AST 251 – Coolsteel Boots, the feeling of boots and women
The turbulent wind precedes the mountain storm!
Qing Shui cast off all the distracting thoughts in his mind and he immersed himself in dull and dry training. Ever since he practised Duo Cultivation with Qinghan Ye, his abilities were enhanced greatly. The liquid the size of a grape in his diaphragm was now the size of a walnut, the energy contained in the core of it was frighteningly pure.
It's a pity that he hadn't broke through the ninety day cycle. Qing Shui was now expectant of the capabilities of the ninety days cycle, after all it was not easy to attain the fifth Heavenly Layer of the Ancient Strengthening Technique – one could only look for an opportunity breakthrough after accumulating ninety nine days.
For the Ancient Strengthening Technique, even when Qing Shui moves it quickly, it doesn't move as fast. The liquid in his diaphragm rotated vigorously, and a tremendous and heavy burst of Ancient Strengthening Qi circulated naturally in his body.
A cycle after another, the broad and tough vital path was still blocked on the eighty-ninth cycle. The cycle would always leave some Ancient Strengthening Qi everyday, making it stronger for the next cycle, which then leaves a little Ancient Strengthening Qi for the next one...
Until the eighty-ninth cycle, the Ancient Strengthening Qi contained in the vital path was the most frightening, though it was still unable to break through to the ninetieth cycle. Once it was attained, the vital path, diaphragm, as well as the bones, tendons, muscles, body constitution throughout one's body would be greatly strengthened.
Qing Shui, who had opened his eyes, smiled bitterly. There was still no sign of a breakthrough. He couldn't help but think, if it was so difficult now, what should he do to achieve the peak of the 4th layer of the Ancient Strengthening Technique.
It was now in the accumulation period, following this ninety day cycle would be a wide expanse of accumulation till the ninety-ninth cycle, and a barrier between the 4th and the 5th layer.
Finishing the compulsory training, Qing Shui saw that there was still a big piece of 1,000 year coldsteel left,and he remembered about the unfinished men's boots that he had started making using the golden marbled skin of the Golden Ringed Snake King. Qing Shui started to smelt the 1,000 year coldsteel, and he decided to forge the boots using the 1,000 year coldsteel.
He began forging the sole using the 1,000 year coldsteel, hammering seriously using the Thousand Hammer Technique. Qing Shui was especially careful this time, as he was using the 1,000 year coldsteel, striving to be meticulous, hammering each time with his best effort.
This time, Qing Shui remembered every strike, hammering a 1,100 times made Qing Shui happy. It was probably the result of him forging till he entered a state of oblivion.
WIth the help of the diagrams and methods, he created the 'skeleton' so that even when forging a pair of boots wouldn't give QIng Shui an awful headache. With methods, steps, samples and examples, making one was smoother and simpler. If it wasn't for them, he would not know where to start.
Extracting the snake skin from the golden marbled part, Qing Shui had imagined it to be unisex since it was gold in colour, but the product had not turned out to be so "elegant". Feeling the grains and texture of the golden ringed snake skin in detail made Qing Shui even more depressed.
The Golden Ringed Snake King was famous for its golden rings, and the golden ringed marble portion was actually the essence of the Golden Ringed Snake King, making the practical value of the skin much much higher than the emerald portions.
