Bloodline Warriors

"This is the first time I've seen someone achieve this level of Crushing Stone Fist right at the start of training. Could it be... you've awakened some kind of bloodline?" Li Canghai was startled by the sight, an incredulous expression on his face.

"Bloodline?" Shi Mu was taken aback.

"Heh, I must be overthinking it. Bloodline bearers are exceedingly rare. You're probably just naturally thick-skinned and tough. Still, that makes you an excellent candidate for training in external martial arts. Teaching you the Crushing Stone Fist was the right call." Li Canghai immediately let out a wry laugh and shook his head.

"Master Li, what exactly is a bloodline bearer?" Shi Mu grew a bit curious.

"How to put it... Among us martial artists, bloodline bearers are also called bloodline warriors. They've awakened some kind of bloodline within them, granting them one or several special talents that ordinary people lack. But those who can awaken a bloodline are extremely rare—maybe one in ten thousand. Your level of ability makes it highly unlikely. Anyway, if you really want to learn more about bloodline warriors in the future, someone will explain it in detail once you enter the Kaiyuan Martial Academy. Just know this: bloodline warriors are almost all monstrous existences. Each one can crush opponents of the same rank. If you ever encounter one, stay far away. That said, bloodline bearers are also deeply resented. If they're born into a major power, it's fine, but otherwise, many without backing are ambushed and killed before they can grow. By the way, this time the Kaiyuan Martial Academy is recruiting disciples, and quite a few famous prodigies have signed up. There's a good chance some bloodline bearers will appear." Li Canghai clearly had no intention of explaining in detail, waving a hand as he replied flatly.

Shi Mu could only nod and stop asking, but he couldn't help linking the matter of bloodline warriors to the dozen or so strange transformations his body had undergone, committing it firmly to memory.

"Still, your talent in practicing the Crushing Stone Fist far exceeds the ordinary. How about this—I'll directly speed up your training progress. Otherwise, at your current level, it won't be effective at all." Li Canghai sized Shi Mu up again and added with a smile.

Shi Mu naturally had no objection to that.

For the rest of the time, Li Canghai had someone replace the water in the vat with sharp-looking gravel and had Shi Mu wear an extra layer of leather gloves on his hands before starting to pound again.

This time, after a few punches, Shi Mu soon felt his hands begin to ache. After about the time it takes to eat a meal, his entire fist surface started to sting, as if countless fine needles were hidden in the gravel.

Seeing that Li Canghai beside him showed no sign of stopping him, Shi Mu gritted his teeth and continued hammering the gravel in the vat without slowing down.

"Remember, because the Crushing Stone Fist training method is too brutal and easily damages the tendons and bones, even with your talent and my special ointment for treatment, after one session, you won't be able to train it again for three to four days. During that time, you can continue practicing body tempering. Only when your hands have fully recovered can you resume the Crushing Stone Fist. If you can persist like this, you might reach the minor success stage within half a year." Li Canghai instructed.

"Yes."

Shi Mu agreed through gritted teeth and slammed another heavy punch into the gravel, making the entire vat tremble slightly.

Evening.

Shi Mu sat on a wooden chair in the room, his arms resting on the square table in front of him. The leather gloves had been removed, but his ten fingers were swollen like radishes, more than twice their normal size, and the skin on them was so thin it looked almost translucent.

Shi Mu stared at the bizarre shape of his hands, a bitter smile on his face.

According to Li Canghai, only when his hands looked like this did it mean the day's training had been effective. But with them swollen to this degree, even applying the medicine would be difficult.

Wincing, he took out the bottle of ointment Li Canghai had given him from his chest, opened the lid, and smeared it onto his palms with his swollen fingers, already drenched in sweat from the pain.

The next morning.

When Shi Mu got up and instinctively raised his hands to look at them, he froze.

The severely swollen hands had returned to normal. If not for a few faint reddish bruises on the back of his hands, he might have thought he was still dreaming.

"How is this possible!"

Shi Mu blurted out, shaking his wrists and quickly flexing all ten fingers.

Everything was normal. There was no pain or stiffness at all, as if yesterday's training had never happened.

Still unable to believe it, Shi Mu blinked and stared at his hands, then suddenly reached back and grabbed the head of the bed, tightening his fingers.

A crisp "crack" sounded.

A large chunk of wood was instantly crushed into fragments by the force of his hand.

"It really is fine! Could it be that I've actually awakened some kind of bloodline? If so, it must have something to do with that giant clam I saved. Could the blood mist it sprayed have made me a bloodline bearer? But from what Li Canghai said yesterday, letting people know I'm a bloodline bearer now might not be a good thing. Still, since my recovery is astonishing, doesn't that mean I can train the Crushing Stone Fist every day, speeding up my progress several times over?"

Shi Mu was both surprised and delighted, then his expression shifted as he pondered uncertainly.

Noon.

Shi Mu's hands were tightly wrapped in white cloth, and sandbags were tied to his waist and legs. He was running wildly around the square, soon drenched in sweat.

Li Canghai stood nearby, watching the scene with a satisfied expression.

Afternoon.

From a sealed room in the estate, muffled "thump, thump" sounds could be heard.

In the center of the empty room, the white cloth on Shi Mu's hands was gone, replaced by thin fish-skin gloves. He was furiously pounding the gravel in the vat in front of him.

Shi Mu kept his mouth shut, ignoring the piercing pain from his fists, and just swung relentlessly into the vat.

Late night.

The boy lay on the bed, snoring heavily, his face full of exhaustion. His arms were sprawled over the edge of the bed, and his fists were once again swollen red, coated in a thick layer of white ointment.

Suddenly, one of Shi Mu's fingers twitched involuntarily, and a flicker of pain crossed his face, but he remained deeply asleep.

"What? You want to learn the Iron Refining Method from me?" Li Canghai's eyes widened in surprise as he asked the young man before him.

"That's right. I remember you once said, Master Li, that you have an unorthodox body-tempering method that's several times faster than ordinary ones. If I practice this method, I might be able to reach the eleventh layer of body tempering before the academy's recruitment. Then, after taking the Spirit Qi Pill, I'd have a good chance of grasping the sense of Qi." Shi Mu's hands were still wrapped in thick cloth, but he replied calmly.

"I did say that. But do you know that while the Iron Refining Method has remarkable effects, it consumes a huge amount of resources, and the training process is very dangerous—it could even cost you your life." Li Canghai said gravely.

"As long as I can reach the eleventh layer of body tempering in half a year, I don't care how dangerous it is or how much money it costs. Master Li, just teach me." Shi Mu replied resolutely.

"I've already explained the risks. If you insist on learning, I naturally won't refuse to teach. But in the early stages, this method requires another person's help, so from now on, you'll have to train at the martial hall. Is that okay?"

"No problem. To avoid the trouble of going back and forth, I might as well stay in the city for now and return here once the training is done." Shi Mu had other ideas after hearing this.

"If you can live near the martial hall, that's even better. Bring a thousand taels of silver to the hall tomorrow. I'll go back to prepare some things, and we can officially start teaching you the Iron Refining Method then. Heh, this money isn't taken for nothing. As the name suggests, this body-tempering method treats the body like iron or stone, constantly hammering and forging it to forcibly strengthen the flesh. During this time, you'll not only have to endure pain beyond ordinary limits but also take medicinal baths daily according to the prescription, without missing a single one. Otherwise, your flesh and blood body simply won't hold up. If you can really persist, there won't be much more I can teach you at the martial apprentice stage." Li Canghai chuckled and nodded noncommittally.

Shi Mu agreed repeatedly.

For the rest of the time, Li Canghai gave Shi Mu some pointers on the striking techniques of the Crushing Stone Fist before taking his leave.

Shi Mu then called for the estate steward, Zhang Suo, and ordered him to go into the city immediately to find a quiet courtyard to rent, as he would be staying in Feng City for a while.

Zhang Suo naturally dared not disobey and agreed, taking some silver and hurrying out the door.