Chapter 249: Chapter 247: White Ape Fist Breaks the Limit Again
Su Mansion, Front Hall.
Su Yu pushed the door open and entered, his gaze immediately falling upon Cai Yun, who was dressed in a fiery red dress.
She had clearly taken great care in dressing today. The form-fitting, red brocade dress accentuated her slender, supple waist and exceptionally full figure. Seated in the Grandmaster’s Chair, the curve of her hips was particularly alluring, exuding a natural, mature charm.
Seeing Su Yu enter, her captivating, almond-shaped eyes instantly lit up. She quickly rose and bowed gracefully. "Greetings, Lord Su."
Su Yu was slightly taken aback. ’Why is she acting like a completely different person today? So formal and reserved.’
"Sister Cai, why are you being so formal with me? Please, sit down."
Su Yu had always considered her a friend he was very grateful to. After all, she had been a great help when he needed precious herbs before. Even though he was now a Vice Commander, he had no intention of adopting a superior-subordinate attitude with her.
He lifted the kettle of boiling water from the small, red-clay stove and poured it into the Zisha Clay Teapot. The leaves of the Cloud Mist Spirit Tea unfurled in the roiling water, and a refreshing, soul-soothing fragrance instantly filled the hall.
Su Yu personally poured a cup of hot tea, filling it seventy percent full, and gently pushed it in front of Cai Yun. "Sister Cai, you should just keep calling me ’little brother.’ If even you start calling me ’Lord,’ our friendship will truly feel distant."
"It’s fine for you to keep calling me ’little brother,’ Sister Cai. Let’s not grow apart."
A hint of a smile flashed in Cai Yun’s beautiful eyes upon hearing his words. She raised her teacup, her red lips parting slightly to blow on the surface before taking a delicate sip.
"Since our great Vice Commander has spoken, I won’t be a stranger then." She set down the teacup and shot Su Yu a coquettish glance, reverting to her usual demeanor.
"I came to see my little brother today for two reasons. First, to deliver this month’s routine tribute. The Cai Family managed to acquire a high-grade precious herb this time. Hearing of your promotion to Vice Commander, the Elder Council unanimously agreed to present this herb to you as a congratulatory gift."
As she spoke, she opened a brocade box made of cold jade that was beside the table.
In an instant, a rich, exotic fragrance that made one’s Qi and Blood stir restlessly filled the hall.
Su Yu’s gaze sharpened, and he looked down.
Inside the cold jade box lay a strange, palm-sized Lingzhi. Its entire body was dark red, and its cap was naturally covered in overlapping, barb-like patterns resembling the scales of an Exotic Beast. In the light, it shimmered with the hard luster of the finest blood jade.
Cai Yun rose, intentionally or not, exposing a stunning glimpse of the pale skin of her décolletage at the edge of Su Yu’s vision. Her breath was as fragrant as an orchid as she said, "This is called the Red-Scaled Earth Dragon Lingzhi. My Cai Family’s merchant caravan went to great lengths to transport it from Jian’an Prefecture in the south."
"This herb has absorbed the essence of the earth and is exceptionally effective at replenishing Qi and Blood. It is quite useful for a Martial Artist’s cultivation. Consider it this month’s stipend."
Su Yu looked at the precious herb in the brocade box and nodded in satisfaction.
He had just run out of precious herbs of this grade. If he were to activate his White Ape Transformation again, he would have had to rely on consuming several Middle Grade or even Low Grade herbs to sustain it, which would be far less effective.
This precious herb had arrived at the perfect time.
Seeing that Su Yu was very pleased, Cai Yun also relaxed internally. Her red lips parted as she continued, "There is another matter I wish to discuss with you, little brother. Now that you are famous in Black Stone City, a newly promoted Vice Commander with a boundless future, I wonder... have you any thoughts of taking a wife or concubines?"
As she said this, Cai Yun’s usual playful expression vanished, replaced by a very serious one. She lightly bit her red lip, her beautiful eyes filled with a nervous anticipation as she watched Su Yu.
Su Yu sighed inwardly and shook his head decisively. "Sister Cai, I currently have no intention of marrying."
The moment he said this, Cai Yun’s heart sank, and a deep, unconcealable disappointment flashed in her beautiful eyes.
"Oh... I see."
She forced an extremely strained smile, her voice sounding a little hoarse. "Little brother is devoted to the Martial Arts, and your cultivation advances by a thousand miles a day. How could any ordinary woman be worthy of you? It’s... it’s only natural."
She took a deep breath, suppressing the bitterness in her heart, and changed the subject. "Um... actually, I have another favor to ask. Now that you’ve been promoted to Vice Commander, you must be in urgent need of trustworthy subordinates. I was wondering... would it be too bold of me to ask to be transferred under your command?"
"Of course you can," Su Yu agreed without the slightest hesitation.
Having a Captain whom he knew well and who was backed by her family’s resources to help manage his jurisdiction was something he couldn’t have wished for more.
"Hehe... In that case, I’ll be counting on Commander Su’s care in the future. I hope I can ride your coattails to the top, you hidden dragon."
The expression on Cai Yun’s face changed in a flash, instantly returning to her usual charming and sophisticated demeanor, as if the heartbreak of a moment ago had never happened.
"Then I won’t disturb your training any longer today, little brother. I’ll take my leave."
"I’ll see you out, Sister Cai."
Su Yu stood up and walked her all the way to the mansion gates. Only after watching her step into the carriage did he turn and return inside.
Inside the carriage.
The heavy brocade curtain had just fallen when Cai Yun collapsed onto the soft couch as if all her strength had been drained. In a few quick movements, she kicked off her exquisite deerskin boots, drew her knees to her chest, and hugged herself tightly.
Her beautiful eyes, usually so captivating, were now dull and lifeless. She just stared blankly at her own toes, painted with bright red polish, and remained silent for a long, long time.
...
Su Mansion, Backyard.
Su Yu shook off all distracting thoughts and opened the panel.
He pressed the "+" sign next to White Ape Long Arm Fist.
[White Ape Long Arm Fist successfully broke the limit twice. 2 Breakthrough Points consumed.]
[Awakened Trait: Hundred Fierce Peaks]
[Trait] Hundred Fierce Peaks: Fist techniques stack, momentum like overlapping mountains! You have mastered the ultimate force-generation technique. As long as you throw consecutive punches, the force of each punch will be increased by 10%, stacking up to a maximum of ten times (100% increase). When accumulated to the limit, every punch becomes an armor-piercing cannon, and can be fired in rapid succession!
’Hundred Fierce Peaks... what a domineering Trait!’
Su Yu quickly understood the Trait’s ability. It complemented Ape Shadow Gale by augmenting a different aspect: one increased speed, the other increased power.
When combined, they were practically invincible!
’Imagine fighting an evenly matched opponent. They might be able to handle the first punch, but with each subsequent blow, my power will increase. How shocked would they be when they feel that change?’
’Before I even throw ten punches, the enemy would probably fall into despair and collapse!’
’And against a stronger opponent, once I’ve thrown ten punches and my power has reached its peak, a single ’Fiend Ape Beats the Drum’ would be like the Hundred Fierce Peaks themselves crashing down. Who could possibly withstand that?’
"Time to test its power!"
With a flicker, Su Yu’s figure moved through the covered corridor and the ornamental gate, arriving at the Martial Arts Arena in the front yard.
He walked past several Ironwood Stakes and finally stopped in front of one used to test the power level of the Flesh Refining Realm Perfection stage.
First, he summoned the panel to check his current Martial Arts progress again.
[Martial Arts]: Mountain-Shaking Fiend Ape Fist (Minor Achievement 5100/7000)
[Martial Arts]: Black Stone Body Forging Skill (First Layer) (Major Achievement 9200/12000)
’I’m currently at the mid-stage of the Flesh Refining Realm, just a step away from the late-stage. With the boost from the major achievement in the Black Stone Body Forging Skill, plus my own natural talent, I can fight opponents at the Late-stage of the Flesh Refining Realm.’
’But with the Traits from Ape Shadow Gale and Fiend Ape Baleful Qi, I’d be invincible in the Late-stage of the Flesh Refining Realm! I could even touch the threshold of the Flesh Refining Realm Perfection. Now, with the addition of the Hundred Fierce Peaks Trait, I wonder what level my combat power has reached!’
With a thought, Su Yu instantly activated the Qi and Blood in his body. A startling baleful qi, like a blood-red shadow, coiled around his fists.
BOOM!
A blood-colored fist, as fast as lightning, slammed into the Ironwood Stake, letting out a tremendous bang as the stake vibrated slightly.
But this was only the beginning.
"Fiend Ape Beats the Drum!"
In a split second, a dozen punches hammered into the Ironwood Stake. Hundred Fierce Peaks activated to its limit, transforming the initial light punches into cannon-like blows.
BANG BANG BANG BANG BANG...
In an instant, empowered by Ape Shadow Gale, Su Yu’s fists became a blur of afterimages impossible to track with the naked eye. A dozen heavy punches rained down on the Ironwood Stake like a torrential storm!
The Hundred Fierce Peaks Trait was instantly stacked to its maximum!
The initial punches, which had only caused a slight vibration, instantly transformed into terrifying, armor-piercing cannons after stacking ten layers of power!
CRACK! RUMBLE...
Under the furious barrage of Su Yu’s fully stacked power, the steel-wrapped Ironwood Stake, which was designed to withstand a full-power blow from a Flesh Refining Realm Perfection expert, let out a series of grating shrieks.
The outer layer of refined steel shattered inch by inch like brittle paper, and the incredibly tough, century-old ironwood within was blasted to splinters!
The utterly ferocious force of the punches, undiminished after shattering the Ironwood Stake, slammed viciously into the green brick courtyard wall several dozen yards away.
BOOM!
The entire wall trembled violently. Green tiles and dust rained down from the top, startling the Su Mansion guards patrolling outside, who scrambled back with faces full of terror.
"Sweet mother of mine... What kind of martial art is the Lord practicing now? The power is just too terrifying!"
"You must be new. What’s all the fuss? You’ll get used to it, working at the Su Mansion. The Lord makes this kind of commotion every so often. After a while, you just go numb to it." Although the old guard tried to sound calm, the way he was frantically swallowing betrayed the shock in his heart.
In the Martial Arts Arena.
Su Yu slowly retracted his fists and exhaled a breath of hot, white vapor that shot out like a sword.
He looked down at his own iron fists, a powerful confidence bursting from his eyes.
"Good! This is incredible!"
’Without even activating White Ape Transformation, in my normal state, I can actually cross two minor realms and unleash enough destructive power to defeat a Flesh Refining Realm Perfection expert! These Traits from Breaking the Limit are simply too powerful!’
In the Outer City of Black Stone City, among those in the Flesh Refining Realm, there wasn’t a single prodigy who could cross one minor realm to defeat a foe. Yet he, Su Yu, could fight across a gap of two realms!
This meant that his physical foundation and the upper limits of his Martial Arts had completely surpassed the category of the Outer City’s geniuses!
’I just don’t know if the geniuses from places like the three great families in the Inner City can fight across two realms. They might have higher-grade Cultivation Techniques, but compared to my Breaking Limit, they’re definitely inferior!’
’What’s more, I still have the White Ape Transformation as my trump card. If I were to transform, I wonder if I could fight someone in the early stage of the Muscle Forging Realm.’
’Even if I can’t right now, it doesn’t matter. In a few days, I will break through the final barrier of the Double Dragon Pass and officially step into the Late-stage of the Flesh Refining Realm... At that time, I would dare to fight even a Muscle Forging Realm expert face to face!’
