Chapter 62: Ascending the Three Heavenly Gates

  "Sir, just by looking at your facial features and the shape of your head, I can tell you're no ordinary person." A man in his thirties with a slender build, upon seeing Fang Lin, immediately walked up to him with a big smile on his face.

  Fang Ling looked at the thin man's smile and felt a bit familiar, but he couldn't think of where he had seen him before.

  When the thin man smiled again and said: "If the little one didn't see it wrong, is the young master here to participate in the Immortal Ascension Road?"

  This smile made Fang Ling suddenly understand. The reason why he found this thin man familiar was because the thin man's smile made him feel familiar.

  In my past life as a tour guide, weren't those people who recommended goods smiling like that?

  Although he has been in this world for only half a year, the feeling it gives him is already very distant.

  "You guessed it." Fang Ling, who had a thread of memories stirred up, suddenly became interested in chatting with the thin man for a few more sentences.

  The thin man naturally didn't know that he had good luck because of a smile, and he said in a low voice: "With your cultivation, it shouldn't be a problem to pass the Road to Immortality, but this time, there are many more immortal masters participating, plus many talented individuals, so it's just a bit more difficult."

  Feng Ling's heart skipped a beat as he asked in a low voice, "Which geniuses are you referring to..."

  "For example, the Xu family, one of the three major immortal families, produced a Lei Huo Zhi Ti (Thunder Fire Body), and then there's the Zhu family, which has a pair of twin sisters, who are said to be a Shui Xing Dao Ti (Water Pathway Body) and a Han Bing Dao Ti (Cold Ice Pathway Body) respectively!"

  "What's with your body?" Fang Ling's words were tinged with a hint of astonishment.

  For those who cultivate, advancing to the seventh layer of Qi refinement and transforming their true energy into spiritual energy is like a heaven-revealing trench.

  Out of a thousand people, one or two lucky ones can step over this hurdle and become a member of the Cultivators.

  If Fang Ling himself hadn't relied on the Nine Revolutions Entrance Dan, wanting to cross this hurdle would be just as difficult. However, for some people, this hurdle is as if it doesn't exist.

  And this part of the human body is called the Tao Body.

  The body born with a bone structure close to the Tao, not only cultivates quickly, but also has a much higher probability of breaking through bottlenecks than ordinary people.

  It is even said that more than half of the cultivators who can become Golden Dan True People are beings with Dao bodies. And the major sects also especially like to accept talented individuals with Dao bodies.

  "Yes, young master. With those geniuses taking up most of the spots, the competition for ordinary cultivators has become even more intense." The thin man rubbed his hands together and said in a low voice, "I have something that can help you pass this Heavenly Ascension trial."

  "Oh, what's this?" Fang Ling gazed at the thin man and asked indifferently.

  The thin man saw Fang Ling's reaction was calm, and he hastily said: "Young master, this is not an ordinary thing, it is a map left by the monks who passed through Mang Qing Mountain to ascend to immortality!"

  Map!

  Fang Ling's heart skipped a beat, although his rational mind told him that this map might not be of much use, but the touring maps in his head had helped him too many times, which made him have an instinctive liking for maps.

  The thin man pulled out a crumpled, seemingly old leather scroll from his own pocket and chuckled: "The monk who drew this map was my ancestor. Although he didn't ascend to immortality, he still reached the end."

  "Hehe, if it were up to me, I'd give this map to the young master without a second thought, but after all, this was earned through our ancestors' hard work... that..."

  Fang Ling didn't understand what the thin man meant, so he smiled and asked: "How much money are you talking about?"

  "Five hundred taels of gold!" The thin man flipped his palm and said a number.

  Fang Ling hesitated for a moment before pulling out 500 taels of gold notes from his storage bag and tossing them to the man.

  He took the map and asked about the location of the town's accommodation before setting off.

  He hadn't walked twenty steps when he heard the thin man say in a practiced tone, "This young fellow, I see that your heavenly court is full and your earthly palace is square..."

  He's indeed a professional map seller! Fang Ling shook his head and smiled.

  Following Skinny's directions, he found an inn and settled in for the night, then took out the map that had cost him 500 gold pieces.

  The map is very simple, just one route.

  According to the annotations on the map, this time the road to immortality is divided into three stages: Seeking Immortal Road, Life and Death Road, and Climbing Heaven Ladder.

  In the midst of seeking the path of the immortal, what is mainly being tested is the will of the cultivator. Although it's not explicitly stated on the map of life and death, just from its name, one can infer what it does.

  As for ascending to heaven on a ladder, as mentioned above, it mainly examines the cultivator's foundation. The heavenly ladder has 999 steps.

  Every step forward is more difficult than ascending to heaven.

  The better one's foundation and the more in harmony with the Tao a cultivator is, the easier it will be to ascend to higher levels.

  The last note on the map reads: "Heavenly Road is difficult, beware of all people!"

  Fang Ling picked up the map and took a few more glances, feeling that this map was not a bad buy. Although five hundred taels of gold were not a small amount in the eyes of ordinary people, for a cultivator like him, five hundred taels of gold really didn't amount to much.

  Just as Fang Lin was about to put away the map, a line of small characters on the top of the ladder caught his attention.

  It is written above: "If you can pass through the Thousand Buddha Mountain, then you will be a superior immortal!"

  Qianfo Mountain, Immortal above immortal!

  What does this mean?

  Qianfo Mountain, this name...

  "Knock knock knock"

  A faint knock at the door suddenly rang out!

  This startled Fang Lin, who was deep in thought. Since becoming a cultivator, he had rarely been so unguarded.

  He composed himself and said in a deep voice: "Please come in."

  A young monk, looking about seventeen or eighteen years old, walked in. His eyebrows and eyes were ordinary, but before he even reached Fang Lin's face, he was already smiling all over his face: "Hello, fellow Taoist, I am Qing Yuanchou Chenglin!"

  Others smiled and welcomed him, so Fang Ling naturally wouldn't put on a straight face. He returned the courtesy while sizing up Cheng Lin.

  Cheng Lin's cultivation was about the same as his, also at the seventh layer of Qi Refining, but with a faint misty aura in every move he made.

  Cheng Lin should be someone who cultivates a water-based martial art.

  Fang Ling heard Cheng Lin say after asking him to sit down: "Brother Fang is so young, yet he has already reached the seventh level of Qi training. It really makes me feel ashamed!"

  "It's also lucky at the bottom!" Fang Ling smiled calmly and said slowly.

  Cheng Lin wasn't lying, he was able to reach the seventh layer of Qi training at eighteen years old, so it's natural that he has some pride. But Fang Ling looks two or three years younger than him, how could he not be shocked?

  Of course, he didn't know that Fang Ling had broken through from Qi Refining Second Layer to Qi Refining Seventh Layer in just half a year.

  "Little brother has come here, should also be participating in the Immortal Ascension Road. This Immortal Ascension Road is fraught with danger, I don't know if little brother is willing to travel together with me and a few fellow practitioners, on the road we can also take care of each other!" Cheng Lin asked straightforwardly.

  "What's going on?" Fang Ling's eyes showed a hint of confusion.

  "Little brother probably doesn't know, on this path to immortality, apart from the grand formation's restrictions, the greatest crisis actually comes from our own side!" Cheng Lin said, lowering his voice: "Those cultivator clan descendants have many people, if we scattered cultivators don't unite, let alone compete with them for immortal opportunities, even our lives won't be guaranteed."

  The idea of forming an alliance for mutual benefit suddenly occurred to Fang Ling. With the Xijiao Smoke and Dust Map in hand, plus the Golden Blade Formation he had moved into the map, as well as some magical artifacts obtained from Jingyang Ridge, Fang Ling naturally did not fear anyone else.

  But if there are a few more people traveling together, and they have no disasters or difficulties in the past, Fang Lin would not object.

  Cheng Lin being so enthusiastic about this matter, might be the organizer of this event. He smiled and said: "Thank you Brother Cheng for thinking highly of me, such a good thing, how can I not participate?"

  Cheng Lin was also overjoyed in his heart, and he smiled and said: "Old man can join, our chance of success on this trip to the fairyland has increased by 50%."

  The two of them exchanged a few more polite words before Cheng Lin bid farewell and left. Judging from his appearance, he should be looking for new partners.

  However, as he was about to leave, Fang Lin invited him to go to the largest wine house in town that evening to introduce some companions.

  Fang Ling sent off Cheng Lin, and in his heart, he secretly thought that as long as there were people, there would be a world of its own.

  After a brief moment of contemplation, Fang Lin sat cross-legged on the bed, taking advantage of this time to first cultivate his skills!

  ……

  At the foot of a lush green mountain, there is a dilapidated temple. It's unknown when it was built. Now, except for a god statue that can't even be recognized as human, only an incense burner remains in the temple.

  Even the temple's gate was burned as firewood by someone.

  This temple is usually empty except for occasional passersby who stop to rest.

  But just as night was about to fall, a figure appeared in the ruined temple like a ghost.

  That person glanced at the broken temple twice, then coldly snorted towards the statue: "You think you can deceive me with your trivial ghost shadow technique? Qu Lao'er, you really underestimate me, Chi Xin Yu Shi!"

  "Haha, Ah Xin saw the joke, I, Qu Lao Er, didn't want to deceive you, it's just that I'm used to it." With a hint of gloom in his tone, a wisp of green smoke slowly rose from behind the statue.

  This green smoke in the void slowly condensed into a short and small Han man with a height of four feet five.

  Chi Yan's face turned red as he hummed and said faintly, "Qu Lao Er, the five major sects have gathered here to open the mountain gate and recruit disciples. What are you doing in this desolate mountain? Are you also thinking of entering the five major sects?"

  "Heh heh heh, entering the Five Great Sects? I'd like to, but would they dare accept me?" Qu Lao'er cackled with a sinister tone.

  "You didn't come here for sightseeing, did you?" Akane Tachibana said coldly, her arms crossed over her chest.

  Qu Laoer waved his sleeve, and two stone stools suddenly appeared in front of the two men.

  He invited Akane Ueshima to sit down while smiling and said: "I came to Mount Mō this time because there is something..."

  The night falls, and the wind blows!

  The words of two people can no longer be heard.

  psp