Shen Che carefully studied the general outline of the cultivation method on the golden bell.
The Dragon Elephant Prajna Skill had thirteen levels in total.
For each of the first three levels mastered, one could gain a thousand jin of immense strength.
For the middle three levels—the fourth, fifth, and sixth—each level mastered could grant ten thousand jin of immense strength.
For the seventh, eighth, and ninth levels above that, each level mastered could grant a hundred thousand jin of immense strength.
As for the final four legendary levels, every breakthrough would add... one million jin of strength.
Shen Che's heart gave two extra, traitorous beats.
One million jin?
What kind of concept was that?
This had already gone beyond the realm of martial arts. This was Gods and Devils.
If someone cultivated this thing to the thirteenth level of perfection, wouldn't that be a humanoid Gundam?
No wonder there was an additional note after the general outline: This cultivation method is beyond the reach of human power. Even among Innate Martial Artists, those who can cultivate it to the tenth level are as rare as phoenix feathers and qilin horns.
As for those three unlucky fools from Iron Furnace Stronghold, it was only normal that they had guarded a treasure mountain without realizing it.
They had only barely broken through to the True Meridian Realm, their foundations unstable and their true qi mixed and impure. They simply did not meet the minimum threshold to cultivate this divine art.
Even if they somehow entered the door, without ten years or eight years of bitter effort, they could forget about mastering the first level.
With that effort, they might as well rob a few more villages.
Shen Che steadied his mind.
He still had three hundred points of Time Value in his account.
With that little nest egg, trying to rely on the system to directly max out the Dragon Elephant Prajna Skill was nothing but a fool's dream.
"I still have to do it myself."
Shen Che made his decision.
He would first rely on his own cultivation to chew through the simpler early levels. When he encountered a true bottleneck, he would use Time Value to force his way through.
Good steel had to be used on the blade's edge.
He immediately sat down cross-legged, palms, soles, and crown facing heaven, recalling the mental cultivation formula for the first level of the Dragon Elephant Prajna Skill.
The Horizontal Training True Qi within his body began circulating along an entirely new and complicated route.
The process was like forcibly changing the course of a river that had flowed for more than ten years, guiding it into countless brand-new channels.
For ordinary martial artists, this first step alone would be enough to make their meridians stab with pain and send their true qi into chaos.
But Shen Che's meridians, tempered by both the Golden Bell Shield and the Iron Shirt, were unbelievably tough and broad.
Under the control of his powerful mind, that vast Horizontal Training True Qi moved like a strictly disciplined army, obeying every command without fail.
The transformation process that was supposed to be the most difficult went unbelievably smoothly for him.
It was like a college student going back to solve elementary school math problems.
Half a day later.
A faint hum arose from Shen Che's body.
The first strand of earth-yellow Horizontal Training True Qi had successfully transformed into a strand of Dragon Elephant Qi carrying a faint golden gleam.
The moment that strand of Dragon Elephant Qi emerged, it immediately began nourishing his fleshly body in return.
Shen Che could feel his tendons, bones, skin, and flesh trembling in fine, eager waves.
He did not stop and continued circulating the cultivation method.
With the experience of successfully transforming the first strand, the process that followed became increasingly smooth.
One day.
Two days.
Three days.
When the sun set on the third day, Shen Che suddenly opened his eyes.
Nearly one-tenth of the Horizontal Training True Qi within him had successfully transformed into Dragon Elephant Qi.
A new power surged forth from the depths of his limbs and bones.
The third level of the Dragon Elephant Prajna Skill was complete.
Shen Che stood and stretched his limbs.
Crack! Crack!
A string of explosions like stir-fried beans rang out endlessly from within his body.
He clenched his fist.
His original single-arm strength of forty thousand jin had now solidly increased by another three thousand jin.
Forty-three thousand jin!
And that was not all.
He could feel that as the Dragon Elephant Qi continued tempering him, the strength of his physical body was still steadily and resolutely increasing.
"This divine art has some real substance."
Shen Che grinned.
However, when he tried to charge toward the fourth level, things changed.
That earlier feeling of moving as smoothly as flowing clouds and running water disappeared.
The speed of true qi transformation became as slow as a turtle crawling.
If the first three levels had been like driving a sports car at full speed down the highway, then the fourth level was like driving that sports car into a swamp.
Every wisp of Dragon Elephant Qi he transformed required an enormous amount of true qi and mental effort to grind out.
At this rate, without a year or half a year, he could forget about breaking through.
Shen Che stood up.
He did not have that much time to waste.
"System."
He called out in his heart.
"Consume 300 points of Time Value to accelerate cultivation of the Dragon Elephant Prajna Skill."
[Time Value being consumed...] [Dragon Elephant Prajna Skill beginning enhancement...]
A scorching current even more terrifying than when he had opened his true meridians before exploded from the depths of his dantian.
If before had been a trickling stream, then now, it was a volcanic eruption!
The earth-yellow Horizontal Training True Qi within him was forcibly, brutally twisted, compressed, and purified under the power of time!
Its color changed from earth-yellow to crimson gold.
Its nature changed from heavy and solid to wild and violent.
Shen Che's skin turned crimson from this immense energy, while the veins across his body bulged one after another like coiling horned dragons.
His bones groaned, his muscles tore apart, then regenerated at an even faster rate, becoming denser and tougher!
In the unseen depths, it was as if the roars of dragons and elephants echoed by his ears, in his mind, and deep within his marrow.
[Dragon Elephant Prajna Skill has been enhanced to the fourth level.]
The system notification sounded like heavenly music.
Shen Che slowly exhaled a mouthful of scorching white vapor. It condensed without dispersing in the air, shooting several meters away like a sharp arrow.
He lowered his head and looked at his hands.
An explosive sense of power filled every corner of his body.
He felt that he could punch a cow to death with one fist.
No, an elephant.
[Dragon Elephant Prajna Skill]: Fourth Level (single-arm strength increased by ten thousand jin)
Shen Che looked at the number and nodded in satisfaction.
Those three hundred points of Time Value had not been wasted.
With a thought, crimson-gold Dragon Elephant Qi covered his right fist. Then, simply, he lightly touched it against his left fist, which was likewise covered in true qi.
No sound was made.
Yet a visible ring of golden ripples suddenly spread outward from the center of his fists!
Crack!
Crack!
The set of porcelain teacups on the table in the corner of the room shattered in response, breaking into countless pieces.
Shen Che watched the scene.
This was no longer merely physical strength.
This was the qualitative change produced by the union of the fleshly body and true qi.
It was vibration.
Now, every casual punch he threw came with AOE damage.
"There probably isn't anyone in the True Meridian Realm who can be my opponent now."
Shen Che rolled his neck, producing a chilling series of bones grinding together.
Compared with three days ago, he had grown stronger by far more than a single level.
After the satisfaction brought by his surging strength passed, he quickly calmed down.
The fourth level of the Dragon Elephant Prajna Skill was powerful.
Combined with the Golden Bell Shield and Iron Shirt, both at perfection, his defense had also reached an inconceivable level.
But it was still not enough.
His foundation was still the True Meridian Realm.
Of the twelve regular meridians, he had only opened two.
"Next, my goal is to continue opening the remaining ten true meridians."
Only when all twelve regular meridians were fully connected could true qi form a perfect Greater Celestial Circuit, endlessly renewing itself.
At that point, he could attempt to push his true qi into undergoing a second qualitative change, condensing qi into gang.
That would be the third realm of martial arts.
The Primordial Qi Realm.
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