The Martial Saint of Humanity, I Have Transformed Low-Level Martial Arts Into Immortal Martial Arts - Chapter 33

Chapter 33: Iron Bone! Second Forging Bones!

“Strong… too strong! Fourth round of body refining and refining strength… for Core Grasping Core Strength! Just lifting my hand and raising my foot, one punch unleashed is as ferocious as several wild horses charging forward, something that mere flesh and blood cannot withstand!”

Su Hao looked at his hands and the furrows carved into the snow-covered ground, and he couldn’t help but feel a shock of amazement. Compared to his previous Transformation Strength, the most significant change with Core Strength is its explosive power. When the strength is gathered tightly into a Dan (pill) or sphere, it is extremely compressed at the moment of explosion, releasing terrifying power in an instant—this is its essence!

The tighter it is held, the greater the destructive force that erupts in an instant!

“Now, facing my past self… if we were to collide head-on, I could defeat my former self with a single blow! That Armored Strongman, even if he wore heavy armor… I could take him down in one hit!”

Su Hao’s eyes shone brightly; after the fourth round of body refining and mastering Core Grasping Core Strength, his strength had undergone a transformative change compared to before. Regular bone-forging martial artists appeared as fragile as thin paper before Su Hao!

Name: Su Hao

Mastered Skills: [Baduanjin (Perfection)], [Forging (Perfection)], [Vajra Fist (Perfection)], [Heavy Mountain Fist (Perfection)], [Eight Steps to Catch the Cicada (Perfection)], [Bewildering Trace Fist (Perfection)], [Twelve Stances Tan Leg (Perfection)], [Soft Cloud Palm (Perfection)], [Tai Chi Sword Technique (Perfection)], [Black Tiger Saber Technique (Perfection)], [Meridian Severing Finger (Perfection)], [Bone Shrinking Technique (Perfection)]

Potential: 33 points (one in ten thousand)

Glancing at the attributes panel, Su Hao now mastered more than ten martial arts, all cultivated to perfection, and his potential had reached an impressive 33 points.

“Having perfected four martial arts has increased my potential by 4 points? The potential gained from regular martial arts is decreasing over time.”

Su Hao thought to himself that the four martial arts he had recently learned didn’t enhance his potential significantly. The martial arts he practiced could be considered quite common, and as his potential increased, simpler martial arts contributed less and less to that potential!

“Additionally, since the Second Forging Bones, Reckless Bull Bone Refining Paste has nearly lost its effectiveness.”

As Su Hao concentrated and looked within himself, he “saw” that the bones inside his body had taken on a faint metallic sheen—each thick bone seemed unbreakable, as if forged from gold and iron!

Second Forging Bones, the realm of Copper Bone!

Over the past year, apart from studying martial skills, Su Hao dedicated his time to ‘forging bones.’ With a monthly expenditure of twenty taels of silver, his bone-forging level progressed rapidly, and he had recently just entered the Second Forging Bones realm.

Copper Bone! Su Hao’s bones had become even more resilient, like copper or iron. Not only had his explosive power increased significantly, but his ability to withstand blows had also vastly improved. Even when faced with heavy weapons like hammers or iron rods, he could endure their strikes without sustaining much damage!

“This Reckless Bull Bone Refining Paste isn’t very effective; it barely helped me complete the Second Forging Bones, but it has nearly lost its usefulness for me now,” Su Hao frowned to himself.

Reckless Bull Bone Refining Paste is considered relatively basic among bone refining elixirs. For martial artists with lower forging levels, it can have quite remarkable effects, helping them achieve a bone-forging level comparable to the strength of an ox or tiger’s bones, but that is about its limit.

Take the Black Snake Gang’s master, Li Shuqing, for instance. After completing one bone forging, he found it nearly impossible to make further progress even after using Reckless Bull Bone Refining Paste. One factor was his limitations in talent, and the other was due to the insufficient quality of the bone refining elixir he used.

The fact that Su Hao could complete the Second Forging Bones within just a year using the not-so-powerful Reckless Bull Bone Refining Paste was purely due to his strong martial foundation. His exceptional mastery of Transformation Strength allowed him to refine the elixir’s potency far beyond what other martial artists at the same level could achieve—allowing him to forcefully complete the Second Forging Bones!

However, for Su Hao now, the efficacy of Reckless Bull Bone Refining Paste was entirely insufficient for him to challenge the Third Forging Bones realm; he needed a better bone refining elixir!

“If there were a more advanced bone refining elixir, combined with my strength that has already reached Dan Strength, the efficiency of refining its potency would be terrifying. Achieving the Third Forging Bones or even the Fourth Forging Bones would no longer be out of reach!”

A glimmer of anticipation appeared in Su Hao’s eyes. The more solid his strength was, the higher the refining efficiency for the elixir’s potency would be. Now that he had completed fourth-stage Refining Strength, his Core Strength was imposing and far beyond what ordinary martial artists could hope to achieve. As long as he had enough resources, his progress in bone forging would be rapid and astonishing!

His current goal was to continue practicing more advanced martial arts to increase his potential and obtain a formula for more advanced bone refining elixirs!

“Tomorrow, I’ll go ask Old Wang at the black market if he can get hold of more advanced skills.”

A sense of determination settled within Su Hao.

Old Wang is the merchant who sells secret books at the Black Market in Red Maple Ridge. Su Hao had traded with him multiple times, exchanging items for martial arts secret books, and their cooperation had generally been pleasant, without any falling out.

As evening approached the next day, the Forging Weaponry Workshop was closed for the day. In the Black Market of Red Maple Ridge, Su Hao, clad in black attire and wearing a mask, paused in front of a stall operated by a vendor dressed in blue and also masked.

“Brother Wen, do you have a new secret book you’d like to exchange with me?” the vendor asked with keen interest. Previously, whenever Su Hao came to find him, he always had secret books that the vendor did not possess, exchanging them for something else.

Wen Tailai, or ‘Brother Wen’, was a pseudonym created by Su Hao to navigate dealings with these unidentified figures in the black market, of course, without revealing his true identity!

“Old Wang, to be honest, I’m particularly interested in more advanced martial arts, so I wanted to ask if you have any connections to acquire some,” Su Hao said, lowering his voice to a deep, hoarse tone.

Practicing conventional martial arts, even striving to reach perfection from scratch, was proving to be of minimal benefit to Su Hao’s potential. Thus, he needed to train in deeper, more profound arts to increase his potential swiftly and undergo another transformation!

When he said this, the vendor momentarily appeared taken aback, then responded, “More advanced martial arts? Are you referring to… Initiated Martial Arts?”

“Initiated Martial Arts… yes,” Su Hao felt a flicker of intrigue in his heart as he nodded slowly, recognizing that there must also be distinctions in martial arts levels.

“Different martial arts are categorized into various levels based on their complexity. Common martial skills are the most widely practiced; they are easy to learn and do not require high talent, referred to as ‘Basic Martial Arts’… or, to put it another way, uninitiated martial arts,” the vendor Old Wang explained.

The most widely spread martial arts are mostly Basic Martial Arts, which in the realm of martial arts, can only be considered uninitiated!

Like Su Hao, the martial arts he studied were mostly of a basic kind, mere commonplace skills. His ability to reach the realm of Core Strength through Basic Martial Arts was entirely due to his exceptional potential and integrating multiple martial arts, which enabled a qualitative change born from quantitative accumulation!

The vendor continued, “Aside from Basic Martial Arts, there are deeper Initiated Martial Arts, which are further divided into various levels based on their complexity: Lower Grade, Middle Grade, Upper Grade, and Ultimate Skill. For any initiated martial arts, those with mediocre understanding and talent would find it incredibly difficult to achieve even the entry-level, let alone delve into deeper studies.”

The martial arts hierarchy is: Basic, Lower Grade, Middle Grade, Upper Grade, and Ultimate Skill!

“I’m only practicing very commonplace Basic Martial Arts. If I could obtain Initiated Martial Arts, even if it’s just a Lower Grade skill, it would undoubtedly have an immediate impact on my improvement!”

Su Hao’s heart was ablaze with excitement at the thought of more profound Initiated Martial Arts, which he truly desired.

Immediately, Su Hao asked the vendor, “Old Wang, do you have any Initiated Martial Arts? I can continue to trade items with you or offer other benefits as compensation.”

The vendor shook his head with a chuckle, “Brother Wen, you might be overestimating me a bit. I do have some connections, but the business I conduct only involves selling Basic Martial Arts. Initiated Martial Arts, even just the ‘Lower Grade skills,’ are the closely guarded secrets of certain families and sects in Changqing County. To obtain instruction, one must be among the very best; it’s not as easy as you think.”

“Even if I could get my hands on some, I am self-aware enough to know I wouldn’t dare sell it. Otherwise, I would surely invite danger to my life,” the vendor sighed.

Old Wang, who sold martial arts secret books in the black market, certainly had some confidence and capability, not fearing ill intentions from others. However, he only sold uninitiated Basic Martial Arts, which higher-level figures wouldn’t even bother to consider.

But if he were to sell Lower Grade Martial Arts, he would definitely attract the attention of masters and powerful individuals, inviting deadly consequences. As a vendor, he would never be able to obtain those initiated martial arts; even if he did, he wouldn’t dare to put them up for sale!

“Is that so?”

Su Hao felt waves of disappointment, realizing that Old Wang certainly wasn’t lying to him.

Initiated Martial Arts were tenfold or even a hundredfold more precious than ordinary Basic Martial Arts! For an average person to learn them was virtually impossible. Even joining a sect or martial arts school would not guarantee access to instruction; it demanded exceptional personal talent, a trustworthy identity, or being a direct descendant of an authentic master or core member of the sect.

“Isn’t there any other way to obtain Initiated Martial Arts?” Su Hao asked, a hint of reluctance in his voice.

Old Wang looked at Su Hao with a peculiar expression, “Of course there is… As long as you have strength, becoming a Local Emperor is not a problem at all; let alone acquiring martial arts secret books.”

“Do you have any connections, Brother Wang? I hope you can provide some guidance!” Su Hao’s eyes brightened, and he immediately followed up with questions, eager to learn more about Old Wang’s so-called connections.

Old Wang shook his head and chuckled, “It’s not really guidance; it’s not exactly a secret either. Since we’ve had a pleasant cooperation, I don’t mind sharing this information for free.”

Su Hao listened intently, sensing that the path Old Wang mentioned would likely be quite challenging.

“Have you heard of the Blade Catcher?” Old Wang asked, looking at Su Hao.

“Blade Catcher?” Su Hao’s heart stirred slightly, realizing what Old Wang was hinting at. He had heard of Blade Catchers; they were hired by the Yamen to capture wanted criminals in exchange for a bounty offered by the authorities.

Similar to bounty hunters, they belonged to a group that walked the line between life and death! Typically, those who were on the run and sought after by the Yamen were vicious offenders, and without sufficient strength, becoming a Blade Catcher would simply be a death sentence!

The vendor, Old Wang, laughed, “Looking at you, it seems you don’t come from a prominent family. The pathways to obtaining Initiated Martial Arts are limited; you can join some gang, become a guest elder for certain families, enlist in the military, or work for the Yamen. Being a Blade Catcher is not a bad job—you’re not tied down and can earn your rewards. If you have the skill, you can get what you want, including Initiated Martial Arts!”

“Of course, the prerequisite is that you must possess strength… otherwise, those wanted criminals are not easy targets!” Old Wang said solemnly.

There are many Blade Catchers who have earned great fortunes by risking their lives, living carefree for the rest of their days, but more often than not, they meet unfortunate ends, leaving behind names that few will remember!

“Hmm, I understand. Thank you.” Su Hao expressed his gratitude to the vendor. After their conversation, he bid farewell and left.

“Thinking of being a Blade Catcher and hoping to receive Lower Grade Martial Arts as a reward?””That’s not easy!”

Watching Su Hao’s departing figure, the vendor shook his head discreetly. He knew that Lower Grade Martial Arts belonged to the Initiated Level of Martial Arts. At that level, even as a Blade Catcher for the Yamen, most would not have the authority to obtain it.

Only a ‘Big Fish’ of considerable weight might be able to secure Lower Grade Martial Arts as a reward from the government office!

“I don’t want to get embroiled in the struggles and disputes of major powers, so for me, becoming a Blade Catcher is indeed a route worth considering to obtain Initiated Level Martial Arts.” Su Hao thought to himself.

Joining a large gang, well, not to mention whether he could become a backbone member, even if he could, gaining the trust of others to learn Lower Grade Martial Arts wouldn’t be easy. Moreover, he would certainly have corresponding obligations, needing to serve the faction, and that wouldn’t come for free!

On the other hand, being a Blade Catcher was relatively straightforward; by capturing or killing a fugitive wanted by the court, he could earn a corresponding bounty!

Su Hao felt quite confident in his own strength. With Second Forging Bones and Fourth-stage Refining Strength, along with ten martial arts techniques mastered to perfection, even when faced with danger, he believed that if he genuinely wanted to escape, few would be able to keep him there!