On the Eve of Departure, a Sudden Revelation: Rock Shattering Fist Reaches Great Accomplishment!

"Tomorrow's the day I leave Qingshui Town. I should turn in early tonight and get plenty of rest."

Despite saying that, Su Mu tossed and turned all night, his mind endlessly replaying everything that had happened since he came to Qingshui Town.

Unable to sleep, Su Mu got up and went out into the courtyard to practice his fists. He warmed up with Five Animal Frolics, taking turns with Tiger Play, Bear Play, Monkey Play, Deer Play, and Bird Play. Then he began practicing Tiger Subduing Fist.

Tiger Subduing Fist was the first Ranked Martial Art Su Mu had learned. Nearly a year had passed since he started practicing it, and close to ten bandits had died beneath his fists, along with several Ninth Rank Martial Artists.

In Su Mu's hands, Tiger Subduing Fist had gradually reached a state where he could unleash and rein in its power at will, like an extension of his own arm. He was not far from perfection.

After an hour of practicing Tiger Subduing Fist, Su Mu shifted his stance and began practicing Rock Shattering Fist. As hardness and softness alternated, he felt the Hidden Force surging within him, tempered, strengthened, and nourished with every turn.

"Tiger Subduing Fist refines Manifest Force, while Rock Shattering Fist refines Hidden Force!"

One bright, one dark; one hard, one soft.

After a fierce battle and finally letting himself relax, a sudden understanding surfaced in Su Mu's mind. He practiced Rock Shattering Fist again and again. With every strike, the Hidden Force within it sent the surrounding air into a violent shudder.

Boom!

After another punch, he felt he was one step away—a breakthrough was just within reach.

At that moment, his Excellent Talent, Raw Jade aptitude came into play, allowing Su Mu to seize that fleeting glimmer of insight.

Su Mu's eyes shone as he continued to practice Rock Shattering Fist.

He practiced through the entire night. A rooster crowed in the village, and the first rays of sunlight spilled from the sky, illuminating the sweat-soaked face of the young man.

Suddenly, his whole body shuddered.

He felt his vital energy boiling within him, while strands of Hidden Force surged faster and faster.

Rock Shattering Fist (Great Accomplishment 1%)

"Rock Shattering Fist has reached Great Accomplishment!"

On the eve of leaving Qingshui Town for Qingyun City, the young man had gained a sudden insight. His Excellent Talent, Raw Jade aptitude had let him seize this opportunity, and in a single night, Rock Shattering Fist had advanced to Great Accomplishment!

As Rock Shattering Fist reached Great Accomplishment, a familiar warmth welled up in his abdomen. It flowed through his limbs and meridians, and within seconds, the fatigue from a night of practicing vanished.

Hummm———

At that moment, the apertures throughout Su Mu's body hummed in unison, filling him with delight.

"My Hidden Force is about to reach Great Accomplishment!"

To break through into the next realm, one had to build one's internal force and vital energy to their peak. The last time Su Mu filled his reserves of force and vital energy, it had taken half a year.

Su Mu had estimated that it would take at least three months to fill his Hidden Force this time. He had not expected the warmth brought on by his improved aptitude to accelerate the process and bring it forward by so much.

Su Mu felt his vital energy and Hidden Force boiling and burning within him. They flowed faster and faster, becoming streams of scorching current rushing through his body, as if a blazing fire were raging inside him.

His body felt like an iron blank on a forge. The combined scorching of his force and vital energy burned away every impurity within him.

For a while, beads of sweat as large as soybeans kept oozing from his skin.

Plop.

Sweat poured down as Su Mu gritted his teeth and endured. But the heat had come fast and faded just as quickly. As the warmth from Rock Shattering Fist's breakthrough dissipated, the transformation of the force within Su Mu gradually settled.

"I'm only a hair's breadth from Hidden Force reaching Great Accomplishment."

Su Mu let out a soft breath. He showed no regret—instead, his face lit up with delight.

"My Hidden Force only came into being a month ago!"

Su Mu sensed how much stronger his Hidden Force had become. If he faced Wu Heng again, he was confident he could kill him with ease, without relying on Limit Break to use both tigers.

"Probably another three to five days."

Su Mu was confident he could fill his Hidden Force completely within three to five days. This sudden insight into Rock Shattering Fist had saved him nearly two months of hard training.

After the breakthrough, Su Mu brought up his current status panel to take a look.

[Name: Su Mu (14 years old)]

[Lifespan: 85 years]

[Skills: Five Animal Frolics (Perfection), Forging (Great Accomplishment 98%), Tiger Subduing Fist (Great Accomplishment 91%), Rock Shattering Fist (Great Accomplishment 1%), Startled Sparrow Steps (Minor Accomplishment 68%), Alchemy (Minor Accomplishment 2%)]

[Comprehension: 14 (Excellent Talent, Raw Jade)]

"Not bad. My comprehension increased by two points this time, and my lifespan went up by ten years."

"Since eighty-year-olds have been rare since ancient times, I'd count as a long-lived man in this ancient world!"

Su Mu looked over the panel with satisfaction. During the past six months or so since reaching Ninth Rank, he had also noticed a few patterns in how his comprehension improved.

The difficulty of improving his comprehension was not fixed; it changed dynamically.

For instance, Five Animal Frolics and Alchemy were both unranked skills. Before he reached Ninth Rank, they only had to reach Minor Accomplishment to increase his comprehension and lifespan. But when Alchemy reached Minor Accomplishment a few days ago, it had not improved his comprehension.

As for Ranked Martial Arts, both Ninth Rank Rock Shattering Fist and Startled Sparrow Steps had increased his comprehension when they reached Minor Accomplishment.

The improvement in comprehension from a skill breakthrough also depended on the skill's rank. Five Animal Frolics had only raised his comprehension by two points upon reaching Perfection, while Ninth Rank Rock Shattering Fist had raised it by the same amount upon reaching Great Accomplishment.

That day, Li Tie announced in front of everyone that Su Mu would soon be heading to the Weapon Forging Workshop in Qingyun City. He also announced that the Iron Shop would close for a day.

"To celebrate our Iron Shop producing a future Forging Master, lunch is on me! Come on, let's all go eat at the tavern in town."

More than a dozen people from the Li Family Blacksmith Shop went to the tavern in town. Cups clinked, and the air filled with the fragrance of wine and meat.

The blacksmith masters took turns pouring wine for Su Mu. They all knew that after this farewell, they might not meet again for a long time. When they saw Su Mu choking, his face red as he coughed, they all burst into laughter.

In the end, Zhou Shan stopped the eager masters. "The kid can't hold his liquor. He's had enough."

Before leaving the tavern, Li Xiaohu pulled Su Mu aside downstairs to talk for a long while, his voice full of reluctance. Then he handed Su Mu an object: a roughly made iron token.

It had what looked like cloud patterns around its edges, and a crookedly carved carp on its face.

"My father actually told me a while ago that you were going to the Weapon Forging Workshop. I made this over the past few days... D-don't look down on it."

"I never knew my mother, but she left me a jade amulet. I made this to look like it."

As he spoke, Li Xiaohu took a jade token from inside his robe. Su Mu saw that it resembled the iron token in three ways, and felt a stir in his heart.

"Brother Li, then I'll take it."

Su Mu accepted it solemnly. Just then, the masters came downstairs. Before they left, the shopkeeper, Li Tie, handed Su Mu a cloth bag.

"Uncle Li, what's this?"

"It's a little something from me and the other masters. There are twenty-three taels of silver inside." Seeing that Su Mu was reluctant to accept it, Li Tie spoke earnestly.

"Xiaomu, you mustn't refuse a gift from your elders. Qingyun City is nothing like this little town. You'll need money for all sorts of things, so take it."

Grateful, Su Mu finally accepted the bag.

Having been plied with plenty of wine, Su Mu was a little drunk. He didn't use his force to dispel the effects. It was a rare thing to get drunk in life, especially for someone like him who hardly ever drank.

That night, he stayed at Zhou Shan's home, and the two talked until late.

The next morning, Su Mu said his farewells to the father and son of the Li Family, Zhou Shan, and the other masters, then set off.

"A golden-scaled carp is no ordinary thing; when it meets wind and clouds, it transforms into a dragon. I have a feeling Xiaomu will achieve great things someday!"

"Shopkeeper, I don't really understand all that, but I got the last part... If Xiaomu makes something of himself someday, do you think we'll get to share in the glory?"

"Hahaha, of course we will! Zhou Shan will be quite the man by then—the master of a Forging Master!"

A few teasing remarks eased the sadness of parting. After watching Su Mu leave, the blacksmith masters returned to the forge. Only Li Xiaohu remained, sniffling dejectedly. Back at the shop, he sat beneath the shade of the old locust tree, lost in thought.

Clang!

Before long, the sound of hammering rang out from the forge once more, just as it had every other day.

Beneath the bright sunlight,

a young man from a small town in the south arrived outside Qingyun City.