Three days later, night.
After completing twenty-four rounds of the fist technique, the power of Su Xinghe's Qi-Blood gradually subsided. Feeling the hunger continuously rising from his stomach, he focused his mind on the Fate Panel.
"Su Xinghe: White Ape Martial Academy (Outer Disciple)" "Martial Path: Apprentice Grade (Inner Tempering 100%)" "Fate: Diligence Makes Up for Dullness" "Trait 1: Water-Tight, Unyielding" "Trait 2: Many Grains Make a Tower, Success Follows Naturally" "Listening to the Tides Art (Perfect Mastery) 5988/10000" "Golden Ape Earth-Splitting Art (Perfect Mastery) 2332/10000" "Ascending Dragon Stance (Hall-Entering) 566/1000" "Incomplete Red Lotus Treasure Vase Qi 0/10000" ...
"Inner Tempering was finally complete!"
"Then it was time to prepare for a breakthrough..."
With that thought, he turned and walked to the table.
A large basin of thoroughly cooled braised beef sat on top, a full twenty pounds' worth. Beside it was a large pot of tea. These had originally been prepared for after his breakthrough, but unexpectedly came in handy ahead of time.
Very quickly, half the beef in the basin was gone.
After eating and drinking his fill, Su Xinghe rose to his feet, swallowed another Qi-Replenishing Pill, closed his eyes, and began waiting for his Qi-Blood to recover.
If anyone saw him eating Qi-Replenishing Pills like beans, their teeth would surely fall out from shock.
Even Lower Ninth Rank Martial Warriors could only take two or three a day. And those had to be spaced apart, otherwise pill toxins would accumulate, damaging the five viscera and six bowels.
But Su Xinghe possessed Fate traits. With the absorption and recovery of "Water-Tight, Unyielding," he could eat them whenever he wanted.
When the Qi-Blood within him began boiling once more, he assumed the stance of the Golden Ape Earth-Splitting Art.
Immediately, fist wind filled the room, making the window lattice tremble as the candle flame flickered bright and dim.
From the very beginning of the fist technique, Su Xinghe sensed something different.
The Qi-Blood that had originally churned and spilled through his body suddenly began flowing back in streams along his limbs and every meridian. In the end, it gathered at his chest, forming a high-pressure mass of air that continuously compressed.
By his senses, it was roughly the size of a fist.
And as the fist technique continued, it was constantly being tempered and condensed.
Ten minutes later, the fist technique reached its final move.
He knew this was the most crucial step.
The True Art Scroll stated it clearly: Lower Ninth Rank Martial Warriors tempered their skin and flesh, and could choose for themselves which part of the body to begin with according to their needs.
Some people feared death and would first temper vital areas such as the head, chest, and back.
Others were more traditional, proceeding step by step from head to toe, or from the chest to the back.
But Su Xinghe had long since made a plan for himself.
He would first temper the skin and flesh of his limbs.
The benefit was that once the skin and flesh of his limbs had been tempered, both strength and speed would rise noticeably, making it more flexible whether striking others or blocking attacks.
Otherwise, if someone threw a punch at him and he had only tempered his head while leaving his limbs untempered, he could hardly use his head to block it.
Thus, when that mass of Qi-Blood condensed to its utmost limit, he blasted it along his arm toward the pad of his right thumb.
At once, his Qi-Blood transformed.
From scattered disorder, it became the Qi-Blood power unique to Martial Warriors.
"Crack!"
A bruise the size of a fingernail appeared on the pad of his right thumb.
Su Xinghe only felt as though someone had viciously struck his thumb with a hammer.
Then came a searing, stabbing pain.
He could no longer maintain his stance. Clutching his finger, cold sweat poured down his body.
"Fuck, that hurt. I wonder how everyone else endured this..."
Only after quite a while did he recover.
"Su Xinghe: White Ape Martial Academy (Outer Disciple)" "Martial Path: Ninth Grade Realm (Body Tempering 1%)" "Fate: Diligence Makes Up for Dullness" "Trait 1: Water-Tight, Unyielding" "Trait 2: Many Grains Make a Tower, Success Follows Naturally" "Listening to the Tides Art (Perfect Mastery) 5988/10000" "Golden Ape Earth-Splitting Art (Perfect Mastery) 2333/10000" "Ascending Dragon Stance (Hall-Entering) 566/1000" "Incomplete Red Lotus Treasure Vase Qi 0/10000" ...
He had finally become a Martial Warrior.
Looking at the Fate Panel, the heart hanging in his chest finally settled.
He had broken through a realm in one month.
To be precise, thirty-one days.
Su Xinghe had not even dared imagine it could happen so quickly.
He remembered Elder Xie mentioning last time that Lu Xuanji, the Core Embrace Grandmaster of the Lu Family, had also needed half a year to break through and become a Martial Warrior. Even so, he had been praised as a genius rarely seen in Lin County for a hundred years.
With talent like his...
If word got out, it would probably frighten a whole crowd to death...
No!
The first one to die if it got out would probably be him...
Leaving aside the Peaceful Heaven Sect, the Lu Family, which held up half the sky, would never permit such a monster to appear within its sphere of influence.
He still had to keep a low profile and take things one step at a time.
Tomorrow, he would just reveal the strength of an Inner Tempering apprentice.
Retracting his thoughts, he quietly sensed the changes.
At this moment, the Qi-Blood within his body had become much denser. Flowing through his veins, it was as heavy as mercury. Each pump of his heart was like a high-pressure water cannon, sending Qi-Blood throughout his entire body.
He raised his right hand and lightly clenched it.
His thumb locked firmly against the base of his palm like a pair of powerful pincers.
As he slowly exerted force with his arm, the muscles on it immediately bulged. A feeling of solidity and tautness greater than before arose naturally within him.
Ninth Rank Martial Warriors possessed strength between one thousand and five thousand jin.
Lower Ninth Rank Body Tempering was the stage where strength surged fiercely. Tempering the entire body could grant up to three thousand jin of immense force.
Upper Ninth Rank Bone Forging was about improving the body's strength and resilience, but reforging every bone could still add another two thousand jin of immense force.
Now that he had just entered the Ninth Rank, he started with one thousand jin.
Su Xinghe felt that this was roughly what a thousand jin of strength was like.
If he threw this punch, he feared it could smash through a wall.
His thoughts gathered, and the Listening to the Tides Art was activated in an instant. The Qi-Blood power in his body surged again, and the muscles all over him felt as though they were about to explode.
With the special effect bonus of the Perfect Mastery Listening to the Tides Art, his punch might have exceeded two thousand jin at this moment.
"Crack!"
A crisp sound came from beneath his feet.
Su Xinghe lowered his head to look.
The once neat solid-wood floorboards now had a palm-sized dent in them.
"I..."
Had his strength suddenly increased too sharply, causing him to lose control?
He dispersed the Listening to the Tides Art, crouched down, and inspected it carefully. Fortunately, only a crack had formed in the board. If he pried at it a little, it could still be put back.
Su Xinghe reached out and gently pried with his index finger.
"Crash!"
A beam of candlelight appeared in the first-floor living room, its hazy glow dancing ceaselessly over the walls.
"Holy shit!"
He hurriedly found a seat cushion and covered the hole.
He would have his younger brother fix it tomorrow...
What excuse should he use?
He instinctively clenched his fist. Without the terrifying enhancement of the Listening to the Tides Art, his strength returned to around one thousand jin.
He still had to train!
Su Xinghe changed locations and once more assumed his fist stance.
Very quickly, Qi-Blood power gathered in his chest again. Only this time, it seemed a circle smaller than before, merely the size of a teacup.
He would not worry about that for now. He forcefully blasted it toward the pad of his right index finger.
As a bruise appeared on the pad of his index finger, searing pain struck again.
After resting briefly, fist wind rose once more within the room.
To outsiders, this round of the Golden Ape Earth-Splitting Art looked no different from usual.
Only Su Xinghe knew that the Qi-Blood inside him had become orderly and well-arranged. No longer did it roll and boil in scattered disorder as before; instead, it gathered into streams of Qi-Blood power.
Once...
Twice...
After three rounds, the Qi-Blood within him was exhausted, unable to gather even a trace more.
It just so happened that the pain was becoming too much for him as well, so he walked back to the table to eat a late-night snack and fill his stomach.
Ten minutes later.
After swallowing a Qi-Replenishing Pill, Su Xinghe once again assumed his fist stance. Sleeping was impossible—unless he himself wanted to sleep.
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