Chapter 135 - 133: Eighth Realm of Bone Forging, Warrior
"Senior, I wonder how many sets of Ninth Realm body refining skills this mist gold can exchange for. If it’s not enough, I can add more to make up the price?" Song Changming asked immediately after hearing about the price of the body refining skills.
"If it is just a copied version, it is not expensive. The truly costly part is the guidance of a master artisan," Liu Dingsheng said.
Usually, people are just given a secret manual to get started on such body refining skills. The difficulty is not trivial, it requires time and effort, not to mention the risk of training incorrectly.
Therefore, when martial artists practice martial arts, rigid manuals mostly serve as auxiliary references. The truly valuable resources are always the training experiences of predecessors.
But Song Changming didn’t need that.
He has a panel. As long as there is an experience bar, he can grind continuously until he reaches great perfection, the peak of perfection!
So, Song Changming indicated that he only wanted the manual for the body refining skills. He would take it home to train and understand it gradually by himself.
Liu Dingsheng wasn’t surprised by this. Based on the martial arts talent that Song Changming had shown, he was already extraordinary and couldn’t be judged by common sense.
After finalizing the trade of mist gold and body refining skills, Song Changming then took out a pair of short swords and placed them on the table.
"Senior, could you analyze these blades?" Song Changming asked.
This pair of short swords was precisely the weapon held by the treasure hunter he encountered yesterday.
The other party was unwilling to disclose their background, so he could only analyze them from other aspects.
He felt that these dual swords had a special craftsmanship, and perhaps Liu Dingsheng could see something in them.
After examining the short swords closely, Liu Dingsheng thoughtfully said, "This is the craftsmanship of renowned artisans from the Hengyang region in the north. How is the person’s strength?"
"An Eighth Realm Marrow Cleansing martial artist, dual sword style, extremely proficient in light body skill, adept at hiding..." Song Changming directly explained the other person’s strength characteristics clearly.
Stroking his beard, Liu Dingsheng thought for a moment and said, "There are few in the Jianghu who wield this pair of short swords, and even fewer who are Eighth Realm martial artists, but based on the strength characteristics you described, it’s possible that the person is an assassin from the Anye Pavilion."
"And it’s rumored that the headquarters of the Anye Pavilion is also in the north."
"The Anye Pavilion..." Song Changming was somewhat surprised.
He wasn’t entirely unfamiliar with the Anye Pavilion. In his earlier years as a patrol guard, he had encountered these assassins from the Anye Pavilion.
Several assassins had once caused chaos in the city, leaving people in panic, which left a deep impression on him.
This time, the opponent clearly came for the treasure map, but he didn’t expect there might be a connection to the Anye Pavilion.
Of course, this was just Liu Dingsheng’s speculation and he couldn’t be 100% sure that the person was an assassin from the Anye Pavilion.
"The Anye Pavilion does business purely based on tasks and rewards. If an assassin dies during a mission, they’re just dead. They never seek revenge for the assassin’s death," Liu Dingsheng said.
"If you really killed an assassin from the Anye Pavilion, rest assured. They’re different from those Jianghu sects; their establishment is purely business-oriented."
Song Changming nodded, feeling a bit relieved.
Given his current martial arts strength, he might not fear retaliation from assassins of the Anye Pavilion, but it would be best if there were no subsequent troubles.
"Is there anything else today?" Liu Dingsheng asked, rubbing his sore back as he stood up.
As the years passed, Liu Dingsheng visibly aged more and more.
Plus, years of not sparring with others had caused his limbs and bones to weaken. His strength was already not what it used to be.
In fact, Liu Dingsheng’s decline in strength was only in the last two years.
In past sparring, for Liu Dingsheng to handle Song Changming was an easy task.
But now, even without a sword, Song Changming could suppress Liu Dingsheng with just his fists and feet.
Although he didn’t win the fight, that was only because Song Changming considered the dignity of his senior, Liu Dingsheng, and stopped at the right time.
The saying goes: "The fist fears the young, and the hero ages."
People always have their peak and decline with age. No one can defeat time.
Except for Song Changming.
His life growing longer and longer, he is destined to find it hard to experience the helplessness of approaching the natural end.
His physical condition has always remained at an upward peak like the noontime sun that never sets!
Song Changming immediately nodded, taking out the last item he brought today and laying it flat on the table.
It was the complete treasure map he had pieced together.
If it were anyone else, considering safety and human nature, he certainly wouldn’t share the secret of this treasure map.
But in front of him, Liu Dingsheng, after many years of acquaintance, Song Changming trusted him quite a lot.
Liu Dingsheng had handed down everything to him, without which Song Changming’s rapid increase in strength in recent years would have been impossible.
He’s also the person who knows the most about Song Changming’s secrets.
"Elder Liu, do you know the characters on this?" Song Changming asked after spreading out the treasure map.
"Oh!" Originally stretching his muscles, Liu Dingsheng’s attention was quickly drawn to the treasure map.
He looked at Song Changming in surprise.
"Where does this thing come from?" Liu Dingsheng asked in return.
Song Changming didn’t hide anything and explained the origin of the treasure map.
"A documented martial technique, it might indeed be the case." Liu Dingsheng leaned in for a closer look and murmured.
"This treasure map, at first glance, does not belong to the Da Han Dynasty."
"Not from the Da Han Dynasty? Could it be from the outer domain?" Song Changming asked.
"No, this object likely comes from a martial arts inheritance of the Ancient Abyss Country," Liu Dingsheng shook his head.
"It’s actually from the Ancient Abyss Country," Song Changming reacted with surprise.
Regarding the so-called Ancient Abyss Country, he had some understanding.
Since ancient times, the continent was divided into two countries, Da Han and Ancient Abyss.
Even a thousand years ago, only the Ancient Abyss was on the continent; today’s Da Han Dynasty separated from the Ancient Abyss Country a thousand years ago.
Because of the older and richer historical heritage, the Ancient Abyss Country appears more mysterious in the eyes of the Da Han people and is regarded as the original country.
"The characters recorded are likely the script of a small clan within the Ancient Abyss Country. You want me to decipher the content for you, but unfortunately, I can’t," Liu Dingsheng shook his head.
At most, he could only confirm the origin of the treasure map.
No matter how knowledgeable he was, it was impossible to know all the scripts of the various small clans of the Ancient Abyss Country.
"Though I do not understand these characters, I have a few old friends who might know something," Liu Dingsheng did not completely dismiss the possibility.
"Elder Liu, please!" Song Changming exclaimed upon hearing this.
"I’ll give it a try..."
...
After leaving the Liu Residence, he only needed to wait for the result.
Whether it was the translation and interpretation of the treasure map or the three sets of extreme realm body refining skills he exchanged with the mist gold.
Just waiting for Liu Dingsheng to help him operate smoothly.
The reason he wanted three sets of extreme realm body refining skills was not for any other purpose, but during the past two years, he had successfully mastered the Spiritual Monkey Skill, Rhino Horn Skill, and Barbarian Bear Skill to their peaks.
Currently, his three major body refining directions—marrow washing, muscle training, and skin refining—all have reached the Sixth Realm strength without exception.
He had originally considered replacing his body refining skills earlier, but on the one hand, he had been short of money and silver for a while. On the other hand, he had been focusing his training on the main Bull Demon Skill.
Recently, he finally saw the fruits of his labor, advancing the Bull Demon Skill to the Eighth Realm!
This accomplishment brought him joy and allowed him to consider other matters.
By chance, he learned about the whereabouts of the mist gold from Liu Dingsheng. Short on cash, he decisively pursued it, leading to the gains of yesterday.
Now, his body refining cultivation has reached the Eighth Realm of Bone Forging, and the other three directions are at the Sixth Realm!
This forms the solid foundation of his current strength.
The results of his four body refining directions amplify and stack upon each other. For instance, the combination of Eighth Realm Bone Forging and Sixth Realm Muscle Training makes his qi power far exceed that of ordinary Eighth Realm Bone Forging martial artists.
And when combined with the results of Sixth Realm Cleansing Marrow and Changing Tendons, his speed and burst become increasingly potent, making his ultimate strike power much stronger and more terrifying.
This is why the Eighth Realm assassin from the Anye Pavilion fell to him yesterday.
His current strength far surpasses that of a typical Eighth Realm martial artist!
Even in martial arts mastery, he has no weaknesses, and it’s even his forte.
In terms of weapons, with his peak-level sword skill, he is unbeatable and needs no further words.
In fist and foot skills, he has dabbled in top-tier martial arts of hands, palms, and legs and has achieved success in each!
The six-sided all-around warrior training method he set for himself in the past is now almost realized, gradually unveiling its formidable strength!
According to Liu Dingsheng, in his current state, Song Changming has the strength to contend with ordinary extreme realm experts in Jianghu!
Even at Liu Dingsheng’s peak, in terms of martial power, he wouldn’t dare claim complete victory over the current Song Changming!
This is the visible growth of Song Changming!