Chapter 33: Golden Scale Skin Tempering Method (Please follow, bookmark, and vote with monthly tickets!)

As the head constable of the South City Division, Xing Zhaofu possessed both wealth and influence, yet it took him until his forties to even touch the threshold of the third stage of Body Tempering.

The chief bandit of Black Dragon Fortress naturally did not lack money from his raids and robberies, and he was already over thirty when he broke through to the third stage of Body Tempering.

The threshold for the Taiping Division, however, was to be under the age of twenty with a cultivation reaching the fourth stage of Body Tempering.

Even if one ignored the age limit, among the hundreds of thousands in South City, not a single person could meet the standard of the fourth stage of Body Tempering.

"In the entire Wuling City, with millions of inhabitants, as far as I know, those under twenty who have reached the fourth stage of Body Tempering can be counted on one hand," Yang Jin continued. "The He family, who stands behind the South City Division's Sima, is a great clan in the Inner City. They do not lack Body Tempering methods, nor do they lack cultivation resources. Even among their younger generation, only one person has reached the fourth stage before the age of twenty. By telling you this, do you understand the difficulty involved?"

"I am only sixteen. There are still four years until I turn twenty. How do you know I won't be able to reach the fourth stage?" Su Mu said calmly.

"Reach the fourth stage in four years? So you're saying everything I just said was for nothing?" Yang Jin said irritably. "The eldest young master of the He family began bathing in various medicinal herbs at the age of three and started practicing Body Tempering methods at six. The cost of the tempering herbs alone is at least a thousand taels of silver every year. Even so, he was nineteen when he reached the fourth stage. What makes you so special?"

"Fine, I was just saying," Su Mu offered no explanation. "Where is the Taiping Division headquarters located?"

"You still haven't given up?" Yang Jin sighed. "The main headquarters of the Taiping Division is naturally in the capital. The Wuling City branch only has a few people stationed here. It is located in the Inner City, so stop daydreaming. You can't even enter the Inner City right now, let alone join the Taiping Division."

Su Mu's eyes flickered, a thoughtful expression crossing his face.

He didn't care about the difficulties Yang Jin mentioned; he had someone in the Taiping Division.

However, not being able to enter the Inner City was a problem. If he couldn't get in, he naturally wouldn't be able to see "Brother Taiping."

Under normal circumstances, ordinary constables were not qualified to enter or exit the Inner City unless they possessed a document signed by Sima He Yuxing. Given his relationship with He Yuxing, he couldn't rely on that.

Alternatively, if he could become a squad leader, he would be qualified to enter and exit the Inner City.

As for sneaking in, Su Mu didn't even consider it. The Inner City was heavily guarded and filled with experts; if he actually tried to sneak in and was accidentally killed, he wouldn't even have a place to cry.

"Old Yang, do you have a way to get a Body Tempering method?" Su Mu asked thoughtfully.

There was another way to enter the Inner City: becoming a Body Tempering realm martial artist. Even at the first stage of Body Tempering, one would be qualified to serve as a squad leader. Even if the South City Division didn't give him a position, one of the East, West, or North City Divisions would surely have a spot for him.

"A Body Tempering method—" Yang Jin hesitated. "There is a way, but it requires silver, and I don't have much money on me right now."

Su Mu gave Yang Jin a deep look. Comrade Old Yang was indeed a man with stories; he knew so much and had so many brothers-in-arms, yet no one knew why he had been expelled from the military.

"I have a few property deeds for houses in the Inner City. Do you think you can exchange them for a Body Tempering method?" Su Mu said.

"I can." Yang Jin agreed after only a brief hesitation.

***

Yang Jin was reliable. He took Xing Zhaofu's property deeds and, in just three days, brought a Body Tempering method to Su Mu.

"The 'Golden Scale Skin Tempering Method.' This is the best skin-tempering method I could find," Yang Jin said, placing a booklet in front of Su Mu. "The fourth stage of Body Tempering proceeds from skin to flesh, then to tendons and bones, step by step. The first stage of Body Tempering is skin tempering."

"In theory, a Body Tempering method only requires daily hard training, allowing one to accumulate progress step by step through sheer persistence. But in reality, any form of Body Tempering causes damage to the body, and even hidden injuries can accumulate, which may erupt when one gets older. The better the method, the less damage it does to the body. This 'Golden Scale Skin Tempering Method' is a technique that trickled down from the Fish-Dragon Sect; it is quite excellent and causes minimal damage to the body."

Yang Jin explained briefly. The Fish-Dragon Sect had once been a very powerful sect, but it was later wiped out by the Taiping Division due to its crimes, and some of its martial arts leaked out.

"However, if the sect hadn't been exterminated, the 'Golden Scale Skin Tempering Method' would never have been passed down. It was originally a method that only the true disciples of the Fish-Dragon Sect were qualified to practice," Yang Jin added.

As Su Mu flipped through the manual, he was secretly amazed by Yang Jin's extraordinary connections. To think he could even get his hands on such a method—it seemed Yang Jin held even more secrets than he had imagined.

"The 'Golden Scale Skin Tempering Method' causes minimal damage to the body and yields excellent results once mastered, but it has one major drawback," Yang Jin continued.

"What drawback?" Su Mu asked.

"To practice the 'Golden Scale Skin Tempering Method,' you need to find a rare Golden Scale Beast, take its scales, grind them into powder, and mix them with medicinal herbs to create a spiritual liquid to apply to the skin," Yang Jin said. "The powder from these Golden Scales is sold in pharmacies for one tael of gold per tael. Each session of cultivation costs one tael."

Su Mu: "..."

Was this skin tempering? This was pay-to-win! Even skins in online games weren't this expensive.

One session costs at least one tael of gold? Old Yang, do you have some kind of misunderstanding about me? How could you think I could practice this "Golden Scale Skin Tempering Method"? Am I even worthy?

"The seller included three taels worth of Golden Scale powder with the manual. Once you use it up, you'll have to find your own way," Yang Jin said casually, handing over a small cloth pouch.

Su Mu blinked. There was such a good thing? The powder from these Golden Scale scales alone was likely worth almost as much as those property deeds.

He looked at Yang Jin, and Yang Jin met his gaze without evasion.

*That's right, I'm making you owe me a favor.* Yang Jin was selling this favor quite openly.

For the first time, Su Mu felt that the person Yang Jin wanted him to kill in the future would likely be a massive trouble. However, since things had come to this, he certainly couldn't push the method away. Regardless, he would first turn it into his own strength; as for the trouble, he would deal with it when it actually arrived.

***

Inside the rented small courtyard.

Su Mu carefully flipped through the manual, memorizing it thoroughly.

The skin-tempering method was different from the Wave-Subduing Saber technique he had practiced before; it required external aids. By mixing the Golden Scale powder with various medicinal herbs to create a spiritual liquid and applying it to the skin, the skin would absorb the medicinal power to undergo a transformation, gradually becoming tough enough to resist blows.

This skin-tempering method was far superior to methods that relied solely on physical strikes and grinding. Of course, it was also far more expensive.

"The manual says that a person of medium talent will achieve minor success in skin tempering in one year, major success in two years, and perfection in three years," Su Mu muttered softly as he read the description in the open manual.

A person of medium talent needed three years to reach perfection. If they practiced once a day, it would cost a thousand gold pieces over three years. If their talent were slightly lower, the time and money required would only increase.

"To prepare the spiritual liquid for one session, besides the Golden Scale powder, even after buying all the other medicinal herbs, it will cost a full three taels of silver!"

Su Mu felt a pang of heartache as he began to carefully prepare the spiritual liquid. The medicinal properties of the Golden Scale powder were intense; if not properly tempered, it could easily burn the skin.

Following the instructions in the manual, Su Mu carefully prepared the liquid, then stripped off his clothes and applied the liquid to every inch of his body.