Lin Qiu, in front of him, was nothing more than a wastrel, whereas Lin Feng was seen as one of the talented disciples.
Apart from their blood relationship, the two were basically from different worlds.
After leaving the Council Hall, Jiang Changsheng was waiting for him outside.
"Get ready, we need to leave the Sect Gate in a while," Xu Zimei said.
"Understood," Jiang Changsheng nodded and replied, "Then, senior brother, I will go and cultivate first. Call me if you need anything."
After parting ways with Jiang Changsheng, Xu Zimei returned to his own courtyard residence.
These days, Great Skies Peak seemed much quieter as most of the disciples were practicing desperately.
Preparing for the Nine Heavens Festival, they had no time to wander around the Sect Gate.
Upon returning to the courtyard, Xu Zimei prepared to practice the Extraordinary Meridian Manual.
The thirty-six Extraordinary Meridians were scattered around the human body, reaching from the soles of the feet to the top of the head.
Although opening the Extraordinary Meridians wasn’t as difficult as a Vein Gate, it still posed some challenges.
There are thirty-six Extraordinary Meridians in total, with every five making up a Grand Circulation, resulting in seven circulations, which is to say, thirty-five Extraordinary Meridians.
According to the Extraordinary Meridian Manual, after the thirty-five Extraordinary Meridians, one has essentially reached the limit of the manual.
As for the thirty-sixth Extraordinary Meridian, it belongs to the realm of legends.
Some say it was a figment of the creator’s imagination and does not exist.
Others claim that opening the thirty-sixth Extraordinary Meridian will lead to a new world.
In any case, there were many different opinions.
Leaving aside the last Extraordinary Meridian for now, every five of these thirty-five Extraordinary Meridians formed a circulation.
When opening a circulation, the last Extraordinary Meridian is the hardest to open.
That would be the fifth, tenth, fifteenth, twentieth, and so on.
We call these seven most difficult Extraordinary Meridians the seven great Chakras.
The seven great Chakras are, respectively, the Crown Chakra, Third Eye, Throat Chakra, Heart Chakra, Solar Plexus Chakra, Sacral Chakra, and Root Chakra.
Xu Zimei originally thought that with his Divine King realm, opening the Extraordinary Meridians should not pose any difficulties.
But at the moment, as he worked on the first Grand Circulation, he found himself stumped by the fifth Extraordinary Meridian, the Root Chakra.
The power within his body could not impact the Root Chakra; it seemed his Spiritual Energy could not enter into the Extraordinary Meridian.
After being opened, the first four Extraordinary Meridians, however, began to emanate a new kind of energy.
Xu Zimei termed it Vein Qi; to open the Root Chakra, one must rely on Vein Qi.
Only when enough Vein Qi has accumulated can it be opened.
Xu Zimei was not in a hurry; such things required a foundation, and his foundation was deeper than that of any peer.
Meeting a bottleneck with the Extraordinary Meridians, Xu Zimei simply started practicing his Vein Skills.
The night deepened, and all of Great Skies Peak fell into silence.
There was no moon tonight, and even the stars were hidden behind the clouds.
The originally overcast sky had cleared a bit, as if the dark clouds had dispersed somewhat, but it still looked menacing, ready to devour souls.
In the small courtyard where Xu Zimei resided, the brothers Long Yidao were somewhat tired and chatting with each other.
Neither noticed a dark figure hiding in the shadows, swiftly climbing over the courtyard wall and into the yard.
This figure, using the wall’s shadow for cover, kept close to the wall as he advanced.
Soon, he reached the rooms of the courtyard and saw as he slowly opened a door, then turned around to silently close it again.
Step by step, he groped his way to the front of Xu Zimei’s bed.
The longsword in his hand ferociously chopped down towards the bed.
With a "bang," the entire bed nearly split apart.
"No one," the shadow exclaimed in shock and was about to leave.
Just then, the lamp in the room was lit, and instantly, the view brightened.
Xu Zimei sat at the table next to the room, leisurely pouring tea from the teapot on the table.
"Care for a drink?" Xu Zimei offered with a smile, raising his cup inquiringly.
"You..." Seeing Xu Zimei’s calm demeanor, the shadow grew suspicious and disregarded all else, swinging his sword again to attack.
Xu Zimei slightly raised his hand, and an overwhelmingly powerful presence emitted from him.
It was as if a mountain collapsed or a tsunami surged; though he sat there, his figure seemed tall and majestic.
It was as insurmountable as a grand chasm.
The shadow was suppressed on the spot, unable to move even a fraction of an inch.
He stared at Xu Zimei in horror, his pupils sharply constricting, too shocked to speak.
Everyone in the Nine Heavens Imperial Sect knew that Lin Qiu from Great Skies Peak was an utter failure, his Vein Gates clogged and unable to cultivate.
Looking at the figure before him, the shadow felt it was astoundingly unfamiliar.
"I’m really curious, why, in the dead of night, here at Great Skies Peak, you can’t let me be and even seek to assassinate me," Xu Zimei said with a smile.
He walked step by step toward the shadow and slowly removed the black cloth covering the assailant’s face.
"It’s you," Xu Zimei said with some surprise as he looked at the disciple in front of him.
This disciple was named Yang Cheng and was also a disciple of the Great Skies Peak.
However, he was only an Inner Sect Disciple, and with nearly ten thousand of them, one might wonder how Xu Zimei could recognize him.
The specific reason was that this Yang Cheng had followed Lin Feng, the former occupant of his body, three years ago and had played the role of a lackey.
Usually, whatever Lin Feng needed doing was carried out or conveyed by this very Yang Cheng.
"So, tell me, why do you want to kill me?" Xu Zimei indifferently inquired.
Yang Cheng snorted coldly, turned his head away, and ignored Xu Zimei.
"Was it my dear brother who sent you?" Xu Zimei continued asking.
Yang Cheng remained silent.
"Have you ever experienced what hell feels like?" Xu Zimei asked with a smile.
Yang Cheng glanced at Xu Zimei, a trace of confusion in his eyes.
"No matter, we have plenty of time to play," Xu Zimei waved his right hand.
He directly transported the other party into the eighteenth level of the True Fate World’s Hell.
"I pay my respects to my Lord," Bai Changfeng, the God of Slaughter and current Lord of Hell, promptly came forward to pay homage.
"How do you find the place?" Xu Zimei asked.
"The foundations of Hell have been established. We are still perfecting the systems of judgment for good and evil. I plan to recruit some Ghost Soldiers soon to assist me in managing this place," Bai Changfeng reported.
"I have someone here for you. I want to know all his secrets in three days," Xu Zimei tossed Yang Cheng over to him.
"Rest assured, my Lord, no matter how formidable, no one has ever lasted a day under my watch. They beg for life and plead for death," replied the Lord of Hell with a somewhat bloodthirsty smirk.
"What are you going to do?" Yang Cheng finally panicked.
He yelled, "Where is this? If I go missing, the Imperial Heir will never forgive you."
After leaving the True Fate World, Xu Zimei found that the affairs of his predecessor were becoming increasingly interesting.
He couldn’t understand why he, a failure, would be obstructing anyone’s path, so much so that it seemed even his own brother wanted to kill him.
A night passed in silence, and early the next morning, while Xu Zimei was still cultivating, he was disturbed by a noisy commotion outside.