A Thousand Miles a Day

Fang Tao was stunned when he saw the changes in Lu Changsheng.

"Brother Changsheng, you made it?"

After seeing Lu Changsheng nod lightly, disbelief filled his eyes.

He had never expected that in just a few short days, Lu Changsheng had truly entered the path of martial arts.

Though he still had a long road ahead before becoming a true martial arts master, this was already astonishing.

"You should head back first."

Lu Changsheng smiled faintly.

He no longer needed the other man's help.

He was about to test the Attribute Modifier, and naturally could not let outsiders see it.

"I'll go back and bring the good news to Eldest Sister."

Fang Tao ran excitedly out of the courtyard and soon vanished from sight.

Once Fang Tao had gone far away, Lu Changsheng opened the panel.

A blue Light Screen appeared in the air before him.

Host: Lu Changsheng.

Age: Twenty.

Realm: None.

Martial Art: Iron Cloth Shirt (Beginner 1%).

Skills: None.

Equipment: None.

Status: Good.

Source Energy Points: Nine.

Bound Exotic Beast: Pangolin.

The green plus sign behind Iron Cloth Shirt had already fully lit up.

Lu Changsheng was filled with anticipation.

With a thought, he lightly tapped the plus sign.

As the Source Energy Points on the panel dropped to seven, an intangible sensation instantly descended upon him.

"During the first year, you diligently cultivated Iron Cloth Shirt, but gained little."

"Unwilling to accept this, you continued your hard training. Only in the second year did your progress reach twenty percent."

"In the third year, your progress reached thirty-five percent."

"After ten full years of bitter cultivation, you finally trained Iron Cloth Shirt to Minor Mastery."

Listening to the flood of prompts echoing in his mind, Lu Changsheng slowly opened his eyes.

There seemed to be a trace of dazed bewilderment in them.

At that moment, it was as though he had cultivated Iron Cloth Shirt for more than a decade.

He had not expected his talent to be so ordinary. A common technique had taken him more than ten years just to reach Minor Mastery.

Fortunately, he possessed the Attribute Modifier. Otherwise, the most he could achieve in his lifetime would be becoming a Skin Refining martial artist.

Lu Changsheng lowered his head to look at his skin. It gleamed with a brownish-gray luster, clearly possessing astonishing defensive power.

At last, he had become a martial artist of the Skin Refining Realm.

Then he clenched his fist, and tremendous power surged forth, as though he could kill a bull with a single punch.

It was simply incomparable to before.

From the moment he entered Skin Refining, he had become a true martial artist.

Even the most ordinary martial artist could handle more than a dozen grown men.

If clad in heavy armor, one could achieve a Hundred Man Kill, like a humanoid ferocious beast.

One could even become a squad leader in the army, completely changing one's fate from then on.

And this was only the Skin Refining Realm. If one became a martial arts master of a higher rank, one's strength would increase by multiples.

Some peak experts could even live for centuries, crossing the void with their physical bodies. It was incomparably terrifying.

That was one of the reasons martial arts experts inspired such awe.

However, as far as Lu Changsheng knew, Skin Refining alone was divided into three stages: Stone Skin, Iron Skin, and Copper Skin.

He had only just entered the Stone Skin Realm.

The brownish-gray hue on his upper body was its mark.

Yet his limbs, legs, and head had not changed, leaving him rather puzzled.

Could this Iron Cloth Shirt have a flaw?

He had no proper martial arts inheritance, so he had to slowly explore everything himself.

A moment later, Lu Changsheng looked at his remaining Source Energy Points. No longer hesitating, he added points once more.

"Sizzle..."

Heat rose from his entire body as his skin membrane rapidly swelled, its sheen gradually changing from brownish-gray to deep black.

"After a year of tireless bitter cultivation, you finally pushed your progress to six percent."

"Over the next three years, you worked even harder, bringing your progress to twenty-three percent."

"After twenty years of bitter cultivation, you finally trained Iron Cloth Shirt to the Major Mastery stage."

The Attribute Modifier sent out a series of utterly emotionless prompts.

It was as though Lu Changsheng had once again entered some space and spent twenty years cultivating Iron Cloth Shirt with all his strength.

It felt as if this technique had become instinctive to him.

A moment later.

Lu Changsheng exhaled a breath of turbid air, which shot into the void ahead like a sharp sword.

Only after traveling several feet did it slowly dissipate.

Exhaling breath like a sword was one of the signs of modest accomplishment in martial arts.

He had not expected that after just a few days, he would already have touched such a realm.

Lowering his head to look at his skin membrane, he saw black radiance flickering across it, deep and profound.

Its defensive power had advanced another step beyond his former Stone Skin.

Not only that, but the skin membranes of his limbs and head had also turned brownish-gray.

Presumably, the transformation of his body had brought a new improvement to the skin membranes of his limbs.

Then he looked at the changes on the panel.

Realm: Iron Skin Realm.

Martial Art: Iron Cloth Shirt (Major Mastery 1%).

Source Energy Points: Four.

It had cost one more Source Energy Point than advancing to Minor Mastery.

He guessed that the further one progressed in martial arts techniques, the greater the consumption would likely become.

After all, as one's martial arts realm rose, the increase in strength became ever more astonishing, so the expenditure would naturally be greater as well.

When he saw that the plus sign beside the technique had turned gray again, he immediately understood that his remaining four Source Energy Points were insufficient to advance it to Copper Skin.

But he had no intention of saving them. Using them all to improve his strength was the wisest choice.

Now that he had entered Iron Skin, he still lacked offensive methods.

He could only think of another way.

Lu Changsheng looked at the Skills and Equipment sections, and a few plans formed in his mind.

He strode toward the kitchen.

Before long, he arrived beside the kitchen stove.

Turning his head to survey the surroundings, he saw a rusty Pig-Slaughtering Blade lying quietly on the ground.

The Pig-Slaughtering Blade was only about as long as an adult's arm. Its edge was riddled with chips, and its sheen was exceedingly dull.

This Pig-Slaughtering Blade was also the only weapon he could find.

His father had acquired it, and it had been in the Lu Family for decades, long since covered in rust.

Lu Changsheng directly picked up the Pig-Slaughtering Blade before him.

Just then, a prompt sounded in his mind.

"You have picked up one damaged Pig-Slaughtering Blade. Bind it?"

Lu Changsheng was first taken aback, then silently chose to agree.

A new change appeared in the Equipment section.

Equipment: Damaged Pig-Slaughtering Blade (White).

Traits: None.

There was another green plus sign behind it.

Clearly, this item could continue to be upgraded.

Lu Changsheng decided to upgrade it immediately. A bird in the hand was worth ten in the forest; at this moment, any expenditure was worthwhile so long as it could increase his strength.

He tapped it experimentally.

As one Source Energy Point was consumed, the Pig-Slaughtering Blade in his hand began to bloom with bright radiance, and even the rust started to fall away.

Before long.

The Pig-Slaughtering Blade before him had completely transformed into a brand-new weapon.

Cold light gleamed from its blade, making it look quite sharp.

Lu Changsheng focused his mind and stared at the Pig-Slaughtering Blade.

A new panel appeared in the void before him.

Equipment: Ten-Forged Pig-Slaughtering Blade (White)

Traits: None.

After being infused with one Source Energy Point, the damaged Pig-Slaughtering Blade had become a Ten-Forged Pig-Slaughtering Blade. The improvement was astonishing.

Weapons were generally divided into Ten-Forged weapons, Hundred-Forged Sharp Weapons, Treasure Weapons, famous weapons, divine weapons...

Every advancement brought a qualitative transformation, greatly increasing both sharpness and toughness.

Looking at the remaining three Source Energy Points, Lu Changsheng no longer hesitated and tapped the green plus sign again.

"Sizzle..."

The Pig-Slaughtering Blade began to shine with a lustrous treasure light, illuminating the dim space around it. The entire blade began to tremble lightly, as though celebrating.

A moment later.

He gazed at the drastically transformed Pig-Slaughtering Blade in his hand with great delight.

Not only was the blade's sheen clearer and brighter, but its edge had become incomparably keen, almost dazzling to the eye.

Equipment: Hundred-Forged Pig-Slaughtering Blade (Red)

Traits: Sharpness, Sturdiness, Transformation.

Note: This blade was forged by a skilled craftsman through hundreds of hammer strikes. Its edge is incomparably sharp, enough to cleave apart the skull of any animal.

At that moment, Lu Changsheng plucked out a strand of hair, held it beside the blade's edge, and gently blew.

The hair instantly split into two and drifted to the ground.

It could sever hair with a breath—truly incomparably sharp.

Lu Changsheng's face was filled with delight.

The weapon's quality had also changed from white to red. He wondered what quality lay at the next level, and anticipation rose within him.

With this weapon, his strength would rise by a great deal as well.

When fighting enemies, he would no longer need to worry about lacking a weapon.

He looked at his remaining Source Energy Points. Only one last point remained.

He no longer lacked realm or weaponry; what he lacked was an offensive method.

This final Source Energy Point could be put to good use.

A few thoughts formed in Lu Changsheng's mind.

He turned and walked toward the center of the courtyard.

Before long, he arrived at the open space in the middle.