Strength penetrates all acupoints, strength is forged!

"Shopkeeper Li, please take a look."

Su Mu handed the long saber over with both hands. Seeing the saber he presented, all the blacksmith masters showed expressions of disbelief.

"This, this is a Ten Refinements Saber?"

The blacksmith masters, having forged many Ten Refinements Weapons over their many years of smithing, could make an initial judgment about this saber. One of them exclaimed in disbelief, unable to believe his own eyes.

Under normal circumstances, an apprentice starting from scratch would need several years, or even over a decade for those with lesser talent, to forge a qualified Ten Refinements Saber.

Yet, Su Mu had been at the shop for less than a year in total, and that included three months of miscellaneous chores. Su Mu had genuinely spent only a few months on actual smithing. This forging talent was simply monstrous.

For a moment, the forging room was filled with the sound of swallowing saliva, and then all eyes fell upon Li Tie.

The Ten Refinements Weapon was only their initial assessment; whether it was qualified still required Shopkeeper Li's inspection.

Li Tie picked up the saber and first glanced at the blade, then ran a hand over its surface. He then meticulously examined every part of the long saber, occasionally tapping it with his calloused fingers. As he inspected it, the sharp glint in Li Tie's eyes grew brighter and brighter.

"Hmm, the blade is straight and without curves..."

"The texture is slightly heavy, and the edge is sturdy. Although there are still some minor flaws, they do not detract from its overall quality. This long saber meets the standard of a Ten Refinements Weapon."

Li Tie's face showed surprise as he gave his evaluation.

Instantly, the forging room was filled with the sound of gasps. Although Shopkeeper Li was usually a simple and honest man, his standards for weapon quality were not low. To receive such an evaluation on his first attempt at forging a weapon...

Su Mu was the first person in the shop to achieve this!

When official blacksmith masters first joined the shop, Shopkeeper Li would have them forge a weapon to test them. Back then, several of the old timers among them had failed to satisfy Li Tie.

One could imagine the shock Su Mu had delivered to the blacksmith masters. As for the flaws Li Tie mentioned, they were not a problem at all, considering Su Mu was only attempting to forge a weapon for the first time.

Soon, Li Tie announced publicly, "Su Mu, from today onwards, you are the ninth Weapon Blacksmith in our shop. In addition to your monthly salary of two taels of silver, you will receive an additional reward of three hundred wen for every Ten Refinements Weapon you forge. We hope you will continue to work hard."

Su Mu's face lit up with joy. He had chosen to forge weapons over farming tools initially precisely because of the higher pay. He urgently needed more silver to balance his expenses.

The first long saber took Su Mu over twenty days to forge. As the saying goes, "The beginning is the hardest." With this initial forging experience, coupled with Su Mu's forging skill now reaching mastery, the first time is unfamiliar, the second time is familiar.

Su Mu was confident that his forging efficiency would greatly improve in the future. He could forge at least two weapons a month, earning over two and a half taels, more than eight times his previous salary of three hundred wen!

"Thank you, Shopkeeper Li. I will definitely work twice as hard from now on."

Su Mu expressed his gratitude.

"Kid, congratulations."

Zhou Shan stepped forward and offered his congratulations. To be honest, Su Mu's growth rate far exceeded Zhou Shan's imagination. Initially, Zhou Shan's expectation for Su Mu was simply to forge a weapon independently, not necessarily a Ten Refinements Weapon, as long as he could complete it.

He never expected Su Mu to give him such a huge surprise. Feeling the envious gazes from the other blacksmith masters, Zhou Shan couldn't help but grin. Seeing Su Mu officially become a blacksmith brought him as much joy as it did Su Mu himself.

"You have a boundless future, Su Mu. You need to work hard from now on, and strive to get married in a few years, hehe."

The other blacksmith masters also came forward to congratulate him. Of course, the older generation couldn't resist teasing the younger ones. The forging room was filled with a cheerful atmosphere.

Su Mu thanked each of the congratulating blacksmith masters one by one, but he didn't feel conceited. He knew that while hard work was important, the key to becoming a formal blacksmith within a year was the improvement in his comprehension.

"My comprehension is now 7 points, seven times what it was when I first transmigrated. Whether learning forging or practicing martial arts, my speed far surpasses ordinary people..."

"Ordinary people need years, while I only need months."

"Comprehension is infinite; everything has just begun!"

Su Mu was filled with anticipation for the future. He knew that as long as he took it one step at a time and walked steadily, his future would be bright.

Spring arrived, with continuous drizzling rain.

In the evening, Su Mu returned to the village and took off his straw cloak. Calculating the time, forty-three days had passed since he last took the antidote, exceeding the monthly dosage by more than ten days.

As the rainy weather triggered the toxins in his body, it felt as if countless insects were crawling inside him, gnawing at his flesh and organs. Su Mu's body twitched slightly, and cold sweat poured down his face, but he gritted his teeth and endured.

When the stinging pain subsided, Su Mu, pale-faced, let out a long sigh of relief.

"I can hold on for a few more days. In the past three months, I've only taken two doses of the antidote... I have four doses left."

The young man's eyes narrowed. Ever since the person in charge left, he had been silently preparing to break free from being a death warrior. It was unrealistic to completely get rid of the drug control immediately. Su Mu's first step was to try and delay taking the antidote as much as possible.

Doing so would gradually reduce his dependence on the antidote. Even a small reduction would be meaningful. Furthermore, the saved antidotes would become Su Mu's trump card, potentially useful at a critical moment.

"Time to train."

After catching his breath, Su Mu first brewed a bowl of the Three Completions Body Strengthening Soup. After so many days, he still made a pained expression when drinking the medicine. Gritting his teeth, he downed a bowl and then began practicing the Five Animal Frolics and Tiger Subduing Fist in the woodshed.

The wind from his fists whistled, full of vigor.

After his entire body was soaked in sweat and he felt thoroughly refreshed, Su Mu concluded his practice, washed up, and went to bed.

A few days later, several new apprentices arrived at the shop. Initially, Li Tie wasn't interested in taking on new apprentices, but after Su Mu's emergence, Shopkeeper Li, having tasted the benefits, seemed to become more enthusiastic about recruiting apprentices.

This time, not only the shopkeeper was enthusiastic, but several blacksmith masters in the forging room were also quite keen, each volunteering to take on apprentices.

Upon hearing this, Zhou Shan grinned. He didn't compete with them; he was already content with having mentored Su Mu, who would undoubtedly surpass him.

Zhou Shan knew very well that Su Mu wasn't easy to come by. Su Mu's rapid promotion wasn't due to Zhou Shan's excellent guidance but rather Su Mu's own high talent, his willingness to work hard, and his persistence.

Clang!

Sparks flew, and crisp, pleasant sounds of metal striking metal echoed one after another.

"Is this the blacksmith Su the shopkeeper mentioned? Is he really just a newly promoted blacksmith master... Why do I feel his forging skills are even higher than those of the other senior masters?"

The new apprentices at the blacksmith shop, while helping Su Mu pump the bellows, watched him with rapt attention.

The forging hammer, weighing twenty to thirty jin, felt as light as nothing in Su Mu's hands. Su Mu skillfully integrated his force and the Tiger Subduing Fist into his movements. With every hammer strike, the ground trembled slightly. One hammer strike followed another, rhythmic like spring rain, yet relentless like a fierce wind.

Even an amateur could discern some skill from such forging techniques after just a few glances.

"This kid's progress is truly astonishing."

Zhou Shan glanced over from time to time, greatly surprised. At this rate of progress, it was likely that before the year was out, Su Mu would surpass all the blacksmith masters in the shop, including Li Tie, the shopkeeper, who had been an ironworker for decades.

Clang, clang, clang!

The furnace blazed, and amidst the sound of hammering, time flew by as spring turned to summer.

Three months passed in the blink of an eye.

The scorching sun beat down. In the shade of the woods behind the mountain, Su Mu was practicing the Tiger Subduing Fist. Each move and stance cut through the air, emitting a sharp, crisp sound. As he continued to punch, Su Mu felt the qi and blood within his body growing hotter and more restless. The streams of force flowing through his arms were also subtly touching a bottleneck.

As long as he could break through this bottleneck, he would enter an entirely new level.

Su Mu's punching became more engrossed, his style increasingly swift and powerful.

Heaven rewards diligence; every effort yields a harvest. Months of quantitative change formed a qualitative leap at this moment. Su Mu threw his final punch, and as it left his fist, a faint tiger's roar could be heard. In that instant, the bottleneck shattered!

Rumble.

Like a dam bursting, Su Mu felt the force within him instantly connect with every acupoint in his body. The acupoints resonated, and his entire body made a series of crackling sounds.

At this moment, the force within Su Mu surged, rising like a river during a summer downpour, and also becoming more solidified.

Force Penetrates Acupoints, Force Refined!