The moon was bright and the stars were few. A gentle, intoxicating river breeze drifted by.

On a hidden reef island, a bonfire burned fiercely, dispelling the chill of the night.

Su Yu sat cross-legged by the fire, holding a branch skewering several large, neatly cut pieces of choice Black Rock Iron-Backed Crocodile meat.

Exotic Beast Meat of this caliber required no complex cooking methods. The simplest roasting over an open fire was enough to bring out its most primal, delicious flavor.

SIZZLE!

Golden grease oozed from the finely textured chunks of meat, dripping onto the charcoal and sending up a puff of tempting white smoke. A rich, meaty aroma instantly filled the air. It was a scent that seemed to stimulate a Martial Artist’s very cells; just smelling it was enough to make one’s Qi and Blood surge.

"It’s ready!"

Su Yu swallowed, sprinkled a little sea salt on top, and grabbed a glistening, golden-brown strip of meat, taking a huge bite.

CRUNCH!

The skin was crispy, making a satisfying sound.

As his teeth sank into the meat, Su Yu’s eyes lit up.

"So tender! It’s unbelievable!"

’I thought this Black Rock Iron-Backed Crocodile meat would be as tough and dry as firewood, but it’s as smooth as tofu, yet incredibly chewy. The juices burst in my mouth, the savory flavor carrying a faint, mellow richness. It’s a hundred times better than the finest Wagyu beef from my past life!’

As the chunk of meat slid into his stomach, a surging torrent of heat instantly erupted.

Billowing essence energy permeated his limbs and bones through his stomach lining. His cells, which had been somewhat depleted by the Violent Ape Blood Fury, were now cheering greedily, devouring the energy!

[Breakthrough Point Progress +2%]

[Breakthrough Point Progress +2%]

...

Su Yu feasted ravenously, his mouth greasy and his pores wide open. A faint, crimson-red vapor of blood even began to rise from the top of his head.

Only after eating a full ten catties of the choice crocodile meat and feeling intensely full did Su Yu reluctantly stop.

He let out a satisfied burp and called up his panel:

[Breakthrough Points]: 0 (Progress 25%)

"Excellent!"

Even though he had expected it, Su Yu couldn’t help but praise the result in his heart.

’Ten catties of meat gave me a 10% increase?!’

He knew that previously, eating ten catties of Red Essence Earth Dragon Pork had only increased his progress by about 1%. This Black Rock Iron-Backed Crocodile meat was ten times more potent than that of the Earth Dragon Porpoise!

’As expected of an Exotic Beast overlord comparable to the Flesh Refining Realm. The energy contained in its flesh and blood is simply astonishing.’

Su Yu glanced back toward his treasure boat, where over one hundred fifty catties of processed choice meat were still piled.

’If I eat all of it, that’s... 150% progress? And I still have the Crocodile Dragon’s Heart Blood to consume!’

"Awesome!"

A sharp glint flashed in Su Yu’s eyes, and he couldn’t help but clench his fists.

’At this rate, in just over half a month, I’ll be able to accumulate at least two full Breakthrough Points! Then I can think about breaking my limit again!’

After finishing the roasted Black Rock Iron-Backed Crocodile meat, Su Yu got up, went to the riverbank, and began practicing the White Ape Fist.

[White Ape Fist Skill Level +15]

[White Ape Fist Skill Level +15]

...

「The next day.」

Su Yu ate another ten catties of Iron-Backed Crocodile Meat and practiced the White Ape Fist a full twenty-five times.

[Martial Arts]: White Ape Fist (First Layer) (Major Achievement 800/12000)

’Without extra energy supplements, relying only on the effects of the Black Scale Blood Orifice Pill, twenty repetitions of White Ape Fist a day is my limit! But with the supply of Iron-Backed Crocodile Meat for the next half-month, I can shorten the time to my breakthrough to within a month!’

At this thought, Su Yu felt a surge of excitement. ’I’m finally about to break through to the Flesh Refining Realm!’

The Flesh Refining Realm marked a true Martial Arts expert. In Black Stone City, they could become the head of a family, and in the Black Stone Army, they were elite commanders. It could be said that they were the ones who truly began to wield core power.

They were no longer considered part of the younger generation, and no one would dare to treat them with disrespect!

...

Another day passed. Su Yu continued his routine of eating large amounts of meat and diligently practicing the White Ape Fist. He spent the rest of his time focusing entirely on practicing the Bibo Fish Dragon Skill.

As his realm in the Bibo Fish Dragon Skill increased, the previous progress of gaining 20 points per practice session had slowed. It had already dropped to 15 points per session, and now it had fallen even further to only 10 points per session.

However, even 10 points per session was still very fast. Now, his Bibo Fish Dragon Skill was also on the verge of breaking through to the Minor Success Realm.

[Martial Arts]: Bibo Fish Dragon Skill (First Layer) (Skilled 1200/1500)

But today, Su Yu did not continue practicing. Instead, he piloted his treasure boat back to the vicinity of Fog Island.

’Yesterday, while practicing the Fish Dragon Skill, I took the opportunity to scout the area several times. The people from Ghost Mist Island definitely aren’t lying in ambush here. It’s time to go search for the Black Rock Iron-Backed Crocodile’s lair!’

Su Yu activated his Five Senses Divine and quickly found the trail the Black Rock Iron-Backed Crocodile had left as it crawled along the riverbed. He followed the tracks, searching as he went.

He first passed through a pile of scattered rocks, then a dense patch of reeds, and finally began to descend.

Ten zhang, twenty zhang... all the way down to fifty-six zhang!

This was the deepest part of the nine-island region of the Black Water River. Sunlight had almost completely vanished, and the surroundings were as dark as ink. The water pressure was terrifying enough to rupture an ordinary person’s eardrums. If not for the protection of his Water-Resistant Skin Membrane, coupled with the powerful physique he’d gained from opening his third acupoint, Su Yu would have been unable to reach this depth.

Finally, following a faint, residual trace of baleful aura, he discovered a massive cave entrance in a hidden recess concealed by rocks and aquatic plants.

’This must be it!’

Su Yu hovered in front of the entrance, his brow slightly furrowed.

The river water here was somewhat abnormal.

Despite being in an extremely cold, deep-water region, the water temperature near the entrance was warm and even carried a faint scent of sulfur. Even stranger, as he approached the entrance, his body inexplicably grew heavier, as if he were shouldering an invisible burden.

’What’s going on? It’s like there’s an invisible pressure in the water, and this scorching heat...’

A glint flashed in Su Yu’s eyes. ’It seems the *Compendium of Strange Things of the Nine Provinces: Volume on Barbaric and Exotic Beasts* wasn’t lying. The lairs of Black Rock Iron-Backed Crocodiles often have phenomena related to earth veins!’

He no longer hesitated, his body slipping through the entrance like a fish. 𝒇𝒓𝙚𝒆𝔀𝓮𝓫𝒏𝓸𝙫𝓮𝓵.𝓬𝙤𝙢

With his Water-Resistant Air Membrane, he could move freely underwater for half an hour without any pressure. There was no danger of drowning while exploring this underwater cave.

...

The deeper he swam into the cave, the heavier the pressure became, and the more scorching the water grew.

After some time, the path ahead suddenly opened up.

With a SPLASH, Su Yu broke through the surface of the water.

It was a natural cavern at the bottom of the riverbed, half-submerged and half-land, a world of its own.

The air was hot and dry, a stark contrast to the bone-chilling cold outside.

Su Yu climbed onto a stretch of damp land covered in dark red moss. Enduring the increasingly heavy, invisible pressure, he walked step-by-step toward the depths of the cavern.

When he reached the very end, Su Yu’s footsteps halted abruptly, his pupils shrinking.

In a natural stone basin ahead, there was no water. Instead, a pool of silver-black liquid, as viscous as mercury, had gathered. It flowed slowly in the darkness, emitting a heavy yet captivating metallic luster, as if it were swallowing all surrounding light.

Above the basin, wisps of a visible, dark-red baleful aura seeped from cracks in the rock wall. They dripped continuously into the pool of liquid, creating a sizzling, tempering sound.

"This is..."

An ancient record from a text he had read flashed through Su Yu’s mind.

"Black water births heavy silver, earth fire refines true gold."

"This is Black Water Heavy Silver!"

Su Yu took a deep breath, suppressing the wild joy in his heart.

According to the *Compendium of Strange Things of the Nine Provinces: Volume on Metals, Stones, and Divine Weapons*, Black Water Heavy Silver was a precious Profound Tier spiritual material! Its density was extremely high—a single drop weighed ten catties—and it possessed excellent conductivity and malleability.

’No wonder that Black Rock Iron-Backed Crocodile was so powerful, and its hide was absurdly tough! It must have been absorbing the essence energy of this stuff for years, using the baleful aura from the Earth Fire to temper its body!’

"What a fortuitous encounter!"

Su Yu’s gaze was scorching.

’Since this Earth Fire Vein could temper the Black Rock Iron-Backed Crocodile’s body, it can naturally temper mine as well! Moreover, this training ground perfectly matches the body tempering environment described in the Black Stone Body Forging Skill—a place where baleful aura and essence energy intertwine. Practicing the Black Stone Body Forging Skill here will definitely be twice as effective!’

But the greatest opportunity was still this Black Water Heavy Silver!

’My Mo Yuan Saber, while weighing a respectable one hundred and eight catties and being decent among mortal weapons, is ultimately just Mortal Tier. Against slightly stronger Hard Skills or Exotic Beasts, it’s already starting to struggle.’

’But if I can integrate this Black Water Heavy Silver, along with that Iron Spine, into the Mo Yuan Saber...’

Su Yu’s breathing grew rapid.

’Then there’s a chance I can use a blood sacrifice forging method to transform it into a legendary Profound Tier treasured weapon!’

Similar to pills and Martial Arts, the difference between Mortal Tier and Profound Tier, though just one word, was as vast as heaven and earth!

Mortal Tier weapons were inanimate objects. Once damaged, they could only be repaired, and their potential was permanently capped.

But Profound Tier treasured weapons possessed spirituality! Their greatest traits were growth and self-healing!

They could self-repair by consuming rare ores and could even grow stronger by being nourished by their master’s Qi and Blood and devouring precious materials. They were partners that could accompany a Martial Artist for a lifetime!

’Even experts at the Flesh Refining Realm, or even the Muscle Forging Realm, might not possess a suitable Profound Tier treasured weapon. To find such an opportunity now... it’s as if heaven itself is helping me!’