Enlightenment: Beginning as a Disposable Warrior-Chapter 112 - 101: Grandmaster’s Aspiration, Yijin Herbal Bath! (Third Update)
Clang!
Sparks flew in all directions as an iron hammer spun in Su Mu’s hands, as if light as a feather; every strike fell heavily on the forging platform, making it tremble violently, the sound rolling like thunder.
Su Mu was completely absorbed, merging the newly-created Thunder Shock Fist into his iron-forging technique, but soon he discovered an interesting problem.
The Thunder Shock Fist, fused from the Rock Shattering Fist and Gale Fist, needed him to create follow-up moves as well.
Su Mu paused with the hammer in hand, the blazing furnace casting light on the boy’s resolute and handsome features; there wasn’t a trace of hesitation on his face, instead it was full of spirited enthusiasm.
All things are hardest at the start—he’d already created the Thunder Shock Fist, the hardest step was done; perfecting it now, how could that be difficult?
To create one’s own Martial Arts and even perfect and spread it—by the standards of the wuxia novels from his past life, every such figure was a Grandmaster founding his own sect!
Though today Su Mu was still far from that Realm, every day he could feel himself growing stronger. Someday, he too would reach that legendary Grandmaster Realm.
"Found a sect, become a Martial Arts Grandmaster!"
Clang!
The hammer crashed down again; as this towering ambition took shape in Su Mu’s heart, the Hidden Dragon in the Abyss between his brows surged, blazing in response to Su Mu’s Martial Master Lingyun aspirations.
Buzzz-------
The Comprehension of Hidden-Dragon Level came into play—a state of selflessness swept over Su Mu; he seemed to have attained enlightenment. Spiritual Light in his mind became crackling bolts of thunder.
"I need to create a Martial Arts outline for the Thunder Shock Fist... and a matching Power Circulation Method, just like the Seven Dominating Spear Forms."
When one throws themselves wholeheartedly into something, time passes in a flash; before he knew it, the afternoon was gone.
"Seal the furnace, seal the furnace!"
Su Mu’s body trembled, and when he put down the hammer and came back to himself, he walked out of the forging room. Faced with the brilliant sunset, he took a deep breath, slow and steady, lips curled in a subtle smile.
After today’s moment of enlightenment, Su Mu could see the path ahead for the Thunder Shock Fist, and though it hadn’t taken shape yet, in his heart, the direction was already clear.
"Let’s go to the Hundred Elixir Tower first."
Now that he had the Muscle-Protecting Pill and Bone Strengthening Pill, Su Mu planned to begin the Yijin stage. To break through the Yijin stage, he had to first Nourish the Tendons, which was similar to the Nourishing Force before breaking through Ninth Grade and the Eighth Grade’s Bone Forging ointment.
First, he needed to use Secret Medicine to fortify the meridians inside his body, then take the Bone Strengthening Pill and truly break into Seventh Grade.
The Demon Slayer Bureau couldn’t get their hands on the Secret Medicine recipe for Muscle Strengthening, so for now he could only buy some ready-made Secret Medicine from the Hundred Elixir Tower, and figure out how to acquire a formula later.
...
Glazed tiles on the rooftop, bluestone-paved stairs, the remaining sunset painted the five-story tower in jewel-bright radiance.
Su Mu, in a changed disguise, entered the Hundred Elixir Tower and got straight to the point, "I want to buy Secret Medicine for Muscle Strengthening."
Hearing he wanted Secret Medicine for Muscle Strengthening, the round steward lit up with a smile—not cheap and needed long-term purchase, such customers were all highly-valued patrons of the Hundred Elixir Tower.
"Honored customer, we have two kinds of Secret Medicine for Muscle Strengthening, both for medicinal baths. One is the Five-Complete Muscle-Strengthening Soup, one hundred taels a set, three doses per set, one dose at a time; the other is milder yet more effective—the Five Treasures Marrow-Nourishing Soup, one hundred and twenty taels a set."
"If it’s your first time, a dose will take about three hours, but you likely won’t be able to fully absorb it the first time."
"Thank you for the info. I’ll take two sets of each for now."
The steward quickly sent someone to prepare the Secret Medicine. "Would you like to look at anything else, honored customer?"
"No need."
Su Mu had already inquired: neither the Muscle-Protecting Pill nor the Bone Strengthening Pill were readily sold by the Hundred Elixir Tower, only the Secret Medicine for Muscle Strengthening could be bought.
As for the Muscle Strengthening Formula, that was even less likely to be sold. Su Mu had no intention of wasting his efforts.
Very soon, Su Mu paid up and left with four sets of medicine. Back at his residence, he boiled several buckets of water and poured them into a wooden tub, then took out the Muscle-Protecting Pill he’d gotten from Zhou Qing.
The effects of the Muscle-Protecting Pill and Bone Strengthening Pill differ—this Muscle-Protecting Pill’s effect is to shield the meridians from injury, and one pill’s efficacy lasts three months.
Su Mu tore open the wax coat around the pill, used Power to check it carefully, then frowned slightly and tilted his head back to swallow it.
Five breaths later, the medicine took effect. Unlike the burning heat of Bone-Forger Ointment, the Muscle-Protecting Pill was a stream of coolness; without needing to use Power, the cooling energy became an invisible membrane wrapping around all Su Mu’s meridians, safeguarding them during the medicinal bath.
"Let’s try the Five-Complete Muscle-Strengthening Soup, the one that costs one hundred taels first."
He poured a dose of powder into the hot water. As the dark powder dissolved, a basin of boiling water turned green before his eyes, brimming with medicinal fragrance and steam.
Su Mu stripped off his clothes, took off the Snow Silkworm Treasure Armor, revealing a sturdy and powerful frame; every muscle line was distinct, like cut and chiseled by a blade.
"Gulp!"
Su Mu slid his whole body into the big tub, immersing himself completely beneath the surface.
With the Muscle-Protecting Pill’s shield, years of Five Animals Qigong training, regular use of Three-in-One Body-Strengthening Soup, and his cultivated Vajra Body, what seemed perilous to a normal Martial Artist was nothing but routine to Su Mu.
Still, Su Mu didn’t get reckless—caution is the path to safety.
At first, he didn’t deliberately drive his Qi Blood or Power, letting them circulate naturally through breathing. Soon, a tingling swept over him as the medicinal liquid penetrated, absorbed by his meridians throughout his body.
It felt as though a stream within him was washing over every tendon again and again.
Su Mu entered Introspection, closely observing the process, seeing his meridians greedily soaking up nutrients from the bath, nourishing and strengthening themselves after a long drought.
The bodies of human Martial Artists were no match for the innate strength of Demon Beasts; untempered meridians were fragile, and right now these delicate meridians were like seeds newly planted in spring, gathering strength to grow robustly.
Through this process, the weak meridians became tougher and more elastic.
Until one day they break through the soil, evolving into a new form of life.
"Meridians are much more fragile than bones; this can’t be rushed, forcing it would only harm future potential. Every single meridian must be properly strengthened to go further, so I’ll take it step by step and let my meridians slowly adapt."
Su Mu wasn’t idle during the bath; since he couldn’t cultivate Martial Arts at present, he took the opportunity to infer the Thunder Shock Fist.
About an hour later, Su Mu felt all his meridians shudder faintly, a fullness and satisfaction very much like being well-fed, but suddenly Su Mu felt uneasy.
According to the Hundred Elixir Tower’s steward, each dose should last three hours—why was his finished in just one hour? Was something wrong with his meridians?
Su Mu slowly opened his eyes in surprise, then had a flash of insight. After an hour, the originally green medicinal soup was now almost clear water.
His meridians weren’t abnormal—the nutrients had simply been absorbed earlier than expected.
Su Mu quickly figured out the problem: as time passed during the bath, he felt the effect on his meridians was accelerating; the first medicinal bath, he’d assumed this was normal.
But seeing it now, it was clear things were different—after four rounds of tempering, the Power Pill in his Dantian was too strong, and as he breathed, its operation naturally drove Power and Qi Blood to circulate.
This in turn sped up the bath’s effect on the meridians, but Su Mu’s physique was likewise extraordinary—what’s risky for most Martial Artists, Su Mu didn’t feel the slightest discomfort.
In fact, later he even split his focus to infer the Thunder Shock Fist.
Once he confirmed it wasn’t a problem with his meridians, Su Mu felt relieved. The Yijin process is even slower than Bone Forging, consuming huge amounts of medicinal soup to nourish the tendons throughout his body.
"If I use one dose a day, at a hundred taels a dose, that’s ten sets a month—one thousand taels of silver per month!"
Even a rough calculation made Su Mu tongue-tied—Yijin was far more pricey than Bone Forging, truly spending silver like water.
"Martial training bankrupts you, book learning makes you poor!"
Su Mu frowned. All the rewards he’d earned before went to exchanging for formulas and fist techniques; the past half year he’d been apprenticing with the treasure forge masters, earning a fixed five taels per month, and from Demon Slayer Bureau he got ten taels monthly, making ninety taels in half a year.
Add the silver notes looted from slaying villains, and he had just over a thousand taels left.
Originally, Su Mu thought a thousand taels would support his cultivation for quite a while, but now he found it was nowhere near enough.
"You truly don’t appreciate how little money you have until you need it."
And besides Yijin, he was also working on Fourth Bone Forging at the same time; refining Bone-Forger Ointment took money, plus the Pharmacists at the clinic needed silver for medicinal wine.
Thinking fast, Su Mu remembered his two Tendon Pills; he’d never use them himself.
"Tendon Pills are even more valuable than Muscle-Protecting Pills or Bone Strengthening Pills; I’ll go to Baihe Town soon, auction one off for some silver to continue cultivating."
Su Mu quickly made up his mind. It really wasn’t hard to solve; he’d just go to an auction and sell a Tendon Pill.
...
The next day, Su Mu was outside Refusing Cold Pool Forging Room.
Only about a month left until year-end; Half a month ago, Master Lin Ruoshui had already asked Uncle Wu for leave to return home early.
Perhaps even Master Lin Ruoshui didn’t expect Su Mu’s progress in Inscription would be so rapid.
"Kid, take your time and consolidate your progress. You can’t get fat with just one big meal—go study further with the other two old-timers for now."
Study with the other two masters?
Su Mu paused; at least for now, visiting Master Zhao Ju wouldn’t be wise. Perhaps he could try Master Chen Yuntian.
Lin Ruoshui watched Su Mu walk away, stroked his beard and smiled—just yesterday, Zhao Ju had invited him and Chen Yuntian for drinks.
Then both watched Zhao Ju sulking and drinking all on his own—clearly stung and frustrated, probably still not sober today.
Lin Ruoshui just wanted a peaceful new year, no need for any headaches.
"Kid, I’m heading home for the new year too. Martial Master just approved my leave yesterday." Chen Yuntian waved a hand, tossed over the Profound Iron Room key, "Do whatever you want with the stuff inside—just don’t tear down my forging workshop."
"Thank you, Master Chen."
Su Mu took the key and cupped his fist in salute—instantly he realized, this was no coincidence.
Chen Yuntian left with a flourish. Remembering Zhao Ju’s lonely drinking yesterday, and Su Mu’s startled look just now, his mood was excellent.
Despite setbacks, Su Mu was undaunted, instead his heart burned with passion; this period was perfect to test whether his imagined spear design was feasible.
Time galloped onward; before he knew it, half a month had gone by.
Snowflakes swirled like goose feathers; in the nameless hills north of Qingyun City, even the lively night beasts in the mountains now crouched trembling, hugging the ground, a trace of clarity and fear shining in their once-ferocious eyes.
In the deep woods, a jaw-dropping scene was unfolding.
Roar!
Amidst the resounding, mighty Tiger Roar—
A slim figure meditated on the snowy ground, golden light flickering behind, a Ten-foot Three-inch Golden Bell hanging upside down over him.
With the youth’s palms brought together—
Bell and Tiger Roar merged, the Golden Bell shrank sharply, transforming into a Furious Eyes Vajra shrouding his body. In an instant, the teen’s every inch of skin looked gilded in true gold!
Vajra Body (Perfection)
...
