Enlightenment: Beginning as a Disposable Warrior-Chapter 43 - 41: Two Years of Drunken Dreams, Tiger Subduing Fist Perfection!

Chapter 43: Chapter 41: Two Years of Drunken Dreams, Tiger Subduing Fist Perfection!

The morale of the Cyan Cloud Army surged like a rainbow; the Black-armored Strongman was dead, and once Qian Wu, that Bone Forging Realm Cyan Cloud Captain, was freed, he led his men in repeated charges and slaughters—with Su Mu continually reaping enemies.

The psychological defenses of the Black Mountain Rebel Army completely collapsed; this great battle ended with the Cyan Cloud Army securing an absolute victory.

"Thank you, knight, for your righteous intervention and removing this menace for the people. On behalf of the Cyan Cloud Army, I, Qian Wu, offer my gratitude to you."

Qian Wu pressed his fists together and saluted Su Mu, then bowed his body deeply.

Su Mu merely nodded lightly. He reached out and quickly searched over Hongshan’s corpse, pulled out a blood-soaked bundle, then casually tore a piece of cloth from another corpse to wrap the severed head, and turned to leave.

He had come for vengeance; now that his blood feud was repaid, it was time to go.

"Captain Qian, that bandit’s head and his belongings shouldn’t be taken away; the County Captain himself specifically mentioned..." A Cyan Cloud soldier hesitated to speak.

Before he finished, Qian Wu glared fiercely, "Enough of that. I’ll report to the County Captain myself."

Qian Wu knew well that the Black-armored Strongman’s power was above him; with iron armor and natural brute strength combined, he could nearly rival a Second Bone Forger Martial Artist. If not for Su Mu’s righteous aid today, forget about killing the Black-armored Strongman—they’d likely all be buried here together.

"The sound of tiger’s roar... Tiger Subduing Fist... This man is tied to Vajra Temple... Not only does he command a remarkable lightweight skill, he’s mastered Transforming Force, and that devastating fist technique is extraordinary... He’s deliberately lowering his voice, but I wager he’s quite young; Vajra Temple has truly produced a remarkable figure."

Watching Su Mu’s departing figure, Qian Wu’s heart burned with curiosity about Su Mu. Though Vajra Temple was a monastery, as one of Qingyun County’s five major powers, it had more than a few lay disciples.

He guessed Su Mu was one of them, and surely not a simple identity—perhaps a disciple of one of Vajra Temple’s masters.

Without a famed teacher’s guidance or the support of a great force’s resources, no matter how exceptional his talent, how could someone at such an age cultivate so many martial arts to profound levels, even reaching the Transforming Force Realm ordinary martial artists never attain in a lifetime?

What Qian Wu couldn’t imagine was that Su Mu had cultivated all his martial arts on his own. While a Great Success Dark Force martial artist can allow Qi to penetrate the skin, they can only cover a small part of the body with power.

That so-called ’Power Film’ mistaken for Transforming Force was simply the result of Su Mu cultivating three fist techniques simultaneously, his power vastly exceeding common martial artists, combined with near-perfect bodily control from Five Animals Qigong at Perfection, and a shocking enlightenment—only thus, by strange chance, had he achieved it.

"I’ve avenged Master Zhou, and the other masters too!"

On his way back, Su Mu tossed aside his bloodstained night clothes on a desolate mountain; before returning to the shop, he changed back to a set of gray cloth garments. He went to the town inn, rented a room, stored the severed head and bloody bundle there, and quickly washed up.

Returning to the smithy, he found Li Xiaohu awake.

"Su Mu, why are you back? Hmm, what’s that smell on you, it’s so sharp?"

Before Su Mu could speak, someone noticed the blood dripping from his arms. One of the masters spoke anxiously: "Xiaomu, you’re hurt? Come here, there’s still a bottle of fall medicine you brought—I’ll help you with it."

"I just... slipped and fell on my way out, it’s nothing."

After that, the sound of suona horns drifted above the small town for more than half a month. Nine in ten households wore mourning clothes. Su Mu secretly sought news of Pharmacist Lin while helping at the shop to handle the affairs of the dead masters.

The other masters all had families. Su Mu accompanied Uncle Li to deliver the news to each household in person; soon after, their families came to claim the bodies, planning to bury them at their ancestral mountains in the village. Uncle Li also gave each family a generous amount of silver for burial expenses.

Master Zhou Mountain had no family. After Uncle Li consulted the townsfolk, they permitted Zhou Mountain and the dead of Qingshui Town to be buried together at Bailu Mountain on the town’s west side.

Su Mu ordered the finest coffin for Zhou Mountain, and placed the ancestral sheepskin medical scroll into the coffin.

The fifth day was auspicious. Su Mu carried the coffin to send Zhou Mountain off; once the coffin was laid to rest and the earth piled, the funeral was complete.

"Xiaomu, it’s time to go back."

"Uncle Li and masters, you go ahead—let me speak with Uncle Zhou a bit more."

"Alright."

Su Mu bought several jars of wine, poured a cup for the departed and drank another himself; after finishing several jars, he passed out drunk at the grave, and that night, dreamed a long, long dream.

One dream for two years.

Starting from Qingzhou Celestial Prison, the sickly nobleboy rescuing people at the execution ground, Death Warrior, practice, forging apprentice—all these nearly two years of Su Mu’s journey in this world were recalled in his dreams.

In deep drunkenness, as memories of practicing Five Animals Qigong, Tiger Subduing Fist, Rock Shattering Fist, Startled Sparrow Step, Gale Fist, etc. flashed by, his remarkable Jade-Level Enlightenment of 14 points quietly took effect.

The power in his body began to circulate automatically.

At a certain moment—

Buzzz---------

In his drunken state, Su Mu’s muscles and bones buzzed all over his body, the faint sound of tiger’s roar surrounding him. For a time, all the restless wolves and serpents in the mountain at night fell silent, not daring to approach Su Mu’s mountaintop at all.

Tiger Subduing Fist (Perfection)

Enlightenment: 17 (Jade-Level)

Tiger Subduing Fist—the first Grade-Entering Martial Arts Su Mu cultivated—after the life-and-death battle with the Iron-armored Strongman was already near Perfection. Now, after taking vengeance and experiencing separation, with a drunken heart open wide, in a dream he gained sudden insight, shattering the shackles of Great Success and leaping into the Realm of Perfection.

Whoosh whoosh--------

At that moment, a fierce, blazing warmth surged in Su Mu’s abdomen, flowing through his limbs and hundreds of vessels, driving his inner Qi-blood to surge and his power to roil, emitting the sound of rushing torrents.

The dream went on: the fierce force of Tiger Subduing Fist, the yin and soft force of Rock Shattering Fist, the gathered force of Gale Fist—three different powers slowly collided and then interlaced, blending together within Su Mu’s body.

"Ugh... Uncle Zhou, I have avenged you!"

"Heart-driven strength, covering the whole body, Power turning into Armor..."

The drunken youth muttered dreamily as the Power Film swirled over every inch of skin.

The next morning, as the sun rose and a ray of light landed on the youth’s resolute face, he slowly awoke from a night of heavy drinking.

The instant Su Mu got up, he felt something was off.

Hmm?

He’d never felt so astonishingly clear-headed, his body light and nimble. Su Mu looked astonished, and at once called up his attributes panel for inspection.

One glance startled him.

"Last night, after I got drunk... my Tiger Subduing Fist actually reached Perfection, and my Enlightenment increased by three points all at once?"

Su Mu immediately calmed himself and carefully examined his body—then realized the three powers within him had achieved an unprecedented blend.

"What exactly happened last night?"

Su Mu tried to mobilize his power and found that, after merging, it was far more abundant than before. With a thought, he attempted to manifest the Power Film.

It was as if Su Mu had opened a door to a new world. That force instantly spread, radiating and covering every inch of flesh, five viscera and six organs, then floating above every inch of his skin.

All it took was a thought—his power surged like a tide, quickly reaching every part of his body, the power roiling at high speed on the surface; it could likely withstand ordinary blade soldiers.

Whish whish whish!

A gust of mountain wind blew, dried leaves and dust swirling to cover Su Mu’s figure; when the wind stopped, Su Mu’s whole body was spotless, and under his feet a patch of ground was bare, not a single dry leaf in sight.

Outside that patch, a pile of powder appeared—that was the dried leaves shattered by the Power Film.

"This is Transforming Force... No, not quite—it should be Half-Step Transforming Force... My inner power isn’t yet fully solidified; maybe if I bring Gale Fist to Great Success, or another fist technique to Perfection, I’ll break through to true Transforming Force!"

Feeling the power of Half-Step Transforming Force, Su Mu was brimming with confidence. If he faced the Iron-armored Strongman again, even without Qian Wu’s support, he could slay his enemy single-handed—without sacrificing his own arms this time. 𝕗𝐫𝚎𝗲𝘄𝐞𝕓𝐧𝕠𝘃𝕖𝐥.𝐜𝚘𝚖

"The strength of Transforming Force truly rivals a Bone Forger Martial Artist!"

Just then, several rows of dense black dots caught Su Mu’s attention from the foot of the mountain. Looking down from above, those ant-like black dots were actually a group of over a hundred people.

This hundred-strong procession was headed toward Qingshui Town.

"Black Tiger Gang, you’ve finally returned!"