Shrinking Earth to Inches

Li Jie rarely showed even a trace of a smile.

"The two Monster Kings of the Mangshan Mountains have gone on a rampage. Master can't get away."

"Is your strength enough to take me out of the city?"

Li Qingyao's face was full of disbelief in her second senior brother's strength.

Li Jie was somewhat indignant. "I'm at the Middle Jade-Fluid Realm. With the Black Iron Shield Master bestowed upon me, I'd have no problem even dealing with a demon beast at the Late Jade-Fluid Realm. And you're saying I can't do it?"

"I'm not saying you can't. But do you think a Fox Demon who returned from Shangqiu after studying arts would have only a few magic artifacts?"

Li Qingyao was rather speechless at this martial-arts-mad senior brother of hers. Even she knew this much, yet he did not.

"You won't know whether it works until we fight!"

The information revealed by those two in their conversation was exceedingly novel to Gao Fei.

He found a spot and sat down directly, listening slowly.

But the bearded middle-aged man beside him was far from friendly, glancing at him intentionally and unintentionally.

Gao Fei's senses were extremely sharp. A hidden killing intent lurked in that man's gaze.

"May I ask where Brother Lin is from?"

Lin Ye glanced at the black-clothed young man beside him, his tone carrying a hint of challenge.

"I'm from this county. What grudge do you have against Registrar Lin that you tried to kill him in public?"

"You mean this county's registrar? For the sake of harmony between humans and demons, he offered his own flesh and blood to the Demon God as a sacrifice. The Demon God responded on the spot and took the offering. The representatives of the entire county witnessed it with their own eyes!"

Gao Fei denied it completely. There was no evidence anyway, and this also made clear the fact that Registrar Lin had sided with demons.

"Don't spout blood from your mouth. I could just as well say that you, a Mid Spirit-Absorption Realm cultivator, concealed your strength when the Martial Suppression Guard was recruiting. Didn't you do it because you wanted to become the strongest in a county, seize power, and side with demons?"

Lin Ye served in the Martial Suppression Guard of Qing Province. Knowing that Yueyang County's problems were severe, he had applied to return and look after the Lin Family. Unexpectedly, on the road back, he ran into the Lin Family party heading to Qing Province.

When he heard that Lin Shaoxiong and Lin Shaokun had been killed, he had originally thought the Lin Family's deal with the Demon Race had been exposed and that County Magistrate Xue had executed them. He had not expected there to be a Mid Spirit-Absorption Realm survivor who had slipped through the net.

The shield had blocked his view, so he had no idea how terrifying Gao Fei's palm strike had been. He thought Li Jie had merely acted to stop their conflict from escalating.

Upon hearing "Mid Spirit-Absorption Realm," Li Qingyao stopped catching up with Li Jie, and her gentle, refined expression finally broke.

Such a genius absolutely had to be taken in by Master, lest another sect snatch him away.

"Third Senior Brother, how long did it take you to go from Spirit Absorption Entry to the Mid Spirit-Absorption Realm? And how long would it take if you used a Yellow-rank cultivation method?"

"My meridians were naturally strong and had very little blockage. I cultivated an Earth-rank method, and it took me three years to go from Spirit Absorption Entry to the Mid Spirit-Absorption Realm."

Li Jie was somewhat puzzled as to why she was making assumptions. He thought about it for a while without understanding, but still answered, "If one cultivated a Yellow-rank method, spiritual energy absorption would be far too slow. With the same resources, it might take five years or even longer."

Li Qingyao felt that her sin was great. Why had she taken out a Yellow-rank cultivation method like Savage Bull Force back then?

"Third Senior Brother, say there was someone who could cultivate Savage Bull Force to the Mid Spirit-Absorption Realm in seven days. Wouldn't that person's talent be exceptionally high?"

"That's impossible. Aside from the legendary geniuses whose hundred meridians are all unblocked, no one could do it. And such geniuses would never cultivate Savage Bull Force!"

Li Qingyao winked furiously at Li Jie, her gaze shifting back and forth between Gao Fei and him.

Based on the tacit understanding between them, Li Jie roughly understood whom she meant.

Still, he secretly pointed at Gao Fei with a finger. Only after receiving a slight nod did he confirm it, and his eyes immediately lit up.

"You're called Gao Fei, right?"

Gao Fei was still shutting himself off over Li Jie's words.

Five years to reach the middle stage with Savage Bull Force was considered such good talent?

Then what the hell was he, taking fifty years to reach the middle stage with Savage Bull Force? Could the Four-Pillar Pure-Yang Body be fake?

At that moment, Gao Fei was checking his panel. There was nothing wrong with his physique. He even suspected that the system had been eating his Merit Points.

Hearing someone ask a question whose answer they clearly knew, he would have loved to slap the man if not for the fact that he was stronger.

"What is it?"

"Circulate Savage Bull Force at full power and let me see."

Hearing that, Gao Fei looked at Li Qingyao and instantly understood. They thought he was some genius.

But he had not forgotten why he had come here.

"What do I get out of it?"

Li Jie was at a loss after being asked that, but Li Qingyao knew what he needed. Last time, he had wanted a movement technique.

"I can let you look through Shrinking Earth to Inches once. This movement technique is one of Great Wu's finest techniques. We—"

"Junior Sister, stop messing around. When did you steal this technique from Master?"

Shrinking Earth to Inches.

The moment Gao Fei heard the name, he knew it had to be impressive. And from the sound of it, neither of them had cultivated it. He wanted it.

"Deal!"

He then turned to Li Jie. "How do you want to see it?"

"Don't believe her. This technique is extremely difficult to cultivate. I heard it was left behind by immortal cultivators. Only the first generation of martial artists, under the personal guidance of immortal cultivators, managed to cultivate it successfully. Then there are the martial gods who cultivate Incense and Fire Prayer Power, who can use it within their own territory. For everyone else, regardless of talent or time spent, not a single person has even entered the door."

"Is that so?"

Gao Fei's interest was instantly piqued. "Let me take a look. I can't cultivate it anyway."

Li Qingyao did not hesitate. She directly placed a yellowed leather-bound book in his hands.

Then she pulled her third senior brother over, sat down, and began brewing tea.

"How is Shopkeeper Li?"

"He was worn out a little. He's recuperating in Qing Province."

Lin Ye had been ignored from beginning to end, yet he did not dare get angry.

He had originally returned only to deal with someone at the peak of the Body Tempering Realm. He had not expected the other party to be at the same level as him.

Judging from what the two disciples of Qing Province's Martial Suppression Guard commander had said, this man was a genius who had reached the Mid Spirit-Absorption Realm in just a few days.

But that was all there was to a genius. Savage Bull Force was publicly acknowledged as being able to cultivate only up to the Late Spirit-Absorption Realm, and even that required slow, steady cultivation and a solid foundation.

Changing cultivation methods was no easy matter. The risk of damaging one's meridians and dantian was enormous; not everyone could bear it.

He wanted to see what expression such a genius would wear after learning the consequences!

Gao Fei spent a little Merit Points.

Under the instruction of phantom figures all around him, the technique had already been recorded on his panel: Shrinking Earth to Inches, not yet initiated.

This time, he had decided. He would wait.

He would use Merit Points to cultivate it after returning, then test it out. Trying it here would be a little too earth-shattering.

When he opened his eyes, he saw Lin Ye smiling at him and glared fiercely. Sooner or later, I'll kill you.

Under Li Qingyao's expectant gaze, he returned the book to her.

Seeing that he did not test Shrinking Earth to Inches here, even her smiling face could not hide her disappointment. Was his comprehension already at its limit?

"How was it? Do you have any leads?"

"I've memorized it. I'll continue studying it after I return."

After saying that, Gao Fei stepped before the two of them and circulated the spiritual energy of Savage Bull Force at full power.

Li Jie carefully sensed it. His foundation was solid, without the slightest hollow instability from taking pills, and he wielded it as easily as an arm or a finger.

His spiritual energy seemed to have been tempered for years. Only its quantity was a little low, not even half of Li Jie's at the Mid Spirit-Absorption Realm.

It seemed talent was important, but cultivation methods were important as well.