Chaotic World Book-Chapter 452 - 439: Li Shentong

Li Shentong toyed with his wine gourd, turning it over several times before leisurely pulling the stopper to smell it, his expression slightly changing, then he took a small sip.

Then, as if relishing the taste, he looked up thoughtfully, smacked his lips, and guzzled a big mouthful.

From his demeanor, it seemed he had nearly finished half the gourd in one go...

Finally, with a "thud," he set the gourd aside and resealed it: "Mediocre."

Zhao Changhe: "..."

Li Shentong leaned back, resting leisurely in his chair: "Wanting to float away from worldly matters and quietly watch the clouds and water, yet having to deal with mundane affairs, the contradiction lies here for me. Wine is the same, desires the lingering aftertaste of mist and clouds, yet the tang inside explodes on the Spirit Platform, impossible to dispel, and the aftertaste ironically remains right here. If I say I actually enjoy its unintended robustness, I wonder what his face would look like."

A true wine enthusiast, Zhao Changhe himself had tasted this Yuxu wine and found it simply aromatic and flavorful, never discerning so many intricate details.

Li Shentong suddenly stared at the wine gourd again, furrowing his brows, some thought crossing his mind.

Perhaps what he was thinking about now was the true message this wine intended to convey, but something Zhao Changhe could never discern as a hidden signal between the two masters. frёewebnoѵel.ƈo๓

He did not intend to delve into others’ fondness, and tried asking, "Does the elder have any messages for me to take back?"

"None," Li Shentong replied indifferently, "He didn’t intend for me to take any messages back either."

As he said this, he gave Zhao Changhe another thoughtful look, "This is not a new brew, it has aged three years. Everyone there is a person, and over three years, it’s not likely that no one has brought wine, yet he particularly had you deliver it, simply to let me take a look at you..."

Zhao Changhe: "..."

Li Shentong waved his hand: "Seen him, just that, originally thought it would be robust, but seeing you now, may not necessarily be more impressive than Situ. Thought you had scars, expected a rugged man, but upon close inspection, you actually look quite handsome, how boring."

Zhao Changhe: "?"

Are you buying a pig?

Li Shentong said, "Since there is the meaning of sending wine, this seat should offer something in return. What do you want?"

Zhao Changhe knew in his heart, this wine presentation was hardly a favor, less of a favor than those from Yuxu... Yuxu having him bring the wine was actually a recommendation from an elder: take care of this junior.

Thus, earlier Zhao Changhe thought he could even invite Li Shentong in a fight against Maitreya, having both this connection and Situ Xiao’s acquaintance, it might be possible. However, Tang Wanju cautiously refused, seeming to have a certain wariness towards Li Shentong, the reason still unknown.

If not making such requests, what else could his Divine Brilliance Sect need? Naturally, it’s body refining experience. This was probably Yuxu’s intended recommendation; Yuxu itself isn’t a body refiner and couldn’t offer much guidance, thus sending him to Divine Brilliance Sect for advice was appropriate.

The Blood God Sect, due to defects in their Array Plate and incomplete inheritance, hadn’t even specified what medicines were needed for body refining, nor had the Heavenly Book filled in the gaps, let alone detailed body refining methods. Did those early basic methods of horse stances, lifting stone locks, and medicinal baths still apply today? Were there any other secret techniques? Unknown. The Heavenly Book merely specified the need for certain items, but the various experiences in the body refining process couldn’t be provided by it.

To this day, Zhao Changhe’s body refining halted except for forcibly enhancing through items like Blood Ginseng, as he didn’t know how to proceed. Even now, as he continued to seek Jun Heaven Blood Jade and sharp grass, he felt quite perplexed, not knowing what to do with them once found, lacking a clear directive.

Yet such an important matter was right before him, Zhao Changhe didn’t hesitate to speak: "I’d like to ask the elder for a favor."

Li Shentong nodded: "Speak."

"I have a dear friend who disappeared in Ba Mountain and was definitely injured last time... Currently, I don’t know where she is or what strong opponents she might have encountered, but the area shouldn’t be far from here... I hope the elder can look into this matter and if possible, offer critical assistance at a decisive moment, I would be extremely grateful."

Li Shentong paused, looking at Zhao Changhe with a rare curiosity: "Do you know what you could have asked for?"

Zhao Changhe firmly said, "It’s not important."

"Ha..." Li Shentong chuckled, "You don’t even know where the person is, I could agree yet it might as well be null, just pretend I couldn’t find her, isn’t it like giving you nothing for free?"

Zhao Changhe said, "What the elder decides to do is the elder’s concern, I am just stating what I want."

"Ha ha ha ha..." Finally, Li Shentong burst into laughter: "Alright, I shall take this matter on."

Zhao Changhe said, "Thank you, elder... oh, this friend is..."

"Yue Hongling." Li Shentong casually said, "She once passed through Emei territory, thinking about your connections, I knew it was her."

Zhao Changhe was overjoyed.

Having once passed through Emei confirmed his judgment; Yue Hongling indeed headed towards Miao Region, and he hadn’t gone in the wrong direction.

And since Li Shentong knew about this matter, he felt more confident.

Zhao Changhe bowed as he prepared to leave, "Then I will trouble Senior to pay more attention... um, Junior won’t bother you any longer, I take my leave."

Li Shentong smiled, "If Situ were here, I could have kept you around for a few more days, but since he isn’t, staying here wouldn’t be interesting... The town outside the mountain is largely owned by our Divine Brilliance Sect, feel free to make yourself at home, food and lodging are on the house."

"Thank you, Senior." Zhao Changhe bowed again and turned to leave.

Li Shentong called out from behind, "Horse stances, bow stances, running with weights – though you don’t have to do them every day now, you must not abandon them completely. Training your muscles and blood is always effective... You might have neglected it for a long time, feeling a sense of discontinuity in your body refining."

Zhao Changhe stopped in his tracks.

Li continued, "The techniques of the Blood God Sect lack targeted refinement and training... For example, horizontal training requires continuously enduring various attacks to temper one’s steely muscles. If the Blood God Sect focuses on offensive power, have you incessantly pounded trees and rocks?"

Zhao Changhe thought about it; the Blood God Sect practiced repeated saber strikes, but that was basic saber technique and, although it included targeted muscle training, it clearly wasn’t considered body refining.

After hesitating for a moment, he answered, "Using Blood Evil Skill to guide the special effects of blood qi and evil qi also counts, right?"

"Hmm... that counts as training muscles and blood too," Li Shentong said. "When you first learned this cultivation technique in your earlier years, you were always attentive to the changes in your blood qi, but now that it has become routine, do you still pay such close attention and guidance?"

Yes and no... Whether it was eating the fruits given by Xia Longyuan or later consuming Dragon Elephant Blood Ginseng, although it seemed to be naturally digested, in reality, it was a process guided by the operation of the Blood Evil Skill. But this wasn’t deliberate; the foundation of the technique was there, naturally occurring, and he hadn’t consciously observed these heavenly materials and earthly treasures’ energy entering his body, nor intentionally guided any targeted changes.

This wasn’t active body refining; it was just passively receiving the energy of heavenly materials and earthly treasures, not the meticulous examination he used to do while practicing horse stance or taking medicine baths in his earlier years.

In fact, the methods of body refining had always been there; it was just that he had long neglected them.

Being reminded this way, he could quickly realize that if he had deliberately examined and guided his body while consuming Dragon Elephant Blood Ginseng, he would have been able to perceive the process of "Dragon Elephant Transformation" where his muscles enhanced layer by layer, and his strength grew – a body refining process, mastering every detail of his body’s changes, rather than just consuming a medicine and letting it be.

Moreover, if he were to acquire the so-called Sharp Edge Herb in the future, he should then guide the medicinal strength within his body, observing how his power sharpens, making the evil qi sharp like a blade, turning one cut into thousands; it’s actually suitable for use with "Blood Filling Mountains and Rivers."

The power before was suitable for "Gods and Buddhas Scatter."

Each step was indeed a clear ladder; it clicked instantly for him.

Enlightened by the cascade of new understanding, Zhao Changhe bowed deeply, "Thank you, Senior, for your guidance."

Li Shentong waved his hand, "I haven’t taught you anything; that’s all your own Blood God Sect’s doing, just don’t overlook it. Go now."

Zhao Changhe bowed and left the room.

As he exited, an old man entered, brushing past Zhao Changhe. Zhao politely cupped his hands, and the elder nodded back, watching Zhao Changhe’s departure before slowly approaching Li Shentong, slightly puzzled, "Why guide him, isn’t that backstabbing Situ..."

"Situ needs a strong opponent to compete against, to learn from each other. Is bullying someone without a master’s lineage and winning something to be proud of? Does that really show heroism?"

"Uh... he might not be without a master, his external skill cultivation might have been interrupted, but internally, he has always been heavily influenced by Tang Wanzhuang, even directly taught by her, especially Tang Wanzhuang who spared no effort." The elder emphasized the words ’Tang Wanzhuang,’ seemingly reminding Li Shentong of something.

"His meridians are obstructed, no matter how much Tang Wanzhuang taught him about internal magic, his main cultivation still revolves around external skill," Li Shentong responded, seemingly not catching the elder’s hint, not wanting to discuss further, "What brings you here?"

The elder glanced outside the door again and lowered his voice, "Zhai Muzhi’s men are forcing more labor again, people who don’t go have to pay... and the common folk can’t afford it anymore... even our outer disciples are coming to us complaining..."

Li Shentong’s expression turned cold.

"And the spring tax silver from Miao Region to Shu County has arrived nearby... Do we want to..."

The elder made a cutting gesture.

Li Shentong knew why the elder was wary of Zhao Changhe, bringing up Tang Wanzhuang with emphasis. While Zhao Changhe resided at the base of the mountain, the elder even contemplated abandoning their plans.

Because the current impression of Zhao Changhe was too favorably Imperial.

The battle of Maitreya, seemingly dominated by Tang Buqi as the chief commander with many from the Heavenly List and Earth List involved, those who knew the ins and outs understood the significant role Zhao Changhe played there.

What they from Divine Brilliance Sect were doing, wasn’t it akin to the Maitreya Sect?

In theory, killing Zhao Changhe and framing it on Zhai Muzhi was what Divine Brilliance Sect should have done.

Li Shentong didn’t say much, just smiled, "Just do what needs to be done, why so many worries? It’s like you’re regressing with age."

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