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

Chapter 89 Golden Body

Seventy miles west of Gaoshan County, on an unnamed mountain peak.

A group of burly men dressed in red robes hid in the dense forest on the mountaintop. They all carried steel knives and exuded a fierce and imposing aura.

At this moment, they were staring intently at an army several miles away.

The army was moving slowly forward; it was the Gaoshan County garrison, which had come out of the city to suppress bandits.

"Everyone, get ready."

A deliberately lowered voice rang out on the mountaintop, exceptionally clear.

Among the group of burly men was a beautiful young girl.

Moreover, the beautiful young woman appeared to be the leader of this group.

"Once they get within a mile, launch a full-scale attack, leaving no one alive!"

The girl whispered, "Once we wipe out this city guard, Gaoshan County will be like a woman stripped naked, at our mercy."

The extremely beautiful girl spoke with a fierce tone, and the burly men chuckled, their expressions somewhat ferocious.

The city guards of Gaoshan County drew closer, and all the burly men gripped the hilts of their swords tightly.

"Hurry up and get going, my big sword is itching for a fight."

"Don't these city guards eat? My grandma can walk faster than them."

"Hey—why did they turn around?"

"No, what's going on?"

'

"The members of the Red Lotus Society watched helplessly as that city guard turned back when they were still several miles away from them."

This feeling is like having already taken your pants off, only to find that the person opposite you is nowhere to be found.

The feeling of being stuck in the middle almost made them vomit blood.

The girl's eyes blazed with fury, her blood rushed to her head, and her face turned bright red with anger.

"Commander of the City Guard, I'll remember you. This isn't over!"

She gritted her teeth and roared inwardly.

"The Cheng family is very efficient; the grain and fodder were delivered on time."

77

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Gao Da rode a skinny horse, his burly figure contrasting sharply with the horse's emaciated frame.

The city guards were no match for the elite troops of the Great Qi Dynasty; they were lucky to have even a few horses.

"One hundred and eighty shi of rice, two hundred jin of salt, one thousand jin of meat, three thousand jin of vegetables, and four hundred dan of firewood."

Zhou Shun added from the side, "A total of three hundred taels of silver."

"Three hundred taels of silver worth of goods? It's unbelievable that Chen Huojia could come up with such a thing. The Red Lotus Society would rob someone for something so little?"

Gao Da scoffed, "This little bit of stuff isn't even enough for one of our military operations. Are you really going to risk your lives for the Red Lotus Society for three hundred taels of silver? Does Chen Huojia think we're fools?"

Gao Da and Zhou Shunju both wholeheartedly approved of Zhou Yuan's act of paying out of his own pocket to purchase the grain and fodder.

Isn't the purpose of suppressing bandits to recover the grain and fodder?

Let's talk about whether the supplies have returned or not.

When they went out of the city to suppress the bandits, the Red Lotus Society fled at the mere sight of them. Can we blame them for that?

Zhou Yuan smiled without saying a word.

Suppressing the Red Lotus Society is a thankless task. If we win, we will completely offend the Red Lotus Society. How can we expect to have a good outcome if we offend such a nationwide criminal organization?

They lost the battle, and the city guards suffered heavy casualties, but he was still held responsible afterward.

Therefore, Zhou Yuan never intended to actually suppress the bandits from beginning to end.

They would take the city guards out of the city and spend a few days on a day trip in the countryside, which they would then call a bandit suppression operation.

As for provisions, he went directly to the Cheng family and purchased a batch through their connections.

It only cost three hundred taels of silver in total, much less than Zhou Yuan had expected.

He had already prepared himself to lose money to avoid further trouble.

"We found a total of over four hundred taels of silver on Chen Huojia, Chen Ming, and Gao Liang. After deducting three hundred taels, I still made a net profit of over one hundred taels."

As Zhou Yuan rode on horseback, he traveled forward while pondering to himself.

While the city guards were setting up camp and resting at night, he used the Eight Steps to Catch the Cicada to return to the city and kill people without alerting anyone, and then returned to the camp before dawn.

Unknowingly.

If his Eight Steps to Catch the Cicada had been perfected, it would be impossible for him to travel dozens of miles in one night to kill someone.

He learned the Eight Steps to Catch the Cicada's Lightness Skill from Liu Jin. No one in Gaoshan County knew that he knew this skill, so naturally no one suspected him.

Who would have thought that a blacksmith who was known for his strength would have such good lightness skills and agility?

"The harvest of one hundred taels of silver is barely enough to be considered as nothing. Since Chen Huojia and his son were at their own doorstep, they did not carry any valuables, not even martial arts manuals."

But Gao Liang possessed a martial arts manual, and that was my greatest gain.

Zhou Yuan drifted off into his own world, recalling his previous gains.

That night, in addition to finding two hundred taels of silver on Gao Liang, he also found a martial arts manual called "Beast King Golden Body".

The Beast King's Golden Body is a superior martial art of the Beast Taming Sect.

In today's world where physical strength has declined, hard-skill techniques have long since disappeared.

The reason is that hard skills are easy to learn but difficult to master. The cultivation process is extremely difficult, requiring not only great perseverance and determination, but also the assistance of rare and precious materials to achieve success.

However, rare and precious natural materials are hard to find, and some ancient herbs have long been lost, so many hard skills have gradually lost the conditions for being mastered.

Although its physical strength has declined over time, it does not mean that its power has diminished.

True masters of hard skills are always the best among their peers.

This Beast King Golden Body is the supreme martial art of the Beast Taming Sect.

"Those with thick skin survive, and those with hard bones live."

This is the opening chapter of the Beast King's Golden Body.

"Gao Liang doesn't look like someone who can endure hardship. No wonder he possesses such superior martial arts, yet his body is only slightly tougher than that of an ordinary martial artist and can't withstand my White Ape Cloak Hammer."

Zhou Yuan thought to himself, feeling a slight sense of lingering fear.

If Gao Liang had been even more skilled in using the Beast King's Golden Body, the outcome of that night would have been uncertain.

"The Beast King has mastered the Golden Body technique, his skin is as thick as armor, and his bones are as hard as iron. Even if he is seriously injured, he can heal himself quickly."

Zhou Yuan was also somewhat looking forward to how strong his ability to protect himself would be if he cultivated the Beast King Golden Body and the Eight Directions Thunder Sound to a high level.

"The Beast King's Golden Body is divided into the Wolf Skin Realm, Bear Bone Realm, Tiger Marrow Realm, Black Tortoise Realm, Leopard Fetus Realm, Elephant Body Realm, Qilin Realm, and Golden Dragon Realm."

Among them, the Wolf Skin Realm corresponds to the Skin Tempering and Flesh Refining Realm, the Bear Bone Realm corresponds to the Bone Forging Realm, and the Tiger Marrow Realm corresponds to the Blood Exchange Realm.

The cultivation method involves applying a mixture of animal blood and herbs to the entire body, then using a special breathing technique to guide the flow of qi and blood, while simultaneously striking oneself with external force.

The whole process is tedious and arduous, but once mastered, it is incredibly powerful.

Once the first three stages are mastered, one can withstand ordinary swords and heavy blows without sustaining serious injury.

[Beast King's Golden Body, Third Level (0/3000)]

Zhou Yuan glanced at the system panel and saw that the Beast King Golden Body in the cultivation technique section had been upgraded to the third level.

"They say it's easy to learn but difficult to master, but isn't it very simple?"

The first level of the Beast King's Golden Body only requires 200 free points, which Zhou Yuan achieved in two days.

The second level requires 500 free points, which Zhou Yuan accumulated in four days.

During the past few days of marching, he had cultivated the Beast King Golden Body to the third level, which was equivalent to one or two years of hard work for an ordinary person.

However, Zhou Yuan also knew that the reason why the requirements for improving the Beast King Golden Body were not high was because he already had the cultivation level of breaking through four levels.

It's as if his body has undergone four breakthroughs and refinements, so returning to cultivate the Beast King Golden Body is naturally different from direct cultivation.

This is similar to the difference between a second-generation rich kid and someone who started from scratch; their starting points are different.

The third level corresponds to the Blood Exchange Realm, and the conditions for advancement increase significantly. It is conceivable that further advancements will be even more difficult.

"There are still a few months until next year's martial arts examination, which is enough time for me to cultivate the Eight Directions Thunder Sound and the Beast King Golden Body to a high level."

Even if I don't pass the provincial examination, I shouldn't have any problem passing the imperial martial arts examination.

The county champion is the top scorer in the county-level martial arts examination, making him the strongest in the county.

The title of Jieyuan was awarded to the top scorer in the military examination, who had to surpass the top military scholars of the prefecture in the same year. Its prestige was incomparable to that of the county-level top scorer.

As far as Zhou Yuan knew, in the past, some martial arts scholars had even endured until they reached the True Yuan Realm before participating in the martial arts examination, all in order to compete for the top spot.

Suppressing his chaotic thoughts, Zhou Yuan silently circulated his internal energy and began cultivating on horseback amidst the clatter of hooves.

Gaoshan County, County Government Office.

County Magistrate Dong Hailou had a gloomy face and cold eyes.

"A resounding victory?"

Looking at the victory report on the shore, he snorted coldly.

Sigrún has taught at the Iceland University of the Arts as a part-time lecturer since and was Dean of the Department of Fine Art from -. In – she held a research position at Reykjavík Art Museum focusing on the role of women in Icelandic art. She studied fine art at the Icelandic College of Arts and Crafts and at Pratt Institute, New York, and holds BA and MA degrees in art history and philosophy from the University of Iceland. Sigrún lives and works in Iceland.

Gao Liang was killed, and Chen Huojia and his son also met a tragic end. He spent many days in the city, but he couldn't even catch a hair on the assassins from Shenbing Valley.

Originally, Gao Liang was appointed as the leader of the Martial Alliance, with Chen Huojia and his son assisting him, which would have helped him quickly control the martial arts forces in Gaoshan County.

Just when things seemed to be going well, everything was back to square one overnight.

He suffered setbacks at every turn, while Zhou Yuan returned victorious. Doesn't this make him, the county magistrate, look incompetent?

"If it weren't for the important matters that the county had to attend to, a mere city guard commander could easily suppress them."

Dong Hailou sneered inwardly. He was annoyed, but he didn't have time to deal with Zhou Yuan right now.

"Gao Liang is more trouble than he's worth; with his death, the Martial Alliance is leaderless."

Gaoshan County is too far from the Beast Taming Sect and is located in the heart of the Divine Weapon Valley. Too many disciples from the sect cannot come here, otherwise they will be easily hampered by the Divine Weapon Valley.

I have no one I can use right now. That Miss Wang said she wants to cooperate with me. If she really has the ability—”

After pondering for a long time, Dong Hailou silently came up with an idea.

"Take care, sister."

Zhuo Changyu escorted the person to the alley entrance and bowed slightly.

She turned around and went back home, just in time to see Zhou Yuan sitting at the stone table in the yard. She was overjoyed and a sweet smile appeared on her face.

"Brother Yuan!"

She jumped excitedly in front of Zhou Yuan.

Having been away from home for many days, seeing Zhuo Changyu's smile filled him with a sense of healing.

He pulled Zhuo Changyu down to sit, and asked with a smile, "Who was that just now? Your new friend?"

"The Wang family sister you're talking about?"

Zhuo Changyu said, "We can't be considered friends. Yuan-ge, your current status is special. Many people who approach me have ulterior motives, and I know better."

Sister Wang has visited our home several times and would like to ask you to forge a weapon.

I felt she wasn't sincere, so I turned them all down.

"Yuan-ge, you won't blame me for making this decision on my own, will you?"

Her expression was somewhat uneasy.

"Of course not, you did a great job."

Zhou Yuan smiled and said, "We have some savings now, so unless necessary, we don't need to make anything for others."

Although the salary of the city guard commander was not high, his under-the-table income was considerable, enough to ensure that they could live a life of plenty in the county.

Given Zhou Yuan's current status, it's unlikely that an ordinary person would ask him to forge iron; anyone who does that is either a scoundrel or a thief.

Zhuo Changyu saw things clearly, so while he pretended to be close to the Wang family's young lady, he was actually always on guard against her.

"Miss Wang? What's her relationship with Wang Chao?"

Zhou Yuan asked casually.

There is only one powerful and aristocratic family in Gaoshan County, the Wang family, and Wang Chao was born into that Wang family.

"It doesn't matter. She's from the prefectural capital. Her family runs a medicinal herb business and is richer than any other family in our county. She bought half a street of shops as soon as she arrived."

Zhuo Changyu said, "And she's also a female martial arts scholar."

"Okay, if she comes again next time, you should say yes."

Zhou Yuan pondered for a moment and said, "Money delivered to our doorstep is money we shouldn't pass up."

Zhuo Changyu's clear black and white eyes darted around, and he immediately understood Zhou Yuan's intention.

"I know, I'll ask her for a high price then."

"We'll make a fortune off her," Zhuo Changyu said with a smile.

I'll change my name and take the orders again, guaranteeing I have absolutely no connection to the city guard commander!