Chapter 79: Chapter 79: First Acupoint Breakthrough! The Martial Examination Begins

"Cui Wanhe, you bastard! You’re just holding that stage, and no one dares to fight you. Why don’t you come over to my arena, and we can spar? How about it?"

On an adjacent arena, a bald, bare-chested giant with muscles bulging like granite shouted a challenge toward the Central Arena. His voice boomed like a great bell.

The crowd below instantly erupted.

"That’s Sun Yan from the Iron Armor Martial Arts Hall! He’s a Third Acupoint master, too. I hear he’s already reached the Third Turn of his Nine-Turn Iron Armor Skill. His Hard Skills are terrifyingly strong—most Martial Artists can’t even get past his defense!"

"Now we’ve got a real show on our hands. You don’t think they’ll fight it out right now, do you? Both of them are favorites to win the whole Martial Examination."

’Sun Yan?’

Su Yu’s gaze sharpened.

Wang Nianshen had once praised this man effusively, claiming he made others ’lose any thought of comparison.’

He continued reading down the booklet. Sure enough, the second person listed was Sun Yan.

Sun Yan. Rumored to have a special root bone, at least comparable to an Upper-Middle Root Bone. His strength was terrifying even as a child; once, in a fit of rage, he felled a charging water buffalo with a single punch.

Hailed as the greatest genius the Iron Armor Martial Arts Hall has seen in decades!

He also has a younger brother named Sun Shi. Though less talented than Sun Yan, he is still far from ordinary.

Su Yu glanced toward the third arena. A silent young man stood there, bearing a slight resemblance to Sun Yan. ’That must be Sun Shi,’ he thought.

Compared to Sun Yan’s arrogance, Sun Shi was much quieter, but his hulking frame was equally impossible to ignore.

In the face of the challenge, Cui Wanhe merely shot Sun Yan a cold glance before looking away.

’My purpose in holding this stage is simply to build my reputation to its peak. Then, with absolute strength, I will take first place in the Martial Examination!’

’That way, I’ll attract the attention of the three great families and the Black Stone Army. I might even get an investment from the families. With my talent and enough resources, my future won’t be limited to a mere Hongshan Martial Arts Hall in the Outer City!’

Seeing that the two on the arenas weren’t going to fight, the crowd lost interest and began to disperse.

’It’s been the same with the arena challenges. For months, people were constantly coming to fight. But ever since people like Cui Wanhe showed up, there haven’t been any matches for days.’

Su Yu turned and continued walking toward his martial arts hall.

As he walked, he continued to flip through the booklet.

’There must be at least a hundred people in the Martial Examination this time. This booklet alone lists a full hundred.’

’Getting into the top twenty is going to be quite difficult. No wonder Master Qin and the others aren’t optimistic about my chances.’

’But aside from the top contenders like Cui Wanhe, most Martial Artists our age are just novices who haven’t even broken through the First Acupoint.’

’And a lot of them are like Cao Bin, people who exhausted their potential right after becoming a Martial Artist. If I exclude them, there are probably a few dozen truly strong competitors vying for the top twenty spots.’

"Huh?"

Su Yu soon came across a familiar name. He saw that Chen Fan was also on the list.

Chen Fan: A genius with a Top-Grade Root Bone from the White Ape Martial Arts Hall. A First Acupoint master. His Spiritual Ape Demon-Slaying Saber is sublime. He won seven consecutive matches in the arena challenges and is a strong contender for the top ten.

Seeing this, Su Yu felt a sense of relief.

’Since Chen Fan is a strong contender for the top ten, I have a good idea of where my own strength stands.’

...

As the Martial Examination drew near, the atmosphere in the city grew increasingly frenzied. Everyone was eagerly anticipating the grand event.

The major gambling houses had set their odds, and the teahouses and taverns were abuzz with discussions about who would take the top spot.

Outside the city walls, however, it was a different story.

Refugees swarmed like locusts, and strange entities stalked the day.

However, Black Stone City wasn’t simply ignoring the chaos outside its walls. Over the past two days, the Law Enforcement Team, which Senior Sister Lin was a part of, had begun to venture out of the city to investigate.

One day, on the Martial Arts Arena, Senior Sister Lin looked at Su Yu and the other two, her expression solemn. "Su Yu, the three of you must make it into the top twenty in this Martial Examination!"

"The three great families have spared no expense. The top twenty will not only get to join the Law Enforcement Team, but they’ll also be directly rewarded with a large courtyard home in the Outer City, along with the right for their entire family to move into the city!"

"Furthermore, once the Martial Examination is over and the Law Enforcement Team has been reinforced, they will launch an operation to deal with the turmoil outside the city. The three great families will be leading the charge, and numerous other factions will offer immense rewards for the members of the Law Enforcement Team!"

"If you can seize this opportunity, your path in the Martial Arts is sure to go much, much further!"

The three of them were shaken to the core.

’Led by the three great families, with rewards from countless other factions... One can only imagine the treasures involved!’

...

In the days that followed, Su Yu devoted all his time to practicing the White Ape Fist. Aided by the Nourishing Spirit Pills that Senior Sister Lin and Lin Xiaotian occasionally brought him, his White Ape Fist finally achieved a breakthrough one week before the Martial Examination.

[White Ape Fist Skill Level +10]

[White Ape Fist has broken through to the Skilled Realm]

[Martial Arts]: White Ape Fist (First Layer) (Skilled 1/7000)

The next instant, insights regarding the White Ape Fist flooded Su Yu’s mind. He sat down cross-legged, rapidly absorbing the various epiphanies about the Fist Technique.

Immediately, his body began a fundamental transformation.

BOOM! With a muffled sound, the bottlenecks of the Four Extremities Acupoints—the Laogong in his palms and the Yongquan on the soles of his feet—which had once seemed like impassable chasms, simply vanished. At that moment, it was as if four long-sealed gates had swung open on their own.

VMMMM!

The Four Extremities Acupoints trembled violently, and an infinite suction force emerged from within, forming four greedy vortexes.

Something deep within his Dantian was triggered. Surging Qi and Blood gushed forth like a mountain spring, rumbling through his meridians to every corner of his body before finally pouring into the now tangible acupoints.

The process was a torturous ecstasy for Su Yu. The surging Qi and Blood scoured his body, feeling as if it would rupture his meridians. Unsurprisingly, it was also making his body stronger.

Yet, the sensation of being violently ravaged was agonizing.

He gritted his teeth and endured, watching as his Four Extremities Acupoints, like abysses in the deep sea, continuously devoured his Qi and Blood. A rumbling explosion of Qi and Blood echoed from his hands and feet as hot currents surged forth, madly nourishing the skin and fascia of his limbs.

His skin grew as fair and smooth as jade, especially on his hands and feet. The lines on his palms and soles became clearer, his muscles grew denser, and the skin and fascia stretched taut to their limits, yet possessed an astonishing resilience.

Finally, after an hour, the thunderous rumbling within his body gradually subsided.

Su Yu shot to his feet, feeling an unprecedented and terrifying power flooding his entire body.

His limbs, in particular, were not just terrifyingly strong; unleashing a burst of Qi and Blood now seemed effortless.

It felt as if, with a single thought, the Qi and Blood in his limbs could combust, transforming into limitless destructive power that could annihilate anything!

A glint flashed in Su Yu’s eyes as he looked at the Ironwood Stake before him.

He didn’t gather his strength or assume a stance. Relying only on his newly transformed, jade-like hands, he casually delivered a single hand chop.

PFFT!

There was a soft sound.

There was no explosion of splintering wood. Su Yu’s palm sank into the hard Ironwood Stake as if it were tofu, silently slicing in all the way to his wrist!

He withdrew his hand, leaving a cut on the Ironwood Stake as smooth as a mirror. On his own palm, there wasn’t even a white mark, let alone a scratch.

’So strong... This is the transformation after breaking through the Four Extremities Acupoints!’

’I underestimated this realm before!’

’It’s not just an overall enhancement of my physical strength, but an additional transformation of my limbs. Their destructive power and defense are now comparable to a divine weapon—they might not even be inferior to Mo Yuan!’

’It’s a good thing I broke through to this realm. Otherwise, making it into the top ten would have been a bitter struggle! But now... it’s in the bag!’

...

After his breakthrough, Su Yu didn’t immediately reveal his new realm. ’I’m not even in the Thousand Mechanism Tower’s booklet. This is perfect for avoiding being targeted!’

「One week later.」 His realm was completely stabilized, and the Martial Examination finally began.

"Let’s go!" Lin Wanzhu stood in her military uniform, looking valiant and heroic. Her gaze swept over Su Yu and the other two, her eyes filled with hope. "Today is the day you make a name for yourselves!"

Su Yu’s expression was calm. He opened his panel to check on his latest status.

[Martial Arts]: White Ape Fist (First Layer) (Skilled 400/7000)

[Martial Arts]: Spiritual Ape Demon-Slaying Saber (First Layer) (Skilled 600/5000)

[Martial Arts]: Seven Fiends Thunder Collapse Step (Skilled 200/2000) 𝓯𝓻𝒆𝙚𝒘𝓮𝙗𝓷𝒐𝓿𝙚𝒍.𝙘𝓸𝙢

[Martial Arts]: Bibo Fish Dragon Skill (First Layer) (Entry-level 400/1000)

[Martial Arts]: White Ape Six Changes (Breaking Limit: 1) (Traits: Heart Monkey Clarity), Money Toss (Perfection)