Great Increase in Power

Whoosh!

Ming Yulong left just as silently as she had arrived, quickly scurrying away in a flurry of motion.

"Miss Ming, why were you in my Junior Brother's room? When did you go in?" This was the voice of Xuanci. Although he had been dragged out by their master, he had not left, choosing instead to stand guard at the door.

"Hehe, just now. I made a promise with the little monk to go out and play together," Ming Yulong replied with graceful ease.

"Uh, you went in just now?" Xuanci was stunned.

"Hehe, I'm off!"

A moment later, Xuanci finally snapped out of his daze and immediately shouted, "Master! Master! Miss Ming just ran out of Junior Brother's room, and she even made a promise to go out and play with him!"

Before long, the old monk who had just left came thumping back in. He looked at Li Su in silence for a long time before speaking in a grave, earnest tone: "Xuankong, you have always been the most sensible one, but I must still remind you. Regarding the precept against lust in our sect's rules, I must emphasize this to you: those who have left the secular life must fundamentally abstain from lust. Remember well, you must never break this vow."

Listening to his master's worried words, Li Su felt his liver ache.

He gave the old monk Tianming a look of exasperation. Romance? Was he out of his mind?

This was a World Fragment, for heaven's sake! Once the story ended, he would leave this world; how could he possibly fall in love with anyone?

Giving Monk Tianming a speechless glare, Li Su closed his eyes. Practicing his arts and resolving the pain in his body were his top priorities at this very moment.

Uh...

Monk Tianming froze, feeling a bit awkward as he scratched his head.

Had he, by any chance, just been glared at by his own disciple?

Indeed, reflecting on Xuankong's cultivation, there was no need to mention his martial arts; he was also very diligent in his Buddhist studies. He had never missed a morning session, and while his martial arts had improved tremendously, he lacked the restlessness found in the likes of Xuancheng and the others. This in itself proved a great deal.

Well, Li Su was terrified of death. Dying from a deviation in his cultivation was something he wanted to avoid at all costs.

Every time he chanted scriptures, he poured his heart and soul into it, using the Zen chanting to cleanse himself and keep his state of mind clear and empty.

Therefore, while Li Su might not have studied Buddhist philosophy deeply, his state of mind was not lacking. After all, whether it was Buddhism or Taoism, the pursuit was much the same—it was all just chicken soup for the soul, and there was no harm in drinking a few extra bowls.

Sigh, Amitabha. A sin, a grave sin.

Monk Tianming sighed, feeling a tinge of guilt for his behavior, but what else could he do?

After all, the Shaolin Temple had never encountered such a situation before, which was why he had lost his composure for a moment.

Well, it might sound a bit harsh, but young prodigies were essentially incompatible with the Shaolin Temple. True, Xuancheng could be considered a prodigy, but an obvious problem was that he didn't look like much (Master, are you being polite?).

In this world, even in the pugilistic arena, the strong were respected.

But one had to admit, looks were also very important!

On this point, one only needed to look at their titles.

Ming Yulong, the Mystic Maiden of Shangqing—the title "Mystic Maiden" was taken from the Nine Heavens Mystic Maiden of the Yellow Emperor.

Li Chengkong, the White-Clad Buddhist—"White-Clad" was a style that someone without a certain air simply couldn't pull off.

If a person were ugly, do you think they would ever earn such a title?

Then, look at the famous figures in history. The "Fledgling Phoenix" among the Crouching Dragon and Fledgling Phoenix was rejected by everyone because of his ugly appearance; it was only because of a recommendation letter that Liu Bei reluctantly gave him an official post. (Fledgling Phoenix: Are you being polite?)

Therefore, among the group that came out this time, Xuanci was passable—after all, he had managed to woo Ye Erniang, so he had some capital. Aside from him, from Xuancheng to Xuannan, they were either too honest or too dull. The likes of Xuanji all had simple, honest faces, just like farmers digging in the dirt day and night. It wasn't that they were ugly, but they couldn't squeeze out a fart even if they tried, so there was no need to worry about them.

Only Xuankong was different.

He had been quite handsome before, but after mastering the Arhat Divine Art, he was extraordinary.

He had a tall build; at only fourteen, he was already 1.75 meters, and he would surely reach at least 1.89 meters as an adult. That was a sense of security right there.

With sword-like brows and star-bright eyes—especially those eyes—as his cultivation deepened, his gaze became simple and pure, making one unable to help but look again and again.

His temperament went without saying. His unique state of mind gave him an aura that made people feel at ease, drawing them in. After all, as a student of Buddhism, he possessed an air of being transcendent, yet firmly planted in the mortal world, making him stand out from the crowd.

Now, coupled with his extraordinary talent and his mastery of the Shaolin Temple's peerless divine art, the Vajra Indestructible Body, at such a young age...

Damn it, how could the young girls of the pugilistic world resist such temptation?

It was only because of the Song-Xia war that there weren't many girls around. If Xuankong were to show his face at a martial arts gathering, heh... Blue Bird Xu Jing of Diancang hadn't even come, but the old monk hadn't forgotten the look in her eyes when she saw the unconscious Xuankong.

You say it's fine to be talented, but why did you have to be so good-looking? If he were to be given a title like "Jade-Faced Divine Monk," tsk, for the sake of Shaolin Temple's century-old reputation, once this matter was over, he would not let Xuankong down the mountain for a long time.

Monk Tianming took a deep breath and turned to walk out of the room.

Finally finding some peace, Li Su began to regulate his breathing and entered meditation.

Afternoon.

His internal energy was mostly restored, and he began to repair his body.

The situation was worse than he had anticipated.

The battle itself hadn't occurred when his body was at its best; not only was he exhausted from two days and three nights of travel, but those five-plus minutes of combat had pushed him to the point of total depletion. He had passed out the moment his energy ran dry.

Once his internal energy recovered, Li Su immediately discovered that lumps had accumulated inside his body, covering almost every corner of his frame. The twitching pain he felt originated from these.

Channeling his energy, Li Su forced it to rush toward these lumps, breaking them apart.

From morning until nightfall, he finally managed to comb through his entire body.

Eh?

After sorting through his internal state, a look of astonishment appeared on Li Su's young face: his internal energy had surged.

It had increased by more than a full circle, nearly reaching the amount he would normally cultivate in an entire year.

This was undoubtedly shocking.

Li Su's one year of cultivation was completely different from that of ordinary martial artists; given that Arhat True Qi was a high-quality energy in itself, the sheer volume of a full year's worth was terrifying.

Was it the great terror experienced between life and death?

Although Li Su was shocked by such a drastic increase in internal energy, he was not surprised.

After all, when they left Shaolin Temple, they had each consumed a Great Restoration Pill. The medicinal power within was essentially stored in their bodies, being absorbed bit by bit into their own internal energy. It must have been that life-or-death struggle, where the intense desire to survive stimulated his body, triggering this series of changes.

If he went through that a few more times, the medicinal power of the Great Restoration Pill would likely be completely absorbed and transformed into internal energy, right?

Bah!

The moment the thought crossed his mind, Li Su couldn't help but spit, tossing that idea straight into the trash.

That kind of battle was enough once; a few more times? Was he looking to die early and be reincarnated?

Hmm, the progress of the Indestructible Diamond Divine Art was also quite good.

Cultivating the second level had become much simpler, which was likely related to the increase in the strength of his internal energy.

According to the current situation, he should be able to complete the training for the second level within a month at the latest.

This was good, very good.

Although Li Su had relied mainly on the external force generated by the first level during the battle with that Western Xia man, he had actually felt the effects of the second level. During the fight, a sliver of the opponent's blade energy had managed to penetrate his external defense. Even though Li Su's meridians were extremely tough due to the Arhat True Qi, and the Arhat True Qi itself had expelled a portion of the force, a tiny bit still reached his internal organs, only to be blocked by the energy of the second level.

If not for that, Li Su feared he wouldn't have been able to hold out until the opponent's energy was exhausted first; he would have collapsed from internal organ damage long before that.

Taking a deep breath, Li Su stopped his practice of the Indestructible Diamond Divine Art, stood up, and walked out of the guest room.

He was hungry!

He hadn't eaten much before, and he didn't know how long he had been unconscious. He had spent an entire day lying in bed to repair his body; if not for the medicinal power of the Great Restoration Pill stored within him, he might have starved to the point of fainting.

At this hour, there should still be food, right?

Pushing open the door, he was met with an incredibly noisy clamor.

Footsteps, voices, and the sound of horns.

Clang! Clang! Clang!

Gongs and drums were struck urgently, and the sound of dense, raindrop-like footsteps spread continuously.

Li Su's face was full of bewilderment. What was going on?

Thump! Thump! Thump!

Xuanci, whom he hadn't seen for over a day, ran over with a slightly panicked expression. Upon seeing Li Su, he immediately shouted, "It's bad, Xuankong! The Western Xia Army has crossed Liupan Mountain and is heading toward Weizhou!"

Hearing this, Li Su took a deep breath, his young face darkening.

Damn it, they really weren't planning on letting him have any peace, were they?