"I do know a little. The legend says that after Martial Uncle Long met Zong Shou, he claimed that the youth possessed a remnant soul, was burdened by the Celestial Barrier, and moreover, was born with dual meridians!" The crowd present fell into an immediate, stunned silence, as if listening to the wildest of fairy tales, finding it utterly unbelievable.

To possess a remnant soul, suffer the Celestial Barrier, and furthermore, have dual meridians—how could such a person possibly practice martial arts, let alone break through to the Xiantian realm? Senior Brother Lie let out a short, derisive laugh: "Han Yun is joking.

For someone with dual meridians, simply cultivating the martial path is already extraordinarily difficult. Add the other two afflictions, and it seems anyone would be destined for mediocrity for life.

How could breakthrough be possible?" Ge Han Yun frowned slightly, clearly displeased, musing inwardly: Who is joking with you? Over there, Yan Feibai’s expression grew solemn.

"Senior Brother Long would not lie; it is highly likely to be true. During our earlier exchange, I felt Zong Shou's qi split into two streams, his strength spiraling—it must be the spiral qi force using an ice-fire divergence technique to resolve the dual meridian condition.

However, to achieve that resolution necessitates changing tendons and altering meridians. As for the Celestial Barrier, if he can solve the dual meridian body and already wield such sword talent before reaching Xiantian, how could he possibly fail to break through?" "Spiral qi force?

Doesn't that mean twisting the two meridians into a rope? How did he manage that?" Senior Brother Lie felt a tingling sensation spread across his scalp.

Having reached the Xuanwu realm, his understanding of the human body's meridian structure was nearly complete. He knew that regardless of how Zong Shou achieved it, the process must have involved immense agony.

And it was agony that must have persisted for years, comparable to being slowly carved alive. Considering the other two afflictions, his heart grew even colder.

He thought: This person’s will is probably unmatched in this generation. It is not terrifying when someone possesses natural talent; what is terrifying is when they also possess such unyielding resolve and perseverance.

It seems Martial Uncle Long truly misjudged this time. If things go awry, he might not even be able to secure the position of next Sect Master.

This thought he dared only entertain in the privacy of his mind, not dare speak aloud. Yet, judging by the expressions around him, most likely shared the same apprehension.

The man who had just soared away suddenly commanded a degree of respect. Even the lingering resentment pent up in his chest subsided considerably.

It wasn't that the hatred vanished, but he understood that against such an individual, he lacked the standing to hate, and was far too unqualified to consider him an enemy. This man is truly...

a monster. "It should be correct!

I underestimated him before. Everyone says I, Yan Feibai, am a favored son of heaven.

But compared to him, I am nothing. That single word, 'pride,' is perhaps my true label." Yan Feibai took a deep breath, forcefully suppressing the turbulence in his heart.

"In short, in today's battle, I, Yan Feibai, concede wholeheartedly. To have such an opponent is an honor in itself!" Ge Han Yun, who had been lost in contemplation with flickering strange light in her eyes, burst into laughter upon hearing this.

"Now that sounds like something a person would say! Yan boy, how are you feeling now?" "How else would I feel?

Not dead!" Yan Feibai replied without hesitation, then raised an eyebrow. "When we return, can you teach me to cultivate Spirit Arts?" Ge Han Yun froze instantly, staring at Yan Feibai in astonishment.

She knew this fellow had previously sworn he would sooner die than touch talismans and spiritual techniques. Yan Feibai understood her surprise, and his mood grew even more depressed.

"Today I received a severe lesson from him! I estimate I won't catch up within a decade, but I refuse to be left behind.

This fellow cultivates Spirit Arts to an extremely profound level. If I don't learn them, I will certainly never defeat him again." With his words, Yan Feibai strode off, heading in the direction Zong Shou had departed.

Ge Han Yun grew even more curious. "What are you going to do?

Are you trying to find Zong Shou for another fight? Next time you feel the urge to fight, I suspect that Highness won't hold back his power." Yan Feibai’s steps never faltered, and he kept walking, his brows tightly knitted, a worried expression on his face.

"Naturally, I’m going to find Martial Uncle Long, to stop him from compounding error upon error—" After walking some distance, they found another door at the end of the corridor. However, before this door, there was a relatively spacious area.

The door no longer bore the Nine Dragon pattern; instead, it featured a portrait of a white-haired elder, standing upright with an air of immortal grace. Only his features were slightly peculiar: his forehead protruded slightly, as if two horns were budding, his nose was unusually large, and his eyes were like cartwheels.

Fortunately, his expression remained benevolent and amiable, gazing at the few people with a slight smile. Zong Shou raised an eyebrow, realizing that the Nine-Nine Dragon Shadow Sword probably wouldn't manage to cleave this iron door open.

However, he wasn't in a rush. The Dragon Gate Martial Saint's projection remained open for nine days annually.

After nine days, regardless of how much one had comprehended, the restrictive grand formations within would forcibly move everyone outside. Today was only the evening of the second day; a short delay was inconsequential.

Gazing around, he noticed that although the stone chamber was less than thirty zhang across, it still contained mountains, water, pavilions, and corridors. Spotting a pool of water not far away, Zong Shou let out a soft sound of surprise before walking towards it swiftly.

He felt a slight chill emanating from the water below, which was incredibly clear and crisp. Zong Shou scooped a handful and drank it, immediately feeling a cool sweetness that permeated his very core.

Once the water entered his abdomen, his mind immediately cleared further. Even the chaotic qi within his body settled somewhat.

Zong Shou's eyes brightened slightly as he looked into the pool again. Indeed, a piece of white precious jade lay quietly at the bottom, emitting a cool, clear light.

Clearly, this effect wasn't inherent to the water itself but resulted from the jade soaking within it. Unfortunately, the area around the jade was clearly inscribed with talismans and sealed by restrictions; it seemed unattainable.

Zong Shou pondered briefly, then unhesitatingly took out the fan bottle and drank more. He then sat beside the pool, continuing to activate his Heaven Swallowing Primal Transformation technique.

This time, what he absorbed was the cool spiritual energy emanating from the white precious jade. He used it to heal his injuries while simultaneously utilizing the object to purify the distracting thoughts that had infiltrated his soul.

Jin Buhui, however, stood before the iron door, looking troubled. This time, he dared not try to hack it open with his sword.

Although he hadn't been seriously injured earlier, he had lost several spirit talismans. He wasn't worried about injury, but those priceless talismans caused him considerable heartache.

After staring at the door for a while, Jin Buhui suddenly forced a laugh. "Could this be the likeness of Elder Longying?

I used to hear people say dragons are the most beautiful creatures in this world. I always thought they were incredibly ugly.

So I guessed the Dragon-Blood Demon Race couldn't be much better. Seeing this one today confirms it.

I suspect we'll have to rely on Brother Zong Shou to cleave this door open with one sword strike..." These were merely casual complaints born of boredom. But the moment the words left his mouth, the eyes in the portrait opposite suddenly seemed to come alive, staring coldly, causing a sudden chill to run through him.

However, when Jin Buhui looked closely again, the portrait appeared as placid as before, showing no abnormality. Zong Shou couldn't help but recall the Ye sisters.

Fei Shuang and Fei Han—these two likely carried Dragon Blood within them. They were either Dragon bodies themselves or descendants of the True Dragon bloodline.

They were indeed quite beautiful, but in the eyes of those humans who hadn't grown horns, they too were ugly. A moment later, Zhao Yanran and Xuan Yunlan also arrived.

They frowned upon seeing the iron door. Cooperating with Jin Buhui, they tried every method, exhausting all known means of breaking restrictions, yet they failed to open it.

Xuan Yunlan was relatively composed, merely analyzing the nature of the restriction before the door, trying to devise a breakthrough strategy. Zhao Yanran, initially, was as violent as Jin Buhui.

She even egged on the golden, fat man beside her to strike with their swords together. The result was that both ended up looking rather battered.

The counterattack force from within the door this time was far less gentle than before. A streak of sword light suddenly slashed out from within the door, shearing off a significant portion of Zhao Yanran’s beautiful hair.

Jin Buhui, caught off guard, received a gash across his neck. He was agonizingly close to being decapitated by that single sword thrust.

His entire body trembled slightly, seemingly gripped by terror. Finally, all three sat down by the pool in defeat.

This spot possessed the densest spiritual energy, rivaling that of a sacred land's spiritual manor. It was the best place to recover true qi and soul power.

Zhao Yanran stared at her reflection in the pool, then, filled with extreme vexation, hacked off most of her long hair. She irritably snapped, "Zong Shou, don't just sit there!

We've reached this point, just one step away from the upper level. We can't be stopped by a mere door, can we?" Zong Shou didn't speak, giving Zhao Yanran a faint look.

He saw that the woman was left with only short hair, just reaching her neck. The left side was uneven, but it lent her a messy, spirited beauty, making her look heroic and spirited.

He mused that this woman was truly blessed by fate. No matter the appearance, she was lovely.

It was a pity her intentions were so vicious. Jin Buhui, meanwhile, touched the wound on his neck with lingering fear, his expression hesitant.

"I don't think we should use the brute force method again. Just now, I had a feeling, as if the old fellow guarding the door—he seemed to come alive..." Come alive?

Zong Shou's gaze suddenly sharpened as he looked toward the iron door, and a trace of a smile flickered in his eyes. He now knew exactly how to open this door.

However, the qi within his body had still not fully recovered, so he did not look at the door further, focusing instead on observing his own Sea of Qi. Inside, there was nothing besides the Divine Annihilation Sword Intent of Startling Cloud.

But the sensation he just experienced could not have been mistaken. Something must have entered his body.

If it wasn't in his Sea of Qi, was it elsewhere? Zong Shou then diverted his attention to explore his nine Wheel Meridians.

He discovered unusual differences within the acupoints. There were nine faint, fleeting shadows constantly roaming within the nine Wheel Meridians.

Six of these shadows were almost imperceptible, barely traceable. However, within the three Wheel Meridians that had already merged with the Earth Veins, they were clearly visible.

Even so, one would need to concentrate closely to perceive them with spiritual sense.