The Gate’s Secret

Inside Black Wind Forest, there was a line of High Heaven Pavilion Disciples walking into the depths.

Yang Kai would never have thought that the good place that Su Mu wanted to take him to was actually located in the Black Wind Mountains. Walking into the forest, Yang Kai saw a distinct path. In this type of dense forest, if humans did not frequent it, then a clear path would not appear.

[Do a lot of people come and go in the Black Wind Mountains?] Pondering over it, it seemed that it was true for in the distance there were some faint figures advancing in a similar fashion to his group.

"Senior Brother, do you know why that day we met up with Cheng Shao Feng and his people near Black Wind Forest?" Walking in front of Yang Kai, Su Mu went to ask Yang Kai.

Yang Kai's expression changed, while he had a faint idea. "Could it be that Cheng Shao Feng also wanted to come to Black Wind Forest?"

"That's right. We the High Heaven Pavilion, Storm House and Blood Battle Gang aren't that far away from each other. The distance from Black Wind Forest to each of the three places is about the same. So, if any Disciples from these factions wanted to enter here, they would need to pass through the four-way intersection."

"What type of attraction does this place have? If there are no attractions, then why would they bother coming all the way here?"

*Ha Ha.* Su Mu laughed out proudly. "Senior Brother, this is something you probably don't know. Inside Black Wind Forest, there is an underground market. We Disciples from the three factions and even martial practitioners from all of the Black Plum Village area come over here. Disciples are able to exchange useless data and skills that they don't need for more useful things or for gold and silver. The Black Wind Trade area is always bustling. So, Senior Brother, you should definitely come here and have a look."

Li Yun Tian added. "That's right, Senior Brother. You can often find some good things over here. Last time Young Master Su used twenty or so sliver to obtain some Tianyuan Fruit."

"Tianyuan Fruit?" Yang Kai's expression changed.

"En, Earth Grade Lower Level Spirit Fruit. The seller didn't recognise what he was selling, allowing me to benefit greatly." Talking about that matter, Su Mu became proud.

Earth Grade Lower Level Spirit Fruit, if you wanted to convert it to a monetary value, it would be valued at around two thousand silvers at the least. It was actually brought by Sui Mu for a mere twenty silver coins, isn't this a great deal.

That Black Wind Trade area, Yang Kai really didn't hear about it before at all, in the entirety of the time that he had been in High Heaven Pavilion. Since he hadn't socialized with a single person, they naturally wouldn't tell him such news.

It looked like Su Mu's group often came over here to browse, and each one was fairly familiar with the layout. From their conversation, Yang Kai heard many interesting things, and he started to hold some anticipation for this place.

Since he cultivated the True Yang Secret Art, then he would be able to find some Yang attributed elixirs for him to use, but it was just that he didn't have a lot of money on hand. Then he remembered that small bottle of small returning pellets, Yang Kai gained some confidence.

Black Wind Trade was a fair distance away, so the group chatted to each other while strolling along.

Yang Kai suddenly asked, "Junior Brother Su, does our High Heaven Pavilion have an Eleventh Elder?"

He had remembered that old man he had met beside the Coiling Dragon Stream and that old man was a complete mystery. It caused others to be unable to forget him.

"Eleventh Elder?" Su Mu was stunned, "When did High Heaven Pavilion suddenly have an Eleventh Elder?"

"*Eh...*, I just wanted to ask ." Yang Kai understood now. That time when the old man had said he was some Eleventh Elder, he was already suspicious. Now it looked like his status was truly a lie, it was just that old man was calm and friendly. Since he held no malice or evil intentions to him, Yang Kai didn't want to investigate further and risk provoking his disgust.

Li Yun Tian laughed out, "Senior Brother Yang since you are always cultivating, naturally, you wouldn't know too much about our High Heaven Pavilion's affairs. We only have five Elders; there really wasn't an Eleventh Elder."

This group of people all knew about Yang Kai's previous tragic history of being bullied, so out of the goodness of their hearts, they went to inform him of the various things happening in High Heaven Pavilion to prevent him from asking another awkward question in the future.

An Elder was Su Mu's backer, so his understanding of High Heaven Pavilion affairs was better than anyone else's. So as they were talking, they drifted to the topic of High Heaven Pavilion Pavilion's Sect Master.

Lowering his voice, Su Mu spoke. "Listening to my old devil speak, I heard him say that our Sect Master is a peak existence. Nowadays, it is said that he has reached the peak of the Immortal Ascension Boundary and is just a step away from breaking through to the next stage. Within a thousand mile radius, he is the number one expert."

[Peak of the Immortal Ascension Boundary!] Yang Kai was shocked in amazement.

For a martial practitioner's grade started from the tempered body level, followed by the Initial Element Stage, Qi Transformation Stage, Separation and Reunion Boundary, True Element Boundary and Immortal Ascension Boundary; each level was then divided into a further nine levels. As your strength increased, it became harder to break through the next stage. You couldn't see many Immortal Ascension Boundary level experts, and one would never have imagined that the High Heaven Pavilion Head had actually reached the Immortal Ascension level. If he were to achieve a breakthrough; then he would become a true peak expert.

"That Blood Battle Gang Sect Master, Hu Man, and the Storm House Sect Master, Xiao Ruo, were only around the Immortal Ascension Boundary Sixth or Seventh stages and are incomparable to our Sect Master." As Su Mu said this, his face showed a proud expression. After all, a Sect Master's strength is also a source of pride for the Sects Disciples.

"How much longer will our Sect Master need to breakthrough?" Li Yun Tian enthusiastically asked. If the Sect Master were to suddenly breakthrough, then in a thousand mile radius, High Heaven Pavilion would become the leading faction. Who would dare to come provoke them then?

Su Mu's face darkened and he slowly shook his head.

"What's the matter?" Seeing Su Mu like that, Li Yun Tian asked worriedly.

"The old devil said, that it has already been ten or so years since the head reached the Immortal Ascension peak."

"Then why hasn't he broken through up until now?" Everybody asked.

Ten years, even if cultivating was difficult, you should be able to breakthrough.

Su Mu continued while shaking his head. "I don't dare say."

"Young master Su, how could you do this to us? Invoking our curiosities but refusing to talk further. Isn't this equivalent to taking most of a beauty's clothes off but not all? This is too brutal." Zhou Hu complained relentlessly, and the rest all joined in enthusiastically encouraging Su Mu.

"Okay then, but you must all remember you mustn't tell anyone else or there will be great troubles." Su Mu said with grandeur, then looking around he lowered his voice and explained. "Ten years ago, our High Heaven Pavilion had a big situation. It was because of this, that our Sect Master's cultivation level has yet to rise."

"What situation?" Everybody asked while swallowing.

"Our Sect Master has no wife or children, so he accepted two Disciples and the situation originated from these two Disciples. Of these two Disciples, the Elder Disciple was hard working while the younger Disciple was intelligent. Both were shocking geniuses, and the head used all of his heart to teach them without the slightest bit of reservation. These two were also hardworking, their strengths were neck and neck and no one was worse than the other. It was just because these two people's natures were different, so the Sect Master's teaching style was different for each one; the older Disciple received greater amounts of praise, while the younger Disciple was treated harsher and the head was stricter with him. Due to this, the younger Disciple gradually drifted further away from his Senior Brother and also became more and more frustrated. So he went to find a forbidden and sinister technique to cultivate."

*Ah...* Everyone gasped out in fear.

Su Mu continued to speak and captured everyone's attention again.

You couldn't tell, but Su Mu was born with an eloquent tongue. The way he narrated, made the story flow very well and he succinctly expressed how the grudges between these two Fellow Disciples had started to his audience.

Yang Kai only listened in silence and didn't interrupt for he thought that this affair was most likely true, but Su Mu would have also added some extra details to exaggerate the situation.