Demon Slaying, Gaining 60 Years of Cultivation From the Start

As a Superior Martial Skill, the Golden Bell Shield, when brought to full fruition by Gu Chen, could naturally do more than just boost his strength to the second level of the Vajra Stage, as solid as copper-cast and iron-forged.

Once reaching full maturity, aside from the enhanced protective power of the Golden Bell, there was also the addition of the force of the dragon and the tiger to his physical strength, allowing Gu Chen's bodily power to temporarily reach an impressive increase, breaking directly through to above two hundred thousand catties.

Moreover, through this Superior Martial Skill, Gu Chen had achieved a perfect harmony between his internal and external strength. Relying solely on his physical defense, not even a top-grade precious weapon could cut through his flesh; maybe he could even shatter it with his bare hands.

At the same time, now whenever he willed it, robust strength could reach every part of his body. This was not Inner Breath, but a type of power contained within his body, which could be transmitted to every corner of his body in a special way.

In other words, if Gu Chen wished, even his spit now possessed tremendous lethality, like an arrow, with powerful penetrative force.

At the same time, when hard, his muscles were like pure gold and steel, and when soft, they could be as powerless as cotton. He had truly achieved invulnerability to blades and spears, untouched by water and fire. When he struck, his power was like thunder and wind, his body light as a feather, exceedingly swift, capable of running on waves without sinking.

He could ignore the terrain with just the soles of his feet, treating all ground as level.

This was precisely the result of a perfect harmony of strength, even surpassing the copper-cast and iron-forged level of martial artists, a capability brought to Gu Chen by the Golden Bell Shield reaching full fruition.

The ability gave Gu Chen the ease of controlling every muscle and bone in his body. In other words, Gu Chen's Face-Changing Skill had reached the realm of full maturity without needing the aid of human skin masks like others.

Seeing that there were still seventy points of skill points on the panel, Gu Chen did not choose to further enhance the Golden Bell Shield.

For, just reaching full maturity had already consumed a total of fifty-two skill points. If he aimed for perfection, it would consume even more points, possibly even doubling.

At this stage, Gu Chen's physique was already strong enough, and he had a premonition that the third level of the Vajra Stage, "Body like a Savage Dragon," was not so easy to reach. Even if he elevated the Superior Martial Skill, the Golden Bell Shield, to perfection, it might still not be possible.

After all, Gu Chen's foundation was too well laid, his base was extremely robust, so the difficulty for him to make a breakthrough was several times higher than for other martial artists.

After pondering for a moment, Gu Chen did not choose to deduce the Condensing Pulse Sword Wave and the Burning Vein Finger. After all, these two martial skills, one high-grade and the other mid-grade, would not deduce a Superior Martial Skill. According to past experience, the deduced martial skills would still only be high-grade.

With limited skill points, Gu Chen chose to improve the Four Extremes Propping Heaven Fist. He spent twenty-eight skill points, bringing this technique to the level of minor achievement.

Gu Chen had a vague guess that if this martial art reached perfection and fused with the Great Vajra Fist, it might very well deduce another Superior Martial Skill.

Hum!

As the Four Extremes Propping Heaven Fist reached minor achievement, a series of martial experiences flooded into Gu Chen's mind. He saw a martial artist stretching his limbs, at that moment, his hands and feet seeming to transform into four pillars propping up heaven and earth, each move possessing immense power, enough to shake one's soul.

After improving the Four Extremes Propping Heaven Fist, there were still forty-two skill points left on the panel. He didn't choose to bring it to perfection, also due to the insufficient remaining skill points.

The last of these skill points was then added to his cultivation level.

Boom!

The already profound Inner Breath of 464 years saw further growth, reaching an astonishing 506 years!

With 506 years of Inner Breath, coupled with Gu Chen's accumulation at the Vajra Stage, it was no exaggeration to say that he was unprecedented and unparalleled.

No one could accumulate such a terrifying level of cultivation at the Vajra Stage. Even a martial artist at the Gang Qi Stage could not compete with Gu Chen in terms of cultivation alone.

Following this enhancement, Gu Chen even harbored a thought to arm-wrestle with a martial artist of the Gang Qi Stage, of course, one who was at the level of Internal Gang Qi.

A martial artist of External Gang Qi, having achieved the externalization of Gangqi, would undoubtedly not be his match; to fight against such would be nothing but self-humiliation.

At this point, within the Vajra Stage, martial artists at the indestructible level of Golden Bell Shield could not rival Gu Chen.

Even when facing a martial artist of the Vajra Stage at the level of "Body like a Savage Dragon," Gu Chen could completely avoid contesting the physical body, winning simply with his superior cultivation.

Gu Chen's enhancements were fast this time. After he was done, he spent some time getting familiar with them. By the time dinner came, Gu Chen had returned to Qiongtian City.

At that moment, when Gu Chen entered the city, Wen Ziyun had already received the news. He had informed the servants and was preparing a feast to welcome Gu Chen.
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When Gu Chen arrived at the mansion, he was invited inside, where Wen Ziyun was waiting for him. Seeing Wen Ziyun, Gu Chen clasped his fists with a smile and said, "Lord Wen, I have successfully completed the task and slayed all the demons."

Subsequently, Gu Chen recounted the recent incident to Wen Ziyun. Upon hearing that the ambushers were from the Demon Sect, Wen Ziyun's expression instantly turned solemn.

He immediately explained to Gu Chen, saying it was his fault for not investigating fully before informing Gu Chen and offered him an apology.

After all, if something were to have happened to Gu Chen, the court would definitely hold him accountable, and the Jing Tian Department would not let him off either.

Considering Gu Chen's current fame, strength, and talent, as long as he didn't fall, he was bound to become another commanding figure like the Metropolitan Procurator of the Jing Tian Department, which the department certainly cherished.

Moreover, Wen Ziyun also feared that Gu Chen would hold a grudge against him for this matter. After all, it was indeed his failure to investigate thoroughly that nearly caused Gu Chen to fall into a trap.

"Lord Wen, you take it too seriously. People of the Demon Sect are exceedingly cunning and truly difficult to guard against," said Gu Chen at that moment.

Hearing this, Wen Ziyun nodded his head, and at the same time, he silently sighed in relief that Gu Chen's strength was strong enough to prevent any mishap this time.

Afterward, he scrutinized Gu Chen carefully and noticed something amiss.

Although he was not a martial artist himself, holding a high position, as the master of an entire mansion, he had seen many martial artists; he recognized at a glance that the Gu Chen before him had changed somewhat from before.

Wen Ziyun felt that Gu Chen seemed more restrained now, with all his vital energy hidden within his body, exuding a hint of returning to simplicity and truth.

In the span of just a few hours, could it be that Gu Chen had made another breakthrough?

"Could it be that he has reached the second level of the Vajra Stage, 'Bronze Cast Iron Forged'?" This thought flashed through Wen Ziyun's mind, but then he shook his head and dismissed it.

He was well aware that Gu Chen had just become the Metropolitan Procurator of the first order, and it had not been long since his breakthrough into the Vajra Stage. How could he have advanced into the second level so swiftly?

Such progress would be impossible even for those with innate martial bodies, let alone through mere eating and drinking.

At that moment, Wen Ziyun smiled and said, "Lord Gu, please wait a moment. I have already instructed my servants, and the banquet is being prepared. Furthermore, having heard that Lord Gu has come to Qiongtian Mansion, many within Qiongtian City have heard your name as if it were thunder piercing the ear, and they wish to meet you in person."

Upon hearing these words, Gu Chen also responded with a smile, "Lord Wen, you flatter me. Gu Chen is young and hardly deserves such attention, nor is my reputation that widespread. It is my honor to make the acquaintance of such distinguished persons."

Seeing that Gu Chen had agreed, the smile on Wen Ziyun's face deepened. He had indeed been afraid that Gu Chen might hold a grudge against him due to the recent incident. Now, it seemed that Gu Chen did not, which allowed Wen Ziyun to fully relax.

"It appears that Lord Gu Chen has a broad and open mind, and indeed he is an amiable person," Wen Ziyun silently thought to himself while continuously exchanging pleasantries with Gu Chen.

The venue for the welcome banquet was set within the master's mansion, and Wen Ziyun had invited the best chef from the city's top restaurant to personally come to the mansion to prepare the dishes.

Soon, many carriages arrived at the entrance of the mansion; some prominent figures from within Qiongtian City had come.

After all, Gu Chen was representing the Jing Tian Department there and would need to be stationed there for a while. Holding a rank equivalent to or even higher than Wen Ziyun's, these powerful figures from the mansion city and various prominent families naturally wanted to come over to meet Gu Chen.

At the very least, they needed to establish a good relationship, and they also wished to ascertain Lord Gu's temperament. Of course, if they could befriend him, that would be all the better.

Though Gu Chen was not particularly fond of such business settings, there was no helping it, as he was representing the Jing Tian Department and thus had to endure mingling with these people.

The welcome banquet this time truly brought together all the eminent figures from the mansion city. Some even brought female family members, such as their daughters or granddaughters.

They had all heard of Gu Chen's extreme youth, that he was only in his twenties yet had already become a first-order Metropolitan Procurator of the Jing Tian Department, with the potential to become a future Garrison Commander and even been titled as a viscount. Whether he stayed in the Jing Tian Department or entered politics, he had a promising future ahead, so they all harbored certain designs.

If Gu Chen took a fancy to a lady from their family, they too would rise to great heights.

Among them were some officials from the mansion city and members of noble families.

After all, within the entire Qiongtian Mansion, even Wen Ziyun's status wasn't as noble as Gu Chen's, whose titles were too numerous.

This was why Wen Ziyun humbled himself and added respect in his treatment of Gu Chen. If it had been Xu Qing who had come, Wen Ziyun certainly would not have acted in the same way.

This was the advantage that strength and fame brought; with these two, one's status naturally rose.

Soon, as the wine passed around for the third time, the atmosphere in the hall became extremely lively. Emboldened by the alcohol, many guests with their female relatives approached Gu Chen, taking the opportunity to strike up a conversation with him.

The ladies present were all of good temperament and beautiful looks; none that were unsightly were brought along.

Seeing Gu Chen so young and promising, handsome, and with even better skin than theirs, they all developed little schemes in their minds. They exhausted every trick in the book to engage in conversation with Gu Chen, with some of the bolder ones being extremely audacious, wishing they could spend the night in his bed tonight and bear his child, thereby binding Gu Chen to them firmly.

However, beauty had no effect on Gu Chen. In his previous life, when he was at the peak of his career, he had experienced the nightlife. What kind of woman hadn't he seen? Kyushu was, after all, an ancient society. In this regard, his previous life in the modern society was more libertine.

That night, Gu Chen excused himself from the banquet early, using drunkenness as a pretext, leaving Wen Ziyun and the others to continue their conversations.

While business networking was necessary, leaving in a timely fashion was not an issue. After all, at the banquet, Gu Chen held the highest status. He could leave whenever he wished; no one could stop him, nor would anyone dare to.

Upon Wen Ziyun's earnest invitation, Gu Chen would reside in the city lord's mansion for the duration of his time in Qiongtian City. Wen Ziyun even provided Gu Chen with a spacious guest room, along with four young and beautiful maidservants to attend to him.

However, Gu Chen did not have them serve him and had the four leave instead. At this stage, Gu Chen was not in the mood for such services.

Quickly, a full night passed during Gu Chen's cultivation. Early the next morning, a guard at the door came to him and delivered a letter.

"Lord Gu, this is an invitation for you."

Gu Chen was puzzled and asked, "An invitation for me?"

He had only been in Qiongtian City for his second day; he didn't know anyone, so who could be sending him an invitation?

Immediately after, Gu Chen took the envelope and glanced at it. Four large characters were written on it: "Yao Platform Grand Assembly."