Chapter 445 - 427: Breaking Through the Tiger Tendon

’A candidate for City Lord?’

The moment he heard this, Su Yu’s expression flickered.

’The position of Black Stone City’s City Lord has been vacant for so long, with the three great families and the Black Stone Army ruling jointly. Why would a candidate for City Lord suddenly appear?’

’And a young person at that?’

Li Jingxuan seemed to sense Su Yu’s confusion and continued to explain, "This matter is complicated. There are many interests and considerations involved behind the scenes. It’s not something that can be explained in just a few sentences."

"Younger Brother Su only needs to know that the three great families, the Black Stone Army, and various other powers will all send their most outstanding young members to participate and compete for this candidacy!"

"As long as one secures this candidacy, they will gain astonishing benefits from the Inner City!"

Su Yu nodded, more or less understanding the situation.

"So, why has Brother Li sought me out?"

Li Jingxuan pondered for a moment before saying, "My Li Family currently has three top-tier geniuses participating in this grand competition. The branch I belong to supports Miss Li Muyan!"

"Miss Li Muyan is twenty-two years old this year and is already an expert at the Divine Storage Realm!"

"What? The Divine Storage Realm!"

Su Yu was utterly shocked to hear this. ’A twenty-two-year-old at the Divine Storage Realm? What kind of monster is she?’

He would be twenty-one after this year, and he estimated he would probably be able to break through to the Profound Bone Realm by then.

Based on his current cultivation speed in the Muscle Forging Realm, he’d likely only just reach the Divine Storage Realm at twenty-two.

’But I don’t have any bottlenecks, and I possess peerless talent.’

’Doesn’t that mean this Li Muyan’s talent could rival my own?’

Seeing Su Yu’s shocked expression, Li Jingxuan wore a look of pride.

However, if he knew what Su Yu was thinking, he would probably cough up a mouthful of old blood.

Who would have thought the kid was shocked simply because someone’s talent might rival his own.

"Ahem. The young miss’s talent is absolutely stunning; this cultivation speed is nothing. Her greatest strengths are her terrifying comprehension and her incomparably powerful combat ability. In the Inner City of Black Stone City, everyone knows her title."

"Oh? And what title is that?"

"The White Tiger War Goddess!!!"

’What a tacky title,’ Su Yu complained internally, but his face remained serious.

"Uh, that title certainly sounds impressive."

"Of course it is. The young miss has a limitless future and is the family’s future leader. She is now participating in the Hanging Mirror Grand Competition and needs more allies. Brother Su, your age is suitable and your talent is excellent. Once you enter the Inner City, you will surely receive invitations from all sides."

"When that time comes, please be sure to consider our young miss first!"

Su Yu hesitated for a moment before nodding. If he really were to participate in the Hanging Mirror Grand Competition in the future, joining the Li Family might be a good choice.

After all, for her to be so highly praised by Li Jingxuan, this Li Muyan’s talent must be excellent in all aspects.

"Alright. If the opportunity arises, I will definitely give the Li Family priority."

...

After seeing Li Jingxuan off, Su Yu was just about to resume his training when another visitor arrived with an invitation.

"Brother Su, Commander Wang Lingran from the Public Security Bureau invites you to meet with her."

After delivering the message, Yang Ai casually fed the koi in the pond and scratched the little croco-dragon’s white belly.

Su Yu didn’t know exactly what Wang Lingran wanted, but he could guess.

’She probably values me more now after I turned the tide in the arena tournament.’

However, remembering how she had tried to recruit him on behalf of the Wang Family before, he frowned and didn’t agree immediately.

"Decline for now. Just say I’m busy and it’s inconvenient. I’ll go in a few days."

"Alright, Brother Su."

...

The sun rose and set, day after day. In the blink of an eye, several more days had passed.

Over the past few days, the Inner City had opened its gates several times, and several waves of people from the City Lord’s Mansion and the Inspection Bureau had arrived.

Pang Xuan personally received them and held several secret talks to discuss the integration of the Inner and Outer Cities.

During this time, some of the major families, Martial Arts Halls, and other powers in the Outer City all received Tokens to enter the Inner City. Those who had never been to the Inner City before also went in to have a look.

The astonishing sight of the Inner City—luxurious as a paradise, with expert Martial Artists everywhere—left many people utterly shocked.

"No wonder the people of the Inner City look down on us in the Outer City so much. The gap is just too wide..."

Someone who had just returned from the Inner City couldn’t help but mutter to themselves, their spirits low.

"I’m going to live in the Inner City in the future! What kind of kennel is this Outer City? I’m not staying here anymore!"

There were also profligate sons of major families who were completely captivated by the Inner City, dead set on moving there.

But even more people wore worried expressions, pondering the future.

"The gap between the Inner and Outer Cities is so vast. Once they merge, where will we powers of the Outer City go?"

"The Black Lotus Sect has been quiet lately, but who knows what kind of conspiracy they’re brewing. Are the higher-ups merging the Inner and Outer Cities now because they want to unite everyone to resist the Black Lotus Sect?"

Su Yu hadn’t paid any attention to these matters during this time, dedicating himself wholeheartedly to his training.

On this day, he finally made a new breakthrough.

Under the canopy of an Iron Locust Tree, which spread out like a crisp green umbrella, the bare-chested Su Yu suddenly threw a final punch.

"BOOM!"

A Flood Dragon bursting from the abyss, its inch-force ferocious! A single breath transforming into a dragon to dominate the world!

This strike was the final move of the Azurewood Shadow Ape Fist, and also its most powerful and explosive one.

The powerful Gang Force instantly shattered dozens of leaves in mid-air, which rustled down like confetti.

[Azurewood Shadow Ape Fist Skill Level +12]

[Martial Art: Azurewood Shadow Ape Fist has broken through to the Minor Achievement stage]

[Martial Art]: Azurewood Shadow Ape Fist (Minor Achievement 1/3000)

The ink-wash characters before his eyes dissipated like ice and snow, then instantly reformed to display new information.

At the same time, an indescribable, violent potential erupted from the depths of Su Yu’s body.

"BOOM!"

In an instant, his Qi and Blood erupted like a ten-thousand-year-old volcano, and a dull rumbling echoed endlessly from deep within him.

His Divine Sense instantly sank into his body. At the junction of his waist and spine, the once-dormant mysterious great acupoint, the White Tiger Pivot, was now lit up by the scorching, vast river of Qi and Blood. It was like a dark golden star, transforming into a magnificent celestial body hanging high in a mysterious void!

This great star was normally hidden in some kind of mystical space within the human body. Now that it had manifested, it unleashed a terrifying pulling force, like a black hole.

"RUSH!"

The surging Qi and Blood in his body immediately formed a vast river, madly converging toward the White Tiger Pivot along his thick meridians.

However, unlike the nourishment of flesh and blood in the Skin Tempering and Flesh Refining Realms, this time, wherever the river of Qi and Blood passed, the muscles and bones beneath his skin remained as firm as bedrock!

Only his Great Tendons, which had long since been conditioned with the flexibility of a Spiritual Ape, began to roar and writhe madly under the catalysis of the violent Qi and Blood, like earth dragons awakened by spring thunder!

Even more astonishingly, the golden marrow hidden in the deepest parts of his Great Tendons was completely ignited at this moment, bursting forth with a dazzling, shattered-gold light.

Under the repeated scouring and tempering of the rampant Qi and Blood, this shattered-gold light condensed once more into thousands of golden needles as fine as hairs. From the inside out, they frantically tempered and stimulated every inch of his Great Tendons, causing the originally lithe fascia to widen and thicken exponentially!

"Hiss—"

Even with a will as hard as metal and stone, Su Yu couldn’t help but grit his teeth and suck in a sharp breath of cold air.

’The transformation into the Tiger Tendon Realm is even more intense than the Ape Tendon Realm! Those countless golden needles feel like they’re piercing my body, constantly breaking my physical limits.’

Through his Divine Sense, which revealed every minute detail, he saw his body’s Great Tendons being stretched to their absolute limit within the river of Qi and Blood. Although they already possessed an unnatural degree of elasticity, under this overwhelming force, they were stretched as taut as dark-gold steel cables spanning a blood-red abyss.

Whenever a Great Tendon was stretched to the brink of snapping, strands of molten, dark-gold marrow would pour over it like molten steel, rapidly mending the fissures.

Stretching, restructuring, fusing!

In this endless cycle, the dark-gold luster on his Great Tendons began to grow visibly thicker and more solid.

About one hour later, the inhuman pain, like ten thousand needles piercing his body, finally receded like a tide.

"RUMBLE!"

Su Yu’s body shuddered violently. In that same instant, all the major and minor tendons and meridians throughout his body resonated in unison, erupting with a deep roar like a tiger’s bellow and rolling thunder!

"The Great Tendon-Bursting Bomb, roaring like thunder... so this is the Tiger Tendon!"

The astonishing reverberation spread out, even causing wide ripples to spread across the surface of the nearby Lotus Pool.

In the Lotus Pool, several crimson koi that had been swimming leisurely were so startled by the sound—like a sudden clap of thunder—that they leaped from the water with a "SPLASH!" They traced stunning red arcs through the air before crashing back into the pond, sending up a spray of crystalline water!

Meanwhile, the little croco-dragon lying in the shade by the pond merely lifted its heavy eyelids lazily for a glance, then dropped its large head back into its pile of claws, snorted a couple of times, and went back to sunbathing in the morning light.

The creature’s intelligence was astounding. It seemed to have grown accustomed to the commotion of Su Yu’s breakthroughs, especially since it had experienced a similar scene just over a month ago. It was no longer surprised.

Su Yu let out a long breath of turbid white air and flexed his joints slightly. Beneath his skin, his Great Tendons were no longer slender like green vines. Instead, they were thick as steel cables, bulging like azure flood dragons beneath his flesh and pulsing with an almost feral, violent tensile strength!

"The Ape Tendon Realm emphasizes ’softness and length,’ while the Tiger Tendon Realm emphasizes ’hardness and torsion’!"

At this moment, he felt his body was once again filled with explosive power. He wouldn’t feel right until he unleashed it!

His gaze swept quickly over the backyard. The yard could no longer withstand his violent power. If he truly let loose, the entire place would likely be reduced to ruins in moments.

"Zhen’Er, Ai’Er, I’m going to the Black Water River outside the city to test my new martial arts!"

Leaving these words behind, Su Yu activated his Celestial Thunder Step. His figure transformed into a purple, lightning-like afterimage and shot away.

On a mist-shrouded Long Street in Black Stone City, a green leaf, which had been slowly drifting down in the breeze, was tapped in that instant by a foot.

The air rippled like water. The leaf paused in mid-air, and then the figure instantly vanished into the morning mist.

In less than half an hour, Su Yu’s figure had arrived at the Black Water Riverbank.

He glanced back at the towering Black Stone City, shrouded in the morning mist, and estimated his current speed.

"With the terrifying explosive power of the Tiger Tendon Realm, my speed has increased by at least fifty percent. Even among those in the Profound Bone Realm, I’ve already reached the level of the elites!"

"Next, let’s test my strength!"