Shocking the Nine Heavens With My Sword

Entering the gravity room once cost at least a thousand taels of silver, and the time was merely a mere three hours!

Three hours was basically the limit; ordinary people who could last one hour in the gravity room were considered extraordinary, those who could last two hours could be called geniuses, and three hours were at the monster level.

However, the Treasure Pavilion's entry to the gravity room was based on a three-hour unit, showing how greedy they were!

Shi Qingfeng had no chance of breaking through to the Blood Refinement Realm in just a few days; thus, cultivating in the gravity room was his best choice to enhance his battle power.

Of course, he wasn't going all out just because he had suffered a loss at Zhou Heng's hands; he saw Zhou Heng's success as merely a sneak attack when he was unprepared. The ones he considered as rivals were naturally the three people, including Shen Xinqi, who were also at the Body Refinement Ninth Layer!

Wealthy people, ah!

From similarly small locales, Shi Qingfeng was able to splurge vast amounts of money to train in the gravity room daily, evidently much wealthier than the Zhou Family.

Zhou Heng snatched a jade box from the chest; inside was the gallbladder of a Golden Crown Snake, which could sell for around five thousand taels of silver on the market. This was a significant fortune, but after thinking it over, Zhou Heng decided to keep the jade box.

It's better to keep it; it can detoxify a hundred poisons, and who knows, it might save a life one day! After all, life is not something that can be measured with money!

Knock, knock, knock, the room door sounded.

Zhou Heng couldn't help but sigh, slightly regretting his showiness a few days ago, which prevented him from having any peace, as people kept visiting him periodically. He walked over and opened the door, only to see a strikingly beautiful woman standing at the doorway, her impressive figure highlighted by her emerald green suit, and her round breasts particularly captivating.

"My name is Shen Xinqi!" the beautiful woman introduced herself in a straightforward manner, "Won't you invite me in?"

She was quite forward.

Zhou Heng stepped back half a step and said, "Please!"

So, she was Shen Xinqi, one of the four prodigies, and one of the most eye-catching talents in this selection to open the gates of the Nine Spirit Sect. Of course, within the bounds of Fengyu City, there were definitely more than these four geniuses, as three major sects shared talents, and there had to be at least a dozen like her.

After Shen Xinqi entered, Zhou Heng closed the door. There was a sense of danger emanating from her, and he did not believe this woman was here to make friends like the others.

"Miss Shen, what can I do for you?" Zhou Heng asked, not bothering to prepare tea or anything of the sort.

Shen Xinqi couldn't help but feel a bit angry; not to mention her martial talents, which garnered attention wherever she went, her charming beauty was equally effective in winning people over!

Is this guy blind, not seeing her beauty that could overthrow cities?

She took a deep breath, pushing down her discomfort, and said, "Brother Zhou is a straightforward person, so I'll cut to the chase too! I would like to ask Brother Zhou to find a chance to join under Elder Tianzhu's lineage after entering the Nine Spirit Sect!"

Elder Tianzhu?

Zhou Heng's mind raced. It seemed that the internal structure of the Nine Spirit Sect was not unified but filled with various factions, otherwise, why would there be such acts of poaching?

It made sense; even within families sharing the same surname, there was plenty of power struggle, so what more within a sect?

He looked at Shen Xinqi and paused for a long while before asking, "Could Miss Shen elaborate on the situation within the Nine Spirit Sect?"

"Sure!" Shen Xinqi nodded, "The Sect Master holds the highest authority, but as he focuses on cultivation and rarely manages sect affairs, the sect is governed by seven elders. Elder Tianzhu is one of them and is second in strength among the seven elders!"

Lin Fuxiang's father was indeed magnanimous; how many could truly regard power as nothing? But by delegating his authority, wasn't he afraid that those below him might grow too powerful and even overthrow him as the Sect Master?

"Brother Zhou, the influence of Elder Tianzhu's lineage, although it is currently not as strong as Elder Sanjian's, is not much weaker! And with Brother Zhou's talent, you're sure to receive Elder Tianzhu's careful cultivation, and you will definitely become a Spirit Gathering Realm expert in the future!"

Shen Xinqi was a persuasive speaker, and for the vast majority of martial artists, the lure of the Spirit Gathering Realm was irresistible.

However, Zhou Heng did not want to make progress in the Martial Path through 'selling himself.' He believed in his abilities, confident that he could break through to the Spirit Gathering Realm on his own!

But since she did offer her sincerity, he felt it would be rude to outright reject her, so he said, "Let me think about it!"

Shen Xinqi couldn't help but show a disappointed expression. She had thought Zhou Heng would readily agree, knowing a great beauty was inviting him!

Admittedly, while she recognized Zhou Heng's potential, her interest was more due to the innkeeper's attitude towards Zhou Heng during their previous encounter. The innkeeper was a Body Refining Twelfth Layer expert; why would he show such respect unless Zhou Heng had a background in the Spirit Gathering Realm?

By winning over Zhou Heng, it would be like connecting with one, even several Spirit Gathering Realm experts, greatly boosting the power of Elder Tianzhu's lineage. Her grandfather was the fourth disciple under Elder Tianzhu, and her success in this could greatly enhance her grandfather's status in Elder Tianzhu's heart.

"Brother Zhou, Elder Tianzhu is at the peak of the Third Layer Heaven in the Gathering Spirit Realm, just one step away from completing the Gathering Spirit and initially creating the Dantian World, becoming an even stronger enitiy in the Initial Separation Realm!" Shen Xinqi continued to persuade, "If Brother Zhou stands out, you might even qualify to enter the Black Water Hall in the future, a privilege many crave but can't obtain!"

"Black Water Hall?" Zhou Heng involuntarily asked.

Shen Xinqi blinked her expressive eyes, realizing that Zhou Heng's bewilderment wasn't feigned!

This guy doesn't even know about the Black Water Hall?

She instantly harbored doubts - could someone who didn't even know what the Black Water Hall was truly have an expert of the Gathering Spirit Realm backing him?

Perhaps the innkeeper just happened to have a grudge against the Shi Family and deliberately favored him!

With that thought, Zhou Heng's status in her eyes plummeted. Since he was so indifferent, there was no need for her, the esteemed princess of the Shen Family, to cower and speak in a lowered voice. Losing interest in continuing the conversation, she stood up and took her leave.

Zhou Heng was unaware of her myriad thoughts and found her sudden coldness baffling, thinking this woman inexplicably intense.

Suddenly, seven days passed and it was finally the day for the Nine Spirit Sect's grand selection.

That day, the young men and women staying at the inn left Fengyu City under the guidance of a middle-aged man. Once outside the city gates, the middle-aged man stopped and said, "My name is Yu Dongcheng, and I will be your first examiner. Now, let's begin the first examination!"

"Follow me and run all the way to the Nine Spirit Sect! Anyone arriving more than three minutes after me will be considered as having failed the examination and need not continue!"

After exchanging glances, one person said, "Senior Yu, you are an expert in the Blood Refinement Realm. How could we possibly keep up with you!"

"Don't worry about that, I assure you can keep up with my speed. However, how long you can maintain it will depend on your endurance and will!" Yu Dongcheng said calmly.

"Begin!"

He turned around, unfolded his body, and walked briskly. Although his pace seemed unhurried, each of his strides covered more than ten meters, and in the blink of an eye, he was already a hundred meters away.

The youngsters naturally didn't dare to waste time. They hastened to extend their movement techniques and followed Yu Dongcheng, quickly forming a long line.

Yu Dongcheng did not lie; his speed was indeed only at the Seventh Layer of Body Refinement, but it was pushed to the utmost limit, as fast as a galloping horse.

The Seventh Layer of Body Refinement represented a qualitative leap, significantly enhancing a martial artist's endurance. At full sprint, one could maintain it for at most half an hour. However, Fengyu City was a hundred miles away from the headquarters of the Nine Spirit Sect, requiring at least a three-quarters of an hour run at full speed!

But being allowed to arrive only three minutes later than Yu Dongcheng meant they had to break their own limits!

This was definitely a dual test of endurance and will!

To conserve energy, nobody spoke along the way. Each individual utilized every bit of their True Yuan Force to its fullest without daring to waste any—of course, those at the Body Refinement Ninth Layer were an exception, their amassed True Yuan Force was considerably substantial, almost worry-free.

Zhou Heng, silent but composed, tested the use of the Cloud Flying Step, which consumed very little True Yuan Force, completely unconcerned about the possibility of running out of energy.

As time rapidly elapsed, the harsh test began half an hour later!

Gradually, some people could no longer keep up with the group, one by one, two by two, three by three, yet Yu Dongcheng's pace hadn't slowed in the slightest, leading the group forward and quickly leaving behind those who lagged.

Ten, fifteen, twenty!

More and more people fell behind, and those remaining weren't having an easy time either. Each one was gasping for air, sweat pouring down. Even the four individuals including Shen Xinqi at the Body Refinement Ninth Layer experienced some disordered breathing.

Zhou Heng's breathing was steady, a thin layer of sweat on his forehead, but the consumption of True Yuan Force was far less than it appeared.

With the Cloud Flying Step deployed, it felt as though the heavens and earth were propelling him forward, consuming an extremely small amount of True Yuan Force. The reason he felt tired was purely due to physical exertion, akin to a martial artist staying awake for three days and nights. No matter how abundant the True Yuan Force was, the body simply couldn't bear it!

A few minutes later, a not-so-tall mountain appeared ahead, with several fluttering flags barely visible at the summit. The characters "Nine Spirit" billowed in the wind on the flags.

They were almost there!

The youngsters, already pushing their limits, suddenly found renewed vigor, akin to receiving an adrenaline shot. A few of them sprinted with all their might, even passing Yu Dongcheng. But as the saying goes, 'a distant mountain is deceitful in its proximity'; though the mountain seemed close, there were still more than ten miles to cover. Those few youngsters, despite their burst of speed, soon exhausted their strength and were overtaken by the main group, left far behind.

As more people reached their limits, they gradually fell out of the main group. However, they weren't without hope, because upon Yu Dongcheng's eventual stop, they still had three minutes.

Finally, Yu Dongcheng stopped at the base of the mountain. He glanced over the last five remaining individuals, his eyes revealing a hint of surprise when they landed on Zhou Heng.