As Gu Chen Sha returned from the mountains, the snow continued to fall heavily, blanketing the land in a pristine white. Even the usually busy inner sections of the Imperial Palace had come to a standstill, with officials and clerks gathered around fireplaces to keep warm. Gu Chen Sha's journey back to his small residence was smooth and uneventful. Once there, he shut himself in, focused on his martial arts practice, and sent Xiao Yi Zi out to contact Long Yu Yun.
Following his orders, Xiao Yi Zi left. Meanwhile, Gu Chen Sha sat alone in his modest room, cross-legged, listening to the sound of snow and syncing his breath with it. The world around him grew silent, and once again, he entered a mysterious and indescribable state.
With each breath, he felt a flow of energy circulating within his body, moving through the hundreds of acupoints around him. Using the Sun and Moon Refinement breathing technique, he honed his internal energy, observing his meridians and discovering something unexpected—many areas of his meridians still contained a significant amount of untapped medicinal power.
"So, the power I gained through sacrifices and from consuming the Dragon Essence Pill has left so much residual energy in my meridians," Gu Chen Sha thought. "If not for the miraculous effects of the Sun and Moon Refinement, this energy would have dissipated and gone to waste." He exhaled deeply and carefully guided the remaining medicinal energy to gather in his dantian.
As time passed, his lower abdomen began to swell slightly, almost as if fat was forming there. After some time, he suddenly opened his eyes, feeling his abdomen harden like iron. Lifting his clothes to examine it, he was astonished to see scales growing densely across his skin.
"Sun and Moon Dragon Scales!" Gu Chen Sha exclaimed in delight. "The Sun and Moon Refinement is truly extraordinary. At higher levels, it can transform excess energy into these Sun and Moon Dragon Scales. Even if I find myself in a desperate situation, these scales can be broken down to sustain my body."
Like a bear storing fat in autumn to survive winter, the Sun and Moon Refinement allowed the body to store surplus life energy as something far superior to fat: Sun and Moon Dragon Scales. Each scale could sustain an entire month's worth of life force.
Currently, Gu Chen Sha had dozens of scales growing on his lower abdomen, meaning he could survive for years without food or water while remaining just as energetic and healthy.
Moreover, these Sun and Moon Dragon Scales were highly defensive, capable of withstanding blades, axes, and even internal energy attacks. If his entire body were covered in them, his defensive power would rival that of a Dao Realm expert in the Third Transformation: the Iron Body of Copper Flesh.
Of course, covering his entire body with scales would make him look monstrous. In the ancient times, this wouldn't have been an issue, as many divine beings had dragon heads or humanoid forms with dragon bodies, and some even had three heads and six arms. However, such appearances would be unacceptable now.
Thus, Gu Chen Sha limited the growth of the scales to his lower abdomen and a few inconspicuous acupoints where he could store excess energy without drawing attention.
At this stage, his martial arts had reached their peak. Consuming more pills or sacrificing more beasts would only overload his meridians, causing harm rather than progress. Transforming the excess energy into Sun and Moon Dragon Scales provided an ideal solution, preventing his body from absorbing too many impurities and maintaining balance.
After converting the residual medicinal energy into Sun and Moon Dragon Scales, Gu Chen Sha felt refreshed, as though a burden had been lifted. His martial arts power had advanced another step.
"Unfortunately, my body has reached its limit, but my spirit still lags behind," Gu Chen Sha thought. "It seems I must venture onto the battlefield and face life-and-death situations to gain the insights I lack."
He was well aware of his weakness—he had too little experience in actual combat, especially the kind that involved mortal danger.
Just then, he heard footsteps approaching and opened the door to find Xiao Yi Zi returning.
Xiao Yi Zi's movements were light and graceful, his steps resembling a dance on lotus leaves, as though floating through the air. His technique was elegant and ethereal, showing that he had mastered an impressive martial art.
"Master, over the past two days, I've made contact with Long Yu Yun as you requested. She has already prepared an estate for you near the canal outside the city and is training a group of skilled fighters for your use. She herself is stationed there, gathering intelligence. Additionally, she taught me a martial art called Lesser Yin Frost Technique, which she said suits me perfectly."
"Let me see you demonstrate it," Gu Chen Sha said.
"Master, let me first give you this." Xiao Yi Zi pulled out a bundle. "Long Yu Yun mentioned that the item you wanted is inside."
Gu Chen Sha took the bundle and opened it, revealing an imperial edict. The decree emanated a faint, powerful aura of imperial authority. While most people wouldn't notice it, Gu Chen Sha, who had been practicing the Heavenly Emperor's Sealing Technique, immediately felt its profound energy, which struck him like a heavy wave.
"This is perfect," Gu Chen Sha murmured, gripping the edict tightly. He turned back toward his room. "Xiao Yi Zi, keep watch outside. Don't let anyone disturb me."
"Understood!" Xiao Yi Zi replied, standing guard at the door.
Inside the Room
Gu Chen Sha took out the Heavenly Sacrifice Talisman Decree and burned the sacred edict, dripping his own blood onto it. Using the Emperor's divine aura within the decree, he offered it as a sacrifice to the heavens.
Oooooooong…
The entire room was filled with radiant blue light. This time, vivid visions appeared in his mind, even stronger than before. Countless profound insights and principles of martial arts flooded his consciousness, filling his heart with boundless clarity.
"The second form of Sun and Moon Harmony—Sun and Moon Transformation. The transformations of the sun and moon are boundless, the shifting of yin and yang is infinite…"
The second form was indeed Sun and Moon Transformation.
Sun and Moon Harmony consisted of ten forms. Gu Chen Sha was already familiar with Sun and Moon Refinement, the first form, which focused on refining the spirit. The second form, Sun and Moon Transformation, aligned the practitioner's body with the rhythm of the sun and moon. It synchronized blood, acupoints, and meridians to follow the sun and moon's path, allowing the practitioner's soul to merge with the radiance of the celestial bodies. This form could generate endless martial variations and mimic countless techniques.
The transformations of the sun and moon permeate all things.
This form was especially useful for concealing one's cultivation, creating countless transformations, and mimicking martial arts techniques from across the world to make them one's own.
The soul was the moon; the spirit was the sun.
When soul and spirit combined, they formed the brightness of the sun and moon, illuminating all under heaven. Such brilliance allowed for anything and everything.
To shine with the radiance of the sun and moon—what kind of power was that? Without the sun and moon, how could there be life? Without the transformations of the sun and moon, how could there be countless martial arts?
"Perfect!" After a long time, Gu Chen Sha opened his eyes, his face glowing with excitement. "This form, Sun and Moon Transformation, allows me to conceal my breath and hide my presence completely. Once mastered, no one will be able to sense my energy. In addition, it enhances my ability to refine, store, hide, mask, contain, transform, and redirect energy. With this, I can mimic the strength of the Giant Spirit Bloodline, creating immense power that no one can detect as fake."
He activated the Sun and Moon Transformation technique, and his aura immediately became flickering and indeterminate, dark and hard to pinpoint.
"The heavens are truly on my side!" Gu Chen Sha laughed. "Right now, my martial arts skills have reached the pinnacle of mastery. But if I openly display them, others will take notice and try to harm me. With this divine technique, I can mimic the power of the Giant Spirit Bloodline. I can claim to be the first person in a hundred years to awaken this bloodline, making me invaluable to the imperial court."
He closed his eyes again, focusing on Sun and Moon Transformation, adapting it to the cultivation method of the Giant Spirit Strength. Soon, he felt an immense force emanating from his bones and limbs.
"The Giant Spirit Bloodline gathers strength in the bones and limbs, granting unparalleled power. It drives the organs, releasing breath like thunder and force like crashing waves..." This was a description from the Giant Spirit Divine Art.
As Gu Chen Sha used Sun and Moon Transformation to simulate the Giant Spirit Strength, the mimicry was flawless, indistinguishable from the real thing.
The Giant Spirit Divine Art was an ancient martial art. Once the Giant Spirit Bloodline was awakened, its power was unmatched. However, the Heavenly Emperor's Sealing Technique, which Gu Chen Sha practiced, surpassed even the Giant Spirit Divine Art. By mimicking the bloodline through this advanced technique, he not only made the illusion indistinguishable but also amplified its power beyond the original bloodline's limits.
"Congratulations, Master, on advancing to another level." Xiao Yi Zi exclaimed in awe as Gu Chen Sha stepped out of the room. "Master, it seems you've just mastered some incredible technique. Your aura feels like an unfathomable abyss—I can't gauge it at all."
"I've made significant progress," Gu Chen Sha replied. Then he asked, "By the way, has Long Yu Yun uncovered any information about Lou Bai Yue? Although she acts under the Emperor's orders to approach me, I suspect she despises me and may even intend to harm me. Until I reach the Dao Realm, I must guard against her schemes. Knowing more about her would be best."
"Here are the records, Master." Xiao Yi Zi handed him a document. It was a detailed report filled with notes about recent activities of the noble families in the capital, including who visited whom and who hosted feasts at their estates.
"Long Jian Island may have fallen, but its influence in the capital is still astonishing," Gu Chen Sha muttered as he skimmed through the records. Then he found a note about Lou Bai Yue: "The Tenth Prince, Gu Zhen Sha, invited Lou Bai Yue to a private meeting at his residence, but she declined, claiming to be in closed-door cultivation."
"Lou Bai Yue knows how to maintain appearances," Gu Chen Sha remarked. "The Emperor ordered her to approach me, so she immediately distanced herself from the Tenth Prince to avoid suspicion."
"What should we do, then?" Xiao Yi Zi asked, his eyes darting nervously. "Master, with your recent progress, I doubt we can keep your abilities hidden from the spies of the other princes. Before, when you were weaker, they ignored you. But now that you're so much stronger, they might…"
"I've anticipated this," Gu Chen Sha interrupted. "Those princes and nobles aren't kind-hearted. They've probably already noticed my martial training and will soon start scheming against me. That's why I plan to leave the capital and head to the frontier, where I can engage in life-and-death battles with the Yao barbarians. All I need is time to grow stronger."
Suddenly, Gu Chen Sha struck out with a punch. The motion made no sound, yet the air parted like oil under a knife before crashing back together with a deep rumble, like water slamming into a dam.
Xiao Yi Zi, watching the punch, felt so overwhelmed he nearly coughed up blood.
"How is my punch this powerful?" Gu Chen Sha was surprised himself. Using the Sun and Moon Transformation technique, even a simple punch became extraordinary. He wondered how much more effective advanced techniques would be.
"Someone's coming," he said abruptly, halting his practice. His ears twitched slightly, picking up faint sounds in the distance.
Crunch, crunch...
Moments later, several eunuchs arrived at the courtyard gate, their steps crunching on the snow. The lead eunuch called out loudly, "A decree has arrived! The Nineteenth Prince is summoned to receive it!"
"I humbly accept the decree," Gu Chen Sha said, bowing deeply in the snowy courtyard while Xiao Yi Zi knelt on the veranda.
The lead eunuch stood tall and read aloud, "By the Emperor's command: This afternoon, during the snowfall, all princes are to gather in the southern mountains for a hunting event. I wish to test your martial abilities."
"I accept the decree," Gu Chen Sha replied, taking the scroll. Then he turned to Xiao Yi Zi and said, "Prepare some money for the eunuchs to buy wine."
"Understood." Xiao Yi Zi handed over a hundred-yuan note.
The lead eunuch hesitated before accepting it, his eyes lighting up with joy. A hundred-yuan note was enough to buy several strong oxen and was equivalent to a year's salary for a eunuch. Naturally, he was pleased.