Urban Martial Saint

”What price?” Lin Tianyou hurriedly asked curiously. He only knew that entering the Heaven Earth Man Three Gates brought many benefits, but he had never heard of a price to be paid.

In fact, Ye Qing was the same. With so many people outside fighting to enter the Heaven Earth Man Three Gates, wasn’t it all for the sake of achieving supremacy and dominating the world? But who ever heard that entering the Heaven Earth Man Three Gates required a price?

”Hehe...” An Shiping sighed with a bitter smile, ”This price, I cannot tell. Once spoken, it would certainly throw the world into chaos. However, remember my words: unless absolutely necessary, never enter the Heaven Earth Man Three Gates. If you really must go in, then by all means, do not enter Heaven’s Gate!”

Seeing An Shiping speaking so adamantly, Lin Tianyou nodded and said, ”Master, rest assured, as for this matter of the Heaven Earth Man Three Gates, I haven’t thought about it at all. I’m just a doctor; being able to learn better medical skills and treat more patients is enough.”

An Shiping smiled with satisfaction, Lin Tianyou’s mindset made him even more pleased with him.

”Since you can think that way, I am much more at ease.” An Shiping laughed and said, ”Although I can’t speak of the Heaven Earth Man Three Gates, I can give you a hint. Let’s put it this way: from ancient times to now, the Heaven Earth Man Three Gates has existed for thousands of years. But do you know the ultimate fate of those who entered?”

”What is it?” Lin Tianyou wondered, as this was something no one had ever mentioned. People only knew that those who came out either became wealthy, supreme masters, or founding emperors. But no one knew their ultimate fate.

An Shiping said softly, ”They all died in the end!”

”All died?” Lin Tianyou was first stunned, then said, ”Master, isn’t this unsurprising? Everyone dies, after all these years, it would be strange if they hadn’t.”

”Hmph.” An Shiping lightly shook his head and said, ”The death I speak of isn’t that simple. If you have the chance, take a look at their tombs, and you’ll know what I mean.”

”Their tombs?” Lin Tianyou asked in surprise, ”What’s with the tombs?”

”The rest I cannot say, saying more would cause disorder. Knowing this is enough, and absolutely don’t spread it, or it will surely cause chaos.” An Shiping waved his hand and then said, ”Now, let me tell you about Medicine King Mountain. I collaborated with Shijia Wuji and True Buddha to set up a mountain-sealing array. This array will always remain. Unless granted permission by me, or holding a Divine Doctor’s Order, no other can enter. You are my disciple, I leave Medicine King Mountain to you, and you are its master. In the future, without your permission, no outsider can enter Medicine King Mountain. So, Medicine King Mountain is yours alone, no one can take it!”

Lin Tianyou did not refuse this time, as An Shiping made it clear that Medicine King Mountain could only be given to him. He didn’t want to upset his master.

”After passing Medicine King Mountain to you, only you and Xiaolu can freely enter and exit. Others must have a Divine Doctor’s Order to enter.” An Shiping glanced at the eight Divine Doctor’s Orders on the side and said, ”This Divine Doctor’s Order is my symbol, and also the symbol of my Divine Medicine Sect. I hope you can pass it down and give the Divine Doctor’s Order to those who have shown you kindness. Those holding a Divine Doctor’s Order can enter Medicine King Mountain and seek treatment directly from you!”

In An Shiping’s era, this was how the Divine Doctor’s Order was used; anyone holding one could come to Medicine King Mountain and receive Divine Doctor An Shiping’s help.

Lin Tianyou nodded and said, ”Master, I will certainly continue this tradition!”

”That’s good!” An Shiping nodded and said, ”Well, I’ve explained what I needed to. Now I will pass on all that I’ve learned to you. But before that, we must send those people off the mountain.”

Saying this, An Shiping gestured to the Python Xiaolu, who understood and immediately turned to exit.

”Master, I have friends still on the mountain; should I inform them first?” Lin Tianyou said, ”They might be worried since they haven’t found me for so long.”

”No need!” An Shiping shook his head and said, ”You’ll naturally meet them again when you leave. Right now, it’s most crucial to familiarize yourself with the paths inside the mountain. Also, there are several key items in Medicine King Mountain that you must recognize; they are crucial for growing so many medicinal herbs here.”

Saying this, An Shiping led Lin Tianyou through the cave, introducing everything inside. Lin Tianyou followed closely, memorizing everything in the cave, knowing this would be key to navigating out of it someday.

As they walked for a while, a sudden cold air made Lin Tianyou shiver involuntarily, ”Why is it so cold here?”

”We’ve arrived.” An Shiping smiled and pointed to a stone wall ahead, ”In this place is embedded a piece of Ten Thousand Year Cold Iron, which I found in an extremely cold place. This Cold Iron is exceedingly frigid, and it can turn the surrounding area cold. It’s precisely because of this Cold Iron that there is a section of the mountain where ice can form, allowing for the growth of many cold-loving herbs, such as the snow lotus. Oh, and the Ice Toad particularly likes this environment.”

If Ye Qing were here, he would be astonished because he had seen the Nine-Leaf Golden Dragon Blood Lotus and the Ice Toad. At the time, Ye Qing was puzzled why only this part of the mountain was so cold. Now he had found the answer: it was all due to the Ten Thousand Year Cold Iron.

Lin Tianyou scratched his head and suddenly asked, ”What exactly is Ten Thousand Year Cold Iron?”

”To understand what Ten Thousand Year Cold Iron is, first you need to know what ordinary Cold Iron is,” An Shiping explained, ”Cold Iron is a rare metal that loves heat and can absorb it.”

”And you still call it Cold Iron?” Lin Tianyou exclaimed, surprised, ”A heat-loving metal should be called Hot Iron!”

An Shiping glanced at Lin Tianyou, ”You’re not seeing it right; because this metal loves heat, it absorbs the surrounding heat, thus lowering the temperature, which is why it’s called Cold Iron.”

”I see!” Lin Tianyou suddenly understood.

”So, Ten Thousand Year Cold Iron is Cold Iron pressed for over ten thousand years in extremely cold places. These places are so cold that their temperature is below that of the Cold Iron. Under such conditions, the Cold Iron releases its temperature. The longer it remains, the more heat is eventually expelled. When you retrieve such an Iron and place it in a warmer climate, it immediately absorbs the external heat, thus lowering the surrounding temperatures, serving its purpose to cool the area.” explained An Shiping, ”In this mountain, one icy spot was created just like this. Using the Cold Iron, it removed surrounding heat, making the area suitable for cold-loving plants.”

”Oh.” Lin Tianyou completely understood, yet soon wondered: ”But how much heat can such a piece of Cold Iron absorb? How long can it truly sustain this?”

An Shiping explained, ”Cold Iron releases heat slowly and absorbs it slowly, too. This piece lay in icy regions for ten thousand years, so it needs the same time to absorb. So there’s no need to worry about Medicine King Mountain; this Cold Iron can sustain it for ten thousand years!”

”Ten thousand years?” Lin Tianyou was amazed, ”There’s such a magical thing in this world?”

”The world is vast, full of wonders.” An Shiping chuckled, ”There are even more miraculous things than Cold Iron.”

”Even more miraculous?” Lin Tianyou asked curiously, ”What sort of things?”

An Shiping replied, ”A metal without any weight, capable of floating in mid-air, completely unaffected by gravity.”

”Such a thing exists?” Lin Tianyou was amazed once more. If Ye Qing were here, he wouldn’t be so shocked, as he had seen the Gold Silk Armor and Sun Shooting Bow, both weightless.

”As I said, the world is vast, full of wonders.” An Shiping remarked, ”As you journey out, seeing more, you’ll believe my words are true. Regarding that weightless metal, I pray you never encounter it in your lifetime.”

”Why is that?” Lin Tianyou asked, puzzled.

An Shiping sighed lightly, shaking his head, without explaining further. Only he knew the reason in his heart.

As they continued their journey, An Shiping fully briefed Lin Tianyou about Medicine King Mountain. The mere existence of Ten Thousand Year Cold Iron was astonishing enough for Lin Tianyou. But later, he saw a piece of Thousand-Year Red Iron, shattering his worldview once more.

The Thousand-Year Red Iron is the exact opposite of the Ten Thousand Year Cold Iron. The Cold Iron created an icy area on Medicine King Mountain, but the Thousand-Year Red Iron forged a high-temperature zone. In this area, An Shiping cultivated a batch of heat-loving herbs, including a prized Fire Raven, unseen even by Ye Qing. Lin Tianyou had never encountered such things before either.

As they walked and talked for a long time, both eventually passed through corridors, and An Shiping led Lin Tianyou into a stone chamber, ”Alright, here is my Pill Room, where I keep all my secret manuals and elixirs. The Acupoint Seeking Technique you’ve seen is just one of hundreds of volumes here. Only after mastering all the volumes can you truly inherit my legacy.”