Year one: You began cultivating the "Diamond Glazed Body." As Puzhao Temple's supreme art, the technique itself was an immeasurably profound Buddhist scripture, cryptic and difficult to understand.
You knew nothing about Buddhism, and both your insight and aptitude were merely ordinary. Faced with this Buddhist treasure that read like a heavenly text, you struggled desperately but could never find your way through it.
Year three: With no other options, you decided to seek outside help.
You spent several hundred years of your lifespan to awaken all your Soul Remnants, hoping to find an answer among them.
To your surprise, Huang Tianxing's remnant volunteered, claiming that he knew quite a bit about Buddhism.
It turned out that this elder of Dragon Martial Hall had once been a Buddhist disciple in his youth, spending several years beneath ancient Buddhas and a green lamp.
In the end, however, the temptations of the mortal world led him to break the prohibition against lust. He was expelled from the temple, and only then did he begin wandering the martial world and join Dragon Martial Hall.
Under Elder Huang's meticulous guidance, you began to grasp the true meaning of Buddhist teachings. The problems that had once troubled you gradually resolved themselves...
"Damn, that old lecher was actually a monk when he was young?"
Gu Cheng looked at the records on the panel, and the corner of his mouth twitched involuntarily.
All you could say was, Elder "Huang" really lived up to his name.
Had the strict Buddhist rules suppressed him for too long in his youth, making him indulge in brothels and music after leaving the temple, finally unleashing all those long-repressed desires?
Gu Cheng shook his head, casting these pointless guesses aside.
After all, no matter what, the old geezer had been a great help this time.
Year sixty-three: Elder Huang had once been a lecherous monk, but his understanding of Buddhism was quite profound.
Under his earnest instruction, your grasp of Buddhism advanced by leaps and bounds, and you became a theoretical master in all but name.
Year eighty-one: You had an epiphany and suddenly understood the mysteries of this Buddhist scripture. The passages that had once been cryptic and difficult now seemed crystal clear.
The true meaning of Buddhist teachings flowed through your heart, cleansing your soul. Your mind grew perfectly clear, and you became much calmer and more at peace.
Your "Diamond Glazed Body" broke through to the 'Beginner' realm.
Year eighty-two: Having seen the full scope of the technique, you eagerly wanted to continue cultivating, but at that moment, you encountered a tremendous obstacle.
The "Diamond Glazed Body" truly lived up to its reputation as a Buddhist masterpiece. Its requirements for cultivators were exceedingly strict.
It did not simply pursue physical strength. It placed greater importance on "cultivating the heart before the body." Only by holding a "compassionate heart" that sought to save all living beings could one comprehend its true meaning.
However, after years of slaying demons and vanquishing evil, your bloodlust had long since sunk into your bones. Though you knew a fair amount about Buddhist teachings, your understanding remained superficial, and your heart held not the slightest trace of compassion.
As a result, further cultivation of the "Diamond Glazed Body" was as difficult as climbing to the heavens, and your progress ground to a halt.
"Such a ridiculous requirement?"
Gu Cheng furrowed his brows, his feelings unusually complicated.
To be fair, compared with the other techniques and martial arts he had cultivated, the requirements of the "Diamond Glazed Body" could hardly be called harsh.
Setting aside a born lecher like Elder Huang.
The ordinary monks of Puzhao Temple only needed to devote themselves to cultivation. With time and perseverance, they would naturally meet this requirement.
But for a cheat like Gu Cheng, this requirement was asking far too much.
The lifespan required by his Life-Spending System came from killing and plundering. How could he not be bloodthirsty? How could he show true compassion?
Was he really supposed to shave his head and become a monk, chanting scriptures and meditating every day, living on vegetarian food and praying to Buddha?
"Tsk, am I really going to give up just like that?"
Gu Cheng's expression shifted between light and dark. He glanced at his lifespan, which had climbed into the five digits, and gritted his teeth:
"Fine. You can't catch a wolf cub without entering the tiger's lair. Keep spending!"
He had lifespan to spare. He refused to believe that throwing several thousand years at it wouldn't get him somewhere!
As his lifespan rapidly dwindled, the records on the system panel finally changed...
Year eight hundred and forty-eight: Compassion? What is compassion?
Using killing to end killing, using violence to quell violence—perhaps that was the only "compassion" in a chaotic age!
Combining your understanding of Buddhism with your experience reversing the "Blood Blade Scripture," you began to reassess this Buddhist divine art.
The inspiration and insights you had gained from devouring demon cores before only fueled your wild imaginings further. A bold idea gradually took shape...
Year one thousand three hundred and eighty-one: A single thought could make a Buddha; a single thought could make a demon!
Along your long road of cultivation, you wandered between life and death, struggling between good and evil.
At last, you broke through your shackles, understood your true nature, and forged a 'Path of the Asura' that belonged to you alone!
Your years of insight and accumulated experience became countless flashes of inspiration, colliding and weaving together in your mind.
You fully integrated the profound principles of the "Diamond Glazed Body" and the "Blood Blade Scripture," discarding the dross and retaining the essence. In the end, you created a Body Refinement technique that would astound the ages!
You learned the technique: "Undying Asura Body"
Innate (Rare) · Undying Asura Body: Proficient
Remaining lifespan: eight thousand five hundred and fifty-eight years
"..."
Boom—
An invisible surge of force awoke within Gu Cheng and erupted with a thunderous blast!
The bluestone beneath him crumbled to dust in an instant, but the airborne grit was blocked by that domineering force, never so much as touching the hem of his clothes.
Gu Cheng drifted down to the ground and slowly opened his eyes. His deep, dark gaze was cold and merciless, yet faintly tinged with divinity.
The power within him had become even more violent and savage, but his mind remained perfectly clear, his heart still as water, undisturbed by even the slightest ripple.
"So this is the... 'Undying Asura Body'?"
Gu Cheng murmured to himself, his voice carrying a hint of wonder.
Forged by combining the "Blood Blade Scripture" and the "Diamond Glazed Body," the "Undying Asura Body" naturally retained all the traits of both techniques.
With a thought, bloodlust surged from his body like a tide, swiftly coalescing in his palm into a four-foot-long Blood Saber.
The blade was long and imposing, its dark-red surface engraved with golden patterns. It radiated a murderous aura that made the heart tremble.
Yet amid that aura of slaughter, there was also a faint trace of divine solemnity. It made the vicious saber all the more extraordinary, like a divine weapon wielded by the Asura god to punish the world—a weapon that inspired fear at a glance.
Gu Cheng examined it for a moment, then swung the saber toward the distance.
Whoosh—
A crimson blade beam roared out like a blood-red dragon, tearing through the air in an instant and obliterating a vast swath of forest ahead. It left behind a deep trench that stretched for nearly a hundred meters!
"So powerful!"
Gu Cheng's eyes lit up. It truly was a path of the Asura that killed without delivering the fallen. The destructive power of this Asura Blood Saber was several times greater than before—at the very least!
He gazed at the Asura Blood Saber in his hand, unable to put it down, joy filling his heart.
"With a divine weapon like this, how could it not have a resounding name?"
Gu Cheng's gaze fell on the golden patterns along the blade, which seemed to depict all living beings crossing the river of death. A thought struck him, and he spoke slowly:
"In that case... I'll call you the 'Pagoda Slayer Saber'!"
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