The Immortal Seeker: Legend of Bronze Mirror
Chapter 240 - 124: Magic and Martial Unity, Dragon Elephant Seal (Subscribe Plea)_3

Chapter 240: Chapter 124: Magic and Martial Unity, Dragon Elephant Seal (Subscribe Plea)_3

He never expected that Yan Kong had actually cultivated the Magic and Martial Unity of the Dragon Elephant Seal, the absolute skill embodying the essence of the Great Mighty Dragon Bodhisattva Scripture, capable of merging Divine Soul and Qi-Blood, expounding Dao Skills and Martial Arts.

As a result, even the Qi-Blood of Internal Martial Artists would hardly suppress such Dao Skills to their normal extent.

This was also a solution devised by previous Dao Skill masters to counter the natural restraint that a martial artist’s Qi-Blood had over Dao Skills.

However, the path of cultivation towards Magic and Martial Unity is not only extremely arduous, but the cultivation methods themselves are closely guarded secrets of various sects.

Those who can wield such absolute skills are already exceedingly rare among cultivators.

Moreover, within the Buddhist domain, there are Magic and Martial Unity absolute skills such as the Dragon Elephant Seal; and within the Taoist domain, there are also divine abilities like Palmar Thunder and Samadhi True Fire that integrate Magic and Martial Unity.

Gu Wuji could only hate inwardly that the True Gang Sect’s foundation was too weak, lacking such profound heritage; otherwise, he would not have suffered such a terrible defeat today.

At the same time, he felt even deeper resentment towards Xu Qing’s sneaky Dark Strength, which nearly cost him his life.

What terrified him more was that during their palm clash, Xu Qing instantly detected the stuck point in his Qi-Blood, finding his weak spot, and delivered a sneak attack with pinpoint accuracy, exacerbating his injuries.

Otherwise, he would not have been so gravely injured, almost to the point of death.

On reflection, this aspect was even more frightening than Yan Kong’s Dragon Elephant Seal.

What he did not know was that Xu Qing possessed the Innate Divine Ability of Heavenly Repairing Tribulation Hand, and having recently learned medical theory, his understanding of the human body had reached a new level.

Thus, upon their first contact in combat, through the Heavenly Repairing Tribulation Hand, he was able to sense Gu Wuji’s Qi-Blood circulation and discover his vulnerabilities.

Yan Fu was unaware of the terrifying significance of the stealthy strike Xu Qing had used on Gu Wuji, but he was well aware that in order to heal Gu Wuji, Duke Wei Mansion would have to pay a steep price.

With such a price, it’s hard to say whether recruiting a Refining Internal Master was a gain or a loss.

And yet, not to save him was not an option either; otherwise, who would offer their service to Duke Wei Mansion again?

Yan Fu sighed silently to himself.

Duke Wei Mansion in South Zhili had always been all-conquering, why is it that every time they encounter Xu Qing, they can never gain the upper hand?

...

...

On the other hand, after the event, when Xu Qing and Yan Kong reviewed the situation, Yan Kong insisted he was unharmed and ushered Xu Qing out of the meditation chamber.

Seeing this, Xu Qing could only leave.

After Xu Qing departed, Yan Kong took out one hand that had been wrapped in his robe sleeve.

Seeing the fine faint red fuzz growing on it, he couldn’t help but sigh deeply.

Now, the more he used his hands, the deeper he fell into his inner demons, and simultaneously, his power grew deeper, and hence his divine abilities increased.

But going on like this, he truly didn’t know when he might go mad, he thought to himself: "Thank goodness Mr. Xu has mastered the Golden Light Spell, if I ever cannot suppress the ominous within me, there is his Golden Light Spell to..."

Actually, skills like the Tiger Demon Bone Refining Fist and Golden Light Spell were delivered to Xu Qing by going with the flow.

Because he harbored the thought that if Xu Qing could master them, Xu Qing would be able to restrain him should he become completely demon-possessed.

And indeed, Xu Qing managed to cultivate the Golden Light Spell to a high degree without displaying any negative side effects.

This not only brought surprise to Yan Kong but also astonished him greatly.

"Logically, with Mr. Xu’s cultivation of the Golden Light Spell reaching such a level, if he forced himself to train further, his Divine Soul would inevitably be damaged. With his talent, he would naturally sense the dangers of continuing training ahead of time. Plus, I’ve also hinted at it indirectly. Someone as intelligent as him, knowing the great risks, should not continue to delve deeper into Cultivation.

However, the reality is obviously not so.

Because he can withstand the suppression of the Cold Ice Dao without being affected, it is evident that his spirit is intact and unharmed. Could it be that a scholar’s cultivation of character truly nourishes the spirit with a vast and resolute Vast Energy, compensating for the flawed aspects of the Golden Light Spell? Or has he found the Xuantian Visualization Method, a top-tier Celestial Stars Divine View?"

Regardless of which, Yan Kong had to admit that Xu Qing was a man of destiny, with deep and profound fortune.

"Moreover, he possesses the strengths of all three schools: Confucianism, Taoism, and Buddhism. Such persons have always been figures who could establish a lineage or be regarded as a founder within the three schools, it is my good fortune to encounter such a person in this life."

"It’s just a pity, a pity, I do not know if I can last to see that day."

Even now, without employing Martial Arts or Dao Skill, he would still gradually succumb to inner demons, but under the suppression of Buddhist Law, the process would become much slower.

"Fortunately, I have the Golden Body Tribulation Crossing Method, though this method consumes a great deal. I wonder if this time’s gains are enough for me to refine the Golden Body once more."

He used Gold as the material to cultivate the Golden Body Tribulation Crossing Method, which was also a key reason he could hold out until now.

It must be said, the calming and steadying properties of Gold are superior to many spiritual pills and elixirs, offering a significantly effective restraint against his Devil Thought.

Over the years, the finances of Golden Ray Monastery have dried up, outsiders all think it’s because Yan Zhi, the monk in charge of overseeing the temple’s finances, has embezzled quite a bit, but in truth, they do not know that Yan Zhi has taken the blame for many of his issues.

Of course, Yan Zhi himself has not been free from greed.

After all, when subordinates handle affairs, their superiors must inevitably turn a blind eye.

If the water is too clear, there will be no fish.

"May Buddha’s compassion prevail!" As Yan Kong thought thus, he ordered a novice monk to summon Elder Yan Zhi, preparing to have his teacher and fellow monk resume his position overseeing the temple’s finances.

...

...

News of Yan Kong’s victory over Gu Wuji quickly spread throughout the worldly society of South Zhili.

A defeat of a Refining Internal Master elevated Golden Ray Monastery’s reputation in the worldly society by a great deal.

The prestige of the Great Zen Nan Sect was firmly established.

One must admit, Gu Wuji’s extensive reputation, built from north to south, ultimately benefited the old Monk in the end.

...

...

The hustle and bustle of worldly society could not affect the marking of the rural examination in South Zhili.

The chief examiner, Shen Mo, saw the decreasing number of answer sheets for the first round’s Four Books exam, yet he could not determine which one was Xu Qing’s paper.

This time’s exam saw many talented participants, but compared to Xie Quan’s paper, there was a clear difference in quality.

Based on his understanding of Xu Qing’s scholarly abilities, it was unbelievable for him not to produce a top-notch paper on such a straightforward and honorable topic as the Four Books. Could it be that Xu Qing only managed to produce a paper of good quality? On par with those well-known talents of South Zhili?

"No, that can’t be right. Even at his worst, using the skills from my Yi Jing insights to produce a sharp and striking Four Books paper should not be difficult for him."

"Where exactly has the problem occurred?"

"Could it be that I need to look for his work among the Five Classics papers?"

Since Xu Qing’s Four Books paper was not recommended for selection, Shen Mo found it inappropriate to look through the Five Classics papers. Moreover, without a defined scope, there were simply too many papers to search for the missing one.

While Shen Mo was fretting, down in the great hall, a fellow examining official suddenly cried out in surprise.

Under the watchful eyes of all, his cry of surprise naturally drew the attention of those around him.

Shen Mo, already feeling irritable, heard the examiner’s exclamation and snorted coldly:

"Why are you behaving so improperly?"

The fellow examiner realized his mistake, hurriedly apologized, and then said, "There’s been cheating."

He promptly lifted the paper in his hand and declared loudly, "I report to the chief examiner, someone has used the works of past Saints to masquerade as their answer sheet."

The surrounding examiners and supervisory officials... everyone displayed an incredulous look.

Could there truly be an examination candidate in this Rural Examination so foolish?

It was an eye-opening revelation!

Thus, everyone’s curiosity was thoroughly piqued.