Perfected Muscle Tempering

Lu Shaolin lowered his head and carefully examined the River Demon.

Unlike the River Demons he had hunted before, this one was not only taller, but its muscles were more pronounced and its scales thicker as well.

Its strength was definitely comparable to Tendon Tempering.

"How are the four of you?"

Lu Shaolin turned and asked.

"We're fine. Thank you for saving us, Boss!"

The four clasped their fists in gratitude.

"We're brothers. No need for thanks."

Lu Shaolin waved a hand.

"You handle the corpse. I need to head back—Ma San is in too much danger by himself."

Lu Shaolin pointed at the body.

"Yes, Boss."

The four clasped their fists and accepted the order.

Lu Shaolin pulled the steel fork from the River Demon's head, walked to the Black-Mane Horse, swung into the saddle, snapped the reins, and headed back the way he had come.

When he returned to the outpost, Ma San came out upon hearing the hoofbeats.

"Boss, how did it go?"

Ma San took the reins and asked.

"It's nothing. Taken care of."

Lu Shaolin replied with a smile.

Hearing that it had been dealt with, Ma San secretly breathed a sigh of relief.

By then, the sky was already beginning to brighten. Neither of them felt like resting, so they sat at the stone table and drank tea.

As he drank, Lu Shaolin summoned the system panel:

Name: Lu Shaolin

Source Points: 12.8

Martial Arts Realm: Mid Tendon Tempering

Cultivation Method: Wild Bull Force (Fifth Layer)

Martial Skills: Three Absolutes Spear (Mastery), Eight Extremes Fist (Minor Mastery), Mad Demon Staff Technique (Minor Mastery).

Looking at the twelve Source Points on the panel, the corners of Lu Shaolin's mouth rose slightly.

Once the sky was fully bright, Lu Shaolin picked up the bundle of left River Demon ears from the corner of the courtyard wall, mounted the Black-Mane Horse, and headed for the Water Fortress.

Ma San returned directly to his room to rest. Since he was alone, it made no difference where he slept.

In half an hour, Lu Shaolin arrived at the Water Fortress and exchanged the River Demon ears for forty-five taels of silver at the External Affairs Hall.

Even the dark-faced man could not help but be moved when he saw Lu Shaolin produce a bundle of River Demon ears.

After exchanging them for silver, Lu Shaolin headed to the Martial Arts Pavilion on the second floor.

The white-haired old man clearly did not remember Lu Shaolin's previous visit.

After Lu Shaolin took out ten taels of silver, the old man snatched the money away and brought out the Savage Bear Skill.

After memorizing the Savage Bear Skill's Martial Dao True-Intent Diagram on the spot, Lu Shaolin took the copied cultivation manual and left the Water Fortress.

With a large sum of money and the cultivation method on him, Lu Shaolin first went to a pharmacy in the county town and asked about the price of ginseng.

When he learned that a single ginseng root only a few years old cost ten taels of silver, Lu Shaolin temporarily gave up on using medicine to level up.

Better to just eat properly!

He found a restaurant and asked for a private room.

Lu Shaolin ordered more than ten meat dishes in one go, along with a whole basin of rice.

Seeing Lu Shaolin's exceptionally burly build, the waiter did not dare ask any questions. He noted down the dishes and withdrew.

Lu Shaolin took out the Savage Bear Skill and began studying it.

Unlike Reckless Bull Force, which strengthened the entire body, Savage Bear Skill mainly strengthened the upper body, especially the chest and back.

Practicing Savage Bear Skill did not require medicinal oil for initiation. One only needed to find a tree as thick as a thigh, visualize the True-Intent Diagram, and ram into the tree with one's shoulders, chest, and back!

Like a true savage bear rubbing against a tree, one only needed to persist. Once one could break that thigh-thick tree, one would have achieved Perfected Skin Tempering!

As for the Tendon Tempering section of Savage Bear Skill, it likewise consisted of some strange postures, merely different from those of Reckless Bull Force.

There were no other customers in the restaurant that morning, so Lu Shaolin's dishes were quickly served in full.

Loosening his belt, Lu Shaolin began to feast heartily.

Half an hour later, Lu Shaolin drank tea and summoned the system panel:

Name: Lu Shaolin

Source Points: 0.8

Martial Arts Realm: Perfected Muscle Tempering

Cultivation Method: Wild Bull Force (Full Layer), Savage Bear Skill (First Layer)

Martial Skills: Three Absolutes Spear (Mastery), Eight Extremes Fist (Minor Mastery), Mad Demon Staff Technique (Major Mastery).

He had finally reached Perfected Muscle Tempering. His explosive strength had increased greatly, and he was only one step away from entering the Organ-Tempering Realm!

However, cultivation methods for the Organ-Tempering Realm were not so easy to obtain. Even now, Lu Shaolin had never once met He Zhonglang, the leader of the Blackwater Gang.

That was also why Lu Shaolin had begun cultivating Savage Bear Skill.

The first layer of Savage Bear Skill had increased Lu Shaolin's strength by another hundred and fifty jin.

At this point, Lu Shaolin's brute strength alone had exceeded seven hundred jin!

The stronger he became, the greater his chances of obtaining subsequent cultivation methods!

And there were still two and a half months until the three-month deadline.

Lu Shaolin exerted a slight amount of force with his left hand and crushed the teacup in a single grip.

He tossed aside the shattered pieces of the teacup, rose to his feet, and left the private room.

He settled the bill at the counter. This meal had cost eight mace of silver.

After leaving the restaurant, Lu Shaolin felt that his physique had not changed much. Perhaps Savage Bear Skill had only reached the first layer, and Reckless Bull Force had already laid a foundation for him, so there was no obvious change.

He mounted his horse and began searching for a blacksmith shop.

Other than the longsword at his waist, he had no other weapon.

His spear had already been damaged, and he needed to buy another one.

The Blackwater Gang's standard weapon was the longsword. If one wanted another type of weapon, it had to be custom-made.

Lu Shaolin rode around for a while before arriving at the largest blacksmith shop in the county town. The signboard read: Jin's Blacksmith Shop.

All kinds of swords and blades hung throughout the shop.

Lu Shaolin dismounted and entered the store.

"What kind of weapon does the customer need?"

The shop assistant came forward and asked eagerly.

"Do you have spears?"

Lu Shaolin looked around the shop and asked.

"Yes, yes! Please take a look, sir. How about this bright silver spear?"

The assistant picked up a gleaming silver spear and handed it to Lu Shaolin.

"Too light."

Lu Shaolin took it, weighed it in his hand, and said.

"Then how about this steel-point spear? It's forged entirely from steel and weighs a full eighteen jin!"

The assistant picked up another spear and handed it over.

Lu Shaolin took it one-handed, weighed it again, and said, "Anything heavier?"

"Heavier still? This..."

The assistant froze where he stood.

"Go bring out the Black Iron Spear from the storeroom!"

The shopkeeper stepped out from behind the counter and ordered the assistant.

"Right away!"

The assistant suddenly understood and hurried toward the storeroom in the back.

"Sir, if the Black Iron Spear still does not suit you, then this shop has no heavier weapon."

The shopkeeper clasped his fists as he spoke.

"Oh? How heavy is this Black Iron Spear?"

Lu Shaolin's interest was piqued.

"Sixty-two jin! This spear has been in our shop for several years. Few martial artists use spears, and those who want one find it too heavy. It has never sold, so it was placed in the storeroom."

The shopkeeper said.

No sooner had he finished speaking than the assistant appeared, struggling as he carried a black spear as thick as a forearm.

Lu Shaolin stepped forward and seized the spear in one hand.

The spear was two meters long and entirely black. Both sides of its spearhead were sharpened, allowing it to stab or slash, and it was incomparably sharp.

"Good spear!"

Lu Shaolin said with a laugh.

"I'm glad it pleases you, sir."

The shopkeeper smiled as well.

"How much?"

Lu Shaolin asked directly.

"Twenty taels of silver! Please don't think it expensive, sir. This spear is forged entirely from black iron, whose hardness is second only to meteoric iron! The black iron alone is worth that price."

The shopkeeper said with a smile.

"Deal!"

Lu Shaolin waved a hand, took out twenty taels of silver, and handed them over.

"Thank you, sir!"

The shopkeeper received the silver with a beaming smile.

Lu Shaolin nodded, carried the Black Iron Spear, and walked out of the shop.