Copper Skin

As Chen Mu's skin tempering reached Major Accomplishment, his heart grew much more at peace. In the days that followed, he still spent most of his time in his own backyard tempering his skin and practicing the saber. He rarely went to the City Guard and seldom involved himself in its affairs.

In the blink of an eye, nearly another half month passed.

His medicinal powder had run out again. Just as Chen Mu stepped outside, intending to buy more medicine, he saw several Yamen Runners hurrying past. They seemed to be busy with something, carrying corpses away in twos and threes.

When they saw Chen Mu emerge, they recognized him immediately despite his not wearing a Yamen uniform, and all saluted him.

"Sir."

"What happened?"

Chen Mu glanced at the corpses they were carrying and asked with a slight frown.

This was a street in the central area of Nine Stripes Ward. Not only was it close to the City Guard, but Yamen Runners patrolled day and night. Those living nearby were generally gentry with some wealth and influence, so murders rarely occurred here.

"It's Zhang Xiang Shen's family. All twenty-three members are dead."

One yamen runner spoke in a low voice.

Chen Mu knew Zhang Xiang Shen. The man had visited him some time ago and brought him housewarming gifts. It was said that his ancestors had been officials. Though the family had gradually declined over the past two generations, they were still considered wealthy in the area.

Moreover, Zhang Xiang Shen lived only a street away from him. An entire household being wiped out at once made Chen Mu frown. Had the chaos of the world already spread even here?

Just as he was about to ask for more details,

A familiar figure suddenly appeared.

"Brother Chen."

Min Baoyi, dressed in a Yamen uniform, walked over slowly from not far away. He seemed to have come because of what had happened to Zhang Xiang Shen's family. He greeted Chen Mu and walked up to him.

Chen Mu responded, then walked alongside Min Baoyi and asked, "Brother Min, Zhang Xiang Shen's family was...?"

"It's nothing major. They probably offended someone."

Min Baoyi spoke casually, then beckoned to several Yamen Runners carrying corpses by the roadside, signaling them to come over.

The four Yamen Runners were carrying a remarkably robust corpse. Its skin had a bronze hue and appeared extremely tough. There was not a trace of blood anywhere on its body, save for a faint mark over its heart.

"Look."

Min Baoyi pointed at the wound and said to Chen Mu, "This man was Zhang Xiang Shen's third son. He was born with Copper Skin. After tempering his skin to Perfection, he was three parts stronger than ordinary people who had tempered their skin. Even sharp blades and swords could scarcely cut him. For someone with such an innately powerful physique, even five or six opponents of the same level would often find it hard to take him down."

Chen Mu stared gravely at the wound. "Yet someone like this was killed in a single strike."

"Exactly."

Min Baoyi sighed. "This was a sword wound. One strike, one death, clean and without the slightest drag. At the very least, the killer must have cultivated Sword Force and brought the muscles throughout his body to Perfection. Only with an explosive force fierce and peerless could this be done."

Chen Mu nodded slightly after hearing this.

This was already someone at Min Baoyi's level. Such a person was hardly likely to become a wandering bandit or villain. After all, they could earn a place for themselves by joining any faction. Zhang Xiang Shen's modest family wealth was not enough to attract someone like that.

Chen Mu walked up to the corpse, drew his Yamen Saber, and casually slashed at it. Though he had not used Saber Force or much strength, the blow should have had no trouble cutting through oxhide and sinew. Yet when it landed, it left only a pale mark on the corpse.

"What incredibly tough skin."

Chen Mu sheathed his Yamen Saber, his gaze flickering slightly.

His own skin tempering had now reached Major Accomplishment, but compared to this man's resilient skin, he was far inferior. Even if he cultivated the Gold Jade Mo Pi Fa to Perfection, he likely would not match it. Min Baoyi's praise of the man's "Copper Skin" had not been false at all.

"Right?"

Min Baoyi smiled. "This is something he was born with, impossible to replicate. If ordinary people like us practice martial arts, then unless we cultivate several Mo Pi Fa techniques at once, we could never achieve truly Steel-Copper Skin."

"But while cultivating several Mo Pi Fa techniques would make one more formidable after stepping into Lian Rou, it also costs time and effort. Delaying too long at the Skin Tempering stage might make it even harder to enter the Yi Jin Realm."

As Min Baoyi spoke, he patted Chen Mu on the shoulder, then waved for the Yamen Runners to carry the corpse away.

Chen Mu listened,

His face revealing a thoughtful expression.

For ordinary people, the path of Skin Tempering, Flesh Tempering, Tendon Transformation, and Bone Tempering was exceedingly urgent—a race against every second. Once they passed thirty, their efforts immediately yielded half the results for twice the work. After forty, they could basically no longer improve, and might even gradually decline.

If they cultivated several Mo Pi Fa techniques at once and delayed themselves by several years, they would very likely lose their chance to ever enter the Yi Jin Realm.

But for him, the System Panel meant that age had little effect. Moreover, his cultivation speed exceeded that of ordinary people by an unknown margin. That meant he had more time to temper every realm to its limit.

Just as Min Baoyi had said.

Someone with an innate physique like this, who possessed a body of Copper Steel Skin, might not withstand a single strike from someone at Lian Rou Completion. But if the opponent had merely reached Lian Rou Great Accomplishment, or even Initial Accomplishment, they would likely have no way to deal with that Copper Steel Skin.

Yet because no one would spend precious time forging Steel-Copper Skin or Wrought-Iron Flesh, delaying their future progress in Tendon Transformation and Bone Tempering, such people were rare. Those who did exist were usually born with the gift, like Zhang Xiang Shen's third son, and would not delay the normal pace of their body tempering.

But he...

He could achieve Major Accomplishment in skin tempering in half a month, and Perfection in just over a month!

"Perhaps I, too, can polish every realm as thoroughly as that man did—cultivate Copper Skin and Iron Bone, a Mystic Metal Body."

A faint idea arose in Chen Mu's mind.

Finding an excuse to bid Min Baoyi farewell, Chen Mu hurried to the medicine shop. He bought more internal and external medicinal decoctions for the Gold Jade Mo Pi Fa, then returned home to continue practicing his saber and tempering his skin.

The extermination of Zhang Xiang Shen's family indeed seemed to have been merely an isolated incident. No similar events occurred over the following half month. At first, people occasionally discussed it with great interest, but slowly they cast it from their minds and forgot Zhang Xiang Shen's family.

Chen Mu, meanwhile, continued to stay indoors. He only occasionally visited the City Guard. The rest of his time was spent in secluded, bitter cultivation, tempering his skin and practicing his saber.

"This Fierce Wind Saber Technique has reached Major Accomplishment."

Chen Mu swung his Yamen Saber through several forms in the backyard. After exhaling a mouthful of white mist, he slowly came to a stop and nodded.

After acquiring the Fierce Wind Saber Technique, he had never used experience points to improve it. Instead, he had relied entirely on his own ability to practice it. Since he had already mastered the Whirlwind Saber Technique and cultivated Saber Force, learning another saber technique to Major Accomplishment through his own skill was quite easy.

Martial Arts: Whirlwind Saber Technique (Perfection), Fierce Wind Saber Technique (Major Accomplishment)

Experience: 1246 points

"With the foundation of the Whirlwind Saber Technique at Perfection, my experience points have risen much faster while practicing the Fierce Wind Saber Technique than before. In just over a month, I've accumulated more than a thousand points. That means that in no more than three months, I'll master another Saber Force."

Chen Mu looked at the data on the System Panel and nodded inwardly.

Back when he raised the Whirlwind Saber Technique from Major Accomplishment to Perfection, it had taken nearly half a year. But now, raising the Fierce Wind Saber Technique to Perfection would take no more than three months. This showed that the increase in experience points was also related to his own realm.

With a thought,

He switched the System Panel to the other side.

Gold Jade Mo Pi Fa (Major Accomplishment)

Experience: 996 points

The Gold Jade Mo Pi Fa's experience had also risen rapidly during this period. It was now only one cultivation session away from one thousand points.

Chen Mu raised his head to look at the Grand Yang hanging high in the sky and estimated the time. He had practiced his saber for an entire morning, and it was nearly noon. He could carry out another round of Gold Jade Mo Pi Fa tempering now.