Outside the forging room, Li Tie, the owner of the blacksmith shop, silently watched this scene, his face showing expressions of amazement, gratification, and struggle.
At this moment, a thought suddenly arose in Li Tie's heart.
His blacksmith shop couldn't keep this great talent, Su Mu.
It's not that Li Tie wanted to drive Su Mu away, but Su Mu's displayed talent in forging was simply too astonishing. From initially thinking that Su Mu was a good seed, to wanting to nurture Su Mu to take over, now Li Tie's thoughts have changed.
He couldn't help but think that such a genius like Su Mu should go to a broader place, rather than stay in this small shop in Qingshui Town.
"Perhaps our shop can produce a true... Master Blacksmith in the future!"
"Rather than an ordinary skilled blacksmith..."
Master Blacksmith!
This is an honorific title for blacksmiths capable of forging grade-entering weapons, which are above hundred-refined weapons.
Li Tie's eyes showed a mix of recollection and yearning, as this was his dream when he was young. Unfortunately, his talent was limited, and now he saw this hope in Su Mu.
If a master blacksmith could emerge from his blacksmith shop's apprentices, one of Li Tie's lifelong regrets would be remedied.
"Mm, I must not be too selfish... I should let this young man go to a bigger world."
Li Tie sighed lightly, no longer tangled, and turned toward his bedroom. After a while, he wrote a recommendation letter and planned to have someone send it to Qingyun County Town.
Qingyun County Town has a renowned Wu's Forging Workshop, which is several times the scale of the blacksmith shop. The current owner, Wu Lie, hails from the same school as Li Tie, and he owed Li Tie a favor from years ago.
"This is all I can do."
...
"Rock Shattering Fist," a Ninth-Grade Fist Technique, is a fist technique that circulated in the Great Yan Border Army, reportedly created by a certain instructor of the Great Yan Border Army to counter the heavy armor of the Barbarian Race.
It mainly focuses on fierce and direct attacks, with fist force like a heavy hammer opening mountains. Cultivated to great success, it can penetrate armor and injure people, complementing Dark Force, it has considerable lethality against those wearing armor.
Dark Force!
After reading through the secret manual carefully, Su Mu's eyes sparkled.
Seek no further with worn-out iron shoes, but obtain it effortlessly!
During the day, Su Mu was still exploring that yin-yang power on his own, and now he finally got the correct answer.
That yin-yang power is called Dark Force!
This Rock Shattering Fist is based on Dark Force, and Su Mu also realized for the first time that the first Refining Force is merely the start of Refining Force, with subsequent Second Refining Force, Third Refining Force, and more.
According to the description in the Rock Shattering Fist secret manual, if a Refining Power Martial Artist wants to advance to Bone Forging, at least two Refining Forces need to be completed, but the Second Refining Force is far from the limit of Refining Force.
Power is one of the foundations of the Martial Dao, whether it's Ninth Grade Refining Force, the subsequent Eighth Grade Bone Forging, or even Seventh-Grade Yijin, they all require power to refine. The stronger and more solid the power, the more astonishing the cultivation speed in the future, and even when breaking through bottlenecks, it becomes much easier.
However, most people in the world are just ordinary people. Ordinary martial artists are restricted by aptitude, and over ninety percent of Refining Power Martial Artists choose to attempt Bone Forging after two Refining Forces, and they don't spend much time studying power thereafter.
The more basic something is, after reaching a certain level, the harder it becomes to advance. Ordinary people can't accept wasting time on the refinement of power, thus 'wasting time.'
"Is this power equivalent to the... inner strength in martial arts novels in the previous life?"
Su Mu wondered.
According to the manual's description, the first Refining Force is Ming Force, with Ming Force being fierce and aggressive.
The second Refining Force is Dark Force, with Dark Force being yin-yang and able to penetrate armor and injure people.
The third Refining Force is Transforming Force, with Transforming Force not directly enhancing martial arts power, but used to neutralize an opponent's force during battle, capable of using power to neutralize the enemy's offensive. It's said that after reaching Transforming Force, Refining Power Martial Artists can even fight against Bone Forging Martial Artists of a higher grade.
Subsequent Refining Forces are not mentioned in the manual, possibly because the border army instructor who created the fist technique didn't reach those realms.
"Ming Force... Dark Force... Transforming Force!"
Su Mu's eyes shone, his speculation was indeed correct, the black bear villain who died by his hand the other day was probably a person about to undergo the Second Refining Force.
Gulp gulp!
He drank a large bowl of Three-in-One Body-Strengthening Soup, and under the night sky, the young man began cultivating the Rock Shattering Fist. He took a deep breath, assumed a horse stance, his fists spiraled out from his waist, force gathered at the peaks of his fists.
Mountain Opening Form.
Rockslide Form.
Armor Collapse Form.
…
Rock Shattering Fist (entry-level 1%)
The same night passed, at the break of dawn, the Rock Shattering Fist also appeared on Su Mu's attribute panel.
Su Mu wiped the sweat off his forehead, revealing a hint of joy on his face, as he enjoyed this feeling of becoming stronger, feeling solid.
Returning from the black market with two secret manuals, and learning about the subsequent path of Refining Force, Su Mu was full of motivation, and life became fulfilling once again.
When a person devotes their entire being to one thing, time seems to accelerate, rapidly fleeting, and in a blink, the sound of cicadas buzzing fills the air.
Early summer turns to midsummer, and a month passes by.
In the morning, after a heavy rain the previous night, the forest behind Dongbian Village is lush and verdant, the muddy forest exudes the fragrance of earth.
Suddenly.
A startled bird flapped its wings and flew high in the forest.
Whoosh whoosh whoosh.
In the span of a breath, a silhouette leapt through the dense woods three consecutive times, each leap easily crossing three zhang, the silhouette moved so fast it was hard for the ordinary eye to catch, like a swift sparrow in the forest.
The strong wind brushed past his cheeks, and the young man's face showed a hint of exhilaration.
Looking back, he had already crossed tens of zhang within a breath.
"Leaping three times consecutively is my current limit, but it's not the limit of this cultivation technique..."
Su Mu whispered, with the villain's generous offering, this month Su Mu drank medicinal soup constantly and ate meat to replenish qi and blood. After a month, Su Mu became more robust, his leg muscles changed dramatically, becoming thicker and more robust than before, with muscle lines full of strength.
Rock Shattering Fist (Small Success 1%)
Startled Sparrow Step (Small Success 1%)
At the instant of Startled Sparrow Step's advancement to Small Success.
Buzz--------
A hot and heated warm current formed in Su Mu's abdomen, this warm current circulated through his limbs and minor veins, the apertures of his body, and Su Mu felt as if he was submerged in a hot spring.
Along with the sound of bones and muscles ringing.
And accompanied by crackling sounds, Su Mu gradually grew taller.
Then the warm current surged, flooding into his brow, the reaction was unprecedentedly intense, and Su Mu's brain became exceptionally clear at this moment.
In an instant, Su Mu's perceptiveness, already far exceeding that of ordinary people, surged once again, and the world before him became clearer and more transparent.
A hundred steps away, the veins on the poplar leaves swaying endlessly in the mountain breeze were clearly visible.
Su Mu suddenly recalled the sharpshooters recorded in the history books who could shoot an arrow through a poplar leaf a hundred steps away, which he originally thought was an exaggeration, but now Su Mu believes in this life, if he cultivates in archery skill, he could surely do it!
At this moment, Su Mu's brain was exceptionally clear, he knew this time that the potential of both "Rock Shattering Fist" and "Startled Sparrow Step" had reached the limit of his current comprehension, thus breaking through the shackles of his current comprehension.
A quantity change led to the ultimate quality transformation now.
After half a year since the last breakthrough, his comprehension once again made a breakthrough!