Chapter 489 - 471: Skill Level Surges
"Shadow Ape’s Branch Exploration!"
Su Yu threw a straight punch. The Jiao Tendons in his body pulled taut, unleashing a terrifying, roaring strike like a true Flood Dragon emerging from the sea.
BOOM!
The violent Gang Wind blasted past like a cannonball, crashing directly into the Little Crocodile Dragon that was lazily lying in the distance.
"ROAR!"
Thinking it was under attack, the creature let out a fierce roar as its two-meter-long body instantly shot into the air. However, upon seeing that it was Su Yu, it immediately deflated. With a heavy THUD, it crashed back onto the ground and fell fast asleep a second later.
Su Yu chuckled. The creature’s speed just now was astonishing; it seemed its strength was continuously growing.
"Cyan Rattan Corner!"
He continued practicing his Martial Arts, burning through the violent medicinal efficacy of the Dragon Tendon Pill within his body.
[Cyan Wood Shadow Ape Fist Skill Level +100]
[Cyan Wood Shadow Ape Fist Skill Level +100]
...
Three hours later, the medicinal efficacy of a single Dragon Tendon Pill was finally completely exhausted. The Cyan Wood Shadow Ape Fist had also made progress that pleasantly surprised Su Yu.
[Martial Arts]: Cyan Wood Shadow Ape Fist (Great Success 1500/4000)
A single pill had increased his Skill Level by over a thousand points, surpassing about ten days of bitter cultivation. The Dragon Tendon Pill was simply domineering!
His Divine Sense probed further into his body, discovering that the tempering progress of several Great Tendons was also increasing in sync. When he first broke through to the Jiao Tendon Realm, two-thirds of his Great Tendons had already turned gold, and now that golden hue had deepened significantly. According to Liu Wu, upon reaching Jiao Tendon Perfection, all the Great Tendons in the body would turn to Dark Gold. Once one began cultivating the Dragon Tendon, they would subsequently transform into a Baiyu color!
He mused that he was now only two thousand five hundred Skill Level points away from Jiao Tendon Perfection. Judging by the current situation, once the Cyan Wood Shadow Ape Fist reached Perfection, all the Jiao Tendons in his body would turn Dark Gold, signifying the Realm of Perfection of the Jiao Tendon Realm! If that were the case, he wondered how the Dragon Tendon Mirror should be cultivated, fearing he might directly break through to the Profound Bone Realm instead.
Su Yu furrowed his brows. He now had some understanding of this True Dragon Tendon Realm, having specifically sought advice from Li Jingfeng and the others before they parted ways. This True Dragon Tendon Realm was extremely important; it determined the foundation of one’s future Martial Arts path and was even related to the Grandmaster Realm. The two had deliberately instructed him that if he wanted to achieve higher accomplishments in the future, he must break through to this True Dragon Tendon. Even if he couldn’t reach the True Dragon Tendon, stepping into the Little Dragon Tendon, Middle Dragon Tendon, or Great Dragon Tendon would all be beneficial. Only if it were truly impossible to break through should he consider advancing to the Profound Bone Realm!
"Zhen’Er, go over to Commander Liu Wu’s place and ask how the refinement of my Dragon Tendon Pill is going."
"Right away, Brother Su!"
...
The next day.
Su Yu purposefully patrolled his river district again. He even put on a listless appearance, acting as if he had suffered some injuries. However, the other Great Commanders were no fools; no one easily challenged him to seize his district. That said, there was no shortage of duels among the other Great Commanders.
Su Yu took a stroll along the lower reaches of the Celestial Mirror River and watched a full seven or eight duels. Every Great Commander who took action possessed extraordinary strength. The weakest among them were at Muscle Forging Realm Perfection, and there were also several experts in the Little Dragon Tendon Realm. Among them, Zhao Sen also took the initiative to strike, challenging Wang Lishu’s district once more.
The two had fought during the sparring match between the Inner City and Outer City, which had ended in a draw. However, Zhao Sen had unexpectedly broken through this time, stepping into the Little Dragon Tendon Realm. Originally brimming with confidence and intending to win back his face, he hadn’t expected Wang Lishu to have also broken through to the Little Dragon Tendon. Their battle was incredibly fierce, but ultimately, Wang Lishu still came out on top.
"Zhao Sen actually broke through to the Little Dragon Tendon as well, but it’s a pity Wang Lishu was still superior."
"Commander Wang is quite a strange person. He rarely speaks on normal days and loves drinking and reciting poetry, yet his strength improves incredibly fast!"
"It’s a pity. With Zhao Sen losing again, the improvement of his status within the Zhao Family will be small. However, having broken through to the Little Dragon Tendon, he can be considered to have formally entered the core circle of the Zhao Family."
"You know, this Outer City might actually have some redeeming qualities. Commander Zhao went to the Outer City and surprisingly broke through to the Little Dragon Tendon. And then there’s Commander Su, a mere Outer City native, who possesses such formidable strength."
Some meddlesome individuals even evaluated Zhao Sen as the number two genius of the Outer City and purposefully spread the word. When this reached Zhao Sen’s ears, he immediately flew into a violent rage, shattering an expensive ten-year-old purple rosewood table in his home with a single thrust of his spear.
After wandering around all day, Su Yu hadn’t received a single challenge, leaving him feeling quite disappointed. He lamented that a chance at a Dragon Tendon Pill was just gone for the day.
After supervising the riverway construction for the entire day, he was just about to head home at dusk when Chen Ling blocked his path. She and Liu Wu had arrived together, coming in aggressively.
"Hey, Su Yu, don’t even think about running away again! I have business with you today!"
Chen Ling was dressed in a light green ruqun dress. A small bell tied at her waist let out a crisp chime with every step she took. Her pitch-black hair was bound by a jade-green ribbon, with a few loose strands blown against her fair cheeks by the river breeze. At this moment, she stepped forward to block Su Yu, glaring at him with clear, bright eyes. With her hands behind her back and her delicate chin slightly raised, she put on a fierce facade.
The dusky riverbank was a dreary gray, but the young woman’s arrival added a touch of bright, lively spring colors to the scene. Liu Wu, clad in purple, stood to the side with her arms crossed, watching Su Yu with a faint smile.
Upon seeing Chen Ling, Su Yu didn’t dally. He reached into his robes and took the opportunity to retrieve the bell from his Sumeru Mustard Seed.
"By the way, Miss Chen, I hadn’t had the chance before, but since we’ve met today, I’ll return this bell to you."
Su Yu’s abrupt action instantly left both women stunned.
Immediately after, an angry expression surfaced on Chen Ling’s flawlessly delicate face. "Su Yu, you wouldn’t dare!"
Feeling a bit helpless, Su Yu explained, "Miss Chen, regarding this bell, I was previously unaware of its significance. After learning about it, I realized I had offended you. Therefore, I want to clarify things today and return the bell to clear up the misunderstanding." With that, he offered the bell forward.
Upon hearing this, Chen Ling’s face instantly filled with grievance. She felt incredibly wronged, wondering how he could still want to return the bell after knowing its significance.
When she first met Su Yu, she didn’t actually feel much beyond thinking he was rather handsome. However, having her bell taken by him during their very first encounter had truly stirred a peculiar feeling in her heart. The Chen Family had always valued fate, and since Su Yu had taken her bell right off the bat, there was undoubtedly fate between them.
Later, after investigating Su Yu’s background, she felt that he was quite excellent in all aspects. Born as a humble fisherman’s son, he possessed astonishing Martial Arts Talent and had climbed to his current position step by step on his own, without any complicated factions behind him. Moreover, his character was quite good, which sparked her curiosity. Yet, it was merely curiosity without any deeper intentions—she viewed it simply as a period of assessment. After all, she was the eldest lady of the Chen Family; countless ambitious men desired her bell. However, after taking the bell, not only did Su Yu never seek her out, but he also actively avoided her at every turn. Such behavior infuriated her. She angrily wondered if she, the esteemed eldest lady of the Chen Family, was somehow unworthy of him.
Later, after hearing Liu Wu’s explanation, she finally understood that this foolish boy hadn’t even known the significance of the Chen Family’s bell. He was truly an ignorant Outer City kid. Nevertheless, this made her feel that the fate between them was even stronger.
She had come today because she heard he was participating in the Martial Examination and wanted to lend him a hand. After all, he even had to rely on the Medicine King Pavilion to refine his Dragon Tendon Pills; he would definitely encounter plenty of trouble later when trying to break through to the Dragon Tendon Mirror. But she hadn’t expected this man to try and return the bell to her right from the start!
Beside them, Liu Wu looked on with a conflicted expression. She hadn’t expected Su Yu to actually try to return the bell to Chen Ling. She mused that Brother Su was truly an oddity—why would he just hand back something that others fought tooth and nail for?
In the distance, many Great Commanders also witnessed this scene and grew incredibly curious.
"This is the first time the eldest lady of the Chen Family has given her bell away, right? The significance behind that is extraordinary. And Su Yu is actually trying to return it on his own initiative?"
"This is the first time I’ve ever heard of such a bizarre thing! I bet the news will spread throughout the Inner City by tomorrow!"
"That’s no simple bell; it represents the opportunity to become the ideal son-in-law of the Chen Family! And Commander Su is actually returning it?"
"Wang Jian of the Wang Family pined after that bell for so long but never got it. Now someone is actively handing it back. It truly is astonishing."
"Aside from her slightly unruly temper, the eldest lady of the Chen Family is absolutely top-tier in both looks and figure! Not to mention she’s an expert in the Muscle Forging Realm herself, with the entire Chen Family backing her. I can’t figure it out, I really can’t figure it out! Just what kind of nerve does Commander Su have to do such a thing?!"