But now, this palm technique had truly appeared before Tang Jie.
"This is indeed Buddha's Palm, but it only contains one form..."
Tang Jie's face showed both excitement and disappointment. The golden figure within the token had displayed an abstruse palm technique, but it only had a single form.
As far as Tang Jie knew, Buddha's Palm had nine forms in total, while the palm technique within this token only contained the first form—Buddha's Light First Appearance!
"One form it is, then. I'll master it first and worry about the rest later!"
Although disappointed, Tang Jie still decided to master this one form.
Buddha's Light First Appearance was the first form of Buddha's Palm. When initiated, it erupted with golden light that could blind an opponent. Its surging palm force could lift an enemy off the ground and make them lose their footing, after which a palm strike delivered in an instant would secure victory!
"Buddha's Light First Appearance!"
Tang Jie pressed his palms together. Between them, dazzling golden light exploded, piercing through the void and leaving one bottomless crater after another in the walls of the cultivation room, as though they had been blasted by bullets.
With Tang Jie's cultivation, once he activated this form of Buddha's Palm, the radiating Buddha light could destroy everything. It could be used for ranged attacks, or condensed in his palm to unleash a heaven-shaking blow!
The cultivation room was not large, and to avoid causing too much commotion, Tang Jie could only endure without releasing the attack.
Yet awe appeared on Tang Jie's face. "As expected of the legendary palm technique. Even though it only has the first form, its might is still boundless. Used properly, it can completely secure victory!"
Buddha's Palm was divided into nine forms. Tang Jie had only learned the first form, Buddha's Light First Appearance, but even so, this single form was enough to deal with the overwhelming majority of enemies. It could serve as a trump card to determine victory or defeat.
"And this token... it should be the Buddhist weapon Heart Light Edict, designed to go with the nine forms of Buddha's Palm!"
Tang Jie looked at the golden token in his palm and thought to himself.
Buddha's Palm also had corresponding Buddhist weapons. If one mastered the appropriate weapon, it could amplify the palm technique's might several times, even tenfold.
The Buddhist weapon corresponding to the first form of Buddha's Palm, Buddha's Light First Appearance, was Heart Light Edict.
Unsurprisingly, the golden token in Tang Jie's hand that contained a palm-technique inheritance was precisely one of those Buddhist weapons—the Heart Light Edict!
The Heart Light Edict had been left behind in Heavenly Corpse Hall and picked up by Tang Jie. As for why it had been left there, that was something Tang Jie could not know.
After spending two or three days, Tang Jie had become proficient in the single form of Buddha's Palm, but he felt that it was still far from enough.
"There isn't much time left—only three months. Whether it's my Golden Bell Shield, Dragon-Elephant Prajna Art, or Tendon Strengthening Classic, none of them can undergo a qualitative transformation within this period!"
Tang Jie began to ponder. He reviewed all the martial arts he had mastered and thought to himself.
Dragon-Elephant Prajna Art, Golden Bell Shield, and Tendon Strengthening Classic had all been cultivated by Tang Jie to extremely profound realms, but qualitative improvement in any of them could not be achieved in a short time.
"Then... only the Boyhood Art remains!"
Light flickered in Tang Jie's eyes. His most profound cultivation lay in the Boyhood Art he had practiced since childhood. By now, he had even cultivated the Golden Body Art, which surpassed the limits.
"The Boyhood Art can accumulate Pure Yang Qi. It can accumulate it automatically, or convert it through eating."
After Tang Jie's Boyhood Art had originally reached the Red Sun Art, he discovered that it could accumulate Pure Yang Boyhood Qi within his body to strengthen him.
The Pure Yang Qi he had originally accumulated was already nearing its limit. But after cultivating the Golden Body Art, Tang Jie's bodily capacity had expanded, increasing tenfold and allowing him to store much more Pure Yang Boyhood Qi!
At present, accumulating Pure Yang Qi through eating was impractical. First, digestion required quite a bit of time. Second, hunting demonic beasts also took time.
In the courtyard of Peerless City's city lord's residence, Tang Jie looked up at the rising sun, and his eyes lit up.
If one wanted the place with the most abundant Pure Yang Qi, it was naturally the sun!
The sun was the source of life. Without it, ninety percent of plants and animals would become extinct, and the world itself would be destroyed. If Tang Jie wanted to accumulate Pure Yang Qi quickly, he could begin with the sun!
"Fenghua, what's the highest place near Peerless City?"
Tang Jie immediately found Bai Fenghua and asked her.
"The highest place near Peerless City is the Sunset Mountain Range to the east. Its highest peak, Sunset Peak, is nearly four thousand meters tall!"
Although puzzled about why Tang Jie was asking, Bai Fenghua answered without hesitation.
The highest peak of the Sunset Mountain Range, Sunset Peak, rose four thousand meters into the air, as though the sun descended beneath it every day.
"Good. I'm going to Sunset Peak to cultivate in seclusion."
Tang Jie nodded at once, left Peerless City, and headed toward nearby Sunset Peak.
Bai Fenghua opened her mouth. She had originally wanted to go with him, but after hearing that Tang Jie intended to cultivate in seclusion, she stopped herself. She knew that Tang Jie had less than three months left before he had to battle Moro, the Martial Arts Great Grandmaster who had become famous a century ago. He needed to strengthen himself as much as possible. The only thing she could do was avoid disturbing Tang Jie and let him prepare for battle with all his heart.
At dusk, in the Sunset Mountain Range.
A group of martial artists was traveling through the Sunset Mountain Range.
The Sunset Mountain Range was extremely steep, with its main peak reaching four thousand meters. At the same time as it was rarely visited by people, it had also become a place where many martial artists challenged themselves: climbing the four-thousand-meter Sunset Peak with their bare hands, without relying on any tools!
"Climbing Sunset Peak is truly difficult. Why don't we... forget it? It'll be dark soon, and we've only reached around five hundred meters."
On a protruding rocky platform five hundred meters up Sunset Peak, three martial artists sat there, gasping heavily. One of them, a young man in his twenties, spoke fearfully.
After climbing five hundred meters with their bare hands, the three were already somewhat exhausted.
"Yeah, let's go down. Even if we climb Sunset Peak, getting back down will be a problem. It'll be even more difficult!"
Another young martial artist looked at the trees below, which had become tiny, and spoke with equal fear.
At a height of five hundred meters, looking downward was enough to fill anyone with dread. By the standard of three meters per story, five hundred meters was the height of one or two hundred floors. From above, the rocks and trees became minuscule, enough to make anyone with a fear of heights go weak in the hands and feet!
Moreover, even if they reached Sunset Peak, descending from the mountain would be no easier than climbing it. The slightest mistake would mean being smashed to pieces.
The two young martial artists were already thinking of retreating.
The oldest of the three looked to be in his fifties. He breathed lightly and, upon hearing this, let out a long sigh. "I climbed Sunset Peak ten years ago. If I can't make it up this time, I'm afraid I'll never have another chance."
The older martial artist was helpless. He was a first-rate martial artist who had climbed Sunset Peak ten years ago and watched the sun set from its summit.
But now he was already over fifty and no longer at his peak. He had brought two disciples to climb the mountain. If he failed to reach the top, he might never have another chance. Yet there was nothing he could do. His two disciples had already grown fearful, and in such a state, it was far too easy to make a mistake. If they did, they would fall into the valley and be smashed to pieces. They had no choice but to leave!
"Quick... look!"
At that moment, one of the young martial artists cried out. He stared at the foot of the mountain below as though he had seen a ghost.
The two older martial artists were also dumbstruck.
Beneath the steep mountainside, a black-clad young man was rapidly climbing upward. He was moving so fast that he stirred a howling wind, ascending crazily at a speed of more than thirty meters per second!
On the steep cliff, there was almost nowhere to stand—only ridges protruding by one or two centimeters. Yet the black-clad young man lightly tapped his toes against them, borrowing their force as effortlessly as if nothing were there and soaring upward!
Sss! Whenever there was no place to borrow force, the black-clad young man thrust his five fingers into the solid rock as easily as stabbing tofu. He exerted force with his arms and pulled his body upward.
"This... this..."
The young martial artist's eyes widened. Was this black-clad young man not afraid of falling? From several hundred meters up, a fall would be enough to smash a person's body to pieces.
What shocked them even more was the black-clad young man's climbing speed. He rose dozens of meters per second. Even on level ground, ordinary people could never run that fast. Yet this black-clad young man treated the nearly vertical cliff like level ground. It was utterly terrifying. Not even the most extraordinary light-body technique could achieve this, could it?
The black-clad young man soon passed above the rocky platform where the three stood. He glanced at them, did not pause, and continued climbing. Before long, his figure vanished into the clouds circling the mountain peak.
"Who... who is he? Could he be a martial artist too?" The youngest of the three spoke with a stammer. If he had not seen it with his own eyes, he would never have believed that a martial artist could move faster on this steep Sunset Peak than on level ground. It was as though he were ascending to heaven!
"As expected... I'm old..." The older martial artist looked at the black-clad young man who had vanished into the clouds above and let out a long sigh.
But his heart burned with fervor. So there are people this powerful among martial artists?
Martial artists could actually become this terrifying!
The black-clad young man was naturally Tang Jie, who had rushed all the way from Peerless City. He had dashed here from Peerless City and climbed Sunset Peak's several-thousand-meter height with his bare hands, treating it as a warm-up.
"I've reached the summit!"
Tang Jie had now arrived at the peak of Sunset Peak, and it had taken him less than a minute.
"The sunset... is beautiful."
Tang Jie sat atop the peak. The wind carried a trace of coolness. It was evening, and from far away, the red sun, no longer glaring, looked almost within reach. The sight was breathtaking.
The sun at dawn was full of vitality, the midday sun was at its fiercest, and the evening sun was exceptionally gentle.
As the sun sank, Tang Jie sat cross-legged and silently waited for it to rise again.
When morning came, Tang Jie opened his eyes. The sun rose once more at the horizon. Today's sun was scorching; even in the early morning, it was already casting down searing light!
"Let's begin!"
Tang Jie took a deep breath. He was about to absorb the sun's power, transform it into Pure Yang Qi, and store it within himself.
Whoosh!
The Golden Body Art activated, and golden light shimmered around Tang Jie, dyeing his entire body in a layer of gold.
Entering the state of the Boyhood Golden Body, Tang Jie absorbed the sunlight shining upon him. It entered his body and transformed into Pure Yang Qi.
"This efficiency... is too slow!" Tang Jie frowned. The efficiency was far too low, like charging a battery bit by bit. He had no idea how long it would take to fill himself.
"If that's the case, I can use the Tendon Strengthening Classic to absorb all the sunlight nearby."
Tang Jie pondered, and eventually came up with a solution. Having cultivated the Tendon Strengthening Classic to the Black Level Futu realm, he could mobilize the external forces of heaven and earth. This naturally included sunlight!
Tendon Strengthening Classic—Black Level Futu!
Tang Jie immediately circulated Black Level Futu. Black mist spread outward, and something strange occurred. At the summit of Sunset Peak, within a radius of more than a hundred meters, the sunlight pouring down seemed to be drawn by something and was gathered together in its entirety.
It was like a magnifying glass concentrating light, gathering the surrounding sunlight at a single point!
"The efficiency has increased hundreds of times!"
Joy appeared on Tang Jie's face. Black Level Futu gathered the sunlight atop the mountain, and it all poured into Tang Jie's body, where he absorbed it.
But soon, Tang Jie's brows furrowed tightly. "This heat is so scorching... I feel as though I'm being roasted in flames. It's fine for a short while, but if it goes on too long, I won't be able to endure it."
What troubled Tang Jie was that he himself was like someone seated beneath a magnifying glass. The gathered sunlight had actually formed crimson flames that wrapped around him and could roast a person alive!
"Then I'll try filtering it with Golden Bell Shield!"
Tang Jie's heart stirred. He decided to filter the gathered sunlight with Golden Bell Shield, absorbing only the Pure Yang power within it. This would make it purer and save him the time needed to refine and transform it.
Buzz, buzz, buzz!
Golden Bell Gang Qi circulated, and a huge golden bell appeared over Tang Jie's body, blocking the scorching Solar Flame.
Golden Bell Shield trembled, isolating the scorching Solar Flame. Like a filter, it left behind only the purest Pure Yang Qi, which poured into Tang Jie's body.
"Awesome!"
Tang Jie praised it aloud. Pure Yang Qi was rapidly accumulating within his body, and Tang Jie could feel himself growing stronger with every passing moment!
"And... my Golden Bell Shield Gang Qi is transforming at incredible speed? Is it because it has received the tempering of the Solar Flame condensed from the sun's light?"
What shook Tang Jie even more was that his Golden Bell Shield cultivation was rising at a speed visible to the naked eye!
True gold did not fear being tested by fire. Tendon Strengthening Classic mobilized the external forces of heaven and earth, drawing all the sunlight atop Sunset Peak over and forming that scorching, visibly blazing Solar Flame, powerful enough to melt gold and iron.
Yet under the Solar Flame's tempering, Tang Jie's Golden Bell Shield was like a piece of impure iron. Its impurities were burned away, leaving behind refined steel!
"Could this short period really be enough for my Golden Bell Shield to break through to the eleventh stage? As expected, the four great divine arts complement one another!"
Tang Jie was thrilled to the extreme. He had never expected such an unexpected delight.
Tang Jie closed his eyes and began cultivating with all his strength.
The Tendon Strengthening Classic mobilized the external forces of heaven and earth, gathering all the sunlight atop Sunset Peak to form Solar Flame. Golden Bell Shield then filtered it, leaving behind only the purest Pure Yang Qi to enter Tang Jie's body.
Under these conditions, Pure Yang Qi accumulated rapidly within Tang Jie's body, while his Golden Bell Shield cultivation also advanced by leaps and bounds. The vital essence consumed within him replenished itself endlessly and automatically, making it seem almost like a perpetual-motion machine!
Time passed. Tang Jie cultivated in seclusion atop Sunset Peak, giving his all to cultivation. During the day, he absorbed the sun's power, refined it, accumulated Pure Yang Qi, and cultivated Golden Bell Shield at the same time.
When night came and the sun set, Tang Jie practiced saber techniques, movement techniques, and the other martial skills he had mastered. With his Potential Points now as high as 200, the realms of all his martial skills surged forward!
"Quick... look! What is that atop the mountain?"
More than two months later, outside the Sunset Mountain Range, some passersby went by Sunset Peak. One after another, they stared blankly at the distant mountaintop.
It was already dusk, yet scorching golden light shone from the summit of Sunset Peak, making it resemble a golden sun and illuminating the entire peak. Its radiance even seemed to overpower the sun that was gradually sinking!
The passersby looked at one another. Although they were curious about what was happening atop Sunset Peak, they had no ability to climb the several-thousand-meter mountain and investigate.
At that moment, an astonishing transformation was taking place within Tang Jie's body.
After more than two months, the Pure Yang Qi within Tang Jie's body had already accumulated to its limit!
Not only that, under the tempering of the Solar Flame and after more than two months of bitter cultivation, Tang Jie's Golden Bell Shield had finally advanced another step and broken into the realm of the eleventh stage!
Buzz, buzz, buzz!
Golden light blossomed from Tang Jie's body. A huge golden bell formed. Unlike the resplendent gold of before, the light of his Golden Bell Shield was now more subdued and restrained, presenting a dark-gold color.
It was filled with an ancient, rustic aura. Mysterious patterns had also condensed across the Golden Bell Shield, giving it the feeling of having endured the passage of ancient ages while remaining eternally indestructible!
Eleventh-stage Golden Bell Shield!
The cultivation difficulty of Golden Bell Shield was extremely high. Throughout the history of its practice, only a handful of people had cultivated it to the eleventh stage, while the only person to cultivate it to the perfected twelfth stage had been Bodhidharma. This showed just how difficult it was!
Golden Bell Shield had already reached the tenth stage when Tang Jie was at Great Qingshan Temple. After several years, it had finally broken through once more and entered the eleventh-stage realm.
"What... is going on?"
Another astonishing event occurred, leaving Tang Jie stunned. After Golden Bell Shield reached the eleventh stage, the Golden Bell Gang Qi within his body grew several times stronger. Although it had yet to transform into gang force, it now stirred the Pure Yang Qi that had accumulated within him to the utmost limit!
Crack, crack, crack!
Wrapped in a thick mass of Golden Bell Shield Gang Qi, the Pure Yang Qi slowly began condensing into a dazzling golden pellet!
"What is this... what is this? Could it be a golden core?"
Tang Jie sensed the changes within his body. His eyes widened, and he was shaken to the extreme.
Once Tang Jie's Golden Bell Shield reached the eleventh stage and the Pure Yang Qi from his Golden Body Art accumulated to its limit, this unknown transformation had actually occurred. Within his body, Golden Bell Gang Qi wrapped around the Pure Yang Qi and slowly condensed it into a core—a golden core!
But weren't golden cores something only cultivators could possess?
Golden core! This was the realm every cultivator dreamed of attaining!
Once a cultivator reached the Golden Core Realm and condensed a golden core within their body, their vital essence would no longer leak away. Their body would be nourished by its power, granting them a lifespan of five hundred years! They could even fly through the sky and burrow through the earth, casting all kinds of arts and divine abilities with ease!
Every Golden Core Realm cultivator was a renowned practitioner in the cultivation world. Even some great cultivation sects had only one or two Golden Core Realm cultivators guarding them. Throughout the entire Great Xia Dynasty, such powerhouses were exceedingly rare. Many were sect masters, holding lofty status and great authority as they stood at the very summit!
Yet now, Tang Jie, a martial artist, had actually condensed a golden core just like those Golden Core cultivators?
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