Chapter 51

Autumn night cool as water.

Just as Qin Shuo and the others passed through Erlong Mountain and successfully checked into the relay station.

The Black Dragon Stronghold welcomed an unexpected guest!

Yan Song looked at the mountain stronghold before him, already burned to ruins, and a flash of surprise crossed his eyes:

"They say the chief of Black Dragon Stronghold, Yuan Gang, is a master of horizontal cultivation, an Inner Strength Great Perfection martial artist—who could have razed his stronghold?"

Afterwards, he wandered around the stronghold looking for a place to stay, never expecting to catch a slippery fish.

Only after intense interrogation did he learn that this Black Dragon Mountain had actually been destroyed by Qin Shuo.

"This little beast's growth rate is not slow—he actually managed, by his own strength, to slaughter the entire Black Dragon Stronghold. In that case, I'll certainly not let you live." Yan Song's killing intent was fully revealed.

He had followed the Liuhe Martial Arts Hall's merchant caravan all the way here, intending to disguise himself as a bandit in Erlong Mountain and ambush Qin Shuo.

To avoid Wei Yuan's eyes and ears, he had spent considerable time, which is why he arrived late.

"Erlong Mountain is the necessary passage between Heishui City and Songyang Prefecture, where bandits run rampant. Little beast, you may escape this time, but when you return, I will surely take your life." Yan Song muttered to himself.

Afterwards, he raised his hand and struck, shattering the brains of the Black Dragon Stronghold's sole surviving fish, cutting off all vitality.

Choosing Erlong Mountain to ambush Qin Shuo was precisely to muddy the waters, so that Wei Yuan that old coot couldn't grab hold of anything to later come after him for revenge.

The Black Dragon Stronghold's surviving fish had seen his true face, so naturally he could not leave a living witness.

After killing that unfortunate mountain bandit, Yan Song used a dagger to peel off his face.

Then, using the disguise technique he had learned at great cost, he covered his own face with that skin, confirmed there were no flaws, and proceeded toward another bandit gathering place.

With his strength, no matter which bandit faction he joined, he could easily become its leader.

After he, in the guise of a bandit, had exterminated Qin Shuo, then tore off this face mask—even if Wei Yuan had heavenly powers, he could never hope to trace it back to him.

……

After rushing all day and then fighting a great battle at the Black Dragon Stronghold, even though Qin Shuo's physique was extraordinary, he felt utterly exhausted.

Originally he had wanted to study the Longxiang Golden Body Divine Intent Map, but he could not resist drowsiness and finally fell into a deep sleep.

The next morning, before dawn, Qin Shuo got up and left the inn, heading straight for the small grove behind the mountain.

Escorting banners and rushing along, it was rare to encounter villages or market towns.

Under the suggestion of the steward Wang Fugui, everyone planned to rest in this market town for one day, then continue the journey the next day.

Entering the grove, Qin Shuo found a tree that looked quite sturdy, preparing to cultivate the Longxiang Golden Body.

He summoned the interface, and his mind sank into the kasaya embroidered with the Longxiang Golden Body Divine Intent Map!

Boom!

A daze, and the scene changed.

When he opened his eyes again, Qin Shuo found himself already inside a bright yellow temple.

Buddhist chants echoed softly, incense smoke permeated the air.

On the wide training field, a group of monks in yellow robes were striking wooden dummies, forging their physical bodies.

Hey……ha……

Hundreds of monks shouted in unison, their voices loud, their momentum like a dragon.

Stomping feet, swinging fists, striking wooden posts……

These monks' movements were neat and uniform, each move and posture, masculine and powerful.

"This is Dalong Temple."

Qin Shuo instantly understood his current situation.

The Longxiang Monk comes from Dalong Temple in Yunzhou; this should be where they cultivate the Arhat Golden Body.

Following the guidance on the kasaya, he visualized the golden dragon and white elephant from the Longxiang Golden Body Divine Intent Map in his mind, stomped his feet and swung his fists, striking the wooden dummy before him.

Hey……ha……

Qin Shuo shouted in his mouth, gathered his strength, and struck horizontally with his arm.

Bang!

The thick, sturdy tree, as thick as a water bucket, was shaken violently by the blow, bark exploding at the impact site to reveal the hard heartwood.

Qin Shuo seemed unaware of it, continuing to follow the Divine Intent Map's guidance—sometimes striking with his legs, sometimes striking horizontally with his arms, sometimes leaning fiercely with his shoulders and back……

Bang……bang……bang……

The dull impact sounds echoed continuously in the forest.

Qin Shuo threw himself wholeheartedly into tempering his physical body, sweat pouring like rain.

【Longxiang Golden Body (Not Entered 1/1000)】

……

【Longxiang Golden Body (Not Entered 30/1000)】

……

【Longxiang Golden Body (Not Entered 60/1000)】

Until the eastern sun rose, orange-red sunlight bathing the mountains and forests, Qin Shuo ended his morning practice and returned to the relay station.

"Junior Brother, you're up this early to practice? Why not sleep a little longer……"

Just as he entered the relay station, he encountered Song Yan coming downstairs to eat breakfast.

"I'm used to it, can't sleep." Qin Shuo replied with a smile.

The two found a table and sat down; the relay station's attendant soon brought several steamed buns and a bowl of white porridge, plus a dish of pickled vegetables.

"Where are Senior Brother Lin and the others?" Qin Shuo casually asked for a topic.

"They went to the market to buy dry rations; the upcoming route has few villages and towns, so we need to prepare more supplies."

Song Yan ate the steamed buns in small bites, drank the white porridge in small sips, her movements graceful and dignified, quite bearing the air of a lady from a noble family.

Qin Shuo suddenly remembered that Qin Lan had once told him that Senior Song Yan was from the prefectural city and had come to Heishui City to avoid a marriage arrangement, and his heart stirred at once.

"Senior sister, A Lan said you are from the prefectural city—do you know where there are temples there?"

"Temples? Why are you asking about that?"

Song Yan raised her eyebrows, looking at Qin Shuo with some surprise.

"I have recently become interested in Buddhist scriptures and their meanings, and I wish to find a temple to study and learn." Qin Shuo said solemnly.

To cultivate Longxiang Power, one must first achieve the Vajra Body!

According to the Taotie Cauldron's hint, to refine the Longxiang Relic, one must cultivate the Vajra Body and Longxiang Intent.

Furthermore, one must also cultivate the Vajra Buddha Nature to minor accomplishment.

As for the first two conditions, if he cultivates the Longxiang Golden Body to minor accomplishment, he can satisfy them.

But this so-called Vajra Buddha Nature—he has not the slightest clue about it.

If understood literally, this so-called Vajra Buddha Nature should be some kind of mental state in Buddhist cultivation.

But how to attain such a state, Qin Shuo does not know, and thus the idea arose to visit a temple for consultation.

However, Song Yan did not know his thoughts; she thought he was troubled by yesterday's slaughter of the Black Dragon Stronghold, seeking a high monk's guidance to calm his mind.

Thus she spoke earnestly to comfort him: "Qin junior brother, I know your heart is pure and good, and you do not wish to commit wanton slaughter.

But those bandits of the Black Dragon Stronghold burned, killed, looted, and committed every evil—you slaughtered them all, which is carrying out Heaven's will, and you need bear no psychological burden."

"Senior sister, I..."

Qin Shuo wanted to explain, but Song Yan interrupted him and continued: "However, if you truly seek peace of mind, when we reach the prefectural city, I can take you to Dongling Temple."

"I know an old meditation master there; perhaps he can give you some advice."

"Moreover, my family's Library also contains some Buddhist scriptures—if you are interested, you may go and have a look."

"Thank you, senior sister!"

Qin Shuo expressed his thanks solemnly.

"Junior brother, you are too polite!"

Song Yan shook her head helplessly.

This Qin junior brother—everything about him is fine, except he is too distant.

After breakfast, Qin Shuo rested a while, then returned to the forest to continue cultivating the Longxiang Golden Body.

【Longxiang Golden Body (Not Started 61/1000)】

【Longxiang Golden Body (Not Started 62/1000)】

……

All morning, Qin Shuo cultivated the Longxiang Golden Body.

As his strength struck repeatedly, Qin Shuo felt his Inner Strength had condensed considerably.

When he gathered his strength in his palm, the palm glowed with a faint golden light, as if a thin layer of gold dust had been applied.

"It seems that to reach Yuan Gang's level—where blades cannot cut and axes cannot harm—one likely needs minor accomplishment in the Longxiang Golden Body."

Qin Shuo muttered to himself, roughly understanding the golden body realm of the Yuan Clan Brothers.

At his current cultivation speed, he estimates he will enter the golden body stage before reaching the prefectural city.

But to achieve minor accomplishment, he will likely need at least a month.

Thinking back to when he had exerted all his strength yet failed to break Yuan Gang's defense, Qin Shuo felt a sense of urgency rise in his heart.

He desperately wants to cultivate the Longxiang Golden Body to minor accomplishment.

With the golden body's support, combined with the White Ape Mountain-Splitting Technique that transforms strength into blade-light, his strength will double.

Even if he encounters a master of the Tongmai Realm, he may still have a fighting chance.

"Step by step!"

In the end, Qin Shuo calmed his mind, no longer impatient.

He meditated on the Longxiang in his heart, imagining each strike and collision as the Longxiang's impact, thereby condensing his Divine Intent.

Boom!... Boom!... Boom!...

The dull impact sounds continued until dusk.

Until the moon rose above the willow tips, Qin Shuo finished his training and returned to the relay station.

【Longxiang Golden Body (Not Started 312/1000)】

Seeing his day's cultivation results, Qin Shuo's heart filled with a sense of accomplishment.

This feeling of constantly growing stronger made him addicted.

Nothing happened that night.

Early the next morning, the medicine-gathering team of the martial hall set off again, marching mightily toward the prefectural city.

Whenever there was time to rest along the way, Qin Shuo found a place to cultivate the Longxiang Golden Body.

In just five days, he cultivated the Longxiang Golden Body to the entry level.

【Longxiang Golden Body (Entry 1/)】

As the panel notification popped up, Qin Shuo felt his muscles and skin membranes instantly tighten, with elasticity and strength increasing markedly.

"Finally entered the door!"

Qin Shuo exhaled a mouthful of turbid air, his eyes bright and clear.

He circulated his internal strength, and his skin membrane immediately glowed with the luster of yellow jade, as if golden light were about to shine through.

Boom!

He suddenly punched out, leaving a clear fist imprint on the hard tree core.

Yet his fist suffered no damage whatsoever—not even a reddening—as if he had struck cotton.