Chapter 32: Great Leap In Strength
Although Fire Meat Ganoderma is not a direct warming and tonifying Treasure Plant and possesses Fire Toxin, which is even more potent than Yin Red Root.
However, this thing can be refined into quite a few Pills, and its price at Hundred Herbs Hall remains high.
This one in front of him, so large, is worth at least ten to twenty taels of silver at the very least.
However, Su Yan had no intention of handing this thing over in exchange for silver, but rather wanted to use it as rations for his two Insect Tamers.
Especially the Yin Water Centipede, under constant driving and feeding with Poisonous Creatures, its growth had long reached 127/200. As long as he pushed a bit harder, it might even break through before him.
Su Yan carefully harvested this Fire Meat Ganoderma, and upon taking it in hand, he felt a scorching heat, like water at seventy or eighty degrees.
If not for his Skin Refining accomplishment, he probably couldn’t have plucked it barehanded.
He placed the item into the Insect Realm Space, cleaned up, and then went down the mountain together with his two Insect Tamers.
He came and went quietly, with no one knowing he had left Yun Qian Village.
By the next day, Su Yan used the remaining five jin of Green Back Rock Beef to make breakfast and ate it all.
Then, he used Red Skin Powder once more.
Only then did he absorb two strands of Insect Yuan into his body and stand into Golden Ape Stance Training.
The medicinal potency of yesterday’s Red Skin Powder and Green Back Rock Beef had not yet fully released, and now he added more fuel, making his entire body scorching hot.
His skin membrane felt like it was burning, his whole body flushed red, with veins bulging.
This Insect Yuan, when absorbed, was just like warm, gentle spring water, merging into the surging Qi and Blood.
For a moment, the medicinal potency spread throughout his body. Su Yan focused his mind on stance training, uniting intent and form, enduring the intense pain, and guiding the surging Qi and Blood to continuously temper his skin membrane.
Standing like this lasted one or two hours.
When his body was exhausted, after a short rest, he practiced the Eight Forms of Monkey Fist one by one.
When moving, his body was like a nimble ape; when striking, his fists were like a Fierce Ape.
The moves changed fluidly as desired, and in the subtle aspects of his steps and form, he even integrated his own Golden Ape Stance Training.
Since he was going to practice, he had to make something of it.
Not only did he want Stance Training to reach Great Accomplishment, he also wanted Monkey Fist to reach Great Accomplishment, solidly building his Martial Arts foundation.
Su Yan also released the Yin Water Centipede and Velvet Fire Scorpion Insect, dividing the Fire Meat Ganoderma between the two to eat.
At the same time, he gave them the poisonous Mushrooms and toxic herbs he had gathered in the past, along with the Gray Rabbit and venomous snakes he had hunted, for them to devour.
In this way, a few days passed by. During this time, he made another trip to Golden Ape Martial Arts School.
Perhaps because the martial arts school’s examination was drawing nearer, more Apprentices had come to the martial arts school.
Not to mention the chance of entering the Inner Sect, if seen by Master Bai and given a pointer or two, the progress might equal a month of cultivation.
As such, there were many new faces.
However, there was one person: after Li Shun fell out with Su Yan, he kept a cold shoulder, and even Zhou Yong and Hu Qing, these Lake Household Outer Disciples, did not dare have too much contact with Su Yan.
Su Yan only felt it was childish behavior. If strength was sufficient, what use was playing such tricks?
In Yun Qian Village, Su Yan held the Hardwood Bow and swiftly dashed toward the old tree.
In two or three steps, his form shifted, and he drew the bow to loose three arrows in succession.
These three arrows shot out clearly had sequence, yet somehow, like three stars converging, they simultaneously slashed across falling leaves and nailed onto the same tree branch.
The tree branch, as thick as a small arm, took three arrows and emitted a crisp snap, breaking immediately.
Su Yan’s form came to a slight stop, his breathing gradually steadying, deep and stable, faintly revealing the posture of stance training, already mostly integrated.
“Stance Training power, Qi and Blood enhancement, under this Skillful Strength, Archery is actually a bit stronger, but unfortunately, Qi and Blood cannot leave the body, and this Hardwood Bow’s power is also limited.”
【Tier 1 Insect Master:20/100】
【Insect Realm:1 cubic meter】
【Body Tempering Realm:Skin Refining 149/200（Minor Accomplishment）】
【Golden Ape Stance Training:171/200(Minor Accomplishment）】
【Monkey Fist:Minor Accomplishment（167/200)】
【Mountain Hunting:94/200（Minor Accomplishment）】
【Basic Archery 5/400（Great Accomplishment）】
【Herbology57/200(Minor Accomplishment）】
【Yin Water Centipede189/200(Growth Stage）】
【Velvet Fire Scorpion Insect53/200(Growth Stage）】
In just a few short days, Su Yan’s progress was not small.
The Yin Water Centipede was only one step away from Mature Stage, and Monkey Fist and Golden Ape Stance Training had both advanced further, touching the edge of Great Accomplishment.
His skin membrane was taut like iron, his form straight like a pine, tempered to one or two thousand jin of Great Strength, only one step away from Skin Refining Great Accomplishment.
However, what Su Yan had not expected was that Basic Archery reached Great Accomplishment first.
‘Although Martial Skills reaching Great Accomplishment follows the path of Comprehension and Compatibility, it is also related to one’s own complexity.’
‘Basic Archery is just an ordinary Martial Skill—steps, form, bow stance, eyesight—compared to Stance Training, it is not complex, so Great Accomplishment is naturally easier. However.’
Su Yan’s eyes flickered as he recalled the earlier Archery: ‘Master one method, master all methods. Although it is just a slight inspiration, it helps a bit with how to break through the platform period for Golden Ape Stance Training and Monkey Fist. It requires actual combat and Combat.’
Under the nourishment of large amounts of supplements and Insect Yuan, his hard cultivation progressed extremely quickly, but after reaching proficiencies of 170 or 180, the speed slowed down.
Although he could still push to Great Accomplishment through continuous cultivation and fine adjustments, this was an advantage ordinary people did not have.
But Su Yan still felt it was not enough in his heart. After all, dragging it out like this would be a grind, and it might take one or two months to break through.
‘Good, just right to enter the mountains for a few days. Right now resources are cut off, need to get some silver to exchange for Red Skin Powder.’
Su Yan made up his mind when suddenly there was a sound at the door.
“Is Su Yan home?”
Su Yan’s expression shifted slightly. This voice seemed like Dian Jing?
He strode to the door and opened it. Outside in the courtyard stood a towering man like an iron pagoda—none other than Dian Jing.
Dian Jing carried a large bow on his back, a Dao at his waist, and a beast hide waterskin, dressed for entering the mountains.
‘What is Dian Jing coming to find me for?’
Su Yan was puzzled in his heart but still went up to greet him.
“How does Senior Brother Dian have time to come find me?”
“Li Shun caught a ten-jin Rhino Horn Catfish in Bai Lu Lake. That is a top-grade treasure fish for Skin Refining and bone boiling. After eating it, his skin membrane advanced further. He is likely to seek to regain face from you in the examination.”
Dian Jing was straightforward, directly telling Su Yan about Li Shun’s matter.
Su Yan could not help but show a surprised expression and interrupted Dian Jing.
“Senior Brother Dian, I remember last time I didn’t just refute Li Shun’s face.”
He stared into Dian Jing’s eyes. Dian Jing gave a self-mocking smile: “Well refuted. Whether Martial Artist or Hunter, all are self-reliant. I was blinded by fox urine to follow that Li Shun.”
That day, Dian Jing had been bluffed by Li Shun’s talk of city folk as one faction, Mountain Household and Lake Household as another, and without unity they would be targeted.
That was how the Connection formed, seeking people to help out in the examination.
But after being mocked by Su Yan like that, not only was his face flushed with embarrassment, he suddenly reacted.
It was fox pretending to be tiger, dog relying on people—fox and dog are still fox and dog, transparent in Master Bai’s eyes. How could there be superiority?
If his strength was originally extremely strong, who could suppress him?
Thinking this way, not two days later he parted ways with Li Shun.
He naturally would not tell Su Yan about these matters, but felt a bit guilty in his heart, so he came to give a reminder.
Su Yan seemed to understand something and nodded: “Thanks for the reminder, Senior Brother Dian, but he won’t succeed.”
Su Yan’s tone was calm. Not to mention one Rhino Horn Catfish—even two or three—with Li Shun’s showiness and scheming, it would be hard to succeed.
Dian Jing looked at Su Yan strangely, not knowing what trump card this Junior Brother had.
Though puzzled in his heart, he would not pry, saying only: “That’s good. I’ll tell you the second matter, as compensation for last time.”
Su Yan raised his gaze: “What is it?”
“I don’t know what powerful Feral Beast appeared in Great Desolate Mountain, startling a group of Ranked, Early First Order Feral Beasts fleeing into the Inner Mountain—not too many, not too few. The Yamen passed word to each Hunter household in our village, urging people to enter the mountains to patrol and hunt. I know your Archery is good. If interested, perhaps you can find one or two in the Inner Mountain, no worse than Treasure Plants.”
Ordinary Hunters, if not Body Tempering Realm, naturally could not match even Early First Order Feral Beasts.
But if it was a team of Hunters cooperating with traps, that was another story.
After all, not every Feral Beast was like that Black Claw Tiger equivalent to Blood Moving Realm, with Late First Order cultivation.
“Thanks, Senior Brother Dian.”
Su Yan was slightly stunned, then cupped his fists in thanks, his attitude much more serious.
This news, Dian Jing did not have to tell him and could have kept it as his own Opportunity.
