In the blink of an eye, two years passed.
During this time, Gu Qingfeng had quietly managed the Gu family, while also mobilizing its resources to collect martial arts techniques. His previous breakthroughs with Collapsing Mountain Fist and Iron Body Technique had taught him that even without increasing his cultivation level, practicing more martial arts would passively enhance his strength.
Each martial art tempered different parts of the body. For example, Collapsing Mountain Fist strengthened the fists, with benefits to the rest of the body being secondary. On the other hand, Iron Body Technique was a comprehensive defensive skill that toughened the skin until it became as hard as iron.
The more martial arts he mastered, the greater the benefits. For an ordinary person with limited aptitude, it would be impossible to master multiple disciplines, but Gu Qingfeng was different. Thanks to his improvement points, he could practice any martial art to perfection—provided he had enough points.
However, even within the same grade, there were differences in the strength of techniques. Gu Qingfeng naturally focused on the stronger ones.
Over the past two years, he had found three particularly powerful low-grade martial arts:
Stone Breaking PalmIron Leg SkillIron Fingers
Though Gu Qingfeng's aptitude for martial arts wasn't particularly high, his status as a Blood Refining Realm warrior allowed him to master these low-grade skills faster than most people. Within two years, he had reached a minor level of mastery in all three. While this improvement was not immediately visible, Gu Qingfeng himself felt that his strength had increased significantly.
At this moment, his long-dormant information panel suddenly refreshed with new messages:
"Your descendant, Gu Yang, has broken through to the late stage of the Skin Refining Realm!"
"Reward: 5 improvement points!"
"Reward: 30 Blood Refining Pills!"
Upon seeing this, Gu Qingfeng's face lit up with joy.
"Wonderful! I didn't expect Yang'er to reach the late stage of Skin Refining so quickly!"
Gu Yang had begun practicing martial arts at the age of seven. In just three years, he had reached the late stage of Skin Refining—an incredible achievement. At least within Baishidao, Gu Qingfeng had never heard of anyone advancing this quickly.
Of course, Gu Yang's rapid progress was partly due to the Qi and Blood Pills that Gu Qingfeng frequently provided. Still, there was no denying that Gu Yang possessed exceptional martial talent.
With five newly-earned improvement points, Gu Qingfeng's first thought was to continue advancing his Collapsing Mountain Fist. However, when he checked the improvement requirements, he found that it now required ten points—double what it had taken before.
This change made Gu Qingfeng frown.
"Last time, I only needed five points to improve my Collapsing Mountain Fist. Now it requires ten. It seems that once a technique reaches its limit, the points needed for further improvement increase significantly."
Since he only had five points, Gu Qingfeng put aside his plan to enhance Collapsing Mountain Fist and instead focused on his Iron Body Technique. After all, Iron Body had saved his life during his encounter with Shangguan Jiang, thanks to its incredible defensive power.
Breaking the limit of martial arts wasn't easy, and Gu Qingfeng knew this well. The fact that his Collapsing Mountain Fist had broken its limit was partly due to the effects of the Blood Refining Pills and a stroke of luck. Given the rarity of such opportunities, Gu Qingfeng didn't want to waste points on lesser martial arts, which could be improved over time through practice. For now, his focus was on breaking the limit of his Iron Body Technique.
With this decision made, he spent his five points.
Immediately, a flood of memories filled his mind—memories of decades spent mastering the Iron Body Technique. He endured harsh winter conditions, trained under scorching summer heat, withstood beatings from martial artists, and tempered his body under waterfalls. Through this arduous process, he finally broke through the limits of the technique.
As his Iron Body reached its new peak, Gu Qingfeng's skin took on a bronze hue, and his muscles pulsed with explosive power. His energy radiated so intensely that it rose like steam, filling the air with the scent of blood.
When the energy finally subsided, Gu Qingfeng examined his attribute panel:
Name: Gu Qingfeng
Age: 32/100
Realm: Blood Refining Beginner
Martial Arts:
Collapsing Mountain Fist (Indestructible Level 1)Iron Body Technique (Body as Hard as Iron Level 1)Stone Breaking Palm (Minor Success)Iron Leg Skill (Minor Success)Iron Fingers (Minor Success)
Improvement Points: 0
"As strong as iron!" Gu Qingfeng marveled.
Testing his strength, he gripped his left arm with the five fingers of his right hand, using the force that could easily break stone and split metal. However, his fingers barely left white marks on his skin.
Seeing this, Gu Qingfeng's face beamed with satisfaction. His physical defenses had reached an astonishing level, far beyond the capabilities of an ordinary Blood Refining Realm warrior. Only a mid-level Blood Refining expert might be able to pose a threat to him now.
At that moment, Gu Yang entered the room.
"Father!" Gu Yang greeted him, standing tall and full of vitality from years of martial arts training. Now a young teenager, he exuded masculine energy and strength.
Gu Qingfeng smiled warmly. "Yang'er, you're here."
"Dad, I've just broken through to the late stage of Skin Refining!" Gu Yang's face was full of excitement, eager to share the news with his father.
Gu Qingfeng nodded with pride. "Yes, at such a young age, you've already reached this stage. Your future accomplishments will surely surpass mine. The future of the Gu family will rest on your shoulders!"