High-level martial arts: Starting with a heart of steel, stats crush everything.

"I have no objection to forming a team, but why is he showing up at our house?"

Gu Feng pouted somewhat unhappily, leaning back on the sofa and sizing up Yang Zuo.

Yang Zuo remained expressionless, sitting upright and looking very proper.

His tattered clothes and dirty face made him look somewhat comical.

"You also know that Yang Zuo was expelled from the Celestial Race."

"Recently, he has been wandering around Yanjing. Apart from the few days he was hospitalized, he hasn't eaten a single meal in the other eight days."

"You know that bridge under the Sanmen River, right? He's always lived there."

Gu Shuo himself couldn't understand why Yang Zuo, a genius of the Celestial Race, couldn't even take care of himself after losing the Celestial Race's help.

"Huh?" Gu Feng was stunned. He never expected that Yang Zuo would be in such a miserable state.

A level 5 late-stage martial artist, even if he went to the Abyss Rift to fight monsters and earn money, he wouldn't go hungry, right?

"My ID card has been stolen." A look of seriousness flashed across Yang Zuo's face.

"That person is incredibly good at concealing their presence; even I didn't detect it."

"I only realized it later when I felt a bit cold in my butt."

"...?" Gu Feng and Gu Shuo's faces were full of question marks.

Judging from Yang Zuo's statement, could it be that he encountered a pickpocket?

That can't be right. There haven't been any pickpockets in Yanjing for years. This kid is really unlucky.

"Never mind, Xiaofeng. Yang Zuo will stay here for one night. Tomorrow he will go to the training camp in the south with you guys."

Gu Shuo knew that his son was still unconvinced after being defeated by Yang Zuo, but he couldn't say anything and could only try his best to mediate between the two.

"Sure, I don't mind how long you want to stay." Gu Feng nodded and looked up at Yang Zuo, who was a bit dirty.

"Thank you." Although Yang Zuo's emotional intelligence was a bit low, he could still sense the kindness of others.

These two were only seventeen or eighteen years old, and there was no deep-seated hatred between them, so Gu Feng naturally wouldn't be too hostile towards Yang Zuo.

"Alright, everyone go and rest. We'll leave for the training camp in the south on time tomorrow."

Seeing that Gu Feng had accepted Yang Zuo, Gu Shuo took Yang Zuo to wash up and have dinner.

...

The next morning, Chen Mo stood at his doorstep with his backpack on.

Last night he spoke with Governor Yu on the phone, saying he would pick him up at 6:30 this morning on the rooftop of their house.

"I can't figure it out, did they come by plane?"

Chen Mo sat on the edge of the building, staring blankly at Taizhou in the early morning.

"The plane is too slow, it'll be faster if I take you there myself." Just then, Yu Jinling's figure appeared above Chen Mo's head.

"Deliver it personally...?" Chen Mo was stunned for a moment, and then felt himself being pulled into the sky by a huge force.

"That's right, Grandmaster-level experts can fly."

Compared to the convenience of helicopters, the Grandmaster-level expert's flight speed is faster, their stealth is better, and they can better guarantee Chen Mo's safety.

"Kid, go to the training camp in the south and make your mother proud."

Yu Jinling tucked Chen Mo under her armpit, using her strength to slow the rapid flow of energy around her.

"Especially in the crucial third stage, we must make good use of the unique equipment in the Southern Training Camp."

"If you have enough talent, you might be able to complete the tempering of the steel skin and steel blood within a month, which would save a lot of resources for the steel bones and steel marrow."

"Is it possible for me to forge steel skin, steel blood, steel bones, and steel marrow within a month?"

Upon hearing Yu Jinling's words, Chen Mo immediately understood how precious this opportunity for training in the south was.

It would take an ordinary level three martial artist at least half a year to temper their entire body's skin into steel, but in the southern training camp, it would take only a month to temper both their skin and blood into steel.

"Stop daydreaming. Moving too fast will only damage your foundation. Taking it one step at a time is the right way."

Yu Jinling could understand Chen Mo's thoughts; it's normal for young people to have a slightly radical mindset.

"However, you do have the opportunity to begin tempering your steel bones, which means reaching level five."

"Don't overthink it, I have something to tell you."

As Yu Jinling was talking, she realized that Chen Mo had steered the conversation off course, so she quickly swerved back to the main topic.

"Don't think of the training camp in the south as a pure reward; it is both a reward and a valuable experience."

"The level of danger is no less than that of the national competition, and there are also death spots."

"Be extremely careful, especially during the second half of the month of actual combat. Don't risk your life for points."

"Do you understand?"

Chen Mo nodded, but he was already looking forward to the practical training in the next two weeks.

His Heart Steel only increases significantly during actual combat, which is also when his strength grows the fastest.

Chen Mo's current health points have reached a terrifying 228,396, and his attack power is as high as 4,308.

With his current base stats, he can easily face off against a level 5 martial artist, also known as a Steel Blood Realm martial artist.

Or it wouldn't be a problem to hold one's own against a level six Steel Bone Realm martial artist for an extended period of time.

"You brat, I'm talking to you!" Seeing Chen Mo staring blankly into the distance and ignoring her, Yu Jinling tapped Chen Mo on the forehead.

"Hiss~" Chen Mo grimaced in pain and glanced at Yu Jinling with some dissatisfaction.

"Huh?" Yu Jinling felt the texture of Chen Mo's forehead and something felt off.

This doesn't feel like the texture of skin that hasn't been tempered.

"Have you tempered your skin, kid?" Yu Jinling was somewhat surprised. Could it be that this kid was born with steel skin?

"No, I don't know how to temper my skin either." Chen Mo didn't know why Yu Jinling suddenly asked this question.

"That's right, you must have been born with steel skin, steel blood, and steel bones."

Yu Jinling kneaded Chen Mo's body repeatedly, judging his current physical strength by touch.

"No wonder you were able to hold off two level seven martial artists and almost kill Yang Zuo."

"What does 'born with steel skin, steel blood, and steel bones' mean?" Chen Mo was stunned. Could it be that his extremely high life value had been judged as a special talent?

"I've also seen your previous stats. Your physical strength is approaching the fifth level of the Steel Bone Realm, and your vitality is comparable to the seventh level of the Steel Marrow Realm."

"I followed the entire national competition and I could tell that you have no fighting skills whatsoever. You're just relying on your strength and tough skin to take a beating."

"But these are the two things that martial artists pursue, so I guessed from the beginning that you might be born with steel skin, steel blood, and steel bones."

Yu Jinling paused, a hint of envy flashing in her eyes.

"Honestly, I'm quite envious of you."

"You were born with steel skin, steel blood, and steel bones. If you were to undergo further tempering, that would be a second tempering."

"If you successfully complete the second tempering, you might become stronger than a level seven martial artist."