Xu Yunfan ignored the eunuch before him who dread of becoming the King of the Wheel, instead reaching into the box and pulling out a bizarre, eight-ard, three-headed wooden Bodhisattva statue.
He didn’t use his hands, instead using a pair of chopsticks to lift it from the box.
The Bodhisattva statue was exquisitely carved. The expression on its face, a smile that wasn’t quite a smile, exuded an elusive, mysterious charm.
What caught Xu Yunfan’s attention most were its eyes. They were like the final, animating touch on a painted dragon—profound and spirited, as if endowing the entire wooden carving with a vibrant Life Force.
Each of the Bodhisattva statue’s three faces held a different expression.
One face was filled with wrath, its eyes glaring wide.
One face was tranquil and serene, its expression peaceful.
The last face was bristling with rage, its brow deeply furrowed.
Its eight arms were a mass of knotted, bulging muscle. Each one seed to contain limitless power, layered like plates of armor. Though the Bodhisattva was seated cross-legged, it was poised to strike, as if it might leap up and throw a punch at any mont.
"You have encountered an ominous presence."
"The figure visualized through your cultivation of the Lin Character Technique seems to have reacted. The ominous aura has been digested. The Skill Level of the Lin Character Technique has increased."
As he watched the notifications quietly materialize in his vision, Xu Yunfan’s hand trembled uncontrollably.
If the second ssage hadn’t appeared just in ti, he would have violently hurled the eight-ard, three-headed Bodhisattva statue away.
"What is this thing?"
"He is not a thing!"
Qin Bo looked at the wooden Bodhisattva gripped between the chopsticks. A trace of mockery and excitent flickered across his face before being replaced by a pious reverence.
"The Eight-Ard, Three-Bodied Powerful Awakening Bodhisattva of Calamity. He reveals compassion amid hardship and disaster. When sentient beings fall into dire straits, trapped in delusion and unable to escape, the Bodhisattva wields his Divine Power—the imnse Divine Power of flesh and blood—to scatter the shadows, shatter the shackles of their plight, and deliver them from the Sea of Suffering."
As he spoke, he looked up at Xu Yunfan, a strange smile spreading across his face as if he were sharing a long-held secret.
"Since I couldn’t find a way to regenerate my severed limbs through dicine, or even Secret Techniques, worshipping a true god wasn’t a bad alternative. Ever since I began worshipping the Powerful Awakening Bodhisattva, my body has started to change. In three years, so of the flesh where I was... cut... has already grown back."
Xu Yunfan’s curiosity was instantly piqued. He strode forward, his eyes filled with a probing intensity. "Here, let see."
"What are you doing? Don’t! Stop! What do you think you’re doing?!"
Qin Bo panicked, struggling desperately to get away.
With the RIIIIP of tearing fabric, Xu Yunfan leaned in to inspect him.
"It actually grew back a bit!"
Xu Yunfan exclaid in amazent, but inwardly, his expression grew grim.
He was beginning to realize that this seemingly familiar Martial Arts World concealed far deeper secrets than he had ever imagined.
’If there are Extre Daoists pursuing Immortals and seeking Longevity, then it stands to reason that Divine Buddhas might exist as well.’
Xu Yunfan pressed, "Where did this co from?"
As he spoke, he stood and released Qin Bo. Seeing his chance, Qin Bo scrambled to cover himself, his movents clumsy and awkward.
"Jiyun Mountain. Thousand Buddha Temple. It’s one of the Bodhisattvas enshrined there."
A fanatical glint appeared in Qin Bo’s eyes as he continued, his voice laced with impatience.
"Since you’ve now been exposed to the Powerful Awakening Bodhisattva, we are fellow travelers on the sa path! This power of fleshly regeneration can even rewrite your martial arts aptitude. I can teach you what to do. Now, hurry up and untie !"
Xu Yunfan slowly rose to his feet. Ignoring Qin Bo, he retrieved a long-handled, wooden Iron Hamr from inside the house.
It was a tool originally used by laborers for driving posts and repairing houses. He had bought it to use for his daily Cloak Hamr practice.
He walked slowly to Qin Bo’s side. Then, under the man’s horrified gaze, Xu Yunfan brought the hamr down with vicious force.
CRUNCH!
With a sickening thud, Qin Bo’s head burst like a waterlon smashed by a heavy hamr. Red and white matter splattered across the floor in a grueso scene.
"You struck an enemy with the Red Rope Copper Body Cloak Hamr. You feel you can now control your power with slightly more subtlety. The Skill Level of the Red Rope Copper Body Cloak Hamr has increased."
After a quick glance at the notification in his vision, Xu Yunfan swiftly dealt with Qin Bo’s corpse.
He pulled so silver taels and a small book from the man’s robes. After confirming there was nothing else of value, he dragged the corpse to the sewer outlet he’d built and dumped it into the Clear Water River.
The Clear Water River was ho to many black fish. A motionless corpse like Qin Bo’s would be devoured in a day or two, leaving nothing but white bones.
The book he’d taken from Qin Bo described a sacrificial ritual. Its contents were extrely bloody, requiring various human tissues for the offerings, but the steps themselves were not complex.
The entire text could be summarized by a single principle: total, heartfelt piety. One must relax and accept the Bodhisattva’s inspection and baptism.
Xu Yunfan’s gaze fell on the Powerful Awakening Bodhisattva statue he’d tossed on the floor. ’This sacrificial ritual must be related to it,’ he thought with certainty.
He flipped through it idly before tossing the book aside for now. Perhaps it would be useful later.
As for the contents of the glass jar, Xu Yunfan picked it up and casually tossed it into the Clear Water River as well.
He truly didn’t want to look at it again, fearing it would give him nightmares.
"Thousand Buddha Temple..."
Xu Yunfan gently touched the wooden statue of the Powerful Awakening Bodhisattva. Notifications about being affected by an ominous aura would occasionally appear in his vision, but thanks to his Lin Character Technique, the aura was neutralized and absorbed, transforming into notifications of his Skill Level increasing.
"You have been affected by an ominous aura."
"The blurry figure visualized through your Lin Character Technique has absorbed the ominous aura. The Skill Level of the Lin Character Technique has increased."
For now, Xu Yunfan set the wooden statue aside. He was still thinking about Fei Yao, the one who had been traveling with Qin Bo. ’But that’s not urgent,’ he thought. ’So things are too conspicuous to do during the day; it’d be too easy to expose myself.’
After breakfast, Xu Yunfan began to circulate his Blood Qi before imrsing himself completely in the Cultivation of the Flying Leg technique.
He planned to first train his Flying Leg to Great Success and set aside the Red Rope Copper Body Cloak Hamr for a day or two.
"By diligently controlling your leg muscles and circulating Strength through the Flying Leg breathing thod, your leg muscles have beco better suited to its thod of Emitting Force. The Skill Level of Flying Leg has increased."
"You have practiced Flying Leg several tis. You discover your steps have beco lighter, as if you could walk on walls. The Skill Level of Flying Leg has increased..."
He trained until nearly afternoon. Utterly exhausted, Xu Yunfan collapsed onto his doorstep, panting heavily. He continuously flexed and released his muscles, trying to calm the wildly surging Blood Qi within him.
In a single day, his Skill Level in Flying Leg had risen by more than forty points.
Flying Leg 977/1000 (Minor Achievent)
Special Effects: Walking on Thin Ice, Light as a Feather, Explosive Leg Strength, Tireless Movent, Agile Body
Xu Yunfan calculated to himself. ’If I give it my all again tomorrow, Flying Leg should reach the Great Success Realm.’
’At that point, having achieved Second Level Great Mastery in Muscle and Skin Training, the combined effects will bring a huge boost to my physical conditioning. My strength will naturally rise with it.’
He glanced up at the sky.
The sun was setting; night would soon fall.
「That night」
Dressed in black, Xu Yunfan slipped out of the house, carrying the wooden Iron Hamr and moving with silent steps.
(Apologies, everyone. The update schedule has been a bit unstable lately and will fluctuate so during the New Year. Generally, there will be one Chapter between 12 AM and 2 AM, and another between 7 PM and 9 PM. Thank you all!)
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