Immortality Martial Arts: I Started with the Five Animals Health Fist Chapter 4 - 2: Molding Iron into Soldiers! Potential Growth!_1

"The more my lifespan extends, the more monstrous my talent becomes... If I keep going like this, what heights can I eventually reach?"

Su Changkong felt a surge of excitement as he realized the implications. As long as he continued to prolong his life, his innate genius would grow increasingly terrifying, perhaps making him the most peerless figure in history.

"I must remain dedicated to the Five Animal Frolics to keep increasing my longevity."

Taking a deep breath to steady his nerves, Su Changkong calmed his racing thoughts. He was still quite weak and needed to focus on consolidating his foundation through constant effort.

Now fully aware of how his special ability functioned, Su Changkong threw himself into practicing the Five Animal Frolics with even more intensity and focus.

Slowly but surely, his proficiency in the technique continued its steady climb!

Once the Five Animal Frolics reached the Beginner's Path level, every inch of progress became significantly harder to achieve. However, Su Changkong's potential value had risen to 3 points. This meant his training efficiency was three times faster than a normal person's. He sensed that his next breakthrough in the Five Animal Frolics would actually take less time than his transition from the basics to the Beginner's Path.

Time flowed by, and two months vanished in the blink of an eye.

In the quiet hours of the early morning, within his courtyard at Black Iron Manor, Su Changkong was fully absorbed in his martial routine.

The Ascending Tiger, the Double-Arm Ape, the Shaking Tree Bear, the Retracting Deer, and the Level Flight Crane...

Su Changkong executed every movement and variation of the Five Animal Frolics with fluid grace. His performance struck a perfect balance between motion and stillness, as if he had truly morphed into those wild creatures, capturing their very soul!

"Crack crack crack!"

As he reached the peak of his session, Su Changkong felt a surge of Qi rising from beneath his feet and surging through his frame. His bones and meridians vibrated with soft humming noises, sending a wave of immense comfort through his entire body!

"Another breakthrough in the Five Animal Frolics!"

Su Changkong's eyes sparkled. Thanks to his improved potential, this advancement had come faster than any before. In just under three months, his mastery of the Five Animal Frolics had climbed to a new level.

Name: Su Changkong (12 years old)

Lifespan: 45 years

Potential Points: 4

Mastered Martial Arts: Five Animal Frolics (2nd tier, Entry-Level Mastery 1%)

Checking his attribute panel, he confirmed that the Five Animal Frolics had indeed progressed from the Beginner's Path to the Entry-Level Mastery stage. Furthermore, his life expectancy had increased by another 3 years.

"The lifespan boost was larger this time, but the potential gain was smaller—only a single point..." Su Changkong noted, realizing that his potential wasn't growing as rapidly as before.

It appeared that while potential was tied to lifespan, the difficulty of gaining each additional point increased over time.

Still, 4 potential points represented a fourfold increase over his starting state, which was a staggering level of improvement!

"My physical constitution has also seen a massive upgrade." Now that he had reached Entry-Level Mastery, Su Changkong's body wasn't quite "reborn," but it felt exponentially better than it ever had!

His senses were sharper than ever, and his vitality felt boundless!

This Health-preserving Fist set truly possessed mystical qualities!

"Dang dang dang!"

The ringing of the Black Iron Manor bell echoed, signaling the start of the workday. Su Changkong halted his training and headed toward the morning gathering.

"Su Changkong, stay behind for a moment." After the roll call concluded, Director Liu—the scholar-robed manager of the manor—called out to him.

"Is something wrong, Director Liu?" Su Changkong asked with a look of confusion.

Director Liu smiled and replied, "You've been part of Black Iron Manor for over six months now, and your diligence hasn't gone unnoticed. The Manor Lord has decided that starting today, you will apprentice under Master Yang Chao. He will teach you the art of forging weapons and tools."

Su Changkong’s face beamed with excitement. This was the opportunity to officially learn the craft of Black Iron Manor!

At the manor, the skilled Forging Masters held the highest social standing, and their earnings were on a completely different level compared to the average worker!

Mastering such a trade meant he would never have to worry about basic survival again.

Because Su Changkong had been a model worker for half a year and was still young and impressionable, Manor Lord Mo Tie had chosen him to study under the veteran Master Yang Chao.

Shortly after, Su Changkong located Yang Chao in the workshop. The man was in his late thirties or early forties, short in stature but built like a brick wall.

Seeing the boy, Yang Chao spoke bluntly, "The Manor Lord told me everything. I’ll give you my full instruction, but how much you actually grasp depends entirely on your own talent!"

"I am deeply grateful, Mr. Yang!" Su Changkong replied with a respectful bow.

Standing by a roaring furnace, Yang Chao began swinging his hammer against a piece of glowing iron, explaining as he worked: "Forging a blade involves several key stages: forging, filing, quenching, and polishing."

"The forging itself is the most critical part. To remove impurities, a piece of steel must be struck tens of thousands of times and folded dozens of times. Without that, it's nothing more than a piece of brittle iron!"

Yang Chao’s muscular arms drove the hammer down repeatedly, sending a rhythmic, sharp ringing through the air as the iron turned red-hot.

Su Changkong nodded. Having spent six months as a general laborer, he had already picked up the basic theory behind sword-making.

"Words only go so far; you need to feel it for yourself."

Yang Chao stepped aside to let Su Changkong take a turn.

"Understood." Su Changkong took the heavy hammer and began striking the iron block, mimicking Yang Chao’s form and technique.

"Keep your strikes even and maintain a rhythm; don't just use brute force."

Yang Chao coached him from the sidelines.

"Clang, clang, clang!"

With deep concentration, Su Changkong hammered the glowing metal.

"This kid... his physical strength is surprising," Yang Chao thought, feeling a spark of amazement. Su Changkong didn't look particularly muscular and was still just a boy, yet his stamina was incredible. He delivered dozens of strikes without showing any signs of slowing down.

Forging demanded immense physical power; otherwise, one couldn't even finish the initial hammering. Though young, Su Changkong’s sessions with the Five Animal Frolics had boosted his endurance to the point where this labor was manageable!

"Good. Now use the horizontal knife to fold the steel, then return it to the heat and hammer it again. You'll need to repeat this dozens of times before it's ready to be shaped."

Yang Chao continued his instructions.

Dozens of folds and tens of thousands of hammer swings—this was the true meaning of being "tempered a hundred times." The process was grueling and monotonous. Most apprentices took a month or two just to finish this stage!

"It burns... my arms..."

By the end of the day, Su Changkong winced at the soreness. Despite taking breaks, his arms were swollen and numb, and his palms were raw and bloodied.

Delivering over a thousand hammer blows in a single day made him feel as if his limbs might fall off!

"If I can't handle this small amount of pain, how can I ever become a powerful martial artist?" Su Changkong’s resolve only hardened. To him, the forge was just another training ground!

That evening, he forced himself to practice the Five Animal Frolics. After a bath, he collapsed into bed, his body completely spent.

The following morning, he rose early for his martial arts routine, ate a hearty breakfast, and returned to the workshop with renewed energy to continue hammering his steel.

It was only because of his Five Animal Frolics foundation and his enhanced recovery speed that he was even able to lift his arms that morning.

Observing Su Changkong’s silent determination and lack of complaints, Yang Chao was secretly impressed.

"I'm eating much more now..."

Su Changkong noticed his appetite had skyrocketed alongside his physical exertion, and his strength was growing. Over time, his slender arms began to fill out with hard muscle. As he aged, his body developed rapidly.

Meanwhile, his progress in the Five Animal Frolics remained swift and consistent!

While the daily grind was exhausting and repetitive, Su Changkong could feel himself improving, and he found genuine joy in the process.

After nearly a month of labor, involving fifteen folds and roughly thirty thousand hammer strikes, the steel finally began to show its natural grain patterns.

"It's nearly ready. A standard blade needs fifteen folds to pass, but here at Black Iron Manor, we hold ourselves to a higher standard. Next, we move on to steel pouring, carburizing, planing, and filing."

Yang Chao then guided him through the subsequent steps.

Steel pouring involved sandwiching soft steel between layers of folded hammered steel and welding them at high heat. This created a weapon that was both hard and flexible, preventing it from snapping in combat.

Carburizing enhanced the steel's properties before it was drawn out into the shape of a blade. After that came the cycles of polishing, quenching, and buffing to finish the piece.

The final quality depended entirely on the materials and the craftsman's precision.

"It's done..." After a full month of work, Su Changkong looked at the longsword, which shimmered with a faint cyan light. A look of pride and achievement crossed his face!

"Hmm... It’s not perfect yet. You didn't control the temperature well during the quenching, so the edge is a bit brittle. But you have potential. Once you can consistently produce a quality weapon, you'll become a formal worker with a better salary," Yang Chao said, inspecting the blade before offering a rare smile.

For a first attempt, Su Changkong had done remarkably well. With more practice, it was only a matter of time before he became a true blacksmith!

Su Changkong settled into a disciplined routine: Five Animal Frolics in the morning and evening, and forging during the day. His life was full and productive.

Before he knew it, four months had passed. Su Changkong was now thirteen years old!

He was a different person compared to a year ago. He had gone through a growth spurt, standing as tall as many grown men. Thanks to his constant cultivation and manual labor, his body was defined by lean, powerful muscles that radiated masculine strength.

Winter had arrived, and light snow drifted down in the early morning. In the courtyard, Su Changkong began his daily practice of the Five Animal Frolics, undeterred by the weather. Though it was cold at first, a warm current of Qi soon began to circulate through his body, shielding him from the freezing wind.

As he moved, his speed increased. The forms of the tiger, deer, bear, ape, and bird seemed to come alive in the snow.

"Crack, snap!"

A wave of heat from his Qi surged within him. Every muscle and bone in Su Changkong's body vibrated in harmony, accompanied by a familiar sensation of breakthrough.

"I've reached the next level..."

Su Changkong exhaled in relief. Four months after his last advancement, bolstered by his 4 points of potential, his Five Animal Frolics had finally ascended once again!