Finally, all the true qi in his body was completely depleted. Brian Sutton, enduring heart-wrenching pain, began to circulate the first stage of the Ninefold Life-and-Death Profound Art in his body. The first stage of the Ninefold Life-and-Death Profound Art states: life and death are determined by fate. This was a very mysterious internal cultivation technique. Merely reciting the incantation in his mind greatly alleviated the pain in his body. Very soon, the miraculous effects of the first stage became apparent. The broken meridians seemed to be injected with new vitality; fresh flesh buds sprouted from the severed ends, intertwining at the breaks, and soon a severed meridian was reconnected. The process was still extremely painful. Only at this moment did Brian Sutton understand why even the creator of the Ninefold Life-and-Death Profound Art said the requirements were extremely harsh, yet never explained in detail. Just the pain endured during this foundational process was already unbearable for ordinary people, and compared to the suffering in the later stages of cultivation, this was nothing but child’s play.

Another month passed, spent in silent meditation, unmoving and unspeaking. During this month, all seven meridians and eight vessels in his body were finally reconnected. By the time the last meridian was joined, a faint stream of true qi had miraculously appeared within him. Although this true qi was weak, as thin as a strand of silk, it was extremely pure—tens of thousands of times purer than the Demon-Subduing True Qi he had previously cultivated.

The purer the true qi, the greater its power—this is almost common knowledge among martial artists.

With this, the first stage of the Life-and-Death by Fate technique could be considered complete. What remained was simply to increase the purity and quantity of true qi within his body. After the first stage, there was an additional passage, seemingly a technique to be practiced after completing the foundation. Brian Sutton did not hesitate to circulate this technique within his body. However, to his great surprise, as soon as he began, the previously agile true qi suddenly became sluggish, its circulation speed dropping to one-thousandth of before. A condensed breath gathered in his chest, pressing down so hard he could barely breathe.

As a true martial artist, steadfastness of mind is second nature. And Brian Sutton was just such a martial artist. He persisted relentlessly in circulating the technique. When the true qi completed one full cycle according to the method, Brian Sutton felt his whole body tremble, and then all one hundred thousand pores opened wide. The vast energy of heaven and earth surged madly into his body through his pores. Brian Sutton was overjoyed, channeling all this energy into his body and circulating it according to the technique.

However, Brian Sutton did not know that, because of him, a massive whirlwind had appeared on the plaza of the sanctuary, and it was growing larger and larger.

The martial artists around Brian Sutton were all startled by the tremendous noise at his side. One by one, they opened their eyes, staring in shock as the whirlwind of heaven and earth energy poured into the boy beside them. As the whirlwind expanded, even some highly skilled martial artists were awakened, for they discovered that the energy of heaven and earth outside their bodies was being sucked away by a vortex like a black hole. More and more people stood up across the plaza, with fewer than three thousand remaining seated.

On the plaza, all the martial artists watched in amazement at the boy at the center of the whirlwind. Through their sense of qi, they could clearly feel that the boy’s martial cultivation was not high; the only explanation was that the technique he practiced was so powerful.

In the end, even the attendants at the sanctuary gate were alarmed. They all leapt up, rushing toward the center of the whirlwind...

Chapter Four: The Primordial Pact

“Honored attendant, there are over a hundred million martial arts in the sanctuary. I wonder which martial art this boy is practicing that possesses such power, devouring the energy of heaven and earth like a whale. We’ve never seen anything like it.” When the two attendants arrived beside Brian Sutton, a beautiful woman pointed at the whirlwind and asked.

The attendant on the left opened his eyes, a misty green light shining from the whites of his eyes. After a moment, he sighed and said, “Although you may not have seen this martial art before, you should have heard of it. The ‘Ninefold Life-and-Death Profound Art’—that is the name of the technique he possesses. In Martial Sanctuary No. 12564, this martial art is recorded in the secret manual. I believe some of you have seen this record.”

“So that’s it. I never expected this boy to choose such a life-and-death martial art. It’s said that the last person to practice this technique was ten million years ago. That person reached the sixth stage of the Ninefold Life-and-Death Profound Art, and at that time, only a handful in the entire primordial era could defeat him. Unfortunately, when he attempted the seventh stage, his body exploded and he died. The one who practiced this secret manual was known as a martial genius with the talent of a god, yet even he met such an end with this profound art.” A man in long robes, apparently well-informed, spoke after the right attendant used the “Nether Eye” to see through the martial art the boy possessed.

“If you also wish to learn this ‘Ninefold Life-and-Death Profound Art,’ you can go to Martial Sanctuary No. 12564. At the 1,800th stone step, you can find the heart method of this technique. I know a bit about this martial art as well. The first step in practicing the Ninefold Life-and-Death Profound Art is to disperse your cultivation!”

“Disperse our cultivation! We have spent countless effort and time cultivating to this point—how could we possibly disperse our cultivation for the sake of such a technique? Honored attendant, is this person a recent ascendant?”

The two attendants nodded. Upon hearing this, everyone showed an expression of sudden understanding, and then left one by one.