The World's Number One Defensive Divine Art!

Du Jue was dizzied by the flash, but his fist didn't falter in the slightest, striking Tang Jie's chest heavily!

"Bang!"

A dull thud echoed. Tang Jie's feet were planted firmly on the ground, not taking a single step back. His eyes burned as if two brilliant little suns were ignited within them, and the wall of gang qi condensed on his body suddenly exploded outwards.

"Boom!"

Du Jue felt as if his punch had landed on a tough piece of hide. Half a foot into the impact, his strength was completely neutralized. Then, a scorching force erupted, forcing Du Jue to retreat uncontrollably.

After regaining his footing, Du Jue looked at his fist. The skin on his knuckles was slightly cracked, already burned by Tang Jie's gang qi!

Du Jue looked at Tang Jie in horror. "This is... the Red Sun Art realm of the Boyhood Art?"

The old monks of Qingshan Temple had adopted Du Jue and Tang Tianhao, each teaching them the Golden Bell Shield and the Boyhood Art respectively. Although Du Jue hadn't practiced the Boyhood Art, he understood it. He knew that the highest realm of the Boyhood Art was the Red Sun Art, where one's qi felt like a scorching red sun when circulating.

This made Du Jue look at Tang Jie with shock and disbelief. Tang Jie, who appeared to be no older than twenty, had mastered the Boyhood Art to its highest realm. How had he accomplished this?

"I concede!"

Tang Jie spoke. Du Jue was powerful, but he was no match for Tang Jie, who had cultivated the Red Sun Art.

"Well done!" Tang Tianhao couldn't help but show a genuine smile. Although he couldn't defeat Du Jue, he felt incredibly proud and happy that Tang Jie could defeat his senior brother, whom he had never beaten before.

"To possess such cultivation at such a young age, comparable to our master, I truly lost." Du Jue didn't press the matter further and readily admitted he was no match for Tang Jie.

Du Jue also marveled at the depth of Tang Jie's internal energy cultivation, noting that only their master had reached this level in his lifetime.

"You're not much, but you've raised a good son." Du Jue glanced at Tang Tianhao. "Now, let's go to the back mountain together to pay respects to our master."

"Okay! Let's go together!"

Tang Tianhao immediately agreed, feeling relieved that Du Jue's anger towards him had subsided.

That morning, Tang Tianhao and Du Jue went to the back mountain to pay respects to their master. Tang Jie accompanied them and saw the inscription "Tomb of Master Zhiqing of Qingshan Temple" on a tombstone in the back mountain.

This Master Zhiqing was the master of Tang Tianhao and Du Jue, a Buddhist master with profound cultivation who lived a life of peace, detached from worldly affairs.

"Uncle-Master Du Jue, I have a presumptuous request." After paying their respects to Master Zhiqing, Tang Jie looked at Du Jue and spoke.

"Speak, I will fulfill it if I can." Du Jue's attitude towards Tang Jie had changed completely, thanks to the strength Tang Jie had just displayed.

Tang Jie took a deep breath and said, "Uncle-Master Du Jue, I wish to learn your Golden Bell Shield!"

Tang Jie's words made Du Jue pause. "Learn my Golden Bell Shield?"

Tang Tianhao, standing nearby, couldn't help but interject, "Jie'er, having more martial arts isn't always better; quality over quantity. Your Boyhood Art is already powerful enough. The Golden Bell Shield is even more difficult to cultivate than the Boyhood Art. If you learn the Golden Bell Shield, it will only scatter your focus."

Tang Tianhao's words were reasonable. One martial art was enough for a martial artist to study for a lifetime. Human energy and time were limited. It was better to perfect one martial art than to dabble in many, lest one achieve nothing in either.

However, Tang Jie had his own thoughts. Firstly, his Boyhood Art had reached its highest realm, and he didn't expect significant breakthroughs or an increase in Potential Points in the short term. Secondly, Tang Jie had witnessed Daoist Qingsong's flying sword technique previously, and its speed made it difficult for him to dodge.

As for confronting it head-on, Tang Jie's Boyhood Art wasn't focused on defense. Even if his gang qi could make his body comparable to refined iron, it wouldn't be enough to defend against the flying sword of a powerful expert like Daoist Qingsong!

Remember that the strongest aspect of the two Corpse Puppets was their indestructible bodies, yet Daoist Qingsong's flying sword had decapitated them as easily as harvesting leeks. Even with his gang qi protecting him, Tang Jie wouldn't be more resilient than the Corpse Puppets!

It could be said that when facing an immortal cultivator of Daoist Qingsong's caliber, if they maintained distance, the outcome would be a foregone conclusion.

Today, after witnessing Du Jue's Golden Bell Shield, Tang Jie had an idea. To attack, one must also learn to defend. Learning the Golden Bell Shield would greatly enhance his defensive capabilities. If his body could withstand the magic treasures of immortal cultivators, his chances of victory against them would increase significantly.

During his spar with Du Jue, Tang Jie hadn't used his full strength, but even with seventy to eighty percent of his power, his punch hadn't caused substantial damage to Du Jue. This showed the great potential of the Golden Bell Shield, and it might even be able to withstand the attacks of magic treasures when cultivated to its peak!

"If you want to learn, I can teach you. However, cultivating the Golden Bell Shield is not simple; it's time-consuming and energy-draining. Reaching an advanced realm is by no means easy." Du Jue nodded after some thought.

Tang Jie was Tang Tianhao's son, so teaching him the Golden Bell Shield was not an issue. It was just that the cultivation of the Golden Bell Shield was even more difficult than the Boyhood Art, and it required excellent bone structure and aptitude.

It was precisely for this reason that the less fortunate Tang Tianhao practiced the Boyhood Art, while the exceptionally gifted Du Jue practiced the Golden Bell Shield.

"Yes, I understand." Tang Jie nodded, seeing that Du Jue was willing to teach him the Golden Bell Shield.

Tang Tianhao shook his head helplessly from the side, saying nothing more. He knew that Tang Jie's cultivation far surpassed his own, and he must have his own considerations.

Tang Jie and Tang Tianhao stayed at Dashing Mountain Temple, and Tang Jie began learning the Golden Bell Shield from Du Jue.

"The Golden Bell Shield is one of the divine martial arts of Buddhism. Like the Boyhood Art, it was created by Patriarch Bodhidharma. In his youth, Patriarch Bodhidharma observed the celestial phenomena at night and created the Boyhood Art based on the laws of stellar movement. It was only in his middle age that he created the Golden Bell Shield. Therefore, in a sense, the depth of the Golden Bell Shield surpasses that of the Boyhood Art."

In the courtyard, Du Jue explained the origin of the Golden Bell Shield to Tang Jie.

Patriarch Bodhidharma was a renowned Martial Arts Grandmaster, possessing vast knowledge and being a martial arts prodigy rarely seen in a millennium. He created numerous superior martial arts that have been passed down, including the Golden Bell Shield, Boyhood Art, Marrow Cleansing Scripture, and Tendon Strengthening Classic, collectively known as the Four Divine Arts of Bodhidharma.

"The Golden Bell Shield is a martial art that cultivates both internal and external aspects, divided into twelve stages. The difficulty of cultivation doubles with each stage. Upon reaching the tenth stage, one can refine qi into gang and achieve the status of a Martial Arts Grandmaster. If all twelve stages are mastered, one will be invincible, and no martial artist in the world will be able to harm them in the slightest!"

Du Jue introduced the Golden Bell Shield with a hint of pride, clearly proud of the martial art he practiced.

Tang Jie nodded repeatedly. The upper limit of the Golden Bell Shield did seem to be slightly higher than that of the Boyhood Art.

The Boyhood Art, upon reaching the fifth level, the Red Sun Art, allowed one to refine qi into gang and become a Martial Arts Grandmaster. However, the Golden Bell Shield had twelve stages, and reaching the tenth stage was sufficient to achieve the status of a Martial Arts Grandmaster. The final two stages might even surpass the ultimate potential of the Boyhood Art!

Du Jue himself, with his exceptional talent, was considered a genius among martial artists, yet he had spent fifty years to cultivate the Golden Bell Shield to the ninth stage, still a distance away from entering the tenth stage.

As for mastering all twelve stages of the Golden Bell Shield, it was almost equivalent to being invincible among martial artists. His internal energy cultivation would return to its natural state, with no weak points in his body. Any attack would be difficult to inflict damage, making it the paramount defensive divine art in the world!

A new day, happy Saturday. The poor author is still typing all day, seeking recommendation votes (╥╯^╰╥).