Two Years of Drunken Dreams, Tiger Subduing Fist Perfected!

The Qingyun Army's morale surged like a rainbow. The armored strongman was dead, and Officer Qian Wu, now free, led his men in several charges. Su Mu was also relentlessly cutting down enemies.

The Black Mountain Rebel Army's psychological defenses completely collapsed. This great battle ultimately ended with a resounding victory for the Qingyun Army.

"Many thanks to the chivalrous hero for his righteous intervention and for eliminating evil for the people. On behalf of the Qingyun Army, I, Qian Wu, thank you, sir."

Qian Wu clasped his hands in greeting towards Su Mu, then bowed deeply.

Su Mu merely nodded slightly. He reached out and quickly searched the corpse of Hong Shan, retrieving a blood-stained bundle. He then tore a piece of cloth from a corpse, wrapped the head in it, and turned to leave.

He had come here for revenge. Now that his blood feud was settled, he would depart.

"Officer Qian, that bandit's head and belongings cannot be allowed to be taken by him. The County Lieutenant specifically... " a Qingyun Army soldier said hesitantly.

Before he could finish, Qian Wu glared at him. "Do not speak of this matter again. I will report it to the County Lieutenant myself."

Qian Wu knew very well that the armored strongman's strength surpassed his own. With his iron armor and innate brute strength, he was almost comparable to a second-stage Bone Forging Martial Artist. If Su Mu had not intervened righteously today, let alone killing the armored strongman, they would all have likely perished here.

"The roar of a tiger, Tiger Subduing Fist. This person has a connection with Vajra Temple... Not only has he mastered a profound Lightness Skill, but he has also mastered Transforming Force. That martial art used to kill the rebel leader is also extraordinary... This person is deliberately lowering his voice, but his true age is likely not great. Vajra Temple has truly produced an exceptional individual."

Qian Wu watched Su Mu's retreating back, a deep curiosity about him stirring within. Although Vajra Temple was a monastery, as one of the five major powers in Qingyun County, it also had many lay disciples.

He guessed Su Mu was one of them, and his identity was definitely not simple, perhaps a disciple of a certain master from Vajra Temple.

Without the guidance of a renowned master, or the resources of a powerful faction, even with his extraordinary talent, how could this person have cultivated several martial arts to such a profound level at such a young age, and even achieved the Transforming Force realm, which ordinary martial artists struggle to reach their entire lives?

What Qian Wu could never have imagined was that Su Mu's martial arts were all self-taught. While a martial artist at the peak of Hidden Force could channel energy throughout their body, they could only cover a small part of their physique.

The "thin film of force" that was mistaken for Transforming Force was purely because Su Mu, having cultivated three fist techniques simultaneously, possessed a vigorous internal force far exceeding that of ordinary martial artists. Coupled with his near-perfect body control from mastering the Five Animal Frolics, and his astonishing Comprehension, he had achieved this by chance.

"Revenge for Master Zhou and the other masters!"

On the way, Su Mu removed and discarded his blood-stained night clothes in the wilderness. Before returning to the shop, he changed into a set of grey cloth clothes. He checked into an inn in town, booked a room, stored the head and the blood-stained bundle in the room, and quickly washed himself.

When he returned to the blacksmith shop, Li Xiaohu was awake.

"Su Mu, why are you back? Hmm, what's that smell on you? It's so pungent?"

Before Su Mu could speak, someone noticed his blood-dripping arms. A master said anxiously, "Xiaomu, are you injured? Come here quickly, there's still a bottle of the fall medicine you brought. I'll help you apply it."

"It's just... I fell when I went out earlier. I'm fine."

Following this, the sound of suona horns lingered over the town for more than half a month. Nine out of ten households were in mourning. Su Mu secretly inquired about Pharmacist Lin's whereabouts while staying at the shop to help with the funeral arrangements for his deceased masters.

The other masters all had families. Su Mu accompanied Uncle Li to inform each family of the deaths. Soon, the families of the masters came to town to collect the bodies and return them to their ancestral villages for burial. Uncle Li also gave each family a considerable sum of money for the funeral expenses.

Master Zhou Shan had no relatives. After Uncle Li consulted with the townspeople and made arrangements, they allowed Zhou Shan to be buried alongside the deceased residents of Qingshui Town on Bailu Mountain, west of the town.

Su Mu ordered a fine coffin for Zhou Shan and placed the ancestral sheepskin scroll containing the medicinal formula inside.

On the fifth day, a propitious date, Su Mu carried the coffin to bid farewell to Zhou Shan. With the coffin lowered into the ground and covered with earth, the funeral rites were concluded.

"Xiaomu, it's time to go back."

"Uncle Li, Masters, you all go back first. I want to talk to Uncle Zhou a little longer."

"Alright."

Su Mu bought several jars of wine, poured a cup for himself, and drank another. After several jars, Su Mu passed out drunk at the grave. That night, he had a long dream.

A dream spanning two years.

Starting from the Qingzhou prison, a morbidly noble young man saving someone at the execution ground, death warriors, blacksmith apprentices, and so on. In his dream, Su Mu relived nearly two years of experiences since arriving in this world.

While deeply drunk, memories of practicing the Five Animal Frolics, Tiger Subduing Fist, Rock Shattering Fist, Startled Sparrow Steps, Gale Fist, and other martial arts flashed by. Su Mu's Comprehension of 14 points, described as Excellent Talent, Raw Jade, quietly took effect.

The internal force also began to circulate spontaneously.

At a certain moment.

Hummm---------

Su Mu's bones and muscles vibrated, and a faint tiger's roar echoed around him. For a time, the restless jackals, wolves, snakes, and insects in the mountains fell silent, not daring to approach Su Mu's mountain peak.

Tiger Subduing Fist (Mastered) Comprehension: 17 (Excellent Talent, Raw Jade)

Tiger Subduing Fist, Su Mu's first officially ranked martial art, was already infinitely close to mastery after the life-and-death struggle with the armored strongman. After experiencing life and death, and now that his great revenge was achieved and he was drunk, his mind became clear. Thus, he had an epiphany in his dream, breaking through the bottleneck of completion and soaring into the mastered realm.

Whoosh whoosh--------

Just then, a scorching, intense warmth suddenly erupted from Su Mu's abdomen. This warmth flowed through his limbs and meridians, causing his blood to surge and his internal force to churn, emitting a faint sound of rushing water.

The great dream continued. The fierce force of Tiger Subduing Fist, the gentle force of Rock Shattering Fist, the condensed force of Gale Fist – these three different forces now collided slowly within Su Mu's body, then intertwined and merged.

"Hic... Uncle Zhou, I avenged you!"

"Force follows the heart, covering the entire body, force becoming armor..."

The drunken youth mumbled in his sleep, and a film of force flowed over every inch of his skin.

The next day, as the sun rose, a ray of light fell on the youth's resolute face. The youth, who had been drunk all night, slowly woke up.

Su Mu slowly got up and immediately felt something was wrong.

Huh?

He felt unprecedentedly refreshed, and his body felt incredibly light. Su Mu's face showed surprise, and he immediately brought up his status panel to check.

He was astonished by what he saw.

"After I got drunk last night... Tiger Subduing Fist actually reached completion, and my Comprehension increased by three points in one go?"

Su Mu immediately calmed himself and carefully examined his body. He then discovered that the three forces within him were also merging in a way he had never experienced before.

"What exactly happened last night?"

Su Mu tried to mobilize his forces, only to find that the merged force was far more powerful than before. With a thought, Su Mu attempted to unleash a Force Membrane.

Instantly, Su Mu felt as if he had opened a door to a new world. The force spread out, surged, and covered every inch of Su Mu's flesh and blood, his internal organs, and then floated on the surface of his skin.

With a single thought, the force surged like a tidal wave, instantly reaching every corner of his body, from his skin to his hair. The powerful force vibrated at high speed on his skin, likely capable of resisting ordinary blades.

Rustle rustle rustle!

A gust of mountain wind blew, kicking up dead leaves and dust that obscured Su Mu's figure. But when the wind died down, Su Mu was completely spotless. A clear patch appeared on the ground beneath his feet, devoid of even a single dead leaf.

Beyond that small area, however, lay a pile of dust. These were the dead leaves that had been shattered by the Force Membrane.

"This is Transforming Force... No, this isn't quite Transforming Force yet. It should be considered half a step into Transforming Force... The force within me isn't solid enough. Perhaps I need to master Gale Fist as well, or maybe reach completion in another martial art before I can truly advance to Transforming Force!"

Su Mu felt the power of this half-step Transforming Force and was filled with immense confidence. If he encountered that armored brute again, even without Qian Wu's support, he could have killed his enemy alone, and certainly without sustaining injuries to his own arms.

"The power of Transforming Force is indeed comparable to that of a Bone Forging Martial Artist!"

Just then, several dense black dots at the foot of the mountain caught Su Mu's attention. Looking down from the mountaintop, those ant-like black dots were actually a troop of over a hundred people.

This troop of a hundred was currently heading towards Qingshui Town.

"Black Tiger Gang, you're finally back!"