The Martial Saint of Humanity, I Have Transformed Low-Level Martial Arts Into Immortal Martial Arts - Chapter 25

Chapter 25: Forging Bone Stage! Blacksmith Shop!

Su Hao could only feel a tingling sensation throughout his bones, which was the feeling of his bones growing. Typically, the process of bone forging is extremely slow, relying on tiny changes each day that gradually accumulate and transform. Given that Su Hao could actually feel the growth of his bones, one could imagine how efficient his bone forging process was; compared to him, the efficiency of other martial artists could only be described as snail-paced!

Without a doubt, this was due to the changes brought about by Su Hao’s third-stage Refining Strength. Bone forging involves utilizing blood and energy to refine the medicinal power, strengthening one’s own bones. The denser and more profound the strength force, the higher the efficiency of bone forging!

“Let’s apply a new batch of medicine.”

Before long, Su Hao felt that the medicinal power of the paste on his body had already been mostly refined. He quickly washed up, applied a new layer of the paste, and continued channeling his energy to refine it again. After repeating this process three times, Su Hao finally felt a fullness in his bones; he knew that just like eating, one couldn’t consume all at once and expect to become overweight, so he decided to stop the bone forging for the day and went to bed.

“At this rate, it won’t be long until I reach the Forging Bone Stage.”

Lying in bed, Su Hao felt quite satisfied. With his foundation in Transformation Strength, refining the Bone Refining Elixir was ten or even dozens of times more efficient compared to ordinary martial artists. Reaching the Forging Bone Stage was merely a matter of time for him.

However, Su Hao’s journey to forge bones was not without its challenges, and soon he encountered a problem.

“I’m out of money… My savings are nearly depleted.”

Time flew by, and four to five months had passed. Su Hao pulled out a wooden box from under his bed, looking at the only few taels of silver left inside, a hint of helplessness appeared on his face.

With Su Hao’s efficiency in bone forging, he could refine four batches of Reckless Bull Bone Refining Paste in a month, costing 40 taels of silver. His previous savings of over two hundred taels seemed like a large sum, but in just a few months, it was nearly all spent.

The saying “rich in martial arts, poor in literature” was not just idle talk; training a powerful martial artist involves huge expenses for martial arts secret books and refining elixirs, making it as if money flowed like water. An ordinary martial artist with decent talent could still find it quite difficult to rise if they came from a poor background!

“My forging skills are becoming more mature, but the market in Crouching Tiger Town is limited, making it impossible to earn much money.”

Su Hao secretly thought to himself that he did have a skill to earn money, and that was forging. However, Crouching Tiger Town was a small place, and in reality, ordinary citizens could not afford a few taels of silver for a ‘Ten Refinements Elite Soldier’—making ordinary tools was not particularly profitable. As for robbing others? Even if it was to take from the rich to help the poor, there were risks involved. Such activities could not be done frequently; if something went wrong, the consequences could be dire, much like the fate of the bandits and villains who had died at Su Hao’s hands.

Moreover, in this world, the wealthier people were, the stronger their own abilities and foundations tended to be; otherwise, they would have long been robbed by other powerful individuals using brute force, unable to protect their wealth at all!

“It seems… it’s time to leave Crouching Tiger Town. After the New Year, I should discuss this with Uncle Zhao.”

Su Hao couldn’t help but think about leaving Crouching Tiger Town. A shallow water source could not breed a true dragon; going to a bigger place would allow him to develop faster and more smoothly.

While spending money like water brought Su Hao significant progress, he focused his mind and was able to ‘look within’ at his own bones. He saw that each bone had become noticeably thicker and was incredibly tough, like that of an ox! Whether it was impact resistance or explosive power, he had surpassed his previous strength by more than double!

“This should be the realm of bones as tough as ox bones after one round of bone forging. I can now be considered to have officially entered the Forging Bone Stage, and using Transformation Strength has become even easier and more natural.”

Su Hao moved his body, feeling quite satisfied. After refining his body and consolidating his strength three times, he had produced Transformation Strength throughout his body, making each punch and kick feel as powerful as a galloping horse. However, the strain on his body was immense.

It was like swinging a fist against a brick; while he could shatter the brick, there was also a chance that his own bones could fracture from the recoil. Now that he had entered the Forging Bone Stage, his bones were tough, not only significantly enhancing his physical strength but also allowing him to wield Transformation Strength more liberally, unleashing terrifying killing power!

A few days later, one afternoon, Su Hao finished forging the weapon at hand. After carefully inspecting it, he nodded in satisfaction and drank deeply from his water bottle.

“A Hao, come here for a moment.”

At that moment, Zhao Tie walked in and waved to Su Hao.

“Okay.”

Although Su Hao was puzzled about why Zhao Tie had called him, he nodded in response. He then followed Zhao Tie to the backyard.

In the backyard, Zhao Tie looked at Su Hao with a beaming smile and said, “A Hao, it’s already your fourth year at our Zhao’s Blacksmith Shop, and your forging skills have become top-notch among us.”

“It’s all thanks to Uncle Zhou and the others for teaching me well,” Su Hao humbly replied, though he genuinely appreciated the support. The older blacksmiths like Zhao Tie and Zhou Xiong had always been generous with their guidance and without reservation when it came to teaching him.

Zhao Tie continued, “A Hao, with your talent, I feel you shouldn’t be stuck in this little blacksmith shop.”

This statement caught Su Hao off guard; Zhao Tie’s meaning was clear—he wanted Su Hao to leave Zhao’s Blacksmith Shop for a bigger opportunity!

Zhao Tie elaborated, “I once worked at the Weapon Forging Workshop in Evergreen City. Their forging techniques are among the best in Evergreen County, especially skilled in weapon crafting. There, highly skilled blacksmiths are referred to as ‘Blacksmiths’ and even ‘Grandmaster Blacksmiths,’ enjoying excellent benefits.”

“The Weapon Forging Workshop?” Su Hao’s heart stirred.

Zhao Tie had once studied there before returning to Crouching Tiger Town to open his blacksmith shop. According to Zhao Tie, this workshop specialized in weapon crafting, and the blacksmiths there had good treatment.

“I can write you a letter of introduction. You can go find the blacksmith ‘Chen Yuan Zheng’ there; he was my teacher. With him speaking on your behalf, combined with your forging skills, joining the Weapon Forging Workshop shouldn’t be a problem.”

Zhao Tie shared his thoughts with Su Hao, his eyes filled with warmth and encouragement.

Zhao Tie had noticed Su Hao’s hard work; he considered himself a half-master of Su Hao’s forging skills. Seeing Su Hao’s talent genuinely brought him joy, and he was willing to help Su Hao find a path forward.

“Uncle Zhao…”

This made Su Hao feel a mix of shame and gratitude.

He felt ashamed for previously thinking that if Zhao Tie was unwilling to let him go, he would have to compensate him with some money for breaking the agreement. In reality, he had underestimated Zhao Tie’s character; Zhao Tie had no intention of forcing Su Hao to continue working for him. Instead, he voluntarily helped Su Hao plan for his future.

What also touched Su Hao was his experience after crossing over; he had encountered many villains, such as those from the Black Snake Gang and those who killed for money. But in truth, there were always more good people than bad in the world. Zhao Tie and the other workers at the blacksmith shop were good people.

“Alright, young man, it’s time for you to go out and venture. After the New Year, you should head to the Weapon Forging Workshop. Who knows, maybe the weapons you forge will be remembered for a hundred years!” Zhao Tie patted Su Hao on the shoulder and laughed.

“Hmm, I will continue to improve,” Su Hao replied, suppressing the complex emotions in his heart as he nodded vigorously. He had agreed with Zhao Tie to leave after the New Year, and with only a few days left until the holiday, Su Hao continued to complete his work as usual, practicing martial arts every day and enjoying a relatively leisurely life.

As the Spring Festival approached, Zhao Tie treated everyone at the Blacksmith Shop to a meal. During the gathering, everyone learned about Su Hao’s departure and expressed their best wishes to him.

With the Spring Festival now behind them and the new year upon them, a wild forest lay covered in a blanket of snow from a recent snowfall, creating a silver-clad landscape.

Swish, swish, swish!

Amidst the wild forest, a series of whooshing sounds echoed.

Crack! Crack! Crack!

One could see a tall young man practicing a set of leg techniques, his legs kicking and striking like a fierce storm. The movements were swift and graceful, executing the techniques with clean precision that was genuinely pleasing to the eye.