Golden light flowed quietly as he comprehended the changes within it.
"Ding, you have practiced the Immovable Diamond Body once. Proficiency +1. You have reached the Third Layer of Qi Refining."
Yun Shu did not stop.
He continued circulating the Body Cultivation Method.
The Body Cultivation Method and the Immortal Dao Cultivation Method complemented one another. They influenced each other, yet belonged to two separate systems.
Few cultivators practiced Body Cultivation as well, because progress was slow; even after ten or a hundred years, they might not accomplish anything.
But for Yun Shu, the two paths seemed to bring out the best in each other.
The Immovable Diamond Art tempered the muscles, bones, skin, blood, meridians, and other parts of the body.
It could refine the body until it was like wrought iron. The one thing it had in common with the other method was that both required the Spiritual Energy of heaven and earth.
Now, it had even helped advance his Qi Refining cultivation.
That was an unexpected bonus.
After all, he hadn't specifically set out to practice Spell Techniques.
"Ding, you have practiced the Immovable Diamond Body once. Proficiency +1. Current proficiency: 100. Your Immovable Diamond Body has reached Great Accomplishment."
Only then did Yun Shu slowly open his eyes.
Three days had passed since he began.
The Immovable Diamond Body reaching Great Accomplishment meant that, at the Qi Refining Stage, he could practically throw his weight around wherever he went!
That aside, the strength of his physical body had undoubtedly reached an unimaginable level.
The Body Cultivation Method was not an Immortal Dao Cultivation Method. Reaching Great Accomplishment made it comparable to Peak Stage Qi Condensation—there was no doubt about it.
Of course, there were side effects. His body's cultivation had advanced too quickly, and Yun Shu had nearly been unable to stand.
Though perhaps his legs had simply gone numb from sitting too long.
Even now, he couldn't fathom how his teacher had endured sitting there through countless years of tedium, doing nothing but tempering his body and refining his blood and qi. His teacher's strength, insight, and perseverance were beyond anything Yun Shu could imagine.
His foundations were incomparably solid.
There was no doubt that the technique his teacher had passed down to him was incredibly powerful.
Even now, Yun Shu remained grateful to the Old Man.
He was an Old Man who would always be worth learning from and admiring.
Now that he had reached Great Accomplishment, reaching Perfection in the Immovable Diamond Body would make him comparable to a Peak Foundation Establishment cultivator, or even a False Core powerhouse.
That was just how domineering Body Cultivation was!
Feeling the surging power within him, Yun Shu's gaze shifted slightly. He still couldn't fully conceal his Body Cultivator aura. Once he could, he could use it as a trump card.
His Immortal Path cultivation was only at the Third Layer of Qi Refining, not yet at the Middle Stage of Qi Condensation, but his Body Cultivator strength had already surpassed his cultivation realm.
Yun Shu thought to himself.
After returning to the sect, he would need to learn a method for concealing his aura.
As for advancing his Body Refining Realm again, Yun Shu felt he should first stabilize his current realm.
He glanced at his hands, still trembling. It was because he couldn't control his strength.
But that feeling of imbalance was also because his Immortal Path Strength couldn't keep up with his Martial Path Strength.
He would have to wait, too. The two paths did not need to be perfectly balanced, but both were extremely important. If they advanced side by side, at least he would have the other to fall back on.
He had enough Contribution Points now, anyway.
As for Immortal Arts, rather than exchanging Contribution Points for them within the sect, it would be better to buy them outside. The Immortal Arts in the sect were extremely precious and required all kinds of Contribution Points to obtain. Contribution Points were even harder to come by than Spirit Stones.
He would be better off completing more missions outside, building up his wealth, and buying one at the marketplace.
But even outside the sect, Immortal Arts were hard to come by. Cultivation methods were far too precious.
Of course, there was another way: take them by force!
The saying "a golden belt comes from murder and arson" wasn't baseless.
Yun Shu didn't move right away. Instead, he took out the technique manual and continued reading.
These were the Martial Techniques that went with the Immovable Diamond Body: Diamond Glare, Diamond Body, and Diamond Hand.
One was a Body Technique, meant for defense.
One was a hand technique, like Falling Cloud Palm.
The remaining one, Diamond Glare, was a Pupil Technique. It suppressed the opponent with Mental Energy, and mostly consumed Mental Energy.
Yun Shu sat cross-legged again. With his newfound Body Cultivator strength having nowhere to go, practicing Martial Techniques was just the thing to put it to use.
And so, golden light flashed again and again through the forest.
"Ding, you have used Diamond Glare once. Proficiency +1."
"Ding, you have used Diamond Body once. Proficiency +1."
"Ding, you have used Diamond Hand once. Proficiency +1."
Diamond Glare was a Mental Energy attack technique. Yun Shu had used it only once, yet already felt a little light-headed.
But its effects were impressive.
Even the leaves and branches in the surrounding forest bent slightly, as though submitting to him.
Diamond Body formed a defensive Spiritual Light across the surface of the skin. It only covered the user's body, but its defense was extremely strong, and it didn't consume much. It could be called an excellent defensive technique.
Diamond Hand encompassed several techniques, all of which empowered the hands.
He could grab, seize, or strike with his fists.
Their power was more or less the same.
Techniques that went with a cultivation method like these were extremely rare, and they were the best possible match for it. At least, in Yun Shu's eyes, their power might even surpass that of High-grade Martial Skills.
"Ding, you have used Diamond Glare once. Proficiency +1. Current proficiency: 10. You have reached Minor Accomplishment."
"Ding, you have used Diamond Body once. Proficiency +1. Current proficiency: 10. You have reached Minor Accomplishment."
"Ding, you have used Diamond Hand once. Proficiency +1. Current proficiency: 10. You have reached Minor Accomplishment."
After all three techniques reached Minor Accomplishment, Yun Shu's overall strength increased tremendously.
He even felt that he could fight a Foundation Establishment cultivator!
But it was only a feeling. If he really faced one, all he could do was run.
"I wonder how strong the Female Protagonist is now. Maybe she's reached the Qi Condensation Stage, too," Yun Shu guessed.
But the Female Protagonist had plenty of trump cards. If they really fought, Yun Shu didn't know how confident he could be of winning.
What he had obtained from her was only a single hair from the hide of a nine-headed ox.
It wasn't something the Female Protagonist would care about; even if she did, she probably wouldn't care that much.
Still, Yun Shu believed that his current strength was enough to surpass Qin Lingyu. As for Qin Lingyu after he fell to demonic cultivation, his strength might surge even further. They would have to see then.
Yun Shu's strength was rising steadily and rapidly. No matter how the others advanced their cultivation, he could keep up without rushing.
At his current level, Yun Shu was full of confidence.
He had trump cards of his own, too.
His Sword Intent alone could absolutely serve as a killer move. Even against someone at Peak Stage Qi Condensation, if he used it by surprise, they might not be able to defend against it.
Thinking of this, Yun Shu felt the taut string in his heart relax a little.
Finally, Yun Shu took out the other thing he wanted to learn.
It was a Martial Technique.
He had taken it from the Old Master's study.
Although it was called a Martial Technique, Yun Shu preferred to call it a "secret art."
Secret arts could do all sorts of things: temporarily boost one's combat strength, or allow one to run at great speed for a short time. But no matter what they did, they harmed the body. The damage wasn't necessarily severe, but it still took many days of rest to recover.
Take this "Blood Burning Escape Technique," for example.
It burned the qi and blood throughout the body to temporarily increase one's speed. At this stage, that speed was no slower than teleportation.
Martial Techniques consumed qi and blood, which could be replenished.
Secret arts, on the other hand, burned qi and blood away. It couldn't be restored; it had to be cultivated anew, or recovered with medicine and Heavenly Materials and Earthly Treasures.
The Blood Burning Art was extremely domineering, and its requirements were harsh.
Yun Shu thought it over, then decided to learn this secret art.
There was no doubt that once his qi and blood had burned away, it would take several days to build them back up. But the technique could save his life!
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