Chapter 45: Chapter 43 The Pinnacle of Divine Power! A
Final Kickl_l
Translator: 549690339
While Su Changkong forged the gold thread ring armor and crossbow, he did not neglect his own cultivation. External accoutrements were ultimately just that, while one’s own strength was the foundation.
In the courtyard, as dawn broke, Su Changkong began his routine practice of the Five Animal Frolics.
“Whoosh whoosh whoosh!”
In the courtyard, Su Changkong sometimes moved like a great bear climbing a tree other times like a fierce tiger descending a mountain. Coupled with the breathing techniques of the Turtle Breath Technique, this caused predictable rises and falls in his chest as he practiced his boxing, with True Qi continuously circulating throughout his body, each breath long and sustained.
Such practice undoubtedly increased the burden on Su Changkong’s body, but it also greatly increased the efficiency of cultivation! Once the body becomes accustomed to a certain movement, the effectiveness of the training begins to drop. Only by combining different movements can one achieve the best results.
And Su Changkong’s practice of the Five Animal Frolics was exactly a combination of the Turtle Breath Technique’s breathing and cultivation to increase efficiency.
As daylight brightened, moving into the morning, Su Changkong’s forehead was covered with sweat, and he breathed slightly heavily, yet he felt refreshingly exhilarated, as if he had just emerged from a sauna. Every muscle in his body was comfortably moaning, and after finishing his boxing practice, he proceeded to the workshop to begin his work.
At night, Su Changkong drank a bowl of Vital Qi Spread and started to practice the Turtle Breath Technique.
First, he sat cross-legged to meditate, and upon entering the state, Su Changkong lay on the bed as if an old turtle in deep slumber. His breathing slow and steady, a faint blue-tinged white qi circulated endlessly in and out of his mouth and nose, gentle like a trickling stream, neither urgent nor slow, peaceful and serene.
His daily arduous cultivation, his twelve points of potential, together with sufficient cultivation resources, led to a steady improvement!
In the blink of an eye, more than half a year passed, and another cold winter had arrived. Su Changkong was now seventeen years old.
“Roar!”
in the wee hours, with fine snowflakes drifting from the sky and the air bitterly cold, in the forest outside of Black Iron Manor, Su Changkong exhaled with a roar’ like a fierce tiger bellowing. A punch thrown, his fist creating a heavy sound of cutting through the air, and the falling snowflakes shattered beneath the force of his punch!
“Has my Five Animal Frolics… hit a bottleneck? I can’t break through?”
Su Changkong stopped practicing his punches, his brow deeply furrowed.
Name: Su Changkong (17 years old)
Lifespan: 8o years
Potential value: 12 points
Martial Arts mastered: Five Animal Frolics (Realm 6, Reach the pinnacle 99%), Iron Cutting Blade Technique (Realm 6, Reach the pinnacle 31%), Turtle Breath Technique (Realm 5, Stand out 80%)
Skills mastered: Forging (Realm 6, Reach the pinnacle 27%)
Su Changkong opened his attribute panel to check his information.
In the past six months, Su Changkong made rapid progress. The Iron Cutting Blade Technique, after incorporating the Waist Strike Style, soared rapidly and had entered the Realm 6, Reach the pinnacle. Forging experienced similar advancement. In this period, Su Changkong made many tools other than swords and reaped considerable benefits.
The taxing Turtle Breath Technique also saw improvement with Su Changkong’s daily diligent practice and the aid of Vital Qi Spread, progressing steadily, and he was set to achieve a breakthrough within a few more months at most.
Especially his longest-practiced Five Animal Frolics, which had reached 99% of Realm 6, Reach the pinnacle just half a month ago.
But what caused Su Changkong to frown was the lack of progress in the Five Animal Frolics despite half a month of intense practice. It seemed to have hit some sort of bottleneck, a source of confusion for him.
“If my Five Animal Frolics make a breakthrough, I will most likely be able to break free from the Divine Strength Realm’s shackles and step into the Divine Bravery Stage… It’s normal to encounter a bottleneck. Slow and steady practice, and I will eventually break through!”
Su Changkong then relaxed his brow, knowing that he had reached the peak of the Divine Strength Realm. One more step, and he would be at the Body Refinement Great Achievement of the Divine Bravery realm!
Su Changkong could feel his body reaching a limit, as if new muscle tissue was about to grow beneath his skin, his spirit fuller than ever.
The Divine Bravery Stage, the final stage of the four realms of Body Refinement. Reaching this level would make one a rare master in the Martial World of Clearwater City!
Nobody could have imagined that in a humble abode like Black Iron Manor, a soon-to-be Body Refinement Great Achievement expert was on the verge of emergence.
“Clang clang clang!”
As noon approached, the smithy of Black Iron Manor was still running, yet within the manor resounded the urgent tolling of bells.
“Again?”
All of the forging masters ceased their work, helplessness flickering in their eyes.
“The Black Cavalry Gang is here… In the blink of an eye, three years have gone by,” Su Changkong sighed inwardly. Counting the time, the annual protection fee collection by the Black Cavalry Gang was due, marking the third year of this imposition.
The people of Black Iron Manor all gathered.
Indeed, outside the Black Iron Manor, dozens of knights clad in black had already assembled. Leading them was the familiar figure of the Black Cavalry Gang’s Third Chief, Chen Zhuang.
Chen Zhuang, as always, carried that huge hammer, exuding an imposing presence.
“Here they come again… Good people die young, while misfortunes last for a thousand years,” the crowd muttered helplessly to each other. They had hoped for the Black Cavalry Gang to be eradicated, but now it seemed a fool’s dream; the Black Cavalry Gang had run rampant in the Clearwater City area for three
years!
“Old Liu.”
Manor Lord Mo Tie glanced over at Director Liu.
Director Liu nodded with understanding and walked out of Black Iron Manor alone, carrying a silver note of five hundred taels to Chen Zhuang.
There was no choice, facing the Black Cavalry Gang, Mo Tie had to submit the protection fee as before.
“Here is this year’s annual fee. Please count it, Third Chief Chen,” Director Liu respectfully presented the silver note to Chen Zhuang.
Chen Zhuang took it, counted carelessly, and then looked at Director Liu and said indifferently, “It’s not enough.”
“Not enough? How is that possible… It’s exactly five hundred taels!” Director Liu was astonished; he had counted the silver note several times, it couldn’t be wrong.
“The fee has doubled this year. Black Iron Manor now owes ten taels of silver per person, adding up to a total of one thousand taels.”
Chen Zhuang stated blankly as he looked at Director Liu.
“What? It’s doubled?”
Hearing this, Director Liu and everyone from Black Iron Manor was shocked beyond measure.
Last year’s fee of five hundred taels had doubled to a thousand taels of silver for Black Iron Manor this year!
Even Mo Tie couldn’t help but say, “Third Chief Chen… this… this is a bit against the rules, isn’t it? Last year it was only five hundred taels!” Normally a fee of five hundred taels of silver was something Mo Tie could begrudgingly bear, but now a yearly fee of a thousand taels would leave Black Iron Manor with meager profits, considering Mo Tie still had to cover the wages and living expenses of the manor members. Did this mean a year’s work amounted to laboring for nothing?
Chen Zhuang’s expression turned stern as he commanded, “Last year was last year! This year is this year! Pay the fee obediently, or start a war with the Black Cavalry Gang! Choose for yourselves!”
Chen Zhuang’s voice was deafening, filled with murderous intent, frightening Director Liu who staggered backward, falling clumsily to the ground. He was just an ordinary man, after all, with no courage to stand against a fierce devil like Chen Zhuang.
The other Black Cavalry Gang knights each had their hands on the weapons at their waists, their cold gaze fixed on Mo Tie and others atop the high walls. If any resistance was shown, they would surely invade Black Iron Manor and turn it into a river of blood!
“Is it because of the war between the Black Cavalry Gang and the White Jade Gang?”
Su Changkong speculated.
There had been friction between the White Jade Gang and the Black Cavalry Gang in the past. The Black Cavalry Gang’s Young Gang Leader, Shi Hanshan, had mistakenly killed more than a dozen people from Black Iron Manor. Unable to contain his murderous rage, Su Changkong had disguised himself as a White Jade Gang disciple, unleashed a slaughter, and even killed Shi Hanshan on the spot.
This undoubtedly infuriated the Black Cavalry Gang, leading to a bitter and inexorable conflict with the White Jade Gang, a war waged with full force. For over half a year, the two factions had fought several battles with mutual casualties and heavy losses.
Waging war was costly, and the Black Cavalry Gang needed to sufficiently reward and treat its members who were expected to fight valiantly and kill enemies. After all, the wool comes from the sheep, and thus the Black Cavalry Gang decided to double their collection of the annual fee this year.