Chapter 135: The Nine Extremes of the Heavenly Vault

Joining the sect under a grandmaster was truly a joyous occasion, one that demanded celebration.

Gao Wu called upon Shang Qingjun and Zhou Hongying, and together they sought out a renowned restaurant near An University: Jinhua Garden.

With an average cost of two thousand per person, it was undeniably upscale.

The main draw was dishes prepared with exotic ingredients from other realms, causing prices to vary significantly.

Gao Wu, now flush with money and buoyed by the happy event, wanted to treat everyone well. Besides, Shang Qingjun and Zhou Hongying had endured a grueling roadshow for weeks; it was only fitting to share a proper meal.

Upon hearing the news, Shang Qingjun and Zhou Hongying were both stunned and genuinely delighted for Song Mingyue.

A grandmaster in martial arts held a status above even the academicians of the Central Academy of Science and Technology in the Alliance, enjoying privileges akin to those of high-ranking officials.

For martial arts grandmasters in various states, the Alliance provided special subsidies and dedicated funds.

Song Mingyue was only eighteen and had yet to enroll when she became a disciple of Lu Yuan. Even given her noble background, this was akin to a meteoric rise.

Initially, Zhou Hongying and Shang Qingjun saw Song Mingyue as cold and aloof. But after weeks of close companionship during the roadshow, they realized her demeanor was genuinely reserved, and she was sincerely honest with others.

Her aloofness stemmed partly from social anxiety.

Understanding her nature better, they now found Song Mingyue somewhat adorably innocent.

Though not particularly close, they had become true friends.

After a few drinks, even Song Mingyue gradually relaxed. She didn’t feel especially joyous about becoming Lu Yuan’s disciple; rather, celebrating with Gao Wu was what truly delighted her. She also grew closer to Shang Qingjun and Zhou Hongying.

Gao Wu noticed this too; shared meals and drinks were the most effective way to deepen bonds.

Eating and drinking fulfilled basic needs, and alcohol loosened inhibitions, putting body and mind at ease, naturally fostering closeness.

Extreme experiences like fighting for survival weren’t suitable for building rapport.

After dinner, Gao Wu and Song Mingyue, both with strong constitutions, were only mildly tipsy. Zhou Hongying and Shang Qingjun had a bit too much to drink—not out of control, but noticeably more carefree than usual.

Fearing trouble, Gao Wu escorted them back to their dormitories before feeling at ease.

Taking advantage of the cool night, Gao Wu and Song Mingyue strolled through the An University campus.

An University, the premier institution in North State, had a newly built campus just over twenty years old, designed in a grand garden style with greenery, flowing water, and striking stones everywhere. Though it lacked the weight of time, it was elegant and refined.

Listening to cicadas and frogs in the summer night, walking side by side along a quiet path in the woods, Gao Wu chatted casually. Song Mingyue, even slightly tipsy, was mostly silent, occasionally responding softly.

Gao Wu felt peaceful and content; the serene, ordinary summer night held a rare, enduring charm.

His closeness with Song Mingyue felt natural and intimate—surpassing spiritual resonance, joint battles, and martial arts sparring.

He glanced up at the starry sky; it was the end of the month, but the crescent moon had yet to rise. He sighed, “Too bad there’s no moon...”

With a moon, he could say the poetic phrase, “The moonlight is beautiful tonight...”

Song Mingyue glanced at Gao Wu, unsure what he regretted, but detected a playful tone and sensed his relaxed joy.

She nodded slightly in agreement—not knowing what she agreed with, but trusting Gao Wu’s words.

The dim streetlights along the path made her face appear even paler and her eyes brighter.

Suddenly moved, Gao Wu took hold of Song Mingyue’s delicate hand. She looked at him in surprise, and he chuckled, “The teacher said once we’re in college, boys and girls can hold hands…”

Song Mingyue was about to ask which teacher said that, but seeing the passion in Gao Wu’s eyes, her heart fluttered inexplicably, and she lost the urge to question.

Instinctively, she tightened her grip on the hand holding hers.

They walked back to Dormitory 18 hand in hand without another word.

In the living room, Gao Wu said, “Actually, the teacher also said—”

Before he could finish, Song Mingyue’s cheeks flushed. She let go of his hand, turned, and quickly retreated to her room, firmly closing the door.

“Good night,” Gao Wu smiled, watching the firmly closed door at the end of the corridor. Little Song was truly amusing.

He still had a few days before his eighteenth birthday, when he would officially be an adult. Come to think of it, Song Mingyue was two months older than him...

---

Back in his room, Gao Wu completed his daily exercises. By the time he finished, it was past midnight.

Training the Dragon Form Nine Styles was time-consuming, especially the newly learned “Regret of the Soaring Dragon,” which required repeated contemplation.

Sword and fist practice took an hour. Two other divine incantations also demanded an hour each.

Chanting spells offered limited proficiency gains, but it allowed him to adjust his body, mind, and source energy state, unmatched by other methods.

Before sleeping, Gao Wu checked the Book of Infinite Merits. The Dragon Form Nine Styles had reached a minor accomplishment, as expected.

Though Lu Yuan’s “Regret of the Soaring Dragon” was profound, it was just a single form. Gao Wu had only scratched the surface and hadn’t yet advanced the Dragon Form’s level.

Fortunately, the form greatly boosted energy intake efficiency during practice. Combined with “Hidden Dragon, Do Not Use” and “Soaring Dragon Leaps into Abyss,” he could refine his chest acupuncture points within a month or two.

His fastest progress was in the Soaring Dragon Sword Technique and Soaring Dragon Secret Sword, both nearing mastery and shining brilliantly, signaling an imminent breakthrough.

The Book of Infinite Merits’ direct quantification of secret methods fueled Gao Wu’s motivation.

He knew his sword skill surge wasn’t from a sudden awakening but from reforging the Destiny Sword, whose power had greatly increased and fused further with his shadow spirit, creating a true unity of sword and self.

With the Destiny Sword, he needed no guidance; obstacles in swordsmanship naturally dissolved.

Both Soaring Dragon sword techniques were methods of decisive combat.

If they reached full mastery, combined with the Destiny Sword’s power, he could reach the realm of perfection.

At that level, his swordsmanship would rival or surpass that of martial warriors. At least compared to Wan Canglong, who despite strong cultivation, was mediocre in combat skill.

Finally, Gao Wu checked his total merits—over three million.

The “Long Ridge Demon Slayer” video had gone viral privately, earning massive merits. But private domain popularity faded quickly and was confined to circles, limited in reach, unable to compare with the public domain.

If Song Yunkun could push the video into the public domain or promote it through media, they could quickly amass tens of millions of merits.

Even without activating other divine incantations, tens of millions of merits could raise the Azure Dragon Divine Qi Incantation’s level. This fundamental incantation was closely tied to his source energy cultivation.

If elevated further, he might even advance directly to Senior Warrior.

His current burst power was strong but his foundation weak, making sustained battles impossible. Cultivation was key.

Gao Wu pondered “Regret of the Soaring Dragon” longer. Each secret form contained hundreds of subtle, essential points, each with numerous intricacies.

No wonder grandmasters were reputed as such—their understanding of martial arts soared beyond the heavens.

Had he to cultivate alone, he might never reach such heights in a lifetime.

Even with the spiritual imprint inheritance, at his current pace, mastering this one form alone might take eight to ten years to truly excel.

Unfortunately, Lu Yuan favored Song Mingyue and not him! To learn the Old Man’s “Nine Transformations of the Heavenly Dragon,” he’d have to brave the Tianji Nine Limits.

“Tomorrow, I’ll go check out Tianji Nine Limits and see how awesome it really is...”

He felt a bit uneasy today. His talent was far inferior to Song Mingyue’s, and the Old Man’s favoritism stung his pride.

He curled up and fell asleep using “Hidden Dragon, Do Not Use.”

At six sharp in the morning, Gao Wu woke refreshed after nearly six hours of deep sleep.

He called Song Mingyue to do morning practice together. After breakfast, she went to the Heart Moon Pavilion to study with Lu Yuan.

Gao Wu used map navigation to find the Tianji Tower.

The name sounded grand, but it was actually a modest three-story building surrounded by walls. The courtyard was empty, devoid of plants or flowers, and lacked any signs of life, resembling a warehouse.

The traditional Chinese-style building had no windows, only a heavy main door.

At the entrance, Gao Wu used facial recognition and presented a pass personally signed by An Ziru, but was still stopped by the guard.

The guard video-called An Ziru for confirmation, then required Gao Wu to sign and fingerprint a paper contract.

This contract acknowledged that entrants understood all risks and accepted full responsibility. It stipulated using only one weapon and prohibited modern firearms.

After completing the procedure, the middle-aged guard smiled and said, “This is standard protocol, not personal. Please don’t take offense, student.”

“Of course, of course,” Gao Wu replied amicably, understanding the school must have had its share of troubles to enforce such strict measures.

---

The guard opened the armored door and let Gao Wu in. Taking advantage, Gao Wu used his shadow spirit to glance at the guard, surprised to discover the somewhat balding and scruffy middle-aged man was actually a martial warrior.

Anjing University was so formidable as to employ martial warriors as guards...

Gao Wu treated him with added respect and struck up a friendly rapport. The man’s name was Yang Tielin.

Gao Wu naturally began calling him “Uncle Yang.”

Yang didn’t object and seemed to like this cheerful youth, offering a few more words of advice.

“Tianji Nine Limits is extremely dangerous,” Yang said. “Each level doubles in difficulty. There have been multiple casualties over the decades.”

“It’s a small secret realm space, and the power from its energy core depends on the number of people inside. So only one person can challenge it at a time. Note: there is a red line at each level’s entrance. If you can’t win, retreat behind the red line.”

He handed Gao Wu a black cylindrical device about a foot long. “This is a communicator. In emergencies, press the button to call for help. But if I’m inside, it takes time. The more levels you clear, the slower I’ll arrive...”

“Normally, if I get no signal for three hours, I’ll send a check-in through the communicator. If you’re fine, press the button hard to turn off the call.”

Suddenly, Gao Wu understood why a martial warrior was stationed as guard—it was to rescue anyone who got into trouble.

Tianji Nine Limits was truly perilous!

This only piqued Gao Wu’s interest and fighting spirit further. The tougher the challenge, the better to prove his skills!

He asked, “Uncle Yang, what’s the fastest record for clearing Tianji Nine Limits?”

Yang grinned, “In thirty years, fewer than ten have completed it. The fastest was Dean An, who took about nine months.”

“Then I’ll have to disappoint Dean An,” Gao Wu said confidently. “The new record will bear the name Gao!”

Yang looked him up and down again. “If I’m not mistaken, you’re a Junior Warrior?”

“Haha, just bragging for fun. Don’t take it seriously...” Gao Wu laughed.

He pushed open the secret realm door, turned back, and waved. “Uncle Yang, be quick if you get a call from the communicator!”

Yang was about to speak when Gao Wu closed the door. Curious about this boy’s confidence and abilities, Yang opened Gao Wu’s electronic signature, accessing his detailed personal file.

“Xuetao Cup champion, amateur division, Qilin Cup champion—interesting.”

Yang searched for competition videos on Kuaiyin and found the top trending entry: “Long Ridge Demon Slayer! Such a young hero!”

“What’s this...” Yang clicked it and saw Gao Wu prominently featured.

In twenty seconds, the video showed Gao Wu’s upright sword stance, gradually fading into text:

“Demon God cultists must be exterminated! Gao Wu bravely and fearlessly slew the cultists, stopping their massacre—undeniably a young hero!”

The video introduced several cultists’ identities, including two senior warriors, surprising Yang. Gao Wu’s skill was truly formidable.

Yang noticed the video was posted by the North State Supervisory Department’s official account and shared by the Hunters’ Guild and other official channels. Though rarely online, he understood the significance.

The government’s public endorsement and promotion of such a video broke a thirty-year precedent.

Previously, officials strictly suppressed the Demon God cult, but maintained tight control and procedures.

Now, the situation was clearly different—the government was loosening restrictions on civilians, despite potential problems.

This marked the start of a new era, launched by Gao Wu’s video...

Yang clicked his tongue in admiration: “This kid... really something special!”