Free Web NovelChapter 107: Chapter 106: Blood Barrier, Four Young Masters of Shenghai
「Seven days later.」
「Ink Garden.」
In the vast Martial Arts Training Ground, a beam of light poured down from the dome, casting a distinct patch of brightness on the brown, solid wood floor.
At this moment, two figures—one tall, one short—were sparring beneath the beam of light. To call it a fight would be an overstatement; it was more like one-sided practice, with one person acting as a training dummy.
The taller, sturdier man was like an iron tower, a thick, solid wall. He stood nearly motionless, like a punching bag, allowing the other to attack and pound on him, only occasionally raising a hand to block.
After a while, a low shout was heard. "Kitty!"
Hearing the command, the wall-like giant moved slightly. In an instant, his beam-like arm shot out, whipping up a gust of wind—
"BANG!"
A dull thud echoed through the Martial Arts Training Ground. The two-meter-tall giant remained as still as a mountain, but the shorter figure stumbled back several steps.
"Alright, that’s enough."
Fu Juemin waved his hand and stood his ground, his chest heaving as he regulated his breathing.
His upper body was bare, and the sweat evaporating from his pores condensed into a mist in the cool air, weaving wisps of white steam around his body and head.
Right now, Fu Juemin was like a roaring furnace; one could feel the surging heat radiating from him even from several paces away.
Once his breathing had calmed a little, Fu Juemin slowly walked off the training floor. He glanced to the side, and with a single look, a slim, stern-faced young man eagerly rushed forward to take his place, beginning to fight with the wall-like giant.
This time, however, the giant seemed less merciful. In a single exchange, the young man was sent flying, but he didn’t make a sound, quickly getting back up and lunging forward again.
Listening to the muffled sounds of fists and feet as Cao Tian and the giant fought, Fu Juemin sat down casually at the edge of the training ground.
Another giant, who had been waiting by the side, brought over a pre-prepared rosewood medicine tray. In a deep voice, he carefully instructed Fu Juemin on the method and dosage for taking each item.
Golden Jade Ointment, Hundred Blood Pills, Five Ganoderma Powder...
All sorts of nourishing Great Medicines specially prepared for Blood Refining Realm Martial Artists were consumed by Fu Juemin one by one, as if they were free.
After Fu Juemin finished all the supplements, the giant took out a small, palm-sized bottle. As he unscrewed it, a thick, bloody smell mixed with the scent of herbs and wine wafted out.
The giant carefully rubbed the dark red medicine wine all over Fu Juemin’s upper body. Then, he casually raised a hand, extended several fingers, and jabbed them forcefully into his back.
"HMPH!"
Fu Juemin grunted. Where the man’s fingers landed felt like red-hot branding irons being pressed hard against his skin.
The "branding irons" seemed to carry a searing heat that seeped into his flesh and muscles with each application of the Finger Technique.
He had just finished his fist and foot practice, and with the various nourishing Great Medicines he had just consumed, this combination of internal and external stimulation caused his Qi Blood, which had not yet fully calmed, to surge and churn like boiling water once more.
The giant behind him moved his fingers with extreme speed but made no sound. He rubbed the medicine wine on Fu Juemin three times before finally stopping and standing silently to the side.
Looking at Fu Juemin now, his entire upper body was red and scorching hot, like a boiled shrimp fresh out of the pot, with steam rising from him.
The entire process lasted for a good ten-plus minutes before the strange phenomenon on Fu Juemin’s body gradually subsided, his skin returning to its original ivory color.
"Hooo—"
Fu Juemin let out a long breath. It was turbid, seemingly laced with faint, bloody impurities.
He opened his character panel. His originally 20-point [Attack] Attribute had now risen to 23.
It had increased by 3 points in just seven days!
Blood Refining Great Success!
Even Fu Juemin’s originally slender and well-proportioned physique had become broader and more robust again.
Great poison is great nourishment. With his Five Aggregates Profound Slaughter Technique at Minor Success, even if Fu Juemin did nothing, his Qi Blood would still slowly and naturally grow to the realm of Blood Refining Great Success.
The top-tier nourishment and conditioning methods he’d received at Ink Garden these past few days had greatly accelerated this process.
"If Madam hadn’t intervened, the Xue Family would never have been willing to part with this last bottle of their secret Tiger Blood Medicine Wine."
"Combined with me using my Vitality to stimulate the Young Master’s major acupoints, in another two days, the Young Master should be able to challenge the Blood Barrier at any time..."
Fu Juemin heard this and looked up at the two-meter-tall giant beside him, the one named Big Cat.
Over the past seven days, he had gotten to know the two Tongxuan giants Madam Ding had assigned to him.
Although they were twins, their personalities were quite different.
Kitty was simple and honest, a man of few words. He would basically do whatever Fu Juemin told him to do, never asking why.
Big Cat, on the other hand, appeared simple and straightforward but was actually meticulous and thoughtful. He was extremely methodical in both his speech and actions, serving as more than just a simple bodyguard.
Their Martial Arts weren’t identical either. Besides both practicing the Iron Body Child Skill, Big Cat specialized in a Finger Technique, while Kitty focused on a Palm Technique. Fu Juemin didn’t ask for the names of their Cultivation Techniques, only knowing that they were Superior Martial Arts passed down from the former dynasty’s Celestial Blessing Temple.
’Come to think of it, I suppose we’re connected by fate,’ he thought.
"It’s just that this Blood Barrier... I’m afraid the Young Master will have to put in more effort..."
Fu Juemin stood up from the floor. Hearing Big Cat’s words, his expression flickered. "From the way you put it, breaking through this Blood Barrier won’t be easy for me?"
Big Cat nodded and said slowly, "The Martial Dao has Three Gates: the Blood Barrier for advancing from Blood Refining to Tongxuan, the Heart Intent that breaks the Grandmaster’s Heart Demon Barrier, and the legendary Celestial Human Barrier beyond the Grandmaster realm."
"Breaking through each gate is like entering a whole new world."
"The difficulty for the Young Master in breaking the Blood Barrier lies in the fact that your foundation is simply too profound..."
"The Young Master’s own constitution is extraordinary. At the Great Success of the Blood Refining Realm, your strength in a single arm already exceeds a thousand catties, and you can even contend with an ordinary Tongxuan expert head-on. Your foundation surpasses that of an ordinary Blood Refining Martial Artist by an unknown margin."
"Furthermore, the Young Master also cultivates the Pharmacist Skill and the Five Aggregates Poison Technique..."
Big Cat paused, then said frankly, "To be honest, I have never seen anyone with a Martial Arts Talent as astonishing as the Young Master’s. Perhaps I’m mistaken, and it’s possible the Young Master’s Blood Barrier will be easier to break through than an ordinary person’s..."
With Big Cat and Kitty as his daily sparring partners, it was naturally impossible for Fu Juemin to hide his skills.
This was the good thing about powerful families. Even after learning that Fu Juemin was practicing the Pharmacist Buddha’s Glazed Body, one of the four top Iron Body Strange Skills of the former dynasty, they weren’t overly surprised. They even offered to help him inquire about the whereabouts of the other three Iron Body Martial Arts.
As for the two matters that had been troubling Fu Juemin the most, they were effortlessly and perfectly resolved after he came to the Ding Family.
The Qinglian Gang had started in water transport and had branches all over the country, with their influence even extending to the Southern Ocean.
A single telegram was sent, and the Qinglian Gang brothers on the other side handled it. It was said that the animals had already been captured and loaded onto a ship. If things went quickly, Fu Juemin would see the live crocodiles and elephants he wanted in just two weeks.
The search for the legacy of the Five Beasts Skill had also begun, utilizing the Ding Family’s network. It probably wouldn’t be long before there were results.
"What preparations does a typical Martial Artist need to make to break through the Blood Barrier?"
After listening to Big Cat, Fu Juemin thought for a moment before asking.
Big Cat replied, "Mainly physical impediments, with a few mental ones as well..."
Fu Juemin nodded. Just then, with a BANG, a figure on the training floor was sent flying sideways.
Cao Tian, who had been sent flying for the umpteenth time, struggled for a moment but couldn’t get back up.
"Not durable at all."
On the floor, Kitty retracted his Palm Momentum and grumbled in a rumbling voice. He left two words unspoken, but Fu Juemin could clearly read his lips.
"Kitty."
Fu Juemin called out to him, "Don’t curse."
"Yes, Young Master."
Kitty obediently stood with his hands at his sides and said no more. Beside them, Cao Tian’s face flushed red with shame and anger, making him wish the ground would swallow him whole.
Fu Juemin paid him no mind. With Cao Tian’s personality, suffering a setback would only make him strive harder.
He was unwilling to give up on a trusted subordinate like Cao Tian, but Cao Tian’s current strength was a bit too low. All he could do was provoke him a little to make him grow up faster.
’Cao Tian has a powerful backer like Li Tong. If he were any smarter, he’d have shamelessly stuck to him day and night long ago.’
As he was thinking, Big Cat handed him a stack of newspapers.
Fu Juemin took them casually.
Reading the newspaper while cooling down after his daily training had become a necessary pastime for him. Aunt Ding had expressed her appreciation for this habit after learning about it.
The papers Big Cat brought were all political and business gazettes. Fu Juemin casually flipped through them one by one.
Suddenly, a colorful tabloid slipped out from the stack.
Fu Juemin was taken aback. He shot a surprised look at Big Cat, but the man’s face was expressionless, as if this was completely normal.
He thoughtfully picked up the tabloid. When he saw what was printed on it, he couldn’t help but chuckle.
Emblazoned across the paper was a line of large characters: "The Four New Young Masters of Shenghai"!
Looking at the contents, he was startled to find his own name among them.
