Longevity Martial Arts: Grinding Experience in the Chaotic World

Chapter 66: Chapter 66 Stone Skin

At the same time, at the main family’s side courtyard.

”If you want to break through to the Great Achievement Realm with the Iron Stone Fist, you must make the practice method and combat technique indistinguishable from each other. Only then will it be a truly complete Iron Stone Fist!”

”Xiao Jiang, if you want to break through to the Blood Refining Realm within three years, with your current Small Success Iron Stone Fist realm and the resources tilted in your favor by the manor, you have about a seventy to eighty percent chance.”

”But if you can achieve Great Success in the Iron Stone Fist, it will be a complete success! Your achievements might even be higher!”

Gu Jingang’s serious voice resounded. In the courtyard, there were only two people, Gu Jingang and Gu Xiaojiang.

Since Gu Jingang was the only expert in the manor who had achieved Great Success in the Iron Stone Fist, after discussion, the family elders decided to let Gu Jingang spend some time every day to personally instruct Gu Xiaojiang, fully assisting him in breaking through the Iron Stone Fist realm.

”Great Success in the Iron Stone Fist...”

Even though he’d heard these words countless times, Gu Xiaojiang’s eyes were still filled with eagerness as he mulled over the insights that Gu Jingang had just shared. He closed his eyes in thought, then changed his fist posture.

It was seamless and harmonious.

Gu Xiaojiang’s accomplishments in the Iron Stone Fist were not insignificant, which made Gu Jingang secretly nod in approval. Although he was reluctant to admit it, Gu Xiaojiang’s talent was indeed better than his own.

Gu Xiaojiang made earnest efforts to transform combat techniques into practice methods, but whenever he converted practice methods into combat techniques, the effect of toughening the skin immediately vanished.

After several attempts.

He stopped his fist skills dejectedly and couldn’t help but shake his head in disappointment, saying:

”Uncle Jingang, this seems impossible. There seems to be a natural barrier between combat techniques and practice methods, making them incompatible. How did you manage to do it back then?”

He had been striving for days but hadn’t made any progress.

Gu Jingang fell into reminiscence.

”That time, I was chasing a notorious thief for the manor and unexpectedly fell into his trap, almost dying on the spot. This scar on my arm is from that time.”

He touched the visible part of a knife scar on his arm, which, judging by its completeness, must have run across his entire chest, nearly splitting Gu Jingang in two. Gu Xiaojiang could faintly sense the scent of close encounters with death.

”It’s indeed not easy for Uncle Jingang to reach where he is today...” he thought silently to himself.

Gu Jingang continued, ”Fortunately, in that desperate moment, I had a sudden enlightenment, breaking through the long-standing bottleneck of the Iron Stone Fist, reaching the Great Achievement Realm. I backhanded and killed that thief, earning the formidable reputation of Iron Fist King Kong with these fists!”

He shook his head.

”Actually, if you ask me to do it again, I might not find it so easy to break through to the Great Achievement Realm; it’s indeed very difficult.”

”Xiao Jiang, having me as your guide only gives you a direction. You still need to make your own efforts. At present, half of the expectations of the manor rest on you, so you absolutely cannot slack off!”

Gu Xiaojiang shivered, hastily replying loudly:

”Yes! I will work hard, Uncle Jingang!”

He was about to continue practicing his fists when he asked, almost instinctively:

”Uncle Jingang, how does one break through to the Iron Stone Fist’s Perfect Realm?”

Gu Jingang froze for a moment, then shook his head dejectedly.

This had been his goal all along, but that breakthrough in the desperate situation seemed to have exhausted all of his insights, making the Perfect Realm seem infinitely distant.

...

Gu Sheng family courtyard.

Gu Sheng quietly felt the power slowly dissipating from his body and couldn’t help but think:

”Achieving Great Success in the Iron Stone Fist allowed my strength to continue to multiply, now at least five times that of the entry-level Iron Stone Fist! No wonder Gu Jingang could forge the formidable reputation of Iron Fist King Kong with his Great Success in the Iron Stone Fist!”

”Then what about the Perfect Realm? How formidable must it be!”

Just after breaking through to Great Success, the flash of insight hadn’t faded, and he vaguely sensed how to break through to the Perfect Realm of the Iron Stone Fist.

”The Great Achievement Realm is the integration of practice and combat methods, indistinguishable from each other, while the Perfect Realm is the unity of heart and will? Not only are the moves seamless, but also the realms, making every move with the Iron Stone Fist achieve the best effect in toughening the skin!”

”It should be so!”

As for whether it’s correct, the progress of grinding experience will tell.

Gu Sheng had discovered it long ago.

The experience he amassed was never gained through mindless mechanical practice; thoughtful diligence was enough to achieve twice the result with half the effort, which was the fundamental reason he instantly broke through to the Great Achievement Realm of the Iron Stone Fist that night.

But soon.

Gu Sheng set aside these distracting thoughts, his gaze incredibly bright.

His skin had already been on the verge of transformation, now with the Iron Stone Fist breaking through to the Great Achievement Realm, his strength multiplied, and the skin hadn’t adapted to the new strength’s intensity, which was the best time for tempering!

”Just right to take advantage of the Iron Stone Fist’s Great Success and ascend to the Stone Skin Warrior in one go!”

Gu Sheng stepped forward, clenched his fists, and his aura changed, much like a fierce tiger descending a mountain.

After achieving Great Success, practicing the Iron Stone Fist felt noticeably different, as if there was a continuous surge of strength flowing within his body, capable of both resisting enemies and refining his body, and the long-lost intense stinging feeling came from his skin.

Especially his arms and fists, which had almost completely turned a dark greenish-brown.

”Hah!”

Gu Sheng’s body was like a swift leopard, his fists striking like lightning as he practiced the Iron Stone Fist repeatedly.

After integrating the practice and combat methods, the punches were no longer slow and heavy, but instead became more swift and fierce, indirectly increasing the efficiency of toughening the skin.

At this moment, the strength within Gu Sheng’s body surged wildly, the refining effect astonishing!

With each practice of the fist techniques, Gu Sheng could clearly feel his skin becoming tougher, this visible progress almost made him want to howl at the moon in joy.

It was incredibly refreshing!

Practicing the fist techniques continuously, Gu Sheng felt no fatigue.

His eyes shone even brighter as he sensed the transformation happening in his body and skin, unwilling to stop, wanting to ride this feeling all the way to breaking through the bottleneck.

No one knows how much time passed.

The night was exceedingly quiet, with the jade rabbit hanging high in the sky, its moonlight threading through the shed roof, intertwining with Gu Sheng, his sweat reflecting a dazzling luster.

Buzz!

Gu Sheng seemed to hear a faint buzzing sound within his body, followed by a sudden tightening of his skin, a step becoming noticeably more agile by several degrees, and an even stronger internal power, at least twice that of an ordinary person!

With a keen sense of his surroundings, he could even hear the chirping of insects far away.

Skin like stone, increased strength, keen ears and eyes.

These were all characteristics of stepping into the Refining Skin Realm.

”Is this... the Stone Skin Realm Martial Artist?”

Gu Sheng stared blankly at his palms, the power surging, immediately revealing a deep greenish-brown hue with a stone-like texture.

He slightly clenched, and an incredibly hard feeling came over him, impervious to fists and kicks, barely able to fend off swords, providing a great sense of security.

Threads of joy welled up from his heart.

Gu Sheng grinned at the moon, laughing silently.

From starting to practice the Iron Stone Fist to now, just over half a year, he, Gu Sheng, had finally become a Martial Artist!