Grinding Divine Abilities

The moment the longsword pierced him, screams echoed through the cavern.

Shen Bai's longsword gleamed with righteous power, and scorching Qi surged through it, channeled into the Five Hearts Sect Leader's forehead.

The Five Hearts Sect Leader shrieked continuously, "You'll die! You'll die horribly! I'm an important piece for the Upper Evil Gate in Ascending Cloud County. If I die, they'll definitely investigate. You won't escape!"

"Whether we escape or not, we'll worry about that later."

Shen Bai said calmly, "You just die first."

A plume of black smoke appeared in the cavern.

The headless Five Hearts Sect Leader twitched, then fell still.

Seeing this, Cheng Shuang felt a chill run through her entire body.

This man before her was not only incredibly powerful, but also decisive in his actions, killing without the slightest hesitation.

Even the geniuses Cheng Shuang had seen in Maple Forest Province couldn't compare to his mindset.

In Cheng Shuang's opinion, most of those geniuses had grown up within sectarian forces.

They had experienced too little adversity.

Only Shen Bai, who had emerged from a small county town, could be considered truly ruthless at times.

"I..."

Cheng Shuang opened her mouth, wanting to speak.

But before she could utter a word, Shen Bai looked at the headless corpse on the ground, a slight smile playing on his lips.

"It's not over yet."

With that, he swung his sword again, striking the headless corpse's left arm.

Terrifying Qi tore the left arm to shreds.

Just then, the remaining right arm and both legs suddenly detached from the torso and flew off in different directions.

"Your Five Hearts Sect, the Five Hearts Technique you practice is about separating heads and limbs. Did you really think feigning death would work?"

Shen Bai's left fist unleashed a dazzling golden light, swiftly pulverizing the remaining three body parts.

He then thrust his sword into the torso, and this time, the torso was completely obliterated by Shen Bai's longsword, turning into ash.

"Now it's finally dealt with."

Shen Bai yawned, then picked up his rusted longsword.

Just then, the longsword finally couldn't withstand the continuous battles and shattered into pieces on the ground.

"What a shame. It's been with me for so long, I'm actually a little reluctant to let it go."

Shen Bai said he was reluctant, but there wasn't a hint of genuine regret in his expression. He immediately turned and ran into the pile of coffin fragments, rummaging through them.

This scene utterly bewildered Cheng Shuang.

Where was his esteemed demeanor?

He was a powerful individual, yet now he was rummaging through a pile of coffin wood shavings. What was going on?

Cheng Shuang felt as though Shen Bai's esteemed demeanor had instantly crumbled in her mind.

However, a new perception quickly formed in Cheng Shuang's mind.

That's right, an esteemed person should take an unconventional path. If they were like us ordinary people, why would they be called esteemed? Cheng Shuang thought to herself.

At this moment, Shen Bai had found what he wanted in the pile of coffins.

[Ancient True Scripture]
[Identification Progress: 0%]
[A wisp of Malevolent Qi can quickly identify]

Shen Bai clutched the Ancient True Scripture to his chest as if he had found a treasure, then turned to look at Cheng Shuang beside him.

"It's done. What do you plan to do with the rest?"

Now, the Five Hearts Sect Leader had been apprehended.

The entire Five Hearts Sect was gone.

Shen Bai and Cheng Shuang's transaction had come to a complete end.

Cheng Shuang regained her composure and said, "I'll leave the rest to them. I'll contact the yamen, explain the situation, and then settle these common folk. Do you want to come with me?"

Shen Bai shook his head and said, "Don't tell the yamen about me. I don't want to get involved in any of that. Remember, it's always just a transaction between us."

With that, Shen Bai turned and walked out of the cavern.

The transaction was complete, and he had no more to say.

Under Cheng Shuang's hesitant gaze, Shen Bai quickly departed.

Cheng Shuang looked at the ruins all around, thought for a moment, then followed Shen Bai out of the cavern.

The county yamen.

Cheng Shuang entered alone.

Only after Shen Bai saw Cheng Shuang disappear did he return home.

Too much had happened tonight, making it a truly unforgettable experience for Shen Bai.

Especially the battle with the Stitched Monster; it left Shen Bai feeling incredibly exhilarated.

But now, he had to get down to business.

Tonight, I'll focus on Blood Sword Dance first, Shen Bai thought to himself.

Currently, both Blood Sword Dance and Vajra Demon-Subduing Fist were at Level 3.

However, Blood Sword Dance had already accumulated over 1400 proficiency points, putting it a step closer to Level 4.

Vajra Demon-Subduing Fist hadn't gained any points, and grinding it wasn't very cost-effective.

As for Jade Body, it was currently stuck at Level 2 and required Malevolent Qi to advance.

Shen Bai had no Malevolent Qi at the moment, so grinding it would be useless.

Most importantly, the Ancient True Scripture also needed Malevolent Qi for identification.

Shen Bai was still short two strands of Malevolent Qi, so he could only shift all his attention to Blood Sword Dance for now.

As for the broken longsword, it wasn't a big problem; he still had a few longswords in his Pawnshop.

The night passed quickly.

By the time day broke, Shen Bai had already grinded another 200 points for Blood Sword Dance, bringing it to 1600 points.

When Shen Bai felt the morning light, he drank another bowl of Qi-Blood Medicine.

The consumption of my qi and blood is increasing, and it seems I don't have much Qi-Blood Medicine left, Shen Bai thought to himself.

The further he progressed, the more his qi and blood were depleted. Coupled with the fact that Blood Sword Dance itself required qi and blood vibrations, it seemed he was facing a shortage again.

But it's fine, I can barely manage.

With this thought, Shen Bai opened his door. After stepping out for breakfast, he returned to the shop to wait for Zhang Chaofeng.

After waiting for about an hour, Zhang Chaofeng arrived at the Pawnshop.

Zhou Qing was with him.

"Old Zhou, why aren't you busy at the yamen today? What brings you here so suddenly?" Shen Bai asked with a smile, brewing a pot of tea for Zhou Qing.

Zhou Qing and Shen Bai already had a good relationship, so there was no awkwardness between them. After drinking the tea, Zhou Qing spoke.

"Old Shen, the Five Hearts Sect matter has been resolved. You can go out and wander around at night now without any danger."

As Shen Bai's good friend, Zhou Qing naturally informed him immediately once the matter was resolved.

Shen Bai, of course, knew the reason behind it, as he had personally participated. But he still put on an act and asked for the details.

Zhou Qing didn't answer, but Zhang Chaofeng spoke first.

"I heard a master and a new disciple from the Five Immortals Sect teamed up to wipe out the Five Hearts Sect's den. That's truly incredible!"

"But it seems the master didn't want to show his face. This matter was kept under wraps by that Five Immortals Sect disciple."

Shen Bai didn't need to ask to know that Zhang Chaofeng must have inquired about this from Zhou Qing beforehand.

Shen Bai nodded and said, "That's truly great news for Ascending Cloud County."

Zhou Qing excitedly clenched his fist: "I wonder who this master is. If I get the chance, I must definitely pay him a visit. After all, he has rid Ascending Cloud County of a great menace."

Shen Bai took a sip of tea expressionlessly, thinking to himself that the master was right beside him, but he didn't say it aloud. He refilled Zhou Qing's cup.

Zhou Qing drank it down like a thirsty ox again. As if remembering something, he slapped his thigh and said, "Oh right, Old Shen, if anyone comes to your shop recently asking about the public order in Ascending Cloud County, just tell them it's excellent."