"I see that your fist techniques are crude, and your footwork is ordinary, yet somehow you manage to execute every martial art with unparalleled mastery."
"Such a martial arts prodigy, how did you end up in the imperial court? What a pity!"
Zhang the Butcher walked into the duty room, grabbed a water jar, and gulped down the cold water, shaking his head and smacking his lips.
"Is the Demon Subduing Bureau inferior to the martial sects of the jianghu?"
Shen Yi was quite interested in these "common knowledge" topics.
"Not exactly. The Demon Subduing Bureau gathers the martial arts of the entire Great Qian Dynasty. In terms of heritage and background, it's top-notch."
Zhang the Butcher put down the water jar and continued, "It's just that there are too many rules. You have to climb up step by step from the bottom. A genius like you, if you joined the Vajra Sect, you'd at least be treated as a personal disciple of an elder, with priority access to precious medicines and divine weapons."
He sighed, "But now, that's not possible."
Shen Yi raised his eyes in confusion, "Why?"
"Think about it. If you were just average, I wouldn't mind paving the way for you and covering up your identity. But with your talent, if the Demon Subduing Bureau didn't want you... who would believe that? No sect in Qingzhou would accept your application."
Zhang the Butcher took out a few yellowed pages from his pocket.
Clearly, his mind wasn't as simple as it appeared.
Just from Shen Yi's use of the Spirit Snake Eight Steps yesterday, he had deduced Shen Yi's situation.
"I joined the Vajra Sect at six and was called a prodigy by my master. But now, at forty-eight, after slaying countless demons and consuming countless beast essence treasures, I've only opened seven acupoints."
"There are two reasons. First, the Vajra Sect is different from other sects. It focuses on refining the body with the energy of heaven and earth. Most of the absorbed energy is consumed in strengthening the body, so progress is several times slower than others."
Zhang the Butcher bared his teeth and extended his arm, "You saw the effect. If I hadn't wanted to show you, I could have used the energy within my acupoints. Though I couldn't do much to you, protecting myself would have been more than enough."
"But I can't give you the Vajra Treasure Body. Look here."
He shoved the yellowed pages into Shen Yi's hands, "This is something I came up with myself, which is why I'm barely at the late stage of the initial realm."
Shen Yi unfolded the pages.
Even if he didn't understand, he still flipped through them a couple of times.
"Martial sects also have their disadvantages. If you have a bad temper and offend someone, there's basically no chance of rising."
Zhang the Butcher spoke of the past with a calm expression, "They didn't give me the Jade Liquid Realm martial arts, so I figured it out myself. Unfortunately, after more than a decade, I only barely crossed that threshold... It's just a guess, don't take it too seriously. But once mastered, it should be no weaker than the Vajra Treasure Body."
"The second half is about the Jade Liquid Realm. I'll explain it to you in detail once I figure it out."
Shen Yi slowly flipped through the pages, and a panel appeared before his eyes.
[Jade Liquid.
Golden Sun Eight Treasures Profound Body, Upper Volume: (Not Yet Mastered)]
"..."
Seeing the specific words, Shen Yi forcibly calmed his emotions, though his breathing still faltered for a moment.
According to Zhang the Butcher, this martial art was only at the initial realm, and anything beyond that was just speculation.
But now, with the panel's verification, it proved that Zhang's ideas were correct.
All that was missing was time.
Once the lower volume was completed, this would be a genuine Jade Liquid Realm martial art.
In comparison, the Blood Fiend Blade Technique, though ruthlessly effective, had limited growth potential and specific conditions, making its value incomparable to this.
Shen Yi fell silent, while Zhang the Butcher grew uneasy, scratching his head, "Though it's just my wild idea, the foundation is based on the Vajra Treasure Body. Heh, it's probably not wrong... Anyway, I practiced it first. If something goes wrong, you can decide later."
"Senior, you are truly talented."
Shen Yi carefully stored the yellowed pages, his face filled with admiration.
In the panel, just deducing an initial realm blade technique took fifty years.
Without any external help, Zhang had accomplished this in just over a decade.
This was true genius.
"I told you not to call me senior. I wasn't joking. Exchanging martial arts was just a side thing."
Zhang the Butcher smacked his lips and walked towards the door, rolling his eyes, "I walked all the way from Qingzhou, and my travel funds are long gone. From now on, I'll have to call you boss to get by... Alright, you go ahead. Just give me the blade technique once you've copied it."
Shen Yi watched him leave, shaking his head in confusion.
Though Baiyun County wasn't large, there were plenty of people willing to support an initial realm martial artist.
Why had Zhang chosen him?
Forget it.
He closed the newly installed door and turned his attention to the panel.
[Remaining Demon Lifespan: 226 years]
Originally, he had planned to save this lifespan for after Lin Baiwei copied the technique.
But after yesterday's events, Shen Yi suddenly felt a pressing need to master a life-saving technique.
Thinking of this, he chuckled wryly.
When he had only one year of lifespan left, he hadn't hesitated to charge at the Black-Skinned Dog Demon.
Now, with forty-six years of lifespan, he was actually unsettled by two snake women.
Cherishing life truly was a human instinct, even if it was borrowed.
Shen Yi focused his mind and poured the demon lifespan into the newly acquired martial art.
...
[Year 1: You learned the skill of refining your body with the energy of heaven and earth.
Unlike the Wind and Thunder Treasure Scroll, it no longer transforms the body into a vessel but uses energy to refine the body, forging flesh and blood into divine weapons.]
[Year 2: With your twelve acupoints fully opened and your energy endless, this meticulous work posed no difficulty.
With time and tempering, you naturally underwent a transformation.]
[Year 7: Jade Liquid.
Golden Sun Eight Treasures Profound Body, Upper Volume, mastered.]
[Year 15: You broke through to the minor mastery stage.]
[Year 29: Jade Liquid.
Golden Sun Eight Treasures Profound Body, Upper Volume, major mastery.]
[Year 42: You reached perfection, and your body entered a new realm.]
[Remaining Demon Lifespan: 184 years]
...
Perhaps too much was wasted in deducing the new martial art.
Seeing the smooth progression in the panel, Shen Yi felt slightly unaccustomed.
Was that it?
After deducing so many times, Shen Yi noticed a pattern.
As long as it didn't involve innate talent, the lifespan consumption was minimal.
But when it came to comprehension... the consumption was almost limitless.
Zhang the Butcher's conjecture had been tested by him first.
He wondered if it was as powerful as Zhang had imagined.
He looked at the saber on the table, rolled up his sleeves, and lightly slashed his arm with the blade.
No reaction.
Shen Yi gradually increased the force, watching the blade bounce off each time.
Finally, he infused the blade with killing intent and slashed down with the full force of the Blood Fiend Blade Technique.
A layer of mysterious light instantly appeared on his fair, firm forearm, and the red mist dissipated.
With a crisp crack, the saber broke.
Shen Yi looked at the broken saber, his expression one of astonishment.
After slaying so many demons without a scratch, it had finally broken on his own body.
Wasn't that a bit too exaggerated?
Was this the heritage of the martial sects?
He bent down to pick up the broken blade.
The saber wasn't cheap, but he could blame it on yesterday's tiger demon and get a new one from the workshop.
(End of Chapter)