National Division

Chapter 23 Shen Xian: Golden Lotus Skill?

Shen Xian quickly flipped through the notes, and the spiritual treasure in his spiritual platform also organized and absorbed the martial arts notes as he read them.

"Mysterious Gold Armor-Piercing Technique", "White Tiger Slash 108 Styles", "Instant Shadow Splitting Light Technique".

This is the name of the Shen family's traditional martial arts technique.

The name is simple, but the fact that my father used it to cultivate to the Innate Realm shows that it was extraordinary. Or perhaps, this technique only goes up to the Innate Realm.

Shen Xian's mind was racing with calculations.

Of course, the Azure Sea Waves Technique he is currently practicing has a nice-sounding name, but it is only a technique for the acquired stage.

"Let's try it out first and see what new things we can create by combining the two," Shen Xian thought to himself.

With this in mind, he activated the fusion option in the cultivation technique section.

Hmm, it requires fifty merit points?
Shen Xian did not hesitate and began to deduce the cultivation technique.

A short while later, after a moment of mental confusion, the two merged, and the words "Azure Sea Waves Technique" rapidly changed.

Before long, insights into the techniques came to him. Because of his foundation in the Azure Sea Waves Technique, Shen Xian did not find it difficult to grasp.

The new technique is completely different from the two techniques, or rather, it combines the advantages and characteristics of the two techniques.

"Gengjin Bishui Shenglian Gong"?

"Golden Lotus Skill?" Shen Xian blinked, his expression somewhat strange.

Metal generates water, creating endless cycles of life, with each step bringing forth a lotus flower. It's not surprising that the cultivation methods are primarily based on the metal-based techniques of the Innate Realm.

But can't we just keep going with the blue sea?
No, he must quickly find another cultivation method to integrate and change the name.

But at this moment, he did not have any martial arts internal energy cultivation manuals in his hands.

"Fine, I'll use it for now." Shen Xian thought to himself and began to circulate his internal energy along the new path.

Because the new cultivation method is still based on the Azure Sea Waves Technique in the early stages of the Acquired Realm, it does not require too much effort to change.

"It's just that compared to the Azure Sea Waves Technique, which has a longer aftereffect but lacks sharpness, the new technique adds more sharpness to the internal energy." Shen Xian felt a surge of realization.

Shen Xian then looked at the 108 forms of the White Tiger Slash, which were far more refined than the Iron Chain Sword Technique.

As for the Bagua Knife Technique, that's a common, mass-produced technique, mainly focused on solidifying the foundation of knife skills, and it's not comparable to other techniques.

Shen Xian absorbed the martial arts notes with great eagerness, and time passed silently until late at night before he finally fell into a deep sleep.

As the rooster crows at dawn, the east turns white.

Early in the morning, Shen Bin and his three brothers, Zhao Lang and Li Yan, finished breakfast and, accompanied by five or six yamen runners and led by the village head, headed to the dilapidated temple that the village head had mentioned. They also went to Yizhuang to see the body of the murdered man.

Shen Xian was not idle either; he was studying the fused cultivation technique in the inn and testing its new characteristics.

"After switching to the new cultivation method, the bottleneck that had been blocking me for so long seems as thin as a cicada's wing." Shen Xian was feeling his internal energy at this moment.

Or rather, it adds the sharpness of the metal element technique, making it more effective in breaking through realms and reaching a higher limit.

"If nothing unexpected happens, I will be able to directly enter the fourth level of the Acquired Realm today. I have a feeling that in a few days, I will be able to directly enter the sixth level of the Acquired Realm. This is the domineering power of the Innate Realm." Shen Xian clicked his tongue in amazement.

Of course, the Azure Sea and Vast Waves technique is the best for building a foundation. The internal energy is like the Azure Sea and Vast Waves, ever-flowing, gentle and long-lasting, which allows for the accumulation of knowledge and skills before unleashing its full potential.

I always felt that my martial arts training was deliberately laid under my father's watchful eye, with the foundation of the Azure Sea Waves Skill.

Shen Xian was not a true youth, naive to the ways of the world. As a veteran who had fought in the legal world for many years in his previous life, his insight into human nature and his grasp of people's hearts had reached a sublime level.

I always felt that Shen Bin and Li Yan did this on purpose.

But these are not important.

It's just the first stage of the acquired realm.

Recalling the gloomy face of Qingyang Temple, Shen Xian's eyes, beneath his sword-like brows, darkened.

The weapon of criticism can never replace the criticism of weapons.

Suppressing the chaotic thoughts in his mind, Shen Xian went to the courtyard. The postmaster, Sun, greeted him with a smile, "Young Master Shen, your father has already set off."

Shen Xian said, "Uncle Sun, prepare the wine and meat in advance, and wait for Father and the others to return." Sun Yicheng smiled and said, "Everything has been prepared, Young Master Shen, please rest assured."

Shen Xian didn't say anything more, turned around and went back to his residence, preparing to break through to the fourth level of the Acquired Realm.

……

……

Meanwhile, Shen Bin, Li Yan, Zhao Lang, and a few others had arrived at the dilapidated temple that Zhou Lizheng had mentioned.

The temple was utterly dilapidated, with broken walls and knee-high weeds, but perhaps because many people had passed through recently, there were still a few paths.

Zhou Lizheng said, "Young Master Shen, this is it."

Shen Bin nodded and led a group of constables into the room, saying, "Be careful, watch out for snakes and insects."

The crowd responded in unison, and then entered the room in a grand procession.

In the center was a Buddhist niche, where the clay Buddha statue had long since collapsed to the ground, its features unrecognizable, while the roof beams were covered with cobwebs.

Zhou Lizheng said, "After the tragedy, the village sent people to investigate, but they found nothing unusual."

Shen Bin said, "Demons are skilled in illusions and can conceal their tracks, so we need to investigate carefully."

After wandering around for a while, apart from some broken walls, collapsed beams and clay sculptures, there was indeed nothing unusual.

At this moment, Shen Bin activated the revealing talisman and channeled his true energy. The talisman in his palm transformed into a streak of light. With a "whoosh," a white crane appeared amidst the flowing light and shadow, circling above the temple.

It seemed to be investigating something.

Meeting Zhao Lang's gaze, Shen Bin said, "This talisman is activated by demonic energy. If there is any demonic aura, it will definitely be able to detect it."

However, the white crane's shadow circled once, passed through the dilapidated houses overgrown with weeds, and arrived at a wall that was charred black.

"Is there some kind of demonic aura here?" Li Yan said, gripping his steel knife tightly, his eyes wary and sharp.

Shen Bin then activated the Fiery Talisman in his hand.

No matter how fierce the demons are, they will all turn to ashes under the raging flames!
Because the talisman was drawn by Shen Bin's own innate essence and blood, its activation was almost instantaneous.

However, the white crane phantom circled for a moment and then made no further moves.

Zhao Lang looked thoughtful and asked, "Brother, could this brick wall have been left behind by demons?"

Shen Bin was also a bit flustered and said, "Let's go take a look."

Li Yan, with his sharp eyes, said, "Brother, they look like some murals."

Shen Bin gripped the Blazing Sun Talisman tightly in his hand, his gaze solemn, and said, "Be on guard, take a closer look."

As they spoke, the crowd gathered around, their minds secretly on guard.

On the left side, there is a picture of a Buddhist nun and celestial maiden chanting sutras. However, due to its age, the wall has peeled off and is becoming increasingly mottled and blurry.

On the right, a Buddha appears as an angry Vajra, with a large sun above his head and riding a white elephant, seemingly subduing a three-headed serpent.

“Brother, these celestial maidens… are all naked, and they are so lifelike,” Li Yan said, frowning.

After all, he was someone who had roamed the world and was used to the ways of the world, so he showed no change in expression.

At this moment, Shen Bin saw the pattern of the celestial maiden's flesh offering on the wall and sighed, "These Buddhist monks are ignorant of the etiquette of the Central Plains and are immoral. No wonder that at the beginning of the founding of the country, the founding emperor ordered people to destroy the mountains and temples and expel the monks."

After all, he was from the Shen family of Lanxi, and in his early years he had learned in the clan school why the founding emperor of the Great Jing Dynasty revered Taoism and suppressed Buddhism.

The Buddhist community is a den of iniquity. It is said that a high-ranking monk surnamed Shi from a previous dynasty was extremely wealthy, had many women, and had more than a hundred illegitimate children.

Even after the suppression of Buddhism and the promotion of Taoism, the atmosphere of the Great Jing Dynasty was still influenced by the Hu (non-Han) culture, and it was much more open about matters of men and women than in previous dynasties.

Zhao Lang suddenly realized, "No wonder those men came to this dilapidated temple; they must have been initially attracted by these murals."

Shen Bin nodded, a serious look appearing in his eyes.

(End of this chapter)