After leaving County Commandant's check-in room, Chu Bai did not return directly to Clearwind Courtyard. Instead, taking advantage of Xin Zheng's festive spirit, he changed into regular clothes and strolled towards Great Locust Alley in the downtown area.
The midday sun fell on the alley, and red confetti from firecrackers spread all over the ground.
Compared to the hustle and bustle on the street outside, Great Locust Alley seems particularly peaceful inside, and even the fragrance of vegetation in the air is a bit stronger than elsewhere.
Chu Bai walked to the huge old locust tree and touched the cold and rough bark with his fingertips.
"My lord."
An old and gentle voice sounded in Chu Bai's heart.
Immediately afterwards, the shadow of the locust tree swayed slightly, transforming into an old man with a stick that only Chu Bai could see. Locust Elder bowed to Chu Bai, his expression becoming more and more respectful.
Chu Bai Remembering what Zhang Cheng just said, the doubts in his heart were cleared.
He looked at Locust Elder and asked in a deep voice, "Locust Elder, you have taken root here for hundreds of years, and your actions are to protect the people and accumulate Merit's good deeds. But why did you keep hiding in Tibet and unwilling to show your holiness before accepting my Edict Investiture?"
"But are you afraid?"
Locust Elder heard this, with a bitter smile on his face, and sighed, "As you can see, in Great Zhou, things about Edict Investiture Divine Seat have become increasingly rare. Although the old slave has some low-level practices, in the end he is just a 'wild creature' made of vegetation.
The current imperial court's attitude towards Shinto is ambiguous, and the Sacred Heart is difficult to fathom, so how can this old slave dare to guess it so easily?"
He paused, with a hint of rejoicing in his tone. "If the timing of the manifestation is wrong, or if the government labels him 'Improperly Worshipped Wild God', in the end not only will he not be able to obtain that person, but I am afraid that even these hundred years of Daoism will be turned into ashes.
If I hadn't met my master, I would probably have been there until the day when I ran out of ideas."
Chu Bai nodded silently. Under imperial power, divine power was also a shackle. Before Great Zhou gave a clear attitude, the first rule of survival for a being like Locust Elder was to hide.
"Last night on New Year's Eve, there was a Year Fiend outbreak in the county. Is your alley still safe?" Chu Bai changed the subject.
Locust Elder smiled slightly and pointed to the soil under his feet, "I'm worried about you, sir. Last night there was indeed a blind Year Fiend, following the smoke from people's stoves and trying to get into the alley to suck in the popularity.
The old slave received the order from the master and had the responsibility to protect the soil, so he dragged it into the ground and turned it into nutrients. All the people in the lane had a good dream last night."
"Did you destroy it easily..." Chu Bai felt the spiritual pressure on Locust Elder's body that was as deep as the earth, and felt calm in his heart.
There is a Qi Refining Late-Stage god sitting behind, so the stability of this downtown area is indeed safe.
"Well done." Chu Bai warned with a deep look, "However, you still need to continue to hide in the future.
You can just do it secretly like yesterday. Without my decree, remember not to show yourself in front of the public, let alone reveal your true body in private to store large-scale incense."
Chu Bai stood with his hands behind his hands and his tone became serious. "You have to remember that you are a trump card in my hand now.
Your task is to be my eyes and ears, monitoring all abnormalities within a three-mile radius of this downtown area. If there are any strong enemies that you cannot deal with, notify me immediately. As for the trivial monsters in daily life, just deal with them yourself."
In this age when imperial power is monopolized and Shinto is obscure, premature exposure will only cause unnecessary trouble.
"Old slave understands." Locust Elder responded respectfully, "Old slave must restrain his divine power, become a law-abiding ancient locust tree, and guard this small place for the Lord."
"Go ahead."
Chu Bai took back his hand, and the phantom of Locust Elder instantly disintegrated and returned to the towering branches and leaves again.
Inside Great Locust Alley, the breeze is blowing gently.
Withdrawing his thoughts, Chu Bai turned and left. Now that the remnants of this year have been cleared, in the next few days, he should sprint towards the realm with all his strength.
After returning to Clearwind Courtyard, Chu Bai did not slack off at all because of the New Year celebrations.
For him, in this Great Zhou Immortal Dynasty where strength is respected, only the rising realm is the most stable level.
In the practice room, Five-Element Spirit-Gathering Array is still running smoothly.
Due to the suppression of Earthly Treasure[Mountain-Pacifying Platinum], the earth spiritual energy in the house became extremely thick and steady, as if even the air was a little heavier.
Chu Bai sat cross-legged in the center of the formation and took out the cyan Jade Slip that recorded the secret technique - [Iron-Bone Body-Tempering Method] from his arms.
Divine Sense Poke into it, and countless complicated lines and body training experiences came into my mind.
This secret method is different from ordinary Spell Arts. It is not the external release of Spell Power, but vibrates the meridians at a specific frequency, guiding the Spell Power to beat every inch of the bones and flesh of the body over and over again like a heavy hammer.
"Let's get started."
Chu Bai took a deep breath and closed his eyes slightly. Spell Power rose from Dantian and instantly divided into countless small sharp edges according to the path of the secret method.
"Ugh!"
When the first wave of shock rose from his spine, Chu Bai groaned, veins popped up on his forehead, and his face instantly turned pale.
It was a kind of pain that came from the inside out, as if there were countless Steel Needless running through the bone seams, and as if a heavy hammer was constantly hitting the bone marrow, pushing out the impurities hidden in the depths bit by bit.
Pain, deep into the bone marrow.
This kind of pain is often unbearable for ordinary Qi Refining monks, and is also the reason why there are so few body refiners.
However, Chu Bai's mind is as strong as iron. He can even feel that with the blessing of [General Star Destiny] and other Fate Destiny, his Divine Soul has become clearer and clearer in this severe pain.
He gritted his teeth and allowed his clothes to be soaked with sweat.
Under the precise control of the [Subtlety]-level "Origin Return Formula", every spiritual power that hits the physical body is controlled to the extreme - maximizing the potential of the physical body without damaging the foundation.
As time went by, Chu Bai felt that his bones were vibrating and making a low hum, and there was a faint black gold luster.
An hour later, Chu Bai slowly finished his work.
At this time, his whole body felt as if he had been fished out of water, his muscles were trembling slightly, and the feeling of emptiness after extreme soreness and numbness swept through his body.
"The physical strength has indeed increased slightly, but this consumes..."
Chu Bai smiled bitterly.
The secret method of body refining requires extremely terrifying energy. At this time, there was thunder in his belly, and the strong hunger made him feel like he could even swallow a cow.
"It seems that Spirit Cuisine's expenses will increase significantly in the future."
He made secret calculations in his mind.
The Spirit Cuisine and Demon Beast meats in Cultivator Market are specially used for monks to restore their physical bodies. They are worth a lot of money. The three hundred taels of silver rewarded before will soon turn into food and drink.
But under the influence of [Food Injury Leaks Elegance]Fate Destiny, the more energy he takes in, the higher the conversion efficiency of his talent. This money is definitely well spent.
After taking a short rest and drinking a few sips of the spiritual liquid produced in [Jade-Nurturing Gourd] to replenish physical energy, Chu Bai closed his eyes again without stopping and devoted himself to the hard training of "Origin Return Formula".
To him, his physical body is like a bottle and his spiritual power is like water.
The wider bottle allows more water to be filled more stably.
In the practice room, colorful streams of light flow erratically.
The figure of Chu Bai is looming in the thick spiritual mist.
He is like a piece of fine steel that has been repeatedly forged in the fire, tempering the iron bones in pain, and accumulating spiritual power in silence.
Time passes quietly in this day-to-day practice and exercise.
Time has passed, and it is already midsummer. Inside Anping Demon-Suppression Office Martial Training Ground, the rolling heat wave is slightly isolated by the surrounding formations, but the fluctuations of spiritual power in the field still make the air seem a little distorted.
"Drink!"
Pang Song let out a low cry and slammed his palms to the ground. The earth spiritual power turned into three thick stone walls and crashed into Chu Bai in a zigzag shape. Then, a curtain of water rose up around him and turned into countless sharp water arrows to block all Chu Bai's escape routes.
Pang Song As the captain of Demon-Quelling Team of Qi Refining Seventh Layer, he majors in water and earth. In the past six months, he has been influenced by Chu Bai and has practiced a lot harder. He has become extremely proficient in the connection between controlling water and turning earth.
However, Chu Bai, who is at the center of the offensive, appears to be taking a leisurely stroll.
He didn't use any magic weapon at his feet, and just relied on his flexible body skills to pass through the gaps between the stone wall and the water arrows.
Whenever he couldn't avoid it, he would wave his sleeves to block it, and a dark golden metallic luster would appear on his arm, forcibly shaking the water arrow that could penetrate the stubborn stone into powder.
That is the vision after mastering the secret technique [Iron-Bone Body-Tempering Method].
Now Chu Bai's physical body has begun to be cultivated, and it has achieved considerable results.
After dozens of moves, Pang Song's forehead was covered with beads of sweat. He felt that the Chu Bai in front of him was like an unshakable mountain, or like a cloud that could not be grasped.
No matter how he changed his moves, it was difficult to break through the opponent's nearly perfect defense.
And...
The opponent's body is extremely strong, and even if he hits it, it won't cause much damage.
It may not even keep up with recovery.
That tight feeling of oppression made him feel that the spiritual energy in his body was flowing away rapidly, but the other party didn't seem to even take a breath.
"No fight, no fight!"
Pang Song suddenly closed his hands and retreated, sitting down on the ground without any image, waving his hands repeatedly, and said with a bitter smile, "Brother Chu, your body and body skills are simply evil! If you keep on using it, you will have to drag my old bones alive.
Either we just go for it and hit the big one, or I slap my butt and surrender now."
There was a burst of hearty laughter from the sidelines.
The captain of the first team, Feng Qin, slapped his thigh and joked, "Captain Pang, I advise you to just admit defeat! It's not like you don't know our captain's methods. If you can't win, why ask for trouble?"
"If you ask me, you'd better spar with me. At least you can fight for a while longer."
Feng Qin and Pang Song were considered equals at first. The two had known each other for a long time, so they would not let go of this opportunity to be sarcastic.
Vice-captain Demon-Quelling Team, who was watching the battle on the sidelines, also joined in the fun and laughed, "In my opinion, even if the three of us go up together, I'm afraid we can't break Master Chu's protection. The young prodigy born by the Dao Academy is truly worthy of his reputation."
In the past six months, the captains of the division have been sparring frequently. Although Pang Song is at a higher level than Chu Bai, it loses more than it wins.
Although it was just a discussion and no desperate trump card was used, in front of everyone, Pang Song also felt a little embarrassed on his face - everyone is the captain, so we can't really become a training partner.
Chu Bai stopped, and the surging energy and blood all over his body slowly calmed down. He nodded and said, "Since Captain Pang is so elegant, he will decide the outcome with one move. You are majoring in Water Method. It just so happens that I have also gained insights from Water Method recently, so how about using this as a countermeasure?"
"Oh? That's great!"
Pang Song was overjoyed when he heard this and suddenly turned over and jumped up.
"Brother Chu, don't be too pretentious!"
He knew in his heart that the strongest thing about Chu Bai was the weird circulation and explosion of Five Phases. If it was just compared to Water Method, he, a senior monk of Qi Refining Seventh Layer, thought that he would still be able to fight.
"Come on!"
"It can be considered as a fair fight!"
Pang Song shouted in a deep voice, formed seals with his hands, and the spiritual energy from his whole body surged out like a tide, forming a water wave several feet high behind him.
[Spell Arts: Waterspout!]
As he pointed out, the water waves roared and circled, and vaguely condensed into a huge water dragon shadow. With overwhelming momentum, it swept up the dust in the sky and rushed straight towards Chu Bai.
Facing this astonishingly powerful move, Chu Bai did not dodge, his eyes were extremely calm.
He raised his right hand, put his index and middle fingers together, and tapped lightly into the void.
Buzz--!
In an instant, countless small space gaps seemed to open in the practice room, and dense light blue light spots condensed on Chu Bai's fingertips.
That's Spirit Water Needle!
Not ten ways, not a hundred ways, but thousands of ways!
These Spirit Water Needle are no longer a chaotic mass of shots, but are intertwined into a miniature formation in the air. Each needle tip is shining with a breathtaking cold light. Its concentration is so concise that the surrounding air makes a sharp explosion.
"Go."
Thousands of needles shot out in unison, like a heavy rain flowing against the current.
Boom!
The seemingly mighty water dragon shadow actually seemed to hit an invisible steel wall when it came into contact with the dense rain of needles.
Immediately afterwards, thousands of Spirit Water Needle accurately penetrated into various Qi nodes of the water dragon.
In the horrified eyes of everyone, the waterspout that Pang Song was proud of shattered into pieces and turned into water mist.
The remaining power of the thousand spiritual needles did not diminish, and they all stopped three inches in front of Pang Song. The cold air emitted was so cold that his beard was covered with a thin layer of frost.
Pang Song's face turned pale, and his eyes almost popped out of his head. He pointed at Chu Bai and was speechless for a long time. "You, you, you... how did you make such progress again?!"
He has seen this move [Spirit Water Needle] before. Chu Bai used it when he killed Water Monkey. But at that time, it was just a dozen needles. The scale and power now are completely different!
Chu Bai With a wave of his hand, thousands of water needles dissipated invisible.
He said calmly, "Captain Pang is not bad either. The Qi of this waterspout is strong. If Non-Self takes advantage of the condensation of spiritual energy, I'm afraid he won't be able to take over."
"Quickly pull him down. If you lose, you lose."
"I'm afraid that after some time, my last advantage in cultivation will be wiped out by you."
Pang Song sighed, and left the field with clasped fists convinced, his back slightly bleak, and muttering words like "monster" in his mouth.
Chu Bai stood quietly, feeling the Spell Power rushing through his body.
In the past six months, with the support of Spirit Gathering Formation and Earthly Treasure, he has steadily entered Qi Refining Sixth Layer.
More importantly, his [Spirit Water Needle] has officially been promoted to the level of [Subtlety] after Origin Return Formula!
In that attack just now, he only used 50% of his strength.
"In addition, there has been considerable progress in other aspects..."