Chapter 3: Post-Skin Tempering
Chapter 3: Post-Skin Tempering
Name: Gu Qingfeng
Age: 29/80
Realm: Post-Skin Tempering
Martial Arts: Mountain-Crushing Fist (Mastery), Iron Body Technique (Not Yet Initiated)
Enhancement Points: 1
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In his bedroom, Gu Qingfeng glanced at his attribute panel, noticing that the Martial Arts section now included the Iron Body Technique.
At the same time, his inventory had gained a thin manual—the Iron Body Technique.
This was another function of the inventory. Any rewarded items could be extracted from or returned to the inventory, but non-rewarded items could not enter it.
Even so, it provided considerable convenience.
Next, Gu Qingfeng looked at the additional enhancement point and had an idea.
"I'll ignore the Iron Body Technique for now and focus on perfecting the Mountain-Crushing Fist!"
Once the Mountain-Crushing Fist reached perfection, his cultivation would break through to the Perfect Skin Tempering stage. In the current Lin County, achieving Perfect Skin Tempering was a significant accomplishment. It could be considered top-tier.
Without hesitation, Gu Qingfeng used the enhancement point on the Mountain-Crushing Fist. Instantly, a deluge of memories about the Mountain-Crushing Fist flooded his mind, as if he had practiced it for decades. His hands became rough and thick, and his skin hardened.
Ordinary blades and swords could barely harm him.
"Perfect Skin Tempering, achieved!"
Gu Qingfeng exhaled deeply, his eyes sparkling with determination. With his natural talent, it would normally take several decades to reach Perfect Skin Tempering. But now, he had achieved it in just over a decade.
Feeling the difference in his strength, he realized that he was now on a completely different level compared to before.
Skin Tempering martial artists primarily focus on strengthening their bodies to the point where ordinary weapons can't harm them. However, while ordinary Skin Tempering martial artists are tougher than average people, they aren't invulnerable. Only those who reach Perfect Skin Tempering can achieve that level.
"Perfect Skin Tempering, next is breaking through to the Blood Tempering realm!"
"However, breaking through to this level without the appropriate martial arts will be far from easy. I don't know if the Golden Ox Martial Hall has any mid-level martial arts for Blood Tempering."
Martial arts are the foundation of any power. While joining a martial hall and paying some silver might allow you to learn basic techniques, every martial hall has its secret, advanced techniques that can't be obtained so easily.
Moreover, it's unknown whether the Golden Ox Martial Hall even has mid-level martial arts for Blood Tempering. After all, there haven't been any Blood Tempering martial artists in the Golden Ox Martial Hall, or even in the entire Lin County, as far as Gu Qingfeng knew.
---
The next day, Gu Qingfeng left home and headed toward the Golden Ox Martial Hall. Along the way, he noticed a large crowd gathered in one place, whispering to each other with looks of fear.
"Phew, that family met a terrible end!"
"Did they offend someone?"
"Ha, what kind of enemy could do this? I think it must be some unclean presence..."
Hearing the murmurs of the crowd, Gu Qingfeng saw several constables with swords drawing the crowd away.
"Scatter, everyone! Move away from here!"
Seeing the constables drive them off, the other townsfolk didn't dare to oppose the authorities and hurriedly dispersed.
Just then, several constables emerged carrying stretchers covered in white cloth. Suddenly, a cold breeze blew, and one of the white cloths was lifted, revealing the face of a middle-aged man. His skin was pale, eyes wide open in shock, and his expression was frozen in a grimace.
The man's chest was torn open, and his internal organs had been completely removed. The corpse emitted a putrid stench that made anyone nearby feel nauseous.
Upon seeing this, Gu Qingfeng's eyes widened in shock. When his gaze met the dead man's unseeing eyes, a strange, ominous chill crept up his spine, urging him to quicken his pace and leave the scene.
Even so, the dead man's face and the murmurs of the townsfolk continued to echo in his mind.
Unclean things...
Gu Qingfeng shook his head and took a deep breath, clearing his mind of all distractions.
He arrived at the Golden Bull Martial Arts Academy.
Gu Qingfeng began his daily lessons for the apprentices. During his free moments, he listened to the conversations the apprentices had during their breaks.
Most of the talk was about mundane matters, but certain words caught his attention.
Unclean!
Eerie!
...
Gu Qingfeng looked at the speaker, a sixteen- or seventeen-year-old boy. He remembered the boy's name.
Li Niu!
An ordinary name for an ordinary boy, whose martial talent was equally unremarkable. He had been at the academy for over a year but had yet to break into the ranks of the Skin-Forging Warriors.
"Li Niu, come here for a moment."
Gu Qingfeng's voice caused the group to pause their conversation. Li Niu walked up to him, bowing respectfully.
"Master Gu, is there something you need?"
Li Niu asked cautiously, his heart racing with a mix of excitement and hope. In the stories he read, poor boys were often chosen by reclusive masters and taught martial arts, leading to a life of glory.
To Li Niu, Gu Qingfeng, a senior instructor at the Golden Bull Martial Arts Academy, was no different from a reclusive master.
"I overheard you talking about unclean and eerie things. Do you know something about this?"
Hearing Gu Qingfeng's question, Li Niu's face showed a brief moment of disappointment, but he quickly regained his composure and spoke enthusiastically.
"Master Gu, you see, several families in the county have died in mysterious circumstances. They all had their chests torn open and their organs removed. We suspect that these aren't the works of humans but of some unclean entities."
"Have the authorities found nothing in their investigation?"
"Heh, they can't find anything. My father says this isn't something humans can do. No matter how much they investigate, it's all in vain!"
Hearing Li Niu's words, Gu Qingfeng's expression changed. As a martial artist, his keen senses told him that something was amiss.
After all, although the county was small, it had officials in charge. If there were truly madmen causing such carnage, the authorities would have found some clues.
This made the situation seem even more serious.
(End of Chapter)
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