"Die to the extreme, break through the physical limit!" Guo Yi kept repeating this sentence, as if he had gained some insight. "Indeed, there is a bit of truth to it, but this is simply a high-stakes gamble, betting one's life, full of variables, and with just one misstep, it could truly be a fatal cry."

  Kuo Yi walked along in thought, his footsteps carrying him to the shore of a great lake.

  The ninth layer of the Grand Martial Canon, a martial artist's breathing has nine times the length, can hold their breath for an hour without dying, but once they break through the boundary of the Martial Saint, they can hold their breath for a whole day.

  He wanted to jump into the great lake to stimulate his body's potential and break through the boundary of martial sainthood.

  Guo Yi hesitated for a long time, and finally felt that this trip was too risky. If he couldn't break through the Wu Sheng boundary, he would inevitably drown at the bottom of the lake. Only by breaking through Wu Sheng could he possibly have enough time to walk along the riverbed to the shore.

  He wandered for three days, and Guo Yi still couldn't make up his mind. This wasn't because he lacked determination or the courage to stake everything on one throw. It was just that he couldn't afford to gamble, there were too many things at stake. If he died, who would save his grandmother? If he died, who would avenge him?

  Kuo Yi stood by the lake, gazing at the endless water screen, his thoughts were more peaceful than ever before, as if he was the only person left in the world.

  A blank mind, Guo Lao Tai Jun, Tai Ling Lao Zu, Guo Shao Yang... These people etched in his memory one by one disappeared from his mind. The three-year period, the year-long gamble, these heavy burdens that made him breathless one by one disappeared from his body, he felt an unprecedented sense of relief.

  Unconsciously, the blood vessels in the body began to calm down, and the flow rate became slower and slower until it almost completely stopped.

  Blood circulation stops, cells in the body begin to die, flesh begins to rot, he is like a dead man.

  It's unknown how long it took, but the blood in his body had completely dried up, and a stream of misty gas flowed through his veins, then merged into his body, reviving his vitality. The rotting flesh seemed to have undergone a metamorphosis, wrapped in a thread of spiritual light, as if there was an endless charm hidden within.

  Blood and flesh reorganized, but gained a qualitative sublimation. The blood in the blood vessels began to generate slowly, which was condensed from the misty gas, filled with hazy spiritual energy, emitting a faint red glow.

  When Guo Yi opened his eyes again, he had been standing on the shores of the great lake for a whole half month. He felt that the entire world was somewhat different!

  It's as if I used to see the world in a foggy haze, but now everything is clear and distinct. My hearing, vision, sense of taste, and touch... have all become sharper than before.

  Geese fly across the sky, watching them stretch their muscles; fish swim at the bottom of the water, and you can feel its emotions; even people passing by from the side seem to be able to hear the sound of blood flowing in their bodies.

  "Is this still the realm of Martial Sainthood? Could it be that I have not only transcended Martial Sainthood, but also taken another step into the wondrous realm of Spiritual Cultivation?"

  Guo Yi was shocked by his current situation, he could clearly see every change in his body, his flesh was like blood jade, and his bones were like refined iron, this had completely transcended the mortal body.

  "No, the first realm of a cultivator is called 'Nine Palaces', once you enter this realm, a palace will appear in your body to store spiritual energy. Now, I don't have any spiritual instruments flowing within me, nor do I have a palace presenting itself, which means I'm still just a martial artist and haven't entered the realm of a cultivator."

  Just as Guo Yibai was at a loss, Hua Er Lou came again with his wine jug and greeted Guo Yibai from afar: "Guo Lao Da, it's been half a month since I last saw you. I've come to your house every day, but couldn't see anyone. I thought you'd moved away."

  "Three days ago when I came, I also met a man in white clothes. This guy looked 70% similar to Xiaoyan. He seemed to be looking for you too. When he saw that you weren't here, he turned around and left."

  Guo Yixin's heart moved, knowing that he was talking about Li Yuan, so he asked: "What did he say when he left?"

  Hua Er Lou said: "He said he has already entered the Divine Guard Army, and told you that after breaking through the Martial Saint realm, you can find him at the Nan Tian Family..."

  Hua Er Lou suddenly let out a ghostly cry, and Guo Yi looked at him again and again, as if he had seen a ghost, and patted and touched his body.

  "How dare you take advantage of me, you fat idiot."

  Kuo Yen-huo's anger shot up to the sky, and with one kick he sent Hua Erh-lou rolling ten zhang away like a rolling calabaza.

  Hua Er Lou struggled to his feet, rubbed his buttocks and said: "Guo Lao Da is indeed formidable. In just half a month, he not only broke through the realm of Wu Sheng but also shattered his mortal body, transcending his physical form."

  "What's this guy talking about?" Guo Yi hastily pulled Hua Er Lou over, like a good brother, and smiled: "What did you mean by what you just said? Are you saying I've surpassed the Martial Saint and entered the realm of the Spiritual?"

  Hua Er Lou shook his head and said: "A spirit has a lifespan of 500 years, it's not that easy to successfully cultivate. In fact, you and I are the same, we still belong to the category of Martial Saints."

  Kuo Yi's smile froze on his face as he said, "Then what did you mean by 'breaking the mortal shell' and 'transcending the mortal body' just now?"

  "Hua Er Lou said: 'Even among Martial Saints, there are differences in level. Reaching the limit of one's physical body is considered a Martial Saint, but such a Martial Saint can only be considered low-level. Just like Xiao Yan's sister and that white-clothed man who came looking for you, they are all at this level.'"

  "Low-grade Martial Saints are also the most common type of Martial Saint. The entire Sealed City is said to have a hundred million Martial Saints, and nine out of ten are low-grade Martial Saints."

  "When a person reaches the physical limit, they must seek transcendence, break free from the shackles of this mortal body, and gain rebirth in order to make further progress. A martial saint who has transcended the mortal body is called an intermediate martial saint, which is the current realm that you and I are in."

  Guo Yi's face turned bitter: "So that's what it means to be a mid-level Martial Saint!"

  Hua's face twitched with fat, saying: "You shouldn't be dissatisfied. Among a hundred martial saints, it's hard to find one who can break through the mortal shell. Once you break through the mortal shell, you can live fifty years longer than those low-level martial saints. Generally, mid-level martial saints have a lifespan of 150 years."

  Guo Yidao said: "In other words, you four great geniuses are all intermediate martial saints who have broken through the mortal shell?"

  "No, our number one genius among the four has already opened the door to immortality and entered the ranks of a high-level Martial Saint." said Hua Er Lou.

  Guo Yi now understood the classification of Martial Saints: reaching the limit of one's physical body was called "Low-level Martial Saint"; breaking through the mortal shell was called "Mid-level Martial Saint"; and opening the door to immortality was called "High-level Martial Saint".

  Although they are both in the realm of Martial Sainthood, a higher-level Martial Saint can completely annihilate a lower-level one. Even among low-level Martial Saints, there is still a huge gap in strength.

  Having entered the realm of Martial Sainthood, Guo Yi decided to enter the Sealed City two months ahead of Ji You's scheduled deadline and even exceeded expectations. He wondered if he could get some sort of reward!

  The secluded city is located among a group of mountains and has a long history that can be traced back to ancient times.

  The dark grey city wall is over a hundred zhang high, resembling a mountain range that blocks the path ahead. Even birds find it hard to fly across. The top of the city wall is boundlessly expansive, and even ten giant beasts running side by side would not appear crowded.

  Outside the city, a hundred-meter-wide moat flows slowly, with strange grass growing in the river, dragons rushing about, and from time to time, spiritual energy emerges from the water, covering the surface of the river, misty and mysterious, like a celestial river descending into the world.

  Youyu City is the most concentrated ancient city of Xianmen schools within a radius of one million miles, with a population of over one million. Every lowest cultivator is above Wu Sheng. The city is full of masters, and many Xianmen practitioners choose to create sects here.

  Guo Yi and Hua Er Lou crossed the 100-meter iron chain bridge, passed through the city gate, and officially entered the secluded city.

  Because of Hua's fame as one of the Four Great Talents of the Secluded Castle, the martial saint guards at the gate didn't scrutinize him much.

  The city of Yu Jin is a vast castle, with bluestone streets as wide as 50 meters, very spacious. The streets are bustling with horses and carriages, extremely lively.

  There are black-skinned giants riding on five-meter-high iron-hoofed beasts, and there are golden-haired, blue-eyed beauties. Some people drive ancient bronze-toothed cars flying over the streets.

  Proceeding another hundred steps, a magnificent palace floated in the high air, with colorful lights and divine aura, as if a deity resided within.

  "This is one of the three major spiritual palaces in the Sealed City, 'Wan Jing Ling Palace'. Jiemi Tian is the grandson of a senior elder of Wan Jing Ling Palace."

  "No wonder he's so arrogant, turns out his background is so strong."

  The seven strongest forces in the Sealed City are: the four major immortal families and the three major immortal spirit palaces.

  On both sides of the street, various buildings were built, some with countless holes carved out on top of giant ancient trees; others used a whole piece of stone tens of meters high to carve out castle-like buildings; of course, more people still lived in traditional houses, tall mansions.

  A ten-meter-long, seven-colored Luan bird was pulling a light green, lotus-leaf-like flying boat through the air above the street. On the flying boat stood an absolutely beautiful woman, with a waist adorned with Lingyu, feet stepping on Shen Huan, and her body full of ethereal temperament.

  This is an immortal who makes even gods fall in love with her.

  Ethereal, elusive, like a poem, like a painting, she seems so detached from the worldly smoke and fire, just like a gust of wind that could fly away at any moment, beautiful to the point of being almost unreal.

  A beautiful silhouette flashed through the air, leaving a stunning back view, disappearing into the horizon.

  Countless people on the ground went crazy for it, shouting towards the sky, and many people chased in the direction of the flying boat, just wanting to take a few more glances at her.

  Guo Yi's eyesight became incredibly sharp after breaking through the ordinary shell, and he was also shocked by the woman's beauty, as if a heavenly fairy had descended to earth.

  The second floor was even more unbearable, with saliva dripping from his mouth and soaking through his shoes.

  "Who is this woman?"

  "She's the darling of heaven, the number one beauty in the Imperial City, Yan Honglei. Don't even think about it, those who want to pursue her can line up from the city gate to hundreds of miles away, among them are two top-notch experts on the 'Martial Arts Ranking', and what's most terrifying is that she herself has already been branded with the 'Martial Arts Ranking' seal, we four geniuses can only walk around her in circles." Hua Er Lou poured cold water.

  Guo Yiqi said: "You four great geniuses, don't you have one who has obtained the imprint of the 'Martial Chart'?"

  "Do you think the Wu Bang seal is a trivial matter? The entire city of Youjin has only a handful of experts who can enter the Wu Bang, and each one of them is an extraordinary talent, a proud son of heaven. Even the older generation of characters must give way to them."

  Guo Yidao said: "So that means those few masters who obtained the 'Wu Bang' branding are even more incredibly talented than you four great geniuses?"

  "Anyone who can enter the 'Martial Arts Rankings' has already defied the heavens, and at the very least, has opened the door to cultivating immortality. Some have even surpassed that threshold. These people can no longer be called geniuses; they're freaks of nature. To them, we four great geniuses are like children playing house."

  Guo Yi's confidence has been severely shaken, and now he is only barely able to break through the mortal shell, but doesn't know when he can open the door to cultivating immortality and compete for a ranking on the "Martial Arts Rankings".

  Hua Er Lou's eyes suddenly lit up, and he grabbed onto Guo Yao's collar: "How could I forget? You're the City Master's envoy, with a special status in this prison city. Who knows, you might actually have a chance to get your hands on Yan Hong Lei."

  "Alright, alright, I don't want to be hunted down by two martial arts masters. With her thousands of pursuers going crazy, I'm afraid not many people can handle it, and the city lord may not even be taken seriously by them."

  Guo Yi wanted to go to the city master's mansion to see Ji You Ran, a woman whose beauty was not inferior to Yan Hong Lei. Moreover, Guo Yi also wanted to worship her as his teacher and learn the spiritual secrets of cultivation.

  Up to now, Guo Yi still thought that Ji You Ran was the city master's envoy, thinking that by bowing to the city master's envoy as a teacher, he might still be able to see the mysterious and reclusive city master of You Prison Castle. Little did he know that Ji You Ran was actually the master of You Prison Castle himself.

  Hua Er Lou spent half a day with Guo Yi, but only strolled through one corner of the Forbidden City, and there were still many strange places that had not been visited.

  As night fell and the sky grew dark, Hua Erlou asked, "Guo Lao Da, do you have a place to stay? If not, come to my home, it's quite large."

  Hua Erlou insisted on calling him "Lao Da", and Guo Yao had no choice but to let him.

  Guo Yidao said: "Not yet, I want to go to the City Master's Mansion first."

  Hua's eyes emitted a strange light, the City Master's mansion was not a place that ordinary people could go to. Even if it were the masters of the four major families or the palace masters of the three major spiritual palaces, they would have to report in advance and might possibly be granted an audience with the City Master. Others who had not even approached the City Master's mansion were killed by the powerful experts within the mansion.

  The most mysterious place in the entire city of seclusion is none other than that deep and secluded castle lord's mansion.

  Hua Er Lou had long wanted to experience it for himself, but unfortunately his status wasn't enough, he didn't even dare approach the city lord's mansion within a ten-mile radius. Now that the opportunity was right in front of him, how could he let it slip away?

  Hua Erlou volunteered himself and said he wanted to lead the way for Guo Yan.