Iron Finger Technique

Zhou Fugui truly deserved his reputation as one of Anyuan County's foremost merchants. In just a single day, he gathered the silver, grain, clothing, and pig iron demanded by Black Wind Mountain Stronghold, then had them transported along the route Xiang Yang indicated to the foot of Black Mountain. Once the bandits had counted everything and found nothing amiss, he redeemed his daughter. Of course, Xiang Yang did not involve himself in the process again.

The matter caused quite a stir. After all, so many supplies being transported out of the city could not possibly be concealed. When Magistrate Li of the County Yamen heard of it, he was furious enough to smash even his favorite inkstone.

But the County Yamen was incompetent and could not save the man's daughter. Now that Zhou Fugui had redeemed her by his own methods, and considering his immense wealth and influence, Magistrate Li could hardly reprimand him. He could only turn a blind eye.

Sunlight spilled down, specks of golden radiance forming circles. Xiang Yang sat in his small courtyard, tempering his strength. The ten-pound stone lock had been replaced with a twenty-pound one, and after several days of training, the Iron Crotch Technique had begun to affect him more and more profoundly.

His ears grew sharper, his eyes clearer, his energy abundant, and his strength increased by the day. Even his little brother had grown stronger and larger; when erect, it was as hard as an iron rod, thick and long enough to startle anyone. He was truly a man among men, and Xiang Yang often took great pride in it.

With a bang, he set down the stone lock, turned to the water vat beside him, scooped up a ladle of clear water, and splashed it over his face. The coolness made Xiang Yang, whose whole body radiated heat and dripped with sweat, feel incomparably refreshed. "Comfortable."

Just then, the Wordless Book turned within his mind. A snow-white page covered in writing was reflected in Xiang Yang's pupils, filling him with delight. This was the reward from the heavenly book for successfully completing the task of helping Zhou Fugui redeem his daughter.

To be honest, of everything Xiang Yang had learned so far, the Iron Crotch Technique only increased his strength, while his basic saber techniques were far too crude. Against ordinary people who knew no martial arts, he naturally had nothing to fear. But if he encountered a practiced fighter who had trained for several years, it was still uncertain who would win and who would lose. This task reward had come at precisely the right time.

"Mount Hua Iron Finger Technique, an external finger art. It specializes in training the index and middle fingers. Upon reaching great mastery, one may cultivate inner force from the outside inward, making the two fingers as hard as refined iron. It also produces twice the result with half the effort when cultivating more profound finger arts. Not bad."

As Xiang Yang recalled the information he had received about the Iron Finger Technique, the corners of his lips rose and his eyes brimmed with joy. This was a martial art that could rapidly strengthen him.

Like the Iron Crotch Technique, the Iron Finger Technique was also an external martial art, but it was more profound and powerful. Once cultivated to great mastery, it could produce a trace of inner force. A single jab of the finger would be enough to pierce through a person's skull. More importantly, it could catch an enemy off guard.

"Untying Rope, Locking Fingers, Wooden Man, Pointing Stone, and finally Great Mastery of Iron Fingers—each stage builds upon the last. The training methods are complete and flawless. As long as one follows them step by step, regardless of talent, two years will be enough to achieve something. Even at the very worst, one can reach the Pointing Stone stage.

"The manual also says that if an internal martial arts expert assists with inner force during training, great mastery can be achieved in three months."

Xiang Yang extended the index and middle fingers of his right hand and examined them closely. The skin was delicate, carrying the supple vitality unique to a youth. Yet from years of practicing and gripping a saber, a layer of calluses had formed within them, making them rather unattractive. According to the Iron Finger Technique, however, once one had achieved success in cultivating it, the calluses would shed away and the skin would regain its vitality.

"Untying Rope uses a thin cord to train the agility of the fingers. Locking Fingers trains their strength. Wooden Man is where one begins to enter the hall and ascend to the chamber: use the two fingers to jab at the acupoints and vital areas on a wooden dummy, every strike a killing move. At Pointing Stone, the fingers have already been tempered to become exceptionally tough and powerful. One begins striking stones, continuing onward toward Iron Fingers. In truth, it is also the final stage of training."

The Iron Finger Technique's cultivation methods flowed through Xiang Yang's mind like running water, giving him a deeper understanding of the martial art. At the same time, he quietly considered whether he could master it within a short time and increase his combat strength.

"Before reaching the Wooden Man stage, the Iron Finger Technique has severely lacking killing power. One can only rely on finger agility to tangle with an enemy, but it is not entirely without lethality. A person's eyes are their most vulnerable point. As long as I quickly achieve success in Untying Rope and make my fingers nimble, I can spread them apart and gouge out someone's eyes. My martial arts may not improve much from before, but the danger I pose will increase greatly.

"Even if Hu Qiang was born with divine strength, if I stabbed his eyes blind, he would be like a lamb awaiting slaughter, left for me to knead and mold as I pleased."

For the past two days, Xiang Yang had practiced saber work by day and the Iron Crotch Technique by night, never daring to rest for a moment. He did so in order to possess enough strength to seize an opportunity when it came, complete the system task, and personally kill Hu Qiang to avenge Xiang Da Niu.

Now, the arrival of the Iron Finger Technique had undoubtedly given him another trump card. Even if he could not cultivate Iron Fingers in the short term, supple fingers combined with combat techniques would still be enough to raise his odds of victory by thirty percent.

"For the thin rope used in Untying Rope, hemp rope is best. First, tie one knot after another into the hemp rope, then use only the index and middle fingers to work them loose. This trains the agility of both fingers. During the process, the friction between flesh and hemp rope also strengthens the hardness and toughness of the skin.

"This is foundational training. No other preparations are needed, so it saves me some trouble."

Before the Wooden Man stage, the Iron Finger Technique required no external assistance. Only after reaching the Wooden Man stage did one need to apply a medicinal oil to the two fingers for protection. Otherwise, if human fingers were used to forcefully jab wood, they would be ruined within three days. How could one speak of mastering the Iron Finger Technique then?

In his father's room, Xiang Yang found a hemp rope as thick as an index finger and over a meter long. Following the method described in the martial art, he tied a dead knot every short distance, each one only large enough for a single finger to pass through. By the end, the rope was covered with more than thirty dead knots.

Yet while tying them was easy, untying them was difficult. Even with the Iron Finger Technique's specialized training methods and little tricks for loosening knots, Xiang Yang's first attempt yielded little. It took him a full hour to undo one dead knot, and his two fingers had been rubbed raw, their skin flushed red with a faint stinging pain.

"Moving the two fingers for a long time truly trains their agility and toughness, but too much is as bad as too little. I'll rest for a while, then continue."

Sitting in the small courtyard, Xiang Yang shook his right hand. His expression was calm, and he was not anxious just because his training progress was slow.

The Iron Finger Technique had already explained that once one untied a single dead knot, one had entered the gate of the art. The rest would no longer be a problem; through long-term practice, one could gradually pass the Untying Rope stage.

"I have plenty of time. Generally speaking, undoing the first dead knot takes at least three hours, yet I managed it in one. That already counts as astonishing progress. At this rate, ten days will be enough for me to initially master the Untying Rope method. My fingers will be able to lift, tap, press, and stab, freely controlling and shifting between every kind of force. Now it all depends on what news Da Chun brings back."

The time when Hu Qiang would descend the mountain was uncertain, but it would not be later than ten days from now. With that time, Xiang Yang could make more thorough preparations. Using calculation against one who was unprepared, his chances of victory would increase greatly.