Chapter 175: Great Sun Scripture

Before reaching the Grandmaster Realm, True Qi reigns supreme, dictating one’s strength.

But beyond that threshold, the physical and mental systems take precedence, with True Qi serving as an amplifier.

This is precisely why Shen Changqing sought a potent internal energy skill.

The higher the grade of the internal energy, the purer and more potent the True Qi it generates.

Consequently, the amplification effect of True Qi becomes significantly stronger.

With a powerful internal energy skill bolstering him, he could potentially amplify his physical body’s Qi and blood by four or five times.

Moreover, when dealing with demons, the support of formidable True Qi would prove invaluable.

Demons exist in a state between the tangible and the intangible.

And so does True Qi.

Shen Changqing dismissed the Qian Tian Divine Skill without a second glance, returning it to its place before picking up another martial art.

Bright Moon Profound Record!

An appealing name, to be sure. But after perusing its opening pages, he shook his head in disappointment, returning it to its shelf.

Compared to the Qian Tian Divine Skill, the Bright Moon Profound Record was merely a decent martial art.

Its grade fell short of the Qian Tian Divine Skill, though it surpassed his current Heavenly Martial Gang Qi by a fraction.

Having broken through its limits, the Heavenly Martial Gang Qi could be considered an exceedingly powerful skill. However, each subsequent level required an exorbitant amount of slaughter points, making a skill with a higher ceiling more practical.

After all, the slaughter points required to advance a martial art remain consistent until one achieves Perfection or breaks through a limit, at which point the costs escalate exponentially.

Given this constraint, seeking a martial art with a high ceiling is preferable to clinging to one with a low one.

If nothing else, the slaughter points consumed in subsequent advancements would be significantly less.

It’s a simple principle.

For a martial art with only twelve levels to Perfection, each level might cost four slaughter points. But beyond the twelfth level, the cost doubles to eight, and by the sixteenth, it jumps to sixteen.

But if one were to acquire a martial art with twenty levels to Perfection, the cost might be five or even seven or eight slaughter points per level, but it wouldn’t reach sixteen points before Perfection.

Furthermore, during cultivation, transitioning from his existing Heavenly Martial Gang Qi would minimize detours, ensuring minimal loss of strength.

With no loss of power and a reduced expenditure, the benefits are self-evident.

The second level held a wealth of martial arts, which Shen Changqing examined one by one.

Fortunately, each martial art began with a concise summary, saving him from wasting too much time discerning the differences.

After an hour or two, his gaze settled upon one particular martial art.

Great Sun Scripture!

Legend claimed it was a Sect Martial Art conceived by a Buddhist master who, contemplating the ever-changing world before the Great Sun Tathagata Buddha, achieved enlightenment. Upon mastery, its True Qi would resemble a blazing sun, possessing boundless power.

"Great Sun Scripture!"

"A quintessential Yang-elemental internal energy skill, somewhat akin to the Pure Yang Skill I initially cultivated. However, the Great Sun Scripture is far more domineering, and its potential far surpasses anything the Pure Yang Palace could offer."

Clutching the martial art in his hands, Shen Changqing’s eyes burned with anticipation.

The Pure Yang Skill had a limited ceiling.

While its Pure Yang True Qi was formidable, it lacked the searing intensity of Great Sun True Qi. Furthermore, the Great Sun Scripture’s potential was significantly higher, pointing directly toward the Grandmaster Realm.

What truly captivated him was a passage at the end of the description.

Upon achieving mastery, the Great Sun Scripture could complement the Great Sun Furnace of the physical system, propelling the martial artist’s body to the pinnacle.

From this description alone, it was clear that the martial art, upon mastery, could replenish and strengthen one’s Qi and blood.

Ordinary martial arts generated True Qi that was difficult to channel back into the body, and even if they could, the effect was limited.

But the Great Sun Scripture…

It could synergize with the Great Sun Furnace of the physical system.

Shen Changqing suspected that the "Great Sun" in the name, aside from its connection to the Great Sun Tathagata, also alluded to the Great Sun Furnace Realm.

For this reason, he resolutely chose the Great Sun Scripture.

Taking a seat on the floor, Shen Changqing directly opened the Great Sun Scripture, memorizing its contents.

Name: Shen Changqing
Faction: Great Qin Demon Suppression Division
Identity: Earth-Rank Demon Slayer
True Intent: Hundred Battle True Intent
Martial Arts: Invincible Golden Body, Heavenly Martial Gang Qi, Iron Sand Palm, Celestial Luo Stepping Gait, Mountain Opening Palm Technique, Willow Floss Movement Technique, Great Sun Scripture
Slaughter Points: 3

Seeing the words "Great Sun Scripture" appear above, Shen Changqing finally set down the manual.

The panel had recorded it.

This proved that he had fully memorized the martial art.

All that remained was to elevate the Great Sun Scripture.

Having fully memorized it, he realized its potential was even greater than he had imagined.

In truth, Shen Changqing had not truly studied many internal energy skills – a Pure Yang Skill with nine levels, and a Heavenly Martial Gang Qi with twelve.

Compared to these, the Great Sun Scripture possessed a full twenty-five levels.

It was the first martial art he had encountered with such heights.

Needless to say, once mastered, the Great Sun Scripture would unleash a world-shattering power.

"Twenty-five levels of Great Sun Scripture… even if each level costs eight or ten slaughter points, I’m still making a huge profit! This trip to the Martial Pavilion was definitely the right choice!"

Shen Changqing’s eyes gleamed.

The Demon Suppression Division’s Scripture Repository certainly didn’t possess martial arts like the Great Sun Scripture.

Let alone the Great Sun Scripture, it probably didn’t even have skills like the Qian Tian Divine Skill.

He had previously spoken with Jiang Zuo, and there were discrepancies between what the latter had said and what he now understood.

It was evident that Jiang Zuo, despite being the Warden of the Yellow Division Demon Slaying Courtyard, was in essence only a Black-Rank Demon Slayer. He wasn’t privy to many high-level affairs.

And his own status now was significantly higher than Jiang Zuo’s.

After thoroughly studying the Great Sun Scripture, Shen Changqing didn’t leave the Martial Pavilion, but continued to browse the martial arts.

He had found his internal energy skill; now he needed to find a suitable external martial art.

After much searching, and considerable time, he finally found a promising skill.

Tathagata Golden Body!

Like the Great Sun Scripture, the Tathagata Golden Body originated from Buddhism. Moreover, this external skill pointed directly toward the Great Sun Furnace Realm. The notes at the end stated that its power would increase to some extent if cultivated alongside the Great Sun Scripture.

From this, it could be inferred that the creator of the Tathagata Golden Body lived after the Great Sun Scripture.

The Great Sun Scripture made no mention of improved effects when cultivated alongside the Tathagata Golden Body, indicating that the former had been created before the latter existed.

After an hour or two, Shen Changqing had memorized the Tathagata Golden Body as well.

Suddenly, he felt a pang of sympathy for the Buddhist faith in this world. Two supreme martial arts pointing directly to the peak of the Grandmaster Realm had ended up in the hands of the Demon Suppression Division.

He could well imagine that the Buddhist sect hadn’t willingly surrendered these skills.

"Speaking of which…"

"There’s a Buddhist sect in this world, but I’ve never interacted with them. I’ve only heard of their name in Jianghu."

In every world, there was a Buddhist sect.

Shen Changqing wasn’t particularly curious about Buddhism. It was only now, after cultivating two Buddhist martial arts, that he had thought of it.

Then, he glanced at his panel, thinking to himself.

"With the Tathagata Golden Body as my external skill and the Great Sun Scripture as my internal energy skill, I might be able to create a martial art that shatters the limits of the physical system if I fuse the Invincible Golden Body and the Tathagata Golden Body.

As for offensive means, the Hundred Battle Saber Technique is sufficient. I’ll find an opportunity to fuse the Iron Sand Palm and the Mountain Opening Palm Technique, and then there won’t be any major issues.

The martial artist themselves is the foundation. Any offensive technique is based on that.

With my current strength, even a simple punch is far more powerful than a Innate Realm martial artist who has perfected an offensive martial art."

The essence of martial arts lies within the martial artist themselves.

After reaching the Grandmaster Realm, Shen Changqing had gradually come to a number of realizations.

Therefore, the intricacies of martial arts techniques only come into play within the same realm.

The true determinant of strength is the martial artist themselves.

Unless, one day, he reaches an insurmountable bottleneck, that would be the time to focus on exquisite martial arts.

Otherwise, his existing skills were more than adequate.

Any more, and he would be unable to fully digest them.

Leaving the Martial Pavilion, Shen Changqing saw Tan Tianji sitting there once again.

Out of courtesy, he offered a greeting before attempting to leave.

Unexpectedly, Tan Tianji called out to him.

"Wait!"

"Is there something you need, Elder Tan?"

"I have a mission here. Would you like to accept it?"

"A mission?"

Shen Changqing looked puzzled.

Missions were usually obtained from the Demon Slaying Hall, not from individuals.

Seeing this, Tan Tianji smiled. "Don’t misunderstand. This mission is different from others. It concerns internal affairs of the Seclusion Pavilion. To be precise, the mission doesn’t originate from me, but from the Demon Subjugation Pavilion."

"Please elaborate, Elder Tan."

Involving the Demon Subjugation Pavilion, Shen Changqing didn’t immediately refuse.

He was quite interested in the other branches of the Seclusion Pavilion, but had never had the opportunity to learn more about them.

Tan Tianji’s words offered a chance to gain insight into the Demon Subjugation Pavilion.

"It’s nothing major. The Demon Subjugation Pavilion is responsible for the Demon Prison. Each year, they send people into the Demon Prison to reinforce the seals. As you know, the Demon Prison holds numerous sealed demons.

Although the seals should prevent any demons from escaping, it’s always best to be cautious. The people of the Demon Subjugation Pavilion are primarily focused on research, so their strength is lacking. Therefore, they usually have experts accompany them when they enter the Demon Prison."

End of Chapter