Dear Readers,
Thank you for chasing legends with Lan An and Xiao Qing Xuan! If the Eight Gates Hidden Armor's promise and the elusive Merfolk's song stir your soul, unleash a deluge of Power Stones! Your support fuels this xianxia epic. Share with fellow cultivators, and let's soar to the heavens together!
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"Eight Gates Hidden Armor? A body cultivation secret art?"
Lan An leaped with joy. He already possessed the Heavenly Emperor Triple Transformation Technique for spiritual cultivation; now, a body cultivation secret art was like a pillow delivered to a sleepy man.
Another reason for his elation was that this technique was carved on a stele, meaning all his body-cultivating women could learn it, unlike System-bound jade tokens limited to one user.
His enthusiasm surged, and he immediately studied the stele from top to bottom.
"Eight Gates Hidden Armor: No rank… a secret art that unleashes the body's full potential, enhancing combat prowess. Practitioners can fight above their level, invincible among peers. Non-body cultivators are forbidden to learn!"
"The body is a microcosm of the universe, a mystery no being can fully master. The Eight Gates represent eight doors to that limit, unlocking them to their fullest potential…"
"First Gate - Open Gate: Awakens the brain's acuity, enhancing battle situation processing."
"Second Gate - Muscle Gate: Activates muscle growth, boosting strength."
"Third Gate - Body Gate: Enhances skin and flesh durability, increasing defense."
"Fourth Gate - Speed Gate: Awakens leg agility, amplifying speed."
"Fifth Gate - Blood Gate: Expands blood vessels, accelerating blood flow, enhancing overall combat power."
"Sixth Gate - Bone Gate: Strengthens and flexibilizes bones, allowing them to serve as weapons."
"Seventh Gate - Void Gate: Activates the body's influence on the void, enabling destruction or movement within it."
"Final Gate - Death Gate: Activates all seven gates simultaneously, magnified countless times, at the cost of bodily destruction and death."
"The strength of each gate depends on the user's body cultivation level."
"Warning: The Death Gate is for desperate last stands only."
Lan An drew a sharp breath, his heart pounding, goosebumps rising, breathing heavier than ever.
"Defying the heavens… this Giant Tribe secret art defies the heavens," he muttered, eyes blazing as he stared at the stele, as if beholding a captivating beauty beckoning him.
His hand caressed it eagerly.
Each gate offered immense benefits, justifying its claim of peerless invincibility.
"If I combine Open Gate with White Moon Soul-Seizing Eyes, who in my realm could match my sharpness?"
"If I pair Speed Gate with Enchanting Shadow Steps and Eight Desolations Heaven-Scorching Flame, who could outpace me?"
Lan An murmured excitedly. Just these two gates would vastly boost his combat power. The others were equally terrifying. If he mastered them all…
He dared not imagine if he could defeat Void Refiners. With the Void Gate, he could move through the void Void Refiners couldn't escape his pursuit.
This was merely the Eight Gates' effects; the cultivation method was on the stele's back.
"The Giant Tribe's possession of such a powerful secret art is astounding, but cultivating it isn't simple. Even Ju Ba Tian only reached the Fifth Gate. Young Master, mastering all eight will be a grueling path," Jin Ni said, observing Ju Ba Tian's bones, swinging her legs on his shoulder.
"If Ju Ba Tian couldn't, doesn't mean I can't. Just watch!" Lan An thumped his chest confidently, storing the stele in the Spirit Realm Pearl for safety.
"Tian Er, you're my lucky charm!" He laughed, scooping Xiao Qing Xuan into his arms and spinning her around.
Blushing, she looked adorably shy but was thrilled for him, knowing the Eight Gates Hidden Armor was a treasure countless coveted.
"Let's bury Senior Ba Tian and keep hunting Zhang Yu!" Lan An said cheerfully, setting her down.
"I'll dig!" Xiao Qing Xuan drew her giant blade, slashing to excavate.
Lan An finally examined her blade closely pitch-black, large as a door, curved and razor-sharp, capable of cleaving the firmament.
"This is the Heavenly Heavy Blade, a Mid Heaven-grade artifact from my second master," Xiao Qing Xuan smiled, seeing his curiosity.
Lan An nodded. Her second master, the fourth dean of Saint Spirit Academy, passing a high-grade weapon to her heir was unsurprising.
With their teamwork, a bottomless valley formed.
They exchanged nods, exerting all their strength to push Ju Ba Tian's skeleton into it.
Heavy… impossibly heavy, like thousands of mountains stacked.
The water's resistance made it harder.
But with their strength, they soon lowered the skeleton into the valley.
They buried the wrecked warship too, along with two jars of Zhong Wu Ming's finest wine.
Though unsure if Ju Ba Tian liked wine, it was Lan An's heartfelt gesture.
Pushing the Earth Spirit Cauldron to its limit, Lan An summoned torrents of sand to fill the valley.
"Sand Tomb Technique!"
A High Earth-grade skill formed a massive tomb under the sea, the final resting place for this terrifying expert.
Not stopping there, Lan An planted the Giant Tribe's history stele, inscribing on its back:
"Tomb of Ju Ba Tian, Sixth Vice-Chief of the Giant Tribe."
Finished, they bowed respectfully to the tomb.
A day later…
"What's with our luck? Where are the Zhang Yu hiding?" Lan An grumbled.
Only three days remained until Duo Bao Pavilion's Item Exchange Ceremony, which he was determined to attend.
Since leaving the Giant Tribe's warship, no Zhang Yu had appeared.
"Our tomb-building caused too much commotion, scaring creatures within a thousand li," Xiao Qing Xuan shook her head helplessly. Lan An, holding her hand, strolled leisurely underwater, not at all like he was on a mission.
His mood was buoyant, thanks to the Eight Gates Hidden Armor.
Agreeing with her, Lan An used Enchanting Shadow Steps to speed up.
Countless creatures gaped at them moving through the sea. One bold creature entered the Water-Repelling Pearl's bubble, flopping like a fish out of water, amusing Lan An and Xiao Qing Xuan.
The pearl only repelled water, not other entities.
Suddenly, a small tail pierced the barrier, stabbing Lan An's body.
Potent green venom surged, aiming to poison him.
"Back off, friend! I only play with my Su Mei. I've no interest in sea snakes," Lan An said, shaking his head. Strange Flame flared, reducing the venomous sea snake to ash.
Strange Flames countered most poisons, and with three, Lan An feared poison least.
"Giggle, you're too much, joking like that?" Xiao Qing Xuan laughed, glaring at him.
"Isn't it to see you smile? I said your smile's beautiful," Lan An teased, feigning infatuation.
"Hmph, no time for sweet talk!" Xiao Qing Xuan turned away. Wasn't he worried about sea monsters attacking in these depths?
As if proving her right, ten tentacles burst from the seabed, shattering the mud, coiling toward them.
"Sneak-attacking me is your dumbest move!" Lan An calmly grasped Xiao Qing Xuan's waist, teleporting away.
The Zhang Yu, seeing its attack fail, retreated into the mud as if nothing happened.
"Sneak and hide?" Lan An sneered. Star-Piercing Finger condensed, shooting through.
Swish
The sea parted, the Heaven-grade skill's terrifying force piercing the Zhang Yu's head. Its corpse surfaced, tentacles writhing grotesquely.
Poor Zhang Yu, meeting its deadliest prey.
"Sometimes, pies fall from the sky," Lan An mused, collecting the beast core.
Twang, twang, twang
Suddenly, in the vast ocean, distant zither notes reached their ears.
"What the heck?" Lan An jumped. A zither in the deep sea? Spooky.
Xiao Qing Xuan looked around, dazed, hearing it too.
Twang, twang… "The sea grants me a spring of dreams…" twang, twang, twang
Twang, twang, twang… "A vibrant spring, shining everywhere…" twang, twang
Twang, twang… "When the sea's ideals blaze in our hearts…" twang, twang
The distant sound continued, its direction unclear.
"Who's playing and singing? So enchanting!" Xiao Qing Xuan's eyes glazed, her soul cleansed, spiritual energy surging into her body. She murmured, entranced.
Lan An, too, let the song and zither wash over him, his spiritual energy absorption skyrocketing. In his dantian, four giant cauldrons hummed contentedly.
"This cultivation support is terrifying," Jin Ni praised, a rare compliment.
Lan An's face lit up with realization, shouting to Xiao Qing Xuan, "Tian Er, it's definitely a mermaid! Only mermaids sing so beautifully in the sea!"
Snapped from her trance, she recalled his earlier description, realizing his "mermaid" was the Merfolk Tribe.
"Impossible… the Merfolk Tribe went extinct long ago. Even Transcension experts hunted them for cultivation support but failed," her master exclaimed, shocked.
"Tian Er, let's hurry. I want to see a legendary mermaid!" Lan An said excitedly.
"Follow the song!" Xiao Qing Xuan nodded eagerly.
Lan An wasted no time, wrapping his arm around her waist, pushing Enchanting Shadow Steps to the limit underwater.
Scenes flashed by at dizzying speed, but the song grew fainter.
"Damn it, why's it getting farther?" Lan An cursed, pushing Thousand-Mile Vision to its peak, not missing even a speck of dust.
Ding, side mission [Merfolk Support] activated. Success grants a matching cultivation technique and artifact. No time limit, no failure penalty.
The System's voice startled Lan An.
Mission note: Find a Merfolk, convince them to join the Harem to aid members' cultivation.
Lan An's eyes shone, muttering, "I knew it! Mermaids exist. I must find her…"
"Really a Merfolk?" Xiao Qing Xuan and her master thought simultaneously, stunned by his words.
Ignoring all, Lan An sped like a madman, passing countless creatures, ignoring the sea's beauty.
He casually slew any Zhang Yu in his path, his actions decisive.
A day later…
The song and zither ceased. Lan An's face darkened to its lowest.
"Am I fated to miss the mermaid?"
He gritted his teeth, racing on, clinging to faint hope.
Mermaids, legends of his past life, existed only in films, fairy tales, and art.
Who wouldn't want to meet a breathtakingly beautiful mermaid, the sea's sprite, just once?
Even without their cultivation aid, Lan An was determined to fulfill his past life's dream.
Two days later…
Lan An and Xiao Qing Xuan surfaced.
His face was desolate, as if soulless, having failed to find the mermaid despite his frantic search.
"It's just fate. If it's meant to be, you'll meet her," Xiao Qing Xuan comforted, holding his hand, rarely seeing him so dejected.
The boundless sea made finding the singer near impossible. When would fate allow a mermaid encounter?
No wonder the mission had no time limit.
Whoosh, whoosh, whoosh
Suddenly, countless green-eyed, blonde-haired figures zipped overhead, rushing toward Emei Archipelago or rather, Duo Bao Pavilion's Item Exchange Ceremony.
Lan An took a deep breath, setting aside disappointment, pulling Xiao Qing Xuan's hand with a smile. "Let's go! I'll take you to hunt for treasures…"