Chapter 58: Extreme Skin Tempering Realm
Chapter 58: Chapter 58: Extreme Skin Tempering Realm
In a single day, he reached minor mastery of the Black Jade Skin Tempering Technique.
On the second day, he patrolled the streets while on duty. That night, he gained eighty Points.
On the third day, he worked his patrol and captured a thief. That night, he gained ninety Points.
He spent one hundred fifty Points, bringing the Black Jade Skin Tempering Technique to major mastery.
On the fourth day, he was on patrol and settled two disputes. That night, he gained ninety Points.
On the fifth day, he patrolled the streets while on duty. He gained seventy Points.
On the sixth day, he was on patrol and captured a wanted fugitive. He gained one hundred Points that day.
...
By midnight on the ninth day, the Points on his system panel had finally accumulated to five hundred and twenty.
Su Mu unhesitatingly spent five hundred Points to raise his Black Jade Skin Tempering Technique to the Perfection Realm.
As he perfected the Black Jade Skin Tempering Technique, Su Mu’s skin grew much darker, as if he’d gotten too much sun.
However, this darkness was more of a healthy, tanned complexion, and his skin even took on a faint bronze luster.
After he had perfected the Golden Scale Skin Tempering Technique, his skin had already become exceptionally tough.
Cultivating the Black Jade Skin Tempering Technique on top of that foundation had yielded minimal results; he could barely feel any change in his skin.
But now that the Black Jade Skin Tempering Technique had reached Perfection, he felt the toughness of his skin increase once more.
Su Mu tested it out.
When he ran a blade across his arm, it now took a bit of force just to break the skin.
An ordinary person with a slightly dull blade probably couldn’t even break his skin at all.
Elated, Su Mu pushed himself even harder.
To Su Mu’s pleasant surprise, stacking two Skin Tempering Techniques didn’t just greatly increase his skin’s resilience; his stamina had also seen a massive boost.
A Martial Artist’s strength was a measure of their skill, power, endurance, and defense.
Having perfected two Skin Tempering Techniques, Su Mu felt he was not far from matching Wei Yongfu’s natural "copper skin and iron bones."
In terms of sheer skin toughness, he was only a little bit behind.
’A third Skin Tempering Technique will surely make me at least as strong as Wei Yongfu.’
Seeing that cultivating multiple Skin Tempering Techniques was truly effective, Su Mu’s competitive spirit was thoroughly ignited.
He took out the other technique he had obtained from Wei Yongfu: the Iron Sand Skin Tempering Method.
After a single night of grueling practice, he achieved initial mastery of the Iron Sand Skin Tempering Method.
Just as he’d thought, the more Skin Tempering Techniques he mastered, the fewer Points it took to advance in a new one.
For the Iron Sand Skin Tempering Method, it only took thirty Points to go from initial to minor mastery, one hundred from minor to major mastery, and three hundred from major mastery to Perfection.
For the next several days, Su Mu’s life was both monotonous and intense.
Seven days later, on an otherwise ordinary night, Su Mu quietly brought his Iron Sand Skin Tempering Method to Perfection.
Su Mu was surprised to find that his tanned skin had unexpectedly reverted, becoming fair once more.
In fact, it looked even fairer than before he had ever started practicing Skin Tempering Techniques.
On closer inspection, one would find his skin was now like fine porcelain—smooth, firm, and flawless.
Su Mu picked up his long saber and slashed it across his arm.
It left only a white mark on his skin.
Although he had only used thirty percent of his strength, that was still more powerful than an average adult man who had never undergone Body Quenching.
And it hadn’t even managed to break his skin.
’My skin’s toughness now is surely on par with Wei Yongfu’s natural copper skin.’
A smile spread across Su Mu’s face. His many days of hard work had not been in vain.
For an ordinary person to achieve this level of skin tempering, they would either need extraordinary natural talent or have to pay the price of several years of painstaking training just for a chance at success.
And yet, it had taken him only twenty days in total to reach this state of perfection.
In a direct comparison, he was actually even a bit stronger than the naturally gifted Wei Yongfu.
Cultivating Skin Tempering Techniques didn’t just improve skin toughness; it also enhanced the vitality and blood within his body.
Su Mu had perfected three Skin Tempering Techniques. The sheer abundance of his vitality and blood was definitely greater than that of the naturally talented Wei Yongfu, who had only cultivated a single technique.
Abundant vitality and blood meant he had greater explosive power and more endurance. Furthermore, once he began muscle tempering, he would be able to handle even greater strength.
Speak of the devil.
Just as Su Mu was contemplating the gap between himself and Wei Yongfu, a figure vaulted over the wall and into the moonlit courtyard.
The newcomer was tall with an honest face. Who else could it be but Wei Yongfu?
As he casually approached Su Mu, Wei Yongfu’s eyes suddenly widened in shock.
"Did you sleep with the Princess, or did you save the Emperor’s hide?"
Wei Yongfu blurted out, "It’s only been a few days! How did you already reach the Extreme Realm?"
"Extreme Realm?"
Su Mu asked, confused. "What’s that?"
"You don’t even know what that is?"
Wei Yongfu said, an expression of utter disbelief flashing across his face. ’How could you reach the Extreme Realm without even knowing what it is?’
"The Four Stages of Body Tempering—skin, muscle, tendon, and bone—each have a limit.
Reaching that limit means you’ve cultivated a stage to the absolute maximum your body can handle."
Wei Yongfu explained, then paused before adding, "My natural copper skin, for instance, is the Extreme Skin Tempering Realm."
"Oh? I’ve never heard of that before."
Su Mu said. ’It makes sense that others would have tried this before me.’ He was curious. "How could you tell I’d reached the Extreme Realm?"
"I’m not blind, you know."
Wei Yongfu pointed at Su Mu’s skin. "You were all tanned before, and now you’re fair-skinned again. A change like that is only possible with the ’reversion to simplicity’ of the Extreme Realm."
"You really didn’t sleep with the Emperor’s daughter? It just doesn’t make sense. Without some kind of Spirit Pill or miraculous medicine, how could you possibly reach the Extreme Realm?"
Wei Yongfu was completely baffled.
"I don’t even know where the Imperial City is, alright?"
Su Mu said, annoyed. "I got where I am today through my own sweat and hard work."
The Extreme Skin Tempering Realm meant that Su Mu’s skin was now as tough as his body could possibly handle. Continuing to practice Skin Tempering Techniques would have no further effect.
"Now that you’re in the Extreme Skin Tempering Realm, even an average muscle-tempering Martial Artist might not be your match."
Wei Yongfu said, "You’re even stronger than I was at your stage."
Wei Yongfu himself was extraordinarily talented; he had reached the Extreme Skin Tempering Realm by practicing just one technique. However, his comprehension was lacking, and to this day, he had yet to master any single martial art to the Perfection Realm.
Su Mu was far superior in this regard. With the Extreme Skin Tempering Realm and his mastery of "Saber Intent," Su Mu could be considered truly invincible within the Skin Tempering Realm.
"No matter how strong I am, I’m still only in the Skin Tempering Realm."
Su Mu smiled faintly, not letting the praise go to his head.
’The existence of the Extreme Realm proved that my previous choice was correct. I have to build a solid foundation in each of the Four Stages of Body Tempering, cultivating each one to its Extreme Realm. Only then can I fully leverage the advantages of my system panel.’
’Then, when the day comes for me to step into the Blood Transformation Realm, my power will be earth-shattering.’
"So, what brings you here?" Su Mu asked. "Got some business for me?"
He was a Ghostwriter who worked for pay. Even if he and Wei Yongfu were on good terms, he couldn’t work for free.