Enlightenment: Beginning as a Disposable Warrior-Chapter 157 - 123: The Profound Mystery of the Ninth Realm, Substantial Gains

After reaching perfection in Five Animals Qigong, Su Mu's five senses had already far surpassed those of ordinary people. His comprehension kept rising, and after breaking through to the Instant-Insight Level, Su Mu could vaguely perceive the rhythmic patterns governing all things with just his naked eyes.

Su Mu suddenly realized that perhaps long ago, he had possessed a power nearly equal to the spiritual force used by top Seventh-Grade Martial Artists to lock on to foes; only, top Seventh-Grade Martial Arts relied on spiritual power, while he had depended on a pair of fleshly eyes empowered by frightening comprehension.

"If spiritual power and my comprehension-boosted eyesight are superimposed, my strength will undergo an immense leap!"

Soon, Su Mu also discovered that he had not truly mastered this invisible spiritual power. He had only just touched upon it, and activating it still felt somewhat forced.

Thinking for a moment, Su Mu realized that the birth of this spiritual power seemed to have emerged together when he reached Second-Time Tendon Transformation.

"Could it be an ability attached to Second-Time Yijin?"

But Su Mu quickly shook his head and denied this thought. He had faced several martial artists who had undergone Second-Time Yijin, such as Bai Yi and Qingfeng Gang Vice Gang Leader Shangguan Feng.

Both were martial artists of Second-Time Yijin, but Bai Yi had not managed to master this ability.

Recollecting, Su Mu sensibly detected that Shangguan Feng's spiritual force locking was still more tentative than that of Cyan-Faced Bat King and Gu Feng, and barely different from his own as of now.

Apart from his exceptional Lightweight Skills, Bai Yi's strength was in fact inferior to Shangguan Feng's; the secret communication had once mentioned Shangguan Feng possibly attempting a breakthrough to Third-Time Yijin.

"Third-Time Yijin?... Gu Feng and Cyan-Faced Bat King are definitely experts who have achieved Third-Time Yijin."

In that instant, Su Mu seemed to understand something.

"Maybe spiritual power has nothing to do with how many times you undergo Yijin, but rather is linked to the Body Tempering Realm!"

Ninth Grade Refining Force, Eighth Grade Bone Forging, and Seventh-Grade Yijin combine to form the Body Tempering Realm. The Body Tempering Realm consists of three grades and fifteen realms. If there's one thing he, Su Mu, shares with Shangguan Feng, Gu Feng, and Cyan-Faced Bat King—

"The only thing in common… is the Ninth Realm!"

First off, all four practiced totally different martial arts, so it was clearly not a martial arts issue. At the moment, the only thing Su Mu could think of was that Gu Feng, Cyan-Faced Bat King, and Shangguan Feng had all mastered Transforming Force after three rounds of Refining Force.

The three of them, backed by great powers, found achieving Third Bone Forging not difficult.

"That being the case, three rounds of Refining Force, Bone Forging, and Tendon Transformation can achieve the Ninth Realm within the fifteen realms of Body Tempering!"

The reason Shangguan Feng's mastery of spiritual locking lagged behind Cyan-Faced Bat King and Gu Feng was that he had not yet succeeded in breaking through to Third-Time Yijin.

"Whereas presently, I am at Fourth Refining Force, Third Bone Forging, and about to attempt Second-Time Yijin, so I stand right at the threshold of the Ninth Realm as well!"

Thinking this, Su Mu grew ever more convinced of his judgment. But if mastering spiritual locking at the Ninth Realm equaled top-tier Seventh Grade, then above that—could there be mysteries at the Twelfth Realm? Or even wondrous abilities at the full perfection of Body Tempering Fifteen Realms?

"Maybe I can give it a try!"

Su Mu's eyes shone brilliantly, and in that moment, motivation for martial cultivation surged in his heart. Even though Cyan-Faced Bat King had Black Mountain Rebel Army backing him, and Gu Feng was supported by Qingfeng Gang, both would find it hard in this life to make any breakthrough above the Ninth Realm.

Those two have long been renowned, which implies their potential is running out, or perhaps already exhausted. But Su Mu is not yet eighteen, strictly speaking, not even seventeen.

He, Su Mu, completely has a shot at breaking through the Twelfth Realm, or even achieving perfection in Body Tempering Fifteen Realms!

Without delay, Su Mu pulled up his current personal panel to check himself.

[Name: Su Mu (16 years old)]

[Lifespan: 335 years]

[Skill: Five Animals Qigong (Perfection), Vajra Body (Perfection), Tiger Subduing Fist (Perfection), Startled Sparrow Step (Perfection), Torrential Rain Spear Technique (Perfection), Iron Sand Palm (Perfection), Iron Whip Leg (Perfection), Melting Gold Technique (Great Success 75%), Small Faceless Transformation Technique (Great Success 65%), Medical Skill (Great Success 40%), Calligraphy (Great Success 39%), Alchemy (Great Success 36%), Feixu Skill (Great Success 16%), Eight-Step Chasing Cicada (Great Success 15%), Blazing Fire Saber Technique (Great Success 1%), Qingfeng Swordsmanship (Great Success 1%), Gu Technique (Small Success 97%), Seven Dominating Spear Forms (Small Success 88%), Thunder Shock Fist (Small Success 55%), Artifact Refining (entry-level 53%), Red Fire Technique (entry-level 11%)] 𝑓𝑟ℯ𝘦𝓌𝘦𝘣𝑛𝑜𝓋𝑒𝓁.𝑐ℴ𝓂

[Comprehension: 68 (Hidden-Dragon Level)]

Sweeping a glance, and seeing his increasingly well-filled panel, Su Mu nodded to himself in secret, rather satisfied in his heart.

Now he possessed exactly seventeen martial arts: eight at perfection, six at great success, two at small success, and one at entry-level. He also owned several secret manuals not yet studied.

Outside martial arts, he also had six more skills.

"Of all my martial arts, the biggest improvements this time were to Blazing Fire Saber Technique and Qingfeng Swordsmanship; Seven Dominating Spear Forms also advanced considerably, now not far at all from Great Success."

Moreover, as he scanned his other skills, Su Mu found that those which had split off a strand of Destiny had also increased by about five percent.

All in all, since leaving Qingyun County till now, Su Mu's comprehension had risen by a full ten points, his lifespan increasing by thirty years accordingly. As his comprehension keeps rising, the rate of lifespan gain has slowed compared to before.

Carefully reviewing his current personal panel, Su Mu nodded secretly, feeling quite pleased.

At once, he took out the spoils of the last few days and sorted them on the spot, including what he'd harvested from killing One-Eyed Daoist Zheng Xuan, a Zhao Family Tributor, as well as Guo Lie's possessions this time.

Starting with what One-Eyed Daoist Zheng Xuan carried: he'd found five hundred taels and thirty taels worth of silver notes, and two sandalwood boxes.

Su Mu opened the first box. Inside was a thumb-sized pale pill sealed with white wax. There was no label or note; Su Mu brought it close and sniffed, but the wax covering prevented him from smelling much.