I Am Immortal in Great Yu

Chapter 78: Chapter 36: Sixth Grade (2)

A glint flashed in Fang Rui’s eyes. ’It’s close. I’m almost at the 500 Tribulation Points I estimated. Just a few more days, and then I can break through to the Middle Three Grades...’

The night grew deep. Outside the window, the listless chirping of insects occasionally broke the silence. Bright moonlight, like a layer of frost, spilled before his bed.

Amidst these surroundings, he drifted into a deep sleep.

...

Ever since he’d eliminated that walking disaster, Gao Yao, it was as if Fang Rui had washed away all his bad luck. His days became peaceful and pleasant. Stockpiling medicinal herbs and purchasing scarce supplies from the Black Market all went off without a hitch.

Five days flew by.

During these five days:

Willow Alley remained peaceful;

Fang Rui went drinking with Jiang Ping’an twice;

He purchased more scarce supplies from the Black Market, stockpiling items like oil, beans, and meat. The more perishable goods were eaten as part of their daily meals, greatly improving their diet.

There were frustrations, too. He hadn’t been able to buy a horse—not even a nag was available, though that was to be expected in the current climate. Furthermore, there was no news from any merchant caravans leaving Changshan County.

And yet, amid the tranquility, Fang Rui’s keen senses picked up on a few details.

The leaves on the great willow tree in the alley, much like the hair on a middle-aged man’s head, grew sparser with each passing day, as if being plucked clean;

Supplies on the Black Market also seemed to be dwindling;

More beggars appeared on the street corners;

...

The atmosphere was like that of a vast, silent forest—utterly unnerving.

’Right now, Changshan County Town feels like a giant powder keg with a lit fuse. We’re in that final, silent moment right before the explosion!’

Ever since he’d noticed these anomalies, for the past two days Fang Rui had been sleeping with one eye open. He slept so lightly that the slightest disturbance would jolt him awake.

...

「That afternoon.」

Mrs. Xue of the Fang Family and Fang Ling were taking an afternoon nap in the back room.

Fang Rui sat behind the counter in the main hall, gazing out the door. The sun beat down on a deserted entrance, and even hurried passersby were a rare sight.

With no business to speak of, he went and closed the door.

’No time to lose. It’s time for a breakthrough.’

Fang Rui closed his eyes, focusing his consciousness on the point of light in the upper-left of his vision and summoning his status panel.

[Name: Fang Rui]

[Tribulation Points: 501]

[Cultivation Technique: Nourishing Body Skill (Minor Achievement) (+)]

[Realm: Seventh Grade (Bone Forging)]

[Skills: Fang’s Medical Skill (Mastery) (+), Beast Taming Technique (Uninitiated) (+), Feng Shui Skill (Uninitiated) (+)]

[Divine Techniques: Immortality (Gray)]

...

’Just as I expected. It takes 500 Tribulation Points to break through to the Middle Grade... Nourishing Body Skill, break through!’

With a thought, Fang Rui pressed the ’+’ next to Nourishing Body Skill.

BOOM!

A cool current, several times more powerful than the one from his breakthrough to the Lower Three Grades, surged from the void and poured into his body.

A small portion was absorbed by his physical body, but the vast majority...

Unlike the Ninth Grade which affected the skin, the Eighth Grade which affected the tendons and meridians, and the Seventh Grade which affected the bones, this time, the energy surged into the apertures throughout his entire body.

The Sixth Grade Realm is known as Enlightenment!

As the cool current coursed through him, Fang Rui felt as if he’d downed an ice-cold drink in the middle of a scorching summer. Every pore on his body seemed to open up in a wave of comfort so sublime it made him want to hum in pleasure.

During this process, wisps of Power began to generate from the apertures all over his body.

If Yuan Da were here to witness this, he would have been red-eyed with envy. For an ordinary person to break through to the Middle Three Grades, they would need a Great Medicine to provide a massive amount of nourishment in a short period. Only by supplying the body and nourishing the apertures could they hope to generate Power.

Even then, the failure rate for such a breakthrough is extremely high. Some who manage to succeed by a hair’s breadth often fall gravely ill afterward due to the poor quality of their Great Medicine, requiring a long period of recuperation.

Who could be like Fang Rui, powered by Tribulation Points, achieving a breakthrough as naturally and effortlessly as water carving a channel?

...

This time, it took a full hundred breaths before the cool current finally vanished without a trace.

Fang Rui opened his eyes and looked at his status panel.

[Name: Fang Rui]

[Tribulation Points: 1]

[Cultivation Technique: Nourishing Body Skill (Refined and Masterful)]

[Realm: Sixth Grade (Enlightenment)]

[Skills: Fang’s Medical Skill (Mastery), Beast Taming Technique (Uninitiated), Feng Shui Skill (Uninitiated)]

[Divine Techniques: Immortality (Gray)]

...

’Sixth Grade Enlightenment... I’ve finally made it. I’m a Middle Grade Martial Artist now!’

Fang Rui carefully sensed the changes after his breakthrough. The greatest difference was the addition of a special ’Power’.

He suddenly lifted his hand and pressed it lightly against the edge of the counter. Power surged, and when he lifted his hand again, a shallow print remained.

’Damn, this Power is overwhelming!’

Fang Rui marveled, standing up and moving about. He discovered that besides being used externally as he just had, his Power could also be used to augment his body, allowing his strength and speed to break past human limits for short bursts...

Just as he’d expected, breaking into the Middle Three Grades had brought about a world-altering change.

’My Innate Body Weakness has been mostly remedied after breaking through to the Sixth Grade. I expect it’ll be completely resolved once I reach the Upper Three Grades.’

’Relatively speaking, the burden of my innate weakness is much smaller now. Because I upgraded with Tribulation Points, my apertures are more developed. By a conservative estimate, I even have more Power than a typical Sixth Grade!’

At this point, it was safe to say the advantages of upgrading with Tribulation Points had finally outweighed the ’negative buff’ of his innate weakness. Fang Rui could at last shed the embarrassing handicap of having smaller gains than his peers after a breakthrough.

’The only problem is... I don’t have any Martial Arts...’

So-called Martial Arts are, in reality, nothing more than the refined experience of Killing Techniques.

’Facing an opponent of the same level, it would naturally be a disadvantage...’

’But why would I be stupid enough to pick a life-or-death fight with another Middle Grade Martial Artist? Isn’t it far more satisfying to use my superior realm to crush and bully Martial Artists from the Lower Three Grades?’

’Augmented by Power, my strength and speed will break their limits. One-on-one, I could even crush a Seventh Grade Martial Artist.’

’Back then, that slash from Yuan Da terrified me. But now? Heh, he wouldn’t even be able to land a hit!’

’I wouldn’t even be afraid of being surrounded by a dozen armed men. Augmented by Power, I can come and go as I please... I could even kite them...’

Of course, a Sixth Grade Martial Artist is still a mortal of flesh and blood. Charging into an organized military formation would be suicide. If caught in unfavorable terrain and surrounded by well-trained soldiers, they could still be trapped and killed.

After all, their Power is limited.

’Although my Power exceeds that of my peers, if I were to use it in every single strike, I could only last for twenty or thirty moves... Augmenting my body is more efficient; I could maintain that for about the time it takes to drink half a cup of tea.’

’But that’s more than enough!’

’At my current level, I shouldn’t be attracting the attention of any Middle Grade Martial Artists. And as for being trapped in unfavorable terrain and surrounded by trained soldiers? With my cautious nature, I would never let myself fall into such a predicament.’

’Other than that, there’s basically nothing in Changshan County Town that can threaten me... I finally have a sense of security.’

In fact, a Sixth Grade Martial Artist could easily become the leader of a small gang like the Tiger Gang.

Even if they were to join the Lin and Xia Families, they would be treated with great importance and become an Honored Guest, able to converse with the heads of the family on somewhat equal terms—a status far beyond that of a mere family guard.

He had now stepped with one foot into the upper echelon of Changshan County!

’Now that I’ve broken into the Middle Grade, there’s a lot I can do... For example, taking care of that damn tiger!’

A glint appeared in Fang Rui’s eyes. ’No need to rush it. I’ll stake things out for a couple of days, pick a good spot, and make sure that damn tiger disappears without a trace...’

...

「After dinner.」

Mrs. Xue of the Fang Family, wearing an apron, was about to wash the dishes. Fang Ling was wiping the table, and Fang Rui was sweeping the floor.

Just then, Third Lady came rushing over, pulling Nannan by the hand.

”Sister-in-law Fang, I have something urgent. I need to speak with Brother Rui. Can Nannan stay and play with Ling’Er while Brother Rui and I step outside to talk?”

”Alright!”

Seeing the anxious look on Third Lady’s face, Mrs. Xue of the Fang Family knew it must be something urgent and quickly agreed. ”Don’t worry, Nannan can play with Ling’Er right here. I’ll watch them. You two go on!”

They went outside.

Third Lady pulled Fang Rui straight to her house. She shut the door, drew the curtains, and turned to deliver a shocking piece of news: ”The county’s reserve army has been defeated again—almost completely wiped out! The Taiping Bandits are about to attack the county town!”

”What?!”

The color drained from Fang Rui’s face.

...