Attaining Immortality, Starting From Slaying Demons

Chapter 35 Jade Liquid. Golden Yang Eight Treasures Mystical Body_1

"I see your fist techniques are crude, and your footwork is ordinary, yet somehow, you manage to execute each martial art to perfection,"

"It really is a waste for such a martial arts genius to have joined the Imperial Court,"

Zhang the Butcher walked into the room, grabbed the water jug, and guzzled down cold water with a 'gulugulugulu', then shook his head and smacked his lips.

"The Demon-suppression Bureau is inferior to the martial sects of the pugilistic world?"

Shen Yi was very interested in these "common sense" ideas.

"It's not that. The Demon-suppression Bureau gathers martial arts from all over the Great Qian Dynasty. In terms of heritage and background, it's a top choice."

Zhang the Butcher put down the water jug and continued, "It's just that there are too many rules, and one must climb from the bottom up. With your talent, if you had joined the Vajra Gate, they would at least offer you the treatment of a direct disciple of an elder, with priority access to all sorts of Precious Medicines and Divine Weapons."

He sighed, "But now, that's no longer possible."

Shen Yi looked up in confusion, "Why not?"

"Think about it. If you were of average talent, I wouldn't mind paving the way for you and covering up your identity. But with your exceptional talent, to say the Demon-suppression Bureau doesn't want you... only a fool would believe that. No sect in Qingzhou would accept your letter of apprenticeship."

Zhang the Butcher took out several sheets of yellow paper he had prepared from his chest.

Obviously, his thoughts were not as carefree as he appeared on the surface; from Shen Yi's use of the Serpentine Eight Steps just yesterday, he had deduced the other's situation.

"I joined the Vajra Gate at the age of six and was called a prodigy by my master. But now, at the age of forty-eight, despite having slain countless demons and consumed an unknown amount of Beast Origin and Precious Medicines, I have only just opened seven apertures."

"There are two reasons for this. First, the Vajra Gate is different from other sects in that it values tempering oneself with the energy of heaven and earth. Most of the absorbed energy is consumed by the body, which slows progress to several times that of others."

Zhang the Butcher bared his teeth and stretched out his arm, "You saw the effects. Earlier, if it hadn't been to give you a demonstration, I could have summoned the energy from within my apertures. Although I couldn't do much against you, I would have had more than enough to protect myself."

"However, I can't give you the Vajra Body, but look at this."

He stuffed the yellow paper into Shen Yi's hand, "These are some trinkets I came up with myself and that is also why I'm only barely at the end of the Initial Realm."

Shen Yi unfolded the sheets of paper.

Not understanding them was one thing, but he still needed to flip through them.

"Martial sects have their disadvantages as well. Once you have a bad temper and offend someone, there's virtually no chance of making a name for yourself."

Zhang the Butcher spoke of the past with a calm expression, "They wouldn't give me any Jade Liquid Realm Martial Arts, so I had to figure things out myself. Unfortunately, after more than a decade, I've barely managed to cross that threshold... It's just a guess, so don't take it seriously. Anyway, once you master it, it should be at least as strong as the Vajra Body."

"The latter half concerns the teachings of the Jade Liquid Boundary, I'll explain them in detail once I've got them figured out."

Shen Yi slowly flipped through the pages, the instructions appearing before his eyes.

[Jade Liquid: Golden Yang Eight Treasures Mystical Body Upper Volume: (Uninitiated)]

"…"

Seeing the specific words clearly, Shen Yi struggled to steady his emotions, yet his breathing still became irregular for a moment.

As Zhang the Butcher explained, this martial art was only at the Initial Realm, and everything beyond was just conjecture.

But now, after being verified by the panel, it proved the other's idea was correct; the only thing missing was time. Once the lower volume was completed, this would become a legitimate Jade Liquid Boundary Martial Art.

In comparison, while the Blood Fiend Blade Technique was extremely fierce, it clearly lacked growth potential and had specific conditions for use. The value of the two could hardly be spoken of in the same breath.

Shen Yi fell into silence, but it was Zhang the Butcher who began to grow anxious, scratching the back of his head,

"Although it's just my wild idea, the foundational part borrows from the Vajra Body, heh heh, so there's a good chance it won't go wrong... Anyway, I'm practicing it ahead of you. If anything goes wrong, you can make a decision later."

"Senior has great talent."

Shen Yi carefully put away the yellow paper, his face revealing his feelings.

In the panel, just theorizing an Initial Realm Blade Technique took a full fifty years.

The other, without any assistance, had accomplished such a feat in just over a decade; that was the mark of a true genius.

"I've said not to call me senior. Do you think I'm joking? Trading martial arts is just incidental," Zhang the Butcher smacked his lips and walked towards the door, rolling his eyes and saying, "I came to Qingzhou on foot; I spent all my money a long time ago. I'll have to call you my leader and live off you from now on... Alright, you're busy, so just give me the copied techniques later."

As Shen Yi watched him walking away, he shook his head, puzzled.

Although Baiyun County is small, there are many people willing to support an Initial Realm Martial Master. Why did they specifically target me?

Forget it.

He closed the newly installed door and turned his gaze to the panel.

[Remaining lifespan of demons: 226 years]

He originally intended to save these years of lifespan for Lin Baiwei to finish transcribing before using them.

But after yesterday's incident, Shen Yi suddenly felt an urgent need to master a method of self-preservation.

At this thought, he couldn't help but laugh bitterly.

Back when he only had one year of lifespan left, he didn't hesitate to charge at the black-furred Dog Demon.

Now that he had forty-six years of lifespan, his mind was disturbed by two Serpent Women.

Cherishing life truly is an instinct, even if that life is found rather than given.

Shen Yi refocused his mind and began to channel the demon's lifespan into the newly acquired martial arts technique.

...

[In the first year, you learned how to refine your body with the qi of heaven and earth. Unlike the Wind-Thunder Precious Scroll, it does not transform the body into a container but uses qi to refine the body, turning flesh and blood into a Divine Weapon.]

[In the second year, because your twelve apertures are perfect and your breath is long and unending, this meticulous method poses no difficulty for you. Simply enduring the passage of time will naturally result in a transformation.]

[In the seventh year, Jade Liquid. Golden Yang Eight Treasures Mystical Body, beginner level.]

[In the fifteenth year, you achieved minor success.]

[In the twenty-ninth year, Jade Liquid. Golden Yang Eight Treasures Mystical Body, major success.]

[In the forty-second year, you reached perfection, and your physical body stepped into a new realm.]

[Remaining lifespan of demons: 184 years]

...

I wonder if it's because too much lifespan was wasted when deducing this new martial arts technique.

Shen Yi, looking at the panel's message of effortless success, felt somewhat unaccustomed.

Is it over?

Having deduced multiple times, Shen Yi noticed a pattern.

Any meticulous technique that does not involve innate talent consumes very little lifespan, but when it comes to comprehension... there's virtually no limit to the consumption.

Zhang the Butcher's conjecture was first tested by me, but it's unknown if it's as formidable as he imagined.

He looked at the saber on the table, rolled up his sleeves, and drew the blade lightly across his arm.

There was no reaction.

Shen Yi gradually increased his force, time and again observing the blade being repelled.

Not until a Blood Fiend Blade Technique, gathering his entire body's qi, cloaked the blade in an evil aura and struck down.

A layer of mysterious light instantly surfaced on the fair and sturdy forearm, and the red mist dispersed straightaway.

There was a crisp snap.

Shen Yi looked at the broken saber with a look of astonishment.

It had sliced through many demons and had not broken, yet it finally snapped on his own body.

Isn't that a bit too exaggerated?

Is this the depth of the martial sects?

He bent down to pick up the broken half of the blade. The saber was not cheap, but he could blame it on yesterday's Tiger Demon and simply go to the forge to get a new one.