The Fire Flesh Ganoderma was not a direct warm tonic. It contained fire poison, making it even more potent than the Dark Scarlet Root and harder to handle.
But these items could be used to refine many potent pills, and their price at the Hundred Herb Hall was consistently high. A piece this large would be worth at least fifteen to twenty taels of silver.
However, Su Yan had no intention of selling it for silver. He planned to use it as food for his two Contracted Bugs. Especially the Dark Water Centipede, which, after continuous command and feeding, had reached 127/200 in its growth. With a little more push, it might break through before he did.
Su Yan carefully harvested the Fire Flesh Ganoderma. The moment he touched it, he felt a scorching heat, like water at seventy or eighty degrees Celsius. If he hadn't achieved Skin Refining already, he wouldn't have been able to pick it bare-handed.
He placed the item into the Bug Realm space, cleaned up the area, and then left the mountain with his two Contracted Bugs. His entry and exit were silent; no one knew he had left Cloud-Front Village.
The next day, Su Yan finished the remaining five jin of Blue-Backed Rock Ox meat for breakfast. He then used the Red Skin Powder one more time. Only after that did he absorb the two threads of Bug Essence into his body and begin the Golden Ape Stance Skill.
The medicinal power from yesterday's Red Skin Powder and Blue-Backed Rock Ox meat had not been fully released, and adding another batch reignited the process. His skin became scorching hot and completely red, his veins bulging. The absorbed Bug Essence, however, acted like warm, gentle spring water, melding into the surging blood energy. Ignoring the intense pain, Su Yan focused on his stance, unifying his mind and body, guiding the torrent of blood energy to continuously temper his skin.
He maintained the stance for one or two hours. When he was physically exhausted, he rested briefly and then began performing all eight forms of the Ape Fist. In motion, his body was like a flexible ape; his strikes were like a ferocious ape. He seamlessly integrated his Golden Ape Stance Skill into the subtle details of his footwork and body posture.
If he was going to train, he would achieve mastery. He wanted not only Great Accomplishment in his Stance Skill but also Great Accomplishment in his Ape Fist, ensuring his martial foundation was solid.
Su Yan released the Dark Water Centipede and the Velvet Fire Scorpion Bug, dividing the Fire Flesh Ganoderma between them. He also fed them the toxic fungi, poisonous herbs, and the corpses of the rabbit and snake he had collected.
A few days quickly passed. During this time, he made another trip to the Golden Ape Martial Academy. Because the academy's assessment was approaching, the number of students coming to practice had increased. Regardless of whether they had a chance to enter the Inner Door, catching the eye of Master Bai could lead to guidance worth a month of self-study.
As a result, many new faces appeared. One person, however, stood out: Li Shun (Senior Brother Li). After their disagreement, he treated Su Yan coldly. The Outer Door Disciples from White Reed Lake, like Zhou Yong and Hu Qing, also kept their distance from Su Yan. Su Yan dismissed it as childish behavior; what good were such tricks when real strength was what mattered?
In Cloud-Front Village, Su Yan held his hardwood bow, sprinting toward an old tree. With two or three steps, he shifted his body, drew his bow, and loosed three arrows in quick succession. Though fired sequentially, the three arrows converged like three stars, simultaneously slicing through the falling leaves and embedding themselves in the same tree branch. The branch, about the size of a forearm, snapped instantly under the impact of the three arrows.
Su Yan stopped. His breathing became slow and steady, implicitly revealing the state of his Stance Skill—it had mostly merged with his movements.
"With the strength of the Stance Skill and the boost from blood energy, my archery is slightly stronger. But it's a shame that blood energy can't leave the body, and the power of this hardwood bow is limited."
[First-Order Bug Master: 20/100][Bug Realm: 1 cubic meter][Body Forging Realm: Skin Refining 149/200 (Minor Accomplishment)][Golden Ape Stance Skill: 171/200 (Minor Accomplishment)][Ape Fist: 167/200 (Minor Accomplishment)][Mountain-Trekking: 94/200 (Minor Accomplishment)][Basic Archery: 5/400 (Great Accomplishment)][Herbology: 57/200 (Minor Accomplishment)][Dark Water Centipede: 189/200 (Growth Stage)][Velvet Fire Scorpion Bug: 53/200 (Growth Stage)]
In just a few days, Su Yan's progress was remarkable. The Dark Water Centipede was one step away from the Mature Stage. Ape Fist and Golden Ape Stance Skill were also close to Great Accomplishment. His skin was tough as iron, his posture upright as a pine, and his strength had reached one to two thousand jin. He was one step away from Great Accomplishment in Skin Refining.
What surprised Su Yan was that Basic Archery had achieved Great Accomplishment first.
'While achieving Great Accomplishment in a martial technique relies on Aptitude and Compatibility, it is also related to the complexity of the skill.'
'Basic Archery is a simple technique. Footwork, posture, bow form, eyesight... it's less complex than the Stance Skill, so it was easier to achieve Great Accomplishment... But...'
Su Yan's eyes flickered. Recalling his archery form, he realized: 'Mastery of one technique informs all others. Although this is only a small enlightenment, it helps me understand how to break through the plateau in my Golden Ape Stance Skill and Ape Fist. I need practical combat and real fighting.'
Under the nourishment of abundant supplements and Bug Essence, his progress had been extremely fast, but once the proficiency reached 170/180, the speed slowed down significantly. Although he could still slowly push toward Great Accomplishment through constant, subtle adjustments—an advantage ordinary people lacked—Su Yan felt it wasn't fast enough. Such gradual progress could take one or two months.
'Good. It's time to head back into the mountains for a few days. My resources are currently depleted, and I need silver to buy more Red Skin Powder.'
Su Yan made up his mind. Suddenly, he heard a sound outside his door.
"Is Su Yan home?"
Su Yan's expression shifted. The voice sounded like Dian Jing (Senior Brother Dian)? He strode to the door and opened it. Standing outside was a massive, tower-like man—none other than Dian Jing. Dian Jing had a large bow on his back, a broadsword at his waist, and a fur pouch—dressed for a trip into the mountains.
'Why is Dian Jing looking for me?' Su Yan was curious but stepped out and greeted him. "Senior Brother Dian Jing, what brings you here?"
"Li Shun caught a ten-jinRhinoceros Horn Catfish in White Reed Lake—a top-grade Bone and Skin Refining Treasure Fish. After eating it, his skin defense increased further. He's planning to regain face by challenging you in the assessment." Dian Jing was straightforward, immediately telling Su Yan about Li Shun.
Su Yan looked surprised and interrupted Dian Jing. "Senior Brother Dian Jing, I recall I crossed more than just Li Shun that day."
He stared into Dian Jing's eyes. Dian Jing gave a self-mocking smile: "You were right to reject him. Martial artists and hunters alike must earn their own keep. I was blinded by greed and allowed Li Shun to drag me into his scheme."
That day, Li Shun had convinced Dian Jing that the city cliques were ganging up, and the mountain-folk and lake-dwellers needed to unite. This led to their attempt to enlist Su Yan's help in the assessment. But after Su Yan's mockery, Dian Jing was embarrassed and sharply realized the truth. Even if they used treachery, a fox or a dog remained a fox or a dog. In Master Bai's eyes, their actions would be transparent. If his own strength was formidable, who could suppress him? Realizing this, he parted ways with Li Shun two days later.
He wouldn't tell Su Yan all this, but feeling a little ashamed, he came to warn him. Su Yan seemed to understand and nodded: "Thank you for the warning, Senior Brother Dian Jing, but he won't succeed." Su Yan's tone was calm. Forget one Rhinoceros Horn Catfish; even two or three wouldn't help Li Shun's situation, given his vanity and schemes.
Dian Jing looked at Su Yan strangely, wondering what gave his junior brother such confidence. Though curious, he didn't pry. He simply said, "That's good. I have a second matter to discuss, consider compensation for the last time."
Su Yan's eyes rose: "What is it?"
"I hear a powerful Desolate Beast has emerged from the Great Desolate Mountain range, driving a group of near-ranked and First-Order Early Stage Desolate Beasts into the Inner Mountain. There aren't many of them. The yamen sent word to all the hunters in our village, urging them to patrol the mountains. Knowing your good archery skills, if you're interested, you might find some in the Inner Mountain. They're worth no less than Treasure Plants." Ordinary hunters, unless they reached Skin Refining, couldn't defeat a First-Order Early Stage Desolate Beast. But a team of hunters, working with traps, was a different story. Not every Desolate Beast was the Black Claw Tiger, which was at the Late Stage of First Order.
"Thank you, Senior Brother Dian Jing." Su Yan paused slightly, then cupped his hands in sincere thanks. Dian Jing didn't need to share this news; he could have kept the opportunity for himself.
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