Torrential Rain Spear Technique, Eighth Rank Martial Art!

The bustling Qingyun City gradually quieted under the setting sun.

An old man with white hair and a youthful complexion first tidied his clothes, then, carrying a medicine basket, walked into the Cloud Crane Medical Hall.

"Master, you're back!"

Hearing the commotion outside, the young physician trotted over. Upon seeing the newcomer, her big, watery eyes curved into crescents as she smiled.

Pharmacist Lin walked forward with a smile but noticed his disciple glancing behind him several times, a fleeting look of disappointment crossing her face.

This hint of confusion grew when Pharmacist Lin entered the medical hall's study. He noticed that the medical books on the shelf showed signs of recent use, and several obscure medical texts were placed on the desk, even one dealing with Gu Poison.

"Xiao Yue, has anything happened at the medical hall this past month?"

"Master..."

Xiao Yue bit her lower lip and clutched her skirt as she recounted how she had used silver needles to seal Su Mu's meridians to force out the poison and asked him to travel to Qingshui Town.

"This young man you mentioned... I haven't met him, but I suppose he was just delayed on his journey and should be back in a few days."

Pharmacist Lin comforted Xiao Yue, noticing her worried expression, then sternly changed the subject. "Nonsense! Didn't I tell you, Xiao Yue, that you can't treat patients without permission? Ordinary illnesses are one thing, but you dared to directly treat Gu Poison?"

At this point, Pharmacist Lin's tone became severe, and he felt a wave of lingering fear.

The moment he learned from Xiao Yue that the Gu Poison could corrode silver needles, his whole body trembled uncontrollably. He had never even encountered such a potent Gu Poison before.

Furthermore, a sense of pleasant surprise arose in the pharmacist. He hadn't taught Xiao Yue much medical skill; after teaching her to read and write, he let her read medical books freely, only offering explanations when she asked.

The Silver Needle Meridian Seal was one of Pharmacist Lin's ancestral medical techniques. The fact that Xiao Yue could now perform it independently was a considerable surprise to him.

"Xiao Yue, go get the silver needles. Perform the treatment on me."

"Okay, Master."

The young physician agreed with a smile, detecting an undeniable joy in her master's voice.

With each needle inserted, Pharmacist Lin nodded slightly. Once all the needles were in place, his stern expression finally relaxed. Although Xiao Yue's Silver Needle Meridian Seal was a bit rough, it was flawless.

Just then, Xiao Yue suddenly asked a question.

"Master, do you think the Silver Needle Meridian Seal can be learned by others?"

Pharmacist Lin paused for a moment before replying without hesitation, "It's very difficult. Regardless of any silver needle technique, the foundation lies in a thorough understanding of human acupoints, meridians, and so on. After that, the force and method of needle insertion, the techniques for unblocking meridians, and so forth, are not easily learned by observation. Not even the slightest error is permissible. The form is easy to learn, but the true essence is hard to grasp."

"However, nothing is absolute. Exceptionally gifted prodigies might have a slight chance... but I've never encountered such a prodigy. If such a person exists, then it is fate."

"Xiao Yue, tell me, after I taught you the silver needle technique, how long did it take for you to feel confident enough to treat someone?"

Xiao Yue's eyes darted around. "A year... or perhaps half a year?"

Half a year?

Now it was Pharmacist Lin's turn to be astonished. He knew this girl had some talent in medical skills, but he had underestimated her aptitude.

The next day.

The wooden sign that had hung outside the medical hall for over a month was removed. Cloud Crane Medical Hall reopened for treatment, and soon, a continuous stream of people seeking medical help arrived.

However, Pharmacist Lin soon noticed that every morning, at noon, and at dusk, the girl would bring a small bamboo stool to the bamboo gate and sit there for a while, gazing intently at the bustling street.

Meanwhile, the young man, who had spent several days exploring the Qingshui Town area, felt a desire to leave.

"Before I go back, I should take stock of what I have."

He hadn't found the pharmacist during this time, but he had encountered several bandits. Their fates were obvious; Su Mu had sent them all to their next lives, and their belongings naturally became part of Su Mu's possessions.

"There are five taels of silver in the money pouch."

"This one has three taels."

In the inn, Su Mu quickly took stock and frowned. "They're bandits, especially this guy who was a Qi Refining Martial Artist. He only has five taels of silver on him? He's poorer than a beggar. I might as well find a job in a market."

He tipped out the money pouches. After counting, the bandits he encountered over the past few days had a total of twenty-five taels of silver.

However, these were just appetizers. The real main course was the spoils from the black-armored strongman and the Black Tiger Gang leader Zhao Xuan. Zhou Shan's death, and Su Mu's constant search for Pharmacist Lin, had left him no time to examine the items in detail.

Su Mu first took out the package from the black-armored strongman. Its shape suggested it was a book.

"Could it be that spear technique?"

Currently, Su Mu only practiced fist techniques and movement techniques. He was still lacking a suitable weapon martial art. The fine iron cudgel in the black-armored strongman's hand that day had posed a significant threat to Su Mu, forcing him to use his Double Bird Overlap.

Upon opening it, he saw a hardcover book with an exquisite cover. The calligraphy on the cover, written with flowing strokes like a knife's edge, bore four large characters: Torrential Rain Spear Technique.

"It really is a spear technique!"

Su Mu's eyes lit up, and his breathing quickened as he began to read.

"Torrential rain, continuous and unending... A martial art circulating in the Southern Border region. The spear strikes like a fierce storm, a Ninth Rank martial art."

After a quick read, Su Mu felt a slight regret. All the martial arts he currently possessed were only Ninth Rank. He had expected this spear technique to be Eighth Rank.

"But it's fine. This Torrential Rain Spear Technique is swift and fierce, emphasizing continuous spear momentum to suppress the enemy from the start, which suits me."

Su Mu decided to cultivate this spear technique. He could get a spear forged when he returned this time. Besides a secret manual, the black-armored strongman's package also contained a blueprint. Upon closer inspection, Su Mu realized it was a weapon blueprint named Torrential Rain Spear.

"What a shame, this Torrential Rain Spear should have been paired with this spear technique."

Su Mu sighed. The diagram was stained with blood, and less than three-tenths of the details remained, making it only a preliminary reference.

After examining the items on the heavily armored man, Su Mu quickly retrieved two bundles, both plundered from Zhao Xuan's residence.

Compared to elixirs, Su Mu was more interested in martial arts manuals. However, the manual on the stronger, heavily armored man was only Ninth Rank, so Su Mu didn't hold out much hope for an Eighth Rank manual.

He untied a bundle and casually took out a book bound in the traditional Chinese style, its cover yellowed with age.

The moment Su Mu saw this manual, his heart stirred. He noticed that the manuals found in Zhao Xuan's room were quite similar to the Tiger Subduing Fist manual and differed in style from other manuals.

"Adamantine Body? Could this also be a martial art from Vajra Temple..."

Su Mu quickly flipped through the manual in his hands. With each page he turned, his eyes grew brighter, a hint of fervor appearing within them. After a while, Su Mu let out a soft breath and closed the manual.

"This Adamantine Body is an improvement upon the Ninth Rank martial art Golden Bell Shield. It uses Force to temper the body, hardening the defenses, making one impervious to blades and spears... It originates from an Eighth Rank external martial art from Vajra Temple!"

An Eighth Rank martial art?!

Su Mu's face showed surprise and disbelief. He hadn't expected anything, but Zhao Xuan had given him a great surprise. The reason he could recognize Adamantine Body as originating from Vajra Temple was because the martial art mentioned that one could use martial arts like Tiger Subduing Fist and Golden Bell Shield as a foundation, and cultivating Adamantine Body on this basis would be much easier.

"First Tiger Subduing Fist, then Adamantine Body... Does this Black Tiger Gang have some connection to Vajra Temple?"

As for why Zhao Xuan hadn't cultivated this Adamantine Body, Su Mu guessed it might have been too difficult. Just looking at the cultivation method of Adamantine Body, if it hadn't been written in the manual, Su Mu would have thought it was a detailed explanation of some torture method.

The cultivation method described looked extremely agonizing.

Afterward, Su Mu inventoried the rest of Zhao Xuan's belongings: five boxes of White Jade Savage Bone Paste for bone forging, five bottles of Blood Strengthening Pills to aid in boosting Qi and blood, and a bottle of antidote.

However, the stack of silver notes of various denominations totaled less than two hundred taels, only one hundred and fifty-three taels in actual silver, even less than Wu Heng, falling below Su Mu's expectations.

"The number one person in Qingyun City, the leader of the Black Tiger Gang, the only Eighth Rank Bone Forging Realm expert, is so stingy... Most of his money was probably spent on medicinal pastes. It seems bone forging is very expensive."

"But this money isn't really important. If this soft armor were taken to the Black Market, it could probably fetch a high price."

Su Mu didn't know what material this soft armor was made of. He had tried to directly slash it with the bandits' blades. Not only could they not break through its defenses, but it was also extremely difficult for ordinary blades to even leave a mark on it.

"No wonder Zhao Xuan was so confident and dared to directly take my perfected Tiger Subduing Fist head-on. The value of this soft armor is probably not lower than an Eighth Rank martial art... Zhao Xuan isn't actually that stingy."

Muttering to himself, the young man covered the inner armor with his clothes and quickly left the inn with his backpack.

"Let's go back."