Legend of The Young Master

Chapter 58: Skin Toughening Stage

Feng was warrior who was considered borderline demonic by many in the outer clan who knew him. Killing was something he enjoyed doing.

Since it was a faction's assignment and the target being a child, it was perfect for our cold-hearted killer. A light of cruel excitement sparkled in Feng's eyes as he accepted the mission and swiftly departed after this he might have enough contributions to enter inner clan.

Unbeknownst to Chen and the scheming outer elders, another elder named Lan had spies in the house of Zhao. His spy overheard parts of their conversation while passing by. The next day, the spy informed Outer Elder Lan. Elder Lan decided to take action and went to inform Elder Yun Guiren, an inner elder very close to Xuan's father. On the third day, Xuan's father and grandfather were informed.

Yun Baihe, the father of Xuan, had summoned Yun Ming, a warrior from their household, with a secretive task. He commanded Ming to swiftly make his way to Lujingbao to verify rumors that the Tianxing faction had plans to eliminate his grandson.

Baihe was confident that their ancestral treasure, which could detect the presence of demonic traits, would have alerted them if the boy were indeed of demonic lineage. He informed Ming that Feng, an assassin, might reach Lujingbao before him. If Ming arrived too late and found the boy deceased, he was to bring the body back to their clan.

However, if the boy was still alive, Ming was to escort him safely back to the family. Should there be any evidence of the boy harboring demonic qualities, Ming was instructed to deal with him accordingly.

Bastard or not, if the boy was his grandson, he deserved some clan treatment. Yun Baihe gave Ming a red jade talisman, saying, "I have added my blood to the jade. If it is true that he is my grandson, the jade will glow once you reach Lujingbao, and it will also help you find him."

Ming nodded and left quietly. Back at Lujingbao Fort, Gao waited eagerly. The merchant he had paid reported that the letter was delivered successfully weeks ago. It was only a matter of time before the Yuanjing clan acted on his careful manipulations. Soon blood would be spilled, and his vengeance would be fulfilled.

Unaware of Gao's plan, Wuyi cultivated diligently. At Qi adept, there were three stages and nine levels.

The first three levels were Skin Toughening: at this level, the skin was made resilient to external forces and elemental attacks.

The three levels of skin toughening included

Basic Resilience Training

At this level, the Adept begins by exposing the skin to mild Qi to build basic resistance.

Intermediate Qi Resistance

At this level, the skin becomes resilient enough to withstand more severe Qi. At this stage, the skin can easily survive extreme cold or scalding heat.

Advanced Qi Enhancement

At this level, The skin becomes so tough that nothing can penetrate it unless a higher-level Qi-infused weapon or sharp object is used.

After the skin was toughened, the next three levels were for Muscle Forging, It involved strengthening the muscles to withstand higher levels of Qi flow, and the final three levels were Bone Forging levels, this was where bones are made denser and stronger by integrating Qi into your bones, after which your bones would become hard as steel.

He had completed the Skin Toughening stage, and the sensations coursing through him were very unique. His skin appeared the same as before, but he could feel that no normal sharp object or weapon could pierce it. It was as if a new layer had formed beneath his skin, suffused with the essence of the Qi he had been channeling.

During the first level, Basic Resilience Training, he had felt the initial shifts. To test the resistance of his skin, Wuyi would cover a knife with his Qi and try to pierce his skin.

His skin had begun to adapt to the Qi attacks he directed towards it. The subtle energies of the Qi no longer affected him as they once did. It was as if his skin had developed its own basic defense mechanism, a shield buffering him against the fluctuations of Qi attacks.

Moving on to the second level, Intermediate Qi Resistance, the changes became more pronounced. His skin wasn't just resisting the Qi attacks; it seemed to absorb and neutralize it. He felt could stand amidst the swirling currents of Qi attacks without feeling discomfort. It was a liberating experience, one that freed him from limitations he hadn't even realized he had.

But it was the third level, Advanced Qi Enhancement, that left him truly astounded. His skin had become a fortress, impervious to almost any form of Qi or Weapon. He could feel the energies of various types of Qi from his statues collide with his skin and disperse as if refusing to penetrate this newfound barrier.

It was as if he had donned an invisible armor, one that made him feel invincible, with each pore of his skin acting as a sensory organ in its own right. The skin absorbed more Qi at the same time and had become more sensitive to touch too.

The air felt more vibrant, teeming with Qi, and even the ground beneath him felt more solid, acknowledging the strength he had gained. He could only imagine how strong his body would be once he cleared all three levels at Qi adept.

As Wuyi's cultivation grew, the Spring Festival neared for Lujingbao. The fort bustled with preparations, but Gao had something entirely different in mind for his students. While the marketplace would soon be adorned with freshly painted stalls and blossoming branches, Gao's plans were far from festive.

"You will be tested," he announced, "either proven worthy or discarded." "Discarded," he repeated, and the room fell silent.

Each student hung on his every word, contemplating the gravity of what "discarded" might mean. They felt a sinking feeling in their stomachs

Wuyi's first thought was that it must be another one of Gao's schemes, but then he remembered he had heard about how Gao always tested his students before the Spring Festival, before presenting them to the lord during the festival as up-and-coming warriors. Still, Wuyi harbored no illusions that Gao would test him fairly, and even if he did, passing seemed unlikely.