Copper Pole Technique (Seek Follow-up Reads)

If there was one major difference between these past few days and the past, it was that today, under the guidance of Lord Zheng, he had grasped the threshold of "integrated force."

Thinking back now, perhaps it was this single step that had saved him some skill points when the panel upgraded his martial arts.

So, the skill point consumption of the panel is determined by the "gap." The more I practice myself, the less I need to fill in. Conversely, the more skill points are required.

Fang Shuwen muttered to himself, and the scale in his heart wobbled before finally settling.

This discovery filled him with pleasant surprise.

Exotic energy was inherently difficult to obtain, making skill points hard to come by.

This meant that increasing his "income" was difficult.

But now, he had found a way to "reduce expenditure": seek guidance from famous masters, or practice diligently to improve his progress.

By doing so, he could reduce the consumption of skill points.

Therefore, whether it was to master a martial art thoroughly or to improve rapidly, the hard work required could not be shirked.

So, I must be even more diligent from now on!

Fang Shuwen closed the panel and pulled the yellowed piece of cowhide paper from his bosom.

The paper was quite new, still exuding the scent of printer's ink.

It looked as if it had just been printed.

He just didn't know where Wang Jiu had gotten it from.

Fang Shuwen brought the cowhide paper under the oil lamp, spread it out on the table, and identified the characters one by one.

"Copper Pole Technique, a method for body tempering; once mastered, it can generate 'Copper Skin'."

"To practice this technique, one must use force as a hammer to repeatedly temper the skin and fascia. Once perfected, the skin becomes as hard as copper, resistant to ordinary blades, and even capable of withstanding small-caliber firearms..."

Fang Shuwen's gaze lingered for a long time on the words "capable of withstanding small-caliber firearms."

He looked down at his own arms; he had tested them with a small knife earlier, and his skin could withstand about a hundred pounds of force.

But if this Copper Pole Technique were mastered, it could actually withstand bullets?

This was more than a grade stronger than his current defense.

He continued reading.

The cowhide paper featured several diagrams of the human body, marking the routes of qi and blood circulation and the sequence of tempering.

It started from the hands, moving along the forearms, upper arms, shoulders and back, chest and abdomen, and finally to the legs and head.

Beside each diagram were dense annotations; some were written with a brush, while others had been added later with a charcoal pencil. The handwriting was sloppy, clearly indicating that more than one person had studied this technique.

"'Copper Skin' requires the use of a medicinal bath; otherwise, the loss of qi and blood will be too great, leading to damaged tendons and bones at best, or death from exhaustion of qi and blood at worst."

Fang Shuwen's gaze fell on the words "medicinal bath," and his brows furrowed slightly.

The prescription was written on the back of the cowhide paper, listing over a dozen medicinal ingredients.

One catty of Light Gold, three taels of Red Copper, Carefree Grass...

These medicinal ingredients?

Fang Shuwen's gaze stopped on that string of ingredient names.

He had originally assumed the prescription would contain common tonics like old mountain ginseng or fleeceflower root; although expensive, he would at least know where to buy them.

But this "Light Gold" and "Red Copper" didn't sound like ordinary medicinal ingredients at all.

Were these ingredients meant for alchemy or medicine?

Fang Shuwen frowned slightly, folded the cowhide paper back up, and tucked it away against his body.

These ingredients didn't sound like things one could buy at a regular pharmacy.

What unsettled him even more was the method of use after the medicine was successfully prepared.

The medicine was not to be ingested, but used as incense.

Furthermore, it required a ritual to be performed before practicing the martial art.

The cultivation method was vastly different from what Fang Shuwen had imagined!

Forget it, no use thinking about it. I'll go ask someone tomorrow.

The next morning, just as the sky was beginning to brighten, Fang Shuwen got out of bed.

As usual, he went to the training grounds to practice his punches for half an hour, then washed up, changed his clothes, ate breakfast, and headed out.

Classes didn't start until tomorrow, so he had one more day of rest.

He planned to use this gap to visit a few pharmacies in Xikou County Town to inquire.

The largest pharmacy in Xikou County Town was called "Renji Hall," located at the intersection of East Street and South Street, an old establishment with a three-bay storefront.

As Fang Shuwen walked in, a rich, medicinal fragrance rushed to meet him.

Behind the counter stood an old shopkeeper in a grey cloth gown, weighing herbs with a small scale. He lifted his eyelids to glance at the person who had just entered.

"Filling a prescription?"

"Shopkeeper, I'd like to ask about a few medicinal ingredients."

Fang Shuwen walked up to the counter and took out a transcribed sheet of paper.

"Could you help me check if you have these in stock?"

The old shopkeeper set down the scale and leaned in to take a look.

"Light Gold? Red Copper? Carefree Grass..."

"Young man, where did you get this formula? These aren't medicinal ingredients; they're minerals and anomalous items."

"Oh?"

Fang Shuwen nodded, his expression unchanged.

"I just wanted to ask if these things can be bought in Xikou."

The old shopkeeper shook his head and pushed the parchment back.

"You can't buy them. Only the municipal-level National Martial Arts Hall would have them."

"As for the Carefree Grass..."

He paused, lowering his voice.

"That thing is an anomalous item; you shouldn't even touch it. Young man, let me give you a piece of advice: stay away from formulas like this. If you don't know the roots of what you're practicing, you'll lose your life."

Fang Shuwen offered his thanks and turned to leave Renji Hall.

As expected, it's not that simple.

Fang Shuwen stood by the roadside, watching the passing pedestrians, his heart feeling somewhat heavy.

The entry threshold for this Copper Pole Technique was far higher than he had imagined.

Forget it, put it aside for now and deal with it later.

Fang Shuwen shook his head, temporarily pushing the Copper Pole Technique to the back of his mind.

The most pressing matter right now was still the Soaring Snake Fist.

He would continue to practice; once his strength grew, ways to make money would naturally increase.

He took a deep breath and began walking toward the Zhao Estate.

Meanwhile, at the Folklore and Antiquities Investigation Division office in Xikou County.

Lin Xiu sat behind his desk, the ashtray in front of him piled high with cigarette butts.

His brows were knitted into a deep frown.

"Wang Jiu still hasn't returned?"

His voice was hoarse, heavy with the exhaustion of a sleepless night.

Officer Liang, standing opposite him, shook his head, his own expression grim.

"Chief, it's been nearly sixteen hours since yesterday evening. There's been no word from Wang Jiu, and we've checked all his usual haunts in the city—nothing."

Lin Xiu slammed the report onto the desk, stood up, and walked to the window.

Dusk was thickening outside, and the streets were deathly quiet, save for the occasional rickshaw passing by in silence.

"So, Wang Jiu went to tail an unremarkable middle school student and then disappeared without a trace, his life or death unknown?"

Lin Xiu's voice was low, but every word seemed squeezed out from between his teeth.

He turned around, his gaze locking onto Officer Liang's face.

The latter shuddered, then continued, "Chief, I'm sending more people to look. Wang Jiu's martial arts aren't bad; he must have been delayed by something."

"Delayed?"

Lin Xiu turned back, his eyes fixed heavily on Officer Liang.

"Wang Jiu has been with me for two years. When have you ever seen him get delayed by anything?"

Officer Liang opened his mouth but didn't dare to respond.

"He definitely met with trouble!"