The space rippled faintly.
The figure of Ren Zu reappeared atop an elevated mountain, situated dozens of kilometers away from the central territory of the Divine Phoenix Empire. From there, mountain ranges stretched out to the horizon.
The mountain where he emerged was silent and isolated.
Ren Zu took a few steps and casually sat down on a smooth rock, crossing his legs calmly. His shoulders relaxed, and he stretched without any hurry, arms extending upward as his bones cracked softly.
"Hmm…" he murmured, like someone who had just woken from a pleasant nap. "Before dealing with the Divine Phoenix Empire… there is something extremely important that I need to do."
His gaze deepened, calm and absolute.
"Since I will return to the Illusory Demon Realm in two days, and considering the remote possibility that all my plans fail—which I seriously doubt—I need to be strong enough to crush any unforeseen circumstances without hesitation."
A faint smile appeared on his lips.
"So… it's time to advance."
With a mere thought, a pill appeared between his fingers.
It was perfectly round, the size of a fingernail, with a smooth and translucent surface. Inside, deep streams of energy slowly swirled, forming complex patterns that resembled stars.
An [Absolute Refinement Pill].
This was one of the pills he had created some time ago, refined with more than five hundred and seventy-four different rare herbs. The creation process had taken a full day and night, and its effect was simple and direct: to strengthen the physical aspect of cultivation. Consuming a single one of these pills would, technically speaking, help force open several "Internal Gates." Due to its absurdly high quality and the concentrated power within, he calculated that he would be able to open about three Internal Gates at once.
Ren Zu observed it for a brief second, appraising it with calm eyes, before bringing it to his mouth and swallowing it without the slightest hesitation.
The pill dissolved instantly.
In the next moment, an overwhelming wave of energy exploded inside his body…
Ren Zu closed his eyes.
His body entered a complete state of cultivation.
Around him, the world seemed to slow down. The warm wind blowing across the mountain became gentler, as if it did not dare disturb him. The particles of deep energy in the air began to converge slowly toward him, forming invisible whirlpools that spun in perfect harmony.
Inside his body, profound changes were taking place. He confirmed the near-limitless amount of deep energy from the pill and began operating the [Celestial Tyrant Manual] to direct it to collide against the Limit Gate in his spine.
The spine was also called the dragon bone. It was the central axis and main pillar of the human body. It supported all other bones, including the head, chest, abdomen, and all limbs. Everything depended on its connection to the spine. When a person exerted any force, it first had to pass through the spine. The spine was like a bow: the tighter the bow, the harder it became. The more flexible the spine, the stronger the person was…
But it was also one of the most fragile places in the human body.
This was because the spinal nerves were also located in the spine. The nerve bodies were extremely complex and fragile. If those nerves were struck and severed, a person would become crippled—unless they had cultivated to a level where such damage could be constantly mitigated. Otherwise, even with supreme heavenly treasures, it would still be difficult to restore destroyed spinal nerves.
These characteristics made training the spine extremely difficult.
Among the 'Eight Hidden Internal Gates,' the Limit Gate was used to train marrow supplementation.
The Limit Gate gathered energy to increase the defensive strength of the spine. Then, taking the spine as the center, it controlled the entire body, allowing a person's strength to multiply several times over. In addition to raw power, explosive force, load-bearing capacity, balance, and defensive power would increase significantly.
Pa pa pa!
Ren Zu's back cracked and popped. An invisible stream of deep energy swirled rapidly around his body, forming small storms.
During this violent clash of energy, his clothes could not withstand the impact and silently disintegrated into dust, revealing his solid, well-shaped back—like that of a graceful leopard.
At this moment, the skin and muscles of his back became strange: translucent and jade-like in color. His entire spine was highlighted through them. The vertebrae and blood vessels were clearly visible, and all the nerves could be distinguished. Starting from the base of the spine, a brilliant wave of crimson light emerged. This bloody light condensed, forming a bean-sized blood pearl.
This was the location of the Limit Gate!
"Break for me!"
Bang!
In that instant, all the vital energy and blood power within Ren Zu's body violently converged into a single point at the base of his spine. It was as if something had exploded there—a muffled detonation that reverberated through his bones. A jet of blood erupted from that point, shooting hundreds of meters away like a crimson arrow, tearing through the air with a sharp sound.
However, contrary to what one might expect, Ren Zu did not collapse.
His body remained upright, casually seated in the same place, legs crossed in perfect meditative posture. The expression on his face stayed calm, almost indifferent, as if that internal explosion had been nothing more than a minor inconvenience.
The torn back—flesh ripped open and blood flowing—began to regenerate at a terrifying speed. In just a few seconds, bones reconnected, muscles re-wove themselves, and the skin closed as if it had never been wounded. Not even a scar remained.
The strange jade-like glow that covered his back pulsed briefly before slowly fading. His skin returned to normal, firm and solid, while the muscles retracted beneath it, concealing every trace of that extreme transformation.
Ren Zu remained motionless, breathing steadily.
He had not even used one-third of the pill's entire energy. So, controlling the remainder, he directed it toward the next 'Internal Gate'…
The third gate was called the 'Gate of Wonder.'
After reaching the second stage of 'Body Training,' every time one of the 'Eight Hidden Internal Gates' was opened, a person would gain greater strength. At the same time, each gate corresponded to acquiring a special ability. For example, the first gate, the 'Gate of Healing,' was located at the point between the clavicles. After opening this gate, in addition to increasing a martial artist's overall strength, it would greatly enhance endurance and recovery capacity. The second gate, the 'Limit Gate,' located in the spine—the area known as the dragon bone—would increase balance and explosive power.
As for the third gate, the 'Gate of Wonder,' located in both knees: opening this gate would increase strength and grant the special ability of greatly enhancing a person's speed.
The remaining flow of the pill's energy changed course without any resistance.
Guided by Ren Zu's will, it descended like an obedient river through his body, splitting into two perfectly balanced streams that advanced toward his knees.
As soon as the energy reached the knees, his bones, tendons, and joints began to emit a soft glow, like liquid jade being heated from within.
Pa… pa…
Unlike the violent explosion from before, this time the sound was restrained and deep, like something being perfectly fitted into place.
The deep energy simply passed through the barrier of the Gate of Wonder, breaking it with the same ease that a blade passes through water.
The gate… yielded.
In the next instant, an indescribable sensation coursed through his body.
It was as if the weight of the world had been cut in half.
He had successfully opened the 'Gate of Wonder'!
The 'Gate of Wonder' had the effect of greatly increasing overall speed and sudden acceleration. This differed from the 'Gate of Healing,' which governed endurance and restoration, and the Limit Gate, which dealt with balance, coordinated strength, and explosive force. This newly opened gate would be able to enhance combat effectiveness far more directly than the first two.
Speed was one of the most important factors in a person's combat power. It was far more direct than endurance, recovery capacity, or explosive force! Speed was undoubtedly crucial for escaping and pursuing. It would also greatly increase someone's attack power…
But nothing compared to the 'Gate of Pain,' which was the next one he decided to open!
Without any pause, Ren Zu's consciousness shifted once again.
The remaining energy of the Absolute Refinement Pill—still dense and vigorous—was pulled from his knees like an obedient sea in reflux. It rose through the meridians of his arms in two parallel currents, advancing through his shoulders, forearms, and finally converging slowly into his open hands, resting on his knees, as he began to strike the 'Gate of Pain'!
The 'Gate of Pain' was located in the palms of the hands. One could also say there were two gates, one in each hand.
The deep energy advanced, pushing against the invisible barrier of the gates in the palms… and then—
Crack.
The sound was dry, short, almost elegant.
Both 'Gates of Pain' shattered simultaneously!
The instant the Gates of Pain broke, the remaining deep energy did not dissipate. Like a river that, after bursting through the floodgates, found no further obstacles ahead, the power of the [Absolute Refinement Pill] receded from his palms and spread throughout his entire body in a broad and heavy flow.
His profound veins began to vibrate faintly. They were already overflowing, swollen with pure energy so dense that any ordinary cultivator would have broken through to the next realm without even realizing it. However, thanks to his [Ten Extreme Daos], he was able to suppress this breakthrough with relative ease. Since he had no intention of raising his profound strength at that moment, with a single silent decision he redirected the flow. All the deep energy was refined and compressed, forced to circulate repeatedly through his profound veins—once, twice, dozens of times along the same path. Each cycle not only increased the amount of energy… but also its purity. A purity that was already so perfect that, even throughout the entire Primordial Chaos, no one could compare to it.
While refining the rest of the pill, he finally completed his journey along the "Path of Earth." The compression of the "Law of Earth" had reached the absolute level! With this, he had fully mastered the elements of fire, lightning, water, wind, earth, light, darkness, and space. Only two remained to complete his cultivation method. For the next Dao, he decided to tread the "Path of Time." Thus, he immediately began comprehending that concept which had always seemed vague to him, fully aware that it would not be an easy path to master…
When he finally concluded the refinement of the pill, his mind—which, thanks to the [Ten Extreme Daos], had been submerged in the profound mysteries of the Law of Time—emerged from that enigmatic and unfathomable state.
The silence around him seemed absolute, as if even the flow of time itself had hesitated for a moment.
He then slowly released a restrained sigh, and as he opened his eyes, a fleeting gleam passed through his pupils—deep, ancient, as if he had watched countless eras pass before him.
The moment of contemplation came to an end.
"…It seems to have worked…" Ren Zu murmured, slowly clenching his fist as he felt the overwhelming change his body had undergone after opening three more 'Internal Gates.'
In that instant, all of his physical attributes had skyrocketed in an absurd manner, reaching a simply terrifying level. Every muscle, every bone, every fiber of his body seemed to contain latent power capable of effortlessly crushing mountains. If he wished, he could casually deliver a single punch with a force exceeding five and a half million kilograms—without even resorting to profound energy.
This far surpassed his initial expectations.
The reason was clear: the [Immortal Jade Dragon Physique]. This monstrous constitution had amplified his innate strength even further, and with the opening of the Internal Gates, that increase had become exponentially more terrifying than he had predicted.
Most likely, his physical body had already reached a high level of the Divine Path after opening four gates. It would not be an exaggeration to say that, at that moment, his body was one of the most powerful in the entire Primordial Chaos.
With this, he felt a little more confident, but still, he was not satisfied with relying solely on his physical body as his final guarantee.
He wanted to prepare a true trump card—something that could decide the outcome of a battle with absolute certainty.
Immediately, his thoughts turned to the [Massacre God Arts] he had created long ago and refined with obsessive dedication over several months. Almost ironically, these arts combined perfectly with the [Eternal Night Illusory Demonic Tome], which he had learned in recent days.
Moreover, during his study of the "Devil Origin Orb"—now fused into his profound veins—countless ideas had emerged, intertwining in his mind like threads on an invisible loom.
Gradually, he began mentally working on a cultivation method and a specific profound art, both shaped to explore this new path.
The essence of the idea was already complete.
All that remained was to put it into practice.
And when that happened, that method and the accompanying art would very likely become his supreme trump card.
Since he had only a single day to complete it, he decided not to waste even a single moment.
Without hesitation, he closed his eyes once more.
In the absolute silence around him, he dove inward again, beginning the "practice" of his new cultivation method and the profound art that accompanied it…
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