Surging Foundations

Shen Che walked over to the courtyard wall, where several bluestone blocks left over from building the house were piled.

He threw another punch.

This time, the force of his fist was no longer restrained, but transformed into a condensed spear gleam, poised to strike at the slightest touch.

Vajra Zen Fist, Zen Spear!

A bluestone block half a man's height had a fist-sized hole blasted straight through its middle, sending shards of stone flying everywhere.

Its power was even greater than his Black Tiger Saber Technique at full strength.

Shen Che was very satisfied with the power of this fist technique.

He walked to the open space in the middle of the courtyard and assumed a stance.

Dragon Elephant True Qi surged through his meridians, and every bone in his body let out a series of fine crackling pops.

He punched into the empty air.

With this punch, he compressed all the force into the inch before his fist, then detonated it violently.

Vajra Zen Fist, Zen Thunder!

A muffled peal of thunder sounded in the air.

A visible shockwave spread outward from his fist in every direction.

The fallen leaves in the courtyard were swept up by the airwave, whirling through the air.

What a tyrannical fist technique.

Shen Che withdrew his fist and stood still, giving his trip to the second floor of the Scripture Pavilion full marks in his heart.

After finishing his practice, he returned to his room and sat down cross-legged.

Twenty-four jade bottles containing Meridian Opening Pills were lined up before him.

It was time to break through new meridians.

Without hesitation, he picked up eight jade bottles and swallowed all the pills inside in one gulp.

The vast medicinal power instantly dissolved in his abdomen like floodwaters bursting through a broken dike.

Shen Che immediately circulated the Dragon Elephant Prajna Skill, guiding the medicinal power as it washed against the barrier of the Lesser Yin Hand Heart Meridian.

At the same time, a thought crossed his mind.

"System, accelerate the nurturing."

[Nurturing the Lesser Yin Hand Heart Meridian is expected to consume 150 Time Value. Confirm?]

"Confirm."

Time Value was deducted.

A profound force descended, taming the violent medicinal power until it became utterly obedient. At an efficiency more than a hundred times greater than normal, it began nurturing his third true meridian.

A meridian that would originally have required months of grinding effort to open was steadily cleared under the combined onslaught of his system cheat and medicinal pills.

In less than the time it took an incense stick to burn.

Shen Che's body trembled.

A brand-new pale-white ribbon of true qi emerged from the surface of his body, gleaming alongside the previous two.

The third true meridian, the Lesser Yin Hand Heart Meridian, was opened!

An even more powerful force surged forth from every limb and bone in his body.

The strength of one arm soared by another ten thousand jin, reaching the terrifying level of sixty thousand jin.

Shen Che did not stop.

He picked up another eight Meridian Opening Pills and swallowed them.

"System, continue."

[Nurturing the Lesser Yin Hand Heart Protector Meridian is expected to consume 300 Time Value. Confirm?]

"Confirm."

Another incense stick's worth of time passed.

The fourth ribbon of true qi successfully emerged.

Strength in one arm: seventy thousand jin!

He looked at the final eight jade bottles before him and swallowed them all without the slightest pause.

"System!"

[Nurturing the Hand Triple Burner Meridian is expected to consume 600 Time Value. Confirm?]

"Confirm!"

When the fifth ribbon of true qi coiled up around the surface of his body, the Dragon Elephant True Qi within Shen Che seemed to reach a critical point.

The rushing true qi roared like surging rivers.

His physical strength underwent another leap.

Strength in one arm broke through the eighty-thousand-jin mark!

Shen Che slowly exhaled a breath of turbid air. The stream of breath shot forth like frost, leaving a long white trail in the air.

All twenty-four Meridian Opening Pills had been used up.

Only 300 Time Value remained.

The cost of cheating like this was truly a bit steep.

His remaining Time Value was not enough to support opening another meridian.

If you enjoyed this book, remember to add it to your bookshelf so you do not lose it next time.

Shen Che did not force the matter.

Over the following days, he completely withdrew from the world. He never stepped beyond his gate, remaining in his residence as he began a monotonous, bitter cultivation regimen.

If Time Value was insufficient, he would make up for it with time and sweat.

Half a month later.

He was meditating in the courtyard when a faint, almost imperceptible dragon's roar came from within his body.

Dragon Elephant Prajna Skill, fifth layer, achieved.

Another month passed.

Late one night, dragon roars and elephant trumpets erupted from within Shen Che's body, making even the windows of his room hum and vibrate.

Dragon Elephant Prajna Skill, sixth layer!

The middle three layers were complete!

Shen Che abruptly opened his eyes. He could feel that the strength of his body had risen to another level.

He stood and walked over to the bluestone block he had punched through in the courtyard, casually throwing a punch.

That bluestone block half a man's height, along with three or four surrounding blocks, exploded into dust that filled the sky.

Strength in one arm had officially broken through one hundred thousand jin!

"The seventh layer of the Dragon Elephant Prajna Skill is a watershed."

Shen Che knew very well that this cultivation method became more difficult the further he progressed. The seventh layer required Primordial Qi Realm cultivation as its foundation, and every layer thereafter could add another hundred thousand jin of immense strength.

There was no point even thinking about it in the short term.

He summoned the system panel, wanting to see his current attributes.

[Host: Shen Che]

[Realm: True Meridian Realm, fifth level]

[Cultivation methods: Dragon Elephant Prajna Skill (sixth layer), Vajra Zen Fist (sixth layer), Black Tiger Saber Technique (complete mastery), Golden Bell Shield (fourteenth layer), Iron Shirt (eleventh layer)...]

[Time Value: 300]

His movements stopped.

Behind the two techniques, Golden Bell Shield and Iron Shirt.

At some unknown point, a shining "+" had appeared.

Shen Che was first stunned, then immediately understood.

His foundation had changed.

With five true meridians opened and the Dragon Elephant Prajna Skill cultivated to the completion of the sixth layer, the foundation of his body was already worlds apart from what it had once been.

This powerful foundation had fulfilled the conditions for these two external techniques to break through their limits once again.

Yet the number in the corner of the panel was a cold reality.

[Time Value: 300]

Not enough. He was still far, far short.

The feeling was like someone drawing a fragrant, steaming flatbread before you, only to tell you that you could not afford it.

Pure torture.

He needed more Time Value.

He needed to hunt demons.

Knock, knock, knock.

A knock on the courtyard gate interrupted his thoughts.

The voice of a Demon Suppression Division guard came from outside.

"Lord Shen, a man outside claims to be your fellow townsman from Inkstone Town and wishes to see you."

Inkstone Town.

Shen Che paused for a moment.

That was his hometown.

He had not heard that place name in a long time.

"Have him wait for me in the reception hall."

He straightened his clothes and walked out of the courtyard.

In the reception hall, a man was rubbing his hands together and pacing back and forth.

The man was around forty years old, travel-worn and dusty. Anxiety was carved across his face, and his coarse clothes were covered in dirt.

"Uncle Liu?"

Shen Che recognized him.

Liu Ye abruptly turned around. The instant he saw Shen Che, his anxious face was immediately filled with a complicated mixture of joy and disbelief.

"Little Che... no, Lord Shen!"

Liu Ye was about to bow when Shen Che strode forward and caught him by the arm.

"Uncle Liu, what are you doing? Please, sit."

Shen Che remembered this man.

When he had been young, he had been obsessed with practicing martial arts, while his family had been poor. Liu Ye's wife would often bring him a bowl of rice with a few extra pieces of meat, muttering, "Martial arts wear down the body. Eat more."

He had never forgotten that kindness.

"Uncle Liu, you came all the way from Inkstone Town. Did something happen?"

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