Chapter 24 The Secret of Yuanwu

In the three days after receiving the special recruitment invitation, you did not engage in your usual high-intensity, body-breaking training.

You knew that for your current self, your Qi and Blood and techniques had been honed to their current Peak.

Pure, arduous training was unlikely to yield another qualitative leap; on the contrary, accumulated fatigue might affect your condition.

Your primary task now was to 'nourish'.

Nourish your Qi and Blood, nourish your spirit, adjusting your essence, Qi, and spirit to their Peak to welcome the upcoming trip to Suzhou and Hangzhou.

That afternoon, you finished a two-hour deep meditation, feeling refreshed and clear-headed.

You straightened your clothes and went to the neighboring office of Wu Changhe.

At this moment, Wu Changhe was packing his luggage. As the leading teacher, he would accompany you all the way to Suhang City.

Seeing you enter, he stopped what he was doing and pointed to the chair opposite him.

"Here? Sit."

Wu Changhe looked at your restrained yet full aura and nodded with satisfaction. "It seems you understand the principle of going too far. Right now, you're like a blade sheathed in its scabbard. Your condition is just right."

"Teacher, I have several key questions about Cultivation I'd like you to clarify," you got straight to the point, your expression serious.

"Is it about 'Spirit Stones' and how to Breakthrough to the Origin Opening Realm?" Wu Changhe smiled, as if he had expected this. "I knew you would ask. After all, you've reached the Ninth Stage, the Crimson Gauze is complete, the next step is Origin Opening."

"Please advise me, Teacher."

Wu Changhe put away his smile, poured himself a cup of tea, and his tone became unprecedentedly serious.

"Li Ang, you must remember. The Qi and Blood Realm and the Origin Opening Realm, though separated by a thin line, are worlds apart."

"The Qi and Blood Realm trains the 'flesh', forging the body into a sturdy vessel. The Origin Opening Realm, however, is about igniting a 'spark' within that vessel, opening the 'hidden treasures' deep within the human body."

Wu Changhe extended a finger. At its tip, a faint white light flickered, a force more condensed and agile than Qi and Blood – yuan force.

"Only by opening the hidden treasures can the body give birth to a 'yuan seed' and generate 'Mental Energy' capable of interacting with matter. But this cannot be achieved by mere accumulation of Qi and Blood. It's like filling a water vat to the brim – the water remains water, its essence unchanged."

"To complete this qualitative transformation of life level, one must rely on a special catalyst and secret method – the 'Yuan Wu Dharma Gate' you will only come into contact with after entering a Martial Arts university."

Speaking to this point, Wu Changhe stared into your eyes and emphasized his tone:

"Therefore, for this trip to Suzhou and Hangzhou, besides that special recruitment test, you have another extremely important mission – to go to the Federal Ability Martial Artist Association in Suhang City and undergo the most precise, most comprehensive ability grading test."

You were somewhat puzzled. "Didn't I already declare my ability? Water element, water control. Does it still need testing?"

"That was a rough declaration for College Entrance Examination bonus points! It's completely insufficient!" Wu Changhe knocked on the table. "Choosing a Yuan Wu Dharma Gate is a matter that concerns your entire future! We cannot afford the slightest carelessness!"

"You are an Acquired Awakening water element Ability Martial Artist. This means once your yuan force is Cultivated, it will inherently possess an attribute."

"Water also has many types. Is it heavy, dense water? Or light, mist-concealing water? Or even corrosive weak water?"

"If you choose the wrong Dharma Gate – for example, if you have a heavy water trait but choose a light and agile Cloud Dragon Formula; or if you lean towards Yin-cold but choose a gentle Warm Mist Nourishing Yuan Formula... at best, you'll get half the results with twice the effort, with no hope of Soaring in this lifetime; at worst, there will be attribute conflict, making progress difficult and damaging your Meridians!"

You listened, your heart chilling. So there were so many intricacies involved. Fortunately, you had your teacher's guidance.

Wu Changhe continued explaining, "Only through precise testing, determining the purity of your ability, its mutation direction, and its frequency band, can you apply for a top-tier Yuan Wu Dharma Gate that matches your attributes after entering a Martial Arts university."

"This is why everyone says getting into a top Martial Arts university is like ascending to the heavens in one step."

"Because only there is the path tailored for you. Great clans and families have their own Legacy Dharma Gates and multi-generational accumulations of Yuan Wu Dharma Gates; they don't need to worry about this. But for us ordinary people, this is the only chance to obtain a top-tier Legacy."

"As for 'Spirit Stones'..." A trace of nostalgia flashed in Wu Changhe's eyes. "They are crystals containing pure energy. For someone at the Ninth Stage of Qi and Blood, they are a key."

"Using one can put your Mental Energy into a 'high-sensitivity' state for a short time, enhancing your mental strength, making it easier to sense the specific location of the human body's hidden treasures, thereby increasing your Breakthrough chance by thirty percent!"

"Thirty percent!"

You took a deep breath. For countless Martial Artists stuck at the Peak of the Ninth Stage, unable to sense the hidden treasures their entire lives, even a ten percent chance would be worth risking their lives for, let alone thirty percent!

"Therefore, for this special recruitment test, you must fight for it!"

"Understood! In the Martial Dao, one must fight!" You clenched your fist, Battle Intent burning in your eyes.

...

Three days later, June 20th.

The day of departure had arrived.

Early morning, the sky was somewhat gloomy, heavy dark clouds pressing down over the city.

A black business van, reinforced with bulletproof glass, was parked at the school gate.

Besides you and the leading Teacher Wu Changhe, the vehicle also carried Liu Xiyue who was traveling with you, and Teacher Liu Qing who was responsible for driving.

Liu Qing was a female practical combat teacher newly transferred to the school this semester, at the Peak of the Eighth Stage of Qi and Blood.

Usually, her personality was sharp and straightforward, always greeting people with a three-part smile. But today, she wore a pair of large sunglasses covering half her face, her eyes unclear. She just silently gripped the steering wheel, appearing unusually quiet.

"Everyone, buckle up." Liu Qing's voice was somewhat hoarse.

Wu Changhe didn't pay it much mind, just lowered his head to check the high-speed rail schedule. "Take the main road. It might be a bit congested, but it's safer."

"Okay." Liu Qing responded.

In the back seat of the van, you were conversing softly with Liu Xiyue.

Liu Xiyue sat beside you, still dressed in a white outfit, holding the newly replaced alloy longsword in her arms.

Since that crushing defeat, her attitude towards you had done a complete one-eighty.

That haughty, condescending arrogance was gone, replaced by a complex gaze tinged with a hint of inquiry.

"Li Ang."

Liu Xiyue suddenly spoke, her voice cool and clear. "I heard this special recruitment test will most likely have a team survival round."

You turned your head to look at her.

"Since it's for the school's honor, I don't mind temporarily teaming up with you." She paused, adding somewhat awkwardly, "Your blade skills and Qi and Blood are very strong, which could Just right compensate for my vulnerability after an explosive attack. If we cooperate, our chances of winning are the greatest."

You were stunned for a moment, then smiled. "I'd be more than willing."

A top-tier controller plus a top-tier tank and damage dealer – this was indeed the most perfect combination at this stage.

However, just as you had barely formed this verbal alliance –

The car had just driven out three blocks when Liu Qing suddenly yanked the steering wheel. The business van emitted a low roar, not heading towards the bustling main road, but directly turning into a remote side street leading to an old renovation and demolition zone.

"Screech—!!!"

An ear-piercingly sharp sound of emergency brakes suddenly rang out.

The tremendous inertia violently threw everyone in the car forward.

"What's going on?!"

Wu Changhe, who had been resting with his eyes closed, reacted instantly. Stabilizing himself, he flew into a rage and reached out to grab Liu Qing in the driver's seat. "Liu Qing! Have you gone mad? This isn't the way to the station at all!"

"Mad?"

From the driver's seat, Liu Qing slowly turned her head.

She slowly removed her sunglasses, revealing a pair of eyes that made everyone's hair stand on end.

Those usually spirited eyes now had not a trace of focus, the pupils dilated to the extreme, the whites filled with eerie red veins. The corners of her mouth slowly curled upwards, revealing an extremely stiff, puppet-like, bizarre smile.

"No, Group Leader Wu. I'm taking the children... to welcome 'rebirth'."

Before the words had fully left her mouth.

Wu Changhe's fingers had just touched Liu Qing's shoulder when his entire body suddenly stiffened.

"Hum—"

An invisible yet substantial terrifying force field descended abruptly from outside the vehicle without any warning.

It wasn't just Killing Intent, but an absolute suppression of a higher life level.

It was as if gravity had suddenly increased tenfold. The van's windows groaned under the pressure, instantly covered in spiderweb-like cracks.

You snapped your head up, looking through the windshield.

This was a dead-end alley, flanked by abandoned unfinished buildings. The light was dim, a chilling wind gusting through.

And ten meters ahead of the vehicle's hood, three bizarre figures stood, having appeared at some unknown time.

They were completely shrouded in wide black robes, the hems embroidered with dark red, twisting, seemingly living eyeball patterns.

The auras of the two on the left and right were Yin-cold and rotten, like corpses freshly crawled from graves. Dangerous, but still within the comprehensible scope of the Qi and Blood Realm.

But the one in the middle...

When your gaze fell upon the slightly taller black-robed figure in the center, your 'intuition' honed through countless life-and-death struggles issued an unprecedented, sharp alarm! Every cell in your body screamed two words in frenzy: Run!

He stood there quietly, yet seemed utterly out of place with the surrounding world.

You keenly noticed a detail: the alley was full of puddles and mud, and the robes of the two on the sides were stained with filth. Only the person in the middle – his black boots were spotless, even... if you looked closely, you'd notice a thin layer of air seemed to separate the soles of his shoes from the muddy ground. He wasn't truly stepping on it at all!

"That's... a Heart-Eroding Cult Adjudicator?!"

Liu Xiyue's face turned deathly pale. She clearly recognized the origin of this attire, her voice trembling.

"Liu Qing! You're actually a cult spy!"

Wu Changhe's eyes nearly burst from their sockets. Yuan force erupted wildly around him as he tried to break through that oppressive force field.

But to his horror, he discovered that his proud Origin Opening Realm yuan force, under the gaze of the central black-robed figure, actually moved sluggishly, as if stuck in a quagmire.

"This aura... how is it possible..." Cold sweat instantly beaded on Wu Changhe's forehead, and for the first time, despair flickered in his eyes. "You... you are..."

"Shh."

The black-robed figure in the middle raised a finger, placing it against the lips of his mask.

It wasn't a loud sound, but the moment this action was made, the wind in the alley stopped, and Wu Changhe's furious roar was forcibly choked back in his throat.

"Teacher Wu, long time no see."