We made you practice martial arts, and you've mastered the Great Golden Body?

The sound fell with a resounding thud.

Shen Bailian's last sentence, in particular, revealed his domineering nature.

Upon hearing this, Xiaoqing's blue eyes suddenly rippled, and she looked at the man in disbelief.

The man who emerged from the thick fog.

Although they had known each other for over a month, Xiaoqing felt as if she was meeting Shen Bailian for the first time until today.

The phrase "judge by actions, not intentions" was truly thought-provoking and resonated deeply with Xiaoqing.

Although Xiaoqing has lived in this world for hundreds of years since she began cultivating, her snake life experience is far less exciting than a normal person's few decades of life.

In this world, there are usually two paths for monsters to cultivate.

One type is rather bloodthirsty, rapidly increasing its cultivation by devouring the essence of flesh and blood of other living beings. As the head of all spirits and the darling of heaven and earth, the human race naturally becomes the best source of that essence.

There are no requirements regarding cultivation qualifications or biological category.

For some powerful carnivorous animals, this training method can be said to have no barriers to entry.

However, monsters who cultivate through this method are often quite violent and their magical powers are mixed, making it difficult for them to achieve enlightenment.

However, it is not impossible to achieve enlightenment through other means.

For example, one could become the mount of a powerful being and gain a position in the Heavenly Court or the Western Paradise.

The only cost is an additional layer of constraint.

The second path is the Fairy Path.

This cultivation method involves absorbing the essence of heaven and earth and immersing oneself in the radiance of the sun and moon. The cultivation speed is relatively slow. If no unexpected events occur, absorbing the essence of heaven and earth for a year will only increase one year's cultivation level.

The cultivation speed is slow.

However, this orthodox cultivation method also has many advantages.

One of its advantages is that during the process of absorbing the essence of heaven and earth, it will not cause anything that would harm one's merits, and one does not have to worry about being inexplicably drawn into some great calamity.

The second advantage is that once one has sufficient cultivation, one can directly cultivate to become an immortal.

Xiaoqing and Bai Suzhen, both snake demons, chose the latter path of cultivation.

This is one of the reasons why Xiaoqing dares to swagger around in Lin'an City. When asked, she simply says, "A person with a clear conscience has nothing to fear."

But she never imagined that there was a monk like Fahai in the world.

Or rather, in this world, most people who exorcise demons will choose to kill the monster the moment they encounter it.

Of course, we cannot rule out the possibility of some people who are extremely audacious.

"Hehe, this humble monk understands." The anger in Fahai's eyes slowly subsided. After understanding the meaning of Shen Bailian's words, he had a general idea.

This wasn't the first time Shen Bailian had encountered this monster.

However, knowing that the woman in front of him was a snake demon, Shen Bailian not only did not report her to the authorities, but also chose to protect her and plead for the snake demon.

Yes.

In Fahai's view, everything Shen Bailian said was a plea for Xiaoqing.

There's also a certain probability that he was bewitched by the snake demon Xiaoqing.

He actually said something to a snake demon about how a gentleman judges by actions, not intentions.

A demon is a demon, and a human is a human. How can a demon become a gentleman, and how can he be compared to a human? Do we really have to wait until this demon harms people before we arrest him?
This was absolutely unacceptable to Fahai.

Sudden.

Swish!
"I will never forget your great kindness today." Xiaoqing looked at Shen Bailian deeply, imprinting his face into her heart for the first time.

Then, taking advantage of Fahai's attention shifting to Shen Bailian, he suddenly exerted force.

It slid into the lake next to it in a flash.

Then, like a dragon entering the sea, its massive body, several meters long and as thick as a bucket, swam rapidly along the silt at the bottom of the river.

In the blink of an eye, they had moved hundreds of meters away.

However, apart from the faint ripples spreading outwards, there was no other movement on the lake surface.

Xiaoqing and Bai Suzhen have completely different personalities. Although she is somewhat impatient, she also has a bit of a chivalrous spirit and a strong sense of justice.

Under normal circumstances, Xiaoqing would never abandon Shen Bailian and run away like that.

But dreams are often grand, while reality is often harsh.

Although Xiaoqing's battle with Fahai lasted only a short while, the difference in their raw strength was simply too great.

Having endured two consecutive Vajra Handprints, Xiaoqing was already severely injured.

During the subsequent battle with Fahai, Xiaoqing was already burning through her own cultivation, and could be said to be at her last gasp.

Therefore, after sensing that glimmer of hope, Xiaoqing immediately chose to make a quick getaway.

A monk is still a monk.

The Song Dynasty is not yet in its twilight years; it is at its zenith.

As the abbot of Jinshan Temple, Fahai was not alone in this world; behind him were hundreds of young monks.

Within Lin'an City, it was utterly impossible to lay a hand on a constable with an official position; doing so would be tantamount to challenging the authority of the imperial court. However, if the county government of Lin'an City were to discover that Shen Bailian was secretly colluding with a snake demon like Xiaoqing...

What awaits Shen Bailian is imprisonment.

Therefore, Xiaoqing clearly understood that if she stayed behind while seriously injured, she would not only be unable to help Shen Bailian, but would also cause Shen Bailian to be imprisoned.

Therefore, it's best to run away as soon as possible.

Even if Shen Bailian were indeed thrown into prison by the yamen runners afterward, Xiaoqing was confident that she could break into the prison and rescue Shen Bailian once her injuries improved.

After all, she was a snake demon with hundreds of years of cultivation.

If he can't beat Fahai, the abbot of Jinshan Temple, can't he at least beat some ordinary martial arts practitioners?

……

“Benefactor, you are somewhat attached to appearances.” Seeing this, Fahai sighed helplessly, put his hands together, and softly uttered “Namo Amitabha Buddha.”

Fahai knew that catching up with the green snake in the water was simply wishful thinking.

To capture that snake demon today is a pipe dream.

"Humans and demons are different, benefactor. Remember, in this vast sea of ​​suffering, there is always a shore to return to." Fahai was quite annoyed by Shen Bailian's interference in this matter.

But there is nothing to do.

What Xiaoqing could think of, how could he, as the abbot of Jinshan Temple, not think of?

On the way to Lin'an City, Fahai had heard a little about Bai Lian, a constable with superb martial arts skills.

Highly skilled in martial arts, generous, handsome, intelligent, kind-hearted, not arrogant, and compassionate... Although he has only been in Lin'an City for a little over a month, the praise for Shen Bailian is already countless.

He became the dream lover of many respectable women.

Even with evidence in hand, Fahai couldn't guarantee that he could persuade the county magistrate to arrest Shen Bailian without using his special privileges.

He understood some of the intricacies of human relationships in the mundane world of officialdom.

For a young master like Shen Bailian to become a chief constable in just over a month, there must have been some influence from money.

Besides, there's no evidence left now.
After saying this, Fahai shook his head helplessly and prepared to leave.

however.

"Wait a minute." Shen Bailian stood still, arms crossed, eyebrows slightly raised, looking down at the shorter Fahai, and said arrogantly, "I have long heard of Master Fahai of Jinshan Temple from my elders at home. I'm so used to hearing about him that I'm practically calloused."

Upon hearing this, Fahai paused in his tracks, his brows furrowing slightly as he calmly looked at Shen Bailian.

"Master Fahai truly deserves the title of master." Looking at Fahai, who remained unmoved by his provocation, Shen Bailian spoke with heartfelt admiration:

"I have long heard that the master not only has profound Buddhist knowledge, but has also been a master of martial arts for more than 20 or 30 years, and his skills have reached a superb level."

"I have been practicing martial arts since I was a child, for more than fourteen or fifteen years now, but the future is uncertain. For more than a month now, I have not made any progress. So I would like to take this opportunity to learn from Master Fahai."

This was Shen Bailian's second objective in taking action.

If Shen Bailian wants to maximize the benefits, he needs to first understand his actual strength and what level he is at in this world.

Fahai, on the other hand, is a relatively perfect whetstone.

As for asking for advice?
It's essentially a friendly competition through martial arts.

Fahai, being a martial arts master, naturally understood this principle, but there was a question—is it so easy to become a martial arts master nowadays?
far away.

"Tsk tsk tsk, this guy? He seems a bit scary. Could it be that the Martial Star has descended to the mortal realm to undergo tribulation ahead of schedule..." The owner of Baoqingfang on the roof of Fenglelou looked at the arrogant Shen Bailian, whose tail swayed in the breeze.

The previous contempt has vanished.

"In just over ten years, he has transformed from an ordinary person into a martial arts master, and now he is only one step away from the realm of the celestial beings."

If he wasn't a Martial Star, then his talent was truly terrifying. Bao Qingfang's calm expression vanished instantly.

While the innate realm can be achieved through abundant resources and tireless effort day and night.

The Grandmaster realm depends entirely on talent and comprehension, requiring the body's qi and blood, and spirit to be perfectly integrated, forging oneself into a furnace of qi and blood.

Even if the Martial Star descended to earth, it would still take at least ten years for an ordinary person to cultivate to the level of a Grandmaster.

It would take at least five or six more years to reach Shen Bailian's current level.

As for whether Shen Bailian might be bragging, the owner of Baoqingfang has the ability to see through people's hearts. After careful observation, she can be 99% certain that Shen Bailian is not bragging.

But is that really possible?

Of course it's possible.

Because Shen Bailian is still an eighteen-year-old teenager, and it has been about ten years since he embarked on the path of martial arts.

As for the uncertain future?
Of course, it's not a lie either.

As mentioned earlier, there have been voices of doubt from the Great Xia government regarding the current cultivation system based on the Dragon Gate Seed.

"Alright." After thinking for a moment, Fahai decided to grant Shen Bailian's request.

"Master Fahai, come with me. It's not safe to act freely inside the city." Shen Bailian said, then turned around, jumped onto the roof, and rushed out of the city.

Fahai, without suspicion, immediately followed. (End of Chapter)