Chapter 9

After obtaining the four secret manuals of Shaolin divine skills, Li She left the是非之地 (place of right and wrong) that was Shaolin. There was no need to go to Wudang Mountain, as the great master Zhang Sanfeng was there, along with many other Mingjiao experts. Going there would yield nothing.

Since there were still a few months left, Li She decided to live a life of seclusion in the city. In Emei, Kongtong, and Huashan, he not only obtained martial arts manuals but also a considerable amount of gold and silver. In this war-torn era, three hundred taels of silver could buy a small courtyard in the Eastern Capital, and one hundred taels could buy several maids from the Yuan Dynasty's official courtesans, allowing him to live a corrupt life as a wealthy man.

Official courtesans have existed since ancient times, often being the female relatives of officials who had committed crimes. They were all well-educated and well-mannered. This was true in every dynasty. When one person rose to power, the whole family benefited, but one wrong step could bring disaster to the entire family.

Li She bought three maids and a cook. These three women were descendants of a second-rank official from the Song Dynasty. After the Song Dynasty was conquered by the Yuan, those officials who surrendered were retained, while those who did not were either executed or reduced to slavery. The women were sent to the official courtesans to be trained and sold for a good price.

One hundred taels of silver bought three human lives, something unimaginable in normal times, making one sigh that it was better to be a dog in peace than a man in chaos.

For one hundred taels, he bought four indentured servants. The four women, now slaves to Li She, had been trained in the official courtesans for years and still recognized their lowly status, no longer seeing themselves as daughters of officials but as humble servants. They tried their best to please Li She. The three maids were seventeen years old, triplets, and looked very similar. Their delicate figures were very alluring. The cook was their aunt. Li She bought the four of them out of a perverse desire influenced by years of Japanese adult films.

Li She domineeringly made the four women change their names. The cook was named Li Yi. The triplets were named Li Er, Li San, and Li Si according to their age.

During the day, he teased the four women, but at night, when the four women wanted to serve him, he sternly refused. It wasn't that Li She was noble, but he sadly discovered that the "Indestructible Body of the Buddha" was like a child's skill; if he broke his chastity before achieving great success, he would lose all progress.

In the real world, as the current leader of the Divine Thief Sect, how could Li She still be a virgin? Although only fourteen, he was already experienced. However, after the body purification through the world barriers, his body returned to a pristine state, otherwise, the "Indestructible Body of the Buddha" would have been out of reach.

The "Shadowless Leg" and "Shaolin Spring Leg" techniques, under the influence of the "Nine Yang Divine Skill," were mastered in just over ten days. Li She bought this small courtyard because it had a fifty-square-meter secret room, allowing him to practice in peace. Dressed as a scholar, Li She declared the secret room off-limits to the four women. They understood the gravity of the situation, having escaped the official courtesans and cherishing their freedom. Li She's good looks and apparent scholarly ambitions made them even more obedient.

In the secret room, Li She's leg movements were like raindrops, swift and continuous, sometimes soft and sometimes powerful, showcasing two completely different leg techniques. He was refining the "Shadowless Leg" and "Shaolin Spring Leg," now able to switch between the two at will. However, because legs are different from hands, which can simultaneously perform fist and finger techniques or claw and palm techniques, the two leg techniques, being different in nature, could not be used simultaneously without risking self-tripping.

Now, Li She could switch between the two leg techniques with ease, but it was still challenging.

The "Indestructible Body of the Buddha" was a slow skill, taking the monk Kong Jian forty years to reach the second level of fire and water resistance. However, with the "Nine Yang Divine Skill," Li She reached the third level of the indestructible golden body in just one month.

In the following days, Li She began to study the "Sinew Metamorphosis Sutra." If each traversal through the world barriers was a process of body purification and potential development, then the "Sinew Metamorphosis Sutra" was a method that gradually changed the body over time, enhancing potential and insight. Martial arts cultivation requires insight, and often, some people never reach the peak, while others achieve enlightenment in a flash.

Thus I have heard, the Buddha told Subhuti: "After the Sinew Metamorphosis, one can then engage in this. This is called the Bell of the Silent Night, which does not hinder human affairs. During the day, one can be busy with clothing and food. After the three meals, one can rest. At dusk, when the stars appear, one can light a lamp to illuminate the dark room. After the evening practice, one can rest on the bed. While everyone is snoring, forgetting life and death, the enlightened one remains awake, practicing in the dark. Reflecting on the body, one realizes that each day is one less. Impermanence comes swiftly, and the body is like a fish in shallow water. How can one be saved? When will one's blessings and wisdom be sufficient? Four debts have not been repaid, four causes have not been severed, four wisdoms have not appeared, and three lives have not been unified. Silently observing the Dharma realm, the four births and three existences are complete, the six roots and six dusts are connected, the five aggregates and three paths, the heavens, humans, and asuras. The six paths have different tendencies, the two truths have not been integrated, and the six perfections have not been completed. Seeing is not true seeing, ignorance has not ceased. The Dharma eye is not yet clear, the eyebrows have not fallen. How can one know the separation of seeing and achieve the meaning of Nirvana? If one can see without seeing, one can see what cannot be seen. A small world in a snail's horn, a vast world in a mustard seed. In the dim and drunken state, time is lost. Wandering in life and death, the sea of suffering has no bounds. The Buddha's great compassion.

Sitting cross-legged, Li She repeatedly studied the "Sinew Metamorphosis Sutra." With the help of the "Nine Yang Divine Skill," he made rapid progress. His eyes were tightly closed, and sweat beads appeared on his forehead. He was at a critical point in the "Sinew Metamorphosis Sutra," which has six levels: the first level is the beginning of the bell's qi, the second level is the combination of the four elements, the third level is the return of the mundane and the sacred, the fourth level is the unity of self and others, the fifth level is the practice of walking, standing, sitting, and lying, and the sixth level is the restoration of the sinews.

Three months had passed, and Li She had reached the threshold of the sixth level, the restoration of the sinews.

As he was about to break through to the restoration of the sinews, an invisible pressure crushed him, as if he had been hit by a truck, shattering his entire body.

The spirit of the artifact, which had been sleeping, suddenly opened its eyes and thought, "Not good! The world's will is rejecting him! This kid is making too much noise. Damn, I need to get him out of here quickly!" The Divine Thief Token hanging around Li She's neck suddenly emitted a bright light and, with a "whoosh," brought him back to the real world.

Dazed and confused, Li She spat out a large mouthful of blood and his face turned as white as paper, devoid of any color.

"Brother Spirit? What the hell is going on? Am I going to die? Am I going to be paralyzed or something?" Li She asked.

"Damn, kid, you really went all out. Fortunately, I brought you back in time, or you would have been dead or crippled. Going astray? Ha, it's more like an attack from the world's will. I told you, all the myriad worlds are both independent and interconnected with your world. This is a tribulation, a cosmic tribulation or a tribulation of all beings. The laws form the world, and the world generates a will to manage all beings. I didn't expect you to develop so quickly. In the world of "The Heaven Sword and Dragon Saber," no other innate experts are allowed to exist except for Zhang Sanfeng. Zhang Sanfeng is an exception because he is a character left over from the "The Return of the Condor Heroes" world, where characters like the Five Greats and Jinlun Fawang are innate experts. Therefore, Zhang Sanfeng, who transitioned from the "The Return of the Condor Heroes" world, is recognized by the "The Heaven Sword and Dragon Saber" world as the only innate expert. You, as an illegal immigrant in that world, can only reach the peak of the acquired realm, like Zhang Wuji. The characters in that world can never reach the innate realm. However, after practicing the "Nine Yang Divine Skill" and the "Sinew Metamorphosis Sutra," you touched the threshold of the innate realm, so you naturally faced the world's will's punishment." The spirit of the artifact patiently explained, fearing that Li She would make the same mistake again, which could cost him his life.

"Damn? Is that how it works? The world's will's punishment? What about the world's will in the real world?" Li She asked weakly.

"Of course, if there were no world's will, how would your world function? Do you think the ocean's self-purification and the food chain are natural phenomena? Without the world's will, how would these things operate? Don't worry, although your world is in the end of the martial arts era, under the suppression of the world's will, martial arts cannot produce top-tier experts. The highest level is the realm of internal martial arts, equivalent to the second-tier experts in "The Heaven Sword and Dragon Saber." However, you are an exception because you originally belong to this world. After gaining the ability to traverse the myriad worlds, you are like a loophole. However, in this world, your skills cannot improve." The spirit of the artifact said with a sneer.

Li She patted his chest and said, "Thank goodness, thank goodness. Although I can't improve, I can still maintain my current level. I can improve in the myriad worlds. Now, in the end of the martial arts era, what is the main force in my world?"

"This? Ha, you're the current leader of the Divine Thief Sect and don't even know this? After my investigation, your world is dominated by technology, with some other miscellaneous forces. It's a big mix. There's no point in talking more about it now. You should focus on healing yourself with the 'Nine Yang Divine Skill.' Sigh, after being punished by the world's will, your skills will only recover to the level of a top-tier expert. Reaching the peak of the acquired realm like Zhang Wuji is impossible." The spirit of the artifact sighed.