Chapter 245: The Body of a Martial Master: Return

After settling the affairs of the small town, Zhou You immediately withdrew, without the slightest hesitation.

His convenient "older brother" Zhang Huaimin was also decent enough; as the price for the exchange, he secretly told him the secret to becoming an Intermediate Martial Master.

From a Qi and Blood martial artist rising to a Martial Master, the constant, unchanging theme is... Body Refining.

Only when Body Refining reaches the pinnacle can one gather immense power and break through the shackles of a strong martial artist in one go.

Zhou You had already seen the capabilities of a Primary Martial Master; they train to have steel-like muscles and iron bones, with internal and external physiques far exceeding ordinary people.

Many Martial Masters have nicknames like "Bronze Statue," "Iron Man," or "Stone General" precisely because their physical defense is too powerful.

That is the case for a Primary Martial Master, but what if one breaks through to an Intermediate Martial Master?

Hardness pushed to the extreme becomes softness!

The secret of these four words is conservatively estimated to be worth over 100,000 taels.

Zhang Huaimin told Zhou You that a Primary Martial Master blindly seeks hardness and ferocity, which is slightly lacking; only by comprehending the principle of "hardness pushed to the extreme becomes softness" and taking a step further can one make another breakthrough.

He was also a shameless old man, winking and hinting to Zhou You that he could still be a "sharp blade that never grows old" and keep those fawning courtesans completely submissive because his body could bend and stretch, being soft or hard at will.

Bah! How indecent; he used such a proper Martial Dao body for this.

Zhou You marveled at the Martial Master's subtle control over the body and yearned for that realm even more.

If a Primary Martial Master is like tempered steel, an Intermediate Martial Master is like softness that wraps around a finger; if one goes further, combining hardness and softness, that is the breakthrough to an Advanced Martial Master.

Zhou You could even imagine that once he broke through to that realm, his body's joints could shrink or lengthen at will, changing between soft and hard, making his fist techniques even more varied and infinitely powerful.

When Zhou You left the small town, his sleeves were empty, and he only took away the dying Cheng Xiaohe.

That he was so alone and empty-handed surprised many people.

Logically speaking, he had been in town for several months and had looted quite a lot of money and supplies, so why was he so destitute?

The town residents watched him leave; though they said nothing, their hearts were quite conflicted.

The basement...

Zhang Huaimin and Sun Ziyang looked at the empty ground; a black shadow flashed by—it was a mouse.

"Master, this Du Yan Lu Zhigang has clever methods; he emptied the treasury without a sound and didn't leave a single bit for you."

Sun Ziyang was amazed; to be able to do this, Du Yan Lu Zhigang definitely controlled a private force and was by no means the lone wolf outsiders imagined.

He found this convenient "uncle-generation" figure increasingly unfathomable.

Zhang Huaimin stretched happily, "Could the person your master has taken a fancy to be an ordinary sort?"

"Ziyang, I leave this place to you; don't forget to send the money to Fucheng every month."

He had no intention of staying in the town; Fucheng was better, where the food and amenities were top-tier.

"This Disciple obeys!"

On the riverbank...

Zhou You dropped Cheng Xiaohe and stepped on his throat, breaking it; the man stopped breathing on the spot.

"Trial Task (Four-Star Level): Kill Golden Crane Mountain (including disciples under his sect) completed, Experience Points +6000."

The total Experience Points figure jumped, and in the blink of an eye, it met the expected requirements.

Zhou You took a deep breath; it was done. The Experience Points for the Five Blessings Palm and Fist Record to break through to Martial Master were sufficient.

Without hesitation, he tapped his finger on the panel on the spot.

"Experience Points -20800, Five Blessings Palm and Fist Record lv9 → lv10."

"Name: Zhou You.

Qi and Blood: 631 (1000).

Experience Points: 1034. Occupation: Martial Arts Disciple (Blank Slate Martial Master).

Level: Qi and Blood 6th Stage (Seven Step Poison Sand Palm, Double Body Tiger Form Fist), Qi and Blood 3rd Stage (Yanxing Quan), Qi and Blood 10th Stage (Five Blessings Palm and Fist Record).

Skills: Seven Step Poison Sand Palm lv6 (Attribute: Corrosion), Tiger-Subduing Fist lv31, Yanxing Quan lv29, Basic Lightness Skill lv6/lv10, Pipa lv3, Seal Script lv10, Medicine Refining lv19.

Techniques: Jade Tiger Overlapping Skill lv6 (Iron Tiger), Boneless Heart Method lv6, Outer Transformation Profound Heart Secret lv1, Heaven-Participating Yuan-Nurturing Skill lv1, Five Blessings Palm and Fist Record (lv10).

Ultimate Moves: Triple Overlap Technique lv2, Tiger Fiend lv6, Poison Fiend lv3, Feather Qi lv2, Primordial Iron Garment lv2.

Talent: Hunger lv2 Armory: Void Face (Flesh Magic Treasure) — False Identities: First Du Yan Lu Zhigang, Second Yan Ping, Wuxiang Tongkui (Tiger and Crane dual techniques currently being calculated).

Trial Project I (Three-Star Level): Break through to the Martial Master realm, discover the secret of the Heaven-Participating Yuan-Nurturing Skill.

Trial Project II (Two-Star Level): Accumulate 10 kills of Transformed Charms, completed 9/10.

Trial Project III (Three-Star Level): Refine one Ten Thousand Poison Heart-Attacking Pill."

Finally, he had become a Martial Master, even if he was a "three-no" (no skills, no fist moves, no ultimate moves) blank slate Martial Master.

Zhou You felt the transformation within his body; his total Qi and Blood, which had been like a massive reservoir, was suddenly like an underground spring being unblocked, pushed to an unprecedented level.

Boom! Explosive waves of Qi and Blood surged, infiltrating his limbs and bones with an almost brutal posture.

Zhou You felt his skin, nails, hair, and the like flickering with the fluorescence of leaking essence; his muscles, blood, bones, and even internal organs, invisible to the naked eye, were rapidly strengthening and improving.

Even his most fragile liver and intestines, because he had stepped into the Martial Master realm, became as tough as rubber; even if he swallowed razor blades and broken porcelain, they could not damage them in the slightest, and he could crush them to powder just by peristalsis.

His nails were as sharp as knives, his hair as tough as steel wire, and the bone marrow churning inside his bones was as heavy as mercury.

"This is a Martial Master; how powerful is it?"

Zhou You experienced the strength of the Martial Master-level physique and realized even more the power of realm suppression.

He picked up a pebble, smooth and hard, and threw it with great force, capable of smashing through a hard skull.

"Crunch, crunch!"

Zhou You chewed the pebble to pieces in a few bites; his teeth felt as if he were eating a shortbread cookie.

The crushed stone slid down his throat into his stomach, yet the sharp edges could not scratch his fragile internal organs.

Zhou You's chest and abdomen heaved, and after a few slight movements, all the crushed stone was compressed into a ball and spat out from his mouth, completely intact.

As for swallowing fire or razor blades, those are even more of a piece of cake.

Why are there no street performers in this world? Is it because these tricks cannot fool those with discerning eyes?

He estimated that with the toxic miasma of the Seven Step Poison Sand Palm, if it were not infused with viper venom, it would not cause too much damage to the internal organs.

This is only for a blank-slate Martial Master; apart from a powerful physical body, other potential has yet to be developed.

If he were to practice other techniques and fist arts, wouldn't that be...? Zhou You suppressed the excitement in his heart; during this period, in order to pursue the blank-slate Martial Master plan, he had already squeezed out the practice of other fist arts.

Since the goal has already been achieved, it is time to slow down and try to improve the Qi and blood fist arts of his original body and Lu Zhigang.

He still needs to advance to the late stage of Qi and blood as soon as possible to officially refine a Qi and blood divine weapon.

The Tiger Head Hammer, under the Instruction of Wang Laohu, combined with the Martial Master Skull, will unleash terrifying power.

With Zhou You's comprehensive strength, driving a weapon at the late stage of Qi and blood is enough to rival a Primary Martial Master one-on-one; if the plan is appropriate, he could even kill someone of a higher rank.

By then, even if chaotic times arrive, he will have the strength to protect his family.

"Hmm?"

The mission completion projection function has been cancelled.

Zhou You looked in the direction of Gongliang City, and the next moment his back gradually faded, as if he were handwriting erased by an eraser.

In the blink of an eye, Zhou You's original body returned to Gongliang City.

(End of this chapter)