The Mysterious Vortex Takes Shape

The morning mist had yet to fully disperse when Chen Yuan was already on the road to the county town.

Iron Clothes Village lay over twenty li from the county town, the route mostly consisting of coastal gravel paths.

Ordinarily, this stretch of road would have been dull and tiring, but today, Chen Yuan felt light on his feet and full of vigor, his strides swift.

After breaking through to the Skin Grinding Realm, not only had his skin membrane become tough and resilient, his qi, blood, and strength had grown abundant; even his endurance, agility, and five senses had improved markedly.

The salty dampness carried by the sea breeze had become clearer. The cries of distant seabirds and the faint rasp of gravel beneath his feet all seemed magnified, making the entire world more vivid and distinct.

He deliberately kept his pace under control, hurrying along while carefully experiencing the changes in his body and adapting to his newfound strength.

That resilient layer of skin membrane was like an invisible suit of soft armor fitted close to his body, giving him an unprecedented sense of security.

With a mere stir of his will, his qi and blood strength could swiftly gather in his palms or any other part of his body, poised to strike.

About half an hour later, a sizable coastal county town came into view—Lin Hai County.

Its gray city walls were not particularly lofty, yet they carried the weight of weathering and sea erosion.

County soldiers in blue armor stood guard at the gates, conducting simple inspections of those entering and leaving.

The streets within were paved with bluestone slabs, shops lined both sides, and streams of people flowed past. Hawkers' cries, haggling voices, and the clatter of carts and horses mixed together, brimming with the vitality and bustle of everyday life.

The air was thick with all manner of scents: the fragrance of freshly steamed meat buns, the bitter smell drifting from herbal shops, the heavy fishy reek of the Fish Market, and the odor of mules and horses. Complex, yet vividly alive.

Compared to tranquil Iron Clothes Village, this was undoubtedly another world.

Chen Yuan moved through the streets with practiced ease.

He noticed that the occasional local ruffians and hooligans he encountered would instinctively rein in their arrogance after their eyes passed over him, their manner carrying a trace of barely perceptible awe.

Is this the change in status brought by the Skin Grinding Realm? Chen Yuan understood inwardly.

In Lin Hai County, Qi and Blood Realm martial artists were not uncommon. Most worked as gang enforcers, martial arts school apprentices, or guards who sold their muscle.

But once one stepped into the Skin Grinding Realm, one truly left behind the category of "laborer" and became a respected "martial artist," gaining both the qualification and ability to acquire social resources.

As he passed the County yamen, he saw a constable pressing a saber at his waist as he led a group out to patrol the streets. His gaze was sharp, and his temples bulged slightly; he was clearly a formidable Skin Grinding Realm expert. Pedestrians all consciously gave them a wide berth.

Chen Yuan did not linger. He threaded familiarly through the bustling crowd.

He noticed that every trade in the county town was indeed tied to martial artists by countless invisible threads.

The signboard of Sihai Shipping Company was the largest. Two broad-shouldered, sharp-eyed guards stood at its entrance, likely Qi and Blood Realm experts, while a manager-like man within had a condensed aura and might already have reached Skin Grinding.

Even the laborers carrying cargo back and forth walked with steady steps, clearly having practiced some rudimentary martial arts.

Zhangji Fish Market was even livelier. More than a dozen large fish carts were unloading their goods, while several managers shouted orders.

Beside them, men in black fitted garments with short cudgels at their waists patrolled the area, preventing anyone from looting or causing trouble. Their eyes swept across the crowd with obvious intimidation; they were clearly all accomplished in qi and blood.

From a fairly large ironworks came thunderous pounding. Occasionally, disciples dressed in martial arts school uniforms could be seen entering and leaving, evidently coming to commission weapons or retrieve those sent in for maintenance.

Becoming a martial artist truly made all the difference, Chen Yuan thought, though his feet did not stop as he turned into a relatively quiet alley.

At the end of the alley stood a broad courtyard with black tiles and white walls. Above its entrance hung a black plaque inscribed in gold—"Blackwater Martial Arts School."

Disciples also stood guard outside the martial arts school. Seeing Chen Yuan approach, one of them greeted him with a smile. "Junior Brother Chen, haven't seen you in some time. Has your cultivation improved again?" They were familiar with Chen Yuan and knew that this junior brother cultivated diligently, though he had been stuck at a bottleneck for a long time.

Chen Yuan smiled faintly without answering directly. "Senior Brother Liu, is Instructor Zhang here?"

"He is. He's in the Inner Court guiding several senior brothers in their training."

Chen Yuan nodded and stepped into the martial arts school. The Outer Court was where ordinary Qi and Blood Realm disciples tempered their qi and blood and practiced fist and foot techniques. Quite a few disciples were already training there, grunting and shouting as steam rose from their sweat. Chen Yuan passed through the Outer Court and headed straight for the Inner Court.

The Inner Court was where Skin Grinding Realm disciples cultivated. It was more spacious and better equipped, with special stone locks, Wooden Dummies, and even a small medicinal bath room. Only a few people were training there at the moment, and the atmosphere was far more solemn than in the Outer Court.

A sturdy middle-aged man with a keen, capable face, dressed in a dark-blue instructor's uniform, stood with his hands clasped behind his back as he watched several disciples practice their boxing forms in the field.

He was one of Blackwater Martial Arts School's instructors, Zhang Zhenshan, an expert of the Tendon Changing Realm and the teacher chiefly responsible for guiding Chen Yuan's group of disciples.

Hearing the footsteps, Zhang Zhenshan swept his gaze over. When he saw Chen Yuan, his brow twitched almost imperceptibly.

He had taught for many years, and his eye was exceptionally sharp. With nearly a single glance, he noticed Chen Yuan's difference.

Whenever Chen Yuan had come before, he had been diligent enough, but his qi and blood had always seemed congested and sluggish, his steps somewhat unsteady.

But today, the youth's steps were grounded and soundless, yet rooted with a natural rhythm. The qi and blood throughout his body were harmoniously unified, faintly forming an inwardly contained cycle.

This was absolutely not a state a Qi and Blood Realm martial artist should possess! It was not even as simple as merely touching the threshold of strength!

Zhang Zhenshan was inwardly astonished, but his face revealed nothing. He merely said evenly, "Chen Yuan, why have you come to the Inner Court instead of practicing in the Outer Court?" His voice was not loud, yet it carried an innate authority.

The few Skin Grinding Realm disciples training in the field also stopped and looked curiously toward Chen Yuan.

They too recognized this junior brother who had been stuck at the peak of the Qi and Blood Realm for so long, and they vaguely sensed that something about him had changed.

Chen Yuan walked to within three steps of Zhang Zhenshan, stopped, and respectfully bowed. "This disciple, Chen Yuan, has come today to report to Instructor Zhang that, through a fortunate chance, I successfully generated strength from qi and blood at home and have begun tempering my skin membrane. I have come to register and ask Instructor Zhang for guidance on the subsequent cultivation method."

His voice was calm, yet every person present heard it clearly.

"What? You broke through?" "The Skin Grinding Realm? Junior Brother Chen, you..."

The Skin Grinding Realm disciples immediately revealed looks of shock and exchanged glances.

Which of them had not prepared for a long time before breaking through? Some had even needed their families to buy numerous supplementary medicinal herbs, and only dared attempt it after paying a high price for an instructor's protection and guidance at the martial arts school.

Yet Chen Yuan came from a poor family, and he had actually broken through alone at home?

A sharp light flashed in Zhang Zhenshan's eyes. He stepped forward and suddenly attacked without warning, his five fingers hooked like claws as they shot toward Chen Yuan's wrist like lightning!

This grab appeared casual, but it was actually meant to test the substance of Chen Yuan's strength, the toughness of his skin membrane, and the speed of his reactions.

Chen Yuan's heart tightened slightly, but his response was not the least bit slow.

He did not resist head-on. Instead, his wrist gave a slight shake, slick as a swimming fish. The qi and blood strength beneath his skin membrane naturally erupted, and a rounded, supple force instantly spread over the surface of his wrist. At the same time, his feet shifted lightly, perfectly deflecting most of the gripping force.

When Zhang Zhenshan's fingers touched the skin of Chen Yuan's wrist, he found it remarkably taut and tough, nothing like the soft pliability of an ordinary Qi and Blood Realm martial artist. Moreover, a condensed strength instinctively rebounded from it. Though weak, it was extraordinarily pure and carried a unique sensation of rotating deflection, causing his grab to fall short of complete success!

"Good!" Zhang Zhenshan blurted out in praise as he withdrew his hand. Obvious surprise and appreciation finally appeared on his face. "Your qi and blood are perfectly harmonized, and strength arises naturally! Your skin membrane is taut and resilient, already gleaming with luster! Not only have you broken through to the Skin Grinding Realm, you have even built such an exceptionally solid foundation. This strength is far beyond that of someone who has merely entered Skin Grinding!"

His eyes burned as he stared at Chen Yuan. "Circulate your strength and concentrate it in the skin membrane of your arm. Let me examine it closely."

"Yes." Chen Yuan calmed his mind and focused his breath. With a stir of his intent, the tide-like qi and blood strength flowing through his body swiftly gathered toward his right arm.

The skin on his right arm visibly tightened at a speed discernible to the naked eye, taking on an extremely faint yet lustrous sheen, as though covered in an invisible, resilient film of water. His pores contracted, and even the texture of his skin seemed to become finer and more orderly.

"Strength permeates the skin, gleaming without dispersing! Good! Good! Good!" Zhang Zhenshan nodded repeatedly, the delight on his face growing ever stronger. "Not only have you entered Skin Grinding, your control over strength is as effortless as driving a familiar carriage down a familiar road. To concentrate it so exquisitely upon the skin membrane is no achievement of a single day. Chen Yuan, had you already touched the threshold long ago and kept it hidden?"

Naturally, he could never have imagined the existence of the Tidal Stele. He only assumed that Chen Yuan had accumulated deeply before bursting forth, possessing a steady temperament and undergoing arduous cultivation in secret until he reached perfection and broke through in a single stroke.

Chen Yuan went along with it. "This disciple is dull-witted. I did indeed ponder over it for a long time, and only recently did I suddenly see the light. I merely succeeded through good fortune." The words were half true and half false, but they were plausible enough.

"What a sudden enlightenment! That was absolutely no mere good fortune!" Zhang Zhenshan laughed heartily, in extremely high spirits.

When one of his disciples broke through—especially one who had suddenly awakened to understanding and built such an unusually solid foundation—it gave an instructor the greatest sense of accomplishment.

"It seems that your year or more of stagnation was not wasted. You were settling and accumulating! Now, with one breakthrough, you are a hidden dragon emerging from the abyss! Not bad! Very good indeed!"

He patted Chen Yuan on the shoulder with considerable force, but Chen Yuan stood as steady as a boulder and merely smiled faintly.

The few Skin Grinding Realm disciples beside them were now dumbfounded. The way they looked at Chen Yuan had changed completely, their initial shock now mixed with respect and envy.

They had all gone through it themselves. They knew well the difficulty of breaking through to the Skin Grinding Realm, and they understood even more clearly that the level of control Chen Yuan had displayed over his strength was beyond what an ordinary newcomer could achieve.

"Congratulations, Junior Brother Chen!" "Congratulations on your breakthrough! We must spend more time together and exchange pointers in the future!" Several of them stepped forward to offer their congratulations, their tones far warmer than before.

Within the martial arts school, strength was supreme. Since Chen Yuan had displayed sufficient potential and power, he naturally earned respect.

Zhang Zhenshan looked at Chen Yuan in satisfaction, his expression becoming somewhat more solemn. "Since you have stepped into the Skin Grinding Realm, you are now a Core Disciple of Blackwater Martial Arts School. According to the rules, you may be taught the martial arts school's secret inheritance, the Mysterious Vortex Skin Grinding Method."

"You must understand that the Skin Grinding Realm is the beginning of the body-tempering foundation and is of utmost importance. The process is to use the 'strength' nurtured within your body as a hammer, repeatedly tempering the flesh and skin across your entire body until they are continuously strengthened." Zhang Zhenshan explained in detail; this was also his duty as an instructor.

"This realm may roughly be divided into several stages."

"The initial stage is your current state. The skin is initially strengthened and its resilience increases. It can withstand blows from ordinary clubs and sticks. This counts as truly stepping across the threshold."

"At the minor stage, the skin becomes dense like old cowhide. Ordinary swords and blades find it hard to injure, leaving only pale marks. Thus, it is also called the Cowhide stage."

"At the major stage, the skin is tough like coarse, weathered rock. Its resistance to blows greatly increases, and blunt weapons become far less effective. This is called Stone Skin."

"If one can cultivate to the peak, the skin becomes warm, smooth, and resilient, faintly transmitting light. It has an excellent ability to conduct and disperse strength, and is known as Jade Skin."

"Furthermore," Zhang Zhenshan paused, a trace of yearning and haziness appearing in his eyes, "there is also the legendary realm recorded in ancient texts, called the Immortal Robe. Perfect and without flaw, the body becomes like a precious garment: no evil can invade, and ten thousand methods find it difficult to cling to it. For ordinary people like us, reaching the peak of Jade Skin is already a great blessing. Do not aim too high."

Chen Yuan's heart was shaken as he listened. He had not expected the Skin Grinding Realm to contain so many nuances and levels.

Then Zhang Zhenshan's tone turned grave. "The most important thing in cultivating this method is grasping the proper 'heat'! You must know that tempering the skin membrane is by no means better the harsher it is. There are two difficulties:"

"First, if the tempering is insufficient, then skin is skin and flesh is flesh; they will not merge into a seamless whole. Your defense will have flaws, which may later become weak points for others to exploit."

"Second, if the tempering is excessive and damages the source of the muscles and fascia beneath the skin, it will not only bring no benefit but instead harm your foundation, affecting subsequent Tendon Changing Realm cultivation and perhaps even cutting off your path ahead!"

"Therefore, cultivation must be paired with specific Skin Tempering Ointment, using its medicinal properties to nourish and repair. You must also continuously refine your strength in order to control the depth and frequency of tempering. Knowing when to tighten and when to loosen is the proper path."

"Our Blackwater Martial Arts School's Mysterious Vortex Skin Grinding Method is a superior method." Zhang Zhenshan's tone carried pride. "Its essence lies in this: 'Strength moves like a vortex; skin is ground like jade being carved.'"

"It uses a unique Spiral Force to repeatedly temper the skin membrane from without to within, then from within to without. This makes it far tougher than ordinary Skin Grinding methods, while further promoting the fusion of skin and flesh, laying an incomparably solid foundation for subsequent Sinew Changing and Bone Forging."

Having said that, Zhang Zhenshan immediately taught Chen Yuan the mnemonic verses and key points for exerting force in the Mysterious Vortex Skin Grinding Method, personally demonstrating several basic movements for guiding Spiral Force.

Chen Yuan listened intently and watched with care.

He discovered that the Spiral Force produced by the Mysterious Vortex Skin Grinding Method bore a few striking similarities to the artistic conception of "tides surging, undercurrents spiraling" brought by the Tidal Stele. Understanding and comprehending it came without the slightest obstruction.

Could it be that the Tidal Stele had deduced the subsequent cultivation method and transmitted an artistic conception suited to me?

Because of this, his understanding and comprehension proceeded without the slightest hindrance. He could even draw inferences from one instance to another, continuously simulating the subtle changes in the circulation of strength within his mind.

Seeing his astonishing comprehension, with flashes of realization often crossing his eyes, Zhang Zhenshan was even more amazed. At last, he said, "The method has been taught to you. From now on, cultivate in the Inner Court. As a Core Disciple of the martial arts school, you may receive three portions of Skin Tempering Ointment each month to aid your cultivation. If you encounter any difficulties, come ask me at any time."

"Thank you, Instructor!" Chen Yuan sincerely bowed in gratitude.

"Mhm." Zhang Zhenshan nodded, then added, "Now that you have reached Skin Grinding, the martial arts school will, according to the rules, register your information and report it to the County yamen for record."

"From this day forward, you will be a Skin Grinding Realm martial artist with official records. In the next few days, people from the major trades in the county town may come to inquire, intending to recruit you."

"Whether you choose to enter official service, accept employment from a trading company, or remain at the martial arts school to cultivate with single-minded focus, you may consider it for yourself."

At this point, Zhang Zhenshan said with slight regret, "It is only a pity that the Martial Hall Master recently gained some insight and is currently in seclusion, cultivating quietly as he attempts to overcome a hurdle. He cannot be disturbed lightly. Otherwise, given your performance today, the Martial Hall Master would surely be delighted and might even summon you personally.

"Once the Martial Hall Master emerges from seclusion, I will immediately report your breakthrough, especially your solid foundation and comprehension, in detail. The Martial Hall Master thirsts for talent. He may have other arrangements for you."

This was the difference after reaching Skin Grinding.

He was no longer an apprentice nobody cared about, but a talent all sides would vie to recruit.

Chen Yuan understood inwardly and thanked Instructor Zhang once more.

After completing his registration and receiving this month's three portions of dark, medicinally fragrant Skin Tempering Ointment, Chen Yuan did not leave at once.

He found a quiet corner in the Inner Court and tried circulating the newly acquired Mysterious Vortex Skin Grinding Method.

With a stir of his intent, he guided the qi and blood strength within his body, rotating it according to the method and turning it into fine spiraling currents that slowly spread over the skin membrane of his arm.

Wonderfully, the process went exceptionally smoothly.

The Tide Intent left behind within the Tidal Stele seemed to be the finest teacher, causing his progress in understanding "vortices" to far surpass that of ordinary people.

As his strength circulated, threads of medicinal power seeped from the Skin Tempering Ointment he had just applied, accelerating the tempering of his skin membrane.

He could clearly feel that under the grinding of that Spiral Force, his skin membrane was becoming tougher and denser, strand by strand.

At this rate, with the Tide Intent's assistance and the Skin Tempering Ointment, the cultivation progress of the Mysterious Vortex Skin Grinding Method would likely far exceed anyone's imagination.

At this moment, his Tide Luck Points also quietly increased.

Realm: Skin Grinding Realm · Initial Stage (6/100)

Cultivation Method: Blackwater Body Tempering Art (Perfected) Mysterious Vortex Skin Grinding Method (Beginner)

Tide Fortune: 41/100

Daily cultivation, realm stabilized +1

Martial arts school Core Disciple, received cultivation method +5

By the time he left the martial arts school, it was already afternoon. The sunlight was just right, spilling across the bluestone streets.

Chen Yuan carried the waist token representing his status as a Core Disciple and the Skin Tempering Ointment as he walked through the bustling streets, his state of mind already entirely different.

He knew that from today onward, he finally had a place in Lin Hai County. And all this was only the beginning. Chen Yuan walked with steady steps toward Iron Clothes Village beyond the city.