This night was a long one.
Shen Bai returned to the pawnshop, longsword in hand, and slammed the door shut behind him.
The oil lamp in the room flickered, casting a dim, yellow glow. Amidst the shifting light and shadows, a line of smoke appeared before Shen Bai, gradually coalescing into text.
[Vajra Fist Level 2 (Fist Technique +2, Buddha's Light +2): 1000/1000]
[Metamorphosis available. Requires one wisp of Evil Qi.]
Just a moment ago, Shen Bai had obtained two wisps of Evil Qi, which was exactly what he needed.
After some thought, Shen Bai decided to use one wisp of Evil Qi to trigger the metamorphosis of his Vajra Fist Divine Power.
A moment later, the smoke vanished and was replaced by a new line of text.
[Vajra Demon Subduing Fist Level 3 (Fist Technique +4, Buddha's Light +4, Power Dao +4): 0/5000]
As the text appeared, the image of a Buddha shimmering with golden light surfaced in Shen Bai's mind.
This time, as the spectral Buddha once again moved its fists, the aura of the Fist Technique changed yet again.
Not only had the Fist Technique become more profound, but the Buddha's Light had also grown incredibly dense.
Moreover, Shen Bai could feel that every punch carried a weight as heavy as a mountain.
It was as if each punch was a giant Buddha statue pressing down with a terrifying, massive palm, bringing with it an overwhelming sense of pressure.
'The Fist Technique is like a vajra, its weight like the Buddhist Teachings.'
When Shen Bai opened his eyes, he had already fully absorbed the Vajra Demon Subduing Fist.
In addition to the increase in Fist Technique and Buddha's Light, a new Attribute had been added: Power Dao.
Just as the name implied, every one of Shen Bai's punches now carried a terrifying, mountain-like power.
Inside him, his Qi surged once more, now filling two-thirds of his Dantian.
'I've made significant progress toward the Daoist Scripture Realm.'
Shen Bai raised his fists and circulated the Qi in his body.
The golden Buddha's Light carried the intent to save all sentient beings, yet when Shen Bai threw a punch, it held the feeling of a Furious Vajra.
At the same time, each punch created the illusion of a landslide or a tsunami looming before him.
A moment later, Shen Bai lowered his hands.
[Vajra Demon Subduing Fist +1]
'Now is not the time to practice,' Shen Bai thought, his gaze falling upon the smoke in front of him.
With a thought, the last wisp of Evil Qi vanished, spent on the Bright Green Jade Pendant.
[Appraisal successful. Divine Power obtained: Bright Jade Body]
[Bright Jade Body Level 1 (Hardness +1): 0/100]
The smoke appeared, then slowly faded, the Information it contained merging into Shen Bai's mind.
In Shen Bai's mind, a spectral figure in a white robe appeared.
A Jade Pendant hung at the figure's waist, swaying in the wind.
The next moment, the Jade Pendant glowed with a viridian light that enveloped the white-robed figure from head to toe.
Within the viridian glow, several Weapons suddenly materialized and struck the white-robed figure.
In the next instant, the Weapons shattered inch by inch, yet the white-robed figure remained as immovable as a great mountain.
'My heart is like jade, indestructible.'
Shen Bai opened his eyes. As he circulated his Qi, his entire body was bathed in a bright green light.
'So it's a defensive Divine Power.'
Shen Bai was slightly excited.
He already had his offense covered, but his defense and Speed were severely lacking.
Now that he had a defensive Divine Power, Shen Bai felt he had compensated for a huge weakness.
'The night is still young. Time to start grinding.'
After a moment of thought, Shen Bai decided to start by grinding the Bright Jade Body Divine Power.
Blood Sword Dance and Vajra Demon Subduing Fist required 5,000 Skill Level points, which was still far off for Shen Bai. Bright Jade Body was a more convenient choice.
A bright green light covered Shen Bai's entire body. As he activated Bright Jade Body, his Skill Level began to rise.
...
The night passed quickly.
When the next day arrived, Shen Bai stood in the backyard and let out a long breath.
Before his eyes, a line of smoke appeared, finally coalescing into text.
[Bright Jade Body Level 2 (Hardness +2, Resilience +2): 1000/1000]
[Metamorphosis available. Requires one wisp of Evil Qi.]
In one night, Shen Bai had ground Bright Jade Body to Second Level Perfection.
Now, he was stuck at another bottleneck, needing one wisp of Evil Qi to break through.
Shen Bai closed his eyes slightly, and the white-robed spectral figure reappeared in his mind.
This time, the viridian light was even more intense. In addition, the light was no longer just stone-like in its hardness; it had become resilient, like a strip of leavened dough.
'Freely switch between soft and hard, changing at will.'
Shen Bai retracted the viridian light from his body.
Mere Hardness would, on the contrary, make it brittle. Now, with Resilience, Bright Jade Body had compensated for this shortcoming.
'So drained.'
Shen Bai rubbed his Dantian.
Although grinding Bright Jade Body didn't require him to deliberately channel his qi and blood, it still consumed them.
Shen Bai took another dose of Qi Blood Medicine. Only after his qi and blood had stabilized a bit did he go out for a meal and return to the pawnshop.
His internal Qi had increased once again. Shen Bai had a feeling that perhaps once he triggered the metamorphosis of Bright Jade Body to Level 3, he would be able to break through the Daoist Scripture Realm and reach the so-called Three Treasures Realm.
Zhang Chaofeng arrived early today, bringing breakfast with him when he came in.
"Morning, Shopkeeper," Zhang Chaofeng greeted him.
Shen Bai was sitting in his chair, getting ready to head to the backyard again.
Cheng Shuang hadn't come looking for him in the past two days, likely waiting for the so-called Five-Heart Dharma Assembly.
That being the case, Shen Bai planned to go to the backyard and continue grinding Blood Sword Dance.
But before Shen Bai could enter the backyard, Zhang Chaofeng's gossipy side flared up again.
"Shopkeeper, there's a good show to watch coming up."
Shen Bai was already about to leave, but hearing this, he asked subconsciously.
"What show?"
Zhang Chaofeng leaned in conspiratorially. "In three days, the Five-Heart Dharma Assembly begins. I hear a lot of their followers have been preparing to attend."
Shen Bai raised an eyebrow and said impassively, "The Government Office isn't doing anything about it? I heard a father and daughter died not long ago, and the father was a member of the Five-Heart Sect."
Zhang Chaofeng nodded. "You're well-informed, Shopkeeper. The Five-Heart Sect is claiming someone is murdering their followers, and they're actually putting pressure on the Government Office."
"As you know, even though the Government Office is investigating the Five-Heart Sect, they have no leads. With their members turning up dead, this reverse pressure has put the Government Office in a tough spot."
Shen Bai stroked his chin. 'They're masters of shifting the blame,' he thought.
The Five-Heart Sect was responsible for the deaths of that father and daughter, and now they were turning it around to frame someone else. They really knew how to turn the tables.
"Alright, that's enough gossip."
Shen Bai said, "Keep an eye on things for me. I'm going to the backyard."
Zhang Chaofeng asked curiously, "Shopkeeper, don't tell me you've hired a Courtesan from the brothel? Why are you running off to the backyard every day recently?"
"Get outta here."
Shen Bai cursed with a laugh and turned to leave, ready to go back to the backyard and continue grinding his Blood Sword Dance.
But just then, a woman in a yellow dress suddenly walked in from outside.
The woman had a gentle face, but her eyes held a sense of determination.
Zhang Chaofeng was slightly taken aback. Thinking a customer had arrived, he prepared to step forward and greet her.
But to his surprise, Shen Bai pointed to the backyard and said, "Follow me."