’The Secret Manual states that soaking in the medicinal juice inevitably leads to absorbing some of the Elixir Pill’s toxicity. After the soak, the Major Tendons throughout the body are eroded by this poison, causing a continuous burning pain. Only when the detoxifying Herbal Decoction starts to work, gradually neutralizing the poison, does this burning sensation slowly disappear.

But I only felt pain as the medicinal power seeped into my Major Tendons. Afterward, I felt nothing at all. Clearly, I absorbed very little toxicity—next to none, in fact.

The reason must be my Profound Gold Hide, which I cultivated back in the Skin Grinding Realm. It must have blocked almost all of the Elixir Pill’s toxicity from entering my body.’

At this thought, a faint smile graced Chen Cheng’s lips. 𝙧𝙚𝙚𝔀𝒆𝓫𝓷𝙤𝓿𝒆𝙡.𝒄𝙤𝓶

He climbed out of the wooden tub, dressed, and began performing a series of stretches and poses designed to help his Major Tendons absorb the medicinal power more quickly.

After each soak, he only needed to stretch for half an hour. Following that, he had to stretch once every twelve hours—for half an hour each time—until the medicinal power within his Major Tendons was fully absorbed.

The time required to absorb the medicinal power varied from person to person, but it generally took anywhere from half a month to a full month.

Dragon Eagle Muscle Strengthening Technique Cultivation Progress has increased.

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Skills: Dragon Eagle Muscle Strengthening Technique (Uninitiated 8/10)

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Dragon Eagle Muscle Strengthening Technique Cultivation Progress has increased.

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Skills: Dragon Eagle Muscle Strengthening Technique (Beginner Level 22/100)

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Half an hour later, Chen Cheng stopped his Cultivation and summoned the panel to check his status.

Skills: Dragon Eagle Muscle Strengthening Technique (Small Success 13/1000)

"HISS!"

Even though Chen Cheng had prepared himself for it, he was still utterly shocked by his own Cultivation Progress.

’Just one-fifth of the medicinal power from a single Low Grade Muscle Strengthening Pill was enough to bring my Dragon Eagle Muscle Strengthening Technique to the Small Success level.

And I haven’t even absorbed all of that one-fifth portion yet. It’ll probably take another four or five days to do so, and by then, my progress should increase by another few dozen points.

At this rate, one Low Grade Muscle Strengthening Pill can increase my progress by about 1,000 points. I’ll reach Great Success with less than two of them. That’s ridiculously fast.’

His initial joy gave way to further contemplation.

’My progress can’t possibly stay this fast forever. The saying, "Three years for Skin Grinding, five years for Muscle Strengthening," exists for a reason.

A Celestial Pride Level figure like Shen Qingshuang needs twenty Low Grade Muscle Strengthening Pills to reach Muscle Strengthening Realm Perfection. My absorption rate is far superior to hers, but the difference shouldn’t be *this* outrageous.

As my Major Tendons grow stronger, I’ll need more and more medicinal power to make progress in the Dragon Eagle Muscle Strengthening Technique.

But even so, my Cultivation will still be very fast. I’ll reach Perfection with fewer than twenty Muscle Strengthening Pills.

At my current speed, I can absorb the medicinal power of one Muscle Strengthening Pill in less than a month.

After all, with my Profound Gold Hide physique, I can gradually increase the dosage. While others use one-fifth of a Low Grade Muscle Strengthening Pill per session, I could use a quarter, or even a third.

At that rate, I might just bring the Dragon Eagle Muscle Strengthening Technique to Perfection within two years—or even faster!

The future looks bright!’

Chen Cheng called for Xi’Er and Dong’Er to clean up the wooden tub while he put on his weights, donned the Dragon Eagle Iron Claw, and headed into the courtyard to continue practicing the Powerful Eagle Claw Skill.

The Powerful Eagle Claw Skill and the Dragon Eagle Muscle Strengthening Technique were highly compatible. Chen Cheng could feel that practicing this Horizontal Training Technique also accelerated the absorption of the medicinal power in his Major Tendons.

Of course, practicing the Powerful Eagle Claw Skill naturally had to be paired with the Iron Armor Skill, an Inner Breath Technique.

Dragon Eagle Muscle Strengthening Technique Cultivation Progress has increased.

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Powerful Eagle Claw Skill Cultivation Progress has increased.

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Iron Armor Skill • Muscle Strengthening Cultivation Progress has increased.

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As he cultivated, panel notifications appeared from time to time. This method of "killing three birds with one stone" was incredibly satisfying. Chen Cheng grew more and more absorbed in his training, gradually entering a state of such deep focus that he lost all sense of self and surroundings.

An hour later, Chen Cheng stopped cultivating. He walked over to the terrace and stood tall, gazing out at the shimmering surface of Jishui Lake. As he relaxed completely, his thoughts began to wander.

After consulting his master, Mr. Zheng, Chen Cheng had gained many new insights into Martial Arts Cultivation.

In his own Martial Arts Cultivation, Mr. Zheng had focused more on External Martial Arts Skills due to a lack of resources in his early years. As a result, he had achieved a profound mastery of them.

Not only was he an expert in Horizontal Cultivation Techniques, but he was also proficient in various other External Martial Arts Skills, such as Saber Techniques and Swordsmanship. He had even managed to cultivate Momentum in one Saber Technique and two forms of Swordsmanship.

Perhaps this was why Mr. Zheng placed such a strong emphasis on comprehension when recruiting disciples, requiring candidates to have cultivated a Mid-level External Martial Arts Skill to the level of Great Success.

Of course, Mr. Zheng also valued advancing in the Martial Arts Realms. He had said that for individuals with similar levels of comprehension, a higher Martial Arts Realm made it easier to grasp Momentum and the higher concept of a Realm.

For example, when cultivating the Powerful Eagle Claw Skill, a Martial Artist in the Muscle Strengthening Realm would find it easier to develop Momentum than one in the Skin Grinding Realm. By the Bone Forging Realm, it would become easier still. This was one of the benefits of a powerful physique.

Chen Cheng had once asked about the Realm and the Fundamental Diagram, but Mr. Zheng had only provided a general overview without going into great detail.

Momentum and the higher concept of a Realm were principles that the Martial Arts Ancestors of the Human Race had summarized, organized, and developed over eons.

The ultimate goal of every Mid-level External Martial Arts Skill is to cultivate Momentum and unleash its power. Similarly, Superior Cultivation Techniques are those that allow one to cultivate a Realm.

Cultivating Momentum requires constant practice—repeatedly executing Perfect Level Cultivation Techniques until one gradually comprehends what Momentum is.

A Realm, however, is a much more profound concept. To cultivate one, it is necessary to observe a Fundamental Diagram.

A Fundamental Diagram is something deduced and drawn by the Martial Arts Ancestors who created the original Cultivation Technique, based on the Realm they themselves had comprehended. They first had to cultivate the Realm; only then could they create the Fundamental Diagram to ensure its legacy.

A Realm is a mysterious and profound concept. Not even the original Fundamental Diagrams drawn by the Human Race’s Martial Arts Ancestors could fully express its entirety. Ultimately, cultivating it still depends on personal observation and comprehension.

The original Fundamental Diagrams for many Superior Cultivation Techniques have long been lost. Most of the surviving ones are in the hands of the Major Sects, and only True Disciples are given the chance to observe them.

The Fundamental Diagrams circulating in the outside world are mostly just copies. Copies made from the originals are called First Generation Copies. Copies made from those are second-generation, and so on, leading to third and even fourth-generation copies.

When observing a Fundamental Diagram, it is naturally easiest to comprehend a Realm from an original. First Generation Copies are second-best, with the effectiveness diminishing with each subsequent generation of copy.

Those with exceptional comprehension still have a good chance of grasping a Realm by observing a third-generation copy.

As for fourth-generation copies, they are mostly just used as a reference while cultivating a Realm and have almost no observational value.

The Powerful Eagle Claw Skill Fundamental Diagram in Mr. Zheng’s collection is a third-generation copy. He will only pass it down to Chen Cheng once Chen Cheng cultivates Momentum.

He also mentioned that, besides observing a Fundamental Diagram, mastering and integrating the Momentum from multiple External Martial Arts Skills could also help one cultivate a Realm.

Mr. Zheng himself had first cultivated multiple forms of Momentum before observing the third-generation Fundamental Diagram and finally comprehending his Realm.

In Elder Zheng’s words, one could never learn too many External Martial Arts Skills. Of course, this didn’t mean blindly dabbling in everything without depth. Rather, one had to cultivate each technique until they developed Momentum; only then would it aid in cultivating a Realm.

At the very beginning, however, one needed to focus on cultivating Momentum in a single Skill. Only after carefully comprehending its mysteries and power could one move on to cultivating a second form of Momentum.

Chen Cheng understood this point deeply. Even with his panel, which allowed him to cultivate without any bottlenecks and guaranteed progress with every practice session, his progress in cultivating the Wind Chasing Saber Stance had still been relatively slow.

However, after mastering the Wind Chasing Saber Stance, his progress in cultivating the Momentum of the Powerful Eagle Claw Skill was noticeably faster.

Observing a Fundamental Diagram initially only allows one to comprehend the First Level of Realm. Afterward, as one’s understanding of that Realm deepens, they can advance to the Second, or even Third Level of Realm.

The power of a Second Level of Realm could be hundreds of times greater than that of a First Level.

Mr. Zheng himself had currently only cultivated his Realm to the Second Level. With it, he—a Perfect Martial Artist of the Bone Forger Realm—could crush a Marrow Cleansing Realm Perfection Martial Artist who had only cultivated a First Level of Realm.

Such was the immense power of cultivating External Martial Arts Skills to a profound Realm.

’With the support of my panel, my Cultivation has no bottlenecks. I can even deduce new Cultivation Techniques. Cultivating a Realm shouldn’t be too difficult for me!

For now, the most important thing is to develop Momentum in the Powerful Eagle Claw Skill as quickly as possible!’

Pulling his thoughts back to the present, Chen Cheng muttered to himself before returning to the courtyard to continue Cultivating the Martial Dao.