Tieniu scratched his head with a sheepish look.

"Senior Brother Zhang, why do you look so troubled?"

"Is it that obvious?"

"Of course!"

Zhang Teng let out a heavy sigh.

"Tieniu, do you think I did the right thing? Was I not decisive enough? Even though Zhang Xiaoxiao made a terrible mistake, I still couldn't bring myself to..."

Tieniu gave a guileless smile.

"Senior Brother Zhang, why think so much about it? At least doing this made you feel better, didn't it?"

Zhang Teng's gaze dimmed a little.

Tieniu continued, "Master said all we need is a clear conscience. In this world, every effect has its cause, doesn't it?"

Zhang Teng gave Tieniu a surprised look.

He had never expected this seemingly simple, burly man to be so perceptive, or to offer such words of wisdom.

"Xiaoxiao asked me whether they were wrong. I didn't know how to answer her then. All I could do was argue that I wasn't wrong either... but the principles of this world are contradictory to begin with..."

Tieniu suddenly spoke.

"Senior Brother Zhang, Master already gave you the answer, didn't he?"

"What answer?" Zhang Teng looked a little stunned.

"Master said all of this was nothing more than a whetstone on your path of cultivation."

Zhang Teng nodded.

"Wasn't that telling you that once you get past it, you'll see a whole new world?"

Still wearing his guileless expression, Tieniu spoke with easy confidence.

"What do you need to get past all this? Strength!"

"If you were strong enough, would the Zhang Household still treat you this way? Would your family still be caught between two choices and forced to pick one?"

At that, Tieniu raised his fist.

"All these problems come down to one thing: not enough strength! Master said these are all stones blocking your path. He wants you to kick them all aside, not get tangled up in principles, contradictions, positions... or right and wrong."

Tieniu pointed at his fist.

"This is principle! This is a position! This is right and wrong!"

Understanding dawned on Zhang Teng, and he looked at Tieniu excitedly.

"Tieniu, you're right! Your words today were like wisdom poured straight into my head! I was too caught up in appearances."

Zhang Teng stood up, brimming with fighting spirit.

"Junior Brother, I've been watching you practice, and there's something I've wanted to say for a long time. I was afraid I might lead you astray... but now I really want to say it, because I believe you won't be misled by me."

Zhang Teng pointed at his own head and said with a smile, "You have wisdom. Great wisdom often wears the face of simplicity."

"Please instruct me, Senior Brother," Tieniu asked earnestly.

Zhang Teng said solemnly, "When I watch you practice, you seem especially concerned with balancing all the aperture points throughout your body. But Master said your path is the extreme! Why not focus your efforts on breaking through a single aperture point?"

At those words, a gleam flashed through Tieniu's eyes!

What had eluded his grasp before now seemed to be within his reach!

"So that's it. So that's it! Thank you for your guidance, Senior Brother."

Soon, Tieniu returned to practicing his punches, brimming with confidence.

Just then.

Xiao Liuzi came up to Zhang Teng, looking somewhat dejected.

"Senior Brother Zhang..."

"What's wrong, Xiao Liuzi?"

Zhang Teng's entire bearing had changed. The dark clouds that had hung over his heart seemed to have been swept away.

"Do we just have no talent for immortal cultivation? Even Tieniu has a chance of becoming an immortal cultivator, but we still don't have the slightest clue."

Zhang Teng could see Xiao Liuzi's dejection. It wasn't just him; everyone in the Martial Arts Grounds seemed a little dispirited.

"Cultivation was never going to be easy." Zhang Teng sighed.

"Xiao Liuzi, tell our junior brothers not to rush. Keep practicing diligently... I have a feeling that I might be able to help you."

"Really? How can you help us?" Xiao Liuzi asked hurriedly.

"Really!" Zhang Teng said confidently. "Helping you is actually very simple. I may be able to perform Heavenly Gate Opening for you!"

"What's Heavenly Gate Opening?" Xiao Liuzi was utterly bewildered.

"Put simply, it means awakening your potential so you can sense the spiritual power between heaven and earth. Once that happens, wouldn't grasping the Breath-Absorbing Art be as easy as reaching out and taking it?"

Zhang Teng was full of confidence.

"I'll ask Master right away and see whether this is feasible."

Xiao Liuzi was overjoyed. "If it is, that would be wonderful!"

Soon.

The Martial Arts Grounds.

Lin Bei's seclusion chamber.

Lin Bei was practicing his punches inside when he suddenly sensed someone outside the door.

"Come in!"

Zhang Teng pushed the door open and entered without hesitation.

"Master, your disciple has something to ask you."

Zhang Teng paid his respects and made his inquiry respectfully.

"Speak!"

Zhang Teng immediately said, "Master, lately, our junior brothers have been telling me how difficult cultivation is... from what I've observed, even if they practiced for years or decades, they would still struggle to take that first step."

"Your disciple dares to suggest... perhaps we could help them through Heavenly Gate Opening!"

"Heavenly Gate Opening?" Lin Bei raised an eyebrow. He had considered a simplified version of the Breath-Absorbing Art, but Heavenly Gate Opening had truly never crossed his mind.

"Yes! Heavenly Gate Opening!" Zhang Teng said. "Master, your disciple believes that besides relying on comprehension to cross the threshold of cultivation, one can also use an outside force to perceive heaven-and-earth spiritual power!"

"This so-called heavenly gate is the gate that prevents our junior brothers from connecting with heaven-and-earth spiritual power."

"Your disciple was thinking that if we forcibly poured heaven-and-earth spiritual power into their bodies and activated the aperture points throughout them, then, if it succeeded, perhaps they too could perceive heaven-and-earth spiritual power."

Lin Bei was dumbfounded.

This was simply brilliant!

If it worked, their Martial Arts Grounds would truly become a training ground for immortal cultivators.

Moreover, by Lin Bei's reckoning.

Zhang Teng's proposal was one hundred percent feasible!