A Change in Status

There was not much mystery to Gate Knocking.

One simply had to gather one's dragonlike blood and qi into a unified force, break through the skin membrane, and distribute the blood and qi evenly throughout the skin.

Besides raising the limit of the strength the body could withstand, this also granted a tough skin membrane capable of defending against sharp weapons.

This pass depended chiefly on accumulated reserves and powerful talent.

Without talent, even sufficient reserves could still end in a failed attempt at Gate Knocking.

After one failure, accumulating enough blood and qi again could take as long as a year, or several months at the least.

One could not practice martial arts during this period. It could be called nothing but wasted time.

Moreover, on the martial path, failing to advance meant falling behind, and there was also a saying that failing at Gate Knocking damaged one's potential.

Thus, the three chances at Gate Knocking were generally treated as only two. Of those first two attempts, most people succeeded on the second, while a small number of geniuses could knock open the Blood Gate on their first.

Once his blood and qi had completely settled, Zhou Muzhi emptied his mind, keeping firmly in mind the secrets of Gate Knocking his master, Li Jingfei, had taught him.

Unify the blood and qi!

As his movements changed, the blood and qi locked within his body began gathering little by little.

Like a growing ball of rolling blood, it gathered in his lower abdomen, a scorching presence rapidly swelling together with the precious medicine's potency.

This step alone could stop half of all martial practitioners. It required sufficient reserves to concentrate one's blood and qi.

When the blood and qi in his lower abdomen became a blazing sun, Zhou Muzhi sensed that the gathering was complete.

What came next was raising his physical strength to its absolute limit.

Blood and qi mingled inseparably with his flesh, and under these special circumstances, his strength soared.

By Zhou Muzhi's calculations, his strength could reach 2,400 jin, an exceptionally outstanding standard after Gate Knocking.

Only by reaching this level could he maintain an absolutely perfect physical balance after his breakthrough.

At this moment, every muscle in his body began erupting with power. His swelling muscles gradually stretched his loose clothing until they tore the fabric apart completely.

Riiip!

His veins bulged, red so dark they were almost black. The arrangement of his muscles displayed an unusual beauty, and his features naturally twisted into a ferocious expression.

Gate Knocking reached its final step.

Blood and qi had to be distributed precisely to every patch of skin until they enveloped his entire body and formed a stable state.

But Zhou Muzhi could sense that he could not accomplish this final step.

Or rather, his original talent could not!

More dangerously still, just as expected, that deep-red figure appeared once again.

It floated silently several meters in front of Zhou Muzhi, its upper body insubstantial and its lower body solid. Its red robes and ribbons fluttered, naturally giving off a cold, eerie presence.

Milky-white smoke from the incense burner drifted around Zhou Muzhi.

He narrowed his eyes at the vengeful spirit, and prickling pain involuntarily arose across his body.

And this.

Was precisely what Li Jingfei had worried about earlier.

Interference from a vengeful spirit was no joke.

Gate Knocking was already extremely difficult for an ordinary martial practitioner, let alone with outside interference. This was a potentially fatal problem.

A smile appeared on Zhou Muzhi's flushed face. With his entire body swollen like this, that smile looked ferocious.

"Heh, you think you can stop me?"

He murmured those words.

With a thought, he used his final Sudden Enlightenment.

The blood and qi that had been like a mire began flowing at this moment, moving as swiftly as rivers racing toward the sea, seemingly without end.

Endless insights appeared in an instant, and his blood and qi spread across his skin inch by inch.

Starting from his abdomen, they spread toward his limbs, covering most of his body moments later.

As his blood and qi successfully reached his skin membrane, the prickling pain in every place they covered melted away like snow beneath a blazing sun.

Besides this, a trace of scorching heat circulated through his body.

That was the wondrous effect brought by the Treasure Pill.

"Hahahaha!"

Ever since awakening, Zhou Muzhi had been rushing about to stay alive. Now that he had finally gained a means of defense, he laughed freely.

His even, white teeth showed as his stretched lips formed a smile.

At last, Gate Knocking reached its final juncture, and his blood and qi spread little by little from his neck toward the crown of his head.

In an instant, his black hair grew rapidly, reaching his shoulders.

This was the inevitable result of nourishment from blood and qi. After Gate Knocking, his hair was likewise incomparably tough.

Only now.

The Blood Gate was complete!

His blood and qi no longer leaked away, and his prime would last thirty years.

His skin could block swords and sabers, and his strength could contend with the most violent breeding bull.

At some unknown point, that deep-red figure had also vanished.

Zhou Muzhi looked at the empty space ahead. His body returned to normal, and his muscles no longer bulged.

Whoosh!

He exhaled through his mouth and nose, stirring the milky-white mist around him. Then his lungs contracted, and he inhaled sharply.

All that fragrant mist, so beneficial to the human body, was drawn into him, until no more mist drifted from the incense burner.

"Out!"

A breath of foul air left his mouth.

His complexion was ruddy, and he had grown several inches taller, leaving him only half a head shorter than Lao Xu.

With his breakthrough complete, he opened the panel to check.

[Name: Zhou Muzhi]

[Status: Curse (mark)]

[Skills: Martial arts (Blood-Knocking Pass · a trace of scorching fire true intent), incense maker (beginner), nine heavens profound intent (time limit: fifteen double-hours)]

[Deduction Points: 3.5]

Quite a few changes had appeared on the panel.

The main one was the change in status, from temporarily sealed to a mark.

He did not know what this meant, but however he looked at it, it was not a bad thing.

The time limit on nine heavens profound intent remained. He simply did not know whether he would immediately face the vengeful spirit once it disappeared.

Pushing the thoughts back down, he murmured.

"Time to go out."

His breakthrough brought confidence. After all, there had been cases of people who had completed Gate Knocking driving away vengeful spirits.

With Zhou Muzhi's current strength, he could be counted among the experts of all Suming County.

Besides, his Blood-Knocking Pass was different from that of ordinary people.

Li Jingfei truly did come from a great school, and the Body Condensation Method he had taught was top-notch. His current strength was at least forty percent greater than his estimate before the breakthrough.

He had once asked Lao Xu, who had said that a strength of two thousand jin was exceptionally formidable among those at the Blood-Knocking Pass. Lao Xu estimated that, if he knocked open the Blood Gate himself, he would fall several hundred jin short of that.

Yet Zhou Muzhi had a full four hundred jin more strength than even the formidable practitioners who had completed Gate Knocking.

Apart from his initial strength exceeding others at the same level by a considerable margin, the most important thing was the trace of scorching fire true intent that came with the Treasure Pill.

This true intent seemed capable of adding a special attack. He would have to study it carefully later.

He dismissed the panel.

Glancing sideways, he noticed a loose black training outfit on a table in the corner.

When Zhou Muzhi had come in earlier, he had not noticed any clothes here. The spot gave the impression that anyone not looking to get dressed would very likely overlook it.

Now, considering his own condition, he knew Li Jingfei had prepared it especially for him.

He walked over and put the clothes on.

Then he walked to the doorway, pushed the door open, and stepped outside.

At a glance, he saw Li Jingfei waiting by the door.

His trimly built master stood in the shadows with his hands behind his back. The worry in his eyes disappeared the instant Zhou Muzhi appeared.

His usual expression returned.

His voice was calm. "Succeeded?"

Zhou Muzhi pretended not to notice the change and answered with an affirmative hum.

"I haven't disappointed your expectations, Master. Your disciple has successfully completed Gate Knocking."

Another seven or eight breaths passed in stillness.

"Not bad."

"The unclean thing attached to you can't approach you for now."

Li Jingfei looked at his disciple, satisfaction showing in his eyes.

Then he added something else.

"As for that guard of yours, I know what you're thinking. If he wants to break through, I can give him some guidance, but he'll have to provide the money needed for the breakthrough himself."

Zhou Muzhi raised his brows, unsurprised by his master's directness. His master lived very openly.

He immediately cupped his fist. "I thank you on Lao Xu's behalf, Master."

He was precisely at a time when he needed people. If Lao Xu could break through, even if he remained much weaker than Zhou Muzhi, he would still be a skilled martial practitioner who had knocked open the gate and entered the path.

He would be very useful.

"No need. I've seen how busy he's been these past few days. There are no servants in the residence, and he's done quite well.

"My grandson can't practice martial arts, and he's timid too. When something happens, he doesn't dare tell even me, his grandfather. Having someone willing to step forward by his side isn't bad."

Zhou Muzhi nodded in understanding.

His master's willingness to offer guidance was the result of several factors.

For a veteran martial practitioner who had spent a long time accumulating strength and was preparing for a second attempt at Gate Knocking, personal guidance from a great master meant that, with proper preparation, his chances of success were very high.

Master and disciple did not talk much longer. Zhou Muzhi left first and brought Lao Xu the news.

Lao Xu was stunned when he first heard it. Only after he came back to his senses did tears glimmer in his eyes.

That a mentally strong veteran martial practitioner who could kill without blinking could be moved to this extent was enough to show how difficult the martial path was. Otherwise, he could never have reacted like this.

Since Lao Xu was a subordinate he intended to cultivate, Zhou Muzhi naturally had to contribute more.

Once the two had worked out the figures, he would make up however much money Lao Xu lacked.

As for where the money would come from?

As it happened, quite a few of those dissolute friends had eaten and drunk at his expense before. Collecting interest from them one by one would naturally bring in enough.