Killing to Protect Life

One day, two days, three days.

Li Su stopped practicing his punches entirely, dedicating every day to cultivating that nameless technique. The more he practiced, the more he discovered the extraordinary nature of this art.

Perhaps this was why it was classified as "Super First-Grade," while the Arhat Divine Art was merely a First-Grade martial art.

As of now, after nearly a week of cultivation, Li Su discovered that the technique he was practicing possessed at least three distinct capabilities.

First, it generated "Force"!

Second, this "Force" reinforced his physical body, providing a particularly rapid increase in raw strength.

Third, it imbued his True Qi with properties of density and cohesion.

Li Su understood Arhat True Qi better than anyone; it was extremely volatile, like a hedgehog covered in needles. Even with his Cotton Palm at the Great Completion stage, he could only slightly suppress that prickly sensation. Yet, as he began to practice this new technique, the Arhat True Qi remained just as fierce, but it was now tightly bound. It wasn't that it stopped being "prickly," but rather that the prickliness had shifted from something visible to something one could only feel by reaching out to touch it.

Undoubtedly, the latter degree of sharpness far exceeded the former.

Furthermore, as that Force gradually formed a scale beneath Li Su's skin, he found that the defensive capabilities of his flesh were rapidly strengthening.

Feeling the effects brought about by the nameless technique, a guess began to form in the back of Li Su's mind.

Could this technique actually be the Indestructible Diamond Divine Art?

Was that so-called "Force" actually the protective Gang Qi unique to the Indestructible Diamond Divine Art?

Thoughts aside, Li Su did not stop his practice, instead continuously circulating his internal energy in accordance with the methods of the nameless divine art.

Thinking of this, he couldn't help but feel a surge of excitement.

If it truly was the Indestructible Diamond Divine Art, he needed to hurry, to hurry even more.

Once he succeeded in his cultivation, it wouldn't just be about saving his life; he could go anywhere in the world.

The Indestructible Diamond Divine Art—it possessed the effects of being unbreakable, immune to all poisons, indestructible, and supreme in its rigidity.

Of course, while he thought these things, Li Su became increasingly steady.

After all, in Buddhist martial arts, impatience was a major taboo. Deviating from the path and scattering one's cultivation was a minor matter; the real problem was that it could kill you.

As the days passed, twenty-five days of the month had quickly slipped away.

Clearly, the cultivation efforts of Xuancheng and the others were yielding no results.

Especially over the last few days, the gazes of the group had begun to show inexplicable changes, tinged with an unnatural crimson hue and restlessness.

Watching their reactions, Li Su couldn't help but frown.

The way these fellows were reacting, not only would they fail to cultivate the three scrolls of the nameless technique, but if they continued like this, they would likely suffer a deviation of their internal energy.

Li Su took a deep breath, intending to stop and intervene, or if that failed, to go find his master.

However, just as the thought crossed his mind, a figure walked directly over.

It was the monk Tianming.

Looking at the crimson-eyed Xuancheng and the others, the monk Tianming took a deep breath and roared, "Sinful obstacles, will you not wake up yet???"

The low shout was like a thunderclap on flat ground, shaking Xuancheng and the others so violently that their circulating energy dissipated in an instant.

Pfft!

Among them, Xuancheng and Xuanci were the worst off, immediately opening their mouths to spit out a large mouthful of blood.

It was clear that their internal True Qi had already spiraled out of control; had they not been jolted awake by the monk Tianming's shout, they would surely have suffered a total deviation of their internal energy.

Although Xuanji and the others were slightly better off, they were still in bad shape, their faces abnormally pale and their breathing unstable.

Looking at them, a look of immense disappointment appeared on Tianming's face. "To practice Buddhism, one must cultivate the heart; to practice martial arts, one must cultivate the heart even more. With your performance, even if you truly succeeded, this master would not take you to participate in the Song-Xia War.

"National hatred and family grudges—it is not strange to have emotions.

"Buddhism may have no boundaries, but people do. Moreover, practicing Buddhism is not the path of a stubborn stone. The Buddha wields the Diamond to slay demons—to slay external demons, and even more so, to slay internal demons.

"Tell this master, what did you go to Western Xia for? To resist the Western Xia soldiers invading the Song Dynasty? To protect the people of the Song from being slaughtered by Western Xia soldiers? To ensure no one else ends up with a broken home like you? Or was it just to head to the battlefield to vent the anger in your hearts? Just to kill? If that is the case, how are you any different from those Western Xia soldiers?"

Xuancheng and the others were shaken, their eyes widening as their bodies trembled.

The monk Tianming said, "Tell this master, by becoming like your enemies in order to seek revenge, have you truly achieved your revenge?"

After the group stood stunned for a moment, they opened their mouths, wanting to say something, but not a single word came out. In the end, all seven of them closed their eyes in immense pain.

Watching their expressions, Tianming took a breath, his tone softening. "In truth, whether you succeeded in practicing the techniques on those three scrolls or not, this master would have taken you."

Xuancheng and the others trembled, looking up in disbelief.

"This old monk is a disciple of the Buddha, but first and foremost, I am a man of the Song. With Western Xia invading the Central Plains, as a Song man, I have an inescapable duty. The reason I set the requirement for you to master the technique before I would take you was to see what you would do."

The monk Tianming sighed. "Those who have not experienced national hatred and family grudges can never understand the pain within. This old monk will not tell you to let it go, but precisely because of this pain, you should understand better than anyone how terrifying it is to treat human life as cheap, and what kind of suffering it creates. Tell this master, what is your purpose in going to Western Xia?"

Xuancheng and the others couldn't help but cry out, their faces covered in tears and guilt, as they shouted with immense firmness, "Master, we go to Western Xia to protect the people of the Song, so that no one else ends up like us!!!"

A smile appeared on Tianming's face. "Very good! Then from today until we depart, I punish you to carry one hundred buckets of water every day. Do you have any objections?"

"None!"

"Very good. Return the scrolls and go."

Xuancheng and the others nodded immediately, took out the scrolls, walked before the monk Tianming, returned them without hesitation, and retreated to their original positions.

Hm?

Watching his disciples return the scriptures without a hint of reluctance, Monk Tianming smiled with great satisfaction. This round of education had been quite effective, timely correcting the mindsets of Xuancheng and the others.

Once they returned from Western Xia, the baleful energy in their hearts should be completely purged. With this as a foundation, their future as the backbone of Shaolin was all but guaranteed.

You say, "When will the cycle of vengeance ever end?" You say, "Lay down the butcher's knife and become a Buddha on the spot?"

Pah!

What kind of joke is that?

If that were the case, how did the Thirteen Cudgel Monks of Tang come to be? Wasn't it precisely to pacify the world?

Monks hold compassion in their hearts, but what could be more compassionate than the common people of the world living in peace? Nothing!

As he thought this, Tianming suddenly paused, his gaze beginning to drift.

It wasn't just him; the gazes of Xuancheng and the others also began to drift.

And their target was none other than Li Su.

With a tacit understanding, Xuancheng and the others shot Li Su a look: Brother, what's the meaning of this? Everyone else has handed theirs in, what are you standing there stunned for? Hurry up, so we can go fetch water together?

Tianming was also somewhat displeased. What's the situation with this kid? I've made it so clear, why isn't he hurrying up?

Don't think that just because you can't speak, this master doesn't know about the baleful energy inside you.

Tianming had naturally examined Li Su and confirmed that there was nothing wrong with his vocal cords; his inability to speak must be a psychological issue.

And when it came to his psyche, there was only one thing that came to mind: the invasion of Western Xia!

However, seeing as your gaze is so full of admiration, this master will magnanimously overlook your slow reaction. Hurry up and hand it over.

Indeed, Li Su's gaze at this moment was filled with reverence.

The mere statement that "Buddha has no boundaries, but people do" had left him incredibly shaken. Even in the modern world before his transmigration, there were fools who didn't understand this, yet a monk in the Song Dynasty had grasped it—how could he not feel reverence?

Not to mention that from beginning to end, Monk Tianming hadn't spouted nonsense about how one must never break the commandment against killing; instead, he wanted Xuancheng and the others to understand why one kills.

Even Li Su couldn't help but get goosebumps after hearing those words.

However, reverence was one thing, but returning the cultivation manual and doing the water-carrying punishment was another matter entirely.

After a moment of thought, Li Su took out a charcoal pencil and began to write softly.

"To kill is to protect life; to sever karma is not to slaughter men!"

At these two brief sentences, Xuancheng and the others widened their eyes, and even Tianming couldn't help but stare, goosebumps rising all over his body.

These two lines were simply too perfect; they resonated exactly with the Buddha in his heart.

To kill is to protect life; to sever karma is not to slaughter men?

Good, good, wonderful!!!

Looking at Li Su now, his eyes were clear and his aura deep and steady, clearly worlds apart from Xuancheng and the others.

Evidently, he had not become a demon due to his obsession with Western Xia.

Wait, a deep and steady aura?

Does Arhat True Qi have this characteristic?

Suddenly, Monk Tianming thought of something. He narrowed his eyes, staring fixedly at Li Su, and it was a long while before his mouth fell open.

It couldn't be?

That's impossible, right?

This can't be real, can it?

This kid? He actually mastered it???

Stepping forward, Monk Tianming couldn't help but reach out a finger to press against him. Feeling the counter-force—though not strong, yet undeniably present—vibrating against his fingertip, the corners of his mouth couldn't help but twitch.

Amitabha, Buddha, aren't you being a bit too biased???