Supreme Martial Venerable: Starting with the White Ape Cloak Hammer skill point allocation

As Zhou Yuan left the blacksmith shop, he saw Guo Liang and others surrounding a young man as he walked in from outside.

The boy's name was Yuan Qingfeng. He came from a farming family, had outstanding talent, and was highly regarded by Li Lin.

Guo Liang seemed to whisper something in the boy's ear, and Yuan Qingfeng looked up at Zhou Yuan.

Zhou Yuan cupped his hands in acknowledgment, and the other party nodded expressionlessly.

Zhou Yuan didn't care and went straight back to his home in Gouweiba Hutong.

…………

Zhuo Changyu was hunched over the table, writing something down.

These days, Zhou Yuan is doing blacksmithing, while Zhuo Changyu is in charge of bookkeeping, purchasing materials, and selling ironware.

"Changyu, stop for a moment, I have something to say."

Touched by the warm atmosphere, Zhou Yuan felt a little lighter and sat down in front of Zhuo Changyu, and began to speak.

"It'll be finished soon. We sold two more sickles this morning, but we're running low on materials, so I had some more delivered..."

Zhuo Changyu said.

"Changyu, my skin has broken through."

Zhou Yuan said softly.

"what?"

Zhuo Changyu paused, then subconsciously looked up, her small face showing a hint of surprise and astonishment.

"I've broken through the Skin Tempering Realm and am now a Skin Tempering Realm martial artist."

Zhou Yuan smiled and said, "I can do it on the path of martial arts."

"Very good!"

Zhuo Changyu's eyes were full of joy, "Brother Yuan, I knew you could do it!"

"Once you pass the test, you can participate in the martial arts examination. If you pass the martial arts examination, you won't have to perform corvée labor anymore, and then nothing will happen..."

Zhou Yuan felt a warmth in his heart. Zhuo Changyu's first reaction was that she would no longer have to perform corvée labor, rather than that she would no longer have to live such a poor life.

"It's too difficult for someone at the Skin Tempering Realm to participate in the martial arts exam. At least someone at the Flesh Refining Realm would have a better chance."

Zhou Yuan said, "Moreover, exemption from corvée labor does not require passing the martial arts examination. As long as one is removed from the artisan register, one can use silver to offset the corvée labor."

"Yes, it's possible to renounce citizenship."

Zhuo Changyu's eyes lit up, but then his tone became dejected, "Doesn't it cost money to get rid of my household registration? We might not have enough money at home..."

"Brother Yuan, how about I go home and beg my dad? If you get past this hurdle, he might stop opposing us..."

She had witnessed firsthand how hard Zhou Yuan worked; he was relentlessly forging iron and practicing his skills.

For the past two months, Zhou Yuan has been sleeping less than two hours a day.

She saw everything and wanted to help Zhou Yuan, but she was just a weak woman.

"You don't need to worry about the money. I've already passed the skin barrier. Besides blacksmithing, I can also find a temporary job. I'll be able to save enough money to get rid of my status."

Zhou Yuan shook his head and said.

Breaking through the skin barrier might be a life-changing event for ordinary people, but it's nothing to a wealthy family like the Zhuo family.

In the Zhuo family, a martial artist at the Skin Tempering Realm could only serve as a guard.

Unless one becomes famous in martial arts, it is almost impossible to gain the Zhuo family's special attention.

"Um."

Zhuo Changyu nodded vigorously, "Then let's be even more frugal from now on and try to save enough money to get out of citizenship as soon as possible!"

…………

The next morning.

Zhou Yuan woke up on time and the first thing he did was to bring up the system panel.

Name: Zhou Yuan

[Free Points: 15]

[Realm: Skin Tempering Realm]

[Technique: White Ape Cloak Hammer - Minor Mastery (0/1000)]

[Skill: Intermediate Blacksmithing Technique (35/100)]

"I received 15 free points yesterday. Is this because my White Ape Cloak Hammer is near completion, so my efforts were more effective in the same amount of time?"

Zhou Yuan was pleasantly surprised; at 15 PM every day, he would become stronger even faster.

It's true that the harder you work, the luckier you get.

Zhou Yuan silently added 10 points to the White Ape Cloak Hammer, and the remaining 5 points to the Intermediate Blacksmithing Technique.

"Seventy-five taels of silver for ransom... If we sell that Qi and Blood Pill... But the Qi and Blood Pill is too conspicuous and can't be sold casually. Besides, it's a kind gesture from Zhuo Changying. If we really sell it, it would be like a hopeless case."

After digesting the extra points he had gained, Zhou Yuan got up to wash up and practice his boxing.

Just as I finished practicing my boxing routine, someone came to the door.

The person who came was none other than Cheng Jiuhe, who had visited once before.

"Junior Brother Zhou, it's only been half a month since I last saw you, and you've already become a master of the Skin Tempering Realm. Congratulations!"

Cheng Jiuhe cupped his hands and smiled, a hint of regret flashing in his eyes.

He went to Li Lin's blacksmith shop to practice martial arts. Besides practicing martial arts, he also had another purpose: to find a suitable person for his family.

Over the years, he has cast a wide net to recruit talent, and has indeed recruited several experts who have successfully broken through the barriers.

However, most of the time, his bets will come to nothing.

He thought that Zhou Yuan, like the others, was unlikely to succeed in breaking through the barrier, so although he habitually tried to recruit him, he didn't take it seriously.

Unexpectedly, only half a month later, Zhou Yuan gave him such a big surprise.

If only he had put in a little more effort back then...

"Senior Brother Cheng is joking. Compared to Senior Brother Cheng, I am still far from being good enough."

Zhou Yuan said calmly.

After exchanging a few pleasantries, Cheng Jiuhe spoke up, "Junior Brother Zhou, I've come here today to ask you for a favor."

"Senior Brother Cheng, what do you need my help with? If it's still about family offerings, then forget it."

Zhou Yuan said.

He also learned about matters related to offering sacrifices and holding temporary posts.

Such family worship essentially binds one to the family; their fates are intertwined, one's fate is the other's.

The Cheng family made their fortune by dredging river sand and running gambling dens.

If such a family doesn't have any problems, things will be fine, but once something does happen, it will be a serious matter.

If he were to take a temporary post, he would prefer one that is less dangerous, even if it pays less.

Anyway, he can make money by blacksmithing.

"It is not an offering."

Cheng Jiuhe shook his head. "Of course, if Junior Brother Zhou is willing to come to my Cheng family as a retainer, I will open the door to welcome you. In terms of treatment, you will definitely be the best in the entire county."

He spoke tentatively, a hint of expectation in his eyes.

"Forget it, I have a bad temper and don't like being controlled."

Zhou Yuan's heart skipped a beat, but in the end he shook his head.

If he were to ask, given Cheng Jiuhe's wealth and influence, a hundred or so taels of silver would be nothing to him.

However, if he did that, he would truly be tied to the Cheng family's ship.

"Senior Brother Cheng, let's get down to business. What do you need me for?"

Zhou Yuan said.

"Well, as you know, my family does what we do: sand mining, which requires some iron tools."

Cheng Jiuhe said with some regret, "I need to have a batch of ironware made. It's not a large quantity, and the price is two hundred taels of silver. I wonder if you, Junior Brother Zhou, would be willing to take this job?"

Two hundred taels of silver for ironware would be considered a big deal even in Li Lin's blacksmith shop.

Every blacksmith shop in Gaoshan County would be vying to take on this kind of work.

Normally, it wouldn't be Zhou Yuan's turn at all, given he's a small retail investor.

He knew that this was because he had become a martial artist who had broken through the barrier, and Cheng Jiuhe was deliberately trying to curry favor with him.

However, it's hard for him to refuse such a big order.

With two hundred taels of silver for ironware, and based on the blacksmith's usual 30% profit margin, he could earn almost sixty taels after the job was done!

That's equivalent to him selling sickles for two or three years.

"In that case, thank you very much, Senior Brother Cheng."

Zhou Yuan remained silent for a moment, then cupped his hands in greeting.

"Junior Brother Zhou, you're too kind. Don't feel like you owe me anything. I've examined your blacksmithing skills, and I'm not just flattering you, but your blacksmithing skills are quite good in our Gaoshan County."

This is mutually beneficial for us.

Cheng Jiuhe laughed heartily as he spoke.

After leaving the blueprints, Cheng Jiuhe departed.

Zhou Yuan swung the hammer and brought it down heavily, sparks flying everywhere, like dazzling fireworks, illuminating the dark shed with extraordinary brightness.

…………