Enlightenment: Beginning as a Disposable Warrior-Chapter 55 - 53: Extraordinary Woman, Applying for Blacksmith

Chapter 55: Chapter 53: Extraordinary Woman, Applying for Blacksmith

Su Mu’s eyes lit up slightly, showing astonishment, surprise, and a strong sense of anticipation.

Judging by its name, the Small Faceless Transformation Technique ought to be a Disguise Technique, and if he’s not mistaken, this secret manual must be the very one Pharmacist Lin used to perform disguise at Qingshui Town.

That day, even at close range, it was hard to see anything amiss, showing just how masterful this Disguise Technique was.

As the saying goes, knowledge of many skills is no burden; with such a Disguise Technique at hand, in the future he could handle certain matters openly, without need for masking his face—displaying himself upright would be the best way to hide his true identity.

"This secret manual is an heirloom, but it was already incomplete when it was passed down to me. I hope young friend won’t spread it lightly in the future."

"Very well. Then I’ll accept it."

Seeing Su Mu accept the manual, Pharmacist Lin felt a surge of curiosity; this Small Faceless Transformation Technique is extremely difficult to cultivate.

Though Pharmacist had some talent in Martial Arts, his ambition lay elsewhere; he preferred to focus on Medical Skill. It had taken him a whole year just to reach entry-level, and several more years to achieve Small Success. As for Great Success, even now Pharmacist Lin had not attained it.

Pharmacist was eager to see how long the young man before him would need to reach entry-level.

"Pharmacist, books can only take you so far. Let’s go to the yard and practice some fist technique."

"Alright."

Pharmacist’s eyes brightened, repeating Su Mu’s phrase about "books can only take you so far." The mysterious Gu Poison in his body, his extraordinary Martial Dao aptitude, and his eloquent speech—this youth clearly hid many secrets.

But in this world, every person has their secrets, including himself—so he was only quietly curious, never intending to pry into others’ hidden matters.

At once, Su Mu began teaching the Five Animals Qigong; Pharmacist Lin and Little Doctor were both beginners, so Su Mu broke down each move step by step and demonstrated slowly.

As night fell, having finished dinner, Su Mu returned to his room, unable to wait as he flipped open the secret manual of the Small Faceless Transformation Technique.

The candlelight flickered, illuminating the boy’s focused face. At first, he looked astonished, then his eyes glowed; finally, his breathing quickened and his face was all aflame with excitement.

Huff!

Exhaling lightly, Su Mu closed the manual and swiftly ran through its contents in his mind—he’d practically memorized it all.

"What an amazing Small Faceless Transformation Technique... In my previous life, the Five Animals Qigong was everywhere; now exchanging it for this Small Faceless Transformation Technique is absolutely worth it!"

Su Mu’s face could not help but show wild joy—this cultivation technique was far stronger than he had imagined.

The ’Small Faceless Transformation Technique’, created by a remarkable woman named Lin, who, born with a facial defect, traveled the world searching for ways to change her appearance. When all efforts failed, she invented this extraordinary technique.

Its Martial Arts Heart Method is summarized in eight words: "formless and selfless, myriad changes follow the heart." The technique is structured in three realms.

The First Realm, Face Change, allows for disguise and alteration of appearance, though only superficially.

The Second Realm, Bone Transformation, enables one to alter bones and change body shape.

The Third Realm, Formless, was originally devised by the woman of the Lin Family to change her aura postnatally, but inadvertently achieved concealed breath and illusory form—so much so that even a Grandmaster would struggle to tell real from fake.

"Such a shame... This manual is incomplete—the cultivation method for the final Formless Realm is missing."

Su Mu sighed privately, and also noted the mention of the term ’Grandmaster’ in the text.

"A Grandmaster... one known as a Grandmaster by the world, what sort of realm would that be, how powerful must they be?"

"Second Grade? Or First Grade?"

The youth’s clear eyes reflected his longing.

With hope in his heart, Su Mu began cultivating this Martial Arts skill. Each realm of the Small Faceless Transformation Technique came paired with specific breathing techniques and paths for Power circulation.

Huff huff huff!

With each breath, the Power within him flowed according to the manual’s prescribed routes. On his first try, Su Mu familiarized himself with the various tiny acupoints of the face—an utterly novel feeling. Previously, be it Fist Technique, Body Technique, or Spear Technique, he’d never had to deal with facial acupoints.

"Next are the thirty-six obscure, detailed acupoints."

Most of these acupoints were scattered around the ears and the edges of the facial contours; as each tiny acupoint was penetrated by Power, Su Mu, following the manual’s description, reversed the breathing method.

The Smooth Breathing Technique could be used to clear all the facial acupoints, while the reversed technique was needed for disguise.

Su Mu felt a tingling sensation across his face, as if the flesh and skin were writhing and growing.

At once, the youth fetched the copper mirror, and saw his face appear swollen; upon closer inspection, every bit of facial skin and flesh was undergoing the faintest of rhythmic movements.

"What a marvelous technique."

The boy could not help but exclaim; as soon as his excitement broke his breathing rhythm, the cultivation method was interrupted.

"Once more!"

The first round felt rough and sluggish.

The second round was less so.

By the third, he could already locally alter certain facial features.

With every practice, Su Mu’s eyes grew brighter; his Instant-Insight Level of Comprehension was kicking in, rapidly converting each session into understanding and mastery, then into practical application.

By the ninth round, a completely unfamiliar face suddenly appeared in the copper mirror. The youth in the room stared left and right, hardly able to spot the difference himself—only a few changes appeared slightly abrupt, which could be easily adjusted.

Small Faceless Transformation Technique (entry-level 1%)

Nine rounds in, not even two hours had passed, and Su Mu had completed his first face change.

"Entry-level for this technique isn’t too hard... but to master it will surely take real effort."

Su Mu recalled that Pharmacist Lin’s disguise, though almost flawless, still had some flaws; the man’s physique made Su Mu think of the portrait Little Doctor had shown him.

"Pharmacist must be at the initial Bone Transformation level."

In this moment, the youth was unaware that if Pharmacist Lin had heard this, he’d probably cough up blood in frustration—Su Mu had just taken two hours to complete what Pharmacist spent a year mastering.

This wasn’t just Su Mu’s terrifying Comprehension—it also owed to his perfected Five Animals Qigong physique, and Heart-Driven Strength in the Transforming Force Realm.

This Small Faceless Transformation Technique sets an extremely high bar for cultivation—not only in Comprehension, but also in fine control of facial acupoints, flesh and Power. The combination of those three sharply raises the entry threshold for this Martial Arts technique.

Still, by a stroke of luck, Su Mu possessed all three.

"Continue!"

Su Mu grew more adept, adjusting every detail of the unfamiliar face, shaping it towards perfection.

That night, the candle burned bright in Su Mu’s room till morning; in another room, Pharmacist Lin took notice and silently thought, Just as expected.

"Even terrifying Bone Forger Demons in their early teens will not find entry-level in the Small Faceless Transformation Technique easy."

...

On New Year’s Eve, lanterns hung in the alleys, the townsfolk donned their best new clothes when venturing out, and the air was filled with festivity.

"Crack—!"

Fireworks tore through the night, golden snakes dancing wildly, crowds thronged the long streets, children with lanterns rubbed shoulders with old sugar vendors.

"Su, I want a stick of candied hawthorn."

"Alright."

The Night Watchman walked along the street, beating a copper drum, his voice ringing through the alleys: "Ring out the old, welcome the new—everything is renewed!"

"Second Uncle, my friend Su lives in this very house. I guarantee you’ll be impressed by him."

Shi Feng led a man toward Yanque Street, but brimming with confidence, Shi Feng was met with a closed door.

Second Uncle’s face fell cold and he turned to leave.

Shi Feng, left standing, was stunned—he had no idea Su had other friends or family in Qingyun City, or else he wouldn’t live alone here day after day.

"Hey, Second Uncle, wait for me!"

Clang clang clang!

After the New Year, the sound of metalworking rang out again across Golden Iron Long Street, and crowds surged to buy weapons.

"Are you here to buy weapons, sir? Right this way!"

The arriving youth shook his head, then clasped fists in greeting.

"I’ve long heard of the famed forging skill of your Workshop in Qingyun, and I understand you’re recruiting. I’d like to apply."

"Oh, so you’re here to apprentice as a student? Come with me." The man standing at the door of the Forging Workshop glanced at Su Mu’s youthful face and spoke offhandedly.

But the youth shook his head again.

"Not as an apprentice—I have come to apply for the role of blacksmith today."

...