From breaking the limits of the White Ape Fist to becoming a martial arts saint.

Chapter 45, 4 Extreme Skin Apertures

The night was as still as water, and the moon hung high in the sky.

The inner courtyard and side rooms are quiet and elegant.

This place was originally a guest room used to entertain distinguished guests, with carved window frames, sandalwood tables and chairs, ceramic tea sets, and a faint fragrance in the air. Now it has become the residence of the inner disciples.

Despite the pleasant environment, few people stayed overnight at the martial arts school in the inner courtyard. After all, everyone there was a martial artist with houses in the city, so it was normal not to stay at the school.

Su Yu opened the window, took a deep breath of the cool night breeze, and felt more relaxed than ever before.

"Finally, I don't have to squeeze into that communal dormitory in the outer courtyard anymore, filled with the stench of sweat and feet. This is the life a human being should be living."

"Brother Su! You moved in too?"

A joyful shout broke the silence. Wang Hu, carrying a cloth bag and looking travel-worn, passed by the door with a simple, honest smile on his face.

Su Yu was delighted to see familiar faces. "Little Tiger, long time no see! Come in and sit down. You just got back?"

"Yes, Brother Su. I went home to eat the pancakes my mom makes. I happened to bring a few with me, so have a taste."

When Su Yu saw him take out that familiar flatbread, golden and crispy, sprinkled with sesame seeds, it instantly whetted her appetite.

"Haha, I haven't had your flatbread since you moved into this inner courtyard. Give me a taste!"

I took a bite, and it tasted just like before. The crispy texture, the piping hot juice, and the aroma of pork and sesame were irresistible.

This pancake also stirred up Su Yu's memories. Back then, he had been training hard in the outer courtyard, and now more than half a year had passed. He was no longer that weak, ordinary person.

The two sat facing each other eating pancakes, silent for a moment, with only the sound of chewing.

"Brother Su..." Wang Hu swallowed a bite of biscuit, hesitated for a moment, and said in a low voice, "Senior Brother Ma Fei... did you see him later? I heard that Senior Sister Qin broke his arm and drove him away. I... I feel really bad about it. I haven't apologized to him yet."

Su Yu looked into Wang Hu's clear eyes and sighed inwardly.

This silly boy has good genes and a kind heart, but he lacks a bit of ruthlessness.

"That's his own fault." Su Yu patted him on the shoulder. "Let's not dwell on the past, look forward."

After Su Yu's words, Wang Hu stopped thinking about what had happened before and asked curiously:

"Brother Su, have you broken through to the Martial Artist level?"

"It was just broken through yesterday."

"Congratulations, Brother Su! My dad said that breaking through to the Martial Realm means I can establish myself in this city!" Wang Hu chuckled sheepishly, clearly genuinely happy.

"If you need weapons made in the future, you can come to my house. My dad is very skilled at it."

Su Yu nodded in agreement.

He had long wanted to create weapons and hidden weapons suitable for himself, but he had never had the opportunity.

"Little Tiger, when do you plan to attempt to become a martial artist again?"

"My father said this is the last chance. If I fail again, my energy and blood will be depleted, and I'll never have another chance to try. I need to fully recover before trying again; I can't rush it."

"Have you prepared the necessary pills for your next breakthrough?"

"No..." Wang Hu chuckled bitterly and scratched his head. "Those Iron Sand Boiling Blood Pills are priceless and unavailable. My dad said he couldn't get them either, so we can only force it."

"But it's okay if I fail to break through. I don't have much talent for martial arts anyway. If I fail, I can go back to my father and work as a blacksmith. It's just that my father said that becoming a blacksmith is a more promising career path than becoming a martial artist, so that's why I came to learn martial arts."

Su Yu nodded without saying much, but he already had a plan in mind.

He still had a useless Boiling Blood Pill in his hand.

"Little Tiger, when you're ready to take on the challenge, remember to come find me first."

Although Wang Hu was puzzled, he still nodded earnestly.

……

The next morning, at the training ground.

As soon as Su Yu and Wang Hu stepped out, they bumped into Chen Fan.

Chen Fan was dressed in brocade robes, with a jade pendant hanging from his waist, looking quite different from his previous appearance. Upon seeing the two, he paused slightly, put on his signature fake smile, nodded reservedly, and then brushed past them.

However, in the instant he brushed past, a fleeting shadow of gloom crossed his eyes.

"What an annoying fly."

Chen Fan sneered inwardly.

Su Yu came from a humble background and had poor aptitude; he should have rotted in the mud. But somehow, he crawled up like a maggot and even broke through to the level of a martial artist!

Seeing him reminded me of my humble past. Back then, I had just become his apprentice and would eagerly help him empty his chamber pots, always being extremely respectful in his presence.

Now he was a promising disciple, yet Su Yu still acted neither servile nor arrogant when he saw him.

Damn flies!

……

Xu Feng had been waiting for a long time in the training ground.

He changed into a tight-fitting short-sleeved outfit today, revealing muscles with sharp, defined lines like rocks.

"Junior Brother Su, let me first tell you about the cultivation path after becoming a martial artist."

"Senior brother, please speak!"

Su Yu immediately listened attentively, as he knew very little about the cultivation of martial artists.

Xu Feng's expression was serious as he went straight to the point: "For martial artists, qi and blood are fundamental. To progress from the Skin Tempering Realm to the Flesh Refining Realm, one must pass through three stages to enhance the qi and blood within the body."

"These three trials seem similar to the three trials for martial artists, but they are actually completely different."

"For these three challenges, you need to open up three major acupoints in your body! These three acupoints are a collective term, not actually three separate entities. These acupoints are also somewhat ethereal, yet you can truly feel them!"

"The first acupoint is the Four Extremes Acupoint. The Four Extremes are the Laogong point in the palm and the Yongquan point in the sole. The hands and feet are the foundation of all Yang energy. Opening these acupoints allows Qi and blood to flow into the skin and membranes of the limbs, making the hands and feet as hard as iron, and greatly increasing Qi and blood!"

As he spoke, Xu Feng walked to a special wooden stake.

Those were no ordinary ironwood stakes; they were densely inlaid with sharp, cast iron spikes, gleaming coldly and inspiring awe.

"Watch closely!"

Xu Feng let out a low shout, and his blood and qi suddenly burst forth, his palms instantly becoming engorged with blood and gleaming with a bluish-black metallic luster.

"drink!"

Without the slightest hesitation, he slammed his bare hands down on the sharp iron spikes!

"boom!"

With a loud bang, the wooden stake trembled violently and made a booming sound.

Su Yu's pupils contracted sharply.

Those iron spikes, strong enough to pierce flesh, were actually bent by this palm strike!

Xu Feng withdrew his palm and showed it to Su Yu.

His palms were completely unharmed, without even a white mark; his skin was as tough as a layer of old cowhide covering a steel plate.

"This is the power of having opened the Four Extreme Apertures!" Xu Feng said in a deep voice. "Only those who can tear apart pig iron with their hands and shatter rocks with their feet can be considered martial artists of the First Aperture!"

Su Yu was deeply moved. Each improvement in a martial artist's strength became increasingly astonishing.

Seeing Su Yu's excited expression, Xu Feng continued, "Next, you need to cultivate the White Ape Fist, accumulating strength and blood over time. Once you feel the Four Extreme Acupoints, you can try to break through."

"Senior brother, how long will it take to open up these four acupoints?" Su Yu asked curiously.

"It's related to your innate talent." Xu Feng paused and said, "With ordinary talent, without the help of elixirs, it would probably take a year or two to break through."

"What? It's been that long!" Su Yu's face flashed with shock again.

Isn't cultivating to the Martial Artist realm much more difficult than breaking through to the Martial Artist realm?

Xu Feng sighed and continued, "While martial artists are powerful, the difficulty of cultivation increases progressively. If your innate talent isn't good, then you can only rely on accumulating massive amounts of resources."

"Take Chen Fan, for example. He has superior physical constitution. If he practices the White Ape Fist once, the amount of qi and blood he can generate is probably several times more than yours. Now, in just over a month, he will be breaking through to acupoints!"

Su Yu understood.

Those with inferior aptitude, without a massive accumulation of resources, might not even be able to reach the threshold in a year or two, and might even be stuck there for life.

This is the cruelty of martial arts: if you fall behind by one step, you'll fall behind by every step, and there are always martial arts bottlenecks that limit you.

"Alright, I'm going to start teaching you the White Ape Fist now. Watch carefully!"