He enhanced the Invincible Golden Body by two levels and merged two Martial Arts.
His originally sizable Slaughter Value was reduced to only four points.
Four points of Slaughter Value. Essentially, not much could be accomplished with so little.
Glancing at the panel, Shen Changqing decided not to dwell on it. He left his room and began practicing Martial Arts directly in the courtyard.
Seven Stars Stepping on Air Step!
Both newly acquired Martial Arts needed practice.
Among them, the Chiyang Divine Palm was the most useful. He felt that if this palm technique reached a pinnacle of mastery, it might be even more useful than the Hundred Battles Saber Technique he was currently using.
He focused his mind and held his breath. In the next instant, his body moved, executing a set of profound and extraordinary palm techniques.
Instantly, palm shadows filled the courtyard. The scorching palm wind transformed into a raging storm, like a giant furnace, making it difficult for anyone to approach.
Having merged the Martial Arts, he gained all the memories related to the Chiyang Divine Palm. However, because he was only proficient in the first two layers, Shen Changqing always felt an awkwardness and discomfort throughout his body when performing the latter moves.
That stifling sensation ignited a violent mood within him.
Ultimately, the Great Sun True Qi erupted. All the palm shadows overlapped, finally converging into a single one.
The palm shadow struck the air. The violent True Qi, combined with the Crimson Flame power within the Chiyang Divine Palm, erupted like an intense flash of firelight that vanished in an instant.
Heat waves rolled out, like a volcanic eruption.
When Shen Changqing withdrew his palm, a scorched scent wafted through the air.
"Now that I’ve acquired the Chiyang Divine Palm, I need to familiarize myself with it properly."
「Five days passed swiftly.」
Once the time was up, Shen Changqing immediately left the Demon-Subduing Division and headed for the black market. Having been there once before, he was already familiar with the way. Even without a guide, finding the black market wasn’t difficult.
Arriving once again at Yuanyang Auction House, Shen Changqing revealed a token. It was the token of a distinguished guest, personally given to him by Steward Number One upon his last departure. After all, a business deal worth several million taels of silver—if that didn’t qualify one as a distinguished guest, then no one could be called such.
Upon seeing the token, the attendant’s face immediately showed respect. "A distinguished guest has arrived! Please, come inside and have a seat. I’ll go report this immediately!"
"Find Steward Number One and tell him Shen Changqing has arrived," Shen Changqing said indifferently.
Upon hearing this, the attendant’s expression changed dramatically.
As an employee of Yuanyang Auction House, how could he not have heard this name? Indeed, Steward Number One had previously given specific instructions: if anyone named Shen Changqing arrived, he was to be notified immediately and not offended in the slightest.
This was a distinguished guest! A true and proper distinguished guest!
Furthermore, being involved in the Jianghu, the attendant was well aware of Shen Changqing’s reputation.
At this, his demeanor became even more respectful. "So, it is Lord Shen! The Steward has given orders that if Lord Shen arrives, he must be notified immediately. Please, Lord Shen, sit for a moment. I will go and report this at once!"
Having said that, the attendant bowed and withdrew respectfully.
A short while later, Steward Number One arrived. As soon as he entered the private room, he cupped his fist and laughed heartily. "Lord Shen graces us with his presence! My apologies for not welcoming you from afar. I hope you won’t take offense!"
"You’re too courteous, Steward," Shen Changqing replied with a smile.
Steward Number One had already taken a seat opposite him. Behind him followed two attendants, each holding a rosewood box. As he sat, both attendants stepped forward, placing the wooden boxes on the table. Steward Number One then waved his hand, and the two attendants respectfully withdrew, thoughtfully closing the door as they left.
Steward Number One first opened the first rosewood box, revealing twenty pale golden Demon-Subduing Coins.
"As per Lord Shen’s request, here are two thousand Merit Points. Please inspect them," he said.
"Thank you." Shen Changqing’s sleeve fluttered, and he used his True Qi to draw the twenty Demon-Subduing Coins directly into his sleeve. With his current perception, a single glance was enough to confirm the count; there was no need to count them manually unless they were like silver notes, folded and hidden, which would require a manual check.
Next, Shen Changqing’s gaze fell upon the second rosewood box. Even though it was well sealed, he could still sense a faint Yin Evil Aura from within.
Clearly, the item sealed within the wooden box was very likely a Demon Evil.
Noticing Shen Changqing’s gaze, Steward Number One opened the wooden box, revealing two Black Banners.
"These two Black Banners were collected by Yuanyang Auction House for Lord Shen over the past few days. One Black Banner has a late-stage Ghostly Level Fiend sealed within; the other contains two early-stage Ghostly Level Fiends. The former is thirty thousand taels of silver; the latter, five thousand taels of silver each, so two would be ten thousand taels of silver, totaling forty thousand taels of silver."
Forty thousand taels of silver.
To others, the price of three Ghostly Level Fiends might seem high, yet in Shen Changqing’s view, it wasn’t excessive at all.
Truth be told, according to current market rates, it was best to purchase only early-stage Ghostly Level Fiends because the Slaughter Value gained didn’t increase significantly with each rise in Realm, yet the selling prices increased exponentially.
However, he also understood that collecting Demon Evils of only a single Realm wouldn’t be conducive to rapidly enhancing his strength. It would indeed save money, but what Shen Changqing lacked wasn’t money; he lacked Slaughter Value and time. As long as he could gain Slaughter Value quickly, no amount of silver spent was too much.
"Of the one million, four hundred ten thousand taels of silver I left, one million, three hundred seventy thousand taels of silver remain. I hope the Steward can do his utmost to collect Demon Evils. Also, please spread the news that six months from now, I will auction two Martial Arts that lead directly to True Intent and one Outer Technique involving the Great Sun Furnace. I hope Yuanyang Auction House will do its best to promote this event; the more people who attend, the better," Shen Changqing said.
Two Martial Arts that lead directly to True Intent—Steward Number One could accept this. Shen Changqing had previously mentioned auctioning several Grandmaster Martial Arts, so he was psychologically prepared.
But Steward Number One had never imagined that, besides two Grandmaster Martial Arts, Shen Changqing could also produce an Outer Technique that reached the Great Sun Furnace Realm.
What was the Great Sun Furnace? Others might not know, but as a Grandmaster of Yuanyang Auction House, how could he not? That was the true peak! Martial Arts that stood at the very pinnacle of the entire Jianghu. Only top sects like the Myriad Buddhas Sect possessed Martial Arts of such caliber. Those were truly Sect-Defining Martial Arts.
However, no one would ever auction off their Sect-Defining Martial Arts. Therefore, unaffiliated cultivators in the Jianghu or other sects almost never had the opportunity to study such Martial Arts.
There were only three ways to acquire such techniques. First, join the Demon-Subduing Division. Second, be admitted into a top sect. But in either case, even if one succeeded, the top Martial Arts learned could only be used by oneself, with no possibility of passing them on.
The final possibility was to rely on one’s unique talent to create such top-tier Martial Arts. It should be known that every Martial Art has its creator. Those who create Martial Arts could be called true Grandmasters. Successors merely followed the paths laid by their predecessors. The problem was that in the Jianghu, a century might pass without anyone emerging capable of creating top-tier Sect-Defining Martial Arts. Relying on such elusive luck was hardly feasible.
After a long moment of shock, Steward Number One finally managed to compose himself. He looked at the man before him with an extremely serious expression. "Is Lord Shen serious?"
Realizing his blunder after asking, Steward Number One quickly added, "Lord Shen, please don’t misunderstand. I didn’t mean to question you. It’s just that this matter is of great importance, so I wanted to confirm it once more!"
"I never speak falsehoods. When the time comes, there will certainly be an Outer Technique involving the Great Sun Furnace up for auction," Shen Changqing said calmly.
The Outer Technique he spoke of was the fusion of the Invincible Golden Body and the Tathagata Golden Body. Both Outer Techniques were very powerful. The Invincible Golden Body was almost at the pinnacle of Tiger Leopard Thunderous Roar, while the Tathagata Golden Body had fully entered the Great Sun Furnace Realm. The fusion of the two Martial Arts, without needing much thought, would undoubtedly result in a technique firmly within the Great Sun Furnace Realm. There was even a possibility of it ascending to another level, which wasn’t inconceivable. Of course, he wasn’t sure if the fusion would truly reach that degree, but the Great Sun Furnace Realm was definitely attainable. At that time, if the fusion did indeed surpass the Great Sun Furnace Realm, he wouldn’t worry much; he could just omit some parts when writing it down if necessary. Regardless, offering a Martial Art of such caliber for auction posed no problem.
Steward Number One, upon hearing this, took a deep breath. Afterward, he solemnly said, "Rest assured, Lord Shen. Our Yuanyang Auction House will definitely promote it with all our might. As for the date, has it been confirmed for six months from now?"
"Roughly," Shen Changqing considered for a moment, then gave his reply. "Barring any unforeseen circumstances, it will be six months from now. If there are any changes, I will personally come or send someone to inform you. After all, the Demon-Subduing Division sometimes has other matters to attend to. I hope you understand this, Steward."
"I understand," Steward Number One nodded.
After conversing a little more, Shen Changqing stood up and left directly. He tucked the twenty Demon-Subduing Coins into his sleeve and, packing the two Black Banners into the rosewood box, carried it away on his back.
After he left, Steward Number One also hurriedly got up to report the matter. It couldn’t be helped; anything involving peak-level Martial Arts of the Physical System was just too important.