In the first year, Shen Yi consumed body-refining elixirs and began cultivating the Bodhi Vajra Body.
Inside the room, Shen Yi stored hundreds of bottles of body-refining pills into a small silver bell.
Despite its size, the bell could easily hold all his essentials.
With a flick of his hand, he began consuming the red pills, each the size of a soybean, which carried a faint scent of beast blood.
He had enough to last him a year.
By the second year, Shen Yi noticed that his previous body-refining techniques seemed to align well with the Bodhi Vajra Body.
With the help of an endless supply of precious elixirs, his cultivation efficiency improved significantly.
By the fifth year, Shen Yi began to sense something was off.
The Bodhi Vajra Body seemed to require a specific spiritual plant to aid its cultivation, and without it, his progress slowed.
He had already heard about this from others, so he wasn’t entirely unprepared.
With the help of Vajra Bodhi seeds and precious elixirs, it would take 180 years to master the technique.
He figured doubling that time should be enough.
This kind of slow, steady cultivation was reliable—every bit of effort yielded results, unlike techniques that relied on sudden insights.
The only thing he looked forward to was whether he could combine this with his demonic talents to create even stronger martial arts.
As time passed, Shen Yi sighed, "It’s a pity the elixirs are running out. If I want more, I’ll have to earn more merits, and that might raise suspicions."
Even if he had extra merits, it would be hard to explain where a hundred years' worth of elixirs had gone.
He looked at the few remaining pills in his hand and sighed again.
Despite consuming a century’s worth of elixirs, his body felt stronger, and his skin glowed faintly.
With the talents of the Flood Dragon and the Alligator Dragon, Shen Yi’s strength was already unmatched among those at the Jade Liquid Realm.
Yet, this body-refining technique still gave him a noticeable boost.
He couldn’t imagine how terrifying the Vajra Bodhi Sect must have been in its prime, when disciples at the early Jade Liquid stage could rival those at the peak.
Even without a Core Formation expert, a group of tough, hard-hitting disciples would strike fear into anyone.
By the 624th year, even without the aid of spiritual plants or elixirs, Shen Yi had mastered the Bodhi Vajra Body through sheer perseverance.
**[Jade Liquid.
Bodhi Vajra Body (Perfected)]**
[Remaining Demonic Lifespan: 474 years]
A bright white light enveloped his body before sinking into his skin.
Shen Yi closed his eyes and felt the changes.
He was astonished to find that the Bodhi Vajra Body alone provided about 80% of the strength he had gained from the Flood Dragon talent.
That was the strength of a young flood dragon over ten zhang long—enough to literally tear demons apart with his bare hands.
Moreover, when he pressed his fingertips against his arm, he realized that if he were to face Zhang Hengzhou again, those claws that had once pierced his shoulders would no longer be able to harm him.
Even the Flood Dragon and Alligator Dragon talents wouldn’t be enough to break his defense.
Only a true Core Formation martial artist using proper techniques could possibly harm him now.
This level of defense should be sufficient, as he wasn’t just a stationary target waiting to be hit.
Shen Yi felt confident that, with his Heavenly Demon External Core and this formidable body, even if he hadn’t mastered any Core Formation techniques yet, he could still take on a martial artist who had just formed a nascent core.
If he could acquire Core Formation techniques, he might even stand a chance against the resurrected Flood Dragon Lord.
Compared to Core Formation methods, acquiring Core Formation martial arts was much simpler.
The demons he had slain might not have been skilled in internal cultivation, but they certainly knew how to kill and which methods were the most brutal.
As long as he had enough demonic crystals, it shouldn’t be a problem.
Shen Yi reached for the last manual on movement techniques.
After flipping through it, he understood that this White Colt Divine Step was more suited for long-distance travel rather than close combat.
It didn’t offer much of a speed boost but provided greater endurance.
With only 400 years of demonic lifespan left, he needed to save some for replenishing his energy reserves.
After all, his last battle with the Flood Dragon had drained a significant portion of his lifespan.
He decided to wait until he had more resources before delving into this technique.
As he stored the manuals into the silver bell, a voice called from outside the courtyard.
"Sir Shen!"
Li Xinhan, still bandaged and limping, hobbled into the room under the cover of night.
He sat down heavily on a chair and stared at Shen Yi, as if trying to confirm whether this was the same constable he had brought from Baiyun County.
After a long moment, he leaned back and sighed, "Sir Shen, you’re really something."
Li Xinhan was just one merit away from being promoted to deputy general.
He had recruited Shen Yi hoping the latter would help him achieve that.
After the incident at Shuiyun Village, Li Xinhan, as the leader, had refrained from taking any of the merits, believing they rightfully belonged to Shen Yi.
He thought Shen Yi, who had just joined the Demon-Suppression Bureau, needed the merits to establish himself.
He had even planned to repay Shen Yi for saving his life once he recovered.
But now, seeing how little Shen Yi seemed to care about such things, Li Xinhan regretted his earlier thoughts.
"Shouldn’t you be resting if you’re still injured?" Shen Yi sat up slowly.
After spending so much time on Qingfeng Mountain, he had finally gotten some rest, only to be interrupted again.
He didn’t dislike the Li siblings—they had worked together, after all—but he was wary of their noble background, especially after witnessing the plight of the Qingfeng Mountain disciples.
As long as they didn’t try to recruit him or pull any strange stunts, they were decent people.
After all, that document had been a lifeline for many officers.
"Huh?" Li Xinhan suddenly looked toward the door, where his usually fearless sister, Li Muyu, stood hesitantly in the courtyard.
This was unusual.
Even as a deputy general, she wasn’t one to shy away from drawing her short sword, especially not in front of someone she knew well like Shen Yi.
"Sir Shen just returned and needs rest. You two talk; I’ll just stay here for a bit," Li Muyu said, her cheeks slightly red as she recalled the awkward moment when Shen Yi had ridden past her on his tall horse.
Seeing her guilty expression, Shen Yi guessed her thoughts.
He lazily got up to pour some water and teased, "You weren’t so polite that day. You had quite the sharp tongue."
His way of judging people was simple: who wished him well, and who wished him dead? While Li Muyu wasn’t entirely pure-hearted and didn’t share his path, she clearly fell into the former category.
In this world, having someone wish you well was already a blessing.
Hearing this, Li Muyu’s face turned even redder.
She stammered, "I… didn’t mean any harm."
No matter what ulterior motives she might have had, she had never intended to put Shen Yi in real danger.
She had assumed Fang Heng had already made arrangements, which led to the awkward situation where the three of them had ended up staring at each other.
"What’s going on with you two? Sis, didn’t you have something to tell him?" Li Xinhan looked back and forth between them, confused.
Li Muyu finally stepped into the room and hesitated before speaking.
"There’s something… After you went to Qingfeng Mountain, Ma Tao and I packed up and prepared to leave Qingzhou City with the document… I saw two Vajra Sect disciples looking for your friend, the one with the big beard."
Shen Yi paused while pouring water.
"And then?"
"They seemed a bit hostile, so I went over to ask a few questions. But your friend seemed in a hurry and didn’t want me to interfere… I had no choice but to order them to bring him back after they finished their business."
Li Muyu bit her lip.
She knew Shen Yi’s biggest concern but still mustered the courage to explain.
"I’ve only been in the Demon-Suppression Bureau for a short time, and I’m not very diligent. I’m just a constable, so I might not have been able to intimidate them… So I used my family’s name."
"I also had Li Xiaoer follow them for a while, but they left Qingzhou City. With official orders, there was no way to keep tracking them."
After finishing, Li Muyu stood there apologetically.
Shen Yi handed her a cup of tea and said sincerely, "Thank you. I appreciate your help, Miss Li."
With the Li family’s involvement, the chances of anything happening to Zhang the Butcher were negligible.
"I’m glad you’re not upset," Li Muyu said, her cheeks still flushed as she held the teacup.
"Ah, I thought it was something serious. You, a deputy general of the Demon-Suppression Bureau, waiting for them? How important do they think they are?" Li Xinhan struggled to sit up straight and waved his hand dismissively.
"I’ll send out an invitation, find some excuse to gather those brats, including the Vajra Sect. You can question them directly tomorrow."
"You plan to meet them like this?" Li Muyu glanced at his injuries.
"What’s there to fear? These are wounds from slaying demons," Li Xinhan said with a smirk.
If he waited too long and Shen Yi left, who would believe he knew the youngest deputy general of the Demon-Suppression Bureau? This was a matter of pride; a little pain was nothing.
"Don’t use your name to send the invitation. Have your friends do it. If they know it’s from the Li family, the Vajra Sect might not come," Li Muyu shook her head.
Her brother didn’t really fit in with that crowd.
While they talked about poetry and romance, he was only interested in earning merits.
Yet, he loved playing the role of the big brother.
The Li family, one of the four great families and five major sects, had sent generation after generation of their direct descendants to serve in the Demon-Suppression Bureau.
While they were respected in the martial world, behind the scenes, they were seen as traitors to their ancestors, having sided with the imperial court.
No one truly wanted to be close friends with Li Xinhan.
Just like the recent incident with Qingfeng Mountain, the Li family, despite their vast influence and connections, had done nothing to help, only ensuring their own people stayed out of it.
With that thought, Li Muyu turned to Shen Yi.
"Will you go, Sir Shen? Or should we ask on your behalf?"
Shen Yi nodded calmly.
"I’ll go."
(End of Chapter)