Chapter 54: Black Jade Skin Tempering Technique
Chapter 54: Chapter 54: Black Jade Skin Tempering Technique
To get by in this world, you have to know how to read people.
Wei Yongfu had thick eyebrows and large eyes, giving him the appearance of an honest, simple-minded man.
But there was a reason he had managed to make a name for himself in the Ghostwriter trade.
The instant they had clashed, he had already gauged Su Mu’s level in the Body Tempering Realm.
He’d picked up on the fact that Su Mu had reached Skin Tempering Perfection and was desperate for the next Cultivation Technique. He also knew that Su Mu had just raided the Xu Family and wasn’t short on silver.
That’s why he proposed this deal.
Su Mu marveled inwardly. ’This rugged-looking man has a surprisingly sharp mind.’
"I have the silver," Su Mu said, "but I’m not interested in any ordinary Flesh Tempering Technique."
"Why do you think I, only at the Second Stage of Body Tempering, can go head-to-head with someone at the Third Stage of Body Tempering?
Aside from my natural copper skin, iron bones, and immense strength, it’s because my Flesh Tempering Technique is extraordinary."
A smug look crossed Wei Yongfu’s face. "I’m not just bragging—my Wild Elephant Marinating Flesh Skill is absolutely a top-tier Flesh Tempering Technique. You’d be hard-pressed to find a better one in all of Wuling City."
Wei Yongfu might have been exaggerating slightly, but the Wild Elephant Marinating Flesh Skill was indeed a superior Flesh Tempering Technique.
If you found it at the Pawnshop, it would cost at least two or three thousand taels of silver.
"I won’t ask for two thousand taels. For one thousand five hundred taels, I’ll sell the Wild Elephant Marinating Flesh Skill to you," Wei Yongfu said.
"One thousand five hundred taels is no problem," Su Mu said after a moment’s thought. "However, I have one condition."
"What condition?"
Wei Yongfu’s heart leaped. A Martial Artist like him, with no backing, had to earn every single tael of silver he spent on cultivation.
But earning money was hard.
Even as a Ghostwriter, big jobs weren’t common.
To save up enough silver for a Tendon Tempering Pill, he’d even risked his life against the Black Dragon Stronghold.
The last job to assassinate Su Mu had earned him a few hundred taels, but it still wasn’t enough.
With another one thousand five hundred taels, his breakthrough to the Third Stage of Body Tempering would be practically guaranteed.
Actually, if Wei Yongfu were willing to abandon his conscience, he could earn much more.
But for one, he had his own principles. For another, the Da Xuan Law was not to be trifled with. He had no desire to end up on a wanted poster, spending the rest of his life on the run.
"Besides the Wild Elephant Marinating Flesh Skill, I also want the Skin Tempering Technique you cultivate," Su Mu said. "If you have any other Cultivation Techniques, I’ll take them all. Silver is not an issue."
The Xu Family was extremely wealthy. Although Xu Mingchen took most of it when he left, he still left behind nearly ten thousand taels worth of gold, silver, jewelry, antiques, and paintings.
Most of these things went into the South City Bureau’s storerooms, but Su Mu managed to keep three thousand taels for himself.
A portion of that three thousand taels had been "reinvested in the community," funding the new bluestone pavement for Guangfu Square. The rest was more than enough to buy Wei Yongfu’s techniques.
"Done!" Wei Yongfu agreed without hesitation. "I have two Skin Tempering Techniques. One is the Black Jade Skin Tempering Technique, which I cultivate myself. The other is a common dime-a-dozen technique, the Iron Sand Skin Tempering Method. You can have both for two hundred taels of silver!"
......
Just before dawn, Wei Yongfu left Xu Mansion with one thousand seven hundred taels of silver.
Su Mu looked at the three manuals before him, lost in thought.
’For a normal person, Skin Tempering takes two to three years at best, or five to six at worst. Cultivating multiple Skin Tempering Techniques at once would be impossible.’
’But I’m different. I only need two or three months to bring a Skin Tempering Technique to Perfection. Even if I cultivate two, or even three, it would only cost me a few extra months.’
’Compared to the rewards, it’s completely worth it!’
If he could develop copper skin like Wei Yongfu’s, even an ordinary Martial Artist in the Flesh Tempering stage would find it difficult to break through his skin’s defense.
The Black Jade Skin Tempering Technique involved smearing the whole body with a special black jade paste, then wrapping it in bandages and absorbing the medicinal power through beatings.
The Iron Sand Skin Tempering Method was even cruder, involving rubbing the skin with coarse iron sand and then bathing in a medicinal concoction.
This method easily damaged the skin at first, leaving one a bloody mess. Even if the Skin Tempering was successful, it often led to lingering issues, causing chronic pain all over the body in old age.
Su Mu didn’t have any iron sand on hand, but before leaving, Wei Yongfu had left him a bottle of black jade paste as a free gift.
Su Mu didn’t hesitate. He smeared the black jade paste all over his body, tore a bedsheet into strips, and then tightly bound his entire body.
He then broke off a wooden stick from the courtyard and began to beat himself with it.
Su Mu’s Golden Scale Skin Tempering Technique was already at Perfection. On this foundation, the effect of cultivating the Black Jade Skin Tempering Technique was almost negligible.
Although it could be cultivated, without years of arduous training, it would be difficult to see any results.
Su Mu didn’t care about this, though. He forcefully beat himself until all the medicinal power under the bandages was absorbed by his skin.
By this time, the sky had completely brightened.
After washing himself clean and getting dressed, Su Mu called out his system panel.
[Name: Su Mu]
[Identity: Constable Leader (Official)]
[Points: 5]
[Cultivation Technique: Golden Scale Skin Tempering Technique (Perfection), Black Jade Skin Tempering Technique (Uninitiated/+)]
[Martial Arts: Submerging Wave Saber Technique (Perfection), Archery (Initiate)]
Su Mu blinked, making sure he wasn’t mistaken.
One night of effort had brought his Golden Scale Skin Tempering Technique to Perfection, and he had even made a start on the Black Jade Skin Tempering Technique.
This was all within his expectations, but why was there a "+" after the Black Jade Skin Tempering Technique?
Based on his past experience, initiating a Skin Tempering Technique cost ten Points. Advancing from Initiate to Minor Accomplishment cost one hundred, from Minor to Major Accomplishment cost three hundred, and from Major to Perfection cost one thousand.
After upgrading his Golden Scale Skin Tempering Technique last night, he only had 5 Points left. Logically, there shouldn’t be a "+" indicating he could upgrade anything.
’Could it be that because my Golden Scale Skin Tempering Technique reached Perfection, my skin is already so tough that cultivating other Skin Tempering Techniques is much easier now?’
Su Mu mused. ’It’s like asking a middle school student to solve a grade school math problem. A question that takes a grade schooler an hour might only take the middle schooler half that time.’
Whatever the reason, since he could upgrade it, he wasn’t about to pass up the chance.
With a thought, Su Mu directly upgraded the Black Jade Skin Tempering Technique to Initiate!
BOOM!
A hot current surged through his body as his temperature steadily rose. The skin all over his body felt like red-hot steel being hammered repeatedly, expelling residual impurities and growing tougher and tougher.
Compared to when he upgraded the Golden Scale Skin Tempering Technique, this process was far from painful.
On the contrary, there was a strange feeling of comfort, and a part of Su Mu didn’t want the process to end.
However, after a moment, the surging qi and blood in his body calmed down.
When he looked at his skin again, he could finally feel a slight change.
Initiating the Black Jade Skin Tempering Technique had indeed made his skin a little tougher, building upon the foundation from the Golden Scale Skin Tempering Technique.
’It really works.’
Su Mu was very satisfied. It would take others at least a month to initiate the Black Jade Skin Tempering Technique, but he had done it in a single night.
And his cultivation speed would only get faster.
’The Body Tempering Realm is the foundation for all future cultivation, and Skin Tempering is the foundation for Flesh Tempering. Only with an unshakable foundation can I go far in the future.’
’With the system panel’s help, I should proceed steadily at every step. It’s not too late to start Flesh Tempering after I’ve refined my skin to its absolute limit.’
Su Mu decided to press on, cultivating both the Black Jade Skin Tempering Technique and the Iron Sand Skin Tempering Method to Perfection to see what the limits of Skin Tempering truly were.
KNOCK!
KNOCK!
KNOCK!
The sound of knocking rang out, followed by a voice that sounded in Su Mu’s ear, as if someone was speaking right next to him.
The familiar yet strange voice made Su Mu freeze for a moment before a look of immense joy spread across his face.
’So, it’s finally here?’