The divine manifestations began at the Gongwei Division.

Zhou Heng sat on the steps, slowly wiping the scabbard.

Chen Zhaowu raised his arms and shouted, speaking eloquently to the frightened pilgrims.

Xue Zhiwei and Lü Zian were cleaning up the mess.

Those two martial artists are responsible for killing but not for burying; the task of gathering clues still depends on the two of them.

[You took the initiative in the early stages of danger and annihilated it before it could even appear. Your courage is commendable. You are rewarded with: a century of cultivation.]

A line of small print flashed before Zhou Heng's eyes.

He paused slightly as he wiped the scabbard.

"Add it to the Boundless Ocean Technique."

Zhou Heng continued wiping the scabbard, silently chanting in his mind.

A beam of white light shone into his brow, transforming into clusters of memories that exploded in Zhou Heng's mind.

In the blink of an eye, Zhou Heng seemed to have gained a hundred years of cultivation experience.

He seemed to recall memories he had long forgotten.

For a hundred years, he abandoned everything and devoted himself to cultivating the Boundless Ocean Technique.

Beginner, intermediate level...

A century is but a fleeting moment.

The immortal energy within Zhou Heng's chest and dantian continued to accumulate.

Unbeknownst to him, he had already stepped into the realm of an eighth-rank celestial official.

The immortal energy within my Qi Sea is ten times greater than when I was at the Ninth Rank.

As the immortal energy flowed, Zhou Heng felt a cool sensation in his eyes, and the world seemed different to him than before.

It felt as if the whole world had just been washed clean by a rain shower.

Everything was more vibrant than before.

Details that were previously invisible are now clearly visible without even noticing.

Zhou Heng now finally understands what the world looks like through Xue Zhiwei's eyes.

With keen insight, he is an eighth-rank celestial official, also known as the fortune teller!

"He spent a hundred years of cultivation, but only managed to raise the Boundless Ocean Technique to the minor completion stage."

Zhou Heng didn't know whether to laugh or cry.

A seventh-rank martial artist can theoretically live to be a hundred years old without illness or disaster.

In other words, if he devoted all his energy to cultivating immortal techniques, he could normally reach the level of an eighth-rank immortal official before he died.

No wonder Xue Zhiwei reacted so strongly when she heard that he was going to take two routes at the same time.

With his talent, he should definitely focus on one path.

However, how should I put it?

Anyway, he's now an eighth-rank official.

Chen Zhaowu was still "lecturing" to the worshippers when Zhou Heng got up and walked into the main hall.

A Buddha statue several meters long lay horizontally on a high platform, with a kind and benevolent expression.

Previously, Zhou Heng only noticed that the reclining Buddha was entirely gilded, but now that he has been promoted to the eighth-rank celestial official, his eyes can see some details that he couldn't see before.

Although Buddhism and Taoism exist in this world, they are not cultivation methods themselves.

Whether it's a monk or a Taoist priest, cultivation follows the three paths of Heaven, Earth, and Man.

Among monks there are celestial officials, and among Taoist priests there are also many martial artists.

Of course, most monks and Taoist priests did not embark on the path of cultivation.

Zhou Heng looked at the reclining Buddha and felt that the curves of the reclining Buddha's body seemed to contain a special artistic conception.

"You noticed?"

Xue Zhiwei arrived beside Zhou Heng at some point, and asked with some surprise.

"I've fought a fox demon."

Zhou Heng's answer was irrelevant, as if he had said something unrelated.

"This has nothing to do with whether you've ever fought a fox demon."

Xue Zhiwei shook her head. "Without keen insight, even if you've fought a fox demon, you wouldn't be able to discover the secret of this reclining Buddha."

"You've reached the eighth rank?"

Has anyone ever told you that women who are too smart are more likely to remain unmarried?

Zhou Heng glanced at her and said calmly.

"If I can't get married, then I won't get married."

Xue Zhiwei said calmly.

If you avoid answering, then it's true.

Within just a few days of obtaining the Boundless Ocean Technique, he had already broken through to the level of an eighth-rank immortal official.

It seems you're not acting rashly; you have ample self-confidence, which is why you chose to go down two different paths.

Xue Zhiwei's tone couldn't help but carry a hint of emotion.

A seventh-rank martial artist and an eighth-rank celestial official—if this were to get out, it would absolutely shock the world.

There are many people in the world who cultivate two or even three paths, but those who can achieve success in each one are few and far between.

Xue Zhiwei had seen many people who were stuck at the seventh rank and unable to advance further choose to cultivate a second path in order to find another way out.

However, for the vast majority of those people, the second path only leads to the ninth rank.

In all her life, she had only ever seen one person who had truly mastered the second path to the eighth rank.

Zhou Heng was the second.

But the first person she met was already a hundred years old, and Zhou Heng was only a few years old.

Who can guarantee that Zhou Heng won't become a seventh-rank celestial official in a few decades?

Reaching the seventh rank in both martial arts and immortality is unbelievable.

"Concealing martial arts techniques within sculptures is a skill of the Plum Blossom School."

Xue Zhiwei looked thoughtful. "The Plum Blossom School is active in the south and rarely comes to the north. That's a bit strange..."

"Plum Blossom School?"

Zhou Heng asked in confusion.

"Oh, the Plum Blossom Sect is a miscellaneous sect in the martial arts world. They are skilled in painting, sculpture, construction, mechanisms and other miscellaneous arts. Hiding martial arts techniques in statues is their specialty."

Xue Zhiwei explained, "However, among the miscellaneous schools of thought, there has always been a saying that plum blossoms are popular in the south and construction is popular in the north."

The North is the domain of construction companies; the Plum Blossom School would never easily take on jobs here.

Qizhou is located in the north, so if the Plum Blossom Sect were to take on jobs here, it would be considered overstepping their boundaries.

"I have examined it carefully. Every Buddha statue in this Reclining Buddha Temple is sculpted using the same technique. In other words, each Buddha statue contains a set of martial arts techniques."

This Reclining Buddha Temple isn't a temple at all; it's a martial arts training ground.

Xue Zhiwei continued.

"The fact that monks practice martial arts doesn't prove anything. Are there any other findings?"

Zhou Heng frowned slightly.

"have."

Xue Zhiwei nodded and continued, "The martial arts techniques hidden in the statues are all military martial arts."

"Military martial arts? Are you sure?"

Zhou Heng turned to look at Xue Zhiwei.

Zhou Heng was no stranger to military martial arts; the Blood Battle Blade Technique he practiced earliest was a military martial art.

Its characteristics are simple moves and high lethality.

It's not strange for monks to practice martial arts, but it is strange for them to practice military martial arts that are designed to inflict heavy casualties.

"Although I am not a martial artist, I have read many martial arts manuals, and I am certain that I have not made a mistake."

Xue Zhiwei said earnestly.

"Besides the abbot, there were some fox demons hiding in the temple. You and Chen Zhaowu killed some of them, but the others escaped."

Some of the monks in the temple also took advantage of the chaos to escape.

Xue Zhiwei continued, "The remaining monks also practiced martial arts, but they only practiced according to the abbot's instructions and did not know the abbot's purpose in having them do so."

At this point, she couldn't help but glance at Zhou Heng, her eyes filled with resentment.

I told you to leave someone alive.

If the abbot fox demon hadn't died, wouldn't we be able to interrogate it now?

"Zhou Heng, next time, could you spare someone's life?"

Xue Zhiwei sighed and offered some words of advice.

"I'll try my best, but as you know, swords have no eyes, and sometimes the enemy is too strong, so there's nothing I can do."

Zhou Heng said, "That's how it is when martial artists fight. Even going all out doesn't guarantee victory, so who dares to hold back?"

"You're not a pure martial artist, you're more like an eighth-rank celestial official."

Xue Zhiwei said irritably, "Do you only have immortal techniques but no immortal arts?"

I once saw a magical technique called Water Binding. Practice it when you have time, so next time you won't just be good for wielding a sword to kill people!