A month passed.
As rumors intensified—so much so that even the "old witch" Zhang Dahai mentioned (Xu Meixiang, the peak lord of Violet Cauldron Mountain) had caught wind of them—Bai Xiaochun and Zhang Dahai were forced to stop staying at Violet Cauldron Mountain. At Zhang Dahai's suggestion, they decided it was time to "rescue" Hei San Niu (Blackie).
And so, the two of them went to Green Peak Mountain.
Hei San Niu had slimmed down a bit. Although not dramatically, there was now a faint grace to her figure, and both Bai Xiaochun and Zhang Dahai were stunned when they saw her—they almost didn't recognize her. Even her once-dark face now carried a certain captivating charm. It wasn't hard to imagine that once she slimmed down completely, she would be truly beautiful.
However, the moment she heard the words *"spirit-tail chicken,"* her eyes lit up.
From that day on, Green Peak Mountain's spirit-tail chickens began disappearing…
At this point, the title *"Chicken-Stealing Maniac"* became famous throughout the entire south bank of the Spirit Stream Sect. It caused an uproar—virtually every outer sect disciple had heard of it, even the servant disciples whispered the name.
Fortunately, it didn't last long. Once some of the elders began to take interest, the Chicken-Stealing Maniac suddenly vanished without a trace. However, both Hei San Niu and Zhang Dahai noticeably recovered physically. Though far from their former glory, they had grown visibly stronger.
As for Bai Xiaochun, he finally completed the *full 81-day cycle* of his cultivation practice. His hunger was no longer overwhelming, and the trio gave up stealing chickens altogether.
The *81-cycle practice* of the Undying Live Forever Technique didn't need to be done continuously—it could be cumulative. The effects were just the same.
That day, in the courtyard on Fragrant Cloud Mountain, Bai Xiaochun's expression was solemn. His skin emitted an iron-gray sheen, and black light occasionally flashed from his body. A powerful aura emanated from his skin, exuding a primitive, wild sensation.
The *81 days of pain* and *81 days of hunger* had merged, forming an astonishing power that continually surged within him.
With each surge, boundless vitality filled him, flowing into his skin. The iron hue deepened, the black light grew brighter, and his skin's toughness increased dramatically.
If someone saw him at that moment, they might not even believe he was a human being. He looked more like a man made of metal than flesh.
Booming sounds echoed in his mind. The surging waves of energy had already exploded within him *nineteen times*, but they showed no sign of stopping. On the contrary, the impact was accelerating.
Bai Xiaochun stood completely still, as if he wasn't even breathing. But a closer look revealed that his pores were pulsing, subtly opening and closing, silently drawing in the surrounding energy of heaven and earth.
> "Once the 81 surges of energy are complete, I'll achieve *Lesser Completion of the Undying Skin, entering the realm of **Iron Skin*!"
Bai Xiaochun's eyes were resolute as he recalled the chant of the Undying Live Forever Technique. All his effort over the past year—the agony, the hunger—had been for this very moment of eruption.
*Boom!*
Another wave of energy exploded within him. It rushed into every inch of his skin, refining it like iron being forged a thousand times.
At that moment, he was like a divine weapon, each energy surge like a hammer pounding his body—*boom, boom, boom!*
Twenty surges, thirty, forty, forty-eight…
Time passed. Three days went by, yet Bai Xiaochun still stood motionless. There was no sound outside, but inside his body, he could hear thunderous booms like heavenly lightning crashing through his blood and bones.
But then, during the *forty-ninth surge*, something changed—the force suddenly doubled. Bai Xiaochun's body trembled, and tiny cracks appeared across his iron-colored skin. They looked like it could no longer withstand the power.
Though few, the cracks made Bai Xiaochun's heart sink.
> "So it begins—the *Breaking Phase*…"
He furrowed his brows. The Undying Live Forever Technique had mentioned this stage: during the *Lesser Completion* of Undying Skin, the body would inevitably crack. But it also said that the longer one could endure, the stronger the final result would be.
Even if one gave up early, the Undying Skin would still succeed—just less perfectly. But if one could endure the *full 81 surges*, the result would be flawless.
Bai Xiaochun's eyes flashed with resolve. He closed his eyes again as his body continued to rumble with energy surges. *Fifty… sixty… seventy…*
He pushed himself through the next five days, enduring more than *seventy surges* in total.
By then, the cracks on his skin had spread like a spiderweb—dense and interconnected across his entire body. He looked like a shattered vase glued back together, as if he might fall apart at any moment.
> "Only *seven more surges*!"
His eyes were bloodshot, practically glowing red. Breathing heavily, he clenched his teeth. His ruthless side suddenly surfaced.
*Seventy-four!*
*Seventy-seven!*
*Seventy-nine!*
Bai Xiaochun threw his head back and let out a muffled roar. His body shook as he endured another energy surge—*the eightieth*.
The vitality rushed into his skin again, and despite the cracks, his body looked like it was made of iron—shocking and unbreakable.
> "Just *one more!*"
Bai Xiaochun refused to give up. As the final energy surge began, he raised his right fist and punched the ground.
*BOOM!*
A deep pit formed beneath him just as the *final surge* completed. Countless streams of vitality poured into his skin. In the blink of an eye, all the cracks vanished. His skin smoothed out, the black light disappeared, and he looked once again like a clean, fair-skinned young man.
But no one would know—beneath that soft-looking skin now lay a terrifying level of toughness.
Breathing heavily, Bai Xiaochun slowly looked up. He glanced at the crater on the ground, then at his skin. He couldn't contain his joy and burst out laughing.
He waved his hand. The wooden sword flew toward his arm like a black streak. The moment it touched his skin—
*Clang!*
A metallic ringing echoed out, and the sword was bounced back. Bai Xiaochun only felt a light tickle—like a mosquito bite. Not even a scratch was left on his arm.
> "Undying Skin!"
He was ecstatic. This wooden sword wasn't just any artifact—it had been *refined twice with spirit*, giving it power comparable to a prodigy's weapon. Yet it couldn't harm him at all.
His body blurred as he activated his full strength—*whoosh!* Air whistled as he dashed forward, reappearing ten meters away in an instant.
This speed was several times faster than before, and Bai Xiaochun was overjoyed.
As for strength, just one glance at the hole he punched in the ground confirmed that after achieving *Undying Iron Skin*, he had practically been reborn.
> "With this level of defense, my path to immortality is now secure!" Bai Xiaochun was thoroughly pleased.
Even his cultivation had improved significantly—he was now at the *peak of the fourth level of Qi Condensation*.
More importantly, the spiritual energy in his body had become far more condensed—its *quality* was on another level compared to others in the same realm.
Satisfied, he dashed around the courtyard. Then suddenly, he stopped, eyes gleaming. He raised his right hand, formed a pinch gesture with thumb and index finger, and squeezed the empty air in front of him.
Black light flashed from his fingers, and a *crackling* sound came from the air, though there was nothing there.
His eyes narrowed. He moved to a nearby boulder, repeated the gesture—
*CRACK!*
The boulder shattered like tofu.
He then went to the *spirit winter bamboo* patch, now over three zhang tall. Picking the hardest bamboo shoot, he pinched—
*BOOM!*
It shattered just the same.
Even Bai Xiaochun himself gasped. He looked down at his fingers as the black glow slowly faded.
> "This must be the secret technique—*Throat-Crushing Lock*…"
He whispered. This was a special technique described in the Undying Live Forever Technique, one that could only be used after reaching Lesser Completion of Undying Skin. It was said to grant *double strength*—able to crush anything.
Yet just now, Bai Xiaochun had only used *half* his strength.
He couldn't imagine how terrifying it would be at full power. In his mind, this was clearly a *killing technique*.
Though a bit uneasy about its ruthlessness, he still earnestly practiced it. His figure darted across the courtyard, fingers glowing black, followed by bursts of crackling sound.
Time flew by. Half a month passed, during which Bai Xiaochun never left his courtyard, focusing entirely on cultivation.
He didn't know that early one morning, *Li Qinghou* returned from his months-long journey. Riding a blue streak of light, he landed atop *Fragrant Cloud Mountain*.
Before he could rest, two more streaks of light flew toward him from *Green Peak* and *Violet Cauldron* Mountains. One contained an old man, whose presence was like an unsheathed sword—exuding the aura of a *Foundation Establishment cultivator*.
The other streak carried a graceful, stunningly beautiful woman, whose very bones radiated charm. But today, her face showed a strange mix of amusement and frustration.
These two were the *peak lords* of Green Peak and Violet Cauldron Mountains.
They met privately with Li Qinghou atop Fragrant Cloud. Only after speaking did they leave.
Li Qinghou, sitting atop the mountain, rubbed his temples. Sweeping the area with his divine sense, he focused on the three spirit-tail chicken coops—only to find that all that remained were chicks.
He sighed helplessly, shook his sleeve, and walked down the mountain.
His destination—
*Bai Xiaochun's courtyard.*