Terran Guardian

Right after the two Martial Arts fused, Shen Changqing felt his body's aura decay at an extremely fast rate. It was as if all of the Martial Arts that he had Cultivated for many years had been abolished in one fell swoop.

That feeling of weakness made his face pale.

But soon, Qi and blood instantly surged up from all parts of his flesh, expelling all that feeling of weakness.

Immediately after that, a huge amount of information appeared in the depths of his mind.

Under the impact of the info dump, Shen Changqing fell into a dull state.

A quarter of an hour had passed.

An hour...

It was only then did Shen Changqing gradually wake up from his disoriented state.

"[Impregnable Golden Body]!"

This was the name of the new Martial Art.

He looked at the panel.

___________________________

Name: Shen Changqing

Faction: Great Qin Demon Suppression Division.

Status: Yellow Rank Official Slayer

Martial Arts: Impregnable Golden Body (Level 5, can be upgraded), Heavenly Martial Astral Qi (Level 13, can be upgraded), Hundred Battles Sword Technique (Level 2), Iron Sand Palm (Level 3), Heaven Capturing Astral Steps (not yet activated)

Killing Value: 23

___________________________

[T/N: Gliding Steps ---> Heaven Capturing Astral Steps]

The panel was now much more clean and concise, but his Killing Value was also significantly consumed.

Fusing two Martial Arts did not weaken Shen Changqing's overall strength. On the contrary, it even enhanced it a bit.

The Level 2 of the [Hundred Battles Sword Technique] was much stronger than the Level 3 [Seven Killings Blade Technique] in terms of subtlety. Not to mention that the former was a Martial Art that allowed one to comprehend True Intent.

According to Jiang Fu, in order for a Cultivator to break through to the Grandmaster Realm, they must comprehend True Intent.

Although it was said that any Martial Arts Cultivated to perfection could enlighten one with True Intent, in Shen Changqing's opinion, the probability of it happening was very slim.

The more affinity one has with the Martial Art, the easier it would be to comprehend True Intent.

Currently, the result of the fusion – the [Hundred Battles Sword Technique] – was extremely compatible with Shen Changqing.

As for the [Impregnable Golden Body], it was the result of the fusion of the Level 20 [Thirteen Cross Practice] and the unactivated [No Leakage Golden Body].

Since the latter was not activated, the direction of the fusion was based on the former.

Currently, the Level 5 [Impregnable Golden Body], in terms of supplying Qi and blood, was not weaker than the Level 20 [Thirteen Cross Practice].

Not only that, even his body's defense had some improvements.

At this time, Shen Changqing untied the two swords on his waist.

Shen Changqing first drew out his old sword, which was badly corroded, but the intact areas were still sharp.

Then, without using any True Qi, he cut his palm.

He felt a cold touch as the sword cut through the flesh, accompanied by a slight stinging pain.

Putting down the sword, a shallow red line had appeared on his palm. A little bit of blood was spilled from the wound.

Seeing this, he had a look of satisfaction on his face.

"The weapons of the Demon Suppression Division are extremely sharp. However, even if my body couldn't resist such sharpness, the defensive increase is certainly evident. Qi Circulation Realm Cultivators would have a very difficult time breaking my defense."

"And... this is only the effect of Level 5, what about the higher levels?"

Shen Changqing smiled.

The [Impregnable Golden Body] had a total of 15 levels. If Level 5 already gave him such a defense, Shen Changqing was really looking forward to Level 15 and how powerful it would be.

"If I memorized a few more Martial Arts, will I be able to fuse more powerful Martial Arts?"

This thought surfaced in Shen Changqing's mind. But after looking at his Killing Value on the panel, he gave it up.

Just creating two fusion Martial Arts had already consumed 30 points of Killing Value.

Not to mention that the fusion of the [Impregnable Golden Body] had consumed twice as much as the [Hundred Battles Sword Technique].

He was not sure if it was because the [Thirteen Cross Practice] was very high level or because the [Impregnable Golden Body] was of a higher rank.

Looking at the panel, Shen Changqing decided to not upgrade any Martial Arts for the time being.

The upgrades were not cheap after all.

It was also in the middle of the night. If an upgrade consumed a lot of his energy, he would probably die because he couldn't replenish himself.

Going outside the courtyard and fetching a bucket of water, Shen Changqing washed his body with cold water, before going back to his bedroom to rest.

The next day, he woke up before the sun fully rose in the sky.

As per his usual routine, Shen Changqing devoured a strand of Purple Qi. He then left his courtyard and walked towards the outside of the Demon Suppression Division.

The reason for this was that Shen Changqing needed to prepare something for his breakthrough, to offset his consumption.

Although there was a cafeteria set up in the Demon Suppression Division, he could only eat there and not take it out.

He can't sit there and eat while breaking through, could he?

Therefore, Shen Changqing could only leave the Demon Suppression Division and go outside to buy something.

It so happened that the Demon Suppression Division was in the capital.

As the capital, it was the most prosperous place in the Great Qin. As long as one had the money, buying things was not a problem.

As for money, Shen Changqing was also not short of it for now.

In Lin'an City, he got 30,000 taels of silver, and so far there are still more than 20,000 taels sitting around. As long as he doesn't waste it recklessly, he could basically stay clothed and fed for the rest of his life.

"If I resign from my position in the Demon Suppression Division now, then buy a place, I could be a rich man. Living the rest of my life in peace and quiet."

While walking on the street, Shen Changqing looked at the scene of bustling people, this thought suddenly sprang up in his heart.

However, he immediately expelled it from his mind.

Ideals were very beautiful.

But reality was often cruel.

First of all, there's no guarantee that the Demon Suppression Division would just let him leave. Second, with the current state of the world, there was no real peace and stability to speak of.

As a Yellow Rank Official Slayer, even if his strength was considered good in the Martial Arts World, facing the powerful demons and monsters, he was nothing.

Shen Changqing felt that dying in the hands of demons and monsters was more probable.

"I can't remain still."

"Although comfort is good, not everyone can be comfortable. At least, I am not qualified."

Shen Changqing secretly shook his head.

Suddenly, he thought of the thing that he met on his way back to the Demon Suppression Division.

"I also forgot about Mo Zijin's peculiarity. I'll have to take the time later to check in the Library. Or... I could also directly ask Jiang Fu."

At this moment, Shen Changqing stopped in front of a store.

Treasure Pavilion!

A very common and easy to understand name.

Shen Changqing did not know much about the store in front of him, but seeing that despite being in a place like the capital – where every inch of land was gold – and still having such a large store, along with a lot of customers, he could see that it was not simple.

Bearing this thought in his heart, Shen Changqing walked inside.

As soon as he entered, he was greeted by a young clerk who said politely: "May I ask what you need, Sir? We have all of the treasures you need, whether they are divine weapons or elixirs."

"Out of all the stores in the capital, the Treasure Pavilion is the best!"

"Do you have something that can boost one's Qi and blood?"

Shen Changqing silently surveyed the surroundings, and then casually asked.

Hearing this, the clerk laughed: "Sir came just at the right time! We just received a batch of Qi and blood replenishing pills some time ago. Sir can go to the room to sit for a while, this one will tend to your needs."

Although Shen Changqing was wearing civilian clothes, his body still exuded a bloody aura.

He originally did not have this aura, but after the successful fusion of the [Hundred Battles Sword Technique], the aura on his body had naturally changed.

The clerk, as a person who specializes in welcoming guests to the Treasure Pavilion, naturally recognized what kind of guest he was dealing with. After seeing all sorts of customers, he knew that Shen Changqing was extraordinary.

This kind of person was either a Noble of high status in the military or a Cultivator.

Regardless of which it was, Shen Changqing was not someone he could afford to offend.

Even more, ever since Shen Changqing entered the Treasure Pavilion, his expression did not change too much from the beginning to now, showing confidence.

In other words, he certainly had the money.

Even Shen Changqing did not know that with just this little conversation, the other party had already deduced so much from him.

"Lead the way."

"Then Sir, please!"

The clerk walked in front and led Shen Changqing to the back inside a room.

The room was not big, but it was exquisitely decorated. There was incense burning on the table in the middle, which made people feel relaxed.

"Please sit down for a moment, I'll go notify a deacon."

"Thank you."

Shen Changqing nodded and found a seat.

The clerk bowed and then retreated.

Not long after, the clerk came back and respectfully served tea before leaving again.

Looking at the tea in front of him, Shen Changqing did not touch it.

Less than a quarter of an hour later, he heard a movement outside the door, and as expected, there was a knock on the door.

"Please come in."

The door of the room was pushed open and a middle-aged man with a smile on his face walked in.

As soon as he saw Shen Changqing, he cupped his hand.

"This one is named Huang Yan, a deacon of the Treasure Pavilion. I wonder how should I address Your Excellency?"

"My surname is Shen."

"So it's Mr. Shen."

Huang Yan smiled and nodded before sitting down across from Shen Changqing.

"I just heard that Mr. Shen wishes to purchase something to replenish his Qi and blood, am I correct?"

"Yes."

Shen Changqing replied as he looked at the other party.

From the other party's recent arrival, although he did not show much, the surging Qi and blood in his body proved that this deacon had Cultivation.

The only problem was that Shen Changqing wasn't sure what realm the other party was in.

On the other hand, upon receiving confirmation, Huang Yan nodded.

"Mr. Shen came at the right time. The Treasure Pavilion had just imported a batch of Qi and Blood Pills a few days ago, which are pills refined by the Pill Sect. It is specifically for Cultivators to replenish their Qi and blood."

"With the aid of the Qi and Blood Pills, the Cultivating External Martial Arts will be faster."

"And if you have a deficit of Qi and blood, taking the Qi and Blood Pills can completely replenish the deficit."