"Glug! Glug!" Su Changkong served himself a bowl, didn't hesitate, and tipped his head back, drinking the Body Strengthening Soup to the last drop.
Afterward, Su Changkong began practicing the Five Animal Frolics.
Whoosh whoosh whoosh!
Su Changkong's body started to move, imitating the movements of five kinds of flying and walking animals that were vivid and lifelike.
"Hm? Effective!" Su Changkong's eyes brightened as he found his groove, and the medicinal effect of the Body Strengthening Soup made his whole body feel warm. In this state, his practice of the Five Animal Frolics became twice as effective with half the effort!
Five Animal Frolics (Level 3 Complete Understanding 6%)
In less than half a day, Su Changkong's practice progress of the Five Animal Frolics increased by 1%!
"A batch of medicinal herbs for making the Body Strengthening Soup will probably last me two days... It will cost about three taels of silver a month."
Su Changkong calculated.
Given the purchasing power of silver in this era, one tael of silver was enough for a family of four to live a very comfortable life for a month. Three taels of silver a month was undoubtedly a considerable expense!
"Now that I have become an official Forging Master at Black Iron Manor, if I work hard, earning three taels of silver a month and maintaining a balanced budget should be doable."
Su Changkong mused to himself.
As usual, Su Changkong began a fulfilling life, practicing the Five Animal Frolics in the morning and evening while forging swords and other weapons in the workshop during the day.
"Clang clang clang!"
In front of the blazing forge, Su Changkong held a hammer, striking the glowing red steel repeatedly with clear and pleasant collision sounds ringing in his ears. He occasionally stopped to fold the steel with a steel knife, repeatedly forging it to remove impurities, meticulous in his work. Occasionally, he would pause to restore his strength, drinking water to stay hydrated.
"Young people... they've got it good!"
Yang Chao, upon seeing Su Changkong diligently forging, exclaimed. Su Changkong's physique had become taller and stronger, filled with the vibrant vitality characteristic of youth, striving tirelessly towards his goals!
Forging, pouring steel, carbon diffusion, planing, shaping, quenching, steel grinding... Su Changkong was already quite skilled at every one of these processes, with efficiency and artistry improving alongside his accumulating experience.
Su Changkong treated the forging of weapons as a form of cultivation, a dual training of body and patience!
Creating each sword gave Su Changkong a tremendous sense of achievement.
And Black Iron Manor, following the earlier agreement, paid Su Changkong one tael of silver for each quality weapon he made.
With this money, Su Changkong would head to Clearwater City every week or half a month to buy medicinal herbs for the Body Strengthening Soup.
Life was peaceful, and Su Changkong steadily progressed.
"My body... is gradually breaking through its limits, advancing towards a new realm!"
Su Changkong could feel clearly, with his daily hard practice of the Five Animal Frolics combined with the Body Strengthening Soup, his strength grew stronger, his speed swifter, and his senses sharper. This feeling was like gradually stepping into a supernatural domain!
15%, 20%, 25%... The cultivation progress of the Five Animal Frolics was rising steadily each day, approaching the bottleneck and breaking through it!
Now with a potential value of 6 points, Su Changkong was progressing much faster than ordinary people, even though he still spent half a year to make another breakthrough in the Five Animal Frolics.
Half a year passed in a flash.
As evening fell, the sunset spread a dim orange glow, and facing the soon-to-set sun, Su Changkong practiced the Five Animal Frolics. His movements were terrifyingly agile, casting faint afterimages, darting and leaping, as lively as a nimble ape teasing a clumsy bear and fierce tiger in a most lifelike manner.
This was the highly challenging Mutual Restraint Practice of the Five Animal Frolics, which Su Changkong now mastered effortlessly.
"Whew!"
When Su Changkong practiced to the extreme, a warm current rose from the Yongquan point on the sole of his foot, spreading throughout his body, making him feel full of spirit and vibrant, with his eyes shining brightly. His body underwent a sort of metamorphosis, becoming even more nimble.
"I've broken through..." Su Changkong exhaled. His cultivation progress in the Five Animal Frolics had already reached Complete Understanding 100% four days ago, and after several days of hard practice, he finally broke through this bottleneck.
Name: Su Changkong (13 years old)
Lifespan: 55 years
Potential Points: 7 points
Mastery of Martial Arts: Five Animal Frolics (4th Level Mastering Stage 1%).
Mastery of Skills: Forging (1st Level Beginner's Path 27%).
"Life expectancy increased by five years, potential value increased by 1 point,"
Su Changkong opened the attribute panel and took a glance; he secretly felt helpless. The higher one goes, the more difficult it becomes to increase potential value or lifespan, much like stacking a deck of cards— the higher the stack, the harder it is to stack further.
Having achieved the Mastering Stage in Five Animal Frolics, Su Changkong felt his body had transcended the limits a normal person could reach!
Take speed, for instance. Su Changkong's maximum sprint speed could reach 13 or 14 meters per second, which even surpassed the short-distance running champions of Blue Planet by more than just one level! It wouldn't be an exaggeration to say they were worlds apart!
It was the same with stamina and strength. Su Changkong could hammer thousands of times a day in forging. Some Forging Masters, even with apprentices' help, could only make one or two weapons a month; whereas Su Changkong, working alone with enough materials, could forge four to five qualified weapons a month, showing efficiency on a completely different level.
Forging had already stepped into the Beginner's Path level!
"How does my physical quality compare to those martial artists now?"
Su Changkong clenched his fists. He had tried before, and he could easily lift something weighing around a hundred pounds with one hand. This made Su Changkong curious about how he compared to a true Martial Artist.
"Rest for now, and take a trip to Clearwater City in a couple of days when I'm off."
Su Changkong stretched lazily.
He was leading a very peaceful life these days, yet Su Changkong also took pleasure in it!
Two days later, on his day off, Su Changkong headed to Clearwater City as usual. He moved swiftly, the thirty-mile journey was nothing exceptional to him, as comfortable as a leisurely walk.
Upon arriving in Clearwater City, Su Changkong, familiar with the place, first had a hearty meal at a restaurant and then purchased enough ingredients for the Body Strengthening Soup. After performing these tasks, Su Changkong strolled around Clearwater City for a while before heading back to Black Iron Manor.
At noon, with the sun hanging high in the sky, Su Changkong had traveled back and forth between Black Iron Manor and Clearwater City dozens of times by now, and he walked along the shaded path feeling quite pleased.
"Hm?"
Suddenly, Su Changkong's expression tensed slightly, and he stopped in his tracks as a scent of iron rust hit his nose, the smell of... blood!
Following the direction of the wind, Su Changkong looked and saw a man lying amid the trees— now a corpse, with his head chopped off and one arm missing, as blood spread out beneath him, dead as can be.
And next to the man's corpse, there were two men in plain clothes holding blood-stained sabers, who had also noticed Su Changkong coming along the path, their eyes all watching him intently.
"Robbers? Murder for money?"
The words flashed urgently through Su Changkong's mind.
Aside from purchasing medicinal ingredients, Su Changkong rarely left Black Iron Manor. However, he knew from others at the manor that the outside world was chaotic. Clearly, he had encountered robbers out to kill for money. The sight of the man on the ground, his head severed, made Su Changkong's heart race slightly faster.
"Go." Without hesitation, Su Changkong turned to leave, knowing that a wise man does not stand under a collapsing wall.
But then a man with a bandit-like demeanor sprang out from behind a large tree, blocking Su Changkong's retreat. This group had a third person!
The two robbers dealing with the corpse also stood up, forming a triangle and surrounding Su Changkong, the uninvited guest.
"He must be a passerby," the tall, thin man behind Su Changkong assessed him and spoke.
The other two men also stared at Su Changkong with ill intention, their sabers dripping with blood.
Despite his robust physique, Su Changkong's youthful appearance and modest attire made him look like nothing more than a passerby.
"Gentlemen... I'm just passing by. I haven't seen anything, and I didn't get a good look at your faces," Su Changkong said, slightly lowering his head.
"I understand the rules. All my money is here; you can take it all," Su Changkong added, taking out three taels of silver from his chest and placing them on the ground.
It wasn't that Su Changkong was weak; he wasn't some reckless youth. These three robbers murdered without batting an eye, weapons in hand. A conflict with them could be lethal!
When it was time to bow down, one should bow down. There was no need to invite trouble; money was not as precious as life!