The Body Refining Dao: using the body as a weapon!
Jiang Jichen cultivated the *Undying Scripture* to the Mid-stage of First Turn. In a life-or-death battle, the incredible stamina of his powerful physique truly shone. Though he looked ready to collapse at any moment, his aura was long and steady, and formidable power still surged within him.
Exploiting his own strengths against their weaknesses, Jiang Jichen would only suffer flesh wounds in a physical collision, while his opponents would suffer countless broken bones, instantly losing their combat strength.
The battle was brief but incredibly brutal. Jiang Jichen fought by exchanging wounds, each of his moves a killing blow.
If not for his reservations, if Jiang Jichen hadn't held back, the men who just fell would all be corpses now.
The spectators watched in terror. A whole group had ganged up on Jiang Jichen, yet in the end, only Murong Hee and Shen Yuqing were left standing.
'Is a Body Refiner's Life Force really this tenacious?'
Doubt filled the hearts of many. They couldn't believe a Body Refiner's Life Cultivation could be so powerful. To be able to keep fighting after such injuries... it was absurdly savage.
Although there were no Body Refiners among them, they had read of them in ancient texts. However, the combat power and Life Cultivation Jiang Jichen displayed were simply heaven-defying, a world apart from what the books described.
In truth, the descriptions of Body Refiners in the ancient texts weren't wrong. But those were for ordinary Body Refiners. How could they possibly compare to Jiang Jichen, a cultivator of the *Undying Scripture*?
"Jiang Jichen, your strength is spent! What makes you think you can still fight us? Hand over the Mid-Level Storage Bag, and I'll let you go. I'll even let you return to your mansion!"
Murong Hee stood three meters away, his voice cold.
So far in the fight, only he and Shen Yuqing were completely unscathed, their strength at its peak. In terms of presence, however, they were completely suppressed by Jiang Jichen.
"Enough with the nonsense. You hand over two thousand First-Grade Spirit Condensing Pills, and I'll let you leave!"
As he spoke, Jiang Jichen threw a merciless punch at Murong Hee.
Murong Hee's expression darkened. His hands blurred, and in an instant, eight faint cyan Seals materialized before him. They seemed to form a mystical Array, emitting a soft, cyan Spiritual Power.
It was the same Star Shifting Skill of the Murong Family, but Murong Hee's mastery was far more profound than Murong Qingshu's. He had an additional Seal, making it more powerful and giving it the ethereal quality of flowing starlight.
"Jiang Jichen, since you're so eager to die, I'll be happy to oblige!"
Murong Hee roared, his Hand Seals shifting. The eight faint cyan Seals transformed into eight rays of starlight that slashed toward Jiang Jichen.
At the same moment, Shen Yuqing made his move.
He attacked Jiang Jichen from behind. Eight bolts of lightning seemed to writhe between his palms, like eight electric serpents dancing wildly.
The Thunder Spirit Palm, one of the Shen Family's ultimate techniques.
Legend had it that the Shen Family's ancestor possessed the Thunder God Bloodline. If one cultivated the Thunder Spirit Palm to the Supreme Realm, a single palm strike could make the very heavens roil and bring crashing thunder down from the Nine Heavens.
Shen Yuqing had already reached the Hand Heart Thunder Realm. With a single palm strike, he could unleash eight meter-long bolts of lightning, a display of astonishingly lethal power.
However, Jiang Jichen left his back completely exposed, as if he hadn't sensed Shen Yuqing's attack at all, continuing his charge straight toward Murong Hee.
He was caught in a pincer attack between Shen Yuqing and Murong Hee. With no path forward or back, he was trapped in a seemingly hopeless situation.
But in that life-or-death moment, Jiang Jichen's body suddenly twisted at an impossible angle. Like a boneless serpent, he contorted through several movements in a single instant.
SQUELCH! SQUELCH!...
Jiang Jichen dodged four rays of starlight and three bolts of lightning, but four more rays and five bolts of lightning still slammed into his body. Several deep wounds appeared on his flesh, and the smell of burnt skin filled the air.
But his own attack, of course, did not miss. A single punch sent Murong Hee flying, and a single kick sent Shen Yuqing soaring.
All his remaining strength was in that punch and kick. The bodies of Mortal Realm Spirit Cultivators have not been tempered at all. Only after reaching the Innate Realm do their bodies slowly begin to strengthen through refinement.
Moreover, while on the offensive, Murong Hee and Shen Yuqing's Spiritual Power defenses were at their lowest. Their bodies naturally couldn't withstand an attack backed by Jiang Jichen's full Physical Strength. After being sent flying, they were unable to get back up.
And so, an ironic scene unfolded on the Ancient Street: the ones who appeared unscathed lay strewn across the ground, while the one covered in wounds, his clothes dyed red with blood, remained standing tall.
Having been struck by four rays of starlight and five bolts of lightning, Jiang Jichen's injuries were more severe than ever. But the *Undying Scripture* was already circulating, constantly restoring his Blood Qi.
A Body Refiner tempers not only their flesh, but more importantly, their will. And it was sheer will that now kept Jiang Jichen from collapsing.
Even with the *Undying Scripture*, an ordinary person would have long ago collapsed from such grievous injuries, unable to stand. Only someone like Jiang Jichen, with his immensely powerful will, could grit his teeth and force himself to stay upright.
"He took on all of them by himself... and he actually won!"
Everyone was utterly shocked, momentarily stunned. Such a feat was too astonishing for them to immediately process.
"Young Master, are you all right? Let me help you back to the mansion to rest and get treatment."
While the crowd was still stunned, Xing'Er, tears streaming down her cheeks, was the first to run over to help Jiang Jichen.
Jiang Jichen waved her away. Though his body was covered in countless wounds, his gaze remained calm and clear, his expression composed and serene.
He casually wiped the blood from the corner of his mouth. "Don't cry, Xing'Er. I'm perfectly fine, I could even go another round. Now's the time to collect my spoils of war. You should be happy!"
Jiang Jichen had already recovered some of his strength. He hadn't used the power of his restored Qi Sea in this battle. The *Undying Scripture* required one to experience life-or-death struggles to continuously gain new insights.
Even though he had achieved supreme insight into the *Undying Scripture* in his past life, those insights were not applicable to his current one. The world's environment was different; here, the Dao of Body Refining was broken. Each Turn of his cultivation would require even more profound insights to achieve a breakthrough.
Just now, he had faced more than ten of Cyan Moon City's genius Spirit Cultivators at the Mid-stage of First Turn with his *Undying Scripture*. In his past life, that would have been absolutely impossible. But now, he had done it.
At the same Realm, he was far stronger than he had been in his past life—and that was without even tapping into his power as a Spirit Cultivator.
Ignoring his wounds, Jiang Jichen walked over to the fallen and brazenly began to search their bodies.
Some of them weren't unconscious and tried to resist. Jiang Jichen simply knocked them out cold and proceeded to take all of their Spirit Pills.
Jiang Jichen sneered. "I know many of you are just playing possum. If I have to search you myself, I'll take everything you have and give you a savage beating on top of it. The choice is yours."
As soon as he finished speaking, seven or eight young Spirit Cultivators who had been lying motionless on the ground immediately got their Spirit Pills ready and handed them over to Jiang Jichen.
"See? With this kind of cooperation, we can all get along much more pleasantly!"
After Jiang Jichen had plundered all the spoils, his once-empty Mid-Level Storage Bag was now piled high with Spirit Pills.
From a dozen or so people, he had looted more than ten thousand First-Grade Spirit Condensing Pills. It was a bountiful haul, to say the least.
Among them, only Murong Hee and Shen Yuqing possessed a significant quantity of First-Grade Spirit Condensing Pills; the others only had a few hundred each.
Many of the onlookers watched him stuff such a huge quantity of First-Grade Spirit Condensing Pills into his Mid-Level Storage Bag, their eyes burning with envy.
Of course, experts at the Innate Realm looked down on mere First-Grade Condensing Spirit Pills. They were only interested in the Mid-Level Storage Bag at Jiang Jichen's waist.
However, right at the gates of the Jiang Mansion, no senior expert would be so brazen as to attack and rob a junior.
After he was done, Jiang Jichen's gaze swept around him. Many powerful experts were hidden in the shadows, clearly watching him and coveting his Mid-Level Storage Bag.
"I know you seniors are all eyeing this Mid-Level Storage Bag, wanting to take it for yourselves. But I'm afraid you won't get the chance in Cyan Moon City. I've entered the Heavenly Sword Alliance's Moonlight Trial Competition as a team captain. Here in Cyan Moon City, I am under the protection of the Heavenly Sword Alliance. If you aren't afraid of them, then by all means, give it a try. Of course, you'll still have your chance once we enter the Moonlight Forest. By then, though I may not be a match for you seniors, I imagine it would be exceedingly easy for me to kill a few of your juniors."
Jiang Jichen stood before the gates of the Five Mansions, his voice piercing the autumn air and spreading in all directions, causing the expressions of some hidden listeners to change drastically.
Just as Jiang Jichen had said, many Innate Realm experts had been planning to attack him in secret to seize the Mid-Level Storage Bag.
Granny Liu, watching from a distance, was one such person. She never expected Jiang Jichen to defeat everyone and successfully keep the Mid-Level Storage Bag. Her original plan was to pay a visit to the Jiang Family's Five Mansions tonight and steal it from him in secret. She hadn't counted on him being so vigilant, calling her and the others out so directly and using the Heavenly Sword Alliance as his shield.
The Moonlight Trial Competition was jointly organized by the Heavenly Sword Alliance. The goal was to select the most outstanding geniuses as seeds for the Alliance, ensuring its continued prosperity and power.
Therefore, any qualified contestant participating in the Moonlight Trial Competition would receive the Alliance's protection within the city before the trial officially began.
Back when Jiang Jichen made the bet with Ouyang Xue, he had secretly registered a team upon entering the Cultivation Arena. He was the captain, and Han Qing was his only teammate.
Granny Liu's expression was grim. 'Little bastard,' she thought hatefully. 'I didn't expect you to be so sharp. But the Moonlight Trial Competition is the day after tomorrow. Let's see how long you can hide!'
Princess Qing Ling, watching from the sidelines, was immensely pleased and delighted by Jiang Jichen's victory.
The other Innate Realm experts who had been observing from the shadows also retreated one by one after hearing Jiang Jichen's words. They all harbored the same thoughts as Granny Liu.
Soon, the crowd dispersed. The people Jiang Jichen had defeated were carried away by their companions, and the entire Ancient Street once again fell silent and empty.
Jiang Jichen cast a meaningful glance toward a tower in the distance, within the Jiang Mansion grounds.
That was where the four great elders of the Jiang Mansion were located. They were still in a state of shock, unable to believe that Jiang Jichen had actually taken on all comers and won.
Now, seeing his meaningful gaze directed at them, their expressions changed drastically.
The tower in the Jiang Mansion was protected by a concealment Array. From the inside, one could see everything outside clearly, but to see inside from the outside, one would need the Cultivation of the Innate Seventh Layer.
'Jiang Jichen is just a Spirit Cultivation Wasted Body, a mere Body Refiner. Could he really have discovered our presence?'