Chapter 394 - 376: The One-Month Deadline, Vowing to Break the Tiger Tendon

Su Yu looked down to examine the Tiger Sinew Pill in his palm. It was about the size of a longan, with a heavy, dark-golden hue. Upon closer inspection, mystical, dark-red pill veins resembling tiger stripes faintly flowed across its surface. If he brought it close to his ear, he could even hear the faint, subtle roar of clashing metal from within.

The refinement process for the Tiger Sinew Pill is notoriously harsh and cruel.

Its primary ingredient is the great spinal tendon of an Exotic Beast, supplemented by eighteen other rare herbs, including ten-year-old Earth Bone Dragon Root, Dragon Blood Purple Leaf Grass, and Marrow Jade Milk. Only after an Alchemy Master spends dozens of days in continuous refinement can the Evil Qi be stripped from the beast’s Great Tendon, extracting the incomparably pure Supreme Yang Marrow.

Once consumed, this Pill not only replenishes a Martial Artist’s depleted Qi and Blood, but the essence of the Exotic Beast’s Great Tendon contained within its medicinal power also pours like molten steel into the user’s body. It fuses with their Great Tendons, initiating a fundamental transformation and reinforcement.

This also makes it an indispensable Martial Arts Resource for any Martial Artist in the Muscle Forging Realm attempting to break through to the Tiger Tendon Realm.

Because the main ingredient is difficult to acquire and the refinement process often results in furnace explosions, the Tiger Sinew Pill is exceedingly rare in the Outer City of Black Stone City. On the rare occasion one makes it to the black market, it can fetch the astronomical price of three hundred taels of Silver!

"Brother Su, even through Master Qin’s channels, a single Tiger Sinew Pill costs two hundred taels of silver. Based on how quickly we went through the Ape Tendon Pills, this is going to be a significant expense."

Su Yu nodded slightly. Just breaking through to the Ape Tendon Realm had cost him over ten thousand taels in pills alone. It was an expense an ordinary person could never bear.

"How much silver do we have on hand?"

"A little over fifty thousand taels. Our other income and expenses are mostly balanced; we’re even running a slight surplus."

"Good. That’s enough!"

Hearing they still had over fifty thousand taels, Su Yu inwardly breathed a sigh of relief.

A single Tiger Sinew Pill was two hundred taels. If he took a minimum of three per day, that would be a daily expense of six hundred taels of silver. Over a month, that meant he would have to burn through eighteen thousand taels of silver on pills alone!

’Still, as long as it allows me to break through to the next Realm at top speed, the silver is well spent. If I were to struggle along step-by-step like an ordinary Martial Artist, it could take half a year, or even a full year, to break through a single minor realm. In these chaotic times, it would be too late!’

With a determined look in his eyes, Su Yu no longer hesitated. He tossed the golden Tiger Sinew Pill into his mouth, threw his head back, and swallowed.

The Pill entered his stomach, and within a few breaths, a scorching power as hot as lava exploded in his gut. The efficacy of this supreme-grade pill was more than twice as strong as the previous Ape Tendon Pills!

His muscles and Great Tendons, which had been sore and fatigued from his earlier intense training, were instantly nourished by this power. Like a dead tree reviving in spring, they began to squirm and writhe as his depleted Qi and Blood started to recover at a visible rate.

Su Yu’s eyes snapped open. He abruptly fell into a stance and resumed his training in the small courtyard.

Zhen’Er took one look before quietly excusing herself.

...

"Rooted like an iron mountain, impossible to move!"

With a furious roar, the Great Tendons in Su Yu’s legs dug into the earth like the gnarled roots of an ancient tree. Power exploded from his waist and hips as the Great Tendons throughout his body twisted and interlocked, becoming like a steel winch tightened to its breaking point.

In that instant, powered by the eruption of his Great Tendons, his elbows, knees, shoulders—every part of his body—transformed into a lethal weapon.

He executed a brutally ferocious shoulder strike. His bones thundered as he charged forward like a fierce tiger descending a mountain. The Gang Force within him instantly converged and detonated, shattering the air several feet in front of him and creating a thunderous sonic boom!

Immediately following, he used the momentum to twist, bringing his right elbow crashing down from above like a Heavy Saber. BANG! The strike generated a fierce, howling Gang Wind.

The Gang Wind swept outward, surging into the nearby Lotus Pool.

Instantly, all the lush green lotus leaves in the pond were blown flat against the water’s surface. Under the force of that blow, the entire pool of delicate pink-and-white blossoms exploded into a rain of petals, scattering beautifully through the air.

The bolder treasure fish and koi in the water darted about, competing for the scattered lotus blossoms.

Meanwhile, Su Yu’s Divine Sense turned inward, observing the transformation within his body.

The medicinal essence within the Tiger Sinew Pill was clearly far richer and more potent than that of the Ape Tendon Pill. As the golden medicinal power fused with his Great Tendons, it protected their pathways from damage during the violent, snapping motions of his training. It even used the immense stretching force to temper and drive the medicinal power into every last fiber of his tendons.

After completing a full set of the Fist Technique, he was drenched in sweat. Through his Divine Sense, Su Yu clearly observed that his Great Tendons had already devoured nearly a third of the golden Tiger Sinew Pill’s essence.

His vision wavered, and words of black ink materialized before him:

[Green Wood Shadow Ape Fist Skill Level +8]

’The effect of this Tiger Sinew Pill is truly incredible! My Skill Level shot up by eight points in one go!’

’At eight Skill Level points per session, as long as I don’t run out of Tiger Sinew Pills, I can steadily gain fifty to sixty points a day through high-intensity training!’

’By that calculation, in a month at most, I’ll be able to break through again and step into the Tiger Tendon Realm!’

Suppressing the excitement in his heart, Su Yu focused his mind and summoned the panel to take stock of his current Martial Arts progress.

[Martial Arts]: Green Wood Shadow Ape Fist (Skilled 126/2000)

[Martial Arts]: Vajra Fearless True Sound (Great Success 1400/2000)

[Martial Arts]: Mountain-Shaking Demon Ape Fist (Perfection)

[Martial Arts]: Bibo Fish Dragon Skill (First Layer) (Perfection)

[Martial Arts]: Spiritual Ape Demon-Slaying Saber (First Layer) (Limit Broken 1x) (Demon-subduing)

[Martial Arts]: Seven Fiends Thunder Collapse Step (Limit Broken 1x) (Startling Goose Step)

[Martial Arts]: Black Stone Body Forging Skill (First Layer) (Limit Broken 1x) (Formless Flowing Gold)

[Martial Arts]: Lingxi Beast Taming Technique (Limit Broken 1x) (Spirit Rhinoceros Blood Contract)

[Martial Arts]: Money Tossing (Limit Broken 1x) (Trait: Spiral Armor-Breaking)

[Martial Arts]: White Ape Long Arm Fist (Limit Broken 3x) (Traits: Ape Shadow Gale, Hundred Fierce Peaks, White Ape Extreme Stance - Instant Shadow Thousand Strikes)

[Martial Arts]: White Ape Six Transformations (Limit Broken 3x) (Traits: Heart Monkey Clarity, Violent Ape Blood Fury, White Ape Saint Body)

[Skills]: Casting Net (Limit Broken 3x) (Trait: Listening Wave Positioning)

[Skills]: Reading (Limit Broken 3x) (Traits: Five Senses Divine, Shattering Illusion and Revealing Truth, Divine Sense - Perfect Clarity)

[Breakthrough Points]: 2 (Progress 50%)

A look of satisfaction appeared in Su Yu’s eyes as he gazed at the powerful, gold-tinged Martial Arts on the panel.

His last trip to Linyuan City had been very fruitful, and he still had a considerable amount of the Treasures of Heaven and Earth and other cultivation resources he had brought back. Nourished by this continuous stream of treasures, his Breakthrough Point progress climbed steadily every day.

’I’m almost at 3 points. Should I use them to break a limit right now?’

After a moment of thought, Su Yu shook his head slightly, dismissing the idea.

’I don’t lack combat power. I can already defeat enemies two levels above me. The most urgent task is to raise my Realm.’

’But as for Martial Arts Limit Breaks, the only one that might improve my Martial Arts cultivation talent is White Ape Six Transformations, and breaking its limit again requires four Breakthrough Points. I don’t have nearly enough.’

’Should I gamble on breaking the limit of Mountain-Shaking Demon Ape Fist instead?’

’Mountain-Shaking Demon Ape Fist has plenty of combat-oriented moves. Breaking its limit would, in all likelihood, just enhance the Fist Technique’s power.’

’Forget it. I won’t gamble. There’s no need.’

’Breakthrough Points are too precious to waste by blindly gambling on an uncertain Trait. The potential loss outweighs the gain.’

’Now that I have plenty of Tiger Sinew Pills to aid my cultivation, my strength is already in a period of steady growth. It’s better to save up my Breakthrough Points and wait for a more suitable target before deciding.’

’Besides, I have another way to improve my Martial Arts talent, one that doesn’t involve Breakthrough Points!’