Yang An watched, somewhat tempted. Such destructive power was certainly impressive, but...

"Bodhisattva, Yuan Ji wishes to see the strongest one. I hope you will not hold back in your instruction!"

Elder Monk Hai Shu was like someone squeezing toothpaste, letting out a little at a time. It was incredibly frustrating.

According to the laws of cultivation, the greater the power of a Technique or Body Refining Technique, the higher the price one had to pay.

But Yang An couldn’t care less about the price he would have to pay.

’Just show me the strongest one already!’

"Heh, I was just waiting for you to say that, Yuan Ji."

Hai Shu Bodhisattva seemed to have guessed what was on Yang An’s mind. He had demonstrated so many Techniques and Body Refining Techniques, yet Yang An hadn’t been impressed by a single one. Clearly, he was holding out for a more formidable method.

"There is one technique named the Jade Kala Vajra Body.

"However, while this technique is more powerful than most Body Refining Techniques, its refinement process is exceedingly painful and complex. The price one must pay far surpasses that of similar techniques. In the entire Land of Goodness, only a single Bodhisattva from a thousand years ago ever learned it. No one else has mastered it since."

As he spoke, Hai Shu Bodhisattva raised his hand, and the scene within the scroll shifted. The world instantly grew dim and overcast.

Yet, within this gloom, a new figure of a Buddha slowly emerged, revealing itself in the darkness.

He was shrouded in a brilliant golden light, as if his entire body was radiating a golden glow. A closer look, however, revealed this was not the case.

The so-called golden light was actually just countless, incredibly fine particles of dust that had gathered to create the spectacle.

The first moment Yang An saw this Buddha, his heart leaped with subconscious excitement.

He had almost mistaken it for a Body Refining Technique of the Light Category. Upon seeing the reality of the situation, however, he was instantly disappointed.

This Golden Dust completely rendered the Buddha’s original form golden, and it continuously passed through his physical body, entering and exiting through his pores with each breath, as if it were a part of the Buddha himself.

The next moment, the Buddha suddenly pressed his palms together, and all the Golden Dust surrounding him was abruptly absorbed into his body.

The Buddha, who already looked as if he were coated in gold paint, instantly swelled to several times his size. He became a giant over twenty feet tall, his body a mass of knotted muscle that seemed to overflow with power.

Amidst the gloomy landscape, countless bizarre figures appeared, all charging toward the Buddha.

Yet, facing these aggressive, unknown beings, the Buddha simply threw a single punch. Under the force of that one blow, hundreds, even thousands, of creatures were obliterated by an irresistible power.

But Yang An, watching from the side, hadn’t even blinked. Seeing the Buddha in the illusory scroll attack, he felt a great sense of disappointment.

’That’s it?’

’That can’t be right!’

Elder Monk Hai Shu had said this Body Refining Technique was the most powerful and had exceptionally harsh requirements. Yet the power in that punch was probably not even a tenth of the techniques he had demonstrated earlier.

’And they call this the strongest?’

Yang An glanced at Hai Shu Bodhisattva, confused. But the Bodhisattva merely smiled and pointed toward the Buddha in the scroll.

"Look again, Yuan Ji!"

Yang An’s gaze returned to the scroll. The Buddha’s form was unchanged, but now a layer of jade-green dust coated the surface of his body.

Just like the Golden Dust from before, these jade-green particles on his body made it seem as if his flesh was glowing.

This time, even more Demon Fiends and vile creatures appeared in the world. They likely numbered in the tens of thousands—too many to count—and they all swarmed the Buddha.

The Buddha once again absorbed the jade-green dust. His body rapidly expanded, swelling in an instant from over twenty feet to nearly a hundred feet tall. His once-golden body was now a mix of gold and jade hues.

Yang An suddenly understood why this Body Refining Technique was called Jade Kala Vajra Body. 𝙛𝒓𝓮𝙚𝔀𝒆𝒃𝓷𝒐𝓿𝙚𝓵.𝙘𝒐𝒎

Facing the endless swarm of attacking Demon Fiends and vile creatures, the gold-and-jade Buddha once again threw a simple, direct punch.

But as he threw this punch, the violent Power shattered the very space before him. The force erupted from his body, spreading in all directions. Countless Demon Fiends and vile creatures were annihilated into nothingness before they could even scream.

Moreover, the Power even shattered the surrounding mountains. The earth began to shake and the mountains trembled, and countless chasms, deep as abysses, tore across the ground.

Watching this, Yang An frowned. This level of power seemed, at best, to be merely on par with the Body Refining Techniques demonstrated earlier.

But as the thought crossed his mind, he froze. He suddenly understood.

’Wrong!’

’This Body Refining Technique really *is* strong!’

’This manifestation of the Buddha achieved such terrifying strength just by absorbing two types of dust, gold and jade. What if it absorbed even more? What heights would it reach?’

"What do you think, Yuan Ji?"

Just then, Hai Shu Bodhisattva asked. With a light tap of his finger, everything in the illusory scroll seemed to freeze in time, becoming completely still.

"Bodhisattva, could it be that this is a Body Refining Technique that can grow progressively stronger?"

"You are correct, Yuan Ji. The Cultivation Method for the Jade Kala Vajra Body requires one to constantly temper the physical body with gold dust and jade dust. In truth, it isn’t limited to just gold and jade—there are even higher-level tempering substances. It’s just that in all these years, no one has ever cultivated it successfully. Therefore, what I, this old monk, can show you must end here."

Hai Shu Bodhisattva spoke with considerable regret. The number of people who had mastered this Body Refining Technique was simply far too low.

"This Body Refining Technique actually originates from an Old Technique. It was modified from a Light Forbidden Technique. The original version required one to use Light Magic to temper the physical body."

"However, as it was a Forbidden Technique, no one could master it completely, which made learning this Body Refining Technique exceptionally difficult."

"Fortunately, the Buddha is merciful. A True Buddha, possessing both wisdom and courage, once appeared in our Land of Great Virtue and Goodness. He improved this technique, substituting Golden Jade Dust for the Magic Light. While its power is less than the original’s, the difficulty of cultivating it plummeted."

"And yet, even then... The Spiritual Body Bodhisattva from our Land of Great Virtue and Goodness a thousand years ago was the only astonishing genius to ever learn this Body Refining Technique. He was only able to master three of its transformations at most before reaching his limit."

At this, Hai Shu Bodhisattva’s reminiscent gaze fell away, and he looked directly at Yang An.

"Would you care to try, Yuan Ji?"

Believing Yang An to be a True Buddha Reincarnation, Hai Shu was convinced he possessed the necessary aptitude. That was why he had presented this particular Body Refining Technique.

In fact, the previous Buddha’s Sons who had appeared in the Great Virtue Temple had all faced the same choice.

Unfortunately, they all either chose other Magic Techniques or attempted this one and failed. Not a single one succeeded in mastering it.

If even the Buddha’s Son before him couldn’t master it, then this Body Refining Technique should be sealed away and never brought out again.

If no one could successfully cultivate it, the Body Refining Technique had lost its purpose, rendering it useless.

But in the face of Hai Shu Bodhisattva’s question, Yang An simply stared, stunned.

’What did I just hear?’

’This Body Refining Technique was modified from a Light Forbidden Technique?’

’In other words, this Body Refining Technique was originally cultivated using Light Magic, and it was so powerful it reached the level of a Forbidden Technique that no one could master.’

’And after Golden Jade Dust replaced the Magic Light for tempering the physical body, its power dropped significantly, but the difficulty of mastering it also became much lower. Yet even then, there were still limits.’

Though he did his best to suppress his racing heart in front of Elder Monk Hai Shu, his mind was already alight with excitement.

’If I master this Body Refining Technique, could I reverse-engineer it? Could I discard the Golden Jade Dust and use Light Magic to temper my own body?’

’Revert the New Technique back to its original form, back to the Old Technique.’

’This path... It seems feasible!’

’I’ve already mastered over ten types of Light Magic. If I could use all of them to cultivate this Body Refining Technique...’

A sharp intake of breath—Yang An suddenly felt as if he were suffocating.

’If this really works, then this single Body Refining Technique will be more than enough!’

At this thought, Yang An looked at Hai Shu Bodhisattva, pressed his palms together, and adopted a pious and solemn expression.

"Bodhisattva! This technique is difficult to cultivate; in a thousand years, no one else has succeeded. But you have placed such trust in me, Yuan Ji. I am willing to test this technique myself, to risk my life for this greater cause, and I will not fail to live up to your expectations!"

"I am willing to attempt to cultivate this technique!"