From breaking the limits of the White Ape Fist to becoming a martial arts saint.

In Tieti Lane, the furnace fire burns year-round.

"Clang! Clang! Clang!"

Along the roadside, the rhythmic clanging of blacksmiths resonated in my heart like heavy drums.

Su Yu followed Wang Hu into Wang's blacksmith shop. A middle-aged woman was wiping various iron tools in the shop. When she looked up and saw Wang Hu, her face lit up with joy.

"Little Tiger, what brings you to the shop?"

"Mother, I brought my senior brother from the martial arts school today. This is Brother Su, whom I told you about. He wants to have a long sword made."

Su Yu immediately greeted them and put down the fabrics and other items she had bought in advance.

The woman gave a kind smile. "Su Yu, right? I heard from Xiao Hu that you take good care of him. Come in and sit down."

After saying that, the woman called out towards the backyard, where the clanging of blacksmithing could be heard from time to time, "Master, Xiao Hu and his senior brother are here!"

A moment later, a shirtless, towering man lifted the curtain and walked out, accompanied by a wave of scorching heat that made one feel as if they were in a furnace.

Su Yu was immediately startled when he saw it.

This burly man was tall and imposing, a true seven-foot-tall strongman. His bronze muscles were powerful and vigorous, and his whole body was brimming with energy and steaming with heat. His strength was probably not simple, but his face was quite honest.

Su Yu finally understood why Wang Hu was so tall at such a young age.

"Uncle Wang, this is Su Yu from the White Ape Martial Arts School."

The burly man immediately returned the greeting, "My name is Wang Tieyan. Brother Su, you're too kind. Please come and sit in the backyard."

Su Yu followed them into the backyard, where three or four blacksmith apprentices were forging iron. The red-hot irons were placed into the water, and white smoke immediately sizzled out.

"Please sit here."

The group sat down at an open-air resting spot, where Wang Hu's mother brewed tea and served it before leaving again.

Su Yu took a sip of tea and said directly, "Uncle Wang, I am currently practicing swordsmanship and want to forge a suitable treasured sword, which is why I have come to you."

"Is it the White Ape Demon-Subduing Blade?" Wang Tieyan seemed to know this sword technique.

Su Yu immediately nodded.

"This sword technique is powerful and domineering, yet agile; it's a superior sword technique! Back when Master Qin served in the Black Stone Army, he used this technique to defeat several powerful martial artists in one fell swoop, astonishing everyone," Wang Tieyan praised, and continued:

"In my opinion, this sword technique is suitable for forging weapons such as the Goose Feather Blade, Miao Blade, Horizontal Blade, and Horse-Slaying Blade. However, it is not very suitable for swords that follow a strange and unconventional approach, such as the Crescent Moon Blade."

Let me show you around first.

He led Su Yu to the weapon rack, took out one long sword after another, and let him try them out one by one.

The Wild Goose Feather Blade has a long, slender blade with a certain curve, resembling a wild goose feather flying south. It is light and agile, but lacks domineering power. If you want to unleash a demon-subduing strike, it is somewhat lacking.

The Miao sword is straight, of medium length, light, and has a moderate center of gravity, making it quite suitable for the long and flexible arms of an ape.

The broad and thick blade of the Zhanmadao (horse-slaying sword) is quite heavy, perfectly matching the power to subdue demons, but it lacks a lot of agility.

The horizontal sword has a straight blade, a thick back, and a sharp point. It is designed specifically for killing, emphasizing the efficiency of slashing, chopping, and thrusting. It embodies both the power to subdue demons and the agility of a nimble ape, although the ape aspect seems slightly weaker.

After considering it for a while, Su Yu told Wang Tieyan about his idea.

Wang Tieyan nodded and said, "With your build, the horizontal sword can be lengthened a bit, which would be more suitable for you, and the ape-like power can be better utilized."

"Alright, then let's draw our swords!"

Su Yu immediately finalized the decision, and then discussed the materials and costs with Wang Tieyan.

"You can invest several hundred taels of silver to forge it, using refined black steel with a hundred-times-refined base as the main material. This is the finest iron that has been repeatedly folded and forged hundreds of times to remove all impurities. Although it is ordinary iron, it has an extremely high density and is heavy to the touch."

If combined with the thousand-layer folding forging method, layering snow silk silver iron and iron bone powder, the final product will have a hundred-refined cloud pattern, making it a truly magnificent treasured sword!

Su Yu listened with a hint of anticipation, then gritted his teeth and said, "Let's do it as Uncle Wang says. How much silver will it ultimately cost?"

Wang Tieyan glanced at his son, Wang Hu, who immediately said, "Father, Brother Su is the best senior brother to me in the martial arts school. He has now broken through to the level of a martial artist and is very powerful."

Wang Tieyan nodded. "Since he is Ah Hu's best senior brother, I will not charge fifty taels for the forging fee. The other costs will be around three hundred taels."

Su Yu shook his head, and solemnly took out the silver note:

"Uncle Wang, even close brothers should keep clear accounts, and besides, your craftsmanship is worth the price. If you don't accept it, I won't feel at ease using this knife, and I'll be too embarrassed to trouble you again."

Before coming, Su Yu had already inquired about the cost of forging such a precious sword. Some well-known blacksmiths even charge hundreds of taels of silver.

If blacksmith Wang really doesn't charge the casting fee, then as he said, that's not a sustainable way to do business.

Wang Tieyan was taken aback, then nodded approvingly: "Good! In that case, your Uncle Wang will definitely use all his skills. Come back in a month to collect the knife, and I guarantee you'll be satisfied!"

"Thank you very much, Uncle Wang!"

……

A few days later, Su Yu visited his elder brother's house again and invited him to hide at the martial arts school in the city.

Unfortunately, the eldest brother refused again. "Second brother, I know your concerns, but I can't leave! Cao Bin is already taking revenge on the Su family because of me. If I hide again, Cao Bin won't be able to find me, and it will only harm Uncle's family and Grandpa even more!"

"My third uncle just returned from the city yesterday. He said that my third brother is trying to break through to the Martial Realm again these past few days. If he succeeds this time, not only will our Su family's crisis be resolved, but we will also rise to great heights!"

Seeing his determination, Su Yu could only shake her head helplessly and once again told him to notify her immediately if anything happened.

"Don't worry, Second Brother. The Water Snake Gang hasn't come these past few days, so something must have happened to them again. Heaven is helping us! This gives Third Brother time to break through again!"

Su Yu sighed again. In the end, no one can be completely alone. He couldn't abandon his elder brother, but his elder brother valued family ties too much.

Before leaving, Su Hong gripped Su Yu's hand tightly once more, his knuckles white, tears streaming down his face. "Second brother, the Su family has wronged you! I know, if it weren't for me, you would have abandoned Grandpa and the others long ago. I can't ask anything more of you. In a few days, if third brother Su Can fails his breakthrough, don't come back! Stay in the city and study martial arts diligently. With the martial arts school protecting you, Cao Bin won't be able to touch you..."

"Brother, don't worry, I know what I'm doing."

Su Yu hesitated for a moment, but still didn't tell his older brother about his breakthrough to martial arts. He just quietly tucked the blanket around Su Hong.

If he told his elder brother that he had broken through to the Martial Realm, given his brother's personality, he would definitely ask him to protect the entire Su family. At that time, Cao Bin would also place all the threats on him. Perhaps he was being a bit selfish, but he didn't want to become the so-called hope of the Su family.

He only cared about his eldest brother; as for his third uncle, well…

Let's wait and see in a few days. If my third brother breaks through, that's perfect, saving me the trouble of worrying about it. If he fails, I'll find another opportunity to kill Cao Bin, and that will be my way of repaying my eldest brother and the others.

Stepping out of the room, the sky was overcast, as if a heavy snowfall was about to begin.

Su Yu went to the village chief Wang Yuezhi's house again and asked him to help take care of Su Hong.

……

Qingxi Market, the stronghold of the Water Snake Gang.

"Snapped!"

A beautiful porcelain cup was smashed to pieces on the ground.

Cao Bin sat imposingly in the main seat, his face so gloomy it could drip water.

"After investigating for so long, this is the result you give me?"

His voice was soft, yet it carried a chilling undertone. "Sun Hong was a master at breaching the gates three times, and someone punched him in the throat and shattered it! Even the silver in the stronghold was stolen! You're telling me it was some roving bandits who did it?"

The gang members below trembled with fear: "Brother Cao, recently a lot of refugees and bandits have indeed come from Huai'an County..."

"idiot!"

Cao Bin cursed, his eyes darting around.

Could it be the remnants of the Money Gang or the Salt Society?

Several bodies were indeed killed by hidden weapons, somewhat like the methods of the Money Gang. However, hidden weapons are something that too many people have used.

It's still unlikely. The remaining remnants are all holed up in the city; who would dare to attack here?

If he's not a gang remnant, then who is he?

They came to Qingxi Market specifically to massacre the stronghold I was in charge of. Does the person who did this have a grudge against me?

Damn it, they just robbed all the money the outpost had just collected, and even lost the map. If my godfather finds out, he'll skin me alive!

Thinking about this, he became increasingly agitated!

After breaking through to the Martial Realm, I never became too flamboyant, nor did I offend any martial arts masters. If I had to name an enemy, it would only be that good-for-nothing Su Hong.

Could it really be someone from the Su family?

However, only Su Can from the Su family possesses talent, and intelligence indicates he failed to break through. Given his strength in attempting to break through three times, it's impossible for him to have killed Sun Hong and the others so easily.

"What's the latest news about Su Can?"

"Brother Cao, I was just about to tell you. Su Can has been preparing for his second breakthrough these past few days, but I heard from the people at Hongshan Martial Arts School that the chances are slim. He even had the Mo family providing him with pills the first time, and it still didn't work. This time, it's even more hopeless; even the Mo family has given up on him."

"Who else is in the Su family?"

"There's another one named Su Yu. I heard he has very poor physical constitution, but he still insists on learning martial arts. He's fallen out with his family. I don't know where he is in the city."

"He's a piece of trash; we'll just kill him along with the rest."

Cao Bin frowned and continued to ponder, a hint of malice and unease flashing in his eyes.

Could it really be Su Canqian? He studies martial arts at the martial arts school; he might know one of his senior brothers. Perhaps he felt he lacked the resources to break through, and his father was pushing his family to the brink of ruin, so he took the risk of ambushing and killing Sun Hong and his group?

Once the thought popped into my head, I couldn't suppress it anymore.

If it really was him, then he took away that huge sum of money!

Oh no! That kid might have bought some pills!

It would be troublesome if he actually succeeded in breaking through!

"Guards, go to Qingxi Village immediately and arrest everyone from the Su family!"

"You, send someone to inform Su Can that his family has borrowed money at exorbitant interest rates and is refusing to repay. If they don't come today, we'll massacre the entire Su family!"

After issuing a series of orders, Cao Bin still felt somewhat uneasy. He had managed to rise to his current position not only through ruthlessness but also through caution and prudence.

If it really is someone with a grudge who massacred the stronghold, or if Su Can breaks through to the martial arts realm, then a martial artist like me with mediocre blood and energy might not necessarily be a match for him!

No, I need to go to the gang and ask someone to come and keep things in order!