The Correct Way to Cultivate

Lianshan City.

South City, Red Sun Gang headquarters.

In the study, a stack of account books lay beside Sun Tianxing's hand, containing this month's consolidated tax revenues from the various districts of South City.

After reading through the account books, he frowned slightly.

This month's tax silver had decreased again compared to last month.

"Gang Leader, news from Qingshi Town!"

A messenger from the gang entered the study and dropped to one knee.

"Speak."

Sun Tianxing set down the account books and reached for his teacup.

"Hall Master Chen has reclaimed Qingshi Town. He killed Blood Wolf Gang branch leader Liu Lie and more than thirty gang members. We suffered no casualties."

The messenger replied.

"No casualties?"

Sun Tianxing's hand paused slightly as he lifted his tea.

"Yes." The messenger lowered his head. "Hall Master Chen acted alone. Within three breaths, he routed everyone from the Blood Wolf Gang. Liu Lie had no power to fight back before Hall Master Chen and was beaten to death with a single punch."

The study fell silent for a moment.

Sun Tianxing set down his teacup, his gaze narrowing slightly.

He had originally thought it would already be quite good if Chen Xuan could reclaim Qingshi Town. After all, the Blood Wolf Gang's newly appointed branch leader was no weakling. He was an Outer Disciple of the Blood Fiend Devil Sect and possessed Seventh Stage of Body Tempering cultivation.

Yet Chen Xuan had not only reclaimed Qingshi Town, but Liu Lie, at the Seventh Stage of Body Tempering, had been utterly unable to fight back against him.

That carried an entirely different weight.

It meant Chen Xuan's strength was far beyond the Seventh Stage of Body Tempering.

"Routed more than thirty people within three breaths, and Liu Lie at the Seventh Stage of Body Tempering was beaten to death without any ability to fight back..." Sun Tianxing muttered, a glint flashing through his eyes. "That kid has been hiding his strength."

In a place like Tiannan Prefecture, hiding one's strength was not a bad thing.

For an Outer Disciple to know not to reveal his trump cards the moment he arrived showed that he was meticulous, not some reckless fool.

"Have Chen Xuan continue guarding Qingshi Town. Since he reclaimed it, I'll keep my word and award him a Great Merit." Sun Tianxing said, "Also, withdraw three hundred taels of silver from the treasury and send it over as his reward."

"Yes."

After the messenger withdrew, Sun Tianxing picked up his teacup again and took a sip.

Seventh Stage of Body Tempering?

Who was he trying to fool?

Still, the stronger that kid was, the more advantageous it was for him.

In Lianshan City, he needed more capable people.

North City, Blood Wolf Gang headquarters.

Unlike the Red Sun Gang headquarters in South City, the Blood Wolf Gang headquarters had been built within a martial arts hall. Two stone wolf statues bared their fangs at the entrance, radiating a savage air.

In the main hall, a brawny middle-aged man sat in a tiger-hide chair, rolling two iron balls in his hand. The iron balls collided in his palm, producing dull metallic clacks.

This man was Qin Sihai, an Outer Disciple steward of the Blood Fiend Devil Sect and also the leader of the Blood Wolf Gang.

He was tall and powerfully built, with rough features. His full beard stood out like steel needles, and his tiger eyes carried an imposing authority even without anger.

"Gang Leader, something has happened in Qingshi Town!"

A gang member rushed in, sweat still beading on his forehead.

"Speak."

Qin Sihai did not even raise his eyelids, continuing to turn the iron balls in his hand.

"Hall... Hall Master Liu is dead." The messenger swallowed. "Qingshi Town has been retaken by the Red Sun Gang."

The sound of the iron balls turning came to an abrupt halt.

"How did he die?"

Qin Sihai's sharp gaze fixed on the gang member like an eagle's.

"He... he was beaten to death by the Red Sun Gang's newly arrived hall master." The messenger said quietly. "That man is called Chen Xuan. He is an Outer Disciple of the Guiyuan Sect."

"An Outer Disciple of the Guiyuan Sect?" A killing intent flashed through Qin Sihai's eyes, then he waved his hand. "I understand. Leave."

"Yes!"

The messenger bowed and withdrew.

"Liu Lie is dead, then he is dead. He was merely trash at the Seventh Stage of Body Tempering. But his older brother, Liu Feng, is an Inner Disciple who has reached the Zhuqi Realm. That makes things troublesome. This matter must be reported."

Qin Sihai muttered under his breath.

Very soon, someone from the Blood Wolf Gang left North City, racing at full speed toward the Blood Fiend Devil Sect with an urgent eight-hundred-li dispatch.

Qingshi Town.

At dusk, the sun set.

[Zhaoxi Value +1]

Host: Chen Xuan

Fate: Zhaoxi Bizheng

Realm: Ninth Layer of Body Tempering (Huajin)

Martial Arts: Giant Whale Body Refining Technique / Ninth Layer, Mountain-Crushing Fist / Mastery, Vajra Technique / Not Yet Begun

Zhaoxi Value: 1

"Upgrade the Vajra Technique!"

[Consume 1 point of Zhaoxi Value to cultivate the Vajra Technique?]

[Yes/No]

"Yes."

Chen Xuan answered silently in his heart.

Buzz—

In an instant, scene after scene of cultivating the Vajra Technique surged through Chen Xuan's mind like clips from a film.

This time, the cultivation was no longer about accumulating force, but tempering the body.

In those scenes, Chen Xuan guided the force within his body and, following the Vajra Technique's mental method, tempered his flesh again and again. The force was like countless tiny blades, repeatedly slicing and tearing across the surface of his skin.

Yet the Chen Xuan in those scenes knew neither fatigue nor pain, cultivating over and over again.

Ten times.

A hundred times.

A thousand times.

Through repeated tearing and healing, his skin became increasingly tough and dense.

Its color also changed quietly, from ordinary flesh tones to pale yellow, then to antique bronze.

The process lasted an entire year.

[Vajra Technique / Second Layer]

A line of text flashed before Chen Xuan's eyes.

After a year of bitter cultivation, the Vajra Technique he practiced had reached the second layer.

The Vajra Technique had thirteen layers in total.

The first four layers corresponded to the Body Tempering Realm and were summarized in four lines.

Those four lines were: Force rose from within, skin and membranes became Copper Skin, sinews and bones resembled dark iron, and the organs were like a furnace.

The first layer of the Vajra Technique was the cultivation of force.

After that, one used the force to continuously temper the skin and membranes.

Chen Xuan lowered his head and looked at his arm.

The surface of his skin gleamed with a faint antique-bronze luster. When he touched it, it was hard and smooth, like polished bronze ware.

He took out a dagger he carried with him and lightly drew it across his arm.

The dagger scraped across his skin with a sound like metal grinding against metal, leaving only a faint white mark.

He applied several more degrees of force, but the dagger still could not cut through his skin.

"So this is the second layer of the Vajra Technique, Copper Skin!"

Chen Xuan nodded in satisfaction.

With force at the Huajin level, and without using any secret medicine, a single year of bitter cultivation had brought his Vajra Technique to the second layer of Copper Skin.

The Vajra Technique was not as difficult as the manual claimed.

Could this be the correct way to cultivate the Vajra Technique?

Chen Xuan wondered inwardly.

A martial artist should first cultivate other techniques until reaching the Ninth Layer of Body Tempering and Huajin, then cultivate the Vajra Technique. Using the powerful force of the Huajin level to temper the physique would yield twice the result with half the effort.

The Vajra Sect's disciples over the past century, including its founding patriarch, had misunderstood the Vajra Technique. They had all cultivated it incorrectly.

The more Chen Xuan thought about it, the more convinced he became that his guess was correct.

The description of the Vajra Technique's first layer was: force rose from within.

This clearly did not describe the manifestation of someone who had only just cultivated force. Mingjin could not possibly reach the point where force surged from within.

Only after breaking through to Huajin, when force arose from the dantian and spread throughout the limbs and bones, did it fit the description of force rising from within.