Chapter 88

"Damn, this is a plot of a legendary encounter, truly impressive." Jiang Chen stood at the entrance of the classroom, took a deep breath, and tightly held the letter containing secrets given to him by his mother.

In front of him, a lush green vine was laden with bright red fruits. Jiang Chen couldn't help but feel a surge of emotion. Although he had never seen a Blood Bodhi before, he knew that the strange fruit on the vine before him was the legendary treasure of this world.

Lingyun Cave was not an ordinary underground cavern. As the habitat of the Fire Kirin, a mythical beast, it was perpetually hot and scorching. Even the most resilient plants, such as cacti, could not survive here, except for the Blood Bodhi nurtured by the Fire Kirin's blood.

"Let me try one first." Thinking of the effects of the fruit, Jiang Chen couldn't contain his excitement. He quickly plucked a Blood Bodhi the size of a chicken egg and put it in his mouth. Before he could chew, the strange fruit turned into a warm stream, flowing into his abdomen. Immediately, a scorching energy began to spread, rapidly coursing through his body, reaching every limb and bone.

Although the Blood Bodhi was nurtured by the Fire Kirin's blood, after years of cultivation by the heavens and earth, it was not as violently hot as the Fire Kirin's blood. While it could strengthen one's power, it would not cause unimaginable harm. Instead, it was filled with life force, hot but gentle. Jiang Chen quickly sat cross-legged and began to practice the Dragon Elephant Bodhimanda, absorbing and refining the medicinal power of the Blood Bodhi.

The Dragon Elephant Bodhimanda was a supreme protective skill of the Buddhist Esoteric School, with thirteen levels. After being enhanced by the cycle talent, it extended to fifteen levels. Jiang Chen had already cultivated it to the twelfth level, which was his temporary limit. However, after fusing with the zombie bloodline and obtaining the Immortal Demon Body, he had a new limit. The appearance of the Blood Bodhi provided the perfect opportunity for him to advance in this skill.

Of course, only a body-strengthening skill like the Dragon Elephant Bodhimanda could be advanced through external forces. Skills like the Nine Yin Manual or the Innate Skill required a much higher level of martial arts. While they were easy to practice, their endless nature made it difficult to reach the peak.

In a moment, fiery red light suddenly emanated from his body, like flames, with the scorching heat distorting the air. As the medicinal power of the Blood Bodhi spread, Jiang Chen could clearly feel his internal energy growing continuously, breaking through the thirteenth level of the Dragon Elephant Bodhimanda. His Immortal Demon Body trembled, and his flesh was strengthened, emitting a terrifying aura.

"Who would have thought that the Blood Bodhi would have such an effect." Jiang Chen, now awake, was filled with joy. Feeling the surging power within him, he knew that through the thirteenth level of the Dragon Elephant Bodhimanda, he had initially mastered the enhanced Immortal Demon Body, and his internal energy had greatly improved.

Unfortunately, his martial arts skills had already reached a limit. Simply increasing his power would not help him break through to a higher realm. He needed to comprehend a higher level of martial arts, but that was not an easy task. Jiang Chen was well aware of this, but he could not deny the extraordinary effects of the Blood Bodhi. Therefore, he decided to consume more Blood Bodhis. Even if he couldn't break through, increasing his power would still be beneficial. However, just as he was about to do so:

"Roar"

A roar seemed to come from a distant place but was also very close, shaking the entire cave. Jiang Chen stumbled, almost falling to the ground. He instinctively retracted his hand from the Blood Bodhi and, regaining his composure, was covered in cold sweat.

Although he had experienced three cycle worlds, he had been too careless. The Blood Bodhi, a legendary treasure, had captivated him, and he had forgotten about the Fire Kirin in Lingyun Cave. Fortunately, he had not encountered the Fire Kirin when he consumed the Blood Bodhi earlier, or he would have already become a pile of ashes.

How powerful the Fire Kirin was, Jiang Chen had never seen, but he believed that if it were to be classified, it would be at least a sixth-level existence. With the cycle talent's enhancement, his Immortal Demon Body, which had surpassed the fourth level, still had no chance against a sixth-level Fire Kirin.

At the time, he hadn't thought much about it, but now, recalling the situation, cold sweat still trickled down his back. He quickly suppressed the urge to consume more Blood Bodhis and instead decided to pick them. The time in his wristwatch space was frozen, so there was no need to worry about the medicinal power of the Blood Bodhis dissipating. He would have plenty of opportunities to consume them after leaving Lingyun Cave.

Following the green vine, he picked hundreds of Blood Bodhis, ranging from the size of grapes to chicken eggs, and even some as large as goose eggs. The larger the fruit, the deeper the color, and the more potent the medicinal power.

Normally, the Blood Bodhi would not produce many fruits at once, but since no one picked them, they would not fall. Over time, the medicinal power would become even more potent. Thus, even if they produced few fruits at a time, after thousands of years, there would be a significant amount. Now, all of them were claimed by Jiang Chen as his private property.

At the end of the vine, under the influence of the protagonist's aura, Jiang Chen had a new discovery. He found a very spacious cave. Unlike the narrow passages before, this cave was wide and open, with several entrances continuously bringing in fresh air.

"I didn't expect such a good place inside Lingyun Cave." Jiang Chen looked around and was surprised to find a smooth stone wall ahead. Next to the wall was a skeleton, which had clearly been there for many years. What surprised him even more was that a set of profound knife techniques was carved on the wall.

"Six Cold Arrogance Techniques" Jiang Chen looked at the carvings on the wall and couldn't help but feel a surge of joy. He instantly understood that this was the legendary knife technique passed down through the Nie family.

In the past, Nie Ying, the ancestor of the Nie family, fought the Fire Kirin and injured it with the Blood-Drinking Knife, causing the Fire Kirin's blood to flow into his mouth, which became the mad blood passed down through the Nie family. Later, Nie Ying went mad and harmed many lives. To control his demonic nature, he chose to lock himself in Lingyun Cave. He also developed the "Ice Heart Technique" to suppress the mad blood and perfected the "Six Cold Arrogance Techniques," which he carved on the wall, hoping that future generations would use it to slay the Fire Kirin and benefit the people.

"What a profound knife technique. Although I have experienced three lifetimes and met many knife wielders, none of their techniques could match the Six Cold Arrogance Techniques on this wall. Nie Ying was truly a martial arts genius to create such a technique." Jiang Chen couldn't help but marvel, but that was as far as it went.

At his level of martial arts, blindly pursuing techniques was a mistake. He had already perfected the martial arts he knew. Now, he sought to break the conventional and comprehend his own martial path, which was the difference between the fourth and fifth levels.

To advance further and break through to the fifth level of ancient martial arts, he needed to comprehend his own martial path. The Six Cold Arrogance Techniques, though excellent, were not his path. He could only observe and learn from them to verify his own skills. His gaze then fell on the Ice Heart Technique beside it.

This was undoubtedly an extremely mysterious cultivation technique. In this cycle world, Nie Feng, the chosen one, had once used the Fire Kirin's blood to catalyze a demonic knife, deeply falling into a demonic state. Later, he suppressed his demonic nature by cultivating the Ice Heart Technique to a high level, demonstrating the extraordinary nature of this technique.

Perhaps this technique could not make someone a supreme expert, but it was something that every supreme expert could not resist.

Jiang Chen was no exception. He immediately focused on the wall, trying to record the incantations of the Ice Heart Technique. However, before he could finish, a sudden alarm sounded in his mind.

"Roar"

A terrifying roar echoed, and a fearsome figure rushed towards him. Before it even approached, an endless wave of scorching heat spread, distorting the air and creating an overwhelming pressure.

"This is..." Jiang Chen felt a surge of shock and quickly turned around, looking towards a nearby cave. He saw a monstrous creature, enveloped in flames, suddenly pounce out. Its massive form, sharp claws, and terrifying aura were heading straight for him.

"Damn, it's the Fire Kirin." Jiang Chen, in a state of shock, immediately leaped up and fled down the nearby path...