Chapter 218: Chapter 217: Breakthrough, Mid-stage of Flesh Refining

「Five days later.」

The Su Mansion’s Martial Arts Arena.

As the major tendons in Su Yu’s right arm coiled like a dragon and he unleashed a tyrannical Mountain-Shaking Demon Ape Fist, familiar ink-wash characters materialized before his eyes.

[Mountain-Shaking Demon Ape Fist Skill Level +20]

[Mountain-Shaking Demon Ape Fist has broken through to the Minor Success Realm]

[Martial Arts]: Mountain-Shaking Demon Ape Fist (Minor Achievement 1/7000)

In the next instant, a terrifying roar, like the first thunder of spring, suddenly erupted within Su Yu’s body!

If one could look inside his body at this moment, they would see the formless barrier between his limbs and torso—the Four Extremities Gate—stretching like a towering mountain before the great river of his Qi and Blood.

This formidable realm barrier, a chasm-like obstacle, had halted the Martial Arts path of countless geniuses.

But now, as the Qi and Blood in Su Yu’s body thundered, this mountainous gate couldn’t even withstand it for half a breath before it spontaneously crumbled!

In an instant, it was as if heaven and earth had cracked apart.

The mountain of the Four Extremities Gate was pulverized. The long-dammed river of Qi and Blood, like an enraged dragon bursting from the sea, smashed through the barrier and surged with the force of a thunderbolt into the open plains of his limbs!

From his Dantian to the tips of his limbs, wherever the energy passed, Su Yu’s muscle fibers were instantly torn asunder by the violent torrent, only to be rapidly reorganized and healed at a speed visible to the naked eye, nourished by a surging vitality.

His already exceptionally tough tendons now seemed to have been forged like true gold in a crucible. The volume of his muscles didn’t increase; instead, from the outside, they even appeared slightly leaner and more compact.

But the density and flexibility of the tendons beneath his skin had ascended to an entirely different, terrifying level!

This inhuman process of reconstruction and metamorphosis lasted for a full hour.

This time, thanks to the foundation provided by his White Ape Saint Body, the flesh and blood of Su Yu’s arms and legs once again defied convention, undergoing a full two cycles of being torn apart and reconstructed!

The moment the transformation ended.

"RRRIP—"

Su Yu ripped off his shirt, which was soaked through with sweat and blood, revealing muscle lines so perfect they looked chiseled by a master sculptor. A cold glint seemed to flow over every inch of his streamlined flesh, which silently harbored a destructive power capable of shattering mountains.

’So this is the physical foundation of the Mid-stage of Flesh Refining?’

Su Yu clenched his fists, feeling the explosive power that was practically overflowing from his fingers as a sharp light flared in his eyes. "Let’s see what this can do!"

He abruptly activated the Seven Fiends Thunder Collapse Step.

"BANG!"

Amid a dull sonic boom, Su Yu’s figure vanished from the spot. His speed was like a flash of lightning, making it difficult to even glimpse an afterimage.

When he reappeared, he was already pressed up against the century-old Ironwood Stake like a phantom.

Still without using any Martial Arts or Traits, relying purely on his physical strength, he sent out a casual punch.

"BOOM!"

The Ironwood Stake, which in the past would only tremble slightly under Su Yu’s full-force blows, now let out a crack like muffled thunder. The thick stake vibrated violently, the tremors lasting for a long time. At the point of impact, a fist mark nearly an inch deep had been forcefully smashed into it!

’My raw physical power has increased by at least sixty percent!’

Su Yu retracted his fist and nodded, extremely satisfied.

’No wonder they say there’s a huge gap between the minor realms of the Flesh Refining Realm. Once the Four Extremities Gate is broken, the body’s potential in the limbs is fully unleashed, directly boosting one’s foundation by a terrifying sixty percent!’

’How are people in lower realms supposed to fight this? Even with a Xuan-tier Technique at the Great Achievement stage like mine, it only enhances Qi and Blood by thirty percent. Even with the bonus from my special constitution, that’s probably a fifty-percent boost at best, just barely enough to fight someone a level higher.’

’Looking at it this way, the Ape Shadow Swift Wind Trait is truly terrifying. It doubles my fist speed, and the final explosive power far surpasses the enhancements from my cultivation technique and constitution.’

By now, Su Yu had a much deeper understanding of Limit-Breaking Traits. They were the true foundation of his ability to easily fight opponents two minor realms above him.

’Breaking the Limit... it means breaking the original upper limit of a Martial Art!’

’From this perspective, the vast amount of resources I’ve invested was completely worth it—even more than worth it!’

Summoning the panel again, Su Yu checked his latest progress in martial arts and skills.

[Martial Arts]: Mountain-Shaking Demon Ape Fist (Minor Achievement 1/7000)

[Martial Arts]: Spiritual Ape Demon-Slaying Saber (First Layer) (Great Achievement 3000/10000)

[Martial Arts]: Black Stone Body Forging Skill (First Layer) (Great Achievement 2400/12000)

[Martial Arts]: Seven Fiends Thunder Collapse Step (Great Achievement 2200/4000)

[Martial Arts]: Bibo Fish Dragon Skill (First Layer) (Great Achievement 1/3000)

[Martial Arts]: Lingxi Beast Taming Technique (Great Achievement 612/1000)

[Martial Arts]: White Ape Long Arm Fist (1 Breakthrough) (Trait: Ape Shadow Swift Wind), White Ape Six Changes (3 Breakthroughs) (Trait: White Ape Saint Body), Coin Toss (1 Breakthrough) (Trait: Spiral Armor-Breaking)

[Skills]: Casting Net (3 Breakthroughs) (Trait: Listening Wave Positioning), Reading (1 Breakthrough) (Trait: Five Senses Divine)

[Breakthrough Points]: 1 (Progress: 62%)

’There are only three days left until the Dinglong Association. There’s no time to grind the Seven Fiends Thunder Collapse Step to the Perfection Realm. However, with my current foundation at the Mid-stage of Flesh Refining, plus my Great Achievement Black Stone Body Forging Skill and the Ape Shadow Swift Wind Trait, I can easily crush anyone in the same realm. I can even defeat enemies at the Late-stage of the Flesh Refining Realm!’

At this thought, a surge of confidence welled up in Su Yu’s heart.

The Dinglong Association would be his time to make a name for himself once again!

...

As the Dinglong Association drew near, the atmosphere in the city’s various martial arts halls grew tense.

Hongshan Martial Arts Hall, inner hall tearoom.

Hall Master Hong Jingtian sat in the head seat, personally meeting with the hall’s core disciples.

As the master of the most powerful local martial arts hall in the Outer City, Hong Jingtian had reached the Perfection stage of the Muscle Forging Realm many years ago. His Hongshan Saber Technique was masterfully divine, and his strength was unfathomable.

Now just over forty and in the prime of his life, he was considered by all to be one of the few top-tier Martial Arts masters in the Outer City with the best chance of breaking through to the Profound Bone Realm.

His imposing gaze slowly swept over the handful of Flesh Refining Realm disciples standing ramrod straight below, finally settling on one proud and aloof figure. 𝕗𝕣𝐞𝐞𝘄𝐞𝚋𝚗𝗼𝘃𝗲𝗹.𝚌𝕠𝚖

"Wanhe, how is your cultivation progressing?"

Cui Wanhe, dressed in black with a long saber on his back, looked as cold and arrogant as ever. He stepped forward, his tone filled with unconcealed confidence. "Reporting to the Hall Master, I have completely stabilized the Late-stage of the Flesh Refining Realm. In two days at most, I will be able to break open the Canopy Acupoint!"

As soon as he said this, shock flashed in the eyes of the other Flesh Refining Realm disciples beside him.

So fast!

Cui Wanhe’s talent was simply monstrous! How many days had it been since he broke through to the Late-stage of Flesh Refining? And now he was already preparing to open a new acupoint?

"Good! Excellent!"

Admiration showed in Hong Jingtian’s eyes. "With your current realm, coupled with your Hongshan Saber at the Great Achievement stage, you will be invincible in Black Stone City, as long as you don’t run into one of those few masters at the Perfection level of the Flesh Refining Realm!"

"At this Dinglong Association, go and sweep them all aside! Let the Hongshan Martial Arts Hall secure its position as the undisputed leader of the alliance!"

"Yes, Hall Master!"

...

Outer City, the Dai Family.

In a pavilion in the rear garden, several young women with stunning looks and graceful, slender figures were gathered around a stone table, laughing and chatting.

And in the center of this flock of beautiful, chattering women sat the sole man: the genius, Dai Xing.

One woman, the most radiant and beautiful of them all, with a valuable crimson jade hairpin adorning her hair bun, picked up a delicate osmanthus cake with her slender fingers. She looked at the silent Dai Xing beside her and, with a gentle smile, brought the pastry to his lips.

"Little Xing, the Dinglong Association is about to start. You have to do your best in the arena this time and give it your all."

Dai Xing snapped out of his daze, saw the cake being pushed at his mouth, and recoiled slightly. With a pained expression, he said, "Sis, I’m twenty years old! Can you please stop feeding me like a three-year-old? What would people think if they saw this? It’s embarrassing!"

"Hee hee, everyone, look! Our little Xing is getting shy again!"

The surrounding sisters immediately covered their mouths and giggled delicately, their bodies shaking with laughter like flowers in the wind.

The peerless beauty holding the cake was none other than Dai Xing’s eldest sister, Dai Xin, a woman in the prime of her youth.

In Black Stone City, Dai Xin’s name was extremely well-known!

One reason was that the Dai Family was a prestigious family with a profound, century-long heritage. The family’s descendants were known for their looks—the men were handsome and dashing, while the women were devastatingly beautiful.

Take Dai Xing, for example. As a top genius second only to Cui Wanhe in the city, his jade-like handsome face made him even more popular among the young ladies of the great families than Cui Wanhe himself.

And as for Dai Xin, in her younger days, her beauty had surpassed all others, and she was publicly acknowledged as one of the "Three Beauties of Black Stone City."

Of course, in the cruel Martial Arts World, a peerless beauty without talent was nothing more than a plaything for the strong. The main reason Dai Xin was so famous was because her Martial Arts talent was in no way inferior to Dai Xing’s!

Now, at only twenty-six years old, she was already a top-tier master at the Perfection level of the Flesh Refining Realm!

"Sister Xin, now that Little Xing has entered the Mid-stage of the Flesh Refining Realm, and with his Cold Star Army-Breaking Spear at the Minor Achievement stage, he’s sure to make a name for himself again at this Dinglong Association!"

"That’s right, that’s right! Our Little Xing is a genius just like Eldest Sister. Among the younger generation, besides that freak Cui Wanhe, who could possibly be his opponent?"

"Hee hee, after this Dinglong Association, the matchmakers are going to wear out the doorstep of our Dai Family..."

"Speaking of which, it really is time for Little Xing to take a wife and some concubines. If he has eight or ten plump sons, our Dai Family won’t have to suffer from this overabundance of women and scarcity of men."

A mischievous glint flashed in Dai Xin’s beautiful eyes. "You know... that female disciple from the Hundred Flowers Palace who just moved here from Jian’an Prefecture is quite a beauty. Why don’t I, as the eldest sister, make the decision to bring her into our Dai Family to be a servant-concubine for Little Xing, to warm his bed and fold his blankets?"

"Great idea! I think the Second Miss of the Wang Family from the south side of the city is also a good choice. We could take her in as a junior..."

This group of stunningly beautiful young ladies were, shockingly, all Dai Xing’s older sisters. As they got excited by the topic, they dissolved into a chattering, giggling gaggle, filling the courtyard with the scent of perfume.

Dai Xing, who seemed to have grown used to this, stared blankly into the distance again, not saying a word.