[How to break through the Skin Refining Stage? Simple. Before that, let me tell you a story. In ancient times, conflicts and disagreements arose for countless reasons. A major contention was on how to split or divide the resources among the multitude of organizations and groups.]
[Basically, people cultivated Martial Arts in the past through trial and error. All of them achieved Skin Refining through rubbing their skin with sand. Akin to how knives are sharpened through the sheer friction of the rough surface of sandpaper and the solid shell of a processed metal.]
[Throughout human history, humanity wanted to be impervious to sharp objects and weapons of war. However, it was an impossible task to have success, especially with our fragile bodies as humans, unlike the animals which some of which have superior external defenses than us.]
[As time went by, the humans decided to copy the way of the animals and seek enlightenment with nature itself. Luckily, they found a solution.]
[By using the Qi-Blood within our bodies to refine the damaged skin and let it evolve into a brand new type of skin. Through the use of medicinal ointment and other experimentation, they prevail!]
[Nowadays, instead of using sand, the medicinal agents within the ointment could simulate the prickling and reddened sensation as well as strengthen the skin with the ointment's properties at the same time, an ingenious way to cultivate thanks to the predecessors of Martial Arts!]
[However, Martial Arts is a marathon, not a sprint race! Once you've reached the Copper Skin, there's still the Iron Skin, Golden Skin, and the mythical Jade Skin! The process will be so arduous that even I can't explain the details but still push ahead!]
Upon reading the notes, Yoichi felt a tumultuous emotion within himself. From history and creation, Martial Arts were truly unbelievable to the point that humanity has decided to seek answers even with different ideologies and groups of people, ultimately working towards the path of strength without any significant results, offering all of their lifelong knowledge to the future successors.
"What a multigenerational dedication! It's crazy that they could develop such brilliant techniques without technology, just pure commitment." Yoichi whispered, admiration and affirmation struck him.
Afterwards, he took a deep breath and began on his refinement method. Each posture corresponds to the refining process in his body. As the Qi Blood arises, the skin will be like a spark against the fuse, the medicinal ointment smeared all over his body.
Soon, the vigorous energy skyrocketed outward, bringing intense heat around him.
Then, the scent of the ointment permeated within, unleashing a prickling sensation and constantly reddening his skin.
While the herbal ointment clogged his skin pores, the Qi Blood in each strong step of posture suddenly began to violently boil in his veins, slowly absorbing the herbal properties of the ointment.
Presently, Yoichi felt bombarded all over his body. As his senses became too perceptive, the pain inflicted on his body was amplified. Furrowing his eyebrows from the tormenting pain, he executed the postures with indomitable commitment written on his face.
From the outsider's perspective, Yoichi looked like a man who was a steaming sauna, fiercely discharging misty vapors with a reddened skin.
Without a spare time to waste, Yoichi's body instinctively employed the remaining blood he gathered earlier on as his desire to complete the refinement process became extremely persistent.
In less than 1 hour, the process greatly diminished as a tinge of bronze hues lightly glistened.
However, certain areas such as the armpits, scalp, and his private parts weren't refined yet.
Therefore, Yoichi ate 2 Qi Blood Pills, smeared his skin with ointment, and began refining once more.
In his mind, this painful yet fulfilling process must be accomplished immediately. His slow but steady attitude remained strong while each stroke of his vigorous arms and legs, bare naked amidst the pitch-black darkness of the basement room.
The demanding and tedious refinement took over 3 hours as his consumption of Qi-Blood Pills and Blood Ganoderma Ointment became terrifying, using nearly 7 pills and 4 ointments in one session.
As a result, his skin displayed a shade of bronze tint, flickering like a radiant star. Yoichi could feel the overall tremendous improvement across the board.
His Qi Blood was viscous and dense, packed with vibrant force. Now, his skin could autonomously react in defensive and offensive ways. His strength, agility, endurance, and perception became exaggerated with a punch force of staggering 58 jin or 35 kilograms.
With a concrete wall as a testing dummy, Yoichi saw huge cracks in the wall and felt satisfied at his accomplishment.
Due to the durable material of the wall, his joints and tissues in his hands felt sore from the impact but the impressive results still made him pleased enough.
After all, these walls were drenched in the hellish environment. Moisture, humidity, and mold could lead to deterioration of their durability over time.
[Congratulations on breaking through the Skin Refining Stage!]
[Reward: +1 Prismatic Ticket]
"What a huge haul! Oh my heavens!"
As he exclaimed, Yoichi suddenly felt a little embarrassed since he was naked for far too long, prompting himself to wear his clothes and review all of his earnings through his grit and devotion to the Martial Arts.
"Hmmm?... Yoichi, is there something that happened?" Munekatsu rubbed his eyes and yawned, gradually waking up from the clamoring of his friend.
"It's nothing," Yoichi responded, "Are you ready for the lookout? Perhaps you should take some rest, I can manage this part for a few more hours."
"Having no sleep is a bad thing, Yoichi. I'll be handling this now. Rest assured." After Munekatsu's statement, Yoichi nodded and lay down on the DIY bed with a calm expression.
Finally, he could sleep tightly with the considerable benefits at hand.
...
At the imposing establishment with intensely shimmering neon lights, the obscured skies alongside the frigid sensation of the rain made the night even more dangerous and somber.
"Ishida, did you notice something drastic earlier this morning?"
In the hidden basement, there was a small bar with a group of people silently enjoying the alcohol. A man appeared with his figure soaking wet from the rain and seemed to find an acquaintance.
"What is it, Yoshiro? Any further news surrounding Amegakure and its sneaky objectives? I have no time for a drink with you..." Ishida gave his comrades a drink which Yoshiro calmly drank and savored the remaining alcohol.
"There was a peculiar development going on," Yoshiro leaned on his chair, "But I can't tell if it's truly connected to these slippery bastards or not."
"Go on, tell me." Ishida inclined forward, curious.
"If you are trying to pass this to Danzō-sama, give me some credit!" Yoshiro looked at Ishida with a fierce yet begging expression on his face.
"You have my word... Tell me your observations." Ishida merely nodded.
"I'm counting on it!" Yoshiro took a deep breath and continued, "Basically, there is a massive injection of children around these cursed lands. Even though I don't have any evidence for now, these things should be connected to our mission here!"
"Hmmm... Children, you say? Did you notice any Chakra or suspicious movements from the beginning?" Ishida questioned Yoshiro, furrowing his eyebrows at the conjecture.
"Yeah! I noticed some of them have a Chakra on them but these things can't be proven without certain proof! It's extremely hard to figure out what these children are doing here for." Yoshiro replied.
"No... It must be connected to our mission!" Ishida formed a conclusion and urgently said, "I'll report it back to the ANBU, just wait here!"
Therefore, Ishida left while Yoshiro felt exhilarated. These seemingly foreign troops were the spies from the Konoha, one of the hidden major villages stationed within the Land of Fire. These informants were assigned here for 6 months, trying to seek information about Amegakure's movements.
For the 6 months, the state of affairs grew awful as the shinobi from Amegakure heightened their security, apparently impenetrable in their home.
But from the looks of it, the winds of change definitely made certain actions feel suspicious. With Danzō's existential protection against all neighboring villages, his political maneuvers were exceptionally complicated.
Greedy for power due to his powerlessness yet cautious in dealing with foreign things.
__________
(Current Progress)
[Realm: Skin Refining Stage(NEW!)]
[Tickets: 2 Prismatic, 2 Gold, 0 Silver]
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Overly detailed explanation for the realm breakthrough hehehe.
Thanks for reading the chapters and bookmarking the novel. See ya! XDD!