Sudden Change

Soon, it was late at night.

Lu Li took out a flatbread mixed with wheat bran and ate it with cold water, eagerly watching the data on the light screen.

After returning, he had practiced the Tiger-Subduing Fist three more times.

Just as he'd expected, the 2 above the Tiger-Subduing Fist had changed to 5.

That proved his guess: he really was a martial arts genius!

He had thought that, born into poverty like most people in the world, he had mediocre bones and would spend his whole life on the martial path with its end in sight.

He'd never imagined he was a genius, or that he would awaken the Heaven Rewards Diligence fate, which had inadvertently accelerated his training and drastically shortened the time it took him to master the basics!

This meant that, at this rate, he'd need only a few short days to make a breakthrough!

Lu Li's face remained calm, but a storm was already raging in his heart.

What did this mean?

Even the children of noble and aristocratic families didn't train this quickly.

Without exception, anyone in the world who could reach this speed was no ordinary genius, but a prodigy!

A once-in-ten-thousand-years sight!

Lu Li's heart leaped. The flatbread in his mouth no longer tasted so awful; he could even make out a hint of sweetness.

He felt that his future was bright, and that every thorn along the martial path had already been cut away.

What remained was a broad, open road leading to boundless prospects!

"As the saying goes, spring breezes fill a horseman with pride, and when life goes well, one should make merry. But I'm only just starting out. I absolutely can't get impatient; keeping a low profile is the way to make this last."

"If I don't know how to hide my strength, I might die without even knowing how!"

Lu Li took a deep breath, patted his chest, and forcibly suppressed the restlessness in his heart.

He wolfed down the flatbread, washed up, and soon felt sleepiness creeping over him.

"I still have to go up the mountain to gather herbs tomorrow. I'd better sleep early. If I don't meet my quota, the Huang Family will dock my wages."

The next day.

The sky had only just begun to brighten when Lu Li set off up the mountain with his herb basket on his back.

He pushed aside a mound of snow with his bare hands, then carefully took out his small knife and pried up an herb by its roots before tossing it into his basket. Hunched against the icy wind, he continued scanning the area.

He was still dressed in coarse hemp clothes, his cheeks flushed red, both hands smeared with snow and mud.

A purplish-blue mark on the fleshy web between his thumb and forefinger stood out sharply. He had clearly suffered frostbite. It itched and tingled, making Lu Li want to scratch it.

Gathering herbs was grueling work, no matter the season.

In summer, there were mosquitoes, insects, snakes, and rats.

In winter, heavy snow sealed off the mountains, making herbs even harder to find, and he also had to endure the bone-piercing wind.

Besides, the herbs on the outskirts weren't worth much. Meeting his quota earned him only one tael of silver a month.

The truly valuable medicinal herbs greatly benefited martial artists and could help them temper their sinews and bones.

However, they were usually found deep within Cangchangfeng Mountain.

But the depths were full of poisonous miasma, and the slightest carelessness could spell disaster.

And that was only a minor concern. More importantly, demons and monsters roamed the deep mountains!

Even martial artists were afraid to venture in!

Usually, when the Lineages of Changfeng County went in search of valuable herbs, martial artists led groups of apothecaries into the mountains.

"Here I am, with a mountain of treasure right before me, yet unable to enter!"

Lu Li sighed. "Martial artists place great importance on their sinews, bones, and blood. My body is depleted too, and I need plenty of resources to make up for it. But I'd need tremendous strength to go in."

"I should focus on what's in front of me for now. Once I'm strong enough, everything else will fall into place!"

Every day after gathering herbs, Lu Li set aside some time to practice martial arts.

His days followed the same two-point routine.

During that time, he also took a day to find Hero Zhao and ask for more guidance. That was when he learned about the stages of martial arts.

The first realm was Body-Tempering.

Just as the name suggested, one activated the blood and qi within the body and made it flow, tempering the body in the process. It was divided into six minor stages.

They were Skin-Refining, Flesh-Refining, Tendon-Refining, Organ-Refining, Marrow-Refining, and finally the Blood-Exchange Realm.

The Tiger-Subduing Fist, when cultivated to a high level, could reach the Tendon-Refining Realm!

Yet Hero Zhao had only reached the first stage, Skin-Refining, even after all these years.

But even a Skin-Refining martial artist never had to worry about food and drink, wherever he went.

Finally, on the fifth day, Lu Li broke through to the Skin-Refining Realm!

Lu Li threw his final punch, and the information on the light screen changed dramatically.

He felt the blood and qi throughout his body surge. His blood flowed like a rushing river, endlessly washing over his body.

His skin turned crimson at a visible speed.

To anyone looking at him now, Lu Li would have looked like a boiled prawn in the depths of winter, with wisps of steam rising from his body.

His skin rippled like jelly.

With every ripple, Lu Li could clearly feel his skin growing tougher!

Soon, the transformation ended.

Lu Li's body settled back into stillness. The faint steam vanished, and his crimson skin returned to its waxy yellow hue.

The surging blood and qi inside him gradually quieted and lay dormant.

After breaking through, his hearing and vision sharpened. Even amid the swirling frost and snow, he could see distant objects clearly.

He could also hear over a greater distance. When he focused, he could make out the rustle of branches and leaves in the trees, clear even through the wind.

The bone-piercing cold no longer fazed Lu Li at all.

He held out both hands and saw that the purplish-blue frostbite sores had vanished without him even noticing.

His palms were fair and tender, like those of a newborn baby.

Feeling the changes in his body, Lu Li found them indescribably wonderful!

"In the Skin-Refining Realm, one can temper the skin until it's as tough as oxhide, impervious to a blade, and build up five hundred pounds of strength. I should test it."

Lu Li hurried back into the house, took out the small knife he used to dig up herbs, and slashed hard at his arm.

Amazingly, the blade only left a faint white mark on his skin.

And the mark quickly disappeared before his very eyes!

Lu Li couldn't help nodding, his eyes gleaming. Once again, he felt the wonder of martial arts in this world.

He returned to the yard and fixed his gaze on the stone mill.

He strode over and lifted the millstone over his head with ease!

A smile spread across Lu Li's face; he could hardly put his excitement into words.

He felt as if his entire body were brimming with strength, and he couldn't help wanting to let it all out.

He settled into the stance of the Tiger-Subduing Fist and performed each move.

If Hero Zhao had been there, he would have been astonished, his eyes nearly popping out of his head as he cried, "Monster!"

Lu Li had done the unthinkable: his punches struck like thunder, and the wind and snow could not touch him!

Hero Zhao hadn't held out any hope for Lu Li at all, yet Lu Li had mastered the basics in a mere five days.

Such talent was without precedent!

After letting loose, Lu Li turned his attention back to the light screen, wanting to see how much his proficiency had increased.

But after looking, his expression shifted and he pursed his lips.

[Martial Art: Tiger-Subduing Fist (Skin-Refining Realm, cannot be upgraded)]

"Tsk. Hero Zhao, you've got none of the bearing of a great hero. You actually held back!" Lu Li grumbled under his breath.

The Tiger-Subduing Fist could reach the Tendon-Refining Realm, yet he couldn't upgrade it even though he'd only reached the Skin-Refining Realm. Hero Zhao must have held back!

Still, he understood. He and Hero Zhao weren't related, and Hero Zhao thought he had no future in martial arts.

So it was only natural that he hadn't passed on the complete martial art.

Even though he couldn't upgrade it anymore, a wealth of insights still flooded into his mind.

Lu Li could still feel that he had improved greatly.

He threw a casual punch, and a gust of force whipped up, scattering the wind and snow in every direction.

Once he'd performed the entire routine, the moves felt as natural as breathing.

Lu Li was confident that an ordinary Skin-Refining martial artist would be no match for him!

An image surfaced in his mind of Hero Zhao practicing the Tiger-Subduing Fist in front of him.

Comparing the two carefully, Lu Li was surprised to find that the sounds produced by his Tiger-Subduing Fist were even louder than Hero Zhao's, and its force more overwhelming!

Though they were both in the Skin-Refining Realm, with his talent and the boost from his cheat-like advantage,

Hero Zhao was no longer his match!

Lu Li looked up at the sky.

"It's almost dark. I need to hurry and find Hero Zhao, then get the rest of the Tiger-Subduing Fist out of him."

"If that doesn't work, I got paid today anyway. I'll buy a jug of strong liquor and get Hero Zhao drunk."

Soon, Lu Li had packed up. Knowing the world was in turmoil, he gathered some lime and hid it in his sleeves. Then he filled a jug with wine, picked up some food, and headed straight up the mountain.

He made his way to the cave, but suddenly caught a faint whiff of blood.

Lu Li grew suspicious. His brows furrowed, his whole body tensed, and his gaze swept over his surroundings.

The next moment, beneath a large tree, he spotted Hero Zhao, drenched in blood and on the verge of death.

His wounds went down to the bone. Looking at Lu Li, he opened and closed his lips, then used the last of his strength to shout, "Quick... run!"