Although Zhang Teng's proposal seemed highly credible.
Lin Bei realized that carrying it out would be extremely difficult and quite risky.
It was difficult because everyone's aperture points were extremely fragile, and some were very well hidden.
Controlling heaven-and-earth spiritual power, locating those aperture points, and helping activate them required extraordinarily precise control.
It was risky because the human body was fragile. If anything went wrong while activating the aperture points, the consequences would be unimaginable.
Thus, Lin Bei immediately reached a decision.
Zhang Teng's idea was good, but its actual execution still needed refinement.
With that in mind, Lin Bei decided to follow his usual routine.
First, he would knock Zhang Teng down a peg, then take the opportunity to offer his own ideas.
"Foolish! How is this any different from pulling up seedlings to help them grow? You would be exhausting their potential ahead of time. Even if their Heavenly Gates were opened, forging their own paths would become twice as difficult! And what if you made a mistake? People could die!"
Zhang Teng lowered his head and took the scolding, not daring to argue.
Then.
Lin Bei changed his tone and sighed.
"Ah, although it would be pulling up seedlings to help them grow, some of them would never have any hope of cultivating otherwise."
"With gains come losses... and with losses come gains. In the end, your idea would give them a path forward."
A flicker of delight flashed through Zhang Teng's eyes.
What did this mean? His idea had been acknowledged!
"Teng'er, I won't stop you from helping them with Heavenly Gate Opening, but not yet!"
Zhang Teng listened obediently as Lin Bei continued.
"A person's aperture points are extremely fragile. Once your cultivation is sufficient, I will teach you the path of dao-method wielding. You can consider how to help your junior brothers with Heavenly Gate Opening then."
A flicker of delight flashed through Zhang Teng's eyes.
"Yes! Your disciple obeys."
Soon.
Zhang Teng left.
Many apprentices at the Martial Arts Grounds crowded around him, and Xiao Liuzi hurriedly asked.
"Senior Brother Zhang, how did it go?"
Zhang Teng deliberately put on a stern face.
"Master gave me a thorough dressing-down. He accused me of pulling up seedlings to help them grow and disregarding my junior brothers' safety!"
At these words, the apprentices at the Martial Arts Grounds all looked disappointed.
Then Zhang Teng abruptly changed his tone.
"He scolded me, yes, but Master also approved of my idea. Once my Dao Body reaches full mastery, he will teach me the path of 'dao-method wielding.' Then I'll be able to help all of you with Heavenly Gate Opening!"
The apprentices at the Martial Arts Grounds all looked delighted at this.
Xiao Liuzi knew a great deal about the Dao Body, so he immediately asked.
"Senior Brother, I heard your Dao Body has already reached the fourth refinement?"
Xiao Liuzi looked pleasantly surprised.
"After the nine refinements, comes dao-method wielding?"
"That's right!" Zhang Teng nodded. "My Tai Chi Breath-Absorbing Art has undergone limit-breaking twice already, so I cultivate extremely quickly. Don't be impatient, junior brothers. Practice your forms diligently."
Zhang Teng's expression grew serious.
"Junior brothers, you must understand that even if I help open your Heavenly Gates, that would only squeeze out your potential ahead of time. Only by comprehending the Breath-Absorbing Art as soon as possible and beginning the Dao Body's nine refinements can you truly cross the threshold."
"Tai Chi is profoundly mysterious. Don't slack off when practicing your forms. You must reflect deeply on them!"
"Yes, Senior Brother Zhang!"
Xiao Liuzi chimed in at just the right moment. "Everyone, show a little sense from now on. Don't get in the way of Senior Brother Zhang's cultivation!"
"Got it!"
Zhang Teng couldn't help shaking his head and laughing. "You little rascal... are you urging me to hurry up and cultivate?"
Xiao Liuzi rubbed his head.
"Hehe!"
Time passed.
Inside the secluded cultivation chamber.
Lin Bei could feel that he was already close to the Sixth Tempering.
"I've done it! The Sixth Tempering!"
After completing the Sixth Tempering, Lin Bei's gaze grew serious.
He began to realize that the difficulty would rise sharply starting with the Seventh Tempering!
For the first six refinements, Lin Bei only needed to circulate the Tai Chi Breath-Absorbing Art, and heaven-and-earth spiritual power would temper his body.
But as the Seventh Tempering began, Lin Bei was astonished to discover that after tempering his entire body, heaven-and-earth spiritual power actually surged upward, pouring straight into the aperture points in his head...
The Seventh Tempering actually tempered the mind?
This was spirit refining!
As his spirit underwent Spirit Refining, Lin Bei discovered that his perception, thinking, and reflexes were all soaring at a terrifying rate.
"This feeling is incredible!"
Lin Bei couldn't help marveling. At this moment, it seemed that beyond heaven-and-earth spiritual power, countless laws also interwove throughout the world before his eyes... laws of profound mystery.
"Were changes in the laws the essence behind heaven-and-earth spiritual power's countless transformations?"
Dao-method wielding... I have an idea now!
Lin Bei thought to himself.
As long as Zhang Teng reaches the Seventh Tempering, I can teach him the dao-method wielding I've devised.
Lin Bei was still somewhat excited.
He understood that once he truly reached the level of dao-method wielding, he would be a genuine immortal cultivator.
Time passed.
Two days later.
At the Martial Arts Grounds, Lin Bei watched Tieniu practice his forms and couldn't help nodding.
Faintly, he seemed to see heaven-and-earth spiritual power swirling around Tieniu.
This meant that Tieniu seemed to have found the threshold and was only one step away from entering the gates of cultivation.
"Master, have some tea!"
Xiao Liuzi cheerfully served him tea.
Lin Bei glanced at Xiao Liuzi.
"Why are you so happy today?"
Xiao Liuzi chuckled. "Master, I just ran into Senior Brother Zhang Teng. He's already broken through to the Fifth Tempering!"
Lin Bei nodded slightly.
The nine refinements of breath absorption grew progressively harder. After all this time, he himself was close to the Seventh Tempering, so Zhang Teng breaking through to the Fifth Tempering was perfectly normal.
"Zhang Teng broke through to the Fifth Tempering, so you're happy for him?"
Lin Bei asked with a smile.
"Master... I am happy for him, but I'm also happy for all our fellow disciples. Everyone's waiting for Senior Brother Zhang to perform Heavenly Gate Opening for us!"
Lin Bei deliberately let his face fall.
"All day long, you think of nothing but shortcuts! Can't you learn from Tieniu and Zhang Teng and cultivate properly?"
Deflated by the reprimand, Xiao Liuzi gave an awkward smile.
Just then.
A hunched figure arrived outside the Martial Arts Grounds.
"So... these are the Martial Arts Grounds."
He stood outside, looking at the unremarkable signboard, then glanced inside the Martial Arts Grounds, seemingly lost in thought.
"Hey, old man! What are you doing? Why are you looking around out here?"
A disciple at the Martial Arts Grounds spotted the old man and challenged him without the slightest courtesy.
Since almost all the disciples here were villagers, he could tell at a glance that this man wasn't a local.
The old man gave the disciple an indifferent glance, then looked at the Martial Arts Grounds again.
After a moment of silence, he finally spoke in a somewhat aged voice. "Is Zhang Teng here?"
By then, Xiao Liuzi had also hurried over.
When he saw the man, he froze briefly.
He could see that the man bore a considerable resemblance to Zhang Teng.
"Who are you?" Xiao Liuzi demanded. "What do you want with Senior Brother Zhang?"
"I'm Zhang Teng's grandfather."
The old man looked Xiao Liuzi over, his eyes full of confusion.
Zhang Xiaoxiao's letter had told him that crouching tigers and hidden dragons lurked here, but what was he seeing?
Everyone here was an ordinary person. There wasn't even a single Body Refining martial artist.
At the old man's answer, Xiao Liuzi froze, his voice filled with disbelief.
"You actually came!"
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