In the front courtyard, the moon climbed above the willow branches, the night as placid as still water.

Mu Ying carefully carried over a clay pot and placed it on the stone table. Before she even lifted the lid, a rich, exotic aroma so thick it was almost tangible filled the entire courtyard.

"Young Master, this Blackfin Pompano stewed with wild ginseng was simmered on low heat for a full three hours. Even the bones are tender."

Su Yu lifted the pot’s lid. Inside, the broth was a gelatinous, amber-colored concoction, still bubbling with heat.

The precious Blackfin Pompano rested within. Its once jet-black skin was now translucent, wrapping around flesh as white as jade. From within the fish’s belly, the thinly sliced wild ginseng released a potent, earthy aroma that blended perfectly with the savory sweetness of the meat.

His mouth watering, Su Yu picked up a piece of fish and brought it to his lips.

"Ssss..."

It melted in his mouth!

The fish was so tender it seemed to require no chewing, simply sliding down his throat. The next moment, an incredible current of heat erupted in his stomach, as if he had swallowed a burning ember!

It was more than just delicious; it was the purest form of life essence.

Su Yu couldn’t stop himself from devouring it.

The savory fish, the tender wild ginseng, the rich broth... As these potent supplements entered his system, he felt every pore on his body dilate, as if they were greedily breathing.

Before his eyes, the familiar, ink-like text began to flicker:

[Breakthrough Point Progress +1%]

[Breakthrough Point Progress +1%]

...

After swallowing the last piece of fish, Su Yu set down the clay pot. He felt a scorching heat throughout his body, and his skin had even taken on an unnatural, feverish flush.

He called up his status panel:

[Breakthrough Points]: 0 (Progress 88%)

’Soon!’

A glint flashed in Su Yu’s eyes. ’At this rate, I’ll only need ten-odd more days to accumulate one full Breakthrough Point! Including the time I’ve already spent, this whole process will have taken just under two months!’ 𝑓𝘳𝑒𝑒𝓌𝘦𝘣𝘯ℴ𝑣𝘦𝑙.𝘤𝑜𝑚

’But the cost has been enormous. Precious fish, Earth Dragon Pork, Black Grouse, wild ginseng... I’ve consumed so much of each, and it all costs a fortune! A regular Martial Artist could never afford to burn through resources like that!’

’But it was money well spent!’

Right now, the violent medicinal energy from the food was running rampant inside him. If he didn’t guide it soon, he was afraid it would damage his organs.

Su Yu shot to his feet and strode to the center of the Martial Arts Arena.

The night was placid, and the cold, lonely moonlight washed over him, yet it couldn’t quell the Qi and Blood that roiled within him like a furnace.

’Black Prison God-Locking Stake!’

Su Yu lowered his center of gravity, his hands forming a seal as he bellowed in his mind.

All the pores on his body sealed shut, and his skin instantly took on a dark, bluish-black metallic sheen. He began to move with immense slowness, as if pushing a great mountain. His bones crackled and popped, furiously wringing out every last trace of medicinal power.

As he moved, the medicinal power from the fish and wild ginseng was drawn out, beginning to temper his body.

[Black Stone Body Forging Skill Level +10]

[Black Stone Body Forging Skill Level +10]

...

「One hour later, the moon reached its zenith.」

Su Yu remained perfectly motionless in his stance, but his body temperature was terrifyingly high, white steam continuously rising from his skin.

The very instant the final trace of medicinal power was crushed and kneaded into his skin...

BOOM!

A muffled boom echoed from deep within Su Yu’s body, as if some shackle had been violently broken!

[Black Stone Body Forging Skill has advanced to the Skillful Realm]

[Martial Arts]: Black Stone Body Forging Skill (Layer 1) (Skilled 1/7000)

As the ink-like text appeared, the color of his thoroughly flushed skin changed abruptly.

Qi and Blood surged madly as a deep, bluish-green membrane gleaming with a cold, metallic luster spread rapidly from his chest to cover his entire body!

This layer adhered tightly to his muscles, giving off a sense of indestructibility. Under the moonlight, Su Yu no longer seemed to be a man of flesh and blood, but a demonic idol cast from blue-black Profound Iron!

’The Black Stone Profound Armor... is complete!’

Su Yu’s eyes snapped open, a bolt of lightning seeming to flash in their depths.

He looked down at his arms, which now gleamed with a faint light, and could clearly feel that this "Profound Armor" was not merely hard—it possessed an astonishing vitality and substance.

It was like a layer of responsive armor had been placed over the original membrane of his Skin Tempering Realm. With a mere thought, the Black Stone Profound Armor could cover his entire body!

’Time to test its power!’

Su Yu’s gaze locked onto a Black Iron Stake in the corner of the Martial Arts Arena.

This was a test stake meant for Second Acupoint Martial Artists, its material as hard as iron. He had practiced on it for months without ever leaving a scratch.

Now, Su Yu strode forward and unleashed his White Ape Fist. With a flick of his will, the Black Stone Profound Armor covered his fist.

"Break!"

The muscles on his right arm bulged. His iron fist, gleaming with a bluish-black luster, shot out with a muffled WHOOSH!

BOOM—!!!

A deafening crack resounded!

The immensely hard Black Iron Stake, so thick one could barely wrap their arms around it, shuddered violently.

In the center of the stake was a stark, clearly-defined fist print, an inch deep!

Su Yu pulled back his fist and glanced at it—completely unscathed. A sharp glint flashed in his eyes.

’Such terrifying power! Such overwhelming defense!’

’Even though I’m still at the First Acupoint, the boost to my Qi and Blood from reaching the Skillful Realm in the Black Stone Body Forging Skill has pushed my raw strength to the threshold of the Second Acupoint. Otherwise, I definitely couldn’t have left a print on this Black Iron Stake!’

’If Cai Yun tried to pin me down again, I wonder if I could flip the script and grind her into the dirt instead. Even if I can’t, at least she won’t be able to restrain me so easily!’

’And this Black Stone Profound Armor... it’s just newly formed, but it’s already this tough. The recoil from hitting that incredibly hard Black Iron Stake didn’t leave a scratch. The level of defense is just perverse!’

’At my current level, if I activated the Black Stone Profound Armor, I could probably just stand here and let Song Qingya wail on me, and he still wouldn’t be able to break my defense!’

...

「Black Stone City, nearing the year’s end.」

Despite the chaos in the world, the festive spirit of the new year—of bidding farewell to the old and welcoming the new—had not been diminished within the city.

Shops lining the streets had hung large, red lanterns. To ward off evil and misfortune, many households had also pasted talismans on their doors, bearing images of door gods meant to suppress malevolent entities.

The smell of spent firecrackers began to permeate the air.

The city’s prosperous eastern district was festooned with lights and decorations. The major restaurants had rolled out their New Year’s Eve "spirit food" banquets, which, despite their exorbitant prices, were all fully booked.

Martial Artists meeting in the streets and alleys began to wish one another "a prosperous martial journey."

「Meanwhile, outside the city.」

With a large number of the aberrations cleared away, the various villages and towns had gradually begun to recover a sliver of their former life.

「Qingxi Town, Wang Family Village.」

The frigid wind howled, whipping up patches of unmelted snow from the ground.

The village elder, Wang Youquan, wrapped in a worn sheepskin coat, was leading several able-bodied young men door-to-door. They were taking a count of the surviving villagers, preparing to discuss the crucial matter of the spring planting.

"Elder, our able-bodied laborers have suffered terrible casualties, and we don’t have nearly enough seed grain. If we delay the spring planting, even without the aberrations, I’m afraid many of our people will starve to death next year," one of the men said with a sigh, his face etched with worry.

Wang Youquan’s old face was a mass of wrinkles, like dried orange peel. He leaned on his cane and said in a trembling voice, "Let’s finish counting the survivors first. Then we’ll gather everyone for a discussion. Even if it means pooling every family’s food rations, we have to get those seeds in the ground. We have to find a way to live..."

KNOCK KNOCK KNOCK!

As they spoke, the men arrived before a dilapidated-looking earthen house and knocked on the heavy wooden door.

However, a long time passed with no response from within.

The surroundings were deathly quiet, save for the mournful whistle of the wind through the cracks in the door.

"Whose house is this?" Wang Youquan asked, his cloudy old eyes narrowing.

"It’s Wang Ershou’s place," a man behind him recalled.

"Could it be that he’s already..."

"Sigh... It has been a long time since I’ve seen him out. Last time was three days ago. He was all bundled up, said he was deathly afraid of the cold, and was even borrowing firewood from everyone."

Wang Youquan nodded and looked up at the sky. The weather had been gradually warming these past few days; it shouldn’t be cold enough to freeze someone to death.

But a sliver of unease crept into his heart.

"Let’s break the door down and see."

"Yes!"

The two men exchanged a look, stepped forward, and slammed their shoulders into the wooden door, pushing with sudden force.

BANG!

The old, worn-out bolt snapped, and the wooden door swung open with a CREAK.

An utterly sinister chill, mixed with a bizarre smell like rotting, fermenting meat, instantly billowed out from inside...