The Martial Arts Under Heaven: Only Speed Is Undefeatable! Swallowing the Blood Strengthening Pill!

For a moment, countless envious gazes converged on Su Haoran in perfect unison.

Once Elder Hui Jue departed, the crowd immediately erupted into commotion.

Zeng Qiu and Wujing squeezed their way over at once.

"Brother Haoran, y-you're all right?" Zeng Qiu's face was full of concern as he looked Su Haoran up and down. "I heard that thief was incredibly formidable. You actually managed to block him?"

"Block him? It was far more than that!" Wujing clicked his tongue from beside them. Though hot-tempered by nature, his face was now also filled with disbelief. "I heard from the senior steward brother who returned that the thief's movement technique was swift as a ghost, and his cultivation was exceedingly high. He may very well have reached the Third Skin Tempering, or even the Bone Forging Realm! The Bone Forging Realm! Those are experts who can temper their bones until they are harder than refined steel! You actually survived his hands and even drove him away?"

The Bone Forging Realm!

Su Haoran's heart tightened as well.

At the time, he had only felt that his opponent was absurdly strong. He had not expected him to have possibly surpassed the scope of Skin Tempering.

If his Iron Cloth Shirt had not already reached Major Accomplishment, that single arrow might have been enough to take his life.

"Just luck," Su Haoran said calmly.

"That cannot be explained away by luck." An older Martial Monk came over and sighed. "Still, making Crimson Hair Stronghold lower its head and recovering our dignity will likely be as difficult as climbing to the heavens."

"Yes," another person echoed. "That Crimson Hair Stronghold is extremely mysterious. It is said that many of the people in the stronghold descended from foreign tribes beyond the passes and were born with reddish hair, which was how they got their name. Since drifting into the Qingyun Mountain Range more than a decade ago, they have built up a fearsome reputation. Even several repeated government campaigns to encircle and suppress them were repelled. In recent years, they have become wiser and much more cautious in their actions, rarely leaving the stronghold without cause."

"That's right. Crimson Hair Stronghold occupies perilous terrain, surrounded by mountains on three sides with only one path through. It is easy to defend and difficult to attack. Experts gather within the stronghold like clouds, and its chief leader is said to be an old monster who entered the Bone Forging Realm many years ago. Ordinary people cannot even find the stronghold gates."

"That thief from last night had such superb lightness skill that he was most likely the legendary third leader of Crimson Hair Stronghold, the Ghost Shadow Leopard Cat. That man specializes in stealth and assassination, appearing and vanishing like a ghost. Who would have thought he would dare set his sights on our Prajna Temple!"

Everyone spoke over one another, piecing together information about Crimson Hair Stronghold.

From their descriptions, Crimson Hair Stronghold was practically a dragon's pool and tiger's den, heavily guarded and filled with experts.

Elder Hui Jue's trip was ostensibly to demand an explanation, but in truth, it was more like a show of force to declare their stance. Actually making the other side bow their heads was nearly an impossible task.

As Su Haoran listened to their discussion, his eyes gradually brightened.

Was it truly impossible?

Not necessarily!

Others found it difficult because Crimson Hair Stronghold held the advantage of terrain and refused to leave its defenses.

If Prajna Temple launched a massive attack, they would be using their own weakness to strike at the enemy's strength, with little chance of victory.

But if they could use such a method, why could he not?

He subconsciously clenched his fist, feeling the endlessly surging Qi and Blood within his body, as well as the sense of control after bringing the Soaring Dragon Startling Swan Art to Perfection—the feeling that his body moved with his will and that he could ride the wind away at any moment.

The third leader of Crimson Hair Stronghold truly possessed exceptional lightness skill.

Yet before his Perfection-level Soaring Dragon Startling Swan Art, he had still been a fraction too slow!

He had relied on his movement technique to infiltrate the heavily guarded Scripture Repository, so why could he not infiltrate Crimson Hair Stronghold, which supposedly was "easy to defend and difficult to attack"?

Moreover, the death threat that the black-clad Ghost Shadow Leopard Cat had brazenly issued before leaving still rang in his ears!

"That man's lightness skill is formidable. If he truly sets his heart on harassing me, then without the support of so many elders, it really would be somewhat dangerous!"

At that thought, a trace of chill surfaced on Su Haoran's face once more.

There was only a thousand days of being a thief, never a thousand days of guarding against one!

His need to grow stronger was more urgent than anyone's!

At present, the Soaring Dragon Startling Swan Art had already reached Perfection and could no longer provide him with comprehension points.

Though the Iron Cloth Shirt and Arhat Fist were steadily progressing, neither was far from Perfection.

He urgently needed a new profound cultivation art to drive the continued growth of his comprehension!

And Elder Hui Jue's promise was the best opportunity!

An incomparably bold thought began to grow wildly in Su Haoran's mind.

He returned to his firewood room, closed the door, and sat down cross-legged.

He did not immediately consume the precious Blood Strengthening Pill. Instead, he fell into deep thought, rapidly reviewing and integrating last night's battle and all the information he had just heard.

Just as the Ghost Shadow Leopard Cat had explored Prajna Temple at night.

So what if Crimson Hair Stronghold had many people?

His movement technique was still a notch above the Ghost Shadow Leopard Cat's!

"Among all martial arts under heaven, nothing is indestructible..."

"Only speed is undefeatable!"

Since that was the case, why bother clashing with them head-on?

You did the first of the lunar month, so I would do the fifteenth.

He could explore the Scripture Repository at night, so Su Haoran could charge alone into Crimson Hair Stronghold!

Once this thought took root, it became like a prairie fire, impossible to contain any longer.

A sharp gleam flashed through Su Haoran's eyes, and he no longer hesitated in the slightest.

He settled into a cross-legged position, sank his mind into his sea of consciousness, and brought up his attribute panel.

Name: Su Haoran

Lifespan: 25 years

Cultivation Arts: Meditation Scripture (Major Accomplishment 36%), Arhat Fist (Major Accomplishment 71%), Iron Cloth Shirt (Major Accomplishment 45%), Soaring Dragon Startling Swan Art (Perfection)

Comprehension: 16 (Exceptional Bones)

The Soaring Dragon Startling Swan Art had already reached Perfection and could not bring further growth in comprehension in the short term.

Though the Arhat Fist was also profound, it was ultimately an offensive art.

Right now, survival was the most urgent matter!

That Ghost Shadow Leopard Cat came and went like the wind and excelled in stealth and assassination. His greatest advantage was his Perfection-level lightness skill, but if he wanted to infiltrate a stronghold filled with experts, then should anything go wrong, powerful defense would be his greatest reliance for staying alive!

The Iron Cloth Shirt!

He had to first push this horizontal training hard art to its utmost limit!

He took a deep breath and pulled the ancient wooden box from his robes.

When he opened the lid, three Blood Strengthening Pills the size of longan lay quietly within. Their bodies were blood-red, as though they contained galloping life force. A rich medicinal fragrance of blood surged toward him, making the Qi and Blood throughout his body faintly accelerate.

Without the slightest hesitation, Su Haoran picked one up and directly tossed it into his mouth.

Boom!

The pill melted the instant it entered his mouth, like a blazing fire rolling down his throat and into his abdomen. The next moment, a vast and boundless force of scorching Qi and Blood exploded through his limbs and bones like a flood bursting through a broken dam!

This power was violent and majestic, far surpassing any cultivation session he had ever experienced! If an ordinary Martial Artist rashly swallowed it, the violent medicinal power would likely burst their meridians on the spot and make their body explode to death!

But how solid was Su Haoran's physical foundation? He immediately gathered his mind and circulated the mental method of the Iron Cloth Shirt with all his strength.

Under his guidance, the Qi and Blood in his body gradually changed from its initial violent collisions into something tame, washing and tempering his skin, muscles, and even tendons again and again like a hundred rivers returning to the sea!

At the same time, his exceptional comprehension of 16, marked by Exceptional Bones, displayed an almost divine effect at this moment.

The obscure bottlenecks within the Iron Cloth Shirt cultivation art became incomparably clear in his mind. How to guide the Qi and Blood, how to temper the skin, how to bring the medicinal power to its utmost limit—countless flashes of insight emerged, raising his cultivation efficiency to an unimaginable height!

A faint bluish-black layer began to appear over his skin. As time passed, this bluish-black color grew darker and darker until, in the end, it faintly revealed a cold, hard metallic sheen!

The night passed without a word.

When the horizon turned fish-belly white and the first ray of morning light entered the firewood room through the window lattice, Su Haoran suddenly opened his eyes.

He slowly exhaled a breath of turbid air. In the faint light of dawn, that breath carried a trace of pale gray-black and landed on the ground with a soft "sizzle," as if it possessed some kind of corrosive quality.

These were impurities expelled from his body as the medicinal power tempered him.

Su Haoran lowered his head and looked at his body. Beneath his skin, it seemed as though a faint bronze-iron gleam flowed.

With a thought, he circulated the Iron Cloth Shirt with all his strength.

Buzz!

A layer of nearly tangible bronze-iron color instantly covered the skin across his entire body!

From afar, he truly seemed to be wearing close-fitting clothing cast from refined iron, brimming with an indestructible texture!

Iron Cloth Shirt (Major Accomplishment 80%)

Just one Blood Strengthening Pill and one night of bitter cultivation, bolstered by 16 points of comprehension, had actually raised the progress of his Iron Cloth Shirt by a massive 35%!

"What powerful medicinal force!" Su Haoran could not conceal the delight in his eyes.

He could clearly sense that the toughness of his skin had risen by far more than a single level compared to last night!

If he faced the Ghost Shadow Leopard Cat's armor-piercing poison arrow again now, he was confident that it would not even scratch his skin!

Yet he also noticed the deficiency.

"There are still two weak points..." Su Haoran frowned slightly.

He could feel that the defense of this bronze-iron layer was not flawless.

Three inches below his left armpit and slightly to the right of the center of his back, there was a palm-sized area at each location where his Qi and Blood circulated somewhat sluggishly, and the color was a shade dimmer than elsewhere.

These were the weak points! They were flaws left because the cultivation art had not yet reached Perfection!

If an expert saw through them and attacked those two weaknesses specifically, then this copper skin and iron bones would be no different from paper!

No, it was not enough!

If he was going to a dragon's pool and tiger's den like Crimson Hair Stronghold, he absolutely could not leave behind any obvious flaws!

A resolute glint flashed through Su Haoran's eyes. He opened the wooden box again, picked up the second Blood Strengthening Pill, and swallowed it without hesitation!

At the same time, the morning mist had yet to fully disperse from the training ground of the Martial Monk Courtyard.

Elder Hui Jue stood solemnly in the center of the field, dressed in a gray Monk Robe. Before him stood six broad, sturdy Martial Monks with steady auras.

These six were all outstanding figures of the Martial Monk Courtyard. The weakest among them had reached Second Skin Tempering, while two had even reached Third Skin Tempering. They were the true backbone of the temple.

"Are you all ready?" Elder Hui Jue's voice was low and powerful.

"Reporting to Elder, we are fully prepared and may depart at any time!" the leading Martial Monk answered with a bow.

Elder Hui Jue nodded, but his gaze unconsciously shifted toward the firewood rooms of the Labor Courtyard. His brows furrowed slightly, as though he were considering something.

"Elder," the Martial Monk asked tentatively after reading his expression, "should we wait for Junior Brother Su and travel together?"

Su Haoran's great display of might last night, along with the personal praise he had received from the Abbot and the elder, had already spread throughout the entire temple. In their view, bringing this rapidly rising junior brother along for the journey was only natural.

Elder Hui Jue pondered for a moment, then slowly shook his head. "There is no need."

He sighed and said with a trace of concern, "Though that armor-piercing poison arrow failed to breach his physical defense, its tip was steeped in deadly poison, and its impact was no small matter. This old monk fears that he may have suffered a disturbance to his Qi and Blood while taking it head-on, leaving hidden injuries behind. The most important thing now is to let him rest well and thoroughly stabilize his foundation."

"Elder speaks wisely," another Martial Monk immediately agreed. "Our trip is to represent Prajna Temple in demanding an explanation. We speak with reason and rely on our temple's centuries of prestige. With you, Elder, personally leading us, seven or eight of us going together already gives Crimson Hair Stronghold sufficient face and creates enough momentum. Junior Brother Su's cultivation may be profound, but he is still young. He may not be able to offer much help in such a situation, so it would be better for him to cultivate peacefully in the temple."

Once those words were spoken, the other Martial Monks nodded in agreement as well.

They bore no ill will toward Su Haoran. In fact, they admired him greatly.

But this journey was no trivial matter. They were facing the infamous Crimson Hair Stronghold, and in their eyes, strength and seniority were the most important things.

Su Haoran was a disciple who had only recently undergone Initiation. He truly was not suited to take part in negotiations between sects like this.

Listening to everyone, Elder Hui Jue also felt that they had a point.

This trip was called a demand for an explanation, but it was really a test and a warning. They were not truly going to start a fierce battle.

Taking too many people would instead make them seem overly aggressive and cause them to lose the bearing of a renowned righteous sect.

"So be it." He finally made his decision. "Let him rest properly. Pass down my order: no one is to disturb him. We... depart!"

"Yes!"

The six Martial Monks answered in unison, their voices majestic.

Elder Hui Jue hesitated no longer. With a sweep of his sleeve, he turned and led the six elite disciples toward the Mountain Gate in great strides. Their first destination was Qingshi City down the mountain, where they needed to first find a guide familiar with the mountain terrain before they could accurately locate the hidden Mountain Gate of Crimson Hair Stronghold.

Their figures quickly vanished into the morning mountain mist.

The entire Prajna Temple returned to its usual tranquility once more.

And none of them knew that the disciple they believed was resting peacefully was, at this very moment, undergoing an earth-shaking transformation.