Cultivation

Early morning sunlight had just spread over Green Wolf Mountain when Zhang Tie got up early. After washing up, he headed straight to the Logistics Hall for breakfast.

Zhang Tie wore the Iron Bear Gang's standard uniform bearing its distinctive emblem. From time to time, he reached into his robes to touch the Outer Sect disciple token in his chest, an indescribable sense of accomplishment rising within him.

Before he knew it, Zhang Tie had arrived at the External Affairs Hall. He looked up at the three large characters, "External Affairs Hall," hanging high above the entrance. Their strokes were vigorous and powerful. Taking a deep breath, he stepped inside.

Inside the hall, a young man slightly older than him came into view.

The young man had long hair tied high, handsome features, and eyes that carried a calm, capable air. He wore the same attire as Zhang Tie, yet seemed far more relaxed and unrestrained.

"Greetings, Senior Brother. I am Zhang Tie, a newly admitted disciple. I have come to report to the External Affairs Hall today." Zhang Tie clasped his fists and bowed.

"Junior Brother Zhang, my name is Liu Ye. You may call me Senior Brother Liu from now on." Liu Ye smiled faintly, his expression warm and friendly, like an older brother next door.

He continued, "Junior Brother Zhang, on the first day of every month, you may collect ten taels of silver here. If you wish to send it home, simply leave an address at the Logistics Hall. Every month, disciples from the Logistics Hall will arrange for someone to deliver it.

Newly admitted Outer Sect disciples do not need to take part in Gang missions during their first year. You only need to cultivate diligently. When you leave, you can go directly to the Mission Hall and select a Cultivation Method." Liu Ye paused and looked intently at Zhang Tie, seemingly making sure he understood.

Then he continued, "Under normal circumstances, leaving the mountain is forbidden. If you need to go down the mountain, you must obtain Elder Wang's authorization token. Every three years, the Gang's Outer Sect disciples hold an Outer Sect arena tournament. The top ten may enter the Inner Sect and become Inner Sect disciples.

If, after five consecutive arena tournaments, you still have not become an Inner Sect disciple, you must either go down the mountain to manage the Gang industry or remain on the mountain doing odd jobs if you possess a special skill. There are still two years until the next Outer Sect Grand Competition. If Junior Brother Zhang has any questions in the future, you may come to the External Affairs Hall and find me."

Having said that, Liu Ye turned around and began busying himself, clearly having no intention of paying Zhang Tie any further attention.

"Thank you, Senior Brother Liu." Zhang Tie bowed once more before turning and leaving.

Following the locations listed in the entry manual, Zhang Tie quickly found the Mission Hall.

Outside the Mission Hall, two imposing Stone lions crouched on either side, their eyes wide open and their bearing majestic. They clearly had not come cheap. Above the entrance hung a plaque bearing three golden characters: "Mission Hall." The calligraphy was wild and flowing; if Zhang Tie had not known where he was, he truly would not have been able to read them.

Zhang Tie stepped inside. A faint Sandalwood scent permeated the hall, soothing his mind.

Straight ahead, he saw a middle-aged man sitting behind the counter in the main hall, absorbed in a book. His face was sharply defined, his eyes deep, and his chin slightly pointed. Several books, sheets of paper, and writing brushes were neatly arranged on the counter.

Zhang Tie strode up to the middle-aged man, respectfully clasped his fists and bowed. "Senior, I am a newly admitted Outer Sect disciple. I have come today to choose a Cultivation Method."

"All Cultivation Methods on the first floor are available to Outer Sect disciples. External martial arts are on the left, internal arts on the right. You may choose only one. Once you have chosen, bring it here for registration. After registering, you may borrow it for seven days. If you still cannot memorize it after seven days, you may renew the loan." The middle-aged man did not even raise his head, his voice flat and rigid.

"Senior, how may I choose an additional one?" Zhang Tie asked cautiously, afraid of displeasing him.

"You may exchange Gang contribution value for one, or buy one with silver. Participating in Sect missions earns contribution value." The middle-aged man remained expressionless.

After thanking the middle-aged man, Zhang Tie turned and walked into the first floor of the Mission Hall. The shelves in the external martial arts section were filled with Cultivation Methods, leaving him dazzled.

"Iron Cloth Shirt": External martial arts. At a profound level, blades and swords cannot pierce it; the body becomes bronze-skinned and iron-boned.

"Iron Arm Divine Fist": External martial arts. At mastery, both arms become like forged metal. Strength increases dramatically, nothing can withstand it, and it is unstoppable.

"Iron Sand Palm": At mastery, both palms become like rock and metal. Palm force becomes immensely powerful; plunging bare hands into a wok of boiling oil is nothing worth mentioning.

"Diamond Leg": ...

One Cultivation Method after another sent Zhang Tie's heart surging, yet he could not decide which one to choose. Because he had previously cultivated the Elephant Armor Technique, he had decided from the start to choose external martial arts. But faced with so many options, he fell into deep indecision.

He paced back and forth between the shelves, his fingers lightly brushing over one Cultivation Method after another while scenes of his future success continuously surfaced in his mind.

If you can't find a book by searching its title, try searching for the author. Perhaps it was simply renamed!

Suddenly, his gaze settled on a yellowed manual. Its title was "Mystic Armor Skill."

He slowly pulled out the book and opened the first page. The introduction made his eyes light up. "When cultivated to mastery, this skill makes the body like metal, the blood and qi like a dragon, and grants strength enough to uproot mountains and rivers..." Reading the description, Zhang Tie's heartbeat quickened. He seemed to see himself dominating the martial world with this skill in the future.

"This is the one!" Zhang Tie took a deep breath and carried the "Mystic Armor Skill" to the counter. The middle-aged man glanced at him but said nothing. After taking Zhang Tie's token and registering it, he let Zhang Tie leave. Watching Zhang Tie's departing back, the middle-aged man shook his head with a bitter smile.

Zhang Tie hurried back to his humble Stone house. The room was simply furnished, containing only a bed, a table, and a chair, but that was enough for him. He shut the door, sat cross-legged on the bed, and carefully took out the "Mystic Armor Skill."

Sunlight filtered through the window lattice, falling in mottled patches across the pages as Zhang Tie's focused gaze moved slowly over the words.

According to the manual, the Mystic Armor Skill had three levels. The first level focused on cultivating the skin, flesh, tendons, and membranes. Once mastered, it would make one impervious to blades and spears, as though clad in sturdy armor, able to remain unharmed no matter how the outside world attacked;

The second level mainly cultivated the bones throughout the body. Once achieved, one would gain immense strength, perhaps even enough to tear apart an ox with bare hands;

The third level required cultivating tyrannical blood and qi. At that point, as long as one's blood and qi remained, the fleshly body would not perish. After reaching mastery, a single punch could shake mountains. Even after suffering grave injuries, one could rapidly heal, like an immortal body.

Zhang Tie took a deep breath, determination flashing in his eyes as though he could see himself roaming the world with this Cultivation Method in the future. After finishing the manual, he did not dare delay even a moment and immediately entered cultivation.

Following the method taught in the manual, he began constantly stimulating his body and tempering his skin and flesh.

And so, day after day passed.

During the day, Zhang Tie devoted himself wholeheartedly to cultivating the Mystic Armor Skill, putting his body through trial after trial. At night, he immersed himself in cultivating the Evergreen Skill, guiding the currents within his body through circulations.

In the blink of an eye, half a year had passed.

However, the Mystic Armor Skill's progress was far from satisfactory. Zhang Tie's skin had turned dark, and it had become increasingly rough and thick, but beyond that, there were no other notable changes.

He had never grasped its crucial principle. Let alone becoming impervious to blades and spears, even a somewhat heavier blow could still leave him seriously injured. This made him feel anxious and disappointed.

On the other hand, a new change appeared in his cultivation of the Evergreen Skill.

At first, he could only cultivate for two hours each night before his meridians swelled and ached unbearably, forcing him to stop. But as time passed, he could now cultivate through the entire night without feeling the slightest discomfort in his meridians.

What was even stranger was that throughout these past six months, whenever he cultivated the Evergreen Skill, the moment a thread of qi was produced, it vanished without a trace. This had happened many times, leaving him utterly baffled.

At the same time, the Green light cluster in his mind was quietly changing.

Over the past half year, the light cluster had gradually become more solid from its former illusory state, increasingly clear and real. Yet although its form had changed, it seemed to have had no tangible effect on his cultivation or daily life.

That day, during a break from cultivation, Zhang Tie decided to visit the External Affairs Hall, hoping to receive some guidance from Senior Brother Liu.

The External Affairs Hall was bustling with people coming and going. Zhang Tie finally managed to find Senior Brother Liu, who was busy at work.

"Senior Brother Liu, I have cultivated the Mystic Armor Skill for more than half a year, yet my progress has always been slow. Does Senior Brother have any insights to offer?" Zhang Tie respectfully asked his question.

Senior Brother Liu Wei looked him over from head to toe, somewhat astonished. "You actually cultivated the Mystic Armor Skill?! There are only two outcomes for those who cultivate this method: either they give up and choose another Cultivation Method, or after five years, they accomplish nothing and go down the mountain to manage the Gang industry."

Senior Brother Liu looked at Zhang Tie, thought for a moment, then continued, "Fortunately, you have only cultivated it for half a year. It is not too late to change methods now. I heard this method was obtained by an Elder from an ancient tomb by chance long ago. It was later proven to be nothing but exaggerated claims. Not a single person has mastered it in a hundred years, so Junior Brother Zhang, you should spend some silver and exchange it for another Cultivation Method."

"How much silver would it take to choose another one?"

"One hundred taels for an Outer Sect Cultivation Method."

Zhang Tie was startled when he heard that, but after thanking him, he turned and walked out of the External Affairs Hall.