Enlightenment: Beginning as a Disposable Warrior-Chapter 117 - 105: First Yijin, Advancing by Leaps and Bounds! (First Update)

Chapter 117: Chapter 105: First Yijin, Advancing by Leaps and Bounds! (First Update)

In the sound of flutes and shawms during the Lantern Festival on New Year’s Eve, the silhouettes of two figures emerged from the dark at the clinic. A child was frolicking with a colored lantern through the crowd, and amidst the throng, the little doctor’s small hand unconsciously seized the corner of Su Mu’s clothing.

Su Mu glanced over, the little doctor’s cheeks flushed but she didn’t let go; she lowered her head and tightened her grip.

"Su, I want to eat candied haw."

"Alright."

South of Qingyun City, by the time they arrived at Cyan Cloud Lake, it was already bustling with people. A delicately crafted paper lantern in the shape of a fish-dragon was swimming across the arched bridge, the colorful light reflected from its scales illuminating faces filled with anticipation.

The crowd by the lake closed their eyes and bowed their heads to make wishes.

"Mother, what wish did you make?"

"Silly child, if you say it out loud, it won’t come true."

The little doctor also made a wish and after doing so, she sneaked a glance at Su Mu. Their eyes met; the little doctor’s lashes trembled, and she hurriedly looked away.

"Crack--!"

Suddenly, fireworks lit up at that moment, rendering the little doctor’s cheeks and ears bright red. She tightened her grip on Su Mu’s clothing, "We, let’s go solve riddles."

Before the riddle stand, the flickering lantern shadows, Su Mu took out a silver-scabbarded knife from his coat. The handle was wrapped with blue thread, the knife appearing as exquisite and elegant as the little doctor’s flowered hairpin, designed like small regular script. It was crafted by Su Mu during his stolen moments of leisure at the Forging Workshop.

"For you, consider it a New Year gift."

The little doctor was dazed for a moment, upon receiving it, she ran her fingers across the scabbard and noticed there were characters on it. By the lantern light, she discovered it was those four plum blossom verses: ’遥知不是雪,为有暗香来’ soft fragrance comes.’

"Su treats me so well, I will cherish this gift!"

The little doctor’s nose twitched, cupping the small knife, she carefully held it close to her chest, then searched left and right on her body before finally hurriedly untangling the still warm, slightly faded colored rope from her wrist.

"Su, hold out your hand."

The little doctor earnestly tied the colored rope on Su Mu’s wrist, "T-this is a Peace Rope, symbolizing safety year after year... Su, you mustn’t lose it."

Further away from the lantern festival, Li Xuan and Wu Qiao’Er were also enjoying the lantern festival, tasting snacks along the street, stopping to buy something at each place they passed. If they didn’t want to eat it themselves, they’d just toss it to the two trailing behind them, Wu Ning shivered all over from the sourness of the candied haw in his hand.

"Brother Gongsun, you come from the Vajra Temple, a major sect. It’s said that the third refinement turns into transformation. Do you know what realm is above three times?"

Gongsun Hu’s eyes revealed a look of yearning upon hearing this, but soon shook his head.

"This matter, I don’t know either."

Mentioning the Martial Dao, the two opened their chatter boxes, discussing excitedly.

Inside Yunhe Clinic in the secluded Wine Dust Lane, the pharmacist drank a cup of hot wine, leisurely enjoying himself, as he flipped through a medical book. However, his silver hair in the past two years had become more like frost.

Coughing sounds emerged from the room occasionally.

... 𝒇𝒓𝙚𝒆𝔀𝓮𝓫𝒏𝓸𝙫𝓮𝓵.𝓬𝙤𝙢

After the lantern festival, it ushered in a new year.

Su Mu returned to the house on Yanque Street, feeling the tough and powerful tendons within his body. Su Mu was rather eager to take out that Muscle-Protecting Pill.

After the final medicinal bath that day, his body’s tendons had nurtured and strengthened, reaching a breakthrough critical point, only to be suppressed by Su Mu.

"Next, start the assault on Seventh Grade!"

Anxious that the upcoming assault on Seventh-Grade Yijin might damage the Peace Rope given by the little doctor, Su Mu solemnly took it off first, then tore open the wax covering of the Muscle-Protecting Pill, tilted his head back, and swallowed it.

The strength accelerated the medicinal effect, transforming into a medicinal power distinct from the Muscle-Protecting Pill, resembling a ball of fierce fire swallowed into the body. Once ingested, it stimulated the medicinal power of the Muscle-Protecting Pill inside.

Su Mu sat cross-legged; under introspection, the twelve major tendons, Eight Extraordinary Meridians, and Ren and Du Meridians accelerated their trembling at this moment, the resonance of trembling sounded again within his body.

Buzz-----------

The tendons resonated aloud.

Su Mu took a deep breath, and as the breath was completely expelled, the Strength Pill in his Dantian began to spin. The power Flood Dragon roamed within the tendons completely unlocking the Muscle-Protecting Pill’s medicinal power.

At one time, the cooling and scorching sensation resembled the dual realms of ice and fire.

Under the dual medicinal power and strength, along with qi blood action, Su Mu felt the power within his body constantly accelerating; the circulation of qi blood was unobstructed. The tendons nurtured and enlarged for more than a month began to widen formally starting the transformation.

Gradually, Su Mu perceived a special and formidable force emerging within his tendons, belonging to the Tendon Power of a Seventh-Grade Muscle-Enhancing Martial Artist.

As they say, gain half an inch in tendon length, increase tenfold in strength!

This is no empty talk.

In the state of introspection, Su Mu saw that each of his tendons was much more robust than initially, their surface faintly shimmering with a crystalline luster, also more resilient and highly elastic.

Power and qi blood surged within his body, and after the fourth refining force, Su Mu’s control over his body’s qi blood reached an astonishing degree, but only now did he realize that he hadn’t previously been able to truly exert that control, as his internal tendons didn’t allow it.

At this moment, with a mere thought, Su Mu could channel power and qi blood through his twelve major tendons to every part of his body, connecting power and qi blood through to his skin and flesh. This sensation was wonderful, making Su Mu utter a low, delightful cry involuntarily.

Once the sensation of hot and cold dissipated, a special tendon power reached saturation for this phase of his first tendon transformation, marking the completion of his First Tendon Transformation!

"The first tendon transformation is cow tendons... I, Su Mu, have now officially entered the Seventh Grade Realm!"

From starting with Five Animals Qigong, Su Mu has been practicing martial arts for less than four years. If counted from when he began with Tiger Subduing Fist, Su Mu has been practicing martial arts for barely three years.

In just three short years, the youth who had no control over life and death, like Ding Shisan, went from being an unknown apprentice in Qingshui Town’s iron shop to today, solidifying his martial foundations while advancing at a terrifying pace of one grade per year in his Martial Dao.

Through the Body Tempering Third Grade Fifteen Realms, Su Mu has spent less than three years to achieve Divine Speed Breaking Realm, and now with four refining forces, three bone forgings, and one tendon transformation, he has reached eight of those realms, while the fourth bone forging is accumulating power, not far from the Ninth Realm.

"Let’s test the tendon power!"

Su Mu felt an astonishing power lurking within his tendons at this moment, ready to explode forth with just a thought.

He moved to the courtyard and casually threw a punch.

"Crack!"

Su Mu felt his tendons instantly tauten like bowstrings at the moment of clenching his fist, with tendon power circulating within, then, as he punched out, the tendon power erupted from the bowstring-like tendons.

"Whoosh!"

In an instant, a sonic boom resounded through the air.

This punch left behind afterimages, shooting out like an arrow released from the bow, the whistling fist wind causing a bare old locust tree in the courtyard to sway and rustle from half a yard away.

Crack!

A branch that wasn’t particularly slender couldn’t withstand the force, emitting a crisp sound before falling to the ground, directly broken by the fist wind.

Su Mu’s eyes brightened. He hadn’t used any power in this punch, merely his physical strength, yet the power of this strike could rival ordinary martial arts.

Immediately, he continued to punch, one after another, creating afterimages. If someone else was present, they would likely think they were hallucinating, as the young man appeared to have not just two arms, but like four or six arms.

Next, Su Mu tried to activate Pill Force, and after a series of vigorous punches, he exhaled lightly and stopped, faintly sensing a dull pain coming from the halted tendons.

"The first tendon transformation is cow tendons, with tendons like a bull’s, able to directly withstand a thousand kilograms of force; it seems my punching speed has increased by not just three-tenths, but a full five-tenths."

"However, continual outbursts may strain the tendons and fascia... the tendon strength after one tendon transformation is still weaker compared to Pill Force and can’t support long-term bursts of Pill Force."

"Nonetheless, even so, after tendon transformation, my strength has at least doubled compared to before!"

Su Mu’s eyes narrowed slightly, confident that if he faced his pre-tendon transformation self, his current tendon power could quickly defeat his former self.

The augmentation of tendon power varies from person to person; even with the same three-tenths increase in punching speed, tendon power will further amplify the gap between those with an average physique and those with a stronger one.

Muscles and bones are like the bow’s body, while tendon power is the bowstring; if the bow’s body isn’t strong enough, even the strongest string cannot fully unleash its power.

But if all three are sufficiently strong, combined and coordinated, the resulting power isn’t just the sum of one plus one plus one, but can erupt with power far beyond addition.

In addition, post-tendon transformation, tendons are expanded, allowing Su Mu’s robust qi blood and Pill Force to have even broader room to exert.

For this reason, even after just one tendon transformation, Su Mu felt his strength directly doubled.

Su Mu felt a burning determination, clearly sensing the rapid advancement of his strength post-tendon transformation, yet he did not become complacent.

"My tendons can’t yet withstand prolonged bursts of Pill Force. I can’t neglect the second tendon transformation, and the fourth bone forging is accumulating strength."

"In martial arts, there’s no need to consider Spear Technique and Fist Technique as they already involve Seventh-Grade Martial Arts, and the Perfect Vajra Body is adequate for now, but I should seek a higher-grade one if the opportunity arises, and the same goes for Lightweight Skills."

"Compared to martial arts, acquiring the Muscle Strengthening Formula is more urgent. I’ll first take up a bounty from Canghe County in a while."

After advancing to the Seventh Grade Realm, Su Mu also set a small goal for himself.

"Become the number one in Qingyun County first!"

Su Mu aims to become the strongest martial artist in Qingyun County, fully aware that he’s currently still far from this goal.

Qingyun County has the five major forces that have been entrenched for a century, and besides these, there’s also the Black Mountain Army.

The Cyan-Faced Bat King is just one of the four Protectors of the Black Mountain Army, and it was only due to the Great Success Vajra Body’s restraint over the Cyan-Faced Bat King’s martial arts that the battle was easily won.

It’s said that above the Protectors, there’s an even stronger individual, and there is even the unfathomable Celestial King of the Black Mountain Army, capable of defeating enemies with a single strike.