Chapter 58: The Ultimate Realm of Skin Tempering (Please follow, bookmark, and vote with monthly tickets and recommendation votes)

One day, the Black Jade Skin Tempering Method reached the Minor Success stage.

The second day, on duty, patrolling the streets. That night, points increased by eighty.

The third day, on duty, patrolling the streets, captured one thief. That night, points increased by ninety.

Consuming one hundred and fifty points, the Black Jade Skin Tempering Method reached the Great Success stage.

The fourth day, on duty, patrolling the streets, handled two disputes. That night, points increased by ninety.

The fifth day, on duty, patrolling the streets. Points increased by seventy.

The sixth day, on duty, patrolling the streets. Captured one fugitive. Points for the day increased by one hundred.

...

At midnight on the ninth day, the points on the system panel finally accumulated to five hundred and twenty.

Without hesitation, Su Mu consumed five hundred points to elevate the Black Jade Skin Tempering Method to the Perfection stage.

As the Black Jade Skin Tempering Method reached Perfection, the color of Su Mu's skin became much darker than before, as if he had been overexposed to the sun.

However, this darkness was more like a healthy wheat complexion; his skin even gained a hint of a bronze luster.

After the Golden Scale Skin Tempering Method reached Perfection, his skin was already extremely tough.

Cultivating the Black Jade Skin Tempering Method on top of that had yielded very small results previously, with almost no perceptible change to his skin.

But with the Black Jade Skin Tempering Method reaching Perfection, he felt the toughness of his skin increase once again.

Su Mu tested it.

A blade drawn across his arm required a bit of force to actually cut the skin.

If an ordinary person used a slightly blunt sharp object, they might not even be able to break his skin.

In his joy, Su Mu continued to work hard.

To Su Mu's pleasant surprise, the stacking of the two skin tempering methods not only greatly increased his skin's resistance but also provided a massive boost to his physical stamina.

A martial artist's strength is judged by who has more refined martial arts, greater strength, more enduring stamina, and stronger defense.

After cultivating both skin tempering methods to Perfection, Su Mu felt that he was not far from someone like Wei Yongfu, who possessed innate copper skin and iron bones.

In terms of skin toughness alone, he was only a tiny bit away.

"A third skin tempering method will surely make me no weaker than Wei Yongfu."

Seeing that cultivating multiple skin tempering methods was indeed effective, the competitive spirit in Su Mu's heart was fully ignited.

He took out another skin tempering method he had obtained from Wei Yongfu: the Iron Sand Skin Tempering Method.

After a night of bitter training, the Iron Sand Skin Tempering Method reached the Entry stage.

Just as he expected, as the number of skin tempering methods he practiced increased, the points required to advance the next method continued to decrease.

For the Iron Sand Skin Tempering Method, it only took thirty points to go from Entry to Minor Success, one hundred from Minor Success to Great Success, and three hundred from Great Success to Perfection.

Over the next few days, Su Mu's life was monotonous yet intense.

On an ordinary night seven days later, Su Mu's Iron Sand Skin Tempering Method quietly reached Perfection.

To his surprise, Su Mu discovered that his wheat-colored skin had actually returned to its essence, becoming fair once again.

In fact, on the surface, it looked even fairer than before he had practiced skin tempering.

If one looked closely, they would find that his skin was now like fine porcelain—tight and dense.

Su Mu picked up his long saber and drew it across his arm.

Only a white mark was left on the skin.

Although he had only used thirty percent of his strength just now, his strength was still greater than that of an adult male who had never tempered his body.

Yet, he still couldn't break his own skin.

"The strength of my skin must now be no inferior to Wei Yongfu's innate copper skin."

A smile appeared on Su Mu's face; his many days of hard work had not been in vain.

For an ordinary person, such a skin-tempering effect could only be achieved through extraordinary talent or by paying the price of years of diligent and bitter training.

Yet he had achieved Perfection in just twenty days.

If a true comparison were made, he was even stronger than someone as naturally gifted as Wei Yongfu.

Cultivating skin tempering methods does not just increase skin toughness; it also boosts the blood and qi within the body.

Having brought three skin tempering methods to Perfection, the thickness of Su Mu's blood and qi was definitely superior to someone like Wei Yongfu, who was naturally gifted but had only practiced one skin tempering method.

Thick blood and qi meant he had greater explosive power and more enduring stamina; once he moved on to flesh tempering, he would be able to carry even more power.

Speak of the devil.

Just as Su Mu was thinking about the gap between himself and Wei Yongfu, a figure flipped into the courtyard under the moonlight.

The newcomer was tall and had a thick, honest countenance. If it wasn't Wei Yongfu, who else could it be?

Walking toward Su Mu with practiced familiarity, Wei Yongfu's eyes suddenly widened.

"Did you sleep with the Princess, or did you save the Emperor himself?"

Wei Yongfu blurted out, "We haven't seen each other for just a few days, how have you already practiced to the Extreme Realm?"

"Extreme Realm?"

Su Mu asked in confusion, "What is that?"

"You don't even know that?"

Wei Yongfu said, a look of disbelief crossing his face. *If you don't even know this, how did you manage to cultivate to the Extreme Realm?*

"The four stages of body tempering: Skin, Flesh, Tendon, and Bone. Every stage has a limit.

The limit means you have cultivated that stage to the absolute maximum your body can endure."

Wei Yongfu explained, pausing before adding, "My innate copper skin is the Extreme Realm of skin tempering."

"Oh? There's such a thing?"

Su Mu remarked. Anything he could think of, predecessors must have already attempted. "How did you tell that I had reached the Extreme Realm?"

Su Mu was curious.

"I'm not blind."

Wei Yongfu pointed at Su Mu's skin. He had been a dark-skinned kid before, and suddenly he had turned into a fair-faced youth. Such a change could only come from the "return to essence" characteristic of the Extreme Realm.

"You really didn't sleep with the Emperor's daughter? It doesn't make sense. Without consuming some spiritual elixir, how could you possibly reach the Extreme Realm?"

Wei Yongfu was full of confusion.

"I don't even know where the Imperial City is, okay?"

Su Mu said irritably. "I have what I have today because of my own sweat."

The Extreme Realm of skin tempering meant that Su Mu's skin was already as tough as his body could possibly handle; continuing to practice skin tempering would yield no further results.

"The Extreme Realm of skin tempering... now even an ordinary flesh-tempering martial artist might not be your match."

Wei Yongfu said, "You're already stronger than I was back then."

Wei Yongfu was naturally gifted; he had reached the Extreme Realm of skin tempering by practicing only one method, but his comprehension was lacking, and to this day, he had not been able to master any single martial art to Perfection.

Su Mu was much stronger than him in this regard. With the Extreme Realm of skin tempering plus his mastery of Saber Intent, Su Mu could be considered truly invincible within the Skin Tempering Stage.

"No matter how strong I am, I am still only in the Skin Tempering Stage."

Su Mu smiled slightly, not letting himself become arrogant.

The existence of the Extreme Realm made Su Mu realize that his previous choice was correct. In the four stages of body tempering, one must build a solid foundation in every stage. Only by reaching the Extreme Realm level could he fully exploit the advantages of the system panel.

Then, one day, when he stepped into the Blood Exchange Stage, it would surely be earth-shattering.

"What do you want with me? Do you have some business for me to look after?"

As Su Mu was thinking, he heard Wei Yongfu ask.

He was a hired hand who worked for money; even if he was quite familiar with Su Mu, he wouldn't work for free.