Chapter 34: Minor Success in Skin Tempering (Please follow, bookmark, and vote with monthly tickets and recommendation votes)

Inside the humble room, Su Mu let out a suppressed, low growl.

His fists were clenched tight, and he gritted his teeth to endure.

Once the spiritual liquid was applied to his skin, Su Mu felt as if he had fallen into a boiling cauldron.

The burning sensation emanating from his skin gave him the feeling that his entire integument was about to peel away.

It hurt!

And it itched!

It was as if countless ants were attempting to burrow into him through every single pore. A piercing pain mixed with an agonizing itch.

Effort had never been an easy or pleasant thing.

Su Mu clenched his teeth, enduring with grim determination.

After about fifteen minutes, the sensation of pain and itching began to gradually recede.

A cool sensation seeped out from beneath his skin, and Su Mu felt a faint sense of relief.

Bitterness before sweetness—this Skin Tempering Method truly was one part hell and one part heaven.

Su Mu breathed heavily for a moment before reapplying the remaining spiritual liquid to his body.

…………

After repeating this process three times, he finally exhausted the prepared spiritual liquid.

Su Mu sat by the edge of the bed, gasping for air, his body drenched in sweat like rain.

Only after resting for a significant amount of time did the numb, limp sensation throughout his body gradually vanish, and he felt his strength beginning to recover slightly.

At this moment, he impatiently summoned the system panel.

【Name: Su Mu】

【Identity: Constable (Clerk)】

【Points: 60】

【Cultivation Technique: Golden Scale Skin Tempering Method (Not Mastered / +)】

【Martial Arts: Wave-Subduing Saber Technique (Consummate), Archery (Beginner)】

Looking at the new line of text on the panel, a smile finally appeared on Su Mu's face.

Martial cultivation techniques, much like martial arts, could indeed be upgraded using points.

Furthermore, a "+" sign had appeared after the Golden Scale Skin Tempering Method.

What was there to hesitate about?

"A golden scale is no creature of a mere pond; once it meets the wind and clouds, it transforms into a dragon. Come, Golden Scale Skin Tempering Method, let me see your effects!"

Su Mu thought to himself. With a single thought, he tapped the "+" sign following the Golden Scale Skin Tempering Method.

In an instant, Su Mu felt as if a ball of fire had suddenly exploded inside his body.

His skin instantly turned bright red, making him look like a boiled shrimp.

Then, his skin began to shed, and new skin began to grow.

An indescribable agony permeated his entire body. Su Mu opened his mouth wide, gasping for air as if drowning, wanting to scream but unable to make a sound.

After an unknown amount of time, Su Mu finally regained consciousness.

The pain that had nearly caused him to faint had vanished, replaced by waves of cool sensations.

Su Mu stood up and gave himself a light shake.

The shed skin fell from his body in flakes, leaving the floor covered in skin debris—a sight that would drive someone with trypophobia mad.

Su Mu touched his newly grown skin and felt that it seemed to have become tougher.

The side effect was that his complexion was significantly darker than before.

Su Mu's original skin tone had been too fair for a man, but this new color was just right, looking healthier and more robust.

【Name: Su Mu】

【Identity: Constable (Clerk)】

【Points: 50】

【Cultivation Technique: Golden Scale Skin Tempering Method (Beginner)】

【Martial Arts: Wave-Subduing Saber Technique (Consummate), Archery (Beginner)】

After inspecting the changes in his body, Su Mu summoned the system panel again.

The Golden Scale Skin Tempering Method had reached the "Beginner" stage. Once he focused his thoughts on it, the panel provided a prompt.

To progress from Beginner to Intermediate, 100 points were required.

"I have 50 points now. I only need to earn another 50 to reach 100."

Su Mu smiled.

He had originally worried that a tempering technique would be more difficult to upgrade than martial arts.

It seemed the system panel was quite efficient; progressing from Beginner to Intermediate only required 100 points.

"As a working constable, my base daily points are 10. Including performance bonuses, I can sometimes get up to 15. Fifty points will only take four or five days."

Su Mu's attitude toward using the system panel to increase his strength was very composed.

The points didn't appear out of thin air; they were earned through his hard work, braving wind and rain every day.

If he didn't work, he wouldn't earn anything.

Wasn't it only natural to use his hard-earned points to increase his strength?

"However, tempering techniques are ultimately different from martial arts. The progression is too painful. It's equivalent to condensing the entire tempering process into a single instant. None of the suffering is spared; in fact, because it's endured all at once, it's much more painful than normal cultivation."

Su Mu thought to himself. Recalling the experience of reaching the Beginner stage, his scalp still felt numb.

Just now, he had effectively undergone dozens of skin-tempering cycles in an extremely short period. The pain was beyond words.

"No matter how bitter cultivation is, it is far better than the bitterness of being powerless when the moment of crisis arrives."

Su Mu thought.

He stood up, cleaned his room, then fetched well water to wash himself clean before getting into bed to sleep.

…………

Four days passed quickly.

During these four days, Su Mu continued to perform his duties as a constable with diligence, without the slightest negligence, even proactively taking two extra night patrols.

Sima Heyuxing and the acting head constable Zhao Ji seemed to have forgotten him; the expected difficulties and harassment did not occur.

As a lowly constable, he actually had very few opportunities to see Zhao Ji or Heyuxing.

In his spare time, Su Mu used up the remaining two portions of Golden Scale Beast scale powder.

His main goal was to get himself used to the pain of skin tempering, so that the next time he used the system panel to upgrade, it might be less agonizing.

"Whew!"

After using the last of the spiritual liquid, Su Mu slumped on the bed, gasping heavily for a while.

Compared to his first time practicing the Golden Scale Skin Tempering Method, he felt much better this time; at least the sensation of pain and itching was now bearable.

"I'm about adapted. I can move to the next step."

Su Mu thought to himself.

He immediately summoned the system interface.

【Points: 110】

【Cultivation Technique: Golden Scale Skin Tempering Method (Beginner / +)】

On the system interface, the two most critical lines had quietly changed.

Through his hard work, his points had accumulated to 110, allowing him to upgrade the Golden Scale Skin Tempering Method to "Intermediate."

After mentally preparing himself, Su Mu focused his thoughts, consumed the points, and upgraded the technique.

Boom!

Su Mu's body suddenly arched, and his expression instantly contorted.

Even though he had prepared himself, the sudden onslaught of pain nearly caused him to faint.

He felt as if he had been thrown into a vat of boiling oil, surrounded by scalding hot grease that caused his skin to blister, erode, and heal in a continuous cycle.

Months, even a year's worth of skin-tempering experiences were all superimposed into this single instant.

The intense pain finally exceeded Su Mu's threshold of endurance; his consciousness lapsed, and he fell unconscious.

But even though he had fainted, the transformation of his body did not stop.

His skin shed layer after layer, much like a snake molting, and soon a thick layer of skin flakes accumulated beneath him.

His complexion deepened once again; his fair skin had turned a wheat color, faintly shimmering with a metallic luster.