Secret Medicine and Demonization!

Baiye City.

Azure Steel Martial Hall.

This was a fairly well-known martial arts hall in Baiye City's outer city. Its fees were somewhat high, but it did not cheat people. As long as one had money, anyone could come here to learn martial arts.

Li Changsheng came to Azure Steel Martial Hall, met one of its instructors, and stated his purpose.

"Li Changsheng, right? Starting martial arts at your age is a little late. Are you sure you want to study at Azure Steel Martial Hall?" Azure Steel Martial Hall's Instructor Du Hai asked.

"Instructor Du, I want to learn martial arts," Li Changsheng said.

"Ten taels of silver a month. If you can become a true martial artist within a year, you may remain at Azure Steel Martial Hall and continue training."

"Of course, if you fail to become a martial artist within a year, you can still train at the hall if you have money, but you will never become one of the hall's people."

Du Hai explained.

"Alright!"

Li Changsheng took out ten taels of silver and handed them to Du Hai.

After taking the silver, Du Hai led Li Changsheng into Azure Steel Martial Hall and completed his registration. Then he had him train alongside a group of martial hall apprentices.

Since Li Changsheng had just entered the martial hall and lacked even the slightest foundation, Du Hai personally taught him Azure Steel Martial Hall's introductory Skin Polishing Martial Art—Azure Steel Hand!

This was a Skin Polishing Martial Art that tempered both hands. Once the skin polishing was complete, one would become a Stone Skin Realm martial artist.

Just as Li Changsheng began to feel that becoming a martial artist did not seem so difficult, Du Hai said, "Don't think becoming a Stone Skin Realm martial artist is easy. See that batch of apprentices? At most one-tenth of them will break through and become Stone Skin Realm martial artists within a year."

"So difficult!"

Li Changsheng was shocked.

Du Hai continued, "To cultivate Azure Steel Hand, one must first temper both hands. Rub your hands against pebbles, then apply Secret Medicine to promote wound healing and temper your hands faster. Once rubbing pebbles no longer injures you, you can stir-fry Iron Sand. Once stir-frying Iron Sand no longer injures you either, you can begin cultivating by sensing your qi and blood. Only when you can sense the qi and blood in your hands do you truly begin cultivating Azure Steel Hand, using qi and blood to temper the skin on your hands. When the skin of both hands completes its transformation, you will be a Stone Skin Realm martial artist!"

"So difficult!"

Li Changsheng realized that becoming a Stone Skin Realm martial artist was not such an easy matter after all. He had no idea what his aptitude was like.

But various Dao Fruits could emerge in his future. Perhaps there would be Dao Fruits that could assist cultivation.

So, he was not too worried.

Very soon.

Li Changsheng changed into the martial hall apprentice uniform and came before a pot of pebbles. These pebbles were all small and irregularly shaped.

Du Hai said, "Li Changsheng, keep stirring these pebbles with both hands, letting them injure your skin. Once the skin and flesh on your hands are a bloody mess, come collect a portion of Secret Medicine. Also, I'll teach you the Breathing Technique for Azure Steel Hand's Skin Polishing Martial Art. With the Breathing Technique, you can improve the effects of training faster. As for the actual cultivation methods of Azure Steel Hand, wait until your hands have been tempered before practicing them. Practicing them now will have no effect at all."

"Yes, Instructor Du!"

Li Changsheng answered.

Du Hai then carefully taught him the Breathing Technique and gave him some pointers. Once he saw that Li Changsheng had no problems, he went to teach the others.

"It hurts so much!"

Li Changsheng rubbed his hands among the pebbles and was quickly injured, yet he continued. He had to wait until his hands were a bloody mess before he could apply the Secret Medicine.

After a while, his hands were already a bloody mess. Only then did he go to the place in the martial hall where Secret Medicine was sold to collect some.

The Secret Medicine here was not given away for free. It still had to be purchased. One tael of silver bought one portion of Secret Medicine. He could choose not to buy it and instead purchase medicinal herbs outside to apply to his hands, then slowly wait for them to recover, but that way he would only be able to train a few times each month.

Before long, he spent one tael of silver to buy a portion of Secret Medicine.

He did not know what this Secret Medicine was called. He only knew that it was excellent at healing injuries to the hands and could accelerate the cultivation of Azure Steel Hand.

Sure enough.

After Li Changsheng applied the Secret Medicine, the wounds on his hands healed rapidly. At this rate, they would fully recover in half a day.

That afternoon.

Li Changsheng returned to the blacksmith shop and continued forging Refined Iron. His hands had not fully recovered yet, and when Li Han saw them, he immediately frowned. "Changsheng, did you go to the martial hall to practice martial arts?"

"Yes, Master Li Han!" Li Changsheng nodded.

Li Han tried to persuade him. "Changsheng, you should put all your thoughts into forging. You have great talent in forging. Before long, you can try forging Ninth-grade Weapons. Once you become a blacksmith, your status will be even more honorable than that of a Stone Skin Realm martial artist. Starting martial arts at your age, you will be no more than a Stone Skin Realm martial artist for your whole life, perhaps one level higher at most. What is the point?"

"Master Li Han, I'm only giving it a try. It won't affect my forging," Li Changsheng said.

"Fine, then weigh it carefully yourself."

Li Han did not try to persuade him further.

In the blink of an eye, another month passed.

Li Changsheng's improvement in his Forging Dao Fruit was quite good.

[Host: Li Changsheng]

[Cultivation: None]

[Dao Fruit: Forging lv1 (55%)]

He had long since cultivated the Li Family Three Hammer Technique to the Perfection Realm, but after that, it became difficult to continue improving the abilities of his Forging Dao Fruit unless he began forging weapons.

As for his skin polishing cultivation, he was still at the Pebble Skin Polishing Stage. However, his overall physical condition had improved somewhat, his qi and blood had grown stronger, and the skin on his hands had become much tougher. He estimated that in another month, he could complete the pebble skin polishing process.

"Two months just to complete the Pebble Skin Polishing Stage. This aptitude is a little ordinary!"

Li Changsheng had also asked around. Some geniuses in the martial hall could complete pebble skin polishing within a month, while some could finish the Pebble Skin Polishing Stage in half a month.

Of course, there were also those with poor aptitude. For instance, those who took half a year to complete the Pebble Skin Polishing Stage would likely find it difficult to break through and become Stone Skin Realm martial artists in their entire lives.

Azure Steel Martial Hall.

Li Changsheng paid another month's tuition. Though he could carry out the Pebble Skin Polishing Stage at home, he had no way to purchase Secret Medicine if he did not train at the martial hall, so he had to remain in the hall to cultivate.

That day.

Li Changsheng was training in the martial hall as usual when an apprentice's face suddenly twisted. His eyes turned blood-red, and even his body began to grow taller.

At that moment, he seemed to have lost his reason. His hands turned into claws, and with one strike, he pierced through an apprentice's body.

This scene utterly stunned every apprentice!

"You're courting death!"

Instructor Du Hai rushed over, unleashed Azure Steel Hand, and exchanged blows with the apprentice. With only one palm strike, he sent him flying, then killed him with another punch.

Looking at the apprentice's corpse, which resembled a monster, no one knew what had happened.

"Instructor Du, what is going on?"

One apprentice boldly asked.

"This apprentice must have taken extremely inferior Secret Medicine and suffered a backlash from Demon Blood, entering Semi-Demonization. He is no longer human!" Du Hai said.

Inferior Secret Medicine?

Demonization?

Li Changsheng had not expected inferior Secret Medicine to have such a side effect. The others were also terrified, worried that the Secret Medicine they took every day might carry the same side effect.