pertwk Chapter 31 Xiaobi
Chapter 31 Xiaobi
Zhou Tong stood still, letting the surging blood and qi within his body wash over his limbs and bones.
After a short while, once everything had calmed down, he assumed a fighting stance, moving extremely slowly, as if walking through a swamp, carefully experiencing the changes after his breakthrough.
If we say that when you are in the Wood Muscle Realm, your muscles are like newly felled wet wood. Although they are tough, they still have a bit of rawness and heaviness. When you exert force, you always feel like there is a layer between you and them.
Stepping into the stone, one feels as if the texture of one's body has been repeatedly sculpted by an invisible chisel, taut and solid.
When you clench your fist, there is no more feeling of looseness between your knuckles; it is as if five iron bars have been forged into one.
As the arm flexes and extends, the large tendons spring together like a drawn bow, containing a brute force that is yet to be unleashed.
What's even more wonderful is that sense of transparency.
With the flow of Qi and blood unimpeded, thoughts move instantly, and every muscle in the arms, legs, and back moves as if controlled by an arm or finger.
Zhou Tong quietly tensed his right arm, the muscle fibers under the skin bulging out one by one, hard and slightly warm to the touch, just like being covered with a layer of stone shell.
After a series of tests, he put away his stance and slowly scanned the area with his gaze.
The thin winter sunlight slanted into the courtyard, where dozens of figures were either standing in stances or practicing sparring, their shouts and the sounds of fists and feet cutting through the air mingling together.
His breakthrough went unnoticed by anyone.
Progress in the muscle-building stage is a gradual process, simply resulting in more vigorous blood and energy and firmer muscles. Like drinking water, only the person drinking knows whether it is hot or cold.
Zhou Tong rested for a while, and waited quietly until his senior brother Chen Zong walked out of the moon gate in the front courtyard and inspected the field as usual before stepping forward to greet him, clasping his hands in a salute: "Senior Brother."
Chen Zong stopped and looked over: "Is something the matter?"
Zhou Tong remained calm and lowered his voice: "This disciple has broken through to the Stone Muscle stage and has come to report to Senior Brother."
Chen Zong raised an eyebrow almost imperceptibly, said nothing, but extended his right index finger and placed it on the left forearm that Zhou Tong offered: "Circulate your Qi and blood."
The slight coolness at his fingertips touched his skin, and Zhou Tong, as instructed, secretly activated his qi and blood, causing the muscles in his arm to subtly tighten.
Just a breath.
Chen Zong withdrew his finger and nodded slightly: "Indeed, the qi and blood are solid and the skin texture is dense; it is indeed the appearance of a newly formed stone-like body."
He paused, his gaze sweeping over the disciples still diligently practicing on the field before returning to Zhou Tong's face. He asked in surprise, "Didn't you tell anyone else?"
Chen Zong silently calculated for a moment.
It took Zhou Tong about three months to progress from the initial stage of the "wooden skin" to the "stone skin".
While this speed cannot compare to that of Liu Qing and Zheng Hao, it is still among the best of all the disciples in the history of Longhu Martial Arts School.
If Zhou Tong intended to make a fuss, the courtyard would be buzzing with discussion by now, not so quiet.
He usually manages and teaches his disciples, so how could he not listen to all the little discussions in the room?
After Zhou Tong demonstrated remarkable comprehension, the martial arts school disciples often prioritized martial arts training and physical talent, subtly looking down on him.
An ordinary young man, upon hearing this, would probably be itching to prove himself, but this kid is quite composed.
"I have always kept my senior brother's theory on hiding knives in mind."
Zhou Tong smiled slightly, his expression calm: "Deliberately showing off will only annoy people and make one appear shallow."
A hint of admiration flashed in Chen Zong's eyes, then he raised an eyebrow and asked, "Then why did you tell me this specifically?"
Zhou Tong's expression turned solemn, and he clasped his hands in a fist salute once more:
"Our senior brother manages our fellow disciples with great care and effort, and has always paid attention to the progress of our cultivation. Since he is concerned about these matters, I should take the initiative to report them and dare not conceal anything."
Chen Zong nodded slightly without saying a word.
Zhou Tong paused, his voice becoming more sincere: "Furthermore, during the family turmoil a few days ago, my senior brother offered some advice, which I have always been grateful for. This breakthrough is also a piece of good news to report to our master."
At this point, he suddenly scratched his head, a hint of youthful sharpness appearing on his face:
"Of course... I did have a little thought of proving my abilities to my senior brother, so that he would know that I hadn't given that bit of kindness to the wrong person."
Looking at the lingering youthful innocence between his brows, and hearing his frank yet tactful words, Chen Zong's admiration became even more evident.
He reached out and patted Zhou Tong on the shoulder lightly, a rare smile appearing on his face. He said slowly, "Smart, but not slick. Not bad."
Having said that, he said no more, only waved his hand, signaling Zhou Tong to go and cultivate.
Zhou Tong bowed respectfully, stayed at the martial arts school for a little while longer, and then left the courtyard on his own.
......
Upon returning to the Zhou residence, Zhou Tong went straight to the backyard.
He removed his outer robe, leaving only his thin, close-fitting clothes, and first slowly practiced a perfect version of the Dragon-Tiger Stance to familiarize himself with the changes in blood and qi circulation after the breakthrough.
Once his body was warmed up, he drew the dark wood knife from his waist.
The boost from the Stone Skin Realm is real and tangible.
His strength increased by more than 50%, and the sound of his sword cutting through the wind was noticeably more intense when he struck.
His stamina is exceptionally high. He has practiced swordsmanship for a long time, and in the past he would definitely need to rest for a while, but now his breathing remains steady.
The speed has also increased significantly.
But what Zhou Tong cared about most was "Shadowless".
He took a deep breath, and a thought flickered in his mind.
hum-
A familiar tremor came from deep within my muscles and bones, and everything in my field of vision suddenly slowed down.
Zhou Tong's figure blurred, and his wooden sword shot out like lightning. The sword followed his body, and the wind howled fiercely, instantly weaving a dense net of blades in front of him.
This time, he deliberately timed it.
Only when he felt a faint emptiness in his lower abdomen and his blood and qi began to stagnate did Zhou Tong abruptly stop his movements.
He picked up his watch from the stool next to him and glanced at it; a full ten minutes had passed!
"It's more than three times longer than before..."
Zhou Tong's chest rose and fell slightly, his eyes gleaming.
The Shadowless Technique may seem like a single ultimate move, but it is actually more like a kind of enhanced state.
Previously, when the body was in its "wooden" state, it could only last for three minutes. Now that the "stone" body has just been formed, it can last for ten minutes. This difference is enough to determine the outcome in a life-or-death battle.
"With my current Stone Skin Realm foundation, coupled with the burst of the Shadowless Secret Technique, I am 80-90% confident that I can win a spot in the police station in the martial arts school competition."
Zhou Tong's eyes were bright. He slowly sheathed his sword, walked down the corridor, picked up a thermos, poured himself a cup of warm water, and sipped it.
The warm water went down my throat, but it couldn't calm the turbulent thoughts churning in my mind.
He knew all too well what the identity of a police squad leader meant in this chaotic world.
With over a dozen constables at his disposal and the backing of the government, he had an extra layer of protection, whether it was safeguarding his family business, gathering information, or making future decisions.
It would be a lie to say I'm not envious.
However, after talking with Manager Hu these past few days and listening to one story after another from the martial arts world, Zhou Tong's understanding of the word "chaotic world" has undoubtedly deepened, and he has become more aware of the importance of having a trump card.
The Shadowless Technique is currently his biggest trump card.
If this trump card is revealed in the small competition, it may secure a spot, but it will also completely expose one's true nature and inevitably attract a lot of suspicion.
Countless talented individuals have failed to master any secret techniques, yet you have? On what basis?
Fortune and misfortune are unpredictable...
After pondering this for a while, Zhou Tong drank the remaining water in his cup in one gulp, completely extinguishing the little flame in his heart that was eager to show off his skills.
"Sigh... in the end, my strength is still not enough. Even setting aside the Bone Forging Realm, if I had reached the Iron Skin Realm now, this spot would be a piece of cake!"
Zhou Tong sighed softly, shook his head, and stopped thinking about it.
......
That night, as usual, Zhou Tong applied the Golden Jade Ointment to his room and took out some medicinal powder, which he then drank with warm water.
A bitter, slightly fishy taste spread across the back of the tongue, followed by a familiar warm current rising in the lower abdomen.
He came to the courtyard and assumed the starting stance of the Dragon and Tiger stance.
His blood and qi flowed with the movements, and the medicinal power seeped into his muscles in strands. The sensations of soreness, swelling, numbness, and itching returned, but he enjoyed them.
After finishing a training session, Zhou Tong focused his mind and summoned the control panel.
【Dragon and Tiger Meat Training Pole (Perfect Version)】
[Current Realm: Stone Skin (Beginner)]
[Estimated time to reach "Iron Muscles": 126 days]
"126 days... more than four months."
Zhou Tong's eyes fell on the numbers, and he quickly calculated in his mind.
It is said that it took Liu Qing and Zheng Hao about three months to go from having skin as hard as stone to skin as tough as iron.
I am still more than a month behind them, and the gap seems to be several days larger than when I went from wood to stone skin.
But the accounts can't be calculated like that.
It took Liu and Zheng only two months to go from the wood-like skin to the stone-like skin stage, but it took me nearly three months.
If we look at it by the number of days, the gap has widened. However, this comparison should be made proportionally. If we calculate it this way, the gap between stone skin and iron skin has actually narrowed somewhat.
After all, he had only improved the prescription later with the help of snake scale grass, but this time he used it from the very beginning.
Zhou Tong stared at the numbers on the panel, his eyes flashing:
"The cultivation of the Stone Skin Realm has only just begun. In a little over half a month, we will have the medicinal herb samples like those from Senior Hu. If we can further optimize the prescription in the future..."
He slowly clenched his fist, his eyes sparkling with a wild ambition.
He also wanted the position of direct disciple.
Then I have to surpass Liu Qing and Zheng Hao in every aspect!
......
The next day, after completing his morning and afternoon training sessions at the martial arts school, Zhou Tong once again turned into Zhengyang Old Street.
Huichuntang was still dimly lit, with the smell of medicine mixed with the scent of old wood.
Shopkeeper Hu, wrapped in his shiny, tattered cotton-padded coat, squinted at an old account book with its corners rolled up, using the daylight filtering through the window cracks.
Hearing the door open, he didn't even look up: "I knew it was you just by the sound of your footsteps."
Zhou Tong smiled and cupped his hands in greeting: "Senior has excellent hearing."
He brought over a stool and, as usual, started chatting with Manager Hu.
However, after this long conversation, just as he was about to leave, the other party called him back.
The old man lifted his eyelids, and a glint of unfathomable light flashed in his cloudy old eyes. "Wait."
He bent down and rummaged around deep inside the counter for a moment, then pulled out a palm-sized, inconspicuous dark brown wooden box and casually placed it in front of Zhou Tong.
"Take it."
Zhou Tong was taken aback: "This is...?"
He stepped forward and instinctively reached to open the box.
Manager Hu reached out and stopped him, his withered hand pressing down on the box.
"I'll look at it again when I get back."
The old man's voice was calm, yet carried an undeniable authority: "Close the door and figure it out yourself."
Looking at the inscrutable expression on the other person's face, Zhou Tong's doubts deepened, but he still withdrew his hand as instructed, and asked curiously, "Senior, what is this?"
Manager Hu leaned back in his chair, took out his brass pipe, lit it, and took a deep drag.
Amidst the swirling smoke, he squinted and slowly said:
"The accumulation of experience in the martial arts world and the honing of one's eyesight are things that cannot be rushed; they must be built up over the years and through experience."
A change in the means of action only requires a firm decision.
Having observed you for so long, I've come to understand your personality to some extent; you're the kind of person who can make decisions.
However, simply making a decision isn't enough; you need some solid tools and equipment to ensure you can act reliably.
As he spoke, he pointed to the wooden box with his finger.
Zhou Tong's heart skipped a beat, and his eyes brightened slightly.
He didn't let Afu take it, but instead picked up the wooden box with both hands and carefully held it in his arms.
"Thank you for your guidance, senior!"
Zhou Tong stepped back and bowed deeply to Manager Hu with utmost respect.
"Let's go, let's go." Manager Hu waved his hand casually.
......
Back in his room at the Zhou residence, Zhou Tong closed the door tightly and carefully bolted it before placing the wooden box on the table.
He took a deep breath and gently lifted the lid of the box.
The box was lined with dark blue velvet, and something lay quietly on it.
It was a thin booklet, the paper yellowed and the edges worn, clearly quite old.
He reached out and picked up the booklet, only to discover that there were two more items hidden underneath.
A neatly folded, paper-thin object, pale yellow in color and almost transparent, with fine, spiderweb-like textures visible when held up to the light.
Zhou Tong first took out the object, which felt smooth and slightly cool to the touch. He gently shook it open—it turned out to be a mask.
His heart skipped a beat, and he leaned closer to examine it under the light.
The mask is extremely thin and soft, with a texture that is neither quite leather nor quite silk. The outlines of the eyebrows, eyes, mouth, and nose are clearly visible, with only a few very fine, almost invisible adhesive marks at the edges.
"Could it be... a human skin mask?"
Zhou Tong narrowed his eyes slightly.
He composed himself, removed the mask, and picked up the booklet.
Turning to the title page, the handwriting is neat, tiny characters, though the ink has faded somewhat:
"The Book of Changes in Appearance. When traveling the world and encountering situations beyond one's control, one should conceal oneself and change one's appearance. This book contains minor techniques for self-preservation..."
Zhou Tong's spirits lifted, and he carefully turned the pages one by one.
The first half of the booklet details how to use the mask.
This product is not made of human skin, but is made from a secret method using the swim bladder of a deep-sea fish from the South Pacific mixed with several herbs. It is as thin as a cicada's wing, breathable and skin-friendly. After applying it to the face, the edges are moistened with a special medicinal solution, which allows it to naturally adhere to the skin and not be washed off.
The latter half consists of various techniques to aid in shape manipulation:
How to temporarily change your voice by taking specially made pills;
How to adjust your gait, body shape, and even your eyes to completely "transform" into another person.
Interspersed among these are several cases of people using this technique to escape danger or carry out tasks, making for a thrilling read.
After a long while, Zhou Tong closed the booklet and let out a long sigh.
"A disguise, a tool for murder and robbery... no, it's a great tool for saving your life and escaping."
He murmured to himself, his eyes shining with an astonishing light.
Manager Hu's gift was quite substantial.
Zhou Tong silently kept this kindness in his heart, then picked up the mask and, following the instructions in the booklet, first washed his face with warm water, then carefully applied the mask to his face.
The mask felt slightly cool to the touch and quickly adhered to the skin, without any feeling of stuffiness.
He walked up to the mirror.
The mirror reflected a completely unfamiliar face—a sallow complexion, drooping eyes, and shallow nasolabial folds on the sides of the nose, resembling a distressed middle-aged man.
Zhou Tong tried raising his eyebrows, grinning, and frowning, and the mask moved accordingly, making his expressions natural and vivid, with almost no flaws.
"A marvel... truly a marvel!"
He couldn't help but sigh in admiration, and following the instructions in the book, he took out a small medicine bottle from the box and poured out a brown pill under his tongue.
A moment later, when he spoke again, his voice had become hoarse and low, blending seamlessly with his reflection in the mirror.
Zhou Tong became very interested and repeatedly practiced adjusting his posture and gait in the room, practicing the changes in his eyes in front of the mirror.
He was so engrossed in his practice that he didn't realize it was late until the third watch gong sounded outside the window, at which point he went to bed.
……
Time flew by, and two days later it was already.
On this day, as Zhou Tong stepped into the Dragon Tiger Martial Arts School, a fiery aura, unlike anything he had ever experienced before, rushed towards him.
There were several times more people in the courtyard than usual. Many of the senior students who usually worked outside had returned, and the place was bustling with discussion.
Zhou Tong glanced around the field, then walked in one direction and said with a smile, "Senior Brother Ji, you've come too."
"I don't have to do any escort duties today. It's rare to encounter such a grand event at the martial arts school, so I definitely have to come and join in the fun."
Ji Chang smiled slightly and gestured with his lips, saying, "Look, quite a few of those senior brothers in the Bone Forging Realm who had nothing else to do have come."
Zhou Tong looked up and, sure enough, there were several more senior brothers at the Bone Forging Realm beside Zheng Hao and Liu Qing.
The two chatted as they waited, and soon a hearty laugh came from the doorway. Everyone looked over and greeted them loudly.
Third Senior Brother has arrived.