That night was long.
Shen Bai returned to the pawnshop carrying his longsword and slammed the door shut behind him.
The oil lamp in the room flickered with dim yellow light. Amid the shifting shadows, a line of smoke appeared before Shen Bai's eyes, gradually condensing into words.
Vajra Fist lv.2 (Fist Technique +2, Buddha Light +2): 1000/1000 Can transform; requires one wisp of Killing Intent
Just now, Shen Bai had obtained two wisps of Killing Intent, which happened to make up for what he currently lacked.
After considering it carefully, Shen Bai first used one wisp of Killing Intent to transform the Vajra Fist divine art.
A moment later, the smoke vanished, replaced by a brand-new line of text.
Vajra Demon-Subduing Fist lv.3 (Fist Technique +4, Buddha Light +4, Strength +4): 0/5000
As the words appeared, the figure of a Buddha glowing with golden light emerged in Shen Bai's mind.
This time, when the Buddha phantom began throwing punches again, the fist technique's aura changed once more.
Not only had the fist technique become more profound, but the Buddha Light had also grown immensely weighty.
More than that, Shen Bai sensed that every punch carried the crushing weight of a mountain.
It was as though, with every punch he threw, a gigantic Buddha statue pressed down a terrifying giant palm, bringing overwhelming oppression with it.
"Fists like Vajra, weighty as the Buddha Dharma."
When Shen Bai opened his eyes, he had already thoroughly grasped the Vajra Demon-Subduing Fist.
In addition to the increase in Fist Technique and Buddha Light, the new attribute of Strength had appeared.
Just as its name implied, each of Shen Bai's punches now carried terrifying force as immense as a mountain.
The Qi within him rose again, filling two-thirds of his dantian.
"I've improved quite a bit more toward the Daoist Canon Realm."
Shen Bai raised both fists and circulated the Qi within his body.
Golden Buddha Light carried the intent to deliver all living beings from suffering, yet when Shen Bai swung his fists, it also possessed the presence of a Wrathful Vajra.
At the same time, after every punch, he had the illusion that mountains were collapsing and seas were roaring before him.
A moment later, Shen Bai withdrew his hands.
Vajra Demon-Subduing Fist +1
"Now isn't the time to practice."
As Shen Bai thought this, his gaze settled upon the smoke before him.
With a thought from him, the last wisp of Killing Intent disappeared, spent on the emerald jade pendant.
Appraisal successful. Divine art obtained: Lustrous Jade Body Lustrous Jade Body lv.1 (Hardness +1): 0/100
The smoke appeared, then slowly dissipated, transforming into information that flowed into Shen Bai's mind.
A phantom dressed in white robes appeared in Shen Bai's mind.
A jade pendant hung from the phantom's waist, swaying in the wind.
The next moment, the pendant glowed emerald green, wrapping the white-robed phantom from head to toe.
Within the emerald radiance, several weapons abruptly appeared before the white-robed phantom and struck its body.
The next moment, the weapons shattered inch by inch, while the white-robed phantom stood firm as a towering mountain.
"My heart is like jade, indestructible."
Shen Bai opened his eyes. As the Qi within him circulated, emerald-green light covered his entire body.
"This is actually a defensive divine art."
Shen Bai was slightly excited.
He now had offensive means, but his defense and speed lagged far behind.
Now that he had obtained a defensive divine art, Shen Bai felt that he had made up for a massive weakness.
"The night is still long. Time to grind."
After thinking briefly, Shen Bai decided to start grinding the Lustrous Jade Body divine art first.
Blood Sword Dance and Vajra Demon-Subduing Fist required five thousand proficiency points. Shen Bai was still far from that, so the Lustrous Jade Body was more convenient.
Emerald-green light covered Shen Bai's entire body. Once he activated the Lustrous Jade Body, its proficiency gradually began to rise.
The night quickly passed.
When the next day arrived, Shen Bai stood in the backyard and let out a long breath.
A line of smoke appeared before him, eventually condensing into words.
Lustrous Jade Body lv.2 (Hardness +2, Toughness +2): 1000/1000 Can transform; requires one wisp of Killing Intent
In one night, Shen Bai had ground the Lustrous Jade Body to the peak of level two.
Now, it was stuck at another bottleneck and required a wisp of Killing Intent to break through.
Shen Bai closed his eyes slightly, and the white-robed phantom in his mind appeared once more.
This time, the emerald-green light had become even more blazing. Beyond that, it was no longer as hard as stone; it had gained toughness instead, like dough that had risen.
"Soft or hard at will, shifting as my heart desires."
Shen Bai withdrew the emerald-green light from his body.
Hardness alone would instead make it brittle. Now that it had toughness, the Lustrous Jade Body had made up for its shortcomings.
"I'm completely drained."
Shen Bai rubbed his dantian.
Although grinding the Lustrous Jade Body did not require him to deliberately stir his Qi and blood, it still consumed them in the end.
Shen Bai drank another dose of Qi-Blood Medicine. Only after his Qi and blood had steadied somewhat did he head out for a meal before returning to the pawnshop.
The Qi within him had increased once again. Shen Bai had a feeling that perhaps once he transformed the Lustrous Jade Body to level three, he would be able to break through the Daoist Canon Realm and reach the so-called Three Treasures Realm.
Zhang Chaofeng arrived especially early today, bringing breakfast with him when he entered.
"Morning, boss." Zhang Chaofeng greeted him.
Shen Bai sat in his chair, preparing to head to the backyard again.
Over the past two days, Cheng Shuang had not come looking for him. She was probably waiting for the so-called Five Hearts Dharma Assembly.
Since that was the case, Shen Bai planned to enter the backyard and continue grinding Blood Sword Dance.
But before Shen Bai could enter the backyard, Zhang Chaofeng's love of gossip flared up again.
"Boss, there'll be quite a show to watch soon."
Shen Bai had already been about to leave, but upon hearing that, he instinctively asked a question.
"What show?"
Zhang Chaofeng leaned closer with a mysterious air. "Three days from now, the Five Hearts Dharma Assembly will begin. I heard that quite a few believers have recently been preparing to attend it."
Shen Bai raised an eyebrow and said without changing expression, "The yamen hasn't done anything? I heard that a father and daughter died not long ago. The dead father was a Five Hearts Sect believer."
Zhang Chaofeng nodded. "Boss, you're well-informed. The Five Hearts Sect claims someone killed their follower, and they're putting pressure on the yamen instead."
"You know how it is. Although the yamen is investigating the Five Hearts Sect, they have no leads. Then, with one of the sect's followers meeting with trouble, this move of theirs to turn the pressure back around has made things difficult for the yamen."
Shen Bai stroked his chin, inwardly cursing them for turning black into white.
That father and daughter had clearly fallen victim to the Five Hearts Sect, yet now the sect was turning around and accusing others. They truly meant to turn heaven and earth upside down.
"Enough. Keep your gossip within bounds."
Shen Bai said, "Watch the place for me. I'm heading to the backyard."
Zhang Chaofeng asked curiously, "Boss, don't tell me you've kept a Courtesan Queen in a pleasure house? Why have you been running to the backyard every day lately?"
"Get lost."
Shen Bai laughed as he scolded him, then turned to leave and return to the backyard to continue grinding Blood Sword Dance.
But just then, a woman in a yellow dress suddenly walked in from outside.
She had gentle features, yet there was a sense of resolve in her eyes.
Zhang Chaofeng froze slightly, assuming a customer had arrived, and prepared to step forward to greet her.
Unexpectedly, Shen Bai pointed toward the backyard and said, "Come with me."
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