The Gray Gate

The next morning.

When the first bronze bell rang from deep within the Quan family estate, the entire atmosphere of the residence seemed to change.

The younger disciples who had long since finished preparing began leaving their quarters one after another, heading toward the restricted area in the northern part of the estate.

Everyone wore neat, practical clothing.

Weapons.

Talismans.

Pills.

Protective artifacts.

Everything had been prepared.

Some looked excited.

Some remained calm.

Others could not hide their tension.

The Inner Secret Realm opened only once every five years.

For the younger generation of the Quan family, it was both an opportunity and a place to prove themselves.

Hao Nhien wore a simple black robe.

Several bottles of medicinal liquid were stored in his ring.

The three supreme grade spirit stones remained hidden in the deepest part of it.

Unless he truly reached the end of the road, he would not touch them.

Tieu Lan saw him off at the gate of the courtyard.

She did not say much.

She only reached out to straighten his collar, then took out a small bottle of pale green medicinal liquid.

“I just prepared this.”

“If your meridians hurt too much, Young Master, use some.”

“Don’t try to save it.”

Hao Nhien accepted it.

“All right.”

Tieu Lan looked at him.

“You must be careful.”

Hao Nhien nodded slightly.

“Mm.”

He turned and began to leave.

After walking a few steps, Tieu Lan’s voice came from behind him again.

“Hao Nhien.”

He turned back.

Tieu Lan was still standing at the courtyard gate.

Her hands were lightly clasped in front of her.

Her eyes were bright.

“I believe in you.”

Hao Nhien looked at her for a moment.

Then smiled.

“Mm.”

“I’ll come back.”

With that, he turned away.

Then followed the white stone path leading toward the northern part of the estate.

The Quan family’s restricted area lay behind a grove of purple bamboo.

The grove was not large.

But the moment he entered, the noise behind him was immediately cut off.

The purple bamboo stalks grew perfectly straight.

Faint lines ran across their surfaces like veins.

When the wind passed through, they gave off a very soft rustling sound.

Beneath his feet was a path paved with black stone.

Ancient rune carved pillars stood on both sides.

At the end of the road was a broad square.

More than a hundred young men and women of the Quan family had already gathered there.

The moment Hao Nhien arrived, he felt many gazes turn toward him.

Some curious.

Some assessing.

Some unconvinced.

And a few friendly.

Quan Lam stood not far away.

When he saw Hao Nhien, he waved.

“Brother Hao Nhien.”

“Over here.”

Hao Nhien walked over.

Not far ahead, Quan Thieu Duong stood with several main line disciples.

He wore a dark red robe.

His figure was tall and powerful.

His masculine, overbearing aura was not concealed in the slightest.

His gaze swept across Hao Nhien.

It paused for only half a breath before moving away.

As though a fifth layer Qi Condensation cultivator was still not enough to deserve much of his attention.

In another corner, Quan Tu Mac wore a pale blue robe.

A folding fan remained in his hand.

A faint smile lingered at the corner of his lips.

When his gaze met Hao Nhien’s, he even gave a slight nod.

Very polite.

Yet somehow difficult to read.

Farther away, beneath the shadow of a stone pillar, a young man dressed in black stood silently.

He spoke to no one.

He stood alone.

There was a heaviness around him.

He was not deliberately releasing anything.

Yet the disciples nearby still kept more distance from him than usual.

Quan Lam lowered his voice.

“Quan Huyen.”

Hao Nhien looked over.

At that exact moment, Quan Huyen also raised his head.

Their gazes met.

No provocation.

No avoidance.

Only a brief glance.

But Hao Nhien knew this person was not simple.

He withdrew his gaze.

“His aura is heavy.”

Quan Lam nodded.

“He has been through quite a few life and death battles in the Western Wastes.”

Hao Nhien did not ask further.

Just then, the second bell rang.

The entire square quickly fell silent.

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Quan Vo Cuc and several Quan family elders slowly stepped onto the stone platform ahead.

Behind them stood an enormous stone gate more than ten zhang tall.

The gate was ancient.

Its surface was covered in old runes.

At its center were three large characters that had faded with time.

Yet their presence remained.

Body.

Fist.

Soul.

The moment those three words entered his sight, the Spirit Sword within Hao Nhien’s meridians suddenly trembled slightly.

Very faintly.

But he felt it clearly.

Hao Nhien took a deep breath.

As expected.

At the very least, the Inner Secret Realm truly was connected to Body, Fist, and Soul.

Quan Vo Cuc stood before the stone gate.

His gaze swept across all the younger generation below.

“You are all descendants of the Quan family.”

“Today, the Inner Secret Realm opens.”

“Opportunity lies before you.”

“But opportunity is not something given freely.”

“If you want it, you must pass the trials yourselves.”

His voice spread across the entire square.

“Inside the secret realm, you may compete.”

“You may surpass one another.”

“But you are absolutely forbidden from intentionally killing members of your own clan.”

“Anyone who violates this rule will face clan punishment even if they manage to leave the secret realm.”

No one spoke.

Quan Vo Cuc continued:

“Remember this.”

“The secret realm does not judge cultivation alone.”

“Those with higher realms must not become arrogant.”

“Those with lower realms need not feel inferior.”

“What the Quan family seeks is not the strongest person at a single moment.”

“It is the one who can travel farthest on the path of the Body Soul Fist Art.”

Hao Nhien’s gaze deepened slightly.

Not the strongest for a moment.

But the one who could go farthest.

After finishing his instructions, Quan Vo Cuc and the elders simultaneously took out jade tokens.

One by one, the jade tokens were placed into grooves before the gate.

Rumble.

The stone gate trembled.

The ancient runes began lighting up one after another.

From the base of the gate, the glow spread upward.

The spiritual qi throughout the square was drawn toward the gate like water flowing against the current.

A large vortex slowly formed.

A moment later, the stone gate opened into a dark slit.

There was no light within.

Only a vast expanse of hazy gray mist.

Directly in front of the opening, a stone stele three zhang tall slowly rose from the ground.

There were no words on it.

Only a palm shaped depression.

A white bearded elder stepped forward.

“Place your hand on the stele one at a time.”

“The secret realm will assign an entrance according to your foundation and current cultivation.”

“You are not permitted to force your way through another gate.”

The first person to step forward was Quan Thieu Duong.

He placed his hand on the stele.

A deep golden light immediately spread out.

Then a small golden gate appeared beside the main entrance.

“Peak ninth layer Qi Condensation.”

“Golden Gate.”

Quan Thieu Duong did not hesitate.

He stepped straight inside.

Next came Quan Tu Mac.

The light on the stele turned pale gold mixed with green.

“Ninth layer Qi Condensation.”

“Golden Gate.”

Quan Tu Mac lightly waved his fan.

Then smiled and stepped inside.

Quan Huyen stepped forward after him.

When his palm touched the stele, the light that appeared was not as brilliant as Quan Thieu Duong’s.

But the color was very deep.

Like a layer of dark red buried beneath stone.

The white bearded elder looked at it for another breath.

“Ninth layer Qi Condensation.”

“Golden Gate.”

Quan Huyen said nothing.

He simply stepped inside.

The others followed one by one.

Gold.

Green.

Gray.

Different gates continued to appear.

More than a dozen people had already entered.

Hao Nhien remained behind and observed for a while longer.

Only after gaining a rough understanding of how the gates were assigned did he step forward.

More gazes immediately gathered on him.

Hao Nhien paid them no attention.

He reached out and placed his hand into the depression on the stele.

Ice cold.

An ancient aura instantly passed through his palm.

It flowed through his meridians.

Swept across his dantian.

Then lightly brushed against his soul.

At that exact moment, the Spirit Sword within his meridians trembled.

Hao Nhien immediately kept his expression calm.

He did not allow any reaction to show on his face.

The stone stele began to glow.

Gray.

But not a completely dull gray.

Within it, a thread of extremely fine light slowly moved.

Like silver hidden beneath ashes.

The white bearded elder frowned slightly.

He looked more carefully.

On the stone platform, Quan Vo Cuc’s gaze also shifted.

After one breath, the elder finally spoke.

“Peak fifth layer Qi Condensation.”

“Solid foundation.”

“Gray Gate.”

Soft whispers immediately rose around them.

“Peak fifth layer?”

“Still too low.”

“Gray Gate…”

Hao Nhien did not care.

He withdrew his hand.

Then walked toward the gray gate that had just appeared.

Before entering, he glanced toward the outer edge of the square.

Tieu Lan was not permitted to enter the restricted area.

But he knew she was still waiting in the courtyard.

A single sentence surfaced in Hao Nhien’s heart.

I’ll come back.

Then he stepped into the Gray Gate.

One step through.

The world before him immediately changed.

The square was gone.

The Quan family disciples were gone.

The voices were gone.

Before Hao Nhien stretched a stone staircase climbing upward.

It disappeared into gray mist.

Wind blew down from above, cold as tiny blades brushing across his skin.

An ancient voice sounded in the air.

Its source was impossible to determine.

“First trial.”

“Body.”

“Ascend.”

“External items are forbidden.”

“Those who fall from the stairs.”

“Eliminated.”

The voice vanished.

The wind immediately grew stronger.

Hao Nhien looked at the staircase before him.

He did not move immediately.

He crouched down.

Then touched the stone step.

Very hard.

Very cold.

There was also a faint pulling force across its surface.

As though it wanted to drag a person’s feet downward.

The wind from both sides did not merely blow sideways either.

At times, it twisted downward in spirals.

Making it extremely difficult to maintain balance.

Hao Nhien understood.

This was no ordinary staircase.

Every step was a trial of the body.

He stood straight.

Took a deep breath.

Then stepped onto the first stair.

Boom.

The pressure instantly increased.

It felt as though something heavy had suddenly been placed across both shoulders.

Not unbearable.

But unmistakable.

He continued.

The second step.

Wind screamed against his face.

The third.

His robe snapped backward.

The fourth.

The pressure beneath his feet increased again.

Hao Nhien let his body adapt on its own.

He did not rush.

He adjusted his breathing.

Felt his center of gravity.

Felt the soles of his feet.

Felt each group of muscles bearing the pressure.

This was Body.

If he wanted to go far, his body first had to endure.

At the tenth step, a small stone chamber appeared before him.

Hao Nhien entered.

The wind immediately vanished.

The room contained faint spiritual qi.

Not especially dense.

But enough for brief recovery.

A line of words was carved into the wall.

“One step steady, ten steps without falling.”

Hao Nhien looked at it for a moment.

Then sat down to recover for several breaths.

Not long.

Then he continued.

Every ten steps, another small stone chamber appeared for the challenger to regulate their breathing.

But after passing three such chambers, the pressure was already completely different from the beginning.

The wind had become sharper.

The gravity heavier.

Every time he lifted a foot required more strength than before.

By around the fortieth step, several red marks had appeared across Hao Nhien’s hands.

His breathing had also grown heavier.

He still did not use medicinal liquid.

These minor wounds were exactly what his body needed.

Pressure.

Pain.

Limits.

Only when he was pushed deeply enough would the opportunity to reach the sixth layer truly appear.

Hao Nhien continued upward.

The forty third step.

A sharp pain ran through his left shoulder.

The forty sixth.

A thin line of blood appeared across the back of his hand.

The forty ninth.

A sudden spiral of wind swept sideways.

His body immediately tilted.

Hao Nhien lowered his center of gravity at once.

His toes gripped the stone.

His waist turned slightly.

One very short backward step.

His body immediately returned to balance.

He stood still.

Then breathed out.

Dangerous.

But also familiar.

Not a secret art.

Not some profound technique.

Only something he had repeated countless times.

Advance.

Stop.

Retreat.

Stop.

Hold the center.

Control the breath.

Things that had once seemed so simple were now what kept him standing on the staircase.

Hao Nhien looked upward.

The secret realm was forcing him to use everything he had trained.

The body that had endured the waterfall.

The breathing rhythm trained beneath the water.

Simple footwork.

Control of his center of gravity.

And calmness when real danger appeared.

None of it had been useless.

He stepped upward.

The fiftieth step.

A stone chamber appeared before him.

Hao Nhien entered.

The door behind him immediately closed.

The wind vanished.

But this time, the spiritual qi inside the room was no longer faint.

It was much denser.

Almost the instant he entered, spiritual qi surged in from all directions.

Hao Nhien’s body suddenly trembled.

He froze.

Then immediately understood.

It had arrived.

He was not forcing a breakthrough.

The accumulation inside his body had simply been pushed by those fifty steps to a point where change could no longer be avoided.

The days spent practicing his fists.

Tieu Lan’s medicinal liquid.

The vitality from the Cosmic Ark.

The accumulation built up throughout his time at the fifth layer of Qi Condensation.

And the fifty steps he had just climbed.

All of it was like dry wood piled high.

The spiritual qi inside this chamber was simply the final spark.

Hao Nhien immediately sat cross legged.

Closed his eyes.

Inhaled.

The spiritual qi in the room was instantly drawn toward him, entering his body with the rhythm of his breathing cultivation.

It quickly flowed through the meridians still burning from the pressure he had just endured.

Hao Nhien kept his mind perfectly calm.

He did not force it.

He only guided it.

The spiritual qi moved upward through the meridians from his feet.

The sections of meridians that had stiffened after fifty steps heated one after another.

Then slowly loosened.

His flesh ached.

His meridians burned.

His dantian felt heavy.

Yet his soul was strangely clear.

When the flow of true qi passed through Tiantu and descended toward Shanzhong, the entire qi flow in his chest suddenly trembled.

Immediately afterward, the meridians from his chest to his abdomen seemed to stretch all at once.

Then release.

Boom.

A small sound exploded within his consciousness.

The true qi inside his dantian surged upward.

Denser.

Heavier.

But also smoother than before.

The meridians that had just been pushed to their limits by wind and gravity filled with spiritual qi.

Then slowly expanded.

Hao Nhien remained seated.

He did not rush to rejoice.

Nor did he rush to open his eyes.

He continued regulating his breathing.

Letting the newly strengthened true qi circulate.

Checking each section of his meridians.

One cycle.

Two.

Three.

By the ninth cycle, the aura within his body finally stabilized.

Hao Nhien opened his eyes.

A very faint light flashed through them, then vanished.

Sixth layer Qi Condensation.

He slowly stood.

His body did not feel weightless as he had once imagined.

Instead.

Every step felt more grounded.

As though his true qi had settled more deeply into his body.

He clenched his fist.

His bones and tendons gave several faint cracks.

Sixth layer.

This breakthrough had not come suddenly.

It was not the result of some heavenly treasure falling into his hands.

It was simply the result of everything he had accumulated before, finally forced open by this trial.

But Hao Nhien felt no arrogance.

Quan Thieu Duong.

Peak ninth layer Qi Condensation.

Quan Tu Mac.

Ninth layer.

Quan Huyen.

Ninth layer.

Quan Nha.

Ninth layer.

Quan Phong.

Late eighth layer.

Compared with those people, the sixth layer was still low.

It only gave him a little more capital to travel farther.

It did not place him above anyone.

Hao Nhien looked around the stone chamber.

Spiritual qi still remained inside.

But it had already thinned considerably.

On the stone wall ahead, a line of words slowly appeared.

“When the body reaches its limit, qi opens the path on its own.”

Hao Nhien looked at those words.

The corner of his mouth lifted slightly.

As expected.

The Inner Secret Realm was not merely a place of trials.

It was also a forge.

If someone entered only wanting to pass as quickly as possible, they might miss many things.

At least in this first trial, the pressure itself was already part of the opportunity.