The catch inspired my entry: Persistence will eventually lead to invincibility.

It will be of considerable benefit to my physical development in martial arts!

Hearing this, Chen Shi couldn't help but smile.

Shen Lang then continued to introduce this precious plant:

"This precious plant is called Water Beard, a kind of aquatic treasure herb. Most warriors only know that there are terrestrial treasure trees in the deep mountains, and they fight tooth and nail for them; little do they know that there are also treasure herbs in the deep water. It is a coincidence that this Water Beard is a treasure herb that can help warriors polish their skin and break through the 'skin barrier'."

At this point, Shen Lang's expression was complex, and he sighed:

"I must say, you've got the best luck of all the people I've ever met. To be able to acquire such valuable treasures one after another. First the treasure fish, then the treasure herb, it's unbelievable, unbelievable..."

"Please, Master Shen, teach me how to use this precious underwater plant to temper my physique!" Chen Shi said sincerely, clasping his hands in a fist salute.

"Alright!" Shen Lang said loudly, "I'll teach you how to smooth your skin now."

"I have already explained the four stages of 'skin, flesh, tendons, and bones' to you. Do you know why, in addition to honing your skills, you also need to temper your physique?"

"Temper the body and strengthen the physique," Chen Shi blurted out.

"That's right!" Shen Lang was very satisfied with this answer.

"Therefore, you should understand that the entire process of tempering your physique is not simply about breaking through barriers, but about strengthening your body to the greatest extent possible. If you want your physical body to be stronger, you must temper each barrier to its extreme before attempting to break through, rather than trying to break through as soon as you feel like you've crossed the threshold."

As he spoke, he suddenly rolled up his sleeve, revealing an arm.

"Use the knife in your hand, aim and chop down."

The change was so sudden that Chen Shi was completely bewildered, not understanding why Shen Shi suddenly asked him to chop off his arm with a knife.

But he did it anyway.

I believe that Professor Shen must have his reasons for saying that.

call out--

The longsword, forged from high-quality steel, slashed down towards Shen Lang's strong, powerful arm. But instead of the expected blood, not even a white mark appeared on his skin.

"Go all out," Shen Lang gestured for another slash.

Chen Shi immediately did as instructed, relying on his immense strength, and mercilessly chopped down on the muscular arm with a force of seven hundred jin.

bang-

It was as if it had struck a piece of hard metal.

It didn't hurt Shen Lang in the slightest, but it did make Chen Shi's hand go numb.

It was only then that he noticed that Shen Lang's arm was slightly different from his own. The skin was more yellowish, like brass, and had a faint metallic sheen.

"Master Shen's body is so strong?!" Chen Shi's understanding of Shen Lang was refreshed once again.

He hadn't expected that Shen Lang, who was only at the first level of the five realms, could have such a terrifying physical body. It was hard to imagine how powerful the martial artists at the later realms would be.

Noticing the shock in Chen Shi's eyes, Shen Lang immediately said, "Don't be so surprised, you can do it too."

"What I just showed you is the 'copper skin' of the four gates, a characteristic of the 'skin gate' after it has been polished to its limit. It is the color of brass, has a clanging sound when touched, and is difficult to damage with swords and blades. In addition, the remaining three gates, after being polished to their limit and then broken through, also have corresponding names, namely 'golden skin, rainbow tendons, and jade bones,' which are characteristics that can only be obtained by polishing the corresponding parts to the highest level."

If someone can hone all four barriers to their limits, achieving the state of "copper skin and golden muscles, rainbow tendons and jade bones," they can become a formidable expert even without breaking through to the Heroic Soul Realm. Conversely, if one attempts to break through barriers simply for the sake of breaking through, merely trying to quickly overcome the four obstacles to reach the Heroic Soul Realm, while feasible, the risk and difficulty are extremely high. Moreover, such a martial artist cannot develop a truly powerful martial physique; even in combat against opponents of the same realm, they will be inferior, as weak as a born incomplete infant.

Upon hearing this, Chen Shi nodded thoughtfully.

He recalled the bald man who had caused trouble in front of his stall before.

Although this senior disciple of Zhengyi Martial Arts School had broken through the "physical barrier," his physical body was not actually strong. Facing Chen Shi, who had never formally embarked on martial arts training, he was severely injured after only taking two punches.

No wonder the noise was loud but the raindrops were light; it turns out he was a "cram school student."

"If I want to become stronger, I must hone each skill to its limit." Chen Shi nodded to himself, then asked, "Master Shen, how many of these four challenges have you mastered to their limit?"

"Two challenges," Shen Lang said calmly.

"For an ordinary martial artist, it's good enough to hone 'copper skin and golden muscles.' But my requirements for you are higher. You must at least hone all three gates to their limits. If you can achieve all four elements, that would be even better. However, it's very difficult. Besides putting in the effort, you also need a lot of resources, especially the 'bone gate,' which consumes a lot of resources."

Money, is it really money again?!

After listening to Shen Lang's story, Chen Shi felt inexplicably aggrieved.

The saying "the poor study literature, the rich study martial arts" is not just an empty phrase.

While raising one's martial arts level can indeed lead to a leap in social class, the initial stages are like a bottomless pit, requiring an unknown amount of resources to invest.

"With my current savings, I simply cannot afford to polish the jade bone."

Chen Shi thought to himself, "I only regret that I don't have enough money."

Seemingly sensing Chen Shi's concerns, Shen Lang spoke up:

"You don't need to be too anxious. Martial artists with all four attributes are ultimately a minority. Once you've honed the first three levels to their limits and broken through to the Heroic Spirit Realm, your physique will surpass that of 90% of martial artists. If you further refine your martial arts skills, once your swordsmanship reaches the 'Bamboo Breaking' level, your strength may not be weaker than that of a martial artist with all four attributes."

His words were not meant to comfort, but rather to state the facts.

While the Four Symbols Warriors possess formidable physiques, their "Bamboo-Splitting" level swordsmanship is no ordinary attack and may well be able to break through this defense.

"I will keep Master Shen's words in mind," Chen Shi said.

Shen Lang hummed in agreement and said, "I've said so much just to make you understand the fundamental purpose of our physical training. We can't put the cart before the horse."

After saying that, he led Chen Shi to a room.

An elderly man dressed like a pharmacist slowly turned around and looked at the two of them. He respectfully said, "Greetings, Deacon Shen. And this gentleman beside you is...?"

After Shen Lang succinctly explained their relationship and the purpose of his visit, the elderly pharmacist nodded and whispered:

"Using precious herbs to polish the skin is certainly no problem. However, water caltrop is a precious aquatic plant, and its nature is cold. Applying it directly externally will not only fail to aid cultivation but will also damage the meridians. It is necessary to add medicinal herbs to neutralize its cold nature."

"Pharmacist Hong, give me a definite answer. How long will it take?" Shen Lang asked.

"One day," Pharmacist Hong replied. "Come back tomorrow afternoon, and I will be able to prepare the appropriate topical medicine."

"You can come by yourself tomorrow; I may not be in the hall," Shen Lang said to Chen Shi.

He then added, "If there is anything you don't understand, you can ask Master Hong for clarification."

"Disciple understands!" Chen Shi replied, clasping his hands in a fist salute.

............

Meanwhile, inside a secluded water fortress.

A large number of sea pirates gathered together.

They were all excited, their eyes fixed on one person.

And this man was the leader of the sea pirates.

"Congratulations to Mr. Lin on successfully acquiring the [Water Transport] business!"

With someone taking the lead, the group of sea pirates congratulated each other in unison.

"Alright, everyone stop." Master Lin waved his hand to signal for quiet.

"Now that I have absorbed a portion of the [water transport] business, my strength is even greater than before. I will make you pay for all the suffering you have endured during this time."

"Master Lin is awesome! Master Lin is awesome!"

"..."