Ape Demon Iron Body Technique

A tall, burly old man sat on a wide wooden chair that was twice the height of an ordinary seat.

This was none other than his martial uncle, Yuan Hong.

He had short white hair and a fierce, menacing face, resembling a humanoid violent ape.

"Wang Zhengyang called me. So you're Li He, a fifth-grade bone structure... Hmph, that brat sure knows how to dump trouble on me."

"Speak. Since he sent you to find me, what is it you want?"

Li He didn't know if it was his imagination, but when Uncle Yuan Hong mentioned Wang Zhengyang, his tone carried not just impatience, but a hint of gnashing teeth.

However, Li He was not a gossipy person, so he didn't pry and went straight to the point: "My master once said that you possess profound martial knowledge and extraordinary insight. As a disciple who has just entered the martial arts hall with a shallow foundation, I hope to browse the classics in this Scripture Pavilion to broaden my horizons. I also hope you might offer some guidance, for which I would be immensely grateful."

Upon hearing this, Yuan Hong's expression remained unchanged, though his eyes narrowed slightly, as if he were gauging Li He's sincerity.

"Guidance? That brat Wang Zhengyang sure has a good plan. Your current strength is too poor; guidance would be a waste of effort."

Without ceremony, he pointed toward the depths of the hall: "Over there, the few bookshelves against the wall. Go browse them yourself."

"Remember! You are only allowed to look at those specific shelves. Do not approach other areas, do not touch things randomly, do not make noise, and do not dirty or damage anything. Put back whatever book you finish reading, and don't bother me unless necessary."

"This disciple will keep your teachings in mind, thank you, Uncle."

Although Uncle Yuan Hong's attitude was harsh and the rules strict, he had ultimately given him a chance. Being able to enter the Scripture Pavilion and browse the classics was already a massive gain.

Yuan Hong ignored Li He further, picked up an ancient book from his desk, and began reading with focus.

Li He softened his footsteps and walked toward the area Yuan Hong had indicated.

His mind flashed back to the scene from earlier.

Is this the strength of a Third Realm Great Martial Master? In that instant of suction, I used all my strength, yet I couldn't even hold on for half a second. The gap is truly too vast.

He couldn't help but think of his father, Li Jianguo, working in the safety zone. The new supervisor sent by the Federation was also a Third Realm martial artist.

Do all Third Realm martial artists possess such power? Father will be able to return safely in three weeks; I hope nothing goes wrong at the mine.

Li He shook his head, pushing these distracting thoughts away.

The area designated by Yuan Hong contained three or four bookshelves, mostly holding theoretical miscellanies like Essentials of Basic Stake Technique, Miscellany of Ancient Martial Arts Schools, and Outline of Federation Martial Arts Development.

Li He was in no rush, scanning the shelves row by row.

From the corner of his eye, his gaze was caught by a thin booklet bound with coarse thread. He pulled it out, and the cover bore several simple, powerful brush-written characters.

Ape Demon Iron Body Technique

Li He immediately associated it with the Ape Standing Stake taught by Master Yuan Shan; the martial arts of the Yellow Mountain Martial Arts Hall were inextricably linked to apes.

Could this martial art be the accompanying hard-body technique?

He carefully opened the booklet.

The opening page featured an illustration of a black ape standing upright, its arms crossed to protect its chest, its posture as steady as a mountain. Dark, iron-colored energy circulated around its body, forming a layer of protective qi.

The caption read: "When the Ape Demon glares, the iron body manifests. Blood and qi like iron, invulnerable to all evil!"

Li He's spirit soared, and he continued reading.

This Ape Demon Iron Body Technique recorded an external hard-body method for tempering the skin, flesh, bones, and tendons of the entire body, condensing a protective qi. Its core lay in imitating the violent blood, qi, and resilient physique that the exotic beast Vajra Demon Ape derived from its bloodline.

This technique was divided into nine levels. The first three levels, Iron Skin, corresponded to entry, proficiency, and mastery. The middle three levels, Iron Bone, corresponded to minor success and great success. The final three levels, Iron Body, corresponded to perfection, with each level harder than the last.

The cultivation method was divided into three steps: stake technique guidance, external force impact, and medicinal bath soaking!

The more Li He read, the more excited he became.

Looking at his current martial arts system, he had stake techniques, fist techniques, and movement techniques, but he lacked a hard-body technique for defense. This Ape Demon Iron Body Technique was exactly what he needed.

He flipped to the section on medicinal bath formulas, only to be doused with a bucket of cold water. Iron Bone Grass, Blood-Activating Vine, Tendon-Strengthening Grass, Hundred-Refinement Flower, and the bone powder of a first-tier exotic beast, the Iron-Backed Mountain Boar—none of these were cheap ingredients.

"One medicinal bath lasts about a day and costs roughly... ten thousand Federation credits. Ten thousand a day."

"According to past experience, cultivating a new martial art from entry to minor success takes seven days. The medicine must be used accordingly. That means I need 70,000 Federation credits!"

Li He frowned slightly.

His family could afford this money.

But he was thinking of something else.

If he barely scraped together the money for the ingredients this time, what about the next? There were simply too many martial arts that required special medicinal catalysts to cultivate, and he had only been exposed to a few at this stage.

As his realm improved, this demand would only grow, not to mention that his appetite was increasing daily.

A few days ago, when he went home, he saw his mother, Zhang Xiujuan, secretly calculating the accounts. His father, Li Jianguo, was still in the Abyss safety zone, struggling for his future...

I must make money!

This thought was incredibly firm in Li He's heart.

He was no longer just a student relying on his parents; he was a first-tier martial artist with the qualifications to accept missions and explore the Abyss!

Li He took a deep breath, suppressed the churning thoughts in his heart, and read the booklet carefully, firmly memorizing the contents of the Ape Demon Iron Body Technique—especially the stake postures, breathing methods, blood and qi circulation routes, and the medicinal bath formulas.

Time flew by rapidly.

"Should I ask Master Yuan Shan for guidance on practicing the Ape Demon Iron Body Technique next?" This thought flashed through his mind.

He recalled his previous experiences trying to teach himself martial arts online. He would mimic the movements from videos, but he could never grasp the essence; his stances were always slightly off, and he couldn't even begin to circulate his qi and blood, eventually forcing him to give up in frustration.

Without a master by his side to adjust his posture, identify issues, and correct the details, successfully teaching himself advanced martial arts was nearly impossible.

However, this time, the feeling was completely different.

While reading the Ape Demon Iron Body Technique, a strange sense of familiarity lingered with him.

The stake-work postures described in the book, while different from the Ape Standing Stake, shared a startling resemblance in their core essence: the lowered waist and seated hips, the spine arched like a bow, and the arms wrapped around the body for protection.

Furthermore, the circulation routes used to guide qi and blood to nourish the skin, membranes, tendons, and bones echoed the Old Ape Stretches Arms he had already mastered.

"They are both arts from the Huangshan school, sharing the same roots and origins; there must be commonalities between them!" Li He felt certain.

Since he had such a foundation, why not try practicing it himself first? If he encountered problems he truly couldn't solve, it wouldn't be too late to ask the master then.

He looked around; the Scripture Pavilion was silent, save for the faint sound of page-turning coming from Uncle Yuan Hong's side. Uncle Yuan Hong kept his head down, focused on the ancient book in his hands, completely immersed in his own world and indifferent to Li He's presence.

Li He took a deep breath and decided to try the introductory stake-work of the Ape Demon Iron Body Technique, the Iron Body Stake, right there in the corner of the Scripture Pavilion.

He slowly set his stance. At first, his movements were stiff, and his breathing and qi circulation felt sluggish, but soon, thanks to the foundation he had built with the Ape Standing Stake and Old Ape Stretches Arms, his breathing and circulation became increasingly smooth.

Li He suddenly felt a surge of inspiration.

He tilted his head slightly, his gaze intense, and a sense of unyielding ferocity began to radiate from his body.

[Ape Demon Iron Body Technique: Beginner (0%)]

[Lacking the assistance of the "Iron Body Medicinal Bath", proficiency gain failed]

"It worked!" Li He slowly withdrew his stance and stood upright. Although he was disappointed that he couldn't increase his proficiency, successfully reaching the beginner level on his first attempt already filled him with immense joy.

He glanced out the window; the sun had set, and the Scripture Pavilion was growing darker, with only the dim, yellowish glow from the small lamp on Uncle Yuan Hong's desk.

"I've gained a lot today; it's time to head back."

Li He bowed to Uncle Yuan Hong: "Uncle, it is getting late. This disciple will take his leave now. I hope you rest well soon."

Yuan Hong kept his head down, as if he hadn't heard.

Li He was not annoyed; he bowed respectfully once more, then left without lingering, quietly exiting the Scripture Pavilion.