"Skin refinement is the beginning of the Twelve Martial Refinements. Do you know about the twelve refinements?"
Fire Ox looked at the four of them and asked.
"Brother Fire Ox, I know!"
The fair-skinned young man spoke first:
"The first martial realm consists of four stages: skin, flesh, sinews, and bones. Each stage requires three refinements, collectively known as the twelve refinements!"
"Xiao Ran is right. To put it plainly, the Twelve Refinements are a process of laying foundations and strengthening the body, so every First Refinement you break through grants you some additional strength."
"A top martial artist who has perfected all twelve refinements possesses a full hundred and eight thousand jin of strength!"
Huh!??
How much?!!
Even Wei Sheng was stunned.
A hundred and eight thousand jin?
The weight of eight Golden-Hooped Rods?
The fair-skinned young man, Xiao Ran, and the other two also seemed to be hearing this for the first time. Their eyes widened in shock.
As though he had not noticed, Fire Ox continued:
"The first stage consists of the Skin Third Refinement, refining the skin until it resembles fine bronze. Breaking through each First Refinement grants five hundred jin of strength, and progressing from initial attainment to perfection within each refinement grants another five hundred jin... in other words, each of the first three refinements grants a thousand jin of strength!"
"Brother Fire Ox..."
Xiao Ran frowned deeply at this, seemingly about to say something, but Fire Ox gave him no chance to speak and continued:
"The second stage consists of three flesh refinements, refining the flesh into a palace. Each refinement grants a total of two thousand jin of strength!"
"The third stage consists of three sinew refinements, refining the sinews until they resemble dragon sinews. Each refinement grants a total of ten thousand jin of strength!"
"The fourth stage consists of three bone refinements, refining the bones until they resemble divine mountains. Each First Refinement grants a total of twenty thousand jin of strength!"
"In ancient times, every martial artist who had reached the Twelve Refinements possessed nearly a hundred thousand jin of tremendous strength. The very best among them possessed a full hundred and eight thousand jin..."
At this point, a trace of longing appeared in Fire Ox's eyes, but ultimately turned to regret:
"Unfortunately, after those top-tier methods fell into the hands of aristocratic clans and sects, they were simplified and split apart repeatedly, drastically reducing their power. As a result, martial artists who reach the Twelve Refinements today can only develop half their original strength, never again reaching the glory of a hundred and eight thousand jin..."
Ancient times?
Methods split apart?
Only half the strength?
Wei Sheng felt somewhat regretful.
"So that's why. No wonder I only have a thousand jin of strength at the second refinement, half the two thousand jin of a second-refinement martial artist in ancient times..."
Understanding dawned on Xiao Ran.
The dark, burly youth frowned.
The weather-beaten man looked thoughtful.
"Any other questions?"
Fire Ox looked at the four of them, and all four shook their heads.
"Good. Then let's get to the point!"
Fire Ox stepped forward. "The Ox Demon Skin Refinement Method I'm about to teach you has been split apart many times, but through the efforts of numerous martial predecessors, eighty percent of its original power has been restored. After refining your skin three times, your skin will be so tough that blades and swords cannot wound it... and you'll possess two thousand five hundred jin of strength!"
"The Ox Demon Skin Refinement Method consists of three parts: the Ox Demon Stance, the Qi-Blood Method, and secret medicine!
"The Ox Demon Stance is a stance exercise that uses specific movements to guide qi and blood into tempering the skin. It is the foundation for practicing the skin refinement method!
"However, I've already taught you this stance exercise."
"You've already taught us? The Savage Bull Fist?!" Xiao Ran asked in astonishment.
"Correct! The Savage Bull Fist is the modified stance exercise. Practice it alongside the corresponding Qi-Blood Method, and you can refine your skin!"
As he spoke, Fire Ox tore off his short jacket, exposing his muscular upper body. He planted his feet in a horse stance and circulated his qi and blood. The skin on his back bulged high, as though a "little snake" were traveling through his body, constantly battering against his skin.
After repeated battering and tempering by the "little snake," that patch of skin seemed much tougher than before.
"This is circulating qi and blood to temper the skin... give it a try!" Fire Ox said.
"Yes!"
Wei Sheng and the other three answered.
Following Fire Ox's method, Wei Sheng soon sensed the qi and blood within his body, then directed it into his muscles and skin. His entire body immediately felt warm, with an indescribable sense of comfort.
Only after more than an hour did Wei Sheng stop, drenched in sweat.
No wonder I could never reach Entry in the White Crane Skin Refinement Method. I was missing the stance exercise... but this single tempering session used up most of my qi and blood. With my current reserves, I can only temper myself three times a day at most...
Had he been practicing alone, Wei Sheng might not have considered it slow.
But not far away, the weather-beaten man and the dark, burly youth were already on their fourth tempering session.
The fair-skinned young man was even faster, already beginning his fifth!
Refining the skin was like boiling soup, and qi and blood were the firewood. Once burned, they were gone. There was only one way to keep the fire burning...
Keep adding firewood! More qi and blood!
But having only just condensed a dozen or so strands of qi and blood, he certainly could not compare with the three who had already reached the First Refinement or Second Refinement, whether in reserves or condensation speed!
They would probably reach Entry in the Ox Demon Skin Refinement Method in just a few days, while he would likely have to slog through months before reaching that point!
"Wei Sheng, you've perfected the stance exercise, so normally, you should be the fastest at practicing the skin refinement method. But you haven't reached the first refinement, and you condense qi and blood much more slowly than they do, so your skin refinement will be slower too..."
Fire Ox looked over and said evenly:
"But don't rush. Once you're proficient, supplement your tempering with secret medicine, and you'll be able to refine your skin faster!"
"Yes!"
Wei Sheng answered.
Perfected the stance exercise?
Hearing this, the other three, who had just stopped practicing, could not help giving Wei Sheng another look, their expressions varied.
Fire Ox then instructed the four of them for a while longer before leaving.
Before he left, he said:
"From now on, come here every morning to practice, then go work at your branch halls in the afternoon! Train hard. Two months from now, whoever has progressed the fastest will receive a tremendous opportunity from me!"
After Fire Ox left, Wei Sheng and the other three continued practicing.
Wei Sheng practiced twice more, until his qi and blood were exhausted and he had no choice but to stop.
He looked at the other three again.
The dark, burly youth and the fair-skinned young man were still practicing.
Compared with the dark, burly youth's arduous persistence, the fair-skinned young man was clearly having a much easier time. With every circulation of qi and blood, the skin on his arm visibly bulged, as though an earthworm were swimming beneath it.
"No need to envy him. He was already at the second refinement. Even after switching to the Ox Demon Skin Refinement Method, he's still practicing on the foundation of a second-refinement body. Both his physical condition and his qi and blood far surpass ours. It's only normal for him to progress faster."
Wei Sheng glanced at the weather-beaten man, who had come over without him noticing, and said evenly, "I'm not envious. I just didn't expect someone who'd already reached the second refinement to be able to switch to another skin refinement method!"
"What's so surprising about that? If your talent is astonishing enough, you can perfect the Ox Demon Skin Refinement Method and even practice other skin refinement methods afterward. By stacking them, you might even develop Copper Skin and Golden Muscles!"
"You can stack skin refinement methods?"
"Of course, but achieving Copper Skin and Golden Muscles is no easy feat. It takes enormous time and effort...
"Unless someone has exceptional talent, they won't stack skin refinement methods.
"After all, in the time it takes to stack skin refinement methods, you could practice a flesh refinement method and advance to the flesh refinement realm. However powerful Copper Skin and Golden Muscles might be, they only offer some advantage against someone at the Fourth Refinement. Against someone at the Fifth Refinement, they're completely inadequate...
"Enough of that. Let's get acquainted. My name is Che Zhenzhong. You're Brother Wei Sheng, right?"
Che Zhenzhong?!
The corner of Wei Sheng's mouth twitched slightly. This fellow really was improper!
What respectable person would have a name like that?
Still, Wei Sheng would naturally not reject Che Zhenzhong's friendly overture. Besides, the man seemed to know a great deal about skin refinement. This was a good opportunity to learn more and fill the gaps in his knowledge of the skin refinement realm.
Only after chatting for a while did Wei Sheng learn that Che Zhenzhong, like himself, came from a branch hall under Fire Ox.
In fact, it was not just the two of them. The fair-skinned young man, Xiao Ran, and the dark, burly youth did too.
Of them:
Xiao Ran had once been the son of a wealthy family in Black River Ward. After his family fell on hard times, he had been forced to join a gang and now belonged to the High Bridge Branch Hall in Black Forest Ward.
The dark, burly youth, Niu Yong, could be considered Fire Ox's younger brother-in-law.
As for Che Zhenzhong...
He came from the Shunyuan Escort Agency in Black River Ward, where he had once worked as a route herald.
No wonder he looks so old and seasoned. He really has weathered plenty of wind and frost.
Perhaps because he had traveled far and wide, however, Che Zhenzhong was extremely talkative and knowledgeable.
Wei Sheng had the experience of his previous life, and many of the views he offered made Che Zhenzhong's eyes light up. The more they talked, the better they got along. Toward the end, Che Zhenzhong suddenly lowered his voice and asked:
"Old Wei, do you know why Brother Fire Ox is teaching us the skin refinement method and putting everything into training us?"
Before you continue