"The Martial Dao realms that the Bearded Man from Black Wind Stockade told me about back then weren't complete. They should actually be divided into the Body Tempering Realm, Meridian Opening Realm, Tendon Changing Realm, Bone Refining Realm, Blood Changing Realm, Condensing Gang Realm, Mortal Transformation Realm, Mysterious Lamp Realm, Mountain Gazing Realm, Sea Gazing Realm, and Three Flowers Realm. This final realm seems to also be known as the Martial Dao King Realm, whose practitioners can sit enthroned over and govern an entire supreme kingdom."
"At the same time, I was wrong about cultivating in the Body Tempering Realm. Although the purpose of the Body Tempering Realm is mainly to temper the physical body and grant it strength far beyond that of ordinary people, one also needs a Cultivation Technique for tempering the body. With the support of a Cultivation Technique, it becomes easier to temper the physical body, toughen the meridians within it, and reach the Meridian Opening Realm faster."
"No wonder I always felt that my body-tempering speed was slow. It turns out I was missing a body-tempering Cultivation Technique. According to this Introduction to Martial Arts, the early stage of the Body Tempering Realm is when the physical body first awakens: the skin and flesh become sturdy, one's strength surpasses that of ordinary people, and one can fight and kill wild beasts."
"In the middle stage of the Body Tempering Realm, the skin and flesh generate force, producing an innate vigor. The physical body becomes denser, the physique stronger, and the qi and blood begin to flourish."
Su Mo slowly clenched his right hand into a fist. His spine cracked repeatedly like a great dragon, making sounds like refined iron striking iron, or copper blocks colliding. These were the sounds of his bones roaring. After gaining the Iron Bones trait, combined with his tremendous Great Strength and abundant qi and blood, his physical defense was terrifying.
Yet even so, no force had formed within his body. Clearly, he had not reached the middle stage of the Body Tempering Realm.
But the strength of his physical body absolutely far surpassed that of a Martial Artist in the middle stage of the Body Tempering Realm.
"The Introduction to Martial Arts also says that people generally begin practicing martial arts at fourteen or fifteen, because that is when the body's natural constitution is most malleable. This means they can later witness a broader world of martial arts. The geniuses and prodigies of many sects and aristocratic families are all like this."
"But if one only begins practicing martial arts after eighteen, one's natural constitution has already solidified. There is practically no upper limit, the path of martial arts is difficult to walk, and one cannot see the scenery farther ahead."
Su Mo flipped through the booklet Introduction to Martial Arts again and again, reading it over and over. His eyes were fixed on the final few lines. He was already eighteen, and he had only begun encountering martial arts after turning eighteen. Did that mean the path of martial arts would be difficult for him? Was his upper limit practically locked in place?
He felt somewhat despondent!
So he wasn't a genius after all! His talent might not be very strong, and his natural constitution had already solidified!
Faced with this situation, even an optimist like him couldn't help feeling a little dejected.
Su Mo soon smiled. So what if I don't have talent? So what if I'm not a genius? Then he directly cut off six pounds of Wild Boar Meat, put it in a pot to boil, and sprinkled it with dry salt.
Once the Wild Boar Meat was cooked, Su Mo ate it in great gulps. After finishing, he wiped his mouth and continued tempering and polishing his body in the courtyard. This was something he persisted in doing every day.
"Whether I'm a genius or not, whether I have talent or not—go argue with my daily hard work and perseverance!"
In the dilapidated courtyard, a figure frantically rammed into wooden posts and hammered stone locks, heedless of the heavy snow swirling outside and the howling cold wind.
It seemed that nothing could stop this figure's persistence!
Since his talent and natural constitution were poor, he would forge his physical body into tempered steel and black iron!
Just as Su Mo was frantically cultivating and tempering his body, Zhang Qian arrived carrying ten pounds of Plum Deer Meat.
She and Su Mo had been playmates as children. It was only after they grew older that they became distant, but she was still very familiar with the place where Su Mo lived.
Zhang Qian gently knocked on the door.
"Coming!"
Su Mo, who had been tempering his body in the courtyard, hurriedly stopped when he heard the knock. He put on his clothes and went over to open the courtyard gate.
Seeing who had arrived, Su Mo was very surprised. He clearly hadn't expected Zhang Qian, his childhood playmate, to suddenly come calling.
"What? You don't welcome me?"
Zhang Qian was tall and slender. Looking at Su Mo's surprised expression, she blinked and smiled. As she spoke, she handed the ten pounds of deer meat to him. "Take it. My father told me to bring it to you. He was afraid you'd starve to death all by yourself at home."
Su Mo shook his head. "I don't want this meat."
There was still plenty of meat at home: Wild Boar Meat, Green Wolf King's meat, lots of Green Wolf Meat, and some rabbit meat. He couldn't possibly finish it all in a short time, so he politely declined Zhang Qian when he saw her bringing him meat.
"No. You have to take it. My father—your Uncle Tieshan—insisted that I bring it to you. If you don't accept it, Uncle Tieshan will get angry."
Zhang Qian clearly hadn't expected Su Mo to refuse. Looking at the dilapidated courtyard, she knew that Su Mo hadn't had an easy life these past years. Not long ago, he had even encountered Black Wind Stockade in the mountains, had his prey stolen, and been beaten and injured himself. But she didn't say any of that outright.
Instead, she invoked her father, Zhang Tieshan, who was also Su Mo's Uncle Tieshan. Although Zhang Tieshan was older than Su Mo's father, Su Mo's father had once saved Zhang Tieshan's life. Afterward, through one thing and another, the two families began addressing each other as equals in generation.
That was why Su Mo generally called the over-sixty-year-old Zhang Tieshan Uncle Tieshan.
Su Mo saw that although Zhang Qian's features were delicate and gentle, her gaze and attitude were exceptionally firm. Afraid that he would refuse to accept it, she had even brought up Zhang Tieshan.
In the end, Su Mo couldn't overcome Zhang Qian and accepted the ten pounds of Plum Deer Meat. Ten pounds of Plum Deer Meat was truly no small amount in the depths of winter.
He knew that Zhang Tieshan and Zhang Hai had hunted a Plum Deer in the mountains some time ago. He planned to wait until Uncle Tieshan's family had finished eating the Plum Deer Meat, then send them some Green Wolf Meat.
It would count as returning the favor.
"What were you doing in the courtyard? Why do you seem so out of breath?"
When Zhang Qian saw that Su Mo had finally accepted the ten pounds of Plum Deer Meat, a smile also bloomed across her fair, beautiful face. Although she and Su Mo had grown distant after growing up—after all, men and women were different—she didn't dislike him. Even though Su Mo's family was very poor, she didn't look down on him. In fact, she even held a faint liking for him.
Who told him that when they were children, Su Mo had always treated both her and her brother Zhang Hai well, often sharing some wild game with the siblings?
Unfortunately, in Zhang Qian's heart, it was fine for her and Su Mo to be friends. But as for the marriage her father had mentioned, that was impossible. Su Mo was ultimately only a hunter and wasn't worthy of her. The husband she wanted had to be a Martial Artist—a powerful Martial Artist.
Not a hunter living in some remote corner...
Seeing the fine beads of sweat on Su Mo's forehead and hearing his slightly labored breathing, Zhang Qian grew curious. What had Su Mo been doing alone in the courtyard?
"I was cultivating!"
Su Mo answered the question quite honestly. He had indeed been cultivating and tempering his physical body.
"Cultivating?"
Zhang Qian's beautiful eyes narrowed slightly as she looked at Su Mo. Then she turned and left. Perhaps everyone really had grown up. They were no longer as simple as they had been before. Cultivating? Only Martial Artists used the word "cultivating."
You, Su Mo, were only a hunter. It was already impressive if you could master the bow and arrow. What did you have to do with Martial Artists?
Zhang Qian shook her head. People ultimately had to grow up, just as she only wanted to marry a Martial Artist...
Su Mo watched Zhang Qian leave so suddenly, utterly baffled, but he didn't think much of it. He put the ten pounds of Plum Deer Meat into the cellar in the courtyard, where the Wild Boar Meat and Green Wolf King Meat were also stored.
Afterward, he continued cultivating.
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