Chapter 35: That Realm of Thriving Vitality and Flourishing Creation Is Still Before My Eyes
But a bitter smile was just a bitter smile; there was no way he was giving up on this "Hardening Skill" now.
After all, the seemingly unattainable "sixty years" or "century of bitter effort" was a trivial matter for the Extreme Blue Martial Arts Modifier, which could directly elevate his Cultivation Realm and bypass the need for time-based accumulation.
’If I can master the first layer, Iron Skin, my physical defense will be greatly enhanced, and the threat of ordinary firearms will plummet.’
At that point, Lu Yun’s personal safety would increase exponentially!
In this age rampant with guns and cannons, a powerful physical body was sometimes a better lifesaver than profound Martial Arts!
Lu Yun took a deep breath, carefully rolled up the bamboo slips detailing the "Hardening Skill," and placed them back into the small wooden box along with Brother Chu’s final letter.
Then, he slowly rose and looked at the desk before him. It was a sturdy, antique-style mahogany desk weighing no less than two hundred pounds.
Without the slightest hesitation, Lu Yun grabbed the edge of the desk with one hand. The muscles in his arm bulged slightly as he easily slid the heavy desk more than a meter to the side.
Beneath the desk, the floor that had been covered was laid with a Persian rug almost indistinguishable from the surrounding floorboards.
Lu Yun bent down, lifted a corner of the rug, and then yanked it forcefully to the side.
The rug was pulled away, revealing the "floor tiles" underneath.
On closer inspection, the seam around one of the "tiles" was noticeably wider, and its texture was slightly different. It was a thick stone slab, crafted to mimic the texture and color of the floor tiles!
This was the entrance to the secret underground chamber Lu Yun had used over the years to store the Imperial Palace Treasures that Chu Baoshen had sent him.
Lu Yun had deigned to dig and build this secret chamber with his own hands back in the day. Besides himself, not even his most trusted subordinate, Ah Fu, knew its specific location, only that it existed.
Lu Yun hooked his fingers into a nearly imperceptible indentation on the slab’s edge. He exerted strength with his five fingers, and as his Huajin circulated, there was a soft CLICK. He steadily moved the seventy- or eighty-pound stone slab to the side.
A dark, gaping hole was revealed. It was about a meter wide, with a simple, hewn stone staircase leading down to a depth of about three meters.
Lu Yun didn’t take the stairs. He simply leaped down, landing lightly at the bottom of the hole.
The interior of the secret chamber was not dark. Years ago, he had spent a fortune to acquire dozens of Luminous Pearls of various sizes, which were embedded in the ceiling and walls.
The fluorescent glow from these Luminous Pearls, while not as bright as an electric lamp, was more than enough to see everything inside the chamber.
It was a space of about twenty square meters. Lining the walls were custom-made, thick glass cabinets fitted with locks.
The items displayed within the cabinets were enough to drive any antique collector or historian mad.
There were priceless paintings and calligraphy from former court artists, ink treasures personally inscribed by an Emperor, exquisitely shaped official kiln porcelain with lustrous glazes, and warm, translucent mutton-fat jade and jadeite ornaments of extraordinary craftsmanship...
In the most prominent glass cabinet, a bright yellow Dragon Robe hung silently!
Its body was embroidered with a Five-Clawed Golden Dragon in gold thread.
According to Chu Baoshen’s letter, this was the very first Dragon Robe worn by the Grand Ancestor Emperor of the Yin Dynasty upon his ascension, making it incredibly significant. To think that old boy managed to get it out amidst the chaos.
Every single item here, if taken out, would cause a sensation and attract countless covetous eyes.
But in Lu Yun’s eyes, they were merely "items" that needed to be properly stored.
He didn’t linger on these treasures, walking straight to an empty glass cabinet.
He opened the delicate bronze lock on the cabinet door, took the bamboo slips and the final letter from the wooden box, and casually placed them inside.
After doing all this, he closed the cabinet door, locked it again, and returned to the room above.
Lu Yun sat cross-legged on the bed and once again sank his consciousness deep into his mind.
The ethereal blue screen appeared as expected.
[Extreme Blue Martial Arts Modifier]
Name: Lu Yun
Gender: Male
Realm: Grandmaster of Huajin (Mid-stage)
Cultivation Technique: Mountain-Breaking Inch Force Fist 2nd Level (Initiate), Hardening Skill — Modifiable
Modification Value: 23
’First, let’s see how much it costs to modify this "Hardening Skill" to the Initiate level...’
With a flicker of thought, Lu Yun focused his mind on the "Hardening Skill (Modifiable)" option.
The next moment, the ethereal blue panel in his mind rippled, and the number in the Modification Value column began to tick down: 23... 22... 21... 20!
It only consumed 3 Modification Value points! The number finally settled at 20.
Almost at the same instant the Modification Value changed, Lu Yun’s seated body trembled violently!
The Huajin Qi that had been circulating smoothly within him, as if drawn by some invisible force, suddenly became incredibly active!
It no longer followed its usual circulatory paths. Instead, it began to race wildly along new, more complex and intricate pathways through his limbs and bones, surging especially toward the skin and flesh all over his body!
Lu Yun’s skin turned crimson at a visible rate. Wisps of white steam began to rise from the pores all over his body, making him look like a boiled lobster!
An even more astonishing change followed on the exposed skin of his arms, neck, and other areas.
This skin, originally somewhat slack and wrinkled with age, now seemed to be injected with the most vigorous life force. It instantly became full, firm, and elastic, even taking on the healthy glow of a man in his prime!
Unfortunately, this scene of "rejuvenation" lasted for only a brief second.
"This..."
Lu Yun could now clearly feel that the skin all over his body was as if coated in an invisible, sticky substance.
This was the result of his body being tempered by the powerful Qi the moment he reached the Initiate level of the Hardening Skill, forcing deep-seated impurities and metabolic waste out to the surface!
Enduring the sticky discomfort on his skin, Lu Yun turned his attention back to the panel.
He saw that "Hardening Skill" was now followed by "(Initiate)" and still showed "Modifiable"!
Without a moment’s hesitation, Lu Yun gave the mental command: ’Continue modifying!’
The remaining 20 Modification Value points on the panel were instantly depleted! And an even more drastic change erupted!
The Qi inside Lu Yun’s body once again began a second, more thorough round of tempering on his skin and membranes!
This time, the surface of his skin didn’t just turn red; it began to exude a faint, dark metallic luster!
It was as if a thin, tough layer of refined iron had been forged directly beneath his flesh!
This was the sign of mastering the first layer of the "Hardening Skill": Iron Skin.
Skin and membranes turned to refined iron!
Simultaneously, all the details and insights of cultivating the first layer of the "Hardening Skill" were deeply imprinted into his body’s instincts, as if he himself had painstakingly cultivated it day and night for over a decade.
There was no awkwardness at all; it was as if this was a power Lu Yun was always meant to possess.
At this moment, an even thicker, almost jet-black, viscous liquid was forcibly squeezed out from every pore on Lu Yun’s body!
At the same time, an indescribably foul stench filled the room.
Lu Yun paid no mind to any of this. He only felt an explosive power coursing through his body!
Every inch of muscle beneath his skin contained astonishing Defense Power!
Lu Yun even had the illusion that if he stood still and let an ordinary person or even another martial artist strike him with a blade, they probably wouldn’t even be able to break his skin!
As his physical strength soared, the Huajin True Qi inside him also seemed to be nourished, becoming more condensed and substantial. He had nearly reached the peak of the Mid-stage Huajin Realm!
He could feel that he had already touched the threshold of a Late-stage Grandmaster of Huajin—he was just one step away!
This vibrant feeling of life inside him, like he could break out of a cocoon at any moment, couldn’t help but remind Lu Yun of something a certain bald man once said.
That feeling of vigorous life and boundless creation was practically before his eyes!
A long time passed before the earth-shattering transformation inside his body finally subsided. Lu Yun’s eyes held a deep, brilliant light. He looked invigorated, and even the wrinkles on his face seemed to have faded slightly.
He looked at the updated blue screen in his mind.
[Extreme Blue Martial Arts Modifier]
Name: Lu Yun
Gender: Male
Realm: Grandmaster of Huajin (Mid-stage)
Cultivation Technique: Mountain-Breaking Inch Force Fist 2nd Level (Initiate), Hardening Skill 1st Layer (Mastered)
Modification Value: 0
Now, it was time to take a bath, change clothes, and then... get a good night’s sleep!