Chapter 304 - 174: Emergence! Transformation
Jingwu Bureau, sixteenth floor underground, inside the secret chamber.
Chen Sheng sat cross-legged, his posture as still and imposing as an ancient pine on a silent mountain.
Suddenly, the jet-black official robe he wore began to move without any wind, rustling audibly.
Then, a vast and powerful aura erupted from his body, instantly filling the entire sealed stone chamber.
Invisible ripples seemed to spread through the air, and even the light from the Luminous Pearls embedded in the walls dimmed in response.
He slowly opened his eyes, and for a split second, the dark room was flooded with white light.
Two beams of brilliant light, so condensed they seemed tangible, flashed from Chen Sheng’s eyes, illuminating the dim underground chamber as if it were broad daylight before receding back into profound calm.
Then, Chen Sheng raised his hands, palms up, as if holding up a thousand-ton weight, then slowly pressed them down. The turbulent aura around him converged, becoming perfectly smooth and contained.
His consciousness slowly sank into his sea of knowledge, and the pale golden Celestial Book Panel appeared before his eyes.
[Blood Slaughter Floating Light Body: Perfection (179/2000)]
[Six Extremes Golden Bell Technique: Perfection (756/2000)]
[Fishing Toad Force Secret Technique: Perfection (1899/2000)]
[Mental Realm: Level One (342/500)]
Looking at the progress on the panel, a satisfied smile touched the corners of Chen Sheng’s mouth.
The rewards from this seclusion, which lasted nearly forty days, had far exceeded his expectations.
First was the *Blood Slaughter Floating Light Body*, a Body Technique from the Blood River Sect, which he had now mastered to a degree.
He had previously tested it in the confines of the quiet chamber. His movements were faster than a phantom, leaving a trail of afterimages. Compared to before his seclusion, his speed had more than doubled.
If he activated the Life-or-Death Struggle Escape Technique, "Blood Shadow Escape," his speed would increase several times over, enough to turn the tide at a critical moment.
His long-standing weakness in Body Techniques had not only been shored up but had now become one of his strengths.
Next was the progress in his Cultivation.
After refining most of the fifty-year-old Earth Core Spirit Milk from the Wang Family, the Nine Nether Profound Gang in his Dantian had grown even more powerful and condensed. Although he was still some distance from perfecting his Profound Gang, this rate of progress was nothing short of astonishing.
He had even inquired before; the speed at which ordinary people refined Spiritual Objects was slower than his by a massive margin.
It made Chen Sheng suspect that he might truly be a genius in the Martial Dao.
Then there was the *Fishing Toad Force*, a Secret Technique that improved one’s innate talent and constitution.
After refining a large amount of Spiritual Objects, its hidden, miraculous effects finally began to truly manifest.
Not only was it subtly improving his physique, but it also seemed to provide a unique boost to refining and absorbing the Primordial Qi from Spiritual Objects.
It was thanks to this that his cultivation path had been so smooth and swift.
Finally, there was the significant improvement in his Mental Realm.
Previously, Chen Sheng had struggled to make progress in cultivating his Mental Realm, but there was nothing he could do about it. That changed when his *Demon-Suppressing Triple Extremes Saber* reached perfection, and a qualitative transformation occurred as a matter of course.
It wasn’t that a new Mental Realm was born; rather, the essence and spirit of the technique had completely merged into his existing Mental Realm.
This not only caused the progress of his Mental Realm to soar but also added a unique power to it—one that was resolute, fierce, and capable of suppressing demons and vanquishing evil.
One could even say that the greatest boost to his strength from this seclusion was the change in his Mental Realm.
Taking into account the advancements in all his techniques and Cultivation Techniques, although Chen Sheng hadn’t tested them against an opponent, he was certain of his own power.
Below the Mystic Realm, he was confident that he was already invincible, with few who could stand against him.
Against those at or above the Mystic Realm, even without using the Life-Saving Talisman from Sun Yuzhi, he could rely on his current Cultivation, Body Technique, formidable physique, and his transformed Sword Intent.
Chen Sheng was confident he could hold his own, and perhaps even trade his life to grievously injure his opponent.
At this thought, a cold glint flickered in Chen Sheng’s eyes.
And the first name that came to mind was that bald donkey Xuanbei from Golden Spring Temple.
During the month he was in seclusion, that old bald donkey had laid multiple schemes against him, all with the goal of luring him out of the Jingwu Bureau to make a move on him.
And the methods he used were utterly despicable.
’That old bald donkey actually tried to use my family to threaten me!’
However, much to Monk Xuanbei’s disappointment, Chen Sheng had no living relatives; they were all long dead. Unable to find his weak spot, the monk was forced to give up.
After that, the old bald donkey set his sights on the Xu Family.
He plotted to make a move against the Xu Family to draw out Chen Sheng’s confidant, Xu Shenzhi, and then, in turn, lure out Chen Sheng himself.
However, warned by the Celestial Book’s [Seeking Fortune and Avoiding Evil] ability, Chen Sheng didn’t fall for the trap. No matter how Monk Xuanbei targeted the Xu Family, he never took a single step out of the secret chamber.
Although Xu Shenzhi wanted to ask for his help, he held back because of Chen Sheng’s prior instructions and ultimately gave up on the idea.
In the end, he had temporarily opened the secret chamber to send a message to Sun Yuzhi, asking her to dispatch other experts from the Jingwu Bureau to step in. Only then was the trouble for the Xu Family resolved and the matter concluded.
Now, Monk Xuanbei’s target had shifted to Wu Kuang, who had just been transferred to the Prefecture City. The monk just hadn’t figured out a suitable pretext to make his move yet.
It was safe to say that the bald donkey Xuanbei’s actions had finally angered Chen Sheng.
He had previously thought that, given Golden Spring Temple’s resources and power, he wouldn’t push them too hard over their share of the spoils from the Wushan Mountain battle. But now, Chen Sheng had made up his mind.
’In this Wushan Mountain battle, aside from their initial, fixed share, Golden Spring Temple can forget about gaining a single extra bit of profit!’
...
"RUMBLE..."
The heavy stone door of the secret chamber slowly slid open with the sound of grinding mechanisms.
The two Jingwu Guards standing watch outside stiffened. They immediately bowed with clasped fists, their voices filled with sincere reverence:
"Congratulations on emerging from seclusion, Captain Chen!"
"Mm."
Chen Sheng gave a slight nod and casually flicked two golden leaves, which landed precisely in the two guards’ hands: