Vajra Zen Fist

Watching the two women's figures recede into the distance, Tu Rong's teasing voice drifted over on the wind.

"Oh? Has our little junior sister fallen for someone?"

Xue Xi did not deny it, merely laughing and cursing at her.

Shen Che did not linger. After changing horses in the county town, he set off on the road back to Cangyun City.

Several days later, at the Cangyun City Demon Suppression Division.

Shen Che went straight to the room where Yan Xiu handled official business.

He placed three Demon Suppressing Tokens stained with traces of blood on Yan Xiu's desk.

"Lord Yan, the Huafeng County mission has been completed."

Yan Xiu set down the case files in his hand and picked up the three tokens.

His fingers brushed over their cold surfaces, and he sighed.

"What a pity. All three were capable hands in the Division."

He looked up at Shen Che.

"Tell me what happened."

Shen Che kept it brief, recounting everything that had happened in Black Mountain Village, including the fact that Heavenly Snow Mountain disciple Mo Feng had been a demonic beast spy, without leaving out a single detail.

When he heard that Shen Che, with only the cultivation of the second level of the True Meridian Realm, had slain Mo Feng head-on after he revealed his true form—a Commander-level Demonic Beast with strength comparable to the Primordial Qi Realm—Yan Xiu's fingers abruptly froze.

He stared at Shen Che as though he were looking at a monster.

"A True Meridian Realm cultivator slaying a Primordial Qi Realm one..."

Yan Xiu muttered to himself.

"In the entire Great Jing Dynasty, only those few little freaks in the top ten of the Hidden Dragon Ranking could achieve such a feat."

"You brat, you've hidden yourself well enough."

A trace of amazement surfaced on Yan Xiu's face.

"Alright, I'll settle your Contribution Points."

He picked up an abacus, his fingers flicking over it.

"Four True Meridian Realm demonic beasts, one hundred points each, for a total of four hundred."

"One Commander-level Demonic Beast of the Primordial Qi Realm, one thousand points."

"The base mission reward, one thousand points."

"Total: two thousand four hundred Contribution Points!"

Even Yan Xiu clicked his tongue when he announced the number.

A newly promoted official Demon Queller Envoy earning two thousand four hundred points in a single mission was unprecedented even in the history of the Cangyun City Demon Suppression Division.

"Also," Yan Xiu said as he took a wooden token from a drawer and pushed it toward Shen Che, "you completed this mission exceptionally well. Not only did you uncover the cause of death of the three colleagues, you also rooted out a demonic beast spy who had been lurking for years."

"The Division has decided to grant you an additional permit to enter the second floor of the Scripture Pavilion, where you may select one martial arts manual."

The second floor of the Scripture Pavilion.

Shen Che's breathing shifted slightly.

He knew that the things there were on an entirely different level from those on the first floor.

"Thank you, Lord Yan."

Shen Che put away the wooden token and gave a respectful bow.

Without wasting time, he took his identity token and Contribution Point record and headed straight for the Treasure Pavilion.

"I want to exchange for twenty-four Meridian Opening Pills."

The deacon in charge of exchanges saw the enormous two thousand four hundred Contribution Points on Shen Che's token, and his hands trembled.

"A-All of them?"

"All of them."

The deacon asked no further questions. He swiftly fetched twenty-four jade bottles and handed them to Shen Che.

Carrying pills that would make countless True Meridian Realm martial artists green with envy, Shen Che turned and walked toward the Scripture Pavilion deep within the Demon Suppression Division.

Using the wooden token Yan Xiu had given him along with his identity token, he passed through the first-floor checkpoint without issue and climbed the stairs leading to the second floor.

It was entirely unlike the first floor, where shelves stood in dense rows and cultivation manuals could be found everywhere.

The second floor was much smaller, with only a dozen or so separate bookshelves. Each shelf held merely a few lonely manuals.

The manuals here were clearly far more precious than those on the first floor.

Shen Che slowly walked past the rows of shelves.

Seven Wounds Fist, Heart-Crushing Palm, Cloud Ladder Leap...

These peerless arts, which would be enough to stir up storms of blood and wind in the martial world, lay quietly displayed here.

Shen Che's objective was clear.

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He already possessed the Dragon Elephant Prajna Skill, a top-tier internal cultivation art, so he had no need to replace it for the time being.

What he lacked was a hand-to-hand martial art that could perfectly bring out his formidable physique and vast True Qi.

At last, his steps stopped before a bookshelf.

There was only one thin booklet on it.

Vajra Zen Fist.

The booklet's introduction was simple: said to have been created by an ancient Vajra Arhat, its fist techniques were tyrannical and fierce, possessing the might to subdue demons and suppress tigers.

It was divided into six levels and contained three killing moves: Zen Arrow, Zen Spear, and Zen Thunder.

Cultivating this fist art required an exceptionally profound foundation of internal power. Otherwise, one would wound oneself before wounding others.

This is it.

This fist art was practically tailor-made for his Dragon Elephant True Qi and powerful physique.

Shen Che memorized the contents of the fist art, returned the booklet to its original place, then turned and left the Scripture Pavilion.

Back in his own residence.

He shut the door, sat cross-legged, and went through the methods of the Vajra Zen Fist in his mind.

[Detected modifiable martial art Vajra Zen Fist. Consume Time Value to cultivate it?]

"Cultivate."

"The sixth level."

[Upgrading Vajra Zen Fist to the sixth level will consume an estimated 150 Time Value. Confirm?]

"Confirm."

The instant the Time Value was deducted.

A vast torrent of information flooded into Shen Che's mind.

Countless little golden figures demonstrated the Vajra Zen Fist again and again within his consciousness.

From the first level's beginner stage, to the second level's proficiency, then to mastery of the later levels...

The piercing force of Zen Arrow, the ferocity of Zen Spear, the explosive power of Zen Thunder.

Every move, every essential principle, every technique for exerting force was completely mastered by him in the span of a single breath.

Shen Che slowly opened his eyes and raised his right hand, clenching his five fingers into a fist.

An unprecedented sensation of power filled his fist.

He could feel that his understanding of fist techniques had already surpassed mere moves.

A tyrannical, fierce "intent" that shattered all falsehoods gathered upon his fist.

The embryonic form of Fist Intent.

Whether it was this fist art or the Black Tiger Saber Technique, which had long since reached perfection, both had condensed a trace of embryonic "intent."

The saber bore the intent of Tiger Fiend; the fist bore the might of Vajra.

Yet he always felt as though a layer of window paper he could not pierce separated him from the next step.

He could not advance further and transform it into true "Fist Intent" or "Saber Intent."

He tried to stir his mind and strike against that invisible barrier.

The result was that it did not budge in the slightest.

"Is my comprehension insufficient...?"

Shen Che opened his eyes and laughed at himself.

It seemed that he was not, after all, the kind of martial arts prodigy found once in ten thousand who could comprehend an unrivaled divine art just by watching a session of radio calisthenics.

The system could save him the time of bitter cultivation, but it could not directly improve his talent for comprehension.

Having understood this, he no longer dwelled on it.

One had to eat rice one bite at a time, and walk a road one step at a time.

He walked to the corner of the courtyard, where a jujube tree as thick as a bowl stood.

Standing five steps away, he planted his feet and took a deep breath.

His right fist slowly drove forward.

There was no fist wind, no sound.

An invisible force compressed into a single point burst from his fist.

Vajra Zen Fist, Zen Arrow!

A soft sound rang out.

Five steps away, a finger-sized hole had appeared through the trunk of the jujube tree, smooth as a mirror at both ends.