Skin Tempering Three Times! Immune to Cold and Heat!

A diamond in the rough!

This assessment meant that even in a city like Qingshi City, he could be called a martial arts prodigy!

And with these successive breakthroughs, his martial arts realm had finally reached a new level, as if it were a natural progression!

Third Skin Tempering! Perfection of Skin Tempering!

He clearly remembered hearing his senior brothers in the Martial Monk Courtyard discuss the differences between the three stages of Skin Tempering.

First Skin Tempering: The skin and membranes were tough, capable of resisting ordinary sword slashes.

Second Skin Tempering: The skin and flesh were condensed, making it difficult for ordinary arrows to penetrate.

As for Third Skin Tempering, it meant that Blood Essence was abundant, connecting the inside and outside, making one immune to the elements! It provided considerable resistance to both frost and flames!

At this moment, Su Haoran could clearly feel the Blood Essence within his body surging like a roaring furnace. Even if he stood naked in the ice and snow right now, he would only feel a slight chill, never be frostbitten.

The temperature of his skin could be controlled by his will, becoming as hot as fire when concentrated, and returning to normal when dispersed.

This was the realm of Perfection in Skin Tempering!

In this chaotic world, such cultivation was already enough to dominate a region and secure one's own safety in some remote strongholds!

Most importantly, his weak point... had completely disappeared!

Now, every part of his body was without flaw!

If he willed it, any part of his body could instantly become as hard as iron!

To test the power of this perfected realm, a fierce glint flashed in Su Haoran's eyes.

He walked to the corner and picked up a still-burning torch.

He took a deep breath, forcibly suppressing his instinct for self-preservation, and with a thought, his right hand instantly covered itself with a black iron sheen, and then—

He grabbed the hottest part of the burning torch!

Sizzle—!

A wisp of smoke rose along with a burnt smell!

The fiercely burning flames struggled and flickered in his hand a few times before he forcefully... extinguished them!

Su Haoran released his hand, letting the scorched charcoal fall to the ground.

He opened his palm and brushed off the dust. His palm skin remained smooth, with no wounds or even a hint of a burn mark.

Completely unharmed!

"Good! Good! Good!"

A surge of heroic spirit welled up in Su Haoran's heart, and immense confidence filled his chest.

He was now more than ten times stronger than he was last night!

If that "Ghostly Leopard Cat" dared to appear before him again, he was confident he could break its bones within three punches!

Crimson Hair Stronghold!

A cold light flashed in Su Haoran's eyes as he pushed open the door of the woodshed and strode out.

With his perfected Soaring Dragon Startling Swan Art, he could infiltrate Crimson Hair Stronghold, scout their strength, and then cooperate with the Elder's actions. They would definitely make Crimson Hair Stronghold pay a heavy price!

However, as soon as he left the Labor Courtyard, he sensed that the atmosphere within the temple was not right.

The usually peaceful and serene temple was now filled with a sense of oppression and fear.

Monks were rushing past frequently, their faces showing undisguised anxiety and panic.

"What's going on?" Su Haoran's heart sank. He stopped a familiar Martial Monk.

"Something's happened! Something terrible has happened!" The Martial Monk's face turned ashen upon seeing Su Haoran, his voice trembling.

"Don't rush, take your time!"

"It's Elder Hui Jue! Elder Hui Jue and the others... something's happened to them!" The Martial Monk panted, his eyes filled with anxiety. "Just now, a pilgrim from the foot of the mountain risked their life to run back and report that... that the Elder and his party were ambushed by Crimson Hair Stronghold in the 'One Line Sky' valley!"

Boom!

"Ambushed?!" Su Haoran's voice instantly turned ice-cold. "What are the casualties? Where is the Elder?"

"I don't know... I don't know at all!" The Martial Monk's face was pale. "According to the pilgrim, Crimson Hair Stronghold sent over a hundred people and set up an ambush by surprise, then fired a volley of arrows! The Elder and the others... are trapped inside! Now... now their fate is unknown!"

Fate unknown!

Su Haoran raised his head and looked towards the depths of the Qingyun Mountain Range. The eyes that had just gleamed with brilliance due to his breakthrough were now filled with nothing but bone-chilling killing intent!

Without the slightest hesitation, Su Haoran's figure shot out of the temple gate like an arrow loosed from a bow, speeding towards the foot of the mountain.

With his Soaring Dragon Startling Swan Art reaching perfection, his speed was more than double what it was before!

His entire body seemed to transform into a faint wisp of blue smoke, flashing through the forest. With a light touch of his toes on treetops and rocks, he could leap dozens of feet.

The wind howled past his ears, yet it couldn't even stir his monk's robe.

Along the way, the monks in the temple only saw a blur before their eyes, a shadow flashing past. When they looked again, he was long gone, leaving only a few fallen leaves stirred up by the strong wind.

"Is... is that Junior Brother Su?" A Martial Monk rubbed his eyes, his face full of disbelief.

"Such swift movement! Where is he going?"

No one could answer.

At this moment, Su Haoran had only one thought in his heart—to save them!

He knew the place, One Line Sky Valley.

It was the only route from Prajna Temple to the nearby town, a narrow pass between two mountains, strategically advantageous for an ambush.

The closer he got to One Line Sky Valley, the fainter the smell of blood became in the air.

Su Haoran's heart sank, but his speed increased.

Soon, he found the first sign in the roadside grass—a few broken arrows, their tips poisoned with a faint blue glow, and the Crimson Hair Stronghold's flame mark carved into the shafts.

There were a few bloodstains on the ground, but not many, along with the scattered footprints left by a fierce struggle.

"It was a fight, not a massacre," Su Haoran's gaze sharpened, and his heart settled slightly.

If it had been a one-sided slaughter, the scene would not look like this.

This meant Elder Hui Jue and the others had put up a strong resistance and successfully broken through!

He followed the tracks.

Along the way, he discovered more clues: severed ropes, torn scraps of cloth, and the corpse of a Crimson Hair Stronghold lackey. The corpse had a fist print on its forehead, its entire skull caved in, clearly killed in one blow by an overwhelmingly powerful fist technique.

It was Arhat Fist!

Su Haoran's spirits lifted. This was definitely Elder Hui Jue's doing!

It seemed that even though the elders were ambushed, their combat strength remained, and they were fighting their way out while retreating!

Following the intermittent bloodstains and signs of struggle, Su Haoran navigated through the forest for nearly the time it takes an incense stick to burn. Finally, in a hidden mountain hollow, he heard suppressed gasps.

He flickered, landing silently at the entrance of the hollow. He saw Elder Hui Jue sitting cross-legged on a rock, regulating his breathing. His face was as pale as paper, and the monk's robe on his left arm was stained red with blood, clearly indicating a serious injury.

Behind him, seven or eight Martial Monks followed, all injured and dispirited, but their eyes were filled with respect and reliance as they looked at Elder Hui Jue.

"Elder!" Su Haoran called out softly and quickly stepped forward.

"Su Haoran?" Elder Hui Jue's eyes snapped open. Seeing him, he was first startled, then frowned and shouted, "What are you doing here! This is reckless! Go back quickly!"

"Elder, the temple already knows you were attacked. I'm here to support you," Su Haoran said in a deep voice, his gaze quickly sweeping over everyone's injuries, his killing intent intensifying.

A Martial Monk with a broken arm gave a wry smile, "Junior Brother Su, we appreciate your intentions. But Crimson Hair Stronghold is determined to kill us this time, and the pursuers are right behind us. You coming alone will only mean one more life lost."

This person was Wujing, who had sparred with Su Haoran during the assessment.

At this moment, there was no trace of arrogance on his face, only the exhaustion of surviving a near-death experience and the worry about the dangers ahead.

Elder Hui Jue took a deep breath, forcibly suppressing his surging Blood Essence, and said in a deep voice, "Haoran, listen to me. The three leaders of Crimson Hair Stronghold came out together. I took a palm strike from Xiong Ba while leading them to break through the encirclement.

Xiong Ba has already reached the Bone Forging realm. We are no match for him. Your movement technique is superb, leave quickly and return to the temple to report, so the abbot can make preparations. This is the sensible thing to do!"

He thought Su Haoran had arrived early relying on his movement technique, unaware that Su Haoran's strength was no longer what it used to be.

"Trying to leave? No one is leaving today!"

Just then, a sinister laugh echoed from outside the forest.

Swish, swish, swish!

More than a dozen figures darted out from the woods, surrounding the entire hollow. Everyone held a crossbow, their arrowheads glinting with poison, aimed at the people in the hollow.

The person at the forefront had a long scar across his face. He was one of Crimson Hair Stronghold's minor leaders.

He looked at the ashen-faced Elder Hui Jue and laughed triumphantly, "Old bald donkey Hui Jue, you can run! Unfortunately, you took a 'Tablet Splitting Hand' from our Great Leader, your Blood Essence is in chaos. How much fighting strength do you have left now? Brothers, shoot! Send them to hell!"

Elder Hui Jue's face instantly turned extremely grim. He struggled to stand up, shielding the injured disciples behind him, a look of determination flashing in his eyes.

"Haoran, Wujing! You protect the junior brothers and leave first! I will cover your retreat!" His voice was hoarse, but it carried an unquestionable authority.

All the Martial Monks' eyes showed grief and despair.

Covering the retreat? Facing this forest of poisoned arrows, how could they cover the retreat? This was clearly a resolve to die!

"Elder..." Wujing and the others' eyes were bloodshot.

However, before Elder Hui Jue could finish speaking, a figure moved faster than him!

"A bunch of insignificant trash, daring to yap here!"

A cold shout, like thunder from a clear sky!

Su Haoran stepped forward, actually charging towards the more than a dozen crossbows aimed at him, taking the initiative to rush out!

"Seeking death!" The scar-faced leader, seeing this, was not angry but delighted. He shouted sternly, "Fire! Shoot him into a hedgehog!"

Buzz—!

The sound of bowstrings vibrating merged into a single roar. Dozens of poisoned arrows tore through the air, whistling sharply, and shot towards Su Haoran from above.