Enlightenment: Beginning as a Disposable Warrior-Chapter 33 - 32: Enlightenment Before Departure, Rock Shattering Fist Achieves Great Success!
"Tomorrow is the day to leave Qingshui Town. Rest early tonight and gather your energy."
Though that was said, Su Mu tossed and turned, unable to sleep, his mind replaying the many experiences since coming to Qingshui Town.
Unable to find sleep, Su Mu simply got up and went into the courtyard to practice his fist techniques. He warmed up with Five Animals Qigong first, cycling through tiger, bear, ape, deer, and bird play, then began to cultivate Tiger Subduing Fist.
Tiger Subduing Fist, the very first Grade-Entering Fist Technique Su Mu ever cultivated. In the blink of an eye, nearly a year had passed since he began, and under this fist, he’d killed almost two dozen bandits, a number of whom were Ninth-Grade Martial Artists.
In Su Mu’s hands, Tiger Subduing Fist gradually reached a level where he could unleash and withdraw at will, as if his arm were an extension of his mind; he was not far from perfection.
After an hour of Tiger Subduing Fist practice, Su Mu changed his fist momentum and began performing Rock Shattering Fist. With the alternating forces of hardness and softness, Su Mu felt the Dark Force within his body roiling, being continually tempered, strengthened, and nourished.
"Tiger Subduing Fist refines Ming Force, while Rock Shattering Fist tempers Dark Force!"
One bright, one dark; one hard, one soft.
After experiencing a fierce battle and relaxing completely, Su Mu found sudden clarity rising in his heart. He ceaselessly practiced this Rock Shattering Fist; every punch contained Dark Force that made the air around him violently tremble.
Peng!
With another punch blasted forth, Su Mu suddenly sensed that sensation—a prelude to breakthrough—emerging in his heart.
At this moment, Jade-Level Enlightenment displayed its efficacy, allowing Su Mu to keenly seize upon that flash of spiritual light.
Su Mu’s eyes shone bright as he continued to perform his Rock Shattering Fist without rest.
He practiced for an entire night. When the village’s roosters crowed, a shaft of dawn light fell from the sky, illuminating the youth’s sweat-covered cheeks.
The youth’s whole body suddenly quivered.
He felt the Qi Blood within boiling, and strands of Dark Force surged ever more swiftly.
Rock Shattering Fist (Great Success 1%)
"Rock Shattering Fist has reached Great Success!"
On the eve of his departure from Qingshui Town for Qingyun City, the youth gained fresh insight. Thanks to his Jade-Level Enlightenment, he seized this opportunity and, in a single night, advanced his Rock Shattering Fist to Great Success!
With the achievement of Great Success in Rock Shattering Fist, a familiar warm current arose in his abdomen, flowing through his limbs and meridians, in just a few breaths banishing all fatigue from a night’s relentless training.
Wong---------
At this moment, all the acupoints across Su Mu’s body roared in unison, filling his face with wild joy.
"I’m on the brink of reaching Great Success in Dark Force!"
In order to break through to the next realm of power, one must fully accumulate both power and Qi Blood to their peaks. Last time, it had taken Su Mu half a year to fill power and Qi Blood to the brim.
Originally, Su Mu estimated that fully gathering Dark Force this time would take at least three months. Who would have thought that, with his improved comprehension, the warm current would speed up this process, bringing it dramatically forward.
Su Mu only felt the Qi Blood and Dark Force in his body boiling fiercely, the currents surging ever faster, transforming into streams of blazing heat rampaging within him, as if a raging fire were burning upward inside his body.
His body became like the iron billet upon the Forging Platform, impurities within burned clean away by the combined searing of power and Qi Blood.
For a time, bean-sized drops of sweat kept welling up from every inch of Su Mu’s skin.
Plop.
Sweat poured like rain. Su Mu clenched his teeth and endured. Yet this fever came and dissipated quickly; as the warm current from his breakthrough receded, the transformation of power within him also gradually calmed.
"Just a little more to reach Great Success in Dark Force."
Su Mu let out a long breath. Far from feeling regret, his face brimmed with joy.
"It’s only been a month since I birthed Dark Force!"
Su Mu felt the surging Dark Force within; if he were to face Wu Heng again, Su Mu was confident now he could crush him with the Twin Tiger Fist without even needing to tap into Limit Break.
"Another three to five days or so should suffice."
At this point, Su Mu was confident that, within three to five days, he could completely fill his body with Dark Force; this epiphany with Rock Shattering Fist had saved him nearly two months of arduous training.
After his breakthrough, Su Mu pulled up his current attribute panel to take a look.
[Name: Su Mu (14 years old)]
[Lifespan: 85 years]
[Skills: Five Animals Qigong (Perfection), Forging (Great Success 98%), Tiger Subduing Fist (Great Success 91%), Rock Shattering Fist (Great Success 1%), Startled Sparrow Step (Small Success 68%), Alchemy (Small Success 2%)]
[Comprehension: 14 (Jade-Level)]
"Not bad. My comprehension jumped up by two points this time, and my lifespan also increased by ten years in one stroke."
"Since ancient times, eighty-year-olds have been rare. Now, in this era, my lifespan can certainly be considered longevity!"
Su Mu glanced over his stats, satisfied. In the half-year since advancing to Ninth Grade, he’d discovered some patterns in his growth of comprehension.
The difficulty of increasing comprehension is not invariable; rather, it is dynamic and ever-changing.
For example, both Five Animals Qigong and Alchemy are ungraded. Before becoming Ninth Grade, reaching Small Success in either would increase his comprehension and extend his lifespan. But when Alchemy reached Small Success a few days ago, it brought no improvement.
As for Entry Level Martial Arts, the Ninth-Grade Rock Shattering Fist and Startled Sparrow Step each provided a comprehension boost on reaching Small Success.
As well, the amount of comprehension gained when a skill breaks through appears closely tied to its grade. For example, Five Animals Qigong reaching Perfection only gave two extra points of comprehension, but so did the Ninth-Grade Rock Shattering Fist achieving Great Success.
That day, Li Tie announced to all that Su Mu would be heading to the Forging Workshop in Qingyun City, and declared the iron shop would be closed for the day.
"To celebrate that our iron shop has produced a future ’Master Blacksmith’, today’s my treat—come on, everyone, let’s all go to the tavern for a grand meal!"
Over a dozen people from Li’s Iron Shop gathered at the town tavern, cups raised in succession, with the aroma of wine and meat filling the air.
The blacksmith masters each filled Su Mu’s cup. They all knew that, once they parted, this meeting might be hard to come by again. Seeing Su Mu coughing red-faced from the strong spirits, the masters burst out laughing.
In the end, it was Zhou Mountain who stopped the crowd’s enthusiasm. "This kid can’t handle his liquor; he’s had more than enough."
Before leaving the tavern, Li Xiaohu pulled Su Mu aside downstairs to talk for quite a while. His tone was full of reluctance, and then he handed over an object—a somewhat rough Iron Token.
Vaguely visible were cloud patterns along its edge, and a clumsily-carved carp on the face.
"Actually, my dad told me earlier that you were going to the Forging Workshop. I made this over the past few days... Don’t, don’t look down on it."
"I’ve never seen my mother since I was little, but she left me a Protective Talisman. I made this based on it."
As he spoke, Li Xiaohu reached into his clothes and produced a Jade Token. Su Mu saw some resemblance, and felt a bit moved.
"Brother Li, then I’ll accept it."
Su Mu accepted it solemnly. At that moment, the other masters came downstairs, and before leaving, the shop owner Li Tie handed Su Mu a cloth pouch.
"Uncle Li, what’s this?"
"Just a little something from me and the other masters—there’s twenty-three taels of silver inside." Seeing that Su Mu was hesitant, Li Tie spoke with gravity.
"Xiaomu, when an elder gives you something, you cannot refuse. In Qingyun City, it’s not like this small town; everything will cost silver coins. You’d best take it."
Su Mu was filled with gratitude and finally accepted the pouch.
After being plied with so much wine, Su Mu was somewhat drunk. He didn’t use his power to dispel the intoxication. In life, such moments are rare enough, especially for someone like him who rarely drinks.
That night, he stayed at Zhou Mountain’s house; the two talked late into the night.
At dawn the next day, Su Mu bid farewell to Li Tie and his son, Zhou Mountain, and the gathered masters before setting off.
"A golden-scaled fish is no pond fish; once it meets storm and cloud, it transforms into a dragon. I have a feeling that, in time, Xiaomu will forge a great destiny!"
"Boss, I’m not sure I understand all you said, but the last part I get... If Xiaomu makes something of himself someday, does that mean we’ll get to bask in the glory too?"
"Hahaha, of course! Zhou Mountain will be something else then—the master of a Master Blacksmith!"
A few jests lightened the sorrow of parting. After watching Su Mu depart, the blacksmith masters returned to the forge as before; only Li Xiaohu, sniffling and feeling down, went back and sat dully in the shade of the old pagoda tree.
Clang!
Not long after, the sound of hammering iron came once more from the forge—just as it always had.
Under radiant sunlight,
a young man from the southern small town arrived at the gates outside Qingyun City.
...
