Chapter 14: Chapter 14 — Outer Disciples
Heaven’s Eternal Gate
By Author“Today, it was fortunate that the Dragon Lurking in the Yellow Springs Map saved my life. Just what secrets does this map hold? What rank of treasure is it?”
Lying on his bed, Fang Han took out the Dragon Lurking in the Yellow Springs Map and examined it again and again.
The image remained dark and hazy: a dragon-serpent flood dragon coiled low within the Yellow Springs River, obscure and inscrutable, exuding a deep sense of mystery.
Aside from that aura of secrecy, it looked like nothing more than an ordinary painting.
“Forget it. I’ll study it again once my cultivation is deeper and I understand more about the Dao of cultivation.”
Just as he was about to put the painting away—
“Hm?”
He noticed something different.
Within the Yellow Springs River—dark and murky, tinged with the color of dusk—something seemed to be moving. Fang Han focused his gaze and discovered, to his astonishment, that drifting within the river was a ferocious human face formed entirely of black smoke.
It was none other than the Heavenly Wolf Seven-Calamity Smoke that had chased him and the Crane Maiden earlier that day.
It had been sealed inside the Yellow Springs River within the painting.
“Could it be that this Dragon Lurking in the Yellow Springs Map can absorb other magical treasures?”
No matter how he examined it, Fang Han was unable to extract the smoky face from the painting.
“I may not be able to use this map, but if it can save my life, that’s enough.”
He tied a cord around it and wore the painting close to his body, like an undergarment, binding it against his chest. Only then did he truly relax and fall asleep.
When he awoke, it was already the third watch of the night. The sky was dim, the surroundings utterly silent.
There were no night watchmen on Violet-Light Peak, but since reaching the Divine Strength realm, Fang Han’s sense of time had become extremely sharp.
He rose, washed, and went to a cliff halfway up the mountain. Standing at the edge of a bottomless abyss, he began practicing his fists and kicks, leaping and landing without the slightest fear.
He was tempering his courage.
Training at the edge of a cliff forced his mind into extreme focus, tightening every muscle and stabilizing his body even further.
Before, his legs would have gone numb standing here—but after riding a crane through the skies, his courage had grown. Deep within him, something fierce and bold had awakened.
Because of this feeling, he decided to attempt another breakthrough.
In the Body Tempering Realm, the fifth level—Divine Strength—was a major watershed.
Many experts, even those from noble families, remained forever stuck at this level, unable to advance even half a step further.
The realms beyond required something intangible:
the qi in Breath,
the inner in Inner Fortification,
the courage in Divine Bravery,
the spirit in Spirit Communion,
and the transformation in Divine Metamorphosis.
These were things that could only be understood, never explained.
Those who broke past Divine Strength either possessed extraordinary talent—or extraordinary fortune.
Only by surpassing Divine Strength could one even qualify to pursue the Divine Ability Realm.
Today, Fang Han felt as though he had grasped something.
After completing a round of martial practice, he stood at the cliff’s edge and felt his breath become turbulent. He immediately halted and began refining his breathing—drawing it in and pushing it out repeatedly, like washing rice.
This was a breathing technique from the Seven-Star Fist, taught by Bai Haichan, known as “Qi Refinement”—not mischief, but refinement, like panning for gold.
Gurgle… Gurgle…
His breath bubbled through his throat and lungs, churning back and forth. Breathing drove the blood, blood pressured the heart, and the heart pulled the entire body into motion.
Fang Han entered a state of complete self-forgetfulness.
His body swayed at the edge of the cliff, as if a gust of wind could send him plunging into the abyss—yet he was completely unaware.
Impurities within his blood were washed away by the refining breath.
Only after the sands are scoured does gold appear.
Finally, the breath reached its limit.
Pff—!
A clear, piercing cry burst from Fang Han’s mouth, even more resonant than the Crane Maiden’s call.
His bones, organs, and sinews grew denser and firmer. His hearing sharpened dramatically—any movement in the wind instantly caught his attention.
This was the sixth level of the Body Tempering Realm — Breath.
His internal organs were strengthening, impurities were being refined away, and his reactions grew incredibly sharp.
Fang Han felt boundless energy surge through him. He could even faintly “see” the Nine-Orifice Golden Elixir deep within his heart, steadily releasing medicinal power.
He gently willed his heart to slow.
Instantly, its beating softened. The elixir sank deeper, its aura completely concealed.
Now, no one could detect it.
“Who’s there?”
A faint disturbance behind him triggered his senses instantly.
Turning around, he saw a woman in white, floating like a celestial maiden.
It was Fang Qingxue—fresh from secluded cultivation.
“Anyone who reaches the sixth level—Breath—possesses exceptional talent,”
she said calmly. “Among the Fang family, few reach this stage. What is your name?”
“Does the Eldest Miss truly not remember me?”
Fang Han replied respectfully.
“I am Fang Han—the one you ordered to raise spirit beasts a month ago.”
“Fang Han?”
She thought for a moment. “Ah… The servant who consumed the horned viper’s inner gall?”
“Yes,”
Fang Han answered promptly.
Fang Qingxue clearly remembered little of mortal affairs. Only cultivators of the Divine Ability Realm left lasting impressions on her.
“The sixth level… Keeping you as a beast-keeper is a waste,”
she said lightly.
“You are of the Fang family. With strength comes status. I still have a Fang family slot among the outer disciples of Yuhua Sect—you shall take it.”
“If you advance to an inner disciple, you may even bring our family a spirit implement.”
An outer disciple slot.
Fang Han could scarcely believe it.
Remaining on Violet-Light Peak, he would always be a servant unless he reached the Divine Ability Realm.
But becoming an outer disciple of Yuhua Sect—that changed everything.
Outer disciples were all nobles, princes, and elite clan heirs from Great Li and neighboring dynasties.
And now, he—once a slave—would stand among them.
From servant to cultivator.
From nothing to noble.
Moreover, he knew well that closed-door cultivation alone would never carry him into the Divine Ability Realm. His rapid progress so far had been due to the Nine-Orifice Golden Elixir.
Without guidance, he would eventually stagnate.
“Your servant is unworthy,”
Fang Han said humbly.
“Cultivation cares not for birth—only strength,”
Fang Qingxue replied.
“Power alone is eternal. Prepare yourself and take my written order to the outer disciple registry before I forget.”
She flicked her finger.
A snow-white slip floated over. Purple lightning condensed into eight glowing characters:
Fang Han — Outer Disciple — Accepted
As Fang Han took it, Fang Qingxue vanished once more into seclusion.
“So… What of the spirit beasts?”
Fang Han called—but there was no reply.
He exhaled.
“So carefree… She truly lives as she wishes.”
Holding the order, his thoughts surged.
An outer disciple.
What kind of world awaited him there?
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