Chapter 88 - 87: The Status of Dark Energy, Alloy Combat Knife

Dark Force! So, this is what Dark Force is. Pore control! Sinews and bones interconnected! Vital energy surges! Shackles break free! Every drop of rain was repelled by his force as Jiang Shu performed the seventy-two stances of the Congenital Guiding Skill. As his great spine moved, every cell in his body seemed to be cheering. He let out a long howl, feeling a battle spirit raging throughout him. At this moment, in Pingling County, he could finally say he had a voice of his own! Dark Force, ah. With the understanding of Dark Force, reaching the Bone Forging Realm would be achievable in the blink of an eye! The Congenital Guiding Skill became more and more fluid. As the rain hit his body, it was quickly evaporated by his heated form. Skin as tough as iron! Bone membranes soon to form! Even in this vast wilderness, he had a fair chance of making it through on his own! Fists and feet like the wind, his form like that of a tiger. Jiang Shu moved swiftly through the forest, seeking out and fighting those Mutant Beasts he remembered, those still asleep in their caves! Flames burned fiercely as he cooked. The beast flesh was tender. The meat of various Mutant Beasts turned into vital energy in his stomach, boosting his strength! In just a single day, Jiang Shu had already consumed five small Mutant Beasts. "Finally, I’m full!" He casually kicked aside the bones on the ground. Jiang Shu took a short rest and began to recall the teachings of the Famished Tiger Roar Mountain Strength that Old Chou had imparted in the room. "The Skin Grinding Realm is the beginning of the Martial Arts path. Training only tempers the skin. The Iron Skin stage, in front of ordinary people, makes one invulnerable to ordinary weapons, appearing mighty. But with just one palm strike from me, your ribs would still snap like twigs! "The Iron Skin stage protects the exterior but not the interior. Therefore, subsequent realms focus on using internal force to temper the body, forging bones and organs alike. Training organs is too far off for you, so let me talk about the Bone Forging Realm. "Our Da Jing Dynasty has a brutal execution method called ’Dissection by Five Horses.’ Thick ropes are tied to a criminal’s head and limbs, and five strong horses rush off in different directions. In front of such torture, what use is there in being a Martial Artist of the Iron Skin stage? "But the Bone Forging Realm is different. Martial Artists of the Bone Forging Realm can exert a force of at least five thousand catties! With one exertion of strength, they can pull down the five horses and escape! If one manages to temper all 206 bones in the body, achieving nearly ten thousand catties of immense strength, they truly possess bravery unmatched by thousands! "Just because the Skin Grinding Realm progresses quickly doesn’t guarantee entry into the Bone Forging Realm, since the primary focus is on ’grinding.’ Internal force can train the skin, but can other methods not do so as well? The Da Jing Dynasty has a Martial Arts technique called Iron Sand Palm. The hands are repeatedly struck into iron sand, like stirring up surging waves. Indeed, it hastens skin training. "Even with ordinary Talent, supported by such Martial Arts practice, one can reach the Iron Skin stage. "However, this is also the upper limit. Such external martial skills are only effective in the Skin Grinding Realm. When you reach the Bone Forging Realm, it is a transition from internal to external, truly testing your mastery of internal force. The Bone Forging Realm is not divided by the toughness of the skin membrane like the Skin Grinding Realm. "It is divided by the tempered parts of the bones. Generally speaking, tempering either the upper or lower limbs completely signifies reaching the Early Stage. Tempering the upper limbs generally means focusing on fist and palm techniques, while tempering the lower limbs is about leg techniques. Different people choose differently. Our Famished Tiger Martial Club values fist and palm techniques more, thus we prioritize tempering the upper limbs first. "Once you’ve tempered the bones in your hands and arms, you can truly claim to be a strong warrior and possess the qualifications to open a martial club." 「Time passed.」 Jiang Shu returned to Xuanxing, quietly certified himself as a Dark Force Martial Artist, took a quick look at the current news about the Heaven and Earth Secret Realm, and then went back to practicing Martial Arts in the mountains. In less than three short days, his Famished Tiger Roar Mountain Strength had completely reached the Small Success stage. His internal force was transmitted from the outside to the inside, tempering his ten fingers bit by bit. The nearby Mutant Beasts had long been hunted to extinction by him. To advance further, he could only consider heading deeper into the mountains. Indeed, with different realms come different treatments. Jiang Shu held an alloy battle saber, its edge glinting with a threatening cold light. As he swung it, it seemed as though it could slice through the air. After he became a Dark Force Martial Artist, his Jiangnan Academy account was upgraded. He could now exchange for cold weapons from the credit treasury. Dark Force was like this, let alone Transformative Force. It was said that Martial Artists with Transformative Force could not only directly apply to the government for firearms but also obtain the legendary license to kill. One realm is a whole new world! A single alloy battle saber costs eight hundred academic credits. It’s an amount an average family couldn’t save in ten years, and I spent it all in one night. If it weren’t for winning first place in the academy’s Martial Arts Genius Tournament and receiving a good number of academic credits as a reward, I might not have been able to afford it. Shang Jibei is truly a good person. It’s just that the Heaven and Earth Secret Realm seems to cut off all connections. I don’t know how he’s doing inside or how much fortune he’s able to find. Jiang Shu couldn’t help but sigh with emotion. His battle with Shang Jibei had led to Shang Jibei entering the Heaven and Earth Secret Realm. He himself had won first place, claiming a whopping thirty million in prize money and a massive amount of academic credits from the academy. In Martial Arts, he had also made considerable progress, benefiting no less than Shang Jibei. The only difference was that Shang Jibei had entered the Heaven and Earth Secret Realm earlier than him and might seize an opportunity first. But he was Jiang Shu, wielder of the Two Realms Shuttle. Who could surpass him in terms of opportunities? Clutching the alloy battle saber, Jiang Shu traversed the mountain ranges, honing his saber techniques among the Mutant Beasts. Blood splattered! Beast heads were severed! Jiang Shu steadily improved himself. Bone forging. Saber practice. Finally, one day, a jackal-like Mutant Beast gradually died under his dozens of frenzied slashes. Hare-shaped, antelope-shaped—these herbivorous Mutant Beasts mostly only have the strength of the Skin Grinding Realm. They can be considered First Rank Mutant Beasts. While those like jackals, tigers, and leopards could be Second Rank, or even Third Rank. Like that giant python spewing mist that day, it’s definitely a Third Rank creature. I can tackle First Rank Mutant Beasts with my bare fists, but I must rely on the alloy battle saber for the Second Rank. My own Skin Grinding, that is, reaching the Iron Skin stage, is completely unable to break the hide defense of Second Rank Mutant Beasts. And at the Third Rank, Mutant Beasts might have various extraordinary abilities and occupy treasured lands. The gap between the ranks of Mutant Beasts is even more exaggerated than that among Martial Artists. Jiang Shu silently classified the Mutant Beasts into different ranks in his mind, pondering. Having been in the mountains for such a long time, he was no longer the rookie who knew nothing. No place to study? Then learn from real combat. Under his fists and battle saber lay the Dead Souls of more than twenty Mutant Beasts! After devouring the recently slain Second Rank Mutant Beast, Jiang Shu digested it for a while, taking advantage of the surging period of his qi and blood to temper the cartilage in his palms. 「Until several days later.」 All the bones in his palms were fully tempered. Jiang Shu clenched his battle saber and dashed towards the cold pool.