Strive to break through to the Qi Refining Realm within two years

Hearing Zhou Li ask about his progress with the Black Tortoise Body Refining Technique, Zhou Cheng sat down and laughed, "It's alright."

Zhou Li was stunned.

After training for so many years, he hadn't even broken through the fourth stage of body refining, and he called that "alright"?

He weighed his words carefully and said, "Mother says you still haven't broken through the fourth stage of body refining." He then added, "Since Abbot Huineng says you possess a Buddhist nature, Big Brother thinks, why don't you try switching to a Buddhist technique?"

He encouraged, "Perhaps your cultivation speed will surpass even mine in the future."

This was the very reason he had come.

"I've been thinking the same thing these past two days," Zhou Cheng nodded.

Zhou Li was clearly taken aback; he had expected to spend quite some effort persuading him.

He smiled, "Big Brother has a Buddhist body refining technique here that I requested from my master. You can take a look." With that, he produced a Buddhist manual and handed it to Zhou Cheng.

Zhou Cheng took it and read: "Golden Body Method."

Like his previous Black Tortoise Body Refining Technique, this Golden Body Method was an Earth-grade intermediate technique.

Zhou Cheng thought for a moment and did not refuse, smiling, "Many thanks, Big Brother. I will give it a try."

Although the Golden Body Method was only Earth-grade intermediate, Buddhist techniques were inherently rare. Zhou Li must have gone to great lengths to obtain it, so Zhou Cheng did not reject his brother's kindness.

Seeing Zhou Cheng accept it, Zhou Li smiled, "Actually, if you eventually take Abbot Huineng as your master, the Shaolin Temple possesses Earth-grade high-level body refining techniques, so you wouldn't even need to practice this Golden Body Method."

He continued, "Although your cultivation speed is a bit slow now, Big Brother believes that within three years, you will certainly break through to the Qi Refining Realm. When that time comes, our brothers will join forces and send the Demonic Cult disciples running for their lives!"

Hearing Zhou Li mention the Demonic Cult, a cold glint flashed in Zhou Cheng's eyes as he replied, "We will."

Zhou Li sat for a while longer, sharing some insights on cultivation, before leaving Zhou Cheng's courtyard.

"The Demonic Cult." After Zhou Li left, Zhou Cheng thought of the cult's assassination attempt on his father, Zhou Wei, and his eyes turned icy. For the past few days, he had been having Qin Meng and the others investigate the cult's hidden nests in and around the Capital City, but unfortunately, there had been no leads.

The members of the Demonic Cult were hidden quite deep.

But that was to be expected; if they weren't, the Great Feng Dynasty would have discovered them long ago.

With the Demonic Cult resurfacing, the Emperor of Great Feng, Zhu Xuan, was already planning to join forces once again with the Sun Moon Sword Sect, the Shaolin Temple, and the Ten Thousand Stars Sect to eradicate the cult in Dongsheng Province.

Prince of Southern Ming, I hope you don't die too quickly, Zhou Cheng thought to himself.

At his current rate of cultivation, he should be confident in killing the Prince of Southern Ming, who was at the late stage of the tenth level of the Innate Realm, within a year at most.

One year!

Zhou Cheng suddenly felt that a year was quite a long time.

Immediately, Zhou Cheng opened the breakthrough gift package for the ninth stage of body refining, obtaining one Marrow-Cleansing Pill, one Bronze-Armored Guard, and one juvenile White Tiger divine beast.

The Bronze-Armored Guard was named Meng Siyao, a woman! She used a whip and was also a seventh-level Innate grandmaster.

Meng Siyao was robust and beautiful, standing at one meter seventy—taller than Zhou Cheng, who was only thirteen and a bit over one meter sixty.

Looking at the juvenile White Tiger divine beast, Zhou Cheng thought that the four sacred beasts were finally complete.

He instructed the White Tiger divine beast to shrink.

After a flicker of light, the White Tiger divine beast transformed into the size of a small cat; honestly, from a distance, it looked just like a little white kitten.

As for the Azure Dragon, it turned into a small green snake when it shrank.

The Black Tortoise, meanwhile, often lay in the small courtyard sunning itself.

It was difficult for a turtle to flip over once it was on its back, but that Black Tortoise often rolled around on the courtyard floor, constantly flipping back and forth.

Seeing this, Zhou Cheng couldn't help but sigh that a divine beast was indeed a divine beast.

"Your Roaming Dragon White Tiger Fist has gained the might of the Tiger King by observing the form of the White Tiger divine beast, and its cultivation speed has greatly increased once again."

At this moment, the system prompted.

Well, the Roaming Dragon White Tiger Fist was back on top, far surpassing the Wind-Facing Willow Steps and the Demon-Subduing Saber Technique.

Zhou Cheng swallowed the Marrow-Cleansing Pill, and his aptitude increased by another 25 points, reaching 75—a superior aptitude. He was only one pill away from evolving into a century-level genius.

Naturally, with the medicinal power of the Marrow-Cleansing Pill, Zhou Cheng's Black Tortoise Divine Technique and Indestructible Vajra Divine Technique made rapid progress once again.

The Black Tortoise Divine Technique successfully broke through to the eighth level.

The Indestructible Vajra Divine Technique reached 20 percent of the ninth level.

Zhou Cheng did not delay further; he donned the Demon God Garment and headed to the Green Demon Mountain Range with Qin Meng and the others to hunt demonic beasts.

Now, with five seventh-level Innate grandmasters following him and four divine beasts surrounding him, this lineup was enough for him to walk sideways in many parts of the Great Feng Dynasty, so Zhou Cheng had no concerns about his safety.

As Zhou Cheng quickly slaughtered the demonic beasts, his Demon-Subduing Saber Technique, Demon God Garment, and God-Slaying Saber continued to improve.

Previously, Zhou Cheng couldn't handle a hundred demonic beasts in two hours, but now, it took him less than an hour to finish them off.

After clearing out a hundred demonic beasts, Zhou Cheng spent another two hours practicing the Wind-Facing Willow Steps, utilizing the fierce winds within a mountain cave.

However, the next day, Abbot Huineng did not come, but Zhou Wei arrived at the courtyard early to find Zhou Cheng.

Ever since learning that Zhou Cheng was a reincarnation of a Great Buddha with astonishing Buddhist nature, Zhou Wei's perpetually strained, aged face had looked much younger and had regained a sense of vitality.

He smiled at Zhou Cheng and asked, "Cheng'er, how did you find listening to Abbot Huineng expound on the Dharma these past three days?"

Zhou Cheng thought for a moment and replied, "It was quite good."

Breaking through to the eighth level of Body Tempering on the first day, and then to the ninth level last night—yes, it was indeed quite good.

Hearing this, Zhou Wei laughed. "That is good." He paused, then added, "Abbot Huineng cannot come this morning; the Emperor has summoned him, Sect Master Chen, and Sect Master Liu to the palace to discuss eradicating the remnants of the Demonic Cult."

Zhou Cheng felt a flicker of disappointment.

Zhou Wei pondered for a moment before saying, "I heard from your elder brother that you wish to switch to practicing Buddhist techniques. That is fine as well; you possess a natural affinity for Buddhism, and by practicing such techniques, you might even have a chance to break through to the fourth level of Body Tempering by the end of the year."

Zhou Cheng smiled. "Rest assured, Father, I will cultivate diligently and strive to reach the Qi Refining realm within two years, then join my brother in crushing the Demonic Cult members."

Hearing Zhou Cheng speak of reaching the Qi Refining realm within two years, Zhou Wei burst into hearty laughter, clearly delighted.

In the afternoon, Abbot Huineng arrived as promised to continue expounding the Dharma to Zhou Cheng.

And so, three days passed.

On the evening of the tenth day since Zhou Cheng arrived in the Immortal Martial World, shortly after Abbot Huineng finished his lecture and departed, Zhou Cheng's Indestructible Vajra Divine Technique finally broke through to the tenth level.

The moment Zhou Cheng achieved the breakthrough, his entire body erupted with brilliant Buddhist light, radiating in wave after wave as if a living Buddha had descended upon the world.

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