Skin Grinding Complete, 9 Root Bone

"Just making preparations in advance..."

Zhou Qiming neither confirmed nor denied it, his expression inscrutable.

In truth, only by erupting with Blood Qi and fighting with all his strength would others be able to tell his Skin Grinding and Body Tempering realms, so he was not worried in the slightest.

Besides, if he truly unleashed all his trump cards, his raw strength would already rival that of an expert who had just entered Bone Forging. There was no danger in temporarily revealing his Skin Grinding cultivation.

Breaking through Skin Grinding in two days was far too shocking, so Zhou Qiming naturally would not foolishly admit it.

"It seems Master Yuan may have misjudged you. In my opinion, Xiao Tian's talent is absolutely inferior to yours. Even if your Root Bone is limited, your Monstrous Comprehension is enough to make up the gap."

Cheng Yu could not stop marveling, and his desire to draw Zhou Qiming in deepened. In his eyes, Zhou Qiming's comprehension was monstrously gifted. He must have already figured out the beginnings of the Iron Cloth Skill, which was why he had hurried over to buy secret medicine for Skin Grinding.

"Ten packets of medicinal ingredients in total. I'll sell them to you at cost—fifteen taels of silver."

With a grand wave of his hand, Cheng Yu generously gave him a discount.

Given Zhou Qiming's potential, he would definitely not remain confined to this little town in the future. If Cheng Yu offered charcoal in snowy weather now, he could forge a friendship with a future powerhouse!

"Thanks. Do you still have any of that ginseng from last time?" Zhou Qiming asked without ceremony.

After the discount, he still had ten taels of silver left over, just enough to buy something to replenish his vitality and blood foundation. Otherwise, relying on time alone to slowly recover would make restoring his Root Bone Value far too inefficient.

"Oh? You used up the ginseng so quickly? Resources that replenish Blood Qi and improve Root Bone are extremely scarce. They've all been reserved in advance by the martial arts school and people from the County Town. I'll find a way to set some aside for you. Ten taels per root, also at cost."

After considering it, Cheng Yu answered directly.

"Alright, thank you for the trouble." Zhou Qiming bowed in thanks, packed up the ten bundles of medicinal ingredients, and prepared to leave.

"Oh, Qiming. Our Cheng Family Guard Team happens to need more capable hands. You also have a great demand for medicinal ingredients, so why not help out with some work? If there's a suitable task, I'll notify you."

Cheng Yu called him back. The family guards had suffered losses in various conflicts, while Zhou Qiming already possessed tremendous arm strength and had now cultivated the Iron Cloth Skill to Skin Grinding. He could definitely handle Guard Team assignments.

With Zhou Qiming joining them, the Cheng Family's business in town would be all the more secure.

"Sure. Arrange things ahead of time—I'll need to inform the restaurant."

Zhou Qiming agreed readily.

He had accepted Cheng Yu's favor, so it was only right that he put in some effort. Besides, these ten packets of Skin Grinding Paste would only last him a month. The expenses ahead were enormous, and he had been worrying about where to earn money.

Now that he had a source for Cheng Family medicinal ingredients, not only could he increase his income, but he could also receive subsidies for medicinal ingredients. There was no reason at all to refuse.

"Don't worry. My Cheng Family will never treat you unfairly." Cheng Yu was overjoyed.

Watching Zhou Qiming's departing back, he could not quite figure him out. "I wonder how long it'll take for his Iron Cloth Skill to reach the entry level. He should be able to exchange one or two moves with me, right?"

What Cheng Yu did not know was that Zhou Qiming was not merely nearing the entry level. At this rate, he was already close to reaching minor mastery.

Judging from the Blood Qi fluctuations Zhou Qiming had displayed, Cheng Yu only assumed that he had just broken through and gained control over his Blood Qi, placing him at the beginning stage of Skin Grinding. He was still a long way from Cheng Yu's second major threshold of Muscle Cultivation!

At that moment, a middle-aged man with a short beard emerged from the medicine shop and asked in confusion, "Yu'er, is this person also a junior brother from your martial arts school? Why haven't I seen him before?"

"Father, he's a friend I just met. He has great comprehension and talent. In the future, his Iron Cloth Skill cultivation won't be inferior to mine." Cheng Yu hurriedly explained to his father, Cheng Changkong.

"Sigh, you like making friends too much. That's why you've neglected your cultivation. Only with hard strength of your own can you protect this little family estate."

Cheng Changkong shook his head and sighed, sternly lecturing him.

The Cheng Family only had so much profit and resources every year. Cheng Yu did not manage the household and did not know the price of rice and firewood; he had actually sold medicine at cost just to do someone a favor. What wastefulness.

If it had been core martial arts school disciples like Fang Hai or Xiao Tian, that would have been one thing. But this youth had no family background at all—what value was there in investing in and befriending him?

"Father is right. Your son will be willful just this once. I'll cultivate properly from now on." Cheng Yu lowered his head in submission, afraid that if he argued further, he would anger Cheng Changkong into a cerebral hemorrhage.

Seeing his father's expression soften into a smile, Cheng Yu began calculating that he could only secretly sell medicinal ingredients to Zhou Qiming in the future.

In the blink of an eye, work ended for the evening. The moment Old Man Li returned home, he took his daughter's hand with a beaming smile.

"Qian'er, you're at the age to discuss marriage. Father has a fine match to tell you about."

Old Man Li still had not given up. He intended to bring the two together. If Zhou Qiming saw her portrait or the two of them could be arranged to meet, the matter would be more than halfway settled!

"Oh? Who is it?" Li Qian asked absentmindedly while eating.

Her standards were extremely high. She would never let her father muddle-headedly arrange an engagement for her.

"It's Zhou Qiming from the back street. He's handsome, hardworking, and willing to put in the effort. In just these past two days, he's already become a Chef's apprentice." Old Man Li hurriedly introduced him, praising him to the skies to create a good first impression.

"That orphan? He worked as a menial for two years. Becoming a Chef's apprentice is probably already his limit. No." Li Qian shook her head. Her father truly was muddle-headed, introducing all kinds of people to the family.

Seeing Old Man Li about to argue again, Li Qian said coldly, "Hmph, besides, what future is there in being a Chef these days? Only martial strength can bring status. A Prodigy like Xiao Tian from the martial arts school is worthy of me."

She mercilessly brought up Xiao Tian, using him to elevate one and put down the other.

"Xiao Tian... he's a genius. I heard Yuan Tieyi has taken a fancy to him and accepted him as his last disciple. In a couple of days, he'll even hold a grand banquet at our Haolai Restaurant."

Old Man Li had not expected his daughter's aspirations to be so high. Compared with Xiao Tian, Zhou Qiming did seem lacking.

But...

Given the Li Family's circumstances, Xiao Tian would not think much of them either.

Chef Li helplessly shook his head and temporarily set the matter aside. A melon forced off the vine was never sweet.

Meanwhile, Zhou Qiming hurriedly ground the medicinal ingredients into powder the moment he returned home, then prepared and boiled the Brute Ox Skin Grinding Paste.

He continued training!

The one-point increase in Root Bone Value brought by Cooking reaching minor mastery during the day raised his compatibility with cultivation techniques and medicine to another level. Cultivating the Iron Cloth Skill now gave him twice the result with half the effort!

Five days passed in a flash. Zhou Qiming ran back and forth between the restaurant and his home, single-mindedly immersing himself in cultivation.

Cheng Yu had not sought him out for the time being either. Zhou Qiming's strength was still in a period of transformation, so it was not suitable to assign him overly dangerous tasks.

[Level: Skin Grinding Complete]

[Root Bone: 6.8/9]

[Woodcutting Saber Technique (First Limit Breaking +)]

[Iron Cloth Skill (Minor Mastery 39%!)]

[Cooking (Minor Mastery 89%!)]

The proficiency of the Iron Cloth Skill and Cooking steadily increased, and his Root Bone underwent another transformation.

Zhou Qiming's skin had become like Stone Skin. Even a kitchen knife could hardly cut it, and his recovery speed after injury had increased greatly as well.

The aptitude of a Root Bone Cap of 9 brought changes as though he had shed his mortal body and exchanged his bones. Impurities were expelled from his body, while his strength had risen to the threshold of a thousand jin. With only his palm, he could unleash several traces of the Woodcutting Saber Technique's might!

"After cultivating a hard skill, my Body Tempering realm has finally caught up. This time, Limit Breaking the Woodcutting Saber Technique again shouldn't leave me weakened."

With a movement of Divine Sense, Zhou Qiming tapped the plus sign beside the Woodcutting Saber Technique. His powerful physique at Skin Grinding Complete could fully support the Blood Qi expenditure of second Limit Breaking, and he would not need to recuperate from weakness and injuries as he had last time.