Golden Scale Dragon Transformation Begins Skin Grinding

Dawn's faint light scattered the thin mist along the shore, and Iron Clothes Village gradually awakened.

By the time Chen Yuan and Chen He reached the small dock at the eastern end of the village, it was already bustling with voices.

More than a dozen fishing boats lay alongside the crude wooden pier, while the fishermen busily carried their catch ashore.

Silver-bright sea fish flopped in their baskets, and the air was thick with the briny stench of the sea and the joy of a bountiful harvest.

"Grandpa! Uncle!" Chen He spotted his family at once and waved excitedly.

Chen Yuan's father, Chen Dahai, was carefully carrying a specially made wooden barrel ashore with an old man.

That old man was Chen Yuan's grandfather, Chen Tie Mao. Though he was nearly sixty, with graying hair and beard, his back remained straight and sturdy.

His bronzed face was carved with the marks of wind, frost, and waves, while his eyes seemed capable of piercing through sea mist.

He was Iron Clothes Village's most experienced old captain.

"Brother Yuan, stand off to the side with A He. Don't get in the way."

Without lifting his head, Chen Dahai gave the order in a steady, powerful voice.

He was already past forty. Years of labor at sea had packed his body with bulging muscles and vigorous Qi and blood. Though he had never formally entered the martial path, he had practiced some rudimentary strengthening techniques. Three or five ordinary men would not be able to get near him.

Chen Yuan answered, pulling the excited Chen He back to the side, but his gaze remained fixed on the carefully placed wooden barrel.

Water churned within it as a huge sea bream, its scales glittering with splendid radiance beneath the brightening morning light, struggled with all its might.

Most eye-catching of all was the distinct fine line behind its gill cover, as though it had been traced with gold powder!

"It really is a Golden Thread Sea Bream!" Suppressed gasps and envious murmurs rose all around them.

"The old Chen family has struck it rich this time!"

"Only the big lords in the city can afford to eat something like that, right?"

"I heard it's a tremendous tonic for martial artists. It's just what Brother Yuan needs!"

Chen Tie Mao straightened up and wiped away his sweat, unable to fully suppress the delight on his face.

He swept his gaze around and boomed over the commotion, "Stop crowding around. Hurry and carry your own catch home to sort out. Dahai, take this barrel back home and keep it carefully in fresh running water."

"Alright!" Chen Dahai replied. Together with Chen Tie Mao, he lifted the heavy barrel and headed home with steady strides.

Chen Yuan and Chen He hurried after them.

On the way home, Chen Yuan could clearly feel that newly born strand of Qi and blood strength circulating slowly through his meridians like flowing water, nourishing his limbs and bones.

He deliberately slowed his breathing and followed the already perfected Black Water Body Tempering Art, trying to control that strand of strength more precisely and make it more obedient and nimble.

The Chen Family's small courtyard soon came into view.

It was a typical fisherman's courtyard—not large, but clean and neatly kept.

Fishing nets and dried Sea Spoils hung beneath the eaves, and the air carried a faint scent of salt, fish, and cooking smoke.

His mother, Lin Sanniang, and his grandmother, Zhang Shi, had already heard the news and come out to greet them.

Lin Sanniang still had an apron tied around her waist, with a little flour on her hands. She had clearly been preparing breakfast.

Years of toil had left fine lines at the corners of her eyes, but traces of her youthful delicacy could still be seen in her features. At this moment, her face was filled with expectation and excitement.

Grandmother Zhang Shi leaned on a smooth, well-worn bamboo cane. Her back was slightly bent, but she remained full of spirit.

She loved Chen Yuan more than anyone in the family. Ever since he was little, whenever there was anything tasty, she would always secretly tuck it away for her eldest grandson.

His little sister Chen Xiaoli, who had just turned seven, bounced out of the house like a small butterfly. Standing on tiptoe with curiosity, she tried to peer into the barrel at that rare treasure.

"Big Brother, Big Brother! Did you catch a treasure fish?"

"Xiao Li, slow down." Lin Sanniang hurriedly caught her daughter. Yet she could not resist leaning over to look into the barrel herself. When she saw that dazzling golden line, her breathing quickened. Her gaze toward her son was full of fervent anticipation. "Brother Yuan, that fish gallbladder..."

"Mother, no rush." Chen Yuan spoke up. He knew full well how valuable the Golden Thread Sea Bream was. "Set it up properly first. Whether to keep or sell this fish should still be decided by Grandpa and Father."

His gaze swept across the others who had emerged into the courtyard after hearing the news.

His Second Uncle, Chen Dajiang, and Second Aunt, Zhou Shi, also came over from their half of the courtyard.

Chen Dajiang worked in the Accounting Office of a fish merchant shop in town. He was shrewd and usually wore a half-worn blue cloth gown, making him seem different from ordinary fishermen.

Second Aunt Zhou Shi followed behind him, still stitching a shoe sole in her hands. Even she could not hide her curiosity at this moment.

Chen Tie Mao gave his eldest grandson an approving look. After that illness, the boy seemed to have become even more steady and sensible. "Brother Yuan is right. Dahai, put the barrel somewhere cool and change the well water slowly. This Golden Thread Sea Bream won't survive long after leaving the deep sea. It must be dealt with by tonight at the latest."

Then he looked at Chen Yuan, his gaze sharp as a torch as he carefully examined him from head to toe. "Brother Yuan, I see that your Qi and blood are particularly abundant today. Your eyes are clear yet restrained, and your breathing has grown deeper and longer... Could it be... that your cultivation has broken through?"

The old captain was highly experienced. Though he did not understand profound martial arts, he knew the fundamentals of judging people, especially when it came to this eldest grandson in whom he had placed such high hopes.

Chen Yuan's heart stirred. He knew he could not hide it, and this was a good chance to reveal part of the truth.

He took a deep breath, showing an appropriate measure of suppressed excitement on his face. "Grandpa, this morning, while practicing on the tidal flats, I suddenly gained some insight, as though fortune had come to me... I touched the threshold of Qi and Blood Generating Strength. I can now initially condense strength."

He did not say that he had already completely broken through to the peak. He only said that he had touched the threshold, leaving himself some room.

"What?!" The courtyard instantly fell silent at those words, so quiet that a needle could have been heard dropping. Then even greater delight erupted.

The rag in Lin Sanniang's hand fell to the ground. Her voice trembled as she could barely believe her ears. "Yuan'er, you... you mean it? You really... cultivated strength?"

She knew better than anyone how agonizing it had been for her son to remain stuck at this step for over a year, how much pressure the family had endured because of it, and how many times she herself had secretly wiped away tears.

Chen Dahai abruptly turned around and grabbed Chen Yuan's shoulders. His grip was so powerful that Chen Yuan frowned slightly, but all he felt was his father's almost overflowing excitement and disbelief. "Good boy! Explain it clearly! You really made it? It isn't some misunderstanding?"

His voice was slightly hoarse from emotion.

Second Uncle Chen Dajiang slapped his thigh hard. An exaggerated smile immediately spread across his face, and his voice jumped an octave. "Oh, what joyous news! Tremendous news!"

"I said it, I said it—our Brother Yuan was born for martial arts. Before, the timing simply wasn't right; a hidden dragon lay in the abyss! Big Brother, Father, this is a sign that our old Chen family is about to change its standing!"

His words were beautifully spoken, but his eyes flicked swiftly toward the wooden barrel containing the Golden Thread Sea Bream.

Second Aunt Zhou Shi also smiled in agreement, though her smile was somewhat complicated, and even the needlework in her hands slowed.

Grandmother Zhang Shi had already tottered over and taken Chen Yuan's hand. Her eyes reddened as she repeatedly said, "Good, good! My Brother Yuan has made something of himself. I knew it... I knew it..."

Chen Tie Mao was the calmest of them all, but his slightly trembling beard and the gleam in his eyes exposed the towering waves in his heart.

He said in a deep voice, carrying unquestionable authority, "Brother Yuan, demonstrate it here in the courtyard. Let Grandpa have a look!"

"Yes, Grandpa." Chen Yuan walked to the center of the courtyard and steadied his breath and mind.

He deliberately restrained his force, drawing upon only seventy or eighty percent of that newly born strength. Focusing his will, he guided the strand of force from his Dantian and slowly threw a punch forward.

At the edge of his fist, the air once more emitted that faint yet tangible hum, and a wisp of extremely pale black light flashed past.

Though weak, the sharp aura that gathered in that instant and the oppressive pressure unlike ordinary abundant Qi and blood could not be faked.

"Strength! It really is manifested strength!" Chen Dahai let out an excited, low roar. His eyes instantly reddened as he heavily slapped his thigh.

The gloom that had burdened his son for more than a year, the family's shadow, and their heavy expectations all seemed to have been scattered by that single punch. At last, the great stone long pressing on his heart fell to the ground.

"Good! Good! Good!" Chen Tie Mao said good three times in succession, each word striking the ground like a hammer. At last, a hearty smile spread across his face, and even his wrinkles relaxed.

"Qi and blood generating strength—one foot has already stepped through the gate of the Skin Grinding Realm. Good! My Chen Family will surely produce a true martial artist who will bring glory to our name!"

Lin Sanniang was already weeping with joy. Turning her face away, she secretly wiped her tears with her apron, her shoulders trembling slightly. Grandmother Zhang Shi pulled Chen Yuan into an embrace, calling him her precious darling, her face brimming with pride and comfort.

Second Uncle Chen Dajiang's eyes turned, and he immediately stepped forward. In a ringing voice, he said, "Father, Big Brother, this is double happiness! Brother Yuan is on the verge of a breakthrough. This is exactly when he needs a great tonic to stabilize his realm, at the crucial point of charging into Skin Grinding."

"This Golden Thread Sea Bream could not have come at a better time—it is heaven's will! What is there to hesitate over? Naturally, it should be kept for Brother Yuan! Whether our family can change its standing depends on him!"

He spoke with absolute certainty, entirely from the standpoint of the family's interests. He had both made his position clear and highlighted Chen Yuan's importance, leaving no fault for anyone to find.

Chen Tie Mao and Chen Dahai exchanged a glance, each seeing the other's completely unhesitating resolve.

"Dajiang is right!" Chen Tie Mao made the final decision, his voice booming like a great bell. "We won't sell this Golden Thread Sea Bream. Tonight, we'll take its gallbladder and let Brother Yuan use it to nourish his body and thoroughly stabilize his realm. As for the rest of the fish, stew it well into soup. The whole family can share in the benefit and replenish our Qi and blood."

"Thank you, Grandpa! Thank you, Father! Thank you, Second Uncle!" Warmth surged through Chen Yuan's heart as he solemnly bowed to the elders.

"We're family. What are you thanking us for?" Chen Dahai gave his son's back a firm pat, his face full of relief and pride. "Just train hard."

That night, the Chen Family's kitchen fire burned brightly, and fragrance filled the entire courtyard.

Chen Tie Mao personally handled that precious Golden Thread Sea Bream.

The fish gallbladder, the size of a longan, Dark Gold in color and giving off a strange fragrance, was carefully removed. Chen Yuan was immediately made to swallow it with warm water.

The moment the gallbladder entered his stomach, it was slightly bitter at first, then transformed into a vast yet exceptionally gentle stream of heat that instantly spread through his limbs and bones!

When this heat encountered the newly born Qi and blood strength within him, the two blended like water and milk. The strength rapidly absorbed and assimilated the heat.

That strand of strength, originally still somewhat weak, visibly grew stronger and more solid. It circulated with greater smoothness and ease, moving as readily as an arm or finger.

At the same time, the surging medicinal power did not stop. It drove his already peak Qi and blood into its final charge toward the true Skin Grinding Realm.

Chen Yuan did not dare slacken. He immediately returned to his crude yet tidy room, sat cross-legged, calmed his mind and breath, and fully circulated the perfected Black Water Body Tempering Art, guiding that powerful medicinal force.

Deep within his Sea of Consciousness, the lingering aftertaste of the Tidal Stele's profound artistic conception still remained.

He visualized the Qi and blood within his body as a great tide beneath the moon, surging and roaring. Driven by the immense medicinal power of the Golden Thread Sea Bream gallbladder, it washed through his meridians with unprecedented momentum, nourishing his Five Viscera and Six Bowels, skin, flesh, and bones.

That greatly strengthened strand of force was like a Flood Dragon in the tide, swimming joyfully as it madly devoured the pure medicinal power, growing ever thicker, more powerful, and more nimble.

Qi and blood rose higher, (98/100)... (99/100)... until it reached (100/100)! The Qi and Blood Realm was completely perfected without flaw!

The medicinal power of the Golden Thread Sea Bream gallbladder still surged mightily.

That Qi and blood strength, grown to its utmost limit, naturally began launching an assault upon the skin and membranes throughout his entire body!

The Skin Grinding Realm, as its name implied, used condensed Qi and blood strength to repeatedly grind and hammer the body's skin and membranes, casting off the dross and preserving the essence until they became tough as leather and difficult for blades or swords to harm. This was the beginning of martial Foundation Establishment!

At this moment, the strength in Chen Yuan's body began that process on its own.

Like countless tiny tidal millstones, and like waves containing the rhythms of heaven and earth, it tirelessly washed, soaked, and ground against his skin and membranes again and again.

An intense pain spread from beneath every inch of his skin, as though countless rough grains of sand and stone were polishing him bit by bit. It was subtle, yet everywhere.

But accompanying that pain was an incomparably clear sensation of strengthening as his skin and membranes were tempered by the force, numbness and stinging pain intertwining.

The Skin Grinding Realm was meant to grind away the weakness of mortal flesh. It was the first step toward forging sinews of steel and bones of iron!

Chen Yuan guarded his mind, kept his awareness upon his Dantian, and gritted his teeth through the inevitable pain of this breakthrough transformation.

At the same time, he did his utmost to guide the strength along the Skin Grinding routes recorded in the Black Water Body Tempering Art, distributing it more evenly and efficiently while reducing unnecessary expenditure as much as possible.

No one knew how much time passed. When the final trace of medicinal power from the Golden Thread Sea Bream gallbladder had been fully absorbed and transformed, the agonizing pain of being torn apart and ground slowly receded like a tide.

In its place came a strange new sensation—taut, yet brimming with astonishing resilience—as though his entire body were covered in an invisible but incomparably tough film of water.

He slowly opened his eyes. In the darkness, a brilliant gleam shone from them like stars in the night.

He lowered his head to examine the skin on his arm. It appeared no different on the surface, but when he pinched it hard between his fingers, he could feel the astonishing resilience beneath it, far beyond what it had once been!

With a thought, Qi and blood strength naturally covered his palm. A flash of black light, deeper and more condensed than before, flickered past. Its level of concentration and contained power far surpassed what it had been in the Qi and Blood Realm!

Realm: Skin Grinding Realm · Initial Mastery (5/100)

Cultivation Art: Black Water Body Tempering Art (Perfected)

Qi and blood fully perfected. Strength automatically grinds the skin, officially entering the Skin Grinding Realm!

Skin and membrane resilience and defense greatly increased. Strength intensity and total quantity significantly increased!

At the same time, the Tidal Stele, dormant within his Sea of Consciousness, trembled faintly once more, sending ripples across its surface.

Tide Fortune +20 (The family united as one and gave their full support. Martial realm breakthrough achieved, reputation beginning to emerge)!

Current Tide Fortune: 25/100

Feeling the surging strength in his body, the resilience of his skin and membranes, and the increased Tide Fortune in his Sea of Consciousness, Chen Yuan slowly clenched his fist. His knuckles gave a faint but powerful crackle, and confidence rose naturally within him.

A golden scale was never meant to remain in a pond; once the tide surged, it would transform into a dragon. This Skin Grinding Realm was merely the first step on his true path of martial arts.

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