Breakthrough to Body Tempering, Killing Intent on a Snowy Night

Seeing Chen Mu put on such a forceful stance, Ma San's expression changed several times, unable to fathom his true depth.

The Azure Dragon Martial Academy was heaven itself in Everlasting Prosperity Town; even the authorities had to yield it three parts. Though Ma San had connections, how could he dare provoke it lightly?

But his eyes rolled, and he quickly saw through Chen Mu's bluff.

This brat was merely a lowborn butcher. He had still been selling meat in the street yesterday. It was impossible for him to be an official disciple of the martial academy; he was most likely still in the assessment period.

Having grasped the crux of the matter, Ma San immediately changed his expression and pretended to yield. "Fine. Since you have connections with the martial academy, we'll handle this according to the rules of the martial world."

"A life for a life is the law of heaven and earth. Huang Silang was my brother, Ma San's brother. You killed him, so pay one hundred taels to buy your life."

"I'll give you only three days. If you can't produce the money, go down there and keep him company in the grave. And I'll sell the woman in your house to the Pleasure Pavilion to settle the debt."

After saying that, he sneered twice. Without waiting for Chen Mu's reply, he waved his large hand and led the others away in a clatter.

Chen Mu could not help tightening his grip on the staff in his hand, knowing that his true circumstances had been seen through.

Ma San surely knew of the martial academy's three-day assessment rule and did not dare touch him at this time.

But if Chen Mu failed the assessment three days later, that bastard would definitely come seeking revenge again. By then, there would be no room left to turn things around.

"You still want money? I'm afraid you won't be alive to take it then."

Suppressing his killing intent, Chen Mu swiftly lifted the already unconscious Tiger Boy and carried him back into his house to settle him down.

Several of the boy's ribs had been broken, and there were several saber wounds across his back. His injuries were serious.

Had he not risked his life to block the doorway today, Ma San's group would likely have rushed into the house.

Chen Mu did not dare imagine what kind of humiliation A-Ning would have suffered then.

Thinking of this, Chen Mu's killing intent grew even stronger. He quickly took a Blood-Qi Pill and had Tiger Boy swallow it with warm water. Once he confirmed that the boy's life was not in danger, he intended to return home and check on A-Ning.

But the moment he stepped out of Tiger Boy's door, he heard Old Wu's heaven-shaking, earth-wailing cries from the alley entrance.

"Xi'er! My Xi'er! How could those beasts bring themselves to do this!"

Chen Mu's heart suddenly sank. Without a second thought, he darted toward the small courtyard at the alley entrance.

Old Wu was sprawled across the yellow earth of the courtyard, clutching the body of a young girl in disheveled clothes and howling in grief.

The instant Chen Mu saw her, his eyes turned red.

It was Xi'er!

The lively little girl who used to call him Brother Mu and always came to play with A-Ning.

Now her face was blue-black, her neck had been forcibly snapped, and the exposed skin beneath her torn clothing was covered in bruises.

She had actually been violated to death!

"Ma San! You deserve to die!"

Chen Mu's fury surged beyond all bounds. In the half year since he had crossed into this world, he had never wanted to kill someone so badly.

He did not need to think to know that Ma San's gang must have tortured the little girl to death after seeing Old Wu come out to warn him.

It was too late for words now. He stepped forward and helped Old Wu, who was nearly crying himself unconscious, into the house, then found a piece of white cloth to cover Xi'er.

"Uncle Wu. Take this money and find a place with good feng shui to bury Xi'er."

"Leave the rest to me."

He left behind a small pouch of broken silver and returned to his own courtyard with a chest full of rage.

After carefully locking the courtyard gate, Chen Mu went into the inner yard to check on A-Ning. She had been badly frightened. The moment she saw him, she threw herself into his arms in tears.

"Husband! Did something happen to Xi'er? I heard Uncle Wu..."

"It's nothing." Chen Mu sighed inwardly and wrapped his arms around her to comfort her. "This is my fault. Don't concern yourself with what happens outside. Keep the doors and windows locked these next two days. No matter what you hear, don't go out."

"There's a hidden compartment beneath the bed in the side room of the front yard. There are several dozen taels of silver inside. If I don't return tonight, take the money and flee south."

Hearing these instructions that sounded like he was arranging his final affairs, A-Ning's crying abruptly stopped, and her face filled with terror.

Chen Mu saw what she wanted to ask and spoke first. "Don't be afraid. I'm only preparing for the worst. I'm going out tonight, so be careful on your own."

After saying that, Chen Mu held her and comforted her softly for a while longer. Once he had soothed her, he prepared some food before returning to the front yard.

He had already decided that tonight, he would get rid of Ma San.

He had seen clearly during their earlier encounter that Ma San's Blood Essence was vigorous and powerful, even stronger than his own.

He could not wait three days and allow Ma San to thoroughly uncover his true circumstances.

He had to catch him unprepared, strike where he least expected it. Only then would he have a chance of winning.

But before that, he first had to bring Rampaging Bull Force to the beginner level.

Otherwise, relying only on the unremarkable Ox-Slicing Saber Technique would be nothing more than courting death.

Chen Mu immediately returned to the side room, lit the lamp, and took out the Rampaging Bull Force fist manual to read.

The first things that entered his sight were several diagrams of meridian circulation, accompanied by a breathing method of three long breaths and one short breath.

Chen Mu sat cross-legged according to the postures in the diagrams and regulated his breathing with the method. Slowly, he sensed the Blood Essence within him beginning to circulate.

At first, it was very faint. The Blood Essence around his body dispersed evenly, making it difficult to gather in his dantian.

This was precisely the greatest difference between a Hundred-Blood Martial Man and a Body-Tempering Martial Master.

Each circulation of Blood Essence tempered the sinews, bones, skin, and flesh. Supplemented by stance training and secret medicines, it could forge bronze skin and iron bones.

As Chen Mu immersed himself in concentration, the sky gradually darkened.

By the time night fell, his breathing rhythm had finally formed a cadence.

In an instant, the sound of his heart pounding like thunder rang out from Chen Mu's chest.

The Blood Essence that had originally been difficult to circulate began flowing smoothly, traveling one full circuit through his meridians.

Chen Mu immediately felt a stream of heat surge up from his dantian. A thread of Blood Essence settled there, while the muscles, flesh, and skin across his body became even firmer.

"It worked!"

Chen Mu rejoiced inwardly, knowing that he had crossed the most difficult first step.

Next, as long as he trained with stance work and fist techniques, he could officially step into the realm of a Body-Tempering Martial Master.

At that moment, his eyelid suddenly twitched, and the Slaughter Register's panel appeared on its own.

[Detected Yellow Grade Low-Tier martial art "Rampaging Bull Force." Current proficiency: Beginner (1/100)]

[May consume 1 point of Karmic Slaughter for comprehension. Add points immediately?]

Looking at the prompt before him, Chen Mu did not hesitate in the slightest. His thoughts turned like lightning.

"Add it!"

[Points added successfully! Infusing martial cultivation!]

[Martial art: Rampaging Bull Force (Beginner → First Glimpse of the Path)]

[Karmic Slaughter: 1 → 0]

A torrent of information flooded into his mind in an instant.

A hundred thousand mirages appeared before Chen Mu's eyes. In a daze, he saw himself practicing fists beneath a waterfall, saw himself holding a stance beneath the blazing sun.

In the blink of an eye, Chen Mu seemed to have lived through several cycles of spring and autumn, every day and night spent bitterly training his fists.

Every move and form of the Rampaging Bull Force's accompanying Mighty Bull Fist became muscle memory.

All nine routes of lethal fist techniques were carved into Chen Mu's bodily instincts, making him eager to move.

He could no longer remain seated. With a thunderous roar, he charged into the courtyard, swung his arms wide, and unleashed a set of incomparably fierce and forceful punches.

Amid the whirling fist shadows, he resembled a mighty bull turning over, every punch heavy and powerful.

One move pierced the throat to claim a life; another smashed the heart or sliced the neck. Every strike was lethal, and each punch stirred a fierce howl of wind.

Chen Mu could feel his Blood Essence surging like a rushing river as he performed the fist set, roaring through his meridians.

Wherever the Blood Essence passed through his body, his muscles and bones tingled with numbness.

After the faint spasms came abundant vitality, making him feel as if he possessed inexhaustible energy and causing his punches to grow even faster and fiercer.

"Open!"

Amid his thunderous shout, Chen Mu's shoulder and back muscles abruptly trembled. Twisting his waist and swinging his arm, he drove a heavy fist into the air.

Bang! Boom!!

A withered jujube tree as thick as a bowl at the corner of the yard actually snapped in half.

The flying wood chips shot out with muffled pops for seven or eight meters, deeply embedding themselves in the rammed-earth courtyard wall behind it.

Only then did Chen Mu exhale and finish his form. A stream of white air shot three inches from his mouth, visible to the naked eye.

"So this is the Body-Tempering First Stage?"

Somewhat delighted, he summoned the panel to inspect it.

[Slaughter Register · Chen Mu (Common Bone)]

[Realm: Martial Master (Body-Tempering First Stage)]

[Martial arts: Rampaging Bull Force · First Glimpse of the Path (1/100), Ox-Slicing Saber Technique · Mastery Beyond Measure (90/100)]

[Blood Essence: 150/1000]

[Karmic Slaughter: 0]

His first use of Karmic Slaughter to add points had not only brought his Rampaging Bull Force to minor accomplishment, but had also directly increased his Blood Essence by a tremendous amount, allowing him to officially enter the ranks of Body-Tempering Martial Masters.

The first priority in this realm was tempering the skin. Once Blood Essence broke through the great threshold of 1,000, he could advance to the second stage and forge a body of Bronze Skin, difficult for ordinary blades and swords to harm.

Ma San was likewise only at the Body-Tempering First Stage and still far from a breakthrough. In a one-on-one fight, Chen Mu was confident he could kill him on the spot.

Looking at the shattered, broken jujube tree in the courtyard, Chen Mu seemed to see Ma San's head exploding.

"The time has come. Tonight, I'll use your life to accompany Xi'er in the grave."

Seeing that the sky had completely darkened, killing intent surged through Chen Mu's chest. He decided to set out at once.

Without another word, he took a bamboo hat and straw rain cape from the animal shed, concealing his figure, then retrieved his usual Bone-Splitting Knife and carried it with him.

Chen Mu then lowered the brim of his bamboo hat. Rather than leaving through the front gate, he lightly vaulted over the western courtyard wall.

At that moment, gray clouds hung low in the heavens, and drifting fine snow fell, obscuring the dim moonlight.

Such a dark and windy night was the perfect time to kill.

Chen Mu's mind was calmer than ever before. His figure vanished into the snowy, wind-whipped night as he headed straight for Central Peace Street in the western part of town.

That was Ma San's stronghold. Tonight, this trip would surely see that fiend lose his head.