Chapter 288 154: The 9th Layer (2)

Its power was, naturally, on a completely different level.

Strictly speaking, this divine art could be divided into two parts.

The first was the "Song of Righteous Qi."

This was the foundation of the Book of Grand Righteousness. The method for circulating Qi for this art was hidden within it.

It contained a total of thirty moves.

These encompassed a wide range of martial arts, including palm, finger, fist, and leg techniques.

It was vast, profound, and endlessly mysterious.

The second was the "Walk of Grand Righteousness."

This section was founded on a Body Technique. Using the Qi of Grand Righteousness as its basis, the footwork was astonishingly powerful and could overwhelm the hearts of others.

As his mind absorbed the various secret arts and key principles of the Book of Grand Righteousness, Jiang Ran accelerated the fusion of his Creation and Righteous Heart Sutra with this new art.

The Qi in his body circulated, and a fierce wind suddenly swirled around him.

His body involuntarily floated into mid-air once more.

At times, he manifested as a Protector Vajra. At others, he was as bitingly cold as the dead of winter. Then, a clear light would shine from above his head, illuminating all of time.

These three dazzling colors finally coalesced into three flowers above Jiang Ran's head.

The moment the three flowers appeared, the True Qi within Jiang Ran's body finally and completely unified.

At that very same moment, his Creation and Righteous Heart Sutra successfully broke through to the ninth level!

Three Flowers Atop the Head, Five Qis Returning to the Origin.

Every part of his body was suddenly opened and clear!

The True Qi in his body surged, flowing endlessly, as if without limit.

It was as if a spiritual light illuminated him, rendering his entire body like translucent jade, with no dark or hidden corners left.

Jiang Ran looked inward, and every hidden injury and blockage in his body became perfectly clear.

But what he most wanted to see were traces of the Nine Deathly Meridians.

Unfortunately, he found nothing.

These nine hidden meridians were exceptionally rare. All current methods of circulating Qi, all Divine Techniques and their mysteries, were based on the eight extraordinary meridians and the twelve main meridians. Beyond that, depending on the martial art, there were also theories of three channels and five wheels.

Yet no one had ever found these nine hidden meridians.

It was a malady that had existed since ancient times, one that had never been cured.

Jiang Ran exhaled, somewhat disappointed.

Just then, Jiang Ran suddenly noticed something within his body—what looked like stars twinkling, shining brightly throughout his limbs and bones.

"This is..."

But just as Jiang Ran tried to get a closer look, the sensation of being illuminated by that spiritual light abruptly faded.

His Qi settled, and a Grand Circulation had quietly completed.

He landed back on the bed, unable to stop a slight frown from forming.

'What was that I just saw?'

He pondered for a moment and immediately began circulating his art again. However, after another Grand Circulation, he found that nothing had changed, aside from his Inner Energy being even more profound than before.

The wondrous state of the spiritual light, which had allowed him to see everything within himself, did not return.

He couldn't help but sigh. He knew that such a state was a fortuitous event, not something he could replicate at will.

'Thinking back, those couldn't possibly have been actual stars within my body.'

'They must be traces left behind by some kind of Inner Energy, or perhaps a manifestation of condensed True Qi.'

'They're just hidden so deeply. If not for the huge leap in my Inner Energy this time, I would never have been able to sense their existence.'

'Could this be what Tang Shiqing did to me?'

'Is it because of them that I was able to ignore the Blood Cauldron Divine Art?'

Jiang Ran began to wonder.

'But I don't know if this is a good thing or a bad thing...'

Although Tang Huayi had insisted that even if Tang Shiqing had done something to him that night, he would be the one to benefit.

But could he really trust the words of a little demoness from the Demon Sect?

Then again, if he asked her about it now, she'd probably just be brazen and uncooperative.

'It wouldn't be good to let her know I've already figured something out...'

'I'll keep this to myself for now. I'll deal with it after I see Tang Shiqing.'

'But if the Old Drunkard knows about this too...'

Jiang Ran's brow furrowed. He let out a soft breath, pushing the thoughts aside and deciding to continue claiming his rewards.

He had already accumulated quite a few unclaimed rewards.

Now that the four buffs were used up, it was time to claim the "Heaven-Covering Divine Palm" he had earned earlier.

This palm technique was just as Jiang Ran had expected; it wasn't some peerless divine art.

However, the moves certainly had their merits.

The palm strikes were powerful and majestic. The stronger one's Inner Energy, the greater the palm's might.

At its peak, it was said to be world-turning, impossible to block or defend against.

Jiang Ran already had quite a few techniques for unarmed combat.

The Thirteen Mad Demon Claws of Kun and the Cold Moon Dance were among them, and after obtaining the Book of Grand Righteousness, his arsenal of techniques had grown even larger.

Although the Heaven-Covering Divine Palm was exquisite, it didn't particularly stand out.

Jiang Ran mulled it over for a moment, then shook his head.

'In the future, it would be better to use similar martial arts for buffs.'

'Claiming them directly like this is a waste if I don't end up using them.'

Next was the Autumn Water Ice Condensation Skill.

This art was a "bone-transforming, Qi-circulating" method. It used the body as "autumn water" to alter one's appearance, then "condensed ice" to fix it in place.

It was countless times more advanced than any ordinary Disguise Skill.

Wuliang Sheng had relied on this very technique to take on countless forms and roam the mortal world.

However, one's fundamental nature could not be changed. It was impossible to truly turn from a man into a woman and break the barrier between sexes.

No matter how convincing the exterior, it was ultimately just a facade.

This skill was useless for fighting, but it might have miraculous effects in other areas.

Finally, he claimed the eight years of Inner Strength left over from before, as well as the six years of Inner Strength he had just obtained.

With that, he had finished claiming all his rewards.

In terms of rewarded Inner Strength alone, the depth of his Inner Energy had long since surpassed two hundred years' worth.

But now, his martial prowess could no longer be measured in such simple terms.

With his Creation and Righteous Heart Sutra entering the ninth level, he felt that his own Inner Strength was simply inexhaustible.