Skin Tempering

White Snake Martial School, training grounds.

Time flew by. In the blink of an eye, three months had passed. The leaves had faintly yellowed, carrying a trace of autumn.

Lin Nan stood in the field alongside a group of disciples, striking wooden dummies move by move. He did not use his qi and blood, merely holding the White Snake Stance as he demonstrated each technique with meticulous precision.

After finishing a set of White Snake Fist, he drew his hands back to his abdomen and slowly exhaled a stream of white vapor.

"Blood-Qi Realm third level is almost complete."

Lin Nan felt somewhat moved. These three months of tempering had calmed his temperament considerably, and much of the restlessness and frivolity brought by his formerly rapid cultivation progress had faded away.

With a thought, the information on the Creation Furnace surfaced in his mind.

[Furnace Master: Lin Nan]

[Age: Twenty]

[Technique: White Snake Stance (Level 3, 350/400)]

[Fist Art: White Snake Fist Transformation Force (Mastery)]

Ever since Tu Kui had come to visit the martial school last time, he had decided to play it safe. He rarely even left the martial school's gates.

He devoted himself wholeheartedly to the White Snake Stance and White Snake Fist. To his surprise, after reaching the third level of the Blood-Qi Realm, his speed of accumulating qi and blood had actually increased.

He had entrusted Liu Feng with Peng Huo's remaining silver, asking him to find someone to buy a pound of demon flesh on the black market. By continuously consuming it, he quickly piled his proficiency up to the point where the third level of the Blood-Qi Realm was nearly complete.

"Unfortunately, I'm still a few days behind Zhong Jing."

Lin Nan recalled that Zhong Jing had reached the completion of the third level of the Blood-Qi Realm several days ago. His progress was still somewhat faster than Lin Nan's.

After all, youth and talent were right there for all to see.

"It's time to start tempering my skin."

Lin Nan stopped training and turned toward the side courtyard where Master Jie was.

A moment later.

Lin Nan entered the side courtyard and found Master Jie leisurely drinking tea. Before him stood a young man whose skin was bronze-colored.

It was none other than Zhong Jing. He happened to be here as well.

The instant Zhong Jing saw him, a trace of coldness flashed through his eyes.

If there hadn't been so many people that day, I'd have beaten you to death already.

Zhong Jing sneered inwardly, but his expression soon returned to calm.

"Disciple Lin Nan greets Master!" Lin Nan clasped his fists and bowed.

Master Jie glanced at him.

"Not bad. Your qi and blood are thoroughly integrated. Clearly, you've accumulated nearly enough at the third level of the Blood-Qi Realm."

"It is all thanks to Master's guidance!"

Zhong Jing's eyes widened, his face full of resentment.

"What a silver tongue! What shameless bootlicking!"

"I'm telling the truth. Is there a problem with that?" Lin Nan looked puzzled.

"You!"

"Alright, alright. Both of you, say less."

Master Jie waved his hand.

"During this period, I kept you two in the inner sect to temper your hearts and did not teach you the skin-tempering method for so long. Do you bear any resentment?"

"This disciple would not dare."

"Forget resentment—even if Master tempered us for a lifetime, Master would surely have his reasons!"

Master Jie burst into hearty laughter, looking thoroughly pleased.

He had to admit, being around this kid Lin Nan was simply delightful.

It was just a pity that once martial artists passed thirty, their qi and blood began to decline, and they started down the slope.

Lin Nan had begun exerting himself too late. He was too old; in the end, the road ahead of him was still limited.

Master Jie sighed inwardly and continued.

"The martial path requires not only resources, natural endowment, and talent, but also accumulation."

"Accumulation?" the two asked in unison.

"So-called accumulation means gathering your own momentum. Especially when approaching a hurdle or bottleneck, you must patiently endure the tempering. This is what the ancients meant by: those who accumulate deeply shall burst forth thinly."

"You two cultivate very quickly, but martial will must be tempered slowly. That is why I held you back for three months—I feared that when fullness reached its limit, loss would follow; excess was as bad as insufficiency."

Master Jie rose to his feet and began explaining at length.

"Martial will?"

Lin Nan fell into thought.

Master Jie sighed softly. "Perhaps you do not fully understand. When facing those high-level evil entities and demons, martial cultivation is actually not the most important thing. Without supreme martial will, no matter how high your cultivation is, you cannot remain calm before that kind of great terror."

"High-level evil entities and demons... martial will..."

Lin Nan silently committed it to memory.

"Alright, enough idle talk. It is time to speak to you about skin tempering."

At those words, Lin Nan and Zhong Jing hurriedly straightened their expressions.

"The Blood-Qi Realm focuses on nurturing qi and storing blood. Qi and blood circulate through the meridians, and strength comes from the eruption of blood qi within the body. Once qi and blood fill the entire body, one reaches the third level of the Blood-Qi Realm and may begin considering skin tempering."

"So-called skin tempering is actually using abundant qi and blood to transform the fascia and muscles beneath the skin, continuously washing the flesh with qi and blood."

"At this stage, qi and blood are no longer merely stored within the body. They can permeate the body's texture and be locked within the flesh. That is the Skin-and-Flesh Realm!"

"The Skin-and-Flesh Realm has three levels: softening, hardening, and solidifying. Once you reach the skin-tempering stage, you must cultivate with higher-grade secret medicine and a stance method—the Blood-Qi Pill and Spirit Serpent Stance!"

As he spoke, Master Jie lifted his martial robe. His hands formed circles, his waist sank slightly, and his body curved like a shrimp.

"You two, watch carefully..."

"This is the Spirit Serpent Stance! A stance method that can lead directly to the Sinews-and-Bones Realm!"

A series of sounds like popping beans rang from Master Jie's joints, and an invisible might suddenly spread out.

For a moment, Lin Nan seemed to sense a hundred-zhang spirit serpent coiled in the void, surging toward him...

On the training grounds.

As Lin Nan continually pondered Master Jie's movements and posture in his mind, he took out the dark, round pill Master Jie had given him, which resembled an Angong Niuhuang Pill.

The Blood-Qi Pill was made by blending many precious medicinal ingredients and meats through a special secret method. It was worth five hundred copper coins.

Damn Master Jie. Capitalists deserve no good death.

He had not taken on a task for nearly three months. Now, as his cultivation advanced, his monthly allowance of two taels was becoming increasingly insufficient.

Lin Nan nursed his resentment, then stuffed the Blood-Qi Pill into his mouth in one motion.

He continued practicing on the training grounds, trying again and again to comprehend the essentials of the Spirit Serpent Stance.

Lin Nan practiced five times in one breath. Only when his entire body was close to its limit did he stop, sitting on the training ground as he wiped away his sweat.

The skin-tempering hurdle was difficult. He had to drive qi and blood into his flesh bit by bit; its complexity far surpassed that of merely accumulating qi and blood.

His natural endowment was average, and his progress was as slow as a snail crawling.

At that thought, he understood perfectly well.

I have to get started as soon as possible. After that, I can only rely on my earth-shattering talent.

Just then, a familiar voice rang out from the entrance.

"Brother Lin, I brought you food."

Yu Qianqian ran in from outside, carrying a lunchbox.

"Qianqian, I was wondering why you never practiced martial arts in the afternoons. So you were off learning how to cook."

The moment Liu Feng heard her voice, he walked over with a mischievous grin.

Over the past three months, he had recovered quickly in spirit. He practiced every day with Lin Nan, and now the muscles all over his body had begun to bulge faintly, making him look much leaner and more capable.

"Qianqian, I told you that you didn't need to bring me meals especially." Lin Nan was somewhat helpless.

Ever since they had returned from their last task, Yu Qianqian had occasionally brought him food. Before long, rumors had gradually spread through the martial school that the two of them were seeing each other.

"There was too much food cooked at home. I had no choice." A sly glint flashed through Yu Qianqian's eyes.

Soon after, the three sat on the steps of the training grounds, watching the blood-red setting sun on the horizon as they ate a simple dinner.

"This is real happiness!" Liu Feng sighed.

"Practicing in the day, resting at night, feeling yourself grow stronger day by day—it's just too good. Romance? Hmph, not even dogs would bother with it! Women only affect the speed of my training."

"Please, I'm a woman too." Yu Qianqian rolled her eyes at him.

Lin Nan gazed at the sunset on the horizon and felt somewhat moved as well. It seemed like it had been a long time since things had been so peaceful.

"What plans do you two have for the future?" Liu Feng turned and asked. "The three of us can't practice martial arts at the school for our entire lives, can we?"

"As for me, I might return to my family's escort agency once I reach the third level of the Blood-Qi Realm and accompany my father on escort runs."

"I want to go to the inner city." Yu Qianqian gritted her teeth as she spoke.

"The inner city?" Liu Feng and Lin Nan were somewhat surprised.

Yu Qianqian shook her head and did not explain further. Then she turned to Lin Nan.

"Brother Lin, what about you?"

"Me?" Lin Nan smiled.

"Maybe I'll keep practicing martial arts forever."

"Practice martial arts forever?"

Liu Feng and Yu Qianqian looked utterly confused.

It seemed this was an answer they had never considered.

"That's right. Keep practicing until I feel safe enough."

Lin Nan's expression was calm, as though he were stating the most natural thing in the world.