The True Entry-Level Martial Art: Iron Cloth Shirt!

With his surging strength and a new goal, Lu Chen returned to the Black Water Gang.

He had been missing for three days, and his excuse to the outside was that he had been frightened during a night patrol last time and had gone home to rest for a few days.

Brother Liu and the others didn't suspect anything, after all, witnessing a comrade being devoured by demons—that kind of fear wasn't something anyone could easily bear.

They just patted Lu Chen on the shoulder, teasing him that even "Lu Iron Skin" had his moments of cowardice, and then let the matter drop.

Back in the gang, Lu Chen kept an even lower profile than before.

He wrapped his pitch-black palms in cloth strips, claiming he had injured them while training.

In daily tasks and sparring, he deliberately hid most of his strength, only showing the level of an ordinary gang member with decent power and resilience.

He was like a lurking beast, sheathed claws and fangs, quietly waiting for an opportunity.

After reaching the Third Realm, "Mastery," of the Stone Crushing Palm, his strength far surpassed that of ordinary gang members, even exceeding some Junior Leaders.

This power was his greatest trump card, and he couldn't afford to reveal it lightly.

Without enough ability to protect himself, showing off too early would only invite unnecessary trouble and prying eyes.

One day, Lu Chen was practicing his saber techniques on the training ground.

Suddenly, the urgent sound of an assembly bell rang out.

All members of the War Hall, whether training or resting, immediately dropped what they were doing and quickly gathered around the central platform.

Zhao Tieshan, clad in a blue Jing Suit, stood on the platform with his hands behind his back, his expression stern as he swept his gaze over the nearly hundred elite War Hall members.

Once everyone was assembled, he spoke in a deep voice that carried across the entire training ground.

"Brothers, I have an announcement to make."

"In one month, it will be the Black Water Gang's annual Hall Tournament!"

Hall Tournament?

A slight stir rippled through the crowd, and many faces lit up with excitement and anticipation.

Lu Chen's heart stirred. He had only been in the gang a short time and didn't know much about this "Hall Tournament," but judging by everyone's reactions, it was clearly no small matter.

"The old-timers know the rules, but I'll explain them again for the new brothers."

Zhao Tieshan raised his voice.

"The Black Water Gang doesn't keep idle men. The capable rise, the weak fall! The purpose of the tournament is to select the toughest, most spirited fighters in the gang and entrust them with important duties!"

"For this War Hall tournament, any brother who has been in the gang for more than three months can participate. The top three will be directly promoted to Junior Leader, each rewarded with a hundred taels of silver!"

"Junior Leader!"

"A hundred taels!"

The breathing in the crowd grew heavier, and many fiery gazes converged on the platform.

A Junior Leader already held a decent position in the gang, with a fixed high monthly salary and authority over a dozen brothers—it meant truly standing firm in the gang.

But Zhao Tieshan's next words pushed the atmosphere to its peak.

"Not only that!"

Zhao Tieshan paused, a slight curve at the corner of his mouth as he threw out an even more tempting condition.

"The ultimate winner of this tournament, besides being promoted to Leader and rewarded with a hundred taels of silver, will also be personally taught a genuine Mortal Grade Low-Rank Martial Art by the gang—the Iron Cloth Shirt!"

The crowd erupted.

Iron Cloth Shirt!

This was a true ranked martial art!

Unlike the Stone Crushing Palm, which had only techniques and no inner method—a mere unranked art—the Iron Cloth Shirt was a genuine external hard-body skill, complete with a breathing method and medicinal bath formula. At high levels, it could make the body as hard as iron and stone, impervious to blades and spears!

This level of martial art was one of the Black Water Gang's true core inheritances, only accessible to high-ranking members and Leaders who had rendered great service.

Now, just by winning first place in the tournament, one could obtain this technique!

This temptation was enough to drive any low-ranking gang member wild.

"I'm going all out this time! I have to get the Iron Cloth Shirt!"

"You? Save it. Haven't you seen Zhang Meng and Li Kui are also in it? We don't stand a chance."

"That's not certain. Fists and feet have no eyes—on the arena, who wins and who loses is still up in the air!"

The gang members buzzed with discussion, rubbing their fists and wiping their palms, desire burning in every pair of eyes.

Lu Chen stood in the crowd, head lowered, but his heart pounded violently in his chest.

It had come.

The opportunity he had been waiting for had finally arrived.

Iron Cloth Shirt.

This Mortal Grade martial art was exactly what he needed most right now.

Although his Stone Crushing Palm had been ground to the Third Realm, giving birth to the [Bronze Skin] trait, its foundation was still too shallow. If he could obtain a systematic body-tempering technique like the Iron Cloth Shirt and cross-reference the two, his strength would surely soar once more.

More importantly, becoming a Junior Leader meant he could access more of the gang's core secrets and obtain more resources.

This was his golden opportunity to climb upward.

His gaze swept across the crowd without leaving a trace, committing to memory the names that were being tossed around.

Zhang Meng, a burly man eight feet tall like an iron tower, said to be born with Divine Strength, his Savage Bull Fist executed with supernatural skill—he was the fifth-place winner of the last tournament.

Li Kui, lean and fierce, skilled in leg techniques, his Twelve-Way Tan Leg as fast as lightning, ruthless in nature, never holding back when he struck.

These were all veteran Gang Members who had been in the gang for years, strong in power and deep in foundation, the hot favorites for this tournament.

Lu Chen's heart burned with ambition, but on the surface, he remained expressionless.

He mixed in with the crowd, putting on the same look of envy and fear as the newcomers beside him, as if being first in the tournament was a distant, unreachable dream for him.

After announcing the news, Zhao Tieshan dismissed everyone.

The entire War Hall fell into a tense and excited atmosphere.

Some began forming cliques, discussing how to look out for each other during the tournament.

Others started training frantically, cramming at the last minute.

And still others quietly went to the black market to buy healing medicine, preparing for the bloody battles on the arena.

Lu Chen silently left the training ground and returned to his dormitory.

He didn't rush to cultivate. Instead, he sat on his bed and began to think calmly.

One month—not long, not short.

With his current Stone Crushing Palm at the "Mastered" level, plus the two traits [Iron Hand] and [Bronze Skin], he had absolute confidence in defeating any opponent, including Zhang Meng and Li Kui.

But the question was, how to win?

He couldn't win too easily, and he definitely couldn't reveal the secret of the Stone Crushing Palm reaching the Third Realm.

A low-tier martial art, mastered by a sixteen-year-old to the point of Force Penetrates Body—that was too shocking, too extraordinary. It would inevitably draw suspicion and investigation from Zhao Tieshan, or even higher-ups.

By then, the secrets on him, including the matter of consuming Demon Blood and Flesh, could all be dug up.

He had to design a script.

A script that would let him win first place in the tournament with a stunning performance, yet not appear too monstrous—one where everything could be chalked up to "exceptional talent" and "enough hard work."

"One month..."

Lu Chen muttered to himself, a gleam of scheming light flickering in his eyes.

This month, what he needed to do was to completely consolidate and settle his newly gained strength, and design every detail of his "performance" in the tournament.