Da Xuan Martial Saint

Revealing a portion of his strength was the outcome Chen Mu desired.

In fact, what he actually wanted to reveal wasn't the "Copper-Steel Skin" but rather the double Blade Momentum. By demonstrating his exceptional insight, he hoped to gain more attention from Xu Hongyu in order to later obtain the Body Tempering Method above Body Refinement.

However, at that time the poison water was approaching, and he was uncertain if Xiaohu could handle it, so he met it head-on, but overall it was all within his expectations.

When Xiaohu found him again and told him to visit the Chief Officer once the matter with the Black Crow Sect was concluded, it was also entirely within his expectations. The next task was to lead his men to clear out the Black Crow Sect's Main Altar.

They found quite a bit of silver, roughly a few thousand taels.

They also found some resources such as medicinal materials.

After organizing these resources and the silver, Xiaohu set aside a portion as Bounty Money to distribute, and Chen Mu also received twenty taels of silver, which was better than nothing.

It's worth mentioning that at the Black Crow Sect's Main Altar, some Martial Arts techniques were also found, including Blade Technique and Swordsmanship, among which were two Skin Toughening Methods and one Body Refinement Method, all of which Chen Mu carefully reviewed.

The Body Refinement Method was named "Sky Wolf Body Refinement Method."

It was of a different type compared to the Fierce Ox Body Refinement Method. The latter focused more on a power-oriented, robust, and solid type of Body Refinement, while the Sky Wolf Body Refinement Method leaned towards a "speed-oriented" type, lithe and flexible.

Considering that he had previously used various Skin Toughening Methods to develop his Copper-Steel Skin, Chen Mu quietly noted this Sky Wolf Body Refinement Method. Now that he wasn't short on silver, and with the additional thousand taels of Bounty Money promised by Xu Hongyu, practicing multiple Body Refinement Methods was not a burden to him.

...

Two days later.

Chen Mu arrived at the City Guard General's office.

Compared to his previous visit, marked by caution and unfamiliarity, this time he was much more composed.

It was still the small resting room beside the fourth-floor Hall Office. Xu Hongyu, wearing a loose casual outfit, stood by the window. When Xiaohu led him inside, she turned around and carefully sized up Chen Mu.

Then, she gently pushed forward a piece of paper on the table, which still bore the elegantly written words, "Withdraw one thousand taels of silver."

"I heard you obtained the Fierce Ox Body Refinement Method from Prefecture Chief Min, and you must have already started practicing. That Body Refinement Method is also considered a high-quality practice, and there's no need to change it," Xu Hongyu said.

Chen Mu took the note Xu Hongyu handed to him and respectfully thanked her.

Xu Hongyu watched Chen Mu and shook her head slightly, saying, "There's no need to be so formal with me in the future. With your talent and ability, you could catch the eye of many even in the Inner City. If you can step into the Tendon Changing Level, I could give you my younger sister Xiaoru, or a girl from a side branch of the Yu Family; you could choose freely."

Tendon Changing...

Only at this step would he truly enter the sphere of influence of the Yu Family.

Chen Mu's thoughts shifted. Officials like Min Baoyi, who claimed to be members of the Yu Family, could only be considered as twigs on the branches of a large tree. Only by reaching the Tendon Changing Level could one truly enter the vision of the Inner City gentry.

After all, no matter how strong the Body Refinement Realm is or how many layers of Momentum it controls, it couldn't match a person in the Tendon Changing Realm like Xu Hongyu. If Skin Toughening was about toughening one's skin to withstand the burst of subsequent Body Refinement, then Tendon Changing was about making those toughened muscles as hard as steel, unleashing even more extreme power.

Without strong tendons to lead, the burst of muscle power was always limited.

Tendon Changing and Bone Tempering would progressively enhance one's strength while gradually integrating the previously toughened muscles and skin.

"There's no need for thanks,"

Xu Hongyu interrupted Chen Mu's motion to bow and thank her again, instead looking at him calmly and saying, "In fact, with your current abilities, it's not that you have no other options. Joining another faction would also receive their acceptance. The situation for my Yu Family is actually not great, as you may have heard.

Hence, if you wish to join another ship, seek a different path, I won't blame you."

Chen Mu was slightly startled, but he quickly recovered and calmly said, "A man without trust cannot establish himself. Having received such favor from the Chief Constable, it is only right for me to alleviate his worries."

For him, working for the Yu Family or the Imperial Court made no difference; both were merely ladders for him to climb steadily. As for the situation of the Yu Family, he had indeed heard a little about it, but that was not important.

Seeing Chen Mu's clear eyes, without any evasion, Xu Hongyu finally nodded slightly.

"To progress from Body Refinement to Tendon Changing requires the Body Tempering Method of the Tendon Changing Realm and the corresponding 'Tendon Changing Pill'. However, regardless of the type, Tendon Changing Pills are resources that are priceless and not for sale, mostly controlled by the City Lord, with each family having only a fixed quota...

This year's quota is temporarily gone, and you don't need it yet, but I will reserve a quota for you next year. When the time comes, you can come to me to collect it."

"Isn't that a bit too early?"

He Lotus, standing by the side, suddenly spoke 'timely'.

Xu Hongyu shook her head and said, "The quotas change every year; if we don't reserve in advance, who knows what changes might occur later? Even though his Body Refinement may need two to three years, it's still better to collect it in advance."

At this moment, He Lotus turned her head towards Chen Mu, flashing a look of gratitude at him.

Chen Mu had reasons to suspect that He Lotus and Xu Hongyu were coordinating their efforts, but he had indeed heard about the Tendon Changing Pills from Min Baoyi and knew that it seemed to be the case, so he thanked Xu Hongyu, saying, "Thank you, Chief Constable, for your cultivation."

Xu Hongyu nodded and continued, "Actually, the Inner City and the Outer City are two completely different worlds. The people of the Outer City struggle for survival, where in the past the lower classes could change their destiny through literacy and writing, but not anymore. Those mixed gangs are rampant and domineering, but they are the only opportunity for some people to advance."

"Starting from the gangs, daring to fight and compete for the opportunity to practice martial arts, then furthering their skills to improve their status, earning Silver, and then practicing Body Tempering Methods..."

"For them, reaching the Perfection of Body Refinement requires all-out effort."

"But in the Inner City, it is not difficult for any family to practice up to Body Refinement Perfection. It is only from Tendon Changing onward that competition begins, and the intensity of this struggle is no less fierce than the chaotic Outer City."

As Xu Hongyu started talking about the Inner City, Chen Mu listened carefully. Although he already knew something about the Inner City, it was indeed not enough, mostly just snippets of information he had heard from various people.

Inner City.

The descendants of the martial arts schools, if they only wanted to achieve Body Refinement Perfection, there is no need to struggle, but if they wanted to step into Tendon Changing, the competition within the schools is very fierce because the quotas are fixed. Afterwards, the families must also compete against each other for those quotas.

These quotas originate from the acquisition of resources outside the city, such as killing a specific demon beast or harvesting a particular type of spiritual medicine. These are calculated as merits by the City Lord, who then distributes the rightful quotas to each family annually.

The Yu Family now faces two problems.

The first problem is that their greatest reliance, the only person above the Bone Tempering Realm, has reached his twilight years, and the person who could have potentially taken up the mantle, Xu Hongyu's father, disappeared many years ago, his life and death unknown.

The second problem is that this generation lacks successors everywhere; there is a shortage of manpower everywhere. Positions like the South City District Chief Constable should not have been taken by someone as young as Xu Hongyu, but there was simply no one else available.

Last time Xu Hongyu did not tell Chen Mu much, but this time she not only talked about the situation in the Inner City but also broadly mentioned the current predicaments of the Yu Family.

This mostly matched with some of the true-or-false news that Chen Mu had heard before.

"Above Bone Tempering, what realm is there?"

After hearing Xu Hongyu's narration, Chen Mu asked curiously.

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He had long known that Bone Tempering was not the deepest of the Body Tempering Realms, but he was unclear about what lay beyond. If he were to guess, considering the progression from the outer layer to the bone, the next step should involve the 'Viscera'.

Xu Hongyu's answer was not surprising.

"It is the Viscera."

"One skin, two flesh, three tendons, four bones, and then it is the Five Viscera and Six Viscera!"