One day, as I was reading ancient texts, my spirit wandered to otherworldly realms, gaining enlightenment through spiritual detachment, discarding one physical body after another, wandering the world like a lonely ghost..."
"Friends, relatives, even the whole world, I care not; I only seek to break through the Celestial Gate."
"Yet the Celestial Gate, though seemingly within reach, always remains elusive.
I spent 800 years in dreams, merging body and spirit into one, reaching the realm of unity with the heavens, until recently, when I finally began to sense the location of the Celestial Gate."
The old man seemed to be dreaming, yet also appeared to be teaching Charlie Chan.
Charlie Chan focused intently, not daring to miss a single word.
These were Celestial Book teachings; if he could one day reach this realm, the old man’s words would be invaluable.
The old man slowly returned to his senses, looking complexly at Charlie Chan.
"You are a scheming person; if it were not urgent, you would not seek me out. What has happened?"
Twenty years ago, he taught Charlie Chan a set of cultivation techniques and then asked Charlie Chan to find him a place of extreme cold in the mortal world.
Charlie Chan acted grandly, buying all the land within a 300-kilometer radius and giving it to the old man for exclusive use.
For these past twenty years, he rarely left this place, spending his days either meditating or battling with the snow and ice. Occasionally feeling bored, he would hunt a beast of the icy lands.
In twenty years, all the animals here came to see him as their king.
Charlie Chan was one of his many disciples in the mortal world, perhaps the most formidable one.
For in just twenty years, he had mastered numerous industries, becoming one of the most powerful figures on this land.
During these years, Charlie Chan visited him three times in total.
The first time, Charlie Chan entered the arms business and was threatened by traditional arms tycoons, nearly losing his life.
That time, the old man personally intervened, leaving the snowy mountain at 2 a.m. and returning at 3 p.m.
In almost 11 hours, he traveled two thousand kilometers and wiped out the entire clan behind the arms tycoon.
Since then, Charlie Chan’s arms business prospered, gradually becoming one of the largest arms dealers in North America.
The second time he left the mountain, it was at his own request.
The plane of a high-ranking financial official crashed here while he was in a life-and-death retreat, and the resulting explosion awakened him from his meditative state.
Charlie Chan personally came to apologize, hoping to save a life, and the old man honored his request by only killing the official’s direct bloodline.
The third time he left the mountain was two years ago.
A genetics research institute bought something from an auction and accidentally discovered one of his secrets hidden in the river of history.
The institute issued a high-priced bounty, seeking information about him.
Upon learning of this, Charlie Chan bought out the entire lab staff at a high price, under the pretense of taking them on a vacation, then brought them here.
In front of the old man, Charlie Chan killed them all and destroyed the artifact.
A disciple showing filial piety required the master to respond.
The old man produced a token, handed it to Charlie Chan, and instructed him to go to a place called Longhua Mountain in Dragon Country.
Seizing this opportunity, Charlie Chan went to Dragon Country and learned of the existence of ancient clans at Longhua Mountain.
This time, he came because of matters related to Longhua Mountain.
"Master, news from Longhua Mountain: Zhao Tianjie is dead.
The treasure you left underground back then successfully helped Zhao Tianjie reach the peak, but he did not seize the chance to breakthrough beyond; instead, he stagnated for decades.
Just a few days ago, he was killed by a schoolboy!"
As Charlie Chan spoke, a glint of cold light flashed in his eyes.
Zhao Tianjie’s achievements were not insignificant.
However, in Charlie Chan’s view, Zhao Tianjie was still a waste.
If he had any backbone, he should have crossed the Death Gate, stepping beyond the peak.
But he always hesitated, unable to let go of the world’s splendor, unable to forget the shackles of the mortal world.
The old man remained utterly calm upon hearing of Zhao Tianjie’s death, but his eyes brightened when he learned the killer was a student.
Zhao Tianjie was but a pawn he had placed during his worldly travels, not even a disciple; such a person dying did not concern him.
Yet Zhao Tianjie, having cultivated for nearly a hundred years, was killed by a student. Even the old man was momentarily stunned.
Recalling distant events, he suddenly said:
"This child is interesting."
All his life, he had been pursuing the ethereal. Though he could not find the Celestial Gate, he found a few people in the world who also sought the ethereal.
Over the years, he occasionally kept in touch with them, knowing they were cultivating somewhere in the world but never inquiring about their exact locations.
Could this young man be a disciple of those old guys?
"What’s his name?"
"Reports from Longhua Mountain say his name is Lin Beichen. He killed Zhao Tianjie with just two strikes, and with great ease. I suspect he has already broken through the Death Gate!"
Charlie Chan respectfully replied.
The old man’s expression changed dramatically.
Crossing the Life and Death Mysterious Gate is exceptionally difficult!
In his first life, he failed to break through the Death Gate. In his second life, he killed countless enemies on the battlefield, witnessing innumerable life-and-death partings, and only then did he unravel the Life and Death Mysterious Gate and take the crucial first step.
Just now, he had only been somewhat doubtful.
Now, he was convinced.
This young man named Lin Beichen must be a pawn of some old monster.
To cross the Death Gate at such a young age, easily, a feat sought but unattainable to many; yet, in the old man’s view, this was a method of growing grains tall prematurely.
The young man, still filled with attachment to the mortal world, suddenly gained a mental realm not his own, forcibly stepping through the Death Gate.
This seemed like supreme talent but was actually a fall into a lower grade.
"The world is a cage; why chase so relentlessly? What a waste of good potential."
The old man regained his composure, speaking leisurely.
Charlie Chan did not understand, taking out a document and narrating seriously.
"It is said that not only is his cultivation at the pinnacle, but he can also perform puppet techniques.
A two-meter sturdy man follows him, who once fought four peak masters evenly. Only when Zhao Tianjie intervened and broke his legs was it discovered he was merely a wooden puppet."
"Furthermore, it is rumored he excels in alchemy. An Ice Skin Jade Bone Pill not only greatly boosts a person’s talent but can instantly open genetic potential, forcibly helping someone with declining vitality cross the Death Gate."
"All gathered intelligence suggests this man may be a True Immortal descended, possibly even someone who has broken through the Celestial Gate."
A thunderous boom echoed.
The century-old ice lake beneath the old man suddenly cracked, countless ice shards shattered upon the ground, transforming into a tempestuous dragon of fire, coiling behind him.
"Master!"
Charlie Chan was shocked.
As far as he could remember, his master had always been indifferent, unconcerned about anything.
This was the first time he lost composure.
The old man’s eyes burned like fire, coldly gazing at Charlie Chan, the fiery dragon behind him retracting into his body.
"Under the Celestial Gate, all are ants. Over the years, though I have placed a few pawns, their cultivation mostly stays around the Death Gate, unable to break through."
"Back then, when Zhao Tianjie stepped beyond the peak, I had a sudden inspiration and challenged him at night. Without using any divine techniques, just my mortal body alone, though slightly stronger than him, I could not kill him with just two or three moves."
The old man spoke leisurely, while Charlie Chan’s face turned pale.
Was the report exaggerated?
Had Lin Beichen truly reached the Celestial Gate?
"Throughout these years, I have constantly studied the Celestial Gate. My talent should be sufficient, yet I always fail to cross it. It feels as if a terrifying seal exists in the heavens and earth, sealing us outside the Celestial Gate."
The old man’s body trembled uncontrollably.
A hot aura gathered behind him, gradually merging into his body.
His body grew taller, and within a few breaths, he had returned to his prime.
Previously, he looked like someone near his deathbed; now, he was a robust man around thirty.