Gao Wu insists on cultivating immortality.

Chapter 135 The Nine Limits of Heaven
Becoming a disciple of a grandmaster is a joyous occasion and must be celebrated.

Gao Wu invited Shang Qingjun and Zhou Hongying, and they found a well-known restaurant near Anhui University: Jinhuayuan.

With a price of 2,000 yuan per person, it can already be considered high-end.

The food is mainly made using ingredients from another world, and the price fluctuates greatly.

Gao Wu now has money in his hands, and it's a joyous occasion. In addition, Shang Qingjun and Zhou Hongying have been working very hard for dozens of days on the roadshow, so it's a good time for them to have a nice meal together.

Shang Qingjun and Zhou Hongying were also very shocked to hear this news, and very happy for Song Mingyue.

Martial arts masters hold a higher status in the alliance than academicians of the Central Academy of Science and Technology, and enjoy the same treatment as high-ranking officials in the alliance.

The alliance provides special subsidies and funding support to martial arts masters in each state.

Song Mingyue is only eighteen years old. She has already become Lu Yuan's disciple before even enrolling in school. Even with Song Mingyue's family background, this is equivalent to rising to the top in one step.

Zhou Hongying and Shang Qingjun initially thought Song Mingyue was aloof and arrogant. However, after several dozen days of roadshows and spending time together, they discovered that while Song Mingyue's cool demeanor was genuine, she was actually very sincere towards others.

That aloof demeanor was partly due to Song Mingyue's social anxiety.

Once they understood Song Mingyue's personality, they would find her somewhat adorable and innocent.

They weren't exactly close, but they were true friends.

After a few drinks, even Song Mingyue gradually relaxed. She didn't feel particularly happy about being accepted as a disciple by Lu Yuan.

She was quite pleased to drink and celebrate with Gao Wu. She also seemed to have grown closer to Shang Qingjun and Zhou Hongying.

Gao Wu also noticed this, and he found that eating and drinking together was the most effective way to enhance relationships.

A simple meal and drink can satisfy a person's most basic needs, and drinking alcohol can relax people, putting both the body and mind in a relaxed state, making it easier to approach others.

Such an extreme approach as living and dying together is not suitable as a means of enhancing feelings.

After dinner, Gao Wu and Song Mingyue, being in excellent physical condition, were only slightly tipsy despite their drunkenness. Zhou Hongying and Shang Qingjun, however, drank a little too much. Although they didn't lose control, they were noticeably more unrestrained than usual.

Fearing something might happen, Gao Wu and Song Mingyue escorted the two back to their dormitory before feeling at ease.

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

As the top university in the North State, this campus is a new campus built just over 20 years ago. It adopts a huge garden-style architectural style, with green plants, flowing water and strange rocks everywhere. Although it lacks some of the weight of time, it is elegant and exquisite.

Listening to the cicadas and frogs chirping on a summer night, Gao Wu and Song Mingyue strolled side by side along the path in the quiet woods. Gao Wu chatted casually, while Song Mingyue, even though she was slightly tipsy, didn't say much, only occasionally responding softly.

Gao Wu felt a sense of peace and contentment, an indescribable comfort. He felt that the charm of this ordinary and tranquil summer night was so profound and enduring.

The closeness and naturalness between him and Xiao Song surpassed even the connection of spiritual resonance, the ability to fight side by side, and the tempering and honing of martial arts skills...

Gao Wu looked up at the starry sky. It was the end of the month, and the waning moon hadn't appeared yet. He said with some regret, "It's a pity there's no moon..."

If there's a moon, then naturally one can say the very poetic line, "The moonlight is beautiful tonight"...

Song Mingyue glanced at Gao Wu. She didn't quite understand what Gao Wu was regretting, but she could hear the hint of mockery in his words and sense his relaxed and cheerful state.

She nodded slightly in agreement, though she didn't know what she agreed with; whatever Gao Wu said, she would agree with.

The dim light from the streetlights along the path made Song Mingyue's face appear even whiter and her eyes even brighter.

Suddenly, Gao Wu had a sudden thought and took Song Mingyue's hand. Song Mingyue looked at Gao Wu with some confusion, and Gao Wu chuckled, "The teacher said that boys and girls can hold hands in college..."

Song Mingyue originally wanted to ask which teacher said it, but when she saw the fervor in Gao Wu's eyes, she felt a little flustered and lost interest in asking.

The hand that Gao Wu was holding tightened instinctively.

The two remained silent, holding hands as they returned to Building 18.

Upon entering the living room, Gao Wu said to Song Mingyue, "Actually, the teacher also said..."

Before Gao Wu could finish speaking, Song Mingyue's cheeks were already slightly flushed. She let go of Gao Wu's hand, turned around, and quickly went back to her room, closing the door tightly.

"Good night." Gao Wu smiled as he looked at the closed door at the end of the corridor. Little Song was really quite amusing.

He won't turn eighteen for a few more days; that's when he'll be considered an adult. Actually, Xiao Song is two months older than him...

Back in his room, Gao Wu did his daily homework, and it was already past midnight when he finished.

Practicing the Nine Forms of the Dragon Form is quite time-consuming, especially the newly learned "Regretful Dragon Soars," which requires repeated contemplation.

Practicing swordsmanship and fist techniques also takes an hour. In addition, the two divine spells also require an hour.

While chanting incantations can only increase proficiency to a very limited extent, it allows him to adjust his mind and body and regulate his source energy state, which is unmatched by other cultivation techniques.

Before falling asleep, Gao Wu glanced at the Book of Boundless Merit. The Nine Forms of the Dragon were still at the Lesser Completion stage, which was within his expectations.

Although Lu Yuan's teaching of "Regretful Dragon Form" was profound, it was only a single move, and Lu Yuan had only learned the basics, which was not enough to elevate him to the level of the Nine Forms of Dragon Form.

Fortunately, the "Regretful Dragon Soars" technique is indeed profound, increasing the efficiency of breathing in and out source energy several times over during practice. Combined with "Hidden Dragon Do Not Use" and "Leaping Dragon Leaps Over the Abyss," this technique can, in as little as one or two months, allow one to condense the acupoints in the heart and chest.

The fastest progress was actually in the Dragon Soaring Sword Technique and the Dragon Soaring Secret Sword. Both were nearing perfection and shining brightly, indicating that they were about to break through to the next level.

The Book of Immeasurable Merit, with its direct quantification of cultivation secrets, has greatly motivated those pursuing advanced martial arts.

He knew in his heart that his sudden improvement in swordsmanship was not because he had suddenly become enlightened, but because the power of the newly forged Destiny Sword had greatly increased, and it had further merged with the Yin Spirit, so that when he used it, he truly felt the unity of body and sword.

With the Heavenly Mandate Sword in hand, he doesn't need anyone's guidance; he can naturally overcome any obstacles in his swordsmanship.

Both the Soaring Dragon Sword Technique and the Soaring Dragon Secret Sword are methods of killing and fighting.

If both sword techniques can be mastered, and with the added benefit of the Heavenly Fate Sword, they will be able to reach the pinnacle.

Such swordsmanship is comparable to that of a martial arts master. At least judging from Wan Canglong's assessment, while this guy's cultivation is strong, his combat skills are only mediocre…

Finally, Gao Wu glanced at the total merit points, which had accumulated to over three million.

The video of Changling slaying the demon spread wildly in private domains, bringing immense merit. However, the popularity in private domains is very short-lived, and the spread is clearly segmented, with limited coverage, as it cannot be compared to public domains.

If Song Yunkun could be more proactive and share the video in the public domain, or even promote it through media, he should be able to accumulate tens of millions of merits very quickly. Even without activating other divine spells, tens of millions of merits would still enhance the Azure Dragon Divine Qi Spell. This fundamental divine spell is closely related to his source power cultivation.

If one can advance to a higher level, there is even a chance to directly become a high-level warrior.

He has great explosive power now, but his foundation is weak, so he can't fight for long. After all, cultivation is the most fundamental thing.

Gao Wu pondered the "Regretful Dragon" technique for a while longer. This secret technique contained hundreds of details and essential points, and each detail and essential point had many subtle aspects.

It can only be said that the title of martial arts master is well-deserved; his understanding of martial arts is truly extraordinary.

If he were to figure out his own cultivation methods, he would never reach that level in his entire life.

Even if he had received the spiritual imprint inheritance, at his current pace of cultivation, it would take him eight to ten years to truly achieve anything with just this one move, "The Dragon Soars to its Regret"...

Unfortunately, Old Lu took a liking to Xiao Song, but not to him! If he wanted to learn the old man's Nine Transformations of the Heavenly Dragon, he could only try to break through the Nine Limits of Heaven.

"I'll go see the Nine Limits of Heaven tomorrow and see just how awesome it is..."

Gao Wu was actually feeling a bit uncomfortable today. His talent was far inferior to Xiao Song's, but the old man's differential treatment really hurt his pride.

He naturally curled up and fell asleep, as if using the technique of "Hidden Dragon, Do Not Use".

Gao Wu woke up promptly at six o'clock in the morning. Nearly six hours of deep sleep left him feeling refreshed and energized.

He asked Song Mingyue to do morning lessons together. After breakfast, Song Mingyue went to Xinyue Water Pavilion to study with Lu Yuan.

Gao Wu then used map navigation to find Tianji Tower.

The name Tianji Tower sounds grand, but it's actually a three-story building surrounded by walls. The courtyard is empty, devoid of any vegetation, flowers, or even household items, making it look like a warehouse, completely devoid of human presence.

The small building is in the traditional Chinese style, with no windows and only a heavy door.

When Gao Wu entered, he scanned his face and showed the pass personally signed by An Ziru, but was still stopped by the gatekeeper.

The security guard made a video call to An Ziru to confirm, and then asked Gao Wu to produce a paper contract for him to sign and put his fingerprint on.

This is a contract confirming that the entrant is aware of all risks and is willing to assume all corresponding responsibilities. It stipulates that only one weapon may be used, and modern firearms are prohibited, etc.

After completing the entire process, the middle-aged security guard smiled and said to Gao Wu, "This is the work procedure, and it's not directed at anyone. Please don't take offense, classmate."

"Of course, of course." Gao Wu was easy to talk to and understood the situation. He knew that the school must have learned a lot of lessons before establishing such a rigorous review process.

The gatekeeper opened the heavy armored door and let Gao Wu in. Taking the opportunity, Gao Wu used his Yin Spirit to take a look and was slightly surprised. This balding, disheveled middle-aged man was actually a martial arts master.

Ankyo University is so amazing? They use martial arts masters as gatekeepers...

Gao Wu became more polite and took the initiative to strike up a conversation with the other party. He then learned that the man's name was Yang Tielin.

His way of addressing middle-aged men naturally transitioned to "Uncle Yang".

Yang Tielin didn't refuse; he quite liked this enthusiastic and cheerful young man and offered him a few more words of advice.

"The Nine Limits of Heaven are extremely dangerous, with the difficulty doubling with each level. There have been numerous casualties over the decades."

Yang Tielin said, "Because it's a small secret realm, the power generated by the energy core will be affected by the number of people. So only one person can challenge it. Note that there is a red line at the entrance of each level. If you can't beat it, just retreat inside the red line."

He also handed Gao Wu a black cylinder about a foot long, "This is a call button. In an emergency, you can press the button on it to call for help. However, it will also take me time to get in. The more challenges you overcome, the slower I will get there..."

“Normally, if there’s no news after three hours, I’ll signal through the pager to inquire. If you’re okay, press and hold the button to turn off the call.”

Gao Wu suddenly understood why martial arts masters were chosen as gatekeepers: they could save people in case of an accident.

Is the Nine Limits of Heaven really that dangerous?!
Gao Wu became even more interested and more determined. The more difficult it was for Tianji Jiuxian, the more his skills became apparent!
He asked, "Uncle Yang, what's the fastest record for clearing the Heavenly Limit Nine Realms?"

Yang Tielin chuckled: "In the past thirty years, fewer than ten people have passed the test. I remember the fastest was Dean An, who took nine months..."

"Then I'll have to apologize to Dean An."

Gao Wu said confidently, "The new record is going to belong to Gao!"

Yang Tielin was a little surprised. He looked Gao Wu up and down again: "If I'm not mistaken, you're a beginner warrior?"

"Haha, I was just bragging when I was bored, don't take it seriously..."

Gao Wu opened the gate to the secret realm, turned around and waved to Uncle Yang: "Uncle Yang, please come quickly when you receive the call!"

Yang Tielin was about to speak when Gao Wu had already closed the door. Yang Tielin was a little curious; he wondered what this kid was capable of that made him so confident!
He clicked on the electronic signature left by Gao Wu and accessed Gao Wu's personal profile through the web link, which contained Gao Wu's detailed personal experience.

"The champion of the Xuetao Cup, an amateur competition, and the champion of the Qilin Cup, that's interesting."

Yang Tielin reviewed Gao Wu's file; he was a genius, but that was about it. Wanting to watch some match videos, he went on Kuaishou and started searching.

The top search term caught his attention: "Slaying Demons at Changling! A Young Man Should Be Like This!"
"What is this..." Yang Tielin clicked on it casually, only to find that the main character in the video was Gao Wu.

After the short twenty-second video ended, Gao Wu's upright figure holding the sword gradually blurred, and lines of text appeared.

"Everyone has the right to kill the followers of the Demon God! Gao Wu bravely and fearlessly killed the followers of the Demon God and stopped their slaughter. He is a true young hero!"

The video also introduced the identities of several followers of the demon god, including two high-ranking warriors. This surprised Yang Tielin; the skills of these high-ranking warriors were truly extraordinary!

Yang Tielin also noticed that the video was posted by the official account of the Beizhou Supervision Department, and was also forwarded by official accounts such as the Hunter Association. Although he rarely went online, he knew the significance of this.

The official stance of supporting Gaowu and actively promoting such videos breaks with the convention of the past thirty years.

In the past, the authorities have cracked down on believers in demonic deities, but have always controlled the intensity of their crackdowns. Related trials and punishments have all strictly adhered to relevant procedures.

Now, the situation is obviously different... The authorities are also loosening their restrictions on the public, which will inevitably bring some problems, but at this point, they can't worry about those.

It can be said that this video about high-level martial arts marked the beginning of a new era...

Yang Tielin couldn't help but exclaim in admiration, "This kid is really something else!"

(End of this chapter)