Chapter 84: Chapter 84 - The Gateway Mutation and the Thick-Faced Dao

For the next two days, Su Bai did not leave the comfort of his hut.

Right now, Su Bai sat on his bed, staring at the ceiling.

His robe was neat. His long black hair fell over his shoulders. His pale face carried a distant, profound expression.

If an outsider saw him, they would think he was contemplating the Great Dao.

In reality, Su Bai was completely speechless.

He had said he would only prepare stock.

Then, while refining more Nine-Severing Frost Pill, he thought it would not hurt to test whether another pill had any effect.

Then he ate it.

The first Nine-Severing Frost Pill had already forced open his nine major meridian gateways. Because of that, Su Bai originally thought the second pill would be useless.

He was wrong.

The terrifying force that should have frozen and snapped the gateways apart rushed into them again, but because the gates were already fully open, the reversed effect had nowhere normal to go.

So it pushed deeper.

The nine gateways shook violently, as though something inside them was being stretched open.

Su Bai was shocked.

Then he ate the third pill.

And the fourth.

After that...

Something happened.

The space inside his nine major gateways collapsed inward, then expanded outward.

It was like the gateways had been forcefully hollowed out and transformed into nine small chambers capable of holding Qi.

Nine miniature reservoirs. Nine auxiliary Dantians.

Su Bai lay on his bed and stared at the ceiling. He did not know how to describe this situation.

Strictly speaking, they were not true Dantians.

A cultivator only had one main Dantian. That was the foundation of their cultivation. It stored their core Qi, supported their realm, and acted as the center of their path.

But these nine gateway chambers could store Qi. They could circulate Qi. They could even respond to his will.

So if they were not Dantians, what were they?

Su Bai thought for a long time.

Finally, he wrote four words in his notebook.

[Gateway Qi Reservoirs.]

Then he stared at the words for a while.

It sounded proper enough.

At first, Su Bai thought this was useless. After all, his main Dantian was already an infinite void.

What was the point of having nine small ponds beside an endless ocean?

But after thinking carefully, his eyes slowly changed.

It was useful. Very useful.

A cultivator’s Dantian was their core.

If the Dantian was sealed, damaged, or shattered, then no matter how much Qi they had, they would instantly become useless.

During his fight with Elder Han, Su Bai had experienced this clearly.

The moment his Dantian was pierced, his Qi leaked wildly.

If not for the system reward and the later rescue, things would have become extremely troublesome.

But now, things were different.

Even if someone sealed his main Dantian, he still had nine auxiliary reservoirs. If someone wanted to cripple him, sealing one point was no longer enough.

They had to seal all ten.

Su Bai blinked, then slowly smiled.

He had somehow become harder to cripple.

Not only that, the nine reservoirs were located at the major gateways of his meridian system.

This meant he could circulate Qi from different parts of his body without always drawing from the main Dantian first.

For example...

Su Bai raised his foot slightly.

A tiny dark needle appeared near the sole of his foot. It hovered silently for a breath, then vanished.

A small hole appeared in the wooden floor.

Su Bai stared at it. Then he silently pulled his foot back.

This was extremely useful.

In battle, most cultivators sensed Qi movement from the Dantian.

If he always drew power from his main Dantian, an experienced enemy could predict when he was about to act.

But now?

He could form a needle from any major gateway.

This was no longer a simple hidden weapon technique. This was hidden accounting.

No.

Hidden killing. Very righteous hidden killing.

Su Bai coughed softly and continued reviewing the changes.

After the fourth pill, the nine reservoirs had already stabilized.

Then he ate the fifth Nine-Severing Frost Pill.

This time, the effect changed again.

The pill could no longer expand the gateways. Instead, the reversed force flowed into his meridians and coated the inner walls of his pathways with a thin layer of pale frost jade.

The coating did not block his Qi. Instead, it protected the meridians while reducing friction even further.

Su Bai immediately understood its value.

If his meridians were attacked, this Frost Jade layer would take the damage first.

If the layer shattered, his meridians would still survive.

And if that happened...

He could just eat another Nine-Severing Frost Pill and repair the coating.

Su Bai was deeply satisfied.

Then he ate the sixth pill.

But...

Nothing happened this time.

The pill melted in his stomach. His body digested it.

Then it was gone.

The pill had become candy.

Su Bai fell silent.

After a long time, he wrote another line in his notebook.

[After sufficient structural upgrade, Nine-Severing Frost Pill loses primary effect. Can still be eaten for taste. Not cost-effective.]

Su Bai closed the notebook and leaned back against the wall.

His expression was calm, but his mood was complicated.

Overall, this was a complete success.

The only problem was...

He had eaten all the stock.

Su Bai covered his face with one hand.

He grabbed the Soul-Scorching Interrogation Mirror.

Pausing to admire his reflection, he pointed a finger at himself.

"You are not greedy. You are merely deeply curious."

Instantly, the Soul-Scorching Interrogation Mirror flared to life. A wave of scorching power rushed into his spiritual sea, clearly intending to burn his soul for the shameless lie.

But the moment the punishment touched him, the soul-burning heat became a warm, soothing current that reinforced his soul instead.

Su Bai nodded in satisfaction.

’Very good.’

He was rapidly cultivating a thick face.

With this mirror rewarding him for every falsehood, the shame of lying was no longer a weakness.

It was a training resource.

A moment later, Su Bai lowered his hand.

His expression returned to peace.

...

Just then, Lu Canghai’s voice came from outside the hut.

"My disciple, are you still busy?"

Su Bai immediately sat up.

He adjusted his robe, stood, and walked outside.

Lu Canghai stood in the courtyard with his hands behind his back. The old man looked relaxed, but there was a faint sharpness in his eyes.

"Master," Su Bai greeted, bowing.

Lu Canghai looked at him. Then froze. Then his eyes widened slightly.

"Hm?"

Su Bai’s expression remained calm.

"Master, this disciple has finished cultivating."

Lu Canghai stared at him for a long moment.

Then he suddenly burst into laughter.

"Hahaha! Not bad! Not bad at all! Foundation Establishment Fifth Stage already!"

The old man stroked his beard with great satisfaction.

"As expected of my disciple. You are just like me in my youth!"

Su Bai just smiled warmly.

Lu Canghai laughed for a while before finally calming down.

"It is good that you grew stronger," he said. "Prepare to go out."

Su Bai tilted his head.

"Where are we going, Master?"

Lu Canghai’s smile slowly changed.

"Where else?"

The old man looked toward the distance.

"It is time to collect payback from the man who hurt you."

Su Bai paused. then he understood.

Elder Han.

The Golden Core cultivator who had nearly killed him.

Su Bai’s eyes moved slightly.

Lu Canghai continued, "Come. Your master will bring you to see how a proper master protects his disciple."

Su Bai lowered his head. Then he smiled.

"Master, this disciple is ready."

Lu Canghai nodded.

"Good. Then let us not delay." 𝕗𝐫𝐞𝕖𝕨𝐞𝗯𝚗𝕠𝘃𝐞𝚕.𝐜𝗼𝚖

The old man turned and walked toward the edge of the peak.

Su Bai followed behind him.

His expression was composed, but his thoughts had already begun moving.

Elder Han was a Golden Core cultivator.

Su Bai flexed his fingers slightly. Devouring Maw stirred faintly.

Su Bai’s smile became a little brighter.

He could not test this on anyone from the Radiant Sky Sect.

But Elder Han? He is a very suitable target.

Su Bai wanted to see whether his Devouring Maw could chew on solid Qi.