In recent days, the Chen Family's meals had improved, and with them, Mu Xiaowan's nutrition. Her once slender frame was gradually becoming fuller, and her fair, delicate face had grown smooth and radiant. She looked utterly lovely.
Chen Cheng felt a surge of affection. He reached out and gently pinched her gaping mouth shut.
"There, there. Go make dinner, I'm starving."
"Alright," Mu Xiaowan murmured, carrying the pork knuckle toward the kitchen.
For some reason, she felt that Brother Cheng was completely different today.
Chen Cheng stood tall and proud in the courtyard, silently circulating his Iron Armor Skill.
After about the time it takes to drink half a cup of tea.
[Iron Armor Skill Cultivation Progress has increased.]
[Skills: Iron Armor Skill (Small Success 1/1000)]
After nearly a month of cultivation, his Iron Armor Skill had finally reached the Small Success realm.
As the Cultivation Technique reached Small Success, a warm current of energy was born in his limbs, surging through his entire body. Chen Cheng felt an inexhaustible strength and began to practice his punches in the courtyard.
He didn't know any formal Fist Technique, only some basic Scattering Hand Techniques: straight punches, lunging punches, horizontal hooks, uppercuts, left hooks, and right hooks...
After a round of punches, he started practicing his kicks.
These too were just basic Scattering Hand Techniques: front kicks, side kicks, low sweeps, high sweeps...
Then he began using his fists and feet together. At first, his movements had some form, but as his speed increased, they gradually devolved into a chaotic flurry of kicks and punches.
Even so, thanks to the power of his Small Success Level Iron Armor Skill, his strikes were strong and his movements swift. His blows made a series of CRACKING sounds and stirred up gusts of wind.
The sound of a true strike is priceless, and with his wild flurry of kicks and punches, Chen Cheng created a deafening roar! The momentum was astounding!
After the flurry of strikes, he came to a stop. Chen Cheng felt no fatigue at all. Instead, his entire body felt relaxed and invigorated.
He clenched a fist, then opened his palm. As his qi and blood circulated, the skin all over his body grew taut and tough, as hard as ox-hide.
'Could it be... I've reached the Skin Grinding Realm?'
The thought had barely formed when Chen Cheng grabbed a piece of firewood as thick as his arm from the woodpile. He set it on a stone block and brought his fist down in a swift chop.
The firewood snapped on impact. When he looked at his fist, there wasn't a single scratch.
'This single punch must have the force of at least three hundred pounds!'
A wave of ecstasy washed over him, and Chen Cheng checked his status panel.
[Name: Chen Cheng
Realm: Skin Grinding (Small Success)
Skills: Iron Armor Skill (Small Success 1/1000)]
'It's true. I've just entered the Skin Grinding Realm and become a true Martial Artist.
However, I seem to be a bit of a fraudulent Martial Artist for someone in the Skin Grinding Realm.
That's it. The Martial Dao of this world is divided into External Skills and Inner Cultivation Techniques. What I'm cultivating is an Inner Cultivation Technique—and a Breathing Technique at that, which focuses on Inner Breath. I don't know the first thing about External Skills or Body Tempering Techniques, so naturally, I can't display the power a true Skin Grinding Realm Martial Artist should have.
I have to find a way to get my hands on some Cultivation Technique Manuals for External Skills and Body Tempering.'
"Brother Cheng, dinner's ready."
Mu Xiaowan called out from the kitchen doorway.
"Alright."
Chen Cheng called back and entered the kitchen.
There was millet rice, a large basin of braised pork knuckle, and a bowl of cabbage and tofu soup. Though simple, it was a meal most commoners could only dream of.
Chen Cheng was already starving. He picked up his rice bowl and began to dig in.
As his strength increased, so did his appetite. At every meal, he had to eat three heaping bowls of millet rice, plus over half a pound of meat, just to feel full.
His Iron Armor Skill had just reached Small Success, and on top of that, he'd just gone through a flurry of practice in the courtyard. His stamina was drained, making his hunger even more intense.
Only after two bowls of millet rice and more than half the basin of braised pork knuckle did he begin to feel slightly sated.
He turned to see Mu Xiaowan picking at her food in silence, as if she had something on her mind.
"Xiaowan, what's wrong?" Chen Cheng asked, puzzled.
Mu Xiaowan forced a small smile and placed a piece of pork knuckle in Chen Cheng's bowl.
"It's nothing, Brother Cheng."
Chen Cheng put down his bowl and chopsticks, his expression turning serious. "If it's nothing, why do you look so down?"
Mu Xiaowan hesitated, wanting to speak but holding back. After a long moment, she finally said, "Brother Cheng, have you become a Martial Artist?"
"Yes," Chen Cheng replied earnestly, giving a slight nod.
"Sigh..." Mu Xiaowan let out a breath.
"I've become a Martial Artist. Why aren't you happy about it?" Chen Cheng asked, surprised.
Mu Xiaowan stuck her tongue out playfully. "Of course I'm happy that you've become a strong Martial Artist, Brother Cheng. It's just... our expenses are getting so high."
There was one thing Mu Xiaowan left unsaid: her Brother Cheng could eat half a pork knuckle in a single meal. She was genuinely afraid that one day, the Chen Family would run out of food completely.
Reading her expression, Chen Cheng instantly understood what she was thinking.
"Don't you worry about it. I'll figure something out for the money. Now, hurry up and eat."
After dinner, they went to bed early.
Several heavy snows had fallen in recent days, and the weather grew even colder.
Even with a charcoal fire burning in the room, Mu Xiaowan still felt a chill as she huddled under the blankets. She subconsciously snuggled deeper into Chen Cheng's embrace.
So, Chen Cheng held her as they slept.
Having cultivated the Iron Armor Skill, Chen Cheng's qi and blood were vigorous. His body was as warm as a furnace.
"Brother Cheng, a lot of the families in our alley have gone into the mountains to chop firewood."
"Mm."
"We're almost out of firewood, too."
"It's fine. I have a day off in a couple of days. I'll buy more then."
"I heard the price of firewood went up again."
"Don't worry, we can still afford it."
"Brother Cheng, maybe we should try to be more frugal?"
"Mm, we'll save where we should and spend where we must!"
...
「Three days later.」
It was Chen Cheng's day off.
Early in the morning, he went to the market to buy firewood. This time he bought twenty full loads, enough to last more than two months. It should be enough to see them through the harsh winter.
Besides the firewood, he also picked up a stack of drawing paper, an ink brush, and an ink stick.
After that, Chen Cheng shut himself in his room, only emerging when Mu Xiaowan called him for breakfast.
"Brother Cheng, were you writing in there?"
Seeing that Chen Cheng's face and hands were smudged with ink, Mu Xiaowan quickly brought over a basin of hot water to help him clean up.
"Mm, just doing a bit of writing and a few drawings."
Chen Cheng replied nonchalantly.
Mu Xiaowan came from a prominent family. She had practiced calligraphy since she was a child and had also studied with Father Chen for two years, so she was quite literate. The fact that Chen Cheng had deliberately closed the door to keep her from seeing what he was doing only made her more curious.
"Brother Cheng, what were you writing? And what were you drawing?"
Chen Cheng chuckled. "Just copying some Cultivation Technique Manuals. They're for men who are Cultivating Martial Dao. Not for women to see."
"Are Cultivation Technique Manuals really separated by gender?" Mu Xiaowan blinked her beautiful eyes, her expression full of suspicion.
"Of course they are," Chen Cheng said placidly.
"Oh," Mu Xiaowan said, only half-convinced. "Then why are you copying a Cultivation Technique Manual, Brother Cheng?"
"To sell, of course. Our family's expenses for the next few months are riding on this."
Seeing that Mu Xiaowan was about to ask more questions, Chen Cheng decided to change the subject. The Cultivation Technique Manual he had copied was too unusual to explain to her easily. "It's getting late," he said. "Let's eat quickly. I need to go sell this Cultivation Technique Manual."
After a hurried breakfast, Chen Cheng changed into a set of simple black clothes, tucked the newly copied Cultivation Technique Manual into his robes, and quickly left the house.
The Cultivation Technique Manual he planned to sell was, of course, the Iron Armor Skill. It wasn't the complete technique, however, but an incomplete version.
Not only was it incomplete, but it only contained the chants and Dharma Gates for the Iron Crotch Skill portion of the technique.
Compared to Master Xiu Chen's well-guarded original chants and Dharma Gates, the version he had just copied included a few improvements, raising the probability of successful cultivation to around fifty percent.