Chapter 36: Jade Liquid. Golden Sun Eight Treasures Mystic Body

“I see your fist techniques are crude and your footwork ordinary, yet you wield every martial art with extraordinary mastery.”

“Such a martial genius entering the imperial court—what a waste!”

Zhang the Butcher walked into the barracks, grabbed the water vat, and gulped down cold water in loud swallows, shaking his head and clicking his tongue.

“Is the Demon Suppression Bureau inferior to martial sects?”

Shen Yi found these “common knowledge” points deeply interesting.

“Not at all. The Demon Suppression Bureau gathers martial arts from across the Great Qian Empire; in terms of depth and backing, it’s among the very best.”

Zhang the Butcher set down the water vat and continued: “But there are too many rules—you have to climb step by step from the bottom. If you were to join the Golden Body Sect, you’d at least be made a direct disciple of an Elder, with first pick of all elixirs and divine weapons.”

He sighed: “But now, that’s impossible.”

Shen Yi lifted his gaze in confusion: “Why?”

“Think about it—if your talent were mediocre, I wouldn’t mind helping you pave the way and concealing your identity. But with your talent, for the Demon Suppression Bureau to reject you? No one would believe it. No sect in Qingzhou would accept your application.”

Zhang the Butcher pulled out several sheets of yellow paper he had prepared in advance.

Clearly, his demeanor wasn’t as carefree as it seemed—he had deduced Shen Yi’s situation from the Spirit Serpent Eight Steps used yesterday.

“I entered the Golden Body Sect at six. My master called me a prodigy. But now, at forty-eight, I’ve slain countless demons, consumed countless beast-core elixirs, and still only opened seven orifices.”

“There are two reasons. First, the Golden Body Sect differs from other sects—it focuses on refining the body with cosmic energy, and most of the energy absorbed is consumed by physical fortification, so progress is several times slower than others.”

Zhang the Butcher grinned, extending his arm: “You’ve seen the results. Just now, if I hadn’t wanted to show you, I’d have released the energy within my orifices. Even if I couldn’t defeat you, defending myself would be more than enough.”

“But the Golden Body cannot be given to you. Look here.”

He shoved the yellow paper into Shen Yi’s hands: “A little trick I worked out myself—that’s why I barely made it to the early stage’s peak.”

Shen Yi unfolded the pages.

He couldn’t understand them, but he still flipped through them twice.

“Martial sects have their own drawbacks. If you have a bad temper and offend the wrong person, you’re basically done for.”

As Zhang the Butcher spoke of past events, his expression was calm: “They wouldn’t give me the Jade Liquid realm martial art, so I figured it out myself. Spent over a decade, barely crossed the threshold… just a guess, don’t take it seriously. But if perfected, it won’t be weaker than the Golden Body.”

“The lower half deals with the Jade Liquid realm. I’ll explain it to you in detail once I’ve figured it out.”

Shen Yi slowly flipped through the pages, and the interface appeared before him.

【Jade Liquid. Golden Sun Eight Treasures Mystic Body: Upper Scroll: (Not Yet Entered）】

“...”

Seeing the exact wording, Shen Yi forcibly calmed his emotions—even so, his breathing faltered for an instant.

According to Zhang the Butcher, this martial art belonged only to the early stage’s realm; above that, it was mere speculation.

But now, verified by the interface, it proved his theory correct—he merely lacked time. Once the lower scroll was completed, this would be genuine Jade Liquid realm martial art.

Compared to the Blood Demon Blade Art, which, though ruthless, had clearly limited growth potential and specific conditions, their value was incomparable.

Shen Yi fell silent, but Zhang the Butcher grew uneasy, scratching his head:

“It’s just my guess, but the foundation draws from the Golden Body. Heh, it’s unlikely to be wrong… I’ve trained it first. If anything goes wrong, you can still decide later.”

“Senior, you possess great talent.”

Shen Yi carefully stored the yellow paper, his expression filled with awe.

In his interface, even deducing a single early-stage blade art took a full fifty years.

This man, without external aid, completed such a feat in just over a decade—he was the true genius.

“I told you not to call me senior. You think I’m joking? Exchanging martial arts was just a side benefit.” Zhang the Butcher clicked his tongue and walked toward the door, rolling his eyes: “I walked here from Qingzhou, spent every last coin. From now on, I’ll have to call you boss just to eat… Alright, get to work. Once you’ve copied the blade art, give it to me.”

Shen Yi watched him walk away, shaking his head in confusion.

Though Baiyun County was small, many were willing to support an early-stage martial artist. Why had he fixated on Shen Yi?

Never mind.

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

【Remaining Demon Lifespan: Two Hundred Twenty-Six Years】

He had originally planned to save these lifespan points for after Lin Baiwei finished copying.

But after yesterday’s events, Shen Yi suddenly felt an urgent need to master a survival technique.

Thinking of it, he let out a wry laugh.

When he had only one year left, he had charged fearlessly at the Black-Skinned Dog Demon.

Now, with forty-six years, why had he been unsettled by two Snake Maidens?

Clinging to life truly is human instinct—even borrowed life.

Shen Yi steadied his mind and poured the demon lifespan into the newly acquired martial art.

…

【Year One: You learned to refine your body with cosmic energy. Unlike the Wind and Thunder Sacred Scroll, it no longer turned the body into a vessel, but forged flesh and blood into divine weapons through energy.】

【Year Two: With your twelve orifices fully perfected and your energy endless, this slow, steady method posed no difficulty—you merely needed time to naturally transcend your form.】

【Year Seven: Jade Liquid. Golden Sun Eight Treasures Mystic Body: Upper Scroll Entered.】

【Year Fifteen: You reached Minor Attainment.】

【Year Twenty-Nine: Jade Liquid. Golden Sun Eight Treasures Mystic Body: Upper Scroll Perfected.】

【Year Forty-Two: You reached Perfection; your body entered a new realm.】

【Remaining Demon Lifespan: One Hundred Eighty-Four Years】

…

Perhaps too much lifespan was wasted during the deduction of this new martial art.

Shen Yi, seeing the seamless progression on the interface, felt oddly unaccustomed.

That’s it?

After so many deductions, Shen Yi had noticed a pattern.

For techniques requiring only slow, steady practice—not talent—the lifespan cost was minimal. But when it came to insight… the cost had no upper limit.

Zhang the Butcher’s guess had been tested by him—now he wondered if it was as powerful as the man had imagined.

He looked at the sword on the table, rolled up his sleeve, and drew the blade, lightly slicing his arm.

No reaction.

Shen Yi gradually increased the force, watching the blade bounce off each time.

Until he coated the blade with demonic aura and unleashed a full-power Blood Demon Blade Art strike.

Instantly, a dark glow shimmered across his firm forearm, and the red mist dispersed.

A sharp crack echoed.

Shen Yi stared at the broken sword, astonished.

It had survived countless demon slayings—yet broke on his own arm.

Could this be too extreme?

Is this the depth of martial sects?

He bent down, picked up the broken blade half. The sword wasn’t cheap, but he could blame yesterday’s Tiger Demon and get a new one from the workshop.

(End of Chapter)