The Gravity Chamber. Beside a massive morning star mace in the center, Shi Yan, clad only in shorts, stood petrified, his body slick with sweat as he relentlessly slammed himself against the weapon.

This mace towered seven meters high and spanned three meters wide, driven deep into the stone floor at the heart of the Gravity Chamber. Its protruding spikes, sharp as short clubs, gleamed with a dark, obsidian luster.

Shi Yan’s body, a dark, mottled brown, gasped for air as he circled the colossal mace, battering it with every part of his frame—shoulders, arms, waist, thighs, and back.

The Gravity Chamber was filled with a dull, ceaseless thudding roar.

The Shi family’s Petrified Martial Soul required this self-mutilating method of tempering to fully unleash its potential. Only through this direct, hard-on-hard confrontation with unyielding objects could the petrification ability be maximized. Only through this brutal torment of his own body could the Martial Soul adapt to the relentless barrage of attacks from his opponents.

Around the chamber stood seven pillars shimmering with black light. Because of these pillars, the gravity in this spacious room was perpetually locked at seven times normal.

“Boom! Boom! Boom!”

Half-naked, Shi Yan’s expression was one of unyielding determination, utterly consumed by the extreme tempering of his physical form, resolved to draw out every shred of the Petrified Martial Soul’s potential.

With every impact, a faint, tawny glow would surface at the point where his body met the mace.

These glows would flash and vanish instantly, blooming suddenly only at the very second his body connected with the iron spikes, only to disappear the moment he recoiled.

After five thousand impacts across different regions of his body, Shi Yan collapsed like a pile of sludge, utterly spent, unable to muster strength in any limb. His arms and legs splayed wide as he lay in the center of the Gravity Chamber. Sweat poured from him like streams, turning the bluestone floor into a slick mosaic of water.

It had been half a month.

During this fortnight, Shi Yan ate in the Gravity Chamber, slept in the Gravity Chamber; save for the bare necessities, he had barely left the room.

This was Shi Jian’s arrangement.

After Shi Jian observed that Shi Yan’s Petrified Martial Soul had advanced to the second stage, he commanded him to halt all other forms of cultivation and dedicate every ounce of energy to physical tempering.

The goal was to push the potential of the second-stage Petrified Martial Soul to its peak in the fastest way possible, using the Martial Soul to fundamentally alter his physique, making his body robust enough to withstand the bombardment of a Human-rank martial artist!

Throughout these weeks, Shi Jian, Han Feng, Yang Hai, and even the elders of the Shi family would visit periodically.

Shi Jian, in particular, arrived almost every third day. He would meticulously inspect Shi Yan’s training results, scrutinize the subtle changes in his body, and then dictate the next phase of tempering direction and intensity.

Lying on the floor, Shi Yan was utterly weak. He slowly regulated his breathing. Once he detected a faint trace of returning strength in his limbs, he forced himself to sit up and began circulating the Essence Qi within his body.

Though physically exhausted, the speed at which his Essence Qi flowed was much faster than usual. As he meditated with his eyes closed, Shi Yan cleared his mind until it was like a placid mirror.

During these times, he would perceive his flesh, cells, tendons, and bones nourishing his body in a manner he couldn’t quite comprehend.

His body, teetering on the brink of collapse from fatigue, would rapidly regain vigor, and the crushing exhaustion would quickly dissipate.

This was the self-recovery ability of the Undying Martial Soul!

Shi Yan understood this clearly in his heart.

After an indeterminate amount of time, he slowly awoke. His eyes shone brightly, sharp as frozen stars. After this period of seated cultivation, all fatigue had been swept away. His Essence Qi surged within him, his entire body seeming to contain an explosive power that demanded immediate release.

Just then, the stone door of the Gravity Chamber was nudged open slightly.

Han Zhong stepped inside, cheerfully carrying seven bamboo baskets of various sizes.

Upon entering, Han Zhong set the baskets down and began laying out the delicacies one by one. As he arranged them, he remarked, “Today we have bird’s nest, sea cucumber, century-old soft-shelled turtle, bear paw, and Lingzhi mushrooms. Brother Yan, you truly are a bottomless pit! The food eaten by the other young masters of the Shi family across five meals doesn't match what you consume in one sitting. Your appetite could bankrupt a small family.”

Han Zhong bantered as he stacked dishes and unsealed jars. He then slyly produced a flask from his robes and chuckled, “This jar of ‘Blazing Fire’ is my personal reserve. You young man better finish it quickly; I need to dispose of the evidence early.”

Shi Yan made no polite refusals. He strolled over to Han Zhong’s side, sat down, and began to devour the rare tonics—foods inaccessible to common folk—with ravenous speed. Finally, he seized the ‘Blazing Fire’ flask and downed it completely in one long tilt of his head.

Wiping his mouth, he set the empty flask aside and grinned, “Old Han, next time bring two jars of that wine; one isn’t enough to satisfy.”

“Brother Yan, this ‘Blazing Fire’ is the celebrated vintage from the Spring Welcome Pavilion. One jar costs five hundred Purple Crystal Coins!” Han Zhong replied with a wry smile. “This jar was what I managed to save from last time. Tomorrow, I’ll bring you ‘Shao Dao Zi’ instead—that one is only one hundred Blue Crystal Coins a jar, so I can bring four at once without issue.”

“Are crystal coins the issue?” Shi Yan dismissed it airily. “Just keep bringing me the ‘Blazing Fire.’ You won't be shorted on coins; I’ll make up the difference next time.”

“That settles it, then,” Han Zhong chuckled. “Brother Yan, the Family Head is keeping your breakthrough into the martial path incredibly secret. Even most martial artists and guards in the family don’t know your current status. Do you know why?”

“Why?” Shi Yan asked lazily.

“The Martial Arts Tournament, held every five years, starts in three months. You know that last year, when we clashed with the Mo family and the Ling family, we suffered some minor losses. The Family Head roared for days after returning from that engagement, so this time…”

“He plans for me to enter the Tournament?” Before Han Zhong could finish, Shi Yan caught on, surprise evident in his voice.

The Martial Arts Tournament was an event jointly organized and operated by the five great families of the Merchant Alliance. Any martial artist could participate.

The Tournament was divided into five tiers: Postnatal, Congenital, Human-rank, Hundred Tribulations, and Earth-rank. Masters of each realm could contend for the top three spots in their respective categories.

The five great families offered rich rewards—elixirs, secret treasures, martial skills, and other cultivation materials. Winners received commensurate prizes.

The Tournament served two purposes for the Merchant Alliance families: firstly, to scout out talented experts to bolster their own family strength; and secondly, to ensure the martial artists within the Alliance maintained a rigorous training regimen, thereby enhancing the overall power level of the Alliance’s martial population.

Mercenaries and lone practitioners not affiliated with the great families held an intense yearning for the elixirs, secret treasures, and martial skills offered by the five houses. Some independent martial artists hoped to catch the eye of a major family through the Tournament, seeking an opportunity for recruitment.

Consequently, every Tournament drew swarms of martial artists and was always lively.

Besides scattered independent fighters, the five great families also fielded their own descendants to compete for ranking. This was done to demonstrate their family’s strength and to signal to the standout martial artists at the event how they might choose their allegiance.

The Tournament was an excellent opportunity for talent scouting, but it was also a subtle stage for the hidden rivalries between the five great families. Therefore, not only did the Alliance’s martial artists and mercenaries take the event seriously, but the five families themselves treated it with extreme caution.

Sometimes, even unresolved disputes over ownership of hidden family assets were settled through the Tournament. For instance, the last encounter between the Shi and Mo families used the ownership of three mineral mountains as wagers for a high-stakes gamble. Unfortunately, in the ensuing contest between the three generations of descendants, only Shi Tianyun emerged victorious; Shi Tianluo and Shi Tianke both lost to the Mo family’s youths. In the end, the Mo family claimed ownership of two mountains, while the Shi family secured only one.

“You don’t know, the friction between our family and the Mo family has been intense lately, with disputes over various assets remaining unresolved. This upcoming Tournament might see a repeat of last time, with ownership of more assets being wagered,” Han Zhong explained.

“So, I have a chance to compete?”

“You will definitely participate. The Family Head is certainly counting on you to win at least one match. Otherwise, he wouldn't be keeping such close tabs on you, visiting every three days. You have no idea how busy the Family Head has been recently, yet he finds time to inspect you—that shows how highly he values you.”

“Oh, I see now.”

…

In the Granite Palace.

Shi Jian sat solemnly atop a massive boulder, his eyes glittering, deep in thought about some unknown matter.

“A fragmented map depicting the ‘Heavenly Gate’ has appeared at the auction house of the Misty Pavilion…” Han Feng stood to the side, delivering the latest intelligence to Shi Jian.

The ‘Heavenly Gate’ was a strange entryway that could lead to the ‘Divine Realm’—a mysterious space potentially located in some bizarre corner of the Divine Grace Continent, or perhaps not belonging to the continent at all, existing as an entirely independent dimension.

No one knew how the ‘Divine Realm’ formed, what its structure entailed, or precisely where it would manifest. The only known factor was the ‘Heavenly Gate’—the entrance to these ‘Divine Realms.’

Legends about the ‘Divine Realm’ circulated widely across the Divine Grace Continent. It was rumored that these realms harbored various mysteries, perhaps containing Spirit-rank, Profound-rank, or even God-rank martial skills, along with exotic elixirs and supreme treasures of heaven and earth that had only ever been spoken of but never witnessed.

“Four months ago, there was also a report that Karlu, the apprentice of the Medicine King Mu Xun, stole a fragmented map showing the ‘Heavenly Gate’ from him. Could these two fragments originate from one complete treasure map? Are they one map or two? Is what has appeared now the very one Karlu made off with?” Shi Jian’s mind worked swiftly, connecting the recent news with the earlier report.

Han Feng shook his head. “That Karlu vanished without a trace long ago. However, the fragment surfacing at the Misty Pavilion was reportedly brought forth by a woman for auction. Recognizing the gravity of the situation, the Misty Pavilion dared not auction it directly, choosing instead to hold onto the fragment under the guise of verifying its authenticity.”

“That fragment is still at the Misty Pavilion?” Shi Jian asked heavily.

“Yes,” Han Feng confirmed with a nod. “The Bei Ming family, the Mo family, the Ling family, and the Zuo family have all been notified and have actively contacted the Misty Pavilion, expressing interest in acquiring the map. However, since the Pavilion claims they won’t auction it until its veracity is confirmed, the four families have had no choice but to express their strong desire to purchase it, holding back from any covert action for now.”

“That’s because it’s only one fragment. If it were the complete treasure map, the Bei Ming family would never show the Misty Pavilion such courtesy; they would have seized it already,” Shi Jian scoffed.

“Shall we intervene?”

“Monitor this news constantly, but do not engage directly for the time being. Remember to exchange information with the Zuo family. Until a second fragment surfaces, we will not make any rash moves.”

“Understood.”