When Xia Li stopped matching the movements of the Vajras in their collective demonstration of the Heavenly Dao, he became a discordant note in this place.

  All the Vajras stopped their movements, turning their heads to look down at Xia Li.

  One of the Vajras walked toward Xia Li, his form gradually shrinking as he drew closer.

  By the time he stood before Xia Li, he had transformed into a kindly old monk.

  "Amitabha, benefactor. We meet again."

  "Your choices are also a form of Dao. All things have their price and karmic consequences—divine powers are no exception."

  "You forsook divine powers and birthed the Wisdom Ear instead. Perhaps this is the true path for you."

  The old monk wasn't angry that Xia Li refused to receive his teachings. Buddhism speaks of fate—if the karmic connection hasn't arrived, one cannot force it.

  "Greetings, Master. Thank you for saving me earlier. It's my own lack of appreciation that I have no affinity with Buddhism."

  Xia Li bowed his head in acknowledgment.

  Now he knew the old monk's true identity. The other was not human, but a genuine Vajra.

  That Heaven-and-Earth Manifestation was his true form!

  Vajras subdue demons—hence attacking the sand worms and protecting those with karmic affinity.

  Pity that he himself had no such affinity.

  "You still have affinity. Deep or shallow, arising or fading—all are forms of affinity. Since you cultivate the Six Roots, you walk the path of seeking truth. You must remain steadfast in yourself to cultivate your true self."

  "Cultivating immortality to become immortal, cultivating Buddhism to become Buddha, cultivating truth to become oneself."

  The old monk extended his hand toward the golden bowl, which immediately tumbled through the air and covered Xia Li.

  "May you find your true self, benefactor. Though this golden bowl must wait for another with affinity..."

  As the words fell, the Buddhist chanting faded to silence.

  Inside the bowl was pure darkness—couldn't see one's hand before one's face. When the bowl was opened again, Xia Li found himself outside the black sandstorm. The golden bowl had vanished.

  This miraculous experience made Xia Li realize that the old monk—or rather, the Vajra—must be the last Dharma transmitter of the Great Vajra Temple.

  He sought someone with affinity to pass down the Great Sun Vajra Scripture, but unfortunately, Xia Li wasn't that person.

  However...

  Xia Li closed his eyes to confirm the movements he'd learned in the illusion. Training with the Vajras wasn't entirely without reward.

  The Great Sun Vajra Scripture had no affinity with him.

  But he'd learned the Great Sun Golden Body Art. Though less profound than the Great Sun Vajra Scripture and lacking the Heaven-and-Earth Manifestation divine power, at least this path could forge an indestructible body of supreme yang.

  This achieved his original purpose.

  Xia Li looked up at the sky.

  He should return to Earth now to install new prosthetics, but Xia Li suddenly felt there was no rush.

  He even reached up and removed his right prosthetic eye, then took off his prosthetic nose.

  This made his entire face look hideously ugly. Xia Li tore off a corner of his sleeve and tied it around his face, covering the empty right eye socket and sunken nasal area, then strode into the endless windswept sands of the Desolate Continent.

  After this severe injury, Xia Li understood how weak he would be without the help of various prosthetics and Spirit Cores. Thus, he planned to seriously cultivate relying only on himself for a while.

  For the upcoming journey through the Savage Continent—what was there to fear with this broken body?

  The blazing sun scorched Xia Li's body with searing heat. Xia Li walked under the sunlight without using spiritual energy to shield himself, even stripping off his upper garments to let the sun burn his skin.

  He practiced the Vajra's movements while slowly advancing, walking at sunrise and resting at sunset.

  People say cultivation is lonely, but once truly immersed in cultivation, one becomes absorbed and forgets oneself.

  Moreover, unlike learning from jade slips, Xia Li had acquired the Great Sun Golden Body Art by directly training with the Vajras. This gave him sufficient proficiency and comprehension from the very start, making cultivation come naturally.

  This content has been unlawfully taken from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere.

  The sand sea stretched boundless...

  First month.

  Xia Li achieved Yang Radiance of Blood and Qi. His entire body's blood energy became scorching hot, his vital blood containing the essence of blazing yang—blood alone could dispel demons.

  Second month. Under the scorching sun and scouring winds, Xia Li re-tempered his body. His skin shed layer after layer until it became as tough as copper.

  Third month.

  Xia Li actively cast techniques to gather yang radiance at his crown, sitting cross-legged beneath a brilliant beam of sunlight. He cultivated until his entire body turned red and steam rose from all seven orifices. His body became skeletal thin, but he thoroughly tempered his meridians.

  Ordinary cultivators use spiritual energy as a foundation to manifest the forces of heaven and earth, only transforming after spiritual energy leaves the body.

  As Xia Li continuously developed his meridians, he could now directly ignite spiritual energy within his meridians to produce fire and thunder. During nights, besides resting, he constantly practiced controlling his dantian.

  Self-cultivation ability was the key to the future—and the baseline of his capabilities when Spirit Cores couldn't function.

  Currently not lacking pills, Xia Li was quite willing to use them to recover his body and shorten cultivation time.

  Only by truly beginning martial cultivation could one feel the importance of the martial path.

  Earth currently placed great importance on martial arts as well—otherwise Ke Xiao wouldn't have insisted he immediately replace his martial Spirit Core to strengthen his blood and qi at Foundation Establishment. After all, martial arts were the foundation for installing most powerful prosthetics.

  If martial blood and qi didn't meet standards, even if powerful prosthetics were installed, they couldn't exert full force.

  Soul strength could raise the Heaven Chip's limits; martial strength could raise Spirit Core limits.

  Fourth month.

  Xia Li mastered a technique called Spirit Blood Internal Combustion. Unlike burning blood and qi, which depleted one's foundation for power beyond one's realm—a trump card only used in crises—Spirit Blood Internal Combustion could be used anytime. Afterward, one only experienced brief weakness, like ordinary exhaustion, recoverable after rest.

  Xia Li then repeatedly performed Spirit Blood Internal Combustion to refine his vital blood, increasing the proportion of refined blood in his body, then using refined blood combustion to break through apertures.

  Fifth month.

  Xia Li walked out of the Desolate Continent. By now his entire person was dark and weathered, his form gaunt with peeling skin everywhere, even bearing scabs of blood mixed with sand.

  But when Xia Li entered a town, no one dared look down on him—just approaching Xia Li made the surrounding temperature noticeably rise.

  Sharp-eyed observers could see Xia Li's apertures contracting as if breathing, exhaling heat waves.

  This characteristic was called "Body Breathing" in martial arts—a realm where one no longer needed mouth or nose to breathe. The speed of spiritual energy absorption was several times that of ordinary cultivators.

  A martial master who could cultivate to such intensity was either extraordinarily diligent or had exceptional heritage—not to be easily offended.

  So while Xia Li looked miserable on the surface, passersby kept their distance, fearing they'd touch Xia Li's bad luck and get grabbed and crushed into a ball.

  Xia Li didn't head directly to the teleportation array but planned to rest in the city first. After five months of bitter cultivation, he'd achieved the body strength required to implant the Stellar Simulation Golden Core.

  Though he'd made himself look quite inhuman.

  His current appearance was absolutely fearsome—looking exactly like a demonic cultivator walking the streets. If not for the passersby knowing their own insufficient strength, they'd definitely want to step forward and question Xia Li.