Third Layer of the Azure Cloud Finger

The moment Ye An stepped into the martial hall, the air in the training yard seemed gripped by something.

The first to react was Zhao Tieshan, who let his gaze fall on Ye An and looked him up and down.

Finally, he asked with disbelief, carrying the answer within his tone.

"Second Body Tempering?"

"Last night." Ye An remained noncommittal, a trace of quiet pride rising deep within his heart.

"Congratulations." Zhao Tieshan smiled and offered his congratulations; he possessed the longest seniority in Green Bamboo Martial Arts Hall and had no idea how many First Body Tempering martial artists he had seen fail their breakthroughs to the second and leave the hall.

Yet Ye An's appearance changed this fixed outcome.

"Congratulations, Junior Brother." Su Qing's tone was genuine, and Ye An felt that she was not as hot-tempered as Qian Duoduo claimed, but rather quite gentle.

Lin Shaoyun had long since sensed the change in Qi and blood when Ye An entered. He neither offered congratulations nor felt jealousy.

There was nothing much to say as far as he was concerned; it was merely Second Body Tempering, a realm he had reached long ago.

He only felt that given Ye An's bone structure, being able to train to this stage certainly meant he had endured a fair share of hardship.

Yet that was all. Third Body Tempering was the true watershed, and that was the moment when one truly saw the real deal.

Qian Duoduo felt nothing at all. The Qi and blood fluctuations of Second Body Tempering were at a realm boundary his First Body Tempering perception could not reach.

However, Qian Duoduo saw Zhao Tieshan stop his martial practice, then saw Su Qing walk over, followed by everyone else gathering toward Ye An's direction.

Qian Duoduo suddenly understood something and walked toward Ye An. In the end, he grinned broadly, his eyes even squinting into slits.

"Congratulations on reaching Second Body Tempering, Senior Brother An!"

Congratulations rang out one after another around them, and even the forms of address changed accordingly.

Qian Duoduo desperately wanted to go back and tell his father that he had not misjudged his man, and his investment was even more correct!

Zhou Yuanlong stood beneath the veranda, seven or eight paces away from Ye An.

When he heard Zhao Tieshan's words, the color in his face gradually heated up.

Zhou Yuanlong instinctively wanted to take a step back. He was also a martial artist and knew what Second Body Tempering implied; Ye An was stronger than him now, stronger by a whole tier.

Zhou Yuanlong swallowed a mouthful of saliva. It was fortunate that he usually only had a sharp tongue and had not completely fallen into direct conflict with Ye An.

"Senior Brother Ye An has reached Second Body Tempering."

"A High-Grade C bone structure broke through successfully in just four months!"

"Truly formidable."

"Could it be that our judgment was wrong?" Zhou Yuanlong and Sun Wanqing both had this thought surface simultaneously in their hearts. The Lin Shaoyun they had wanted to win over was at Second Body Tempering, yet this Ye An was also at Second Body Tempering.

Ye An had walked this path as if without bottlenecks, catching up in seven months. If they had shown him favor from the very beginning, would things have turned out differently?

There were quite a few people in the martial hall just like them, searching out moldable talents to recruit.

"It wouldn't be different. Ye An merely has good luck. When he reaches the peak of Second Body Tempering and hits obstacles trying to break through to Third Body Tempering, he will know what bone structure truly means!" Zhou Yuanlong voiced his own assessment, though it sounded more like self-consolation.

"Indeed, Lin Shaoyun has a much higher possibility of breaking through to Third Body Tempering, while that Ye An is just lucky." Sun Wanqing echoed in agreement.

The junior apprentice brothers stood in the corner, practicing horse stances with faces flushed red.

They had not been in the martial hall very long, still practicing the first layer, and their fingers were swollen like radishes.

At this moment, the looks they cast toward Ye An held a mix of envy, admiration, and an unspeakable awe.

High-Grade C bone structure, four months, Second Body Tempering. This person's bone structure was no better than theirs, yet he had reached Second Body Tempering!

"Hello, Senior Brother Ye An."

"Congratulations, Senior Brother An."

As Ye An passed by, several newcomers bowed and greeted him.

Ye An responded to each one. Seeing them reminded him of when he had first arrived a few months ago, also standing in that exact spot in some corner, jabbing at that very slab of bluestone.

Wang Tie was sweeping the back courtyard.

He heard people in the front yard shouting phrases like "Second Body Tempering" and "Senior Brother Ye An," and the broom in his hand paused for a moment.

Second Body Tempering.

That kid with the High-Grade C bone structure had reached Second Body Tempering.

Wang Tie lowered his head and continued sweeping.

One stroke, two strokes, three strokes.

The fallen leaves on the ground were swept into a pile, only to be scattered by the wind again. He swept them back, and they scattered again. He squatted down and picked up the fallen leaves one by one, placing them into a bamboo basket.

There was nothing to say. The other person had made it, while he had not; that was simply fate.

Yet after he finished picking up the fallen leaves, he glanced toward the front yard. Through the moon gate, Wang Tie saw Ye An's retreating figure—it looked just like when he had first arrived at the martial hall, unchanged. Yet it was different; he had reached Second Body Tempering and was already walking ahead of him.

Su Yuanshan appeared in the afternoon.

He walked out of the back courtyard holding a teacup, his gaze pausing as it swept over Ye An.

"Come to the back courtyard."

Ye An followed him into the back courtyard.

Su Yuanshan sat on a bamboo chair and pointed at the stone stool beside it. Ye An sat down. Su Yuanshan took a sip of tea, set the teacup down, and looked at Ye An.

"Second Body Tempering."

"Yes."

"I gave you the formula for the third layer previously."

Ye An nodded.

Su Yuanshan stood up, walked over to the wall, and picked up an iron plate, standing it upright on the ground.

"The third layer is called Piercing Gold. Pierce gold with your finger, with force penetrating nine-tenths. It is not about poking through; it is about blasting open!" Su Yuanshan extended his right index finger and tapped lightly.

"Bang—!"

The iron plate blasted apart from the middle, fragments flying everywhere. Ye An looked at the iron plate shattered into scraps, his pupils contracting slightly.

"If the force is insufficient, you cannot blast it apart. If the force is sufficient, but control is lacking, you still cannot blast it apart." Su Yuanshan withdrew his finger. "What you need to practice is not just strength, but control over your own body."

Ye An stood up, tried picking up a new iron plate to stand upright on the ground, and thrust with a single finger!

"Clang—"

The iron plate remained completely unmoved, leaving only a white mark upon its surface.

Ye An's finger went numb from the shock, his fingertip faintly red.

Su Yuanshan looked at this white mark, neither shaking his head nor nodding, but simply sitting back down in the bamboo chair and slowly sipping his tea.

"Practice slowly. You cannot rush it."

Azure Cloud Finger (Third Layer): 1/500
Qi-Nourishing Formula (Micro): 81/200

Toward evening, Ye An emerged from the back courtyard and returned to the front yard.

The people in the training yard had mostly left, save for Senior Martial Brother Zhao Tieshan, who was still there. Was he waiting specifically for himself?

"The martial hall is holding a gathering at Drunken Immortal Tower tonight. Will you come?" In the past, Ye An would have refused, but seeing that Ye An had broken through to Second Body Tempering, Zhao Tieshan specifically waited for him to come out and ask.

"Apologies, Senior Martial Brother. Having just broken through, I still need to consolidate my realm, so I won't go tonight." Ye An refused as usual. What he needed right now was time; given enough time, Third Body Tempering would pose no problem at all.

"That's fine too. Then I'll be off first."

Ye An stood in the training yard, watching Senior Martial Brother's retreating figure. The goal in his heart grew even clearer.

Having repeatedly failed his breakthroughs to Third Body Tempering, Senior Martial Brother had perhaps long since lost the original steadfast devotion to the martial path within his heart.

Lamenting further was meaningless; Ye An only knew his own pace would not stop.