Chapter 215: Third Realm of Skin Refining
"The Nine Great Gates of Martial Arts—each gate is a shackle!"
"Every breakthrough is the process of shattering these shackles, freeing your body from its limitations, unleashing your innate Talent, and allowing your life to evolve."
"The First Realm of Martial Arts is Muscle Training, the Second Realm is Tendon Training, and the Third Realm is Skin Refining."
"It focuses on the skin membrane, which is part of the sequence: flesh, tendons, skin, bone, marrow, and blood."
As Mu Hong spoke, a black metallic sphere floated beside him. It seemed almost alive, coordinating with its master to project a series of images and data.
"According to scientific Martial Arts theory, once Tendon Training reaches a state of Perfection, the next stage is to condition our skin membrane."
"This allows for a further enhancement of our physical attributes."
Lin Qi listened as he watched the projected anatomical images, which showed the human skin in detail.
"The skin membrane helps us resist the external environment, as well as sudden, powerful impacts."
"In ancient times, before Martial Arts truly rose, some practitioners would thicken their skin with coarse substances or increase their resilience by repeatedly taking blows."
Lin Qi recalled a movie he had seen in his previous life where the characters would rub coarse salt on their skin to thicken it and make themselves tougher.
"In the current Martial Arts Era, our opponents are Calamity Beasts, which possess tough, coarse hides."
"They even have sharp claws, fangs, and other razor-sharp body parts like horns and scales... all of which can easily pierce and tear our skin."
"Although we have Combat Suits to mitigate damage, we still need to train our skin to be tougher and more elastic."
Lin Qi agreed. ’When facing a Calamity Beast, a Combat Suit is ultimately just an external tool. Only a powerful body is truly your own.’
"In our current Martial Arts Era, we naturally don’t use such inefficient methods for skin conditioning," Mu Hong continued.
"We can use Source Energy Skills to allow Source Energy to temper our skin, or consume Cultivation Resources to make it even tougher."
Mu Hong held up his arm, showing them his skin. It was visibly tougher and more elastic than Lin Qi expected, not the rough, thick hide he had imagined.
"Junior Brother, look at my skin. It’s tough and elastic, not rough like you see in old movies," Senior Brother Li Qing said, smiling as he raised his own arm. Surprisingly, his skin looked even fairer and smoother than one would expect.
Suddenly, Mu Hong’s aura surged with power. He clenched his fist and, in an instant, threw a punch that shot through the air like a cannonball.
As he punched, his muscles swelled and his great tendons vibrated. Skin and muscle worked in concert to unleash a terrifying amount of force.
BOOM!!!
A massive sonic boom cracked the air, and a powerful gust of wind slammed into Lin Qi.
Lin Qi was stunned. ’Just how powerful was that punch from Teacher Mu Hong to create such a terrifying effect?’
"After you break through to the Third Realm of Skin Refining, your skin will become tougher and more elastic. It will be able to withstand greater impacts in battle, helping you defend yourself and reducing your chances of getting injured," Mu Hong explained, lowering his fist and turning back to them.
"At the same time, with your skin and muscles working together, you’ll be able to unleash even greater strength."
"Furthermore, as your skin cultivation reaches an advanced level, your Perception will also strengthen, allowing you to sense changes in your surroundings with greater acuity."
Lin Qi couldn’t help but nod. ’So after breaking through to the Third Realm, my body will undergo some subtle changes.’
Just then, Senior Brother Li Qing, who had been watching from the side, spoke up.
"Junior Brother, to break through and become a Fourth Realm Martial Artist, you need a Qi and Blood Value of 100. You’re 60 points short."
"If you want to keep improving this quickly, you’ll need more than just your Source Energy Skill and the Gravity Room. You’ll need better Cultivation Resources."
"The gift I gave you is Skin Tempering Ointment. It’s an ointment specifically for Three Realm Skin Refining Martial Artists."
"It’s highly effective for tempering the skin!"
Li Qing explained, and Lin Qi felt a surge of gratitude.
"I understand. Thank you, Senior Brother!"
...
After the lesson ended, Lin Qi, Li Qing, and Wang Zixuan departed.
Mu Hong, now in a black martial arts uniform, went to the vice dean’s office next door. Inside, Dean Liu was leisurely sipping tea, dressed in a white robe.
"Old Mu, have some tea!" Dean Liu gestured to the sofa opposite him, where a cup of hot tea was steaming.
Mu Hong didn’t stand on ceremony and sat down to drink.
"So, what do you think of the disciple I picked for you?" Dean Liu asked with a chuckle.
"He exceeded all my expectations," Mu Hong said earnestly.
"Even if you offered me a position at the Tenth Institute now, I wouldn’t take it."
"Lin Qi is the only disciple I want!"
Dean Liu smiled. "That kid, Lin Qi, is always full of surprises. His future potential is staggering."
Mu Hong continued, "I might have to return to the battlefield soon."
"The situation is getting worse. I saw an opportunity for a breakthrough during my last trip to the Otherworld, and I plan to return to the battlefield to hone my Martial Arts further."
"Then, I’ll return to the Otherworld to seek the opportunity to break through to the Eighth Realm!"
Hearing this, Dean Liu’s expression turned grave.
"The situation is dire. Your presence on the battlefield will relieve some of the pressure, and if you can break through to the Eighth Realm, that would be even better."
Mu Hong shook his head and gave a bitter smile. "Even if I break through to the Eighth Realm, it won’t change the grand scheme of things."
"What our Blue Star needs are Ninth Realm Martial Artists—more Title Level Martial Artists."
"In my lifetime, my one hope is to train a Ninth-level Martial Artist."
"Right now, Lin Qi is the only one with even a sliver of hope."
"But even that hope is slim."
"It’s just too difficult to become a Ninth Realm Martial Artist!"
Dean Liu could only sigh in response.
...
「Azure Sky Sixth Institute, Villa 01」
Lin Qi returned to his Martial Arts Room, now holding three black metal boxes.
He closed his eyes and reflected on Teacher Mu Hong’s description of the Third Realm. He now had a general understanding of this new stage.
Next, he began to open the gifts.
First was the gift from Senior Brother Li Qing. He slowly opened it to find a brown container resembling a can of yellow peaches.
It was filled with a white, solidified paste.
’So this is the Skin Tempering Ointment? The name is pretty self-explanatory. You know right away it’s used for tempering the skin.’
Next to it was a small white instruction booklet.
"Little Chan, check how much a jar of Skin Tempering Ointment costs."
"Of course, Master!"
The projected Little Blue-robed Xiaochan nodded and raised her hand, projecting a green screen into the air.
"Master, on the Red Dome House, one jar of Skin Tempering Ointment costs one million Xia Country Coins!"
Lin Qi gasped. ’Senior Brother Li Qing is far too generous! To just give away something so valuable...’
’Looks like Senior Sister Wang Zixuan was right. Senior Brother Li Qing’s family must be incredibly wealthy to just give away something worth a million Xia Country Coins without a second thought.’
Lin Qi moved on to the second metal box. Inside, to his surprise, was a new smartphone.
"Master, that is the newest model from the latest Starry Sky series. It’s valued at 50,000 Xia Country Coins. Compared to other smartphones, it features..." Little Blue-robed Xiaochan began listing its functions.
Lin Qi took it out and compared it to his own phone.
His old smartphone was just a cheap, ordinary brand, its features completely incomparable to this top-level model.
Its screen was slightly cracked—he had accidentally crushed it in the Gravity Room when he’d failed to control his strength.
’Senior Sister Wang Zixuan is really sharp.’
Lin Qi immediately switched over to the new smartphone.
Finally, he opened the last metal box, which contained a bound book.
Notes and Key Points for Third Realm Skin Refining Martial Artists
He opened it to find they were printed Cultivation Notes, undoubtedly written by his teacher, Mu Hong.
They clearly detailed the key points and things to watch out for during the Third Realm of Skin Refining, and even included handwritten annotations.
Many important details were clearly marked, along with explanations for common problems encountered during cultivation.
Some sections even had additional notes jotted down in a different pen.
WHOOSH...
Lin Qi looked up, closed the Cultivation Notes, and let out a long breath.
He felt he had benefited immensely. ’If these Cultivation Notes were sold,’ he estimated, ’they’d be worth tens of millions.’
Looking at the three gifts before him, a warmth spread through his chest.
「After Dinner」
Lin Qi took the ointment to Gravity Room 305.
As soon as he entered, he stripped off his clothes, took out the Skin Tempering Ointment, and spread it evenly over his body.
The application method was the same as the Red Blood Ointment, but there wasn’t much in the jar.
’One jar of Skin Tempering Ointment can only be used twice. It really is expensive.’
’Let’s see what this Skin Tempering Ointment can do.’
Lin Qi spread the white ointment all over his skin, put on a black Martial Arts Uniform, removed his Gravity Rings, and picked up a Training Lance to begin his daily Cultivation.
"Little Chan, activate five times gravity!"
"Of course, Master!" Little Chan replied, her projection landing on a nearby cabinet.
The gravity multiplier on the large wall-mounted screen instantly jumped to "5."
HUMMM!!
An invisible pressure washed over him like a tidal wave, enveloping him completely. Crushing gravity filled every corner of his being.
His organs, tissues, flesh, tendons, bones, blood, and even his cells strained violently, fighting against the omnipresent gravitational force.
HUFF...
Lin Qi gritted his teeth and began to practice the Mountain Splitting Spear Technique. The technique’s movements were broad and sweeping, and under five times the gravity, he wielded the 500-kilogram Training Lance.
The training was incredibly strenuous. He was burning a massive amount of Energy every second, and his stamina was constantly draining.
At the same time, the Skin Tempering Ointment began to take effect. His skin grew hot and red, until his whole body resembled a steamed prawn.
This was accompanied by a tingling numbness and an itch so intense he felt an urge to claw at his own skin.
Lin Qi knew this meant the ointment was working, tempering his skin.
The multiple layers of discomfort assaulted his Spirit, trying to break his concentration and pull him out of his Cultivation.
But for Lin Qi, it was all bearable. He even activated his Heart Eye Talent, which allowed him to perceive the rhythmic changes in his skin with even greater clarity.
Beyond that, as his body moved violently, struggling against the immense pressure, an unknown power would occasionally surge forth, as if it were gathering.
’It’s the Vajra Transformation!’
’I have to grasp it, to master it completely.’
「Two Hours Later」
CLANG!!
His strength finally exhausted by the gravity, the black Training Lance crashed onto the padded floor.
Lin Qi braced his hands on his knees, panting for breath, his gaze locked on his status panel.
...