Chapter 741: Cultivating Martial Arts through Techniques, Refining the Body as a Vessel

Headquarters of the Law Enforcement Pavilion.

Beneath the main courtyard of the headquarters, there is a dungeon.

Of the six pavilions' headquarters, all except the Internal Affairs Pavilion have dungeons.

Among them, the dungeons of the Inspection Pavilion and the Judicial Pavilion are used to hold ordinary criminals.

The dungeon of the Stop-Goe Pavilion is used to hold martial artists, while the dungeon of the Supervisory Pavilion is primarily used to hold officials.

As for the dungeon of the Law Enforcement Pavilion, a small portion is used to hold sorcerers, while the majority is used to hold exotic beasts.

Because the refining of magic treasures requires materials from exotic beasts, many of which must be harvested directly from living creatures, the Law Enforcement Pavilion's dungeon can also be viewed as an exotic beast farm.

Yezhao died inside this place.

The level of the oath-binding sorcery on his body was very high; to remove the sorcery without damaging his self-awareness required the personal intervention of the Law Enforcement Pavilion's Vice Pavilion Master, a top-tier True Person.

Furthermore, the process of removal is like peeling silk from a cocoon, requiring at least half a month.

Therefore, during this period, Yezhao was held in the Law Enforcement Pavilion's dungeon.

The security level of this dungeon is not the least bit weaker than the prison of the Stop-Goe Pavilion, and in some areas, it is even superior.

This is because the defensive grand array of the Law Enforcement Pavilion's dungeon was established by the current Imperial Preceptor, True Lord Yunshu, himself!

In addition to this, there are at least two True Persons stationed in the dungeon year-round.

To prevent Yezhao from suddenly losing the will to live and doing something foolish, or from suffering a physical mishap, the Stop-Goe Pavilion specifically dispatched four Foundation Establishment martial artists to enter the dungeon with him, two of whom were proficient in medicine and skilled in emergency care.

These four were divided into two groups, taking turns guarding Yezhao 24 hours a day.

Under these circumstances, Yezhao still died, which left everyone who received the news feeling shocked.

When He Jian arrived at the Law Enforcement Pavilion's dungeon with his two disciples, several big figures were already at the scene:

The Vice Pavilion Master of the Stop-Goe Pavilion, Grandmaster Bai Yan.

The two True Persons from the Law Enforcement Pavilion responsible for guarding the dungeon this month.

The Vice Pavilion Master of the Law Enforcement Pavilion responsible for removing the oath-binding sorcery from Yezhao, top-tier True Person Mi Han.

The four Foundation Establishment martial artists who were guarding Yezhao are currently kneeling to the side!

If Li Fei had not petitioned the Emperor to let He Jian be the lead investigator for Yezhao, He Jian would not even have been qualified to come directly to the scene and stand alongside these big figures.

After He Jian arrived, he did not salute those whose official ranks and strength were above his, but instead looked at Yezhao's corpse in the cell at the first opportunity.

Yezhao's eyes were wide open, his expression terrified, as if he had suddenly encountered something extremely horrifying.

From the outside, there were no obvious wounds on his body, and there were no traces of any struggle in the cell.

It truly looked as if he had died suddenly without being affected by any external force.

"How did he die?"

He Jian turned to question the four Foundation Establishment martial artists kneeling in a row.

This action caused the big figures present to frown slightly, somewhat dissatisfied with He Jian's "disregard for superiors."

But in the end, no one spoke up to stop He Jian.

They all knew that this was He Jian's personality, and the face of the Marquis of Jing'an still had to be given.

The four Foundation Establishment martial artists kneeling on the ground all looked miserable; hearing He Jian's question, one of them looked up with a bitter face:

"We were guarding him at the time, and he suddenly let out a loud shout, and then before we could react, he had no breath left and died suddenly. We didn't have time to do anything at all."

He Jian's gaze was like a torch:

"What was the exact time of death?"

"Before he died, besides having contact with you today, who else did he have contact with?"

"Did he have any abnormal behavior these past few days?"

"."

He Jian asked many questions, covering every detail.

The crowd of big figures present watched from the side, letting him ask.

Suddenly, the crowd on the perimeter shifted.

"Pavilion Master Lou."

"Greetings, Lord Lou."

"."

He Jian turned his head to look and had to stop the interrogation, cupping his hands to salute the newcomer.

The person who arrived was none other than the Supervisory Pavilion Master, Lou Hongtao, He Jian's direct superior.

"Pavilion Master Lou."

Mi Han took the initiative to walk toward Lou Hongtao.

Lou Hongtao's expression was unpleasant, his gaze stern.

He glanced at the dead Yezhao in the cell, then locked eyes with Mi Han:

"Such an important prisoner was handed over to you; how were you guarding him?"

These words made Mi Han freeze, his face immediately sinking.

The number of sorcerers is smaller, and because they can refine evil-suppressing treasures, their status is generally higher than that of martial artists.

Furthermore, the Pavilion Master of the Law Enforcement Pavilion is the current Imperial Preceptor, True Lord Yunshu.

This makes the status of the Law Enforcement Pavilion appear even more transcendent among the six pavilions.

After all, the Pavilion Master of the Stop-Goe Pavilion is only a Grandmaster, and certainly cannot sit on equal footing with True Lord Yunshu.

Although the Supervisory Pavilion can supervise all officials, its level of supervision over the Law Enforcement Pavilion is the smallest; in many cases, problems involving sorcerers are solved by sorcerers themselves.

Over time, people from the Law Enforcement Pavilion naturally carry a sense of superiority, feeling that their status is higher than their colleagues in the other five pavilions.

Mi Han is a level 17 pavilion official, one level lower than Lou Hongtao, but he does not feel in the slightest that he is inferior to Lou Hongtao.

In terms of cultivation base, he can even look down on Lou Hongtao!

So, upon hearing Lou Hongtao's blunt questioning, he immediately retorted:

"Pavilion Master Lou, before this person was sent to our Law Enforcement Pavilion, he passed through the hands of your Supervisory Pavilion and the Stop-Goe Pavilion. And the cause of this person's death is sudden expiration, not being assassinated by someone breaking into the prison. So, I should be the one asking you: was something done to this prisoner before he was sent here?"

Not only did he refuse to admit fault, but he also tried to shift the blame!

Bai Yan, standing to the side, could not bear it any longer and stepped forward:

"Vice Pavilion Master Mi, I personally escorted this person back to the capital; are you suspecting me?"

Mi Han looked at Bai Yan without showing any weakness: "Your Stop-Goe Pavilion sent four people to guard the prisoner closely. Now that the person is dead, if we are talking about who has the greatest suspicion, it is certainly your Stop-Goe Pavilion!"

Bai Yan laughed: "I escorted the prisoner for over a thousand miles without incident, yet the moment he was sent into your Law Enforcement Pavilion's dungeon, something went wrong. You have been casting spells on him these past few days; do you think you can absolve yourself of responsibility?"

Mi Han was also so angry he laughed: "If I really wanted to harm him, would I be stupid enough to do it while I was casting spells on him..."

"Enough!"

Lou Hongtao suddenly shouted, interrupting the two's argument.

Among everyone present, his official rank was the highest, and only he had the qualifications to reprimand Bai Yan and Mi Han.

The dungeon quickly quieted down, and the surrounding subordinate officials all lowered their heads, acting like quails, pretending they had heard nothing and seen nothing.

"He Jian."

Lou Hongtao looked at He Jian, who was frowning and deep in thought, "What do you think?"

He Jian is a famous master detective of the Supervisory Pavilion and one of Lou Hongtao's most trusted subordinates.

This master detective had not disappointed Lou Hongtao in many major cases in the past, and Lou Hongtao very much hoped it would be the same this time.

"I would like to request an autopsy on Yezhao."

He Jian did not jump to a conclusion easily, but instead requested an autopsy first.

Autopsy is also a very profound field of study; many unexpected clues are hidden on a corpse.

And He Jian is the Supervisory Pavilion's most brilliant autopsy expert!

"This matter is not urgent; before I came, I had already submitted a report to the Chief Grand Secretary and His Majesty."

Lou Hongtao said, "Wait for the reply first."

Thus, the cell became quiet again, and the several big figures waited here together.

The reason they were shifting blame onto each other just now was also because they were very clear about the severity of this matter.

More than half an hour later, Feng Cheng, holding an imperial decree, walked into the dungeon with a man and came before everyone.

Seeing the two, the several big figures all wore serious expressions.

Feng Cheng, the imperial eunuch who always stays by the Emperor's side, goes without saying; his personal arrival to announce the decree represents the Emperor's emphasis on this matter.

The man who came with Feng Cheng was wearing the official robes of a pavilion official; his name is Hu Tingzhong, the youngest pavilion official in the history of the Central Secretariat, and also a student of the Chief Grand Secretary Ye Ze, as well as a Grand Secretary of the Purple Void Hall.

The entire court of civil and military officials is well aware that Ye Ze intends to groom Hu Tingzhong as his successor, and the other party is highly likely to be the next Chief Grand Secretary!

Hu Tingzhong has arrived, and what he brings is naturally the will of that Chief Grand Secretary.

"His Majesty has a decree."

Feng Cheng held the imperial decree and said in a loud voice.

Everyone present, some knelt on one knee, some bowed in salute.

"Order Supervisory Pavilion Master Lou Hongtao to take full responsibility for the case of the prisoner Yezhao's sudden death, and investigate the truth within five days. This is the decree!"

Hearing this decree, the expressions of Bai Yan and Mi Han were somewhat heavy.

"Your subject, receives the decree!"

Lou Hongtao stepped forward two paces and received the imperial decree with both hands.

After Feng Cheng left, Hu Tingzhong took two documents from his sleeves:

"Vice Pavilion Master Bai, Vice Pavilion Master Mi. The Chief Grand Secretary has ordered that until this case is clarified, you two are to temporarily set aside all matters at hand and fully cooperate with the Supervisory Pavilion in investigating this case."

After speaking, he handed the two documents in his hand to Bai Yan and Mi Han respectively.

At this, the expressions of Bai Yan and Mi Han changed completely.

The two of them were already Deputy Pavilion Masters of a pavilion; even if Lou Hongtao was the Pavilion Master of the Inspection Pavilion, he could not order them around.

But now, with these two documents from Ye Zean, it was different.

To say something disrespectful, compared to the Emperor, the two of them were actually more wary of Ye Zean, this Grand Secretary.

"He Jian."

After Bai Yan and Mi Han both accepted the documents, Lou Hongtao immediately gave an order:

"You are to perform an autopsy on Ye Zhao immediately!"

"Yes."

He Jian walked into the prison decisively.

Then, Lou Hongtao looked at Bai Yan and Mi Han again:

"I must trouble the two Deputy Pavilion Masters to accompany me back to the Inspection Pavilion."

The death of Ye Zhao triggered an "earthquake" in the imperial court and the public!

Even the two Deputy Pavilion Masters were implicated because of this, which left many people gasping in astonishment.

However, this "earthquake" did not affect Li Fei, who was painstakingly studying the dual cultivation of magic and martial arts within the Royal Library.

He did not yet know that the witness he had brought back from the Tomb of Heavenly Water was already dead.

He also had no heart to pay attention to the case right now.

Because no matter what, strength was the most fundamental thing.

Without strength, his desire for revenge would just be a joke.

Even if the Emperor favored him, it was impossible to target a Grandmaster and the Lu family—who possessed one Marquis and three Earls—for the sake of a Marquis whose potential was exhausted.

Spending nearly ten days, Li Fei finished reading all sixty-one secret manuals on the dual cultivation of magic and martial arts on the seventh floor!

He did not seek to master every method in the manuals, but only wanted to find a train of thought to solve the problems with his Dao foundation, so his reading speed was very fast.

On this day, Li Fei ascended to the eighth floor to continue reading new secret manuals.

May 23rd.

Li Fei had been in the Royal Library for almost a month.

Because of the continuous damage brought by the Heavenly Water Soul Bone, the Ten Thousand Blood Bead completed its upgrade again, reaching level 30:

【Ten Thousand Blood Bead

Level: Level 30, 18%

Blood Soul: 568 (1141)

Blood Soul Skills: Blood Rage (Strong), Blood Fiend (Strong), Blood Might (Strong), Blood Spring (Strong), Blood Breath (Extreme)

Transformation Skill: Blood Demon (Strong)】

After the upgrade, the number of Blood Souls increased by 58, and the total blood capacity became 1141.

It was just that because the Heavenly Water Soul Bone was still continuously causing damage, the number of Blood Souls within the Ten Thousand Blood Bead kept hovering around 50%.

Below 50%, it would trigger 【Blood Breath】, and once it recovered to 50%, it would drop again, cycling like this.

After a month of effort, Li Fei had now ascended to the tenth floor, preparing to read the last secret manual on the dual cultivation of magic and martial arts on the tenth floor.

During this period, he turned a deaf ear to the world outside, and no one came to disturb him.

"《Cultivating Martial Arts Through Techniques, Refining the Body as a Vessel》?"

Looking at the name of the secret manual in his hand, Li Fei showed an interested expression.

He flipped to the first page of the manual and read the outline:

"The Martial Dao is internal cultivation; the Technique Dao is external seeking. A True Person's natal magic treasure can be viewed as a foundation of the Martial Dao outside the body.

Since one can refine an external magic treasure as a Dao foundation, can one conversely refine the Dao foundation within a martial artist's body as a magic treasure?

This book explores the way of cultivating the Martial Dao through the methods of the Technique Dao, refining a martial artist's body into a magic treasure, thereby achieving the unity of magic and martial arts."

After finishing the outline, Li Fei's eyes lit up.

Because the method of dual cultivation of magic and martial arts written in this book was something he had never seen before; it was an unprecedented perspective!

He looked at the author of the book—Bai Zihao.

He immediately summoned Ji Qian to inquire about this person's life.

"Replying to the Marquis, Bai Zihao was a Martial Saint of the previous dynasty and a Grand General of Divine Might, who was later slain on the battlefield by the founding Emperor."

Ji Qian did not hesitate in the slightest as he said to Li Fei.

He had not been idle during this time and had done a lot of homework in advance.

"A Martial Saint of the previous dynasty?"

Li Fei was startled, "Since it is a secret manual left behind by a Martial Saint, why is it only placed on the tenth floor?"

In the Royal Library, the higher the floor, the higher the level of the secret manuals.

A secret manual written by a Martial Saint should at least be placed on the highest, twelfth floor.

Ji Qian glanced at the secret manual in Li Fei's hand and explained with a smile:

"The Marquis may not know, but this manual in your hand has been read by more than one Grandmaster, and even the Grand Marshal has read it. But in the end, everyone's evaluation of this manual was that it was heterodox and whimsical.

Therefore, the value of this manual dropped again and again; if it hadn't been written by a Martial Saint, it wouldn't even have made it to the tenth floor."

What kind of content could make a manual written by a Martial Saint be deemed heterodox?

Li Fei's curiosity was greatly aroused; after thanking Ji Qian, he began to browse the manual.

Just like that, he sat in the room until late at night.

He had read the previous manuals very quickly, seeking only a general understanding to see if they were helpful to him.

But he read this manual very slowly, almost repeating every page and every word.

Because this manual truly opened up a brand-new world for him!

According to Bai Zihao's concept, one must refine a martial artist's body as a magic treasure!

After entering the Possession Realm in the Technique Dao, one must continue to incorporate magic-type implants to refine oneself into a magic treasure.

At that time, there would be two sets of implants within the human body: one set of implants forming the Dao foundation, and the other set of implants becoming the core of the magic treasure.

Seeing this, Li Fei finally understood why this book was deemed heterodox and whimsical.

The cultivation of the Martial Dao was designed and created with reference to the limits of the human body; even incorporating one set of implants carried the risk of physical collapse and mental loss of control, so how could it be possible to incorporate another set?

Moreover, the dual cultivation of magic and martial arts would naturally produce conflict; just incorporating one type of magic-type implant in the body would lead to ever-increasing conflict with the Dao foundation as one's cultivation realm improved, let alone incorporating more magic-type implants?

Finally, and the most difficult point, the human body is a vessel of flesh and blood, unlike materials like steel or ore, and its strength and toughness cannot compare.

Most crucially, if one makes a mistake in refining a magic treasure, one can at most refine it again, but if one makes a mistake in refining the human body as a magic treasure, wouldn't that be an irreversible catastrophe?

This was the reason why Bai Zihao's manual was considered to have no value.

It could exist as a possibility, having academic value and providing some inspiration to later generations.

But to actually master it was simply impossible.

Even Bai Zihao, who wrote this manual, only wrote down the theory and did not leave behind any practical content.

But to Li Fei, this manual was like a light illuminating him!

What was an insurmountable chasm to others was something Li Fei, who possessed the Ten Thousand Blood Bead, could walk across as if on flat ground.

It was impossible for others at the Dao Foundation Realm to incorporate more implants into their physique, but Li Fei's vitality was even stronger than that of a Martial Dao Master, so he could completely continue to incorporate implants.

Others could not resolve the conflict between the two types of magic and martial implants, but Li Fei could endure it by force.

Others used their bodies as vessels, and one wrong step meant death, but Li Fei had the Ten Thousand Blood Bead to transfer the damage and was not afraid of making mistakes at all.

"This is simply tailor-made for me!"

Li Fei was overjoyed.

Although Bai Zihao's cultivation method was whimsical and extremely difficult to practice, it had one advantage: it could easily solve the problem of magic-martial fusion.

The Dao foundation merges with the human body, and the human body is refined into a magic treasure, so the power of the techniques would naturally merge with the Dao foundation because they all come from the same body.

The dual cultivation of magic and martial arts had two difficulties: one was magic-martial conflict, and the other was magic-martial fusion.

Bai Zihao's cultivation method was equivalent to reducing the difficulty of magic-martial fusion by ten times, then increasing the difficulty of magic-martial conflict by ten times, and also increasing the danger of cultivation by ten times!

However, this was just right for Li Fei.

With his physical strength, if he refined it into a magic treasure, the magic power he could wield would definitely far exceed that of a normal Possession Realm Archmage.

Afterwards, by fusing magic and martial arts, he would have the opportunity to affect the Heavenly Water Soul Bone within his Dao foundation.

Having worked hard for nearly a month and finally finding a path that seemed feasible, Li Fei stood up happily and paced back and forth in the room several times.

After calming his mood, Li Fei sat down again, intending to study the manual in his hand all night and not sleep.

On June 2nd, Li Fei suddenly summoned Feng Cheng and then requested the Emperor to allow him to overdraw the cultivation resources he would be able to exchange for as the Marquis of Jing'an over the next five years in advance.

He did not ask directly because he was very clear about the necessity of clear rewards and punishments.

The Emperor allowed him to stay in the Royal Library for three months to read all the secret manuals at will; this was already an extremely exceptional reward, unprecedented!

Li Fei thwarted the conspiracy of the New Heaven Society, slew a Martial Dao Master, and captured Ye Zhao.

Plus, he broke historical records to become the first Dao Foundation Realm cultivator in history, which was also beneficial for the improvement of the nation's fortune.

Adding these together, along with the Emperor's deep favor for him, barely managed to shut the mouths of others.

But if he were to be rewarded with a large amount of cultivation resources next, it would be unjustifiable.

Therefore, Li Fei took the initiative to propose overdrawing his exchange quota as the Marquis of Jing'an for the next five years, so that he would not be criticized.

Feng Cheng soon brought back the Emperor's verbal message:

"Granted."

Thus, Li Fei immediately contacted Datong Prefecture, asking Green Face Villa, Green Origin City Management Company, and the newly established Feixin Trading Firm to pool money for him.

In this era, no matter how high a cultivator's talent is, they cannot get anywhere without money.

Fortunately, Green Face Villa had already unified the martial arts world of Datong Prefecture; even though Li Fei forbade many profitable but unscrupulous activities, after possessing such a large territory, its earning power exceeded that of the Duanmu family, who were known as the richest in Feng Province.

Green Origin City Management Company and Feixin Trading Firm were also continuously profitable.

Especially the newly established Feixin Trading Firm, which first gained a foothold in Datong Prefecture through food delivery, and now, with the support of Garrison Commander Bian Jingru, had started the "Feixin Lottery," earning a fortune!

So when Li Fei suddenly proposed that he needed money, Datong Prefecture, as his "base camp," successively transferred three large sums to him:

Green Face Villa transferred 8. 5 million.

Green Origin City Management Company transferred 1. 6 million.

Feixin Trading Firm transferred 3. 8 million.

Adding them up, it was a total of 14. 9 million!

This amount was the limit that could be taken out without affecting the normal operation and development of the three parties.

The annual salary of a Grand Secretary in the Central Cabinet is roughly between 200, 00 and 500, 00.

Without taking bribes or earning extra income, it would take at least 20 years to save up 10 million.

Of course, the vast majority of those Grand Secretaries in the Central Cabinet certainly have a net worth exceeding 10 million, and some might even be extremely wealthy!

However, being able to produce 10 million in cash at any time is not something everyone can do.

Therefore, Li Fei could now barely be considered to have some wealth.

Of this 14. 9 million, he first paid 3 million to the imperial court, exchanging it for a large number of spell-type implants, elixirs, and precious materials for refining magic treasures.

After all these items were in hand, Li Fei began his attempts inside the Imperial Library.

The Imperial Library was quiet and safe, with no one to disturb him, and he could consult secret manuals at any time, so Li Fei planned to complete his dual cultivation of magic and martial arts right here.

He first tested his own "material properties" using the spell-type implants and various refining materials.

Although this cultivation method of Bai Zihao was entirely theoretical and lacked practice, the theory written down was very complete.

Li Fei could be certain that when this Martial Saint originally wrote this secret manual, he must have had spell-casting experts and masters skilled in refining by his side for reference.

In the secret manual, Bai Zihao wrote a set of methods for testing one's own "material properties."

So-called "material properties" are which refining materials the various tissues of the body are close to in nature, and which can serve as substitutes.

Only after all of one's "material properties" have been tested can one begin to consider which type of magic treasure one is suitable to be refined into.

This process cannot be completed by theoretical knowledge alone, because the fields involved have already exceeded pure martial arts and spell arts.

Fortunately, Li Fei had True Person Qingding, the former number one alchemist in the world, whom he could consult.

Alchemy and refining are connected in many aspects.

If True Person Qingding were willing, he could also become a quite outstanding refiner. Even if he couldn't become the best in the world, he would at least be in the top twenty!

With the guidance of True Person Qingding, Li Fei's process of testing "material properties" went very smoothly.

Sometimes he couldn't help but wonder, is there a destiny in the dark?

Having the Ten Thousand Blood Bead, having True Person Qingding as a "grandfather" by his side, and having the qualification to read the Imperial Library at will and the support of the imperial court's resources.

If even one of these conditions were missing, he would have no way to embark on this path of "cultivating martial arts through spells, refining the body into a treasure."

June 27th.

Li Fei completed the test of all his "material properties," and the materials and implants exchanged for the 3 million in capital were almost completely exhausted.

The testing process was smooth and the results were clear, but he encountered a difficult problem:

The "material properties" of all his body tissues were recorded in Bai Zihao's secret manual, except for one thing that had no "material properties" recorded—

Blood Soul.

Requesting monthly tickets.

(End of chapter)