The Immortal Seeker: Legend of Bronze Mirror
Chapter 72 - 64 Fusion_3

Chapter 72: Chapter 64 Fusion_3

Xiao Yan, compared to him, indeed had much less wealth.

Xu Qing was also silently assessing Fayue.

The Martial Monks under his command all had bulging temples, whereas Fayue’s were not as obvious.

However, Xu Qing felt that Fayue’s Martial Arts skills were very high.

Because bulging temples are a manifestation of abundant Qi-Blood, but some masters are able to refine their skills to conceal this Qi-Blood. Xu Qing heard from Guard Wang that the Great Zen Temple possessed a similar Withered Zen Skill, within which resided old monks who appeared like decayed wood but contained vitality within, as vigorous as young dragons and fierce tigers once they made a move.

But Xu Qing did not see this himself; rather, he concluded this from the reactions of the monks. They subconsciously regarded Fayue as the leader, not wholly due to rankings or status. It was more like an instinctive fear.

Yet, however high one’s skills are, they would not withstand a strong bow and tough crossbow.

Hundreds of full-time military soldiers, arranged in formation with their equipment, Golden Ray Monastery probably wouldn’t last the duration of an incense stick, and would have its mountain gate trampled.

Since ancient times, if the court had tens of thousands of elite troops and generals at their command, sufficiently provided with money and grain, it could sufficiently suppress the world.

In fact, limited by the logistical capabilities of this era, large-scale warfare involving a hundred thousand troops is already at the limit of the age; any more and logistics simply cannot keep up.

And discipline is also a major problem.

Throughout ancient and modern times, there are few who can manage and control a hundred thousand troops.

Fayue was also secretly assessing Xu Qing.

He was actually quite shocked.

Because Xu Qing was recently cultivating Bull Demon Strong Fist, his entire being was vigorous and full of vital energy. With Fayue’s not-so-low skills, he could naturally see that Xu Qing’s Qi-Blood was profound, much beyond what a teenager could achieve.

He couldn’t help but internally exclaim "freak".

The golden age for Martial Arts training is between fourteen to twenty-five or twenty-six years old, which is also the period of growth.

Too early, and it’s not easy to grow tall.

Too late, the body has matured, and little potential remains.

But to cultivate Qi-Blood to such fullness as Xu Qing at the age of fourteen or fifteen is rare and definitely speaks of extraordinary talent.

"What a pity, what a pity, if Xu Sanyuan were a person of Golden Ray Monastery, then the Golden Light Spell accidentally acquired by our ancestor Red Moon might have found a successor."

The Golden Light Spell was a Cultivation Technique left by the ancestor Red Moon of the Golden Ray Monastery, but for many years, no one in the monastery had succeeded in cultivating it because the conditions for cultivating the Golden Light Spell were extremely stringent; one must be no older than sixteen, be a virgin, and have Qi-Blood more abundant than ordinary Martial Artists...

This made the threshold for cultivation too high, so much so that within Golden Ray Monastery, it was shelved away.

Not to mention the Golden Ray Monastery, even the Great Zen Temple seldom had anyone who met the criteria. And those that did had access to the profound practices of the Great Zen Temple, which made the Golden Light Spell redundant.

After all, the Golden Light Spell was not the orthodox transmission of the Great Zen Temple.

How could you compete for the position of head or abbot when your cultivation isn’t the authentic doctrine of your temple...

Moreover, Golden Ray Monastery also needed someone to successfully cultivate the Golden Light Spell to reinforce the seal inside the relic pagoda left by ancestor Red Moon.

Fayue felt quite regretful.

Xu Qing’s future was boundless; he definitely would not join the Golden Ray Monastery.

But if he couldn’t join, he still needed to form a good connection with Xu Qing.

After all, Xu Qing was now a local prominent figure, about to become a significant powerholder.

Who knows, one day, Golden Ray Monastery might need to rely on Xu Qing’s power to survive.

Fayue was cultivated by Golden Ray Monastery according to the standards of a renowned scholar; he himself could qualify as a Scholar, and even barely reach the standard of passing the Imperial Examination.

But he was a monk and naturally could not participate in the Imperial Examination.

However, knowing these things is akin to Oirans in Yingtian Prefecture learning the eight-legged essays, poetry, and songs— even if not proficient, by this knowledge, their value greatly increases.

Whether one is a monastic or a worldly person, everyone must learn how to market themselves.

In this world, every field is fiercely competitive.

It’s a pity that today’s Emperor, rather than a Tathagata Heavenly King, otherwise Fayue felt that with his abilities, he could make something of himself in the north.

Xu Qing and Fayue each harbored their own thoughts, yet on the surface, they were all smiles, and the time passed in mutual enjoyment.

After getting to know each other, Xu Qing waited for Guo Zhuang to arrive, then had Guo Zhuang take Fayue and others to meet Inspector Wu, to prepare for their trip.

This wasn’t troublesome, for Inspector Wu, on his way to take office, would also need the escort of the County Government’s Official Army.

But the combat effectiveness of these soldiers was even worse than the bandits under King Lin.

If not for this, Inspector Wu would not be so worried.

Fortunately, Inspector Wu understood human nature. Anyway, before setting off, he made up for a year’s salary for the Official Army, also known as the departure fee.

The literal meaning is as it suggests.

Going with you is called setting off. But matters of war, compensation, and others have a different price.

Honestly, if the court could deliver even one-tenth of the military salary to the soldiers, any Northern Barbarians, Eastern Barbarians, Southern Barbarians... count them all, they’d all be conquered.

Fayue and his group followed Guo Zhuang to the County Government, and Guard Wang and others returned to report.

For a time, Li Mansion quieted down.

Apart from this, Fayue’s master also lost a mama fan.

No choice, seeing Fayue’s master being highly respectful around Xu Qing shattered the image of a high monk in the eyes of mama fan Zhou Family.

Xu Qing had no time to console his aunt; he was simply too busy.

He had to seize this time to merge Bull Demon Strong Fist with Eight Diagrams Body Technique.

Yesterday was a heavy snow, but today was clear.

Xu Qing applied a layer of tung oil along the edge of the large water tank.

He first used the Eight Diagrams Body Technique in the snowy ground to perform Bull Demon Strong Fist, gradually, his body steaming with vapor. This was a sign of buoyant Qi-Blood.

At a certain moment, Xu Qing was struck by a revelation.

He leaped onto the large water tank, throwing punch with a purpose yet without, hovering between intent and non-intent.

The state of "Absolute Focus" burst out to its extreme.

Boom!

It was as if an explosion sounded in Xu Qing’s mind.

The Eight Diagrams Body Technique and the Bull Demon Strong Fist began to merge, each move, from initially being awkward and gradually becoming fluid, eventually, a formidable Martial Art technique took shape in Xu Qing’s mind.

Simultaneously, Xu Qing’s bronze mirror glowed faintly, with new text appearing in the Martial Arts column.