Iron Wire Fist at Perfection, Nameless Palm Technique

With his great vengeance avenged, the boulder that had weighed on Su Chen's heart finally vanished, and his whole body felt utterly unburdened.

He no longer needed to worry about their retaliation.

Su Chen looked at his fist, stained with bits of flesh and blood, and felt a sense of melancholy.

Liu Heishui would likely never have imagined that the one who killed him was the brat they had nearly driven into losing his home and family just days ago.

"The commotion just now was so great that it'll probably draw the Black Water Gang's attention. If they latch onto me, I might not be able to get away. Besides, other gangs may be taking advantage of the chaos tonight. Better to withdraw first."

A moment later, Su Chen gathered himself, packed up everything he had found, and left the courtyard under cover of night.

Before leaving, he quietly set a fire in Liu Heishui's room.

"Hmm?"

Not long after stepping out of the courtyard, Su Chen heard shouts and the sounds of fighting coming from inside.

"As expected, people from other gangs have made their move. Too bad they were one step too late!"

Su Chen shook his head. When he had arrived, he had already discovered members of other gangs lying in ambush nearby.

Those gangs must have received word long ago. Once the Fierce Tiger Gang and the Black Water Gang finished their fierce battle, they had intended to fish in troubled waters.

They simply had not expected Su Chen to emerge halfway through and directly kill Liu Heishui, then seize the Black Water Gang's spoils from this operation.

Not long afterward, Su Chen returned home.

By the faint candlelight, Su Chen opened the bundle.

Inside were Liu Heishui's personal treasures, along with the entire wealth of the Fierce Tiger Gang.

"A deed to some land, and thirty-one taels of silver?"

After opening it, the anticipation on Su Chen's face froze somewhat. Wasn't this deed his family's land deed?

"That Han Family Pawnshop sure moved fast!"

"But these local gangs are a little too poor!"

Su Chen sighed softly. Two gangs had only thirty-one taels between them, which left him slightly disappointed.

But on second thought, it seemed normal. The Black Water Gang and the Fierce Tiger Gang were small gangs to begin with—how much money could they possibly have?

Besides, both men were martial artists and had greater expenses. Having this much was already fairly decent.

Then, his gaze shifted to a book.

"Romantic Young Master?"

He softly read the words on the cover, a look of confusion appearing on his face.

It was a somewhat risqué book. Was it really worth Liu Heishui keeping it so close to his person?

With that question in mind, Su Chen opened the book. After reading for a while, understanding dawned in his eyes.

"So it isn't an erotic novel, but a palm technique manual!"

Most of the book told stories of the Romantic Young Master's amorous exploits.

If he had not accidentally spotted the illustrations for practicing the palm technique, Su Chen would never have expected someone to conceal a palm technique within an erotic novel.

"The illustrations alone aren't enough. The heavily inked characters should be the contents of the manual."

Su Chen flipped through some of the later pages and noticed that certain characters had been deliberately darkened.

He then took out brush and ink, copying down those characters.

Very soon, a cultivation method of several hundred words appeared before Su Chen.

"Good thing I've been studying these past few days. Otherwise, I really wouldn't have been able to understand much of this."

Su Chen secretly rejoiced as he read it word by word. Once he finished, no manual appeared on the panel.

"Do I need to practice it once?" he could not help but guess.

Although it was already late at night, nothing could stop Su Chen's excited heart.

After committing the several forms recorded in the manual to memory, Su Chen began practicing them in his room.

"It appeared!"

After completing one round of practice, Su Chen looked at the panel. Sure enough, a palm technique had been added to it:

Martial Arts: Iron Wire Fist (Major Achievement 1%) Nameless Palm Technique (Beginner 1%)

Easy Mode: Iron Wire Fist 0 times (10 taels of silver/time) Nameless Palm Technique 0 times (1 tael of silver/time)

Seeing this, he sighed softly. He had not expected Liu Heishui to possess a manual. No wonder Liu Heishui had been able to hold out against him for so long even while injured.

But Liu Heishui probably had not cultivated it to a sufficient level. Otherwise, he would not have been injured by a sneak attack from the Fierce Tiger Gang Leader.

"Deposit ten taels. Activate Easy Mode for Iron Wire Fist."

With a thought from Su Chen, he decided to cultivate Iron Wire Fist first. This fist technique was his current foundation for survival.

Easy Mode activated: Throw punches out of thin air for half an hour, and Iron Wire Fist can be cultivated to Perfection.

The panel quickly gave him its prompt, but Su Chen did not immediately begin punching. Instead, he looked back at the panel.

Easy Mode: Iron Wire Fist 0 times (10 taels of gold/time)

"Ten taels again next time? Hmm? Gold? Wouldn't that be one hundred taels of silver!"

Even though Su Chen had been prepared, the amount still gave him a fright. It had risen tenfold in one go—this was a bit outrageous!

"Let's look at Nameless Palm Technique again. Deposit one tael and activate Easy Mode for Nameless Palm Technique."

The panel prompt sounded:

Easy Mode activated: Thrust wildly into sand fifty times, and Nameless Palm Technique can be cultivated to Minor Achievement.

It really was simple!

There happened to be sand in the courtyard.

Su Chen hurried into the courtyard, plunged his hand into the sand, and thrust and yanked wildly fifty times.

The instant he finished, Su Chen felt his palms grow faintly warm.

He spread out his hand and saw that his palm had become somewhat harder, as though calluses covered its surface.

Even his strength had increased slightly. When he swiftly struck out with his palm, a faint whistling sound rose through the air.

"This Nameless Palm Technique may not be any weaker than Iron Wire Fist!"

Feeling the changes brought by his palms, Su Chen could not help pondering it. When Iron Wire Fist had just reached Perfection, his strength had also increased.

He had not expected this palm technique to produce such an effect after merely reaching Minor Achievement.

He looked at his arms. They resembled the sharply defined, iron-hard muscles of a man who had trained for over a decade.

With a light clench of his fist, he felt strength brimming within it. Combined with his fist technique, Su Chen felt that he could fight ten people now!

Ten Liu Heishuis!

"Again. Deposit five taels and activate Easy Mode for Nameless Palm Technique."

Easy Mode activated: Thrust wildly into sand one hundred times, and Nameless Palm Technique can be cultivated to Major Achievement.

After thrusting and yanking a hundred times, a warm current washed over him. Su Chen's palms changed once more, becoming even tougher and more resilient.

"Of the thirty-one taels, only fifteen remain. I can activate it one more time, so I might as well use it."

After a brief moment of thought, Su Chen stopped hesitating. Only by becoming stronger could he better protect himself. Money could be earned again once it was gone.

"Deposit ten taels and activate Easy Mode for Nameless Palm Technique."

Easy Mode activated: Thrust wildly into sand two hundred times, and Nameless Palm Technique can be cultivated to Perfection.

A quarter-hour later, Su Chen struck a stone with his palm. With a bang, the brick beneath the stone was smashed through, leaving a large hole.

Yet Su Chen's palm was not injured in the slightest. He did not even feel any pain.

"Very strong! I can probably fight ten Liu Heishuis—no, this time, ten uninjured Liu Heishuis!"

He rejoiced inwardly, somewhat astonished by the power of the Nameless Palm Technique.

"Still, this palm technique is so powerful that it isn't right to keep calling it Nameless Palm Technique. Since it was cultivated by thrusting and yanking at sand, I might as well call it Iron Sand Palm."

As Su Chen's thought settled, the panel abruptly changed.

The entry that had originally read Nameless Palm Technique directly became Iron Sand Palm:

Martial Arts: Iron Wire Fist (Major Achievement 1%) Iron Sand Palm (Perfection 1%)

After looking at the panel with satisfaction, a smile appeared on Su Chen's face.

In this chaotic age, he finally possessed a little ability to protect himself.

"But for now, I should wash up and sleep first."