Lu Chen crouched beside the earthen stove in the corner, washing the pig offal he had just bought.
A mingled smell hung over the courtyard.
There were no extra seasonings, just a small jar of coarse salt and a few shriveled cloves of garlic.
He cut the pig lungs into pieces, repeatedly blanched them in a big pot to get rid of the smell, then tossed in the garlic and boiled everything over a roaring flame.
The seasoning was crude, but as steam rose, the aroma of meat still spread through the air.
Several laborers nearby were gnawing on black steamed buns. They all sniffed at once and cast envious looks his way.
In this slum, getting to eat meat—even offal—was like celebrating a festival.
"Brother Lu, strike it rich today?"
A short, skinny young man came over, staring eagerly at the chunks of meat rolling in the pot as he swallowed.
His name was Monkey. He was a dock laborer too, usually fond of slacking off and cutting corners, but he was well informed.
Lu Chen stirred the broth with a wooden spoon and replied without looking up:
"I need to build myself up, or I won't have the strength to work. I've been hauling a lot these past few days. My body's badly run down."
"That's true. The strength you've got, Brother Lu—it doesn't seem like something one of us, who live on bran and greens, should have."
Monkey chuckled sheepishly. Seeing that Lu Chen had no intention of sharing, he lowered his voice.
"Brother Lu, have you heard? The river was unsettled again last night."
Lu Chen's hand paused briefly. He glanced up at Monkey.
"What happened?"
"I heard a Black Water Gang cargo boat capsized near the Reed Marsh last night. There were seven or eight capable fighters aboard, and not one of them even made a sound before they all disappeared! Their bodies floated up this morning. All the blood had been sucked out of them, like they were mummies!"
As Monkey spoke, he shuddered, fear showing on his face. "Everyone says the 'thing' lurking under the water has come out to feed again."
Lu Chen's heart tightened.
In this world, demons, monsters, ghosts, and spirits weren't just legends.
The Angry River ran deep and fast, and strange things often happened there. There were plenty of rumors about "water ghosts" and "fish demons."
Even a faction like the Black Water Gang, with martial artists in its ranks, had suffered. That showed just how vicious the thing was.
"Be careful at work these days. Don't go too close to the water."
Lu Chen cautioned him, then said no more.
That sort of thing was too far removed from him.
When the sky fell, the tall would hold it up. The Black Water Gang made its living on the river, so it was their job to deal with trouble.
Right now, the only thing he cared about was whether the meat in the pot was cooked.
After boiling it for another quarter of an hour, Lu Chen filled a big bowl with pig lungs and broth. He couldn't wait for it to cool, and swallowed it down in great mouthfuls.
The rough texture and strong gamey smell were delicious to him now.
The warm current slid down his esophagus into his stomach, turning into energy that quickly spread through his limbs and bones.
His body, exhausted from labor, was like parched earth welcoming rain, greedily soaking up the nourishment.
Lu Chen ate the whole pound of pig offal, meat and broth alike, without leaving a single drop.
Phew...
Lu Chen let out a satisfied burp, feeling a surge of warmth rise inside him.
This was the truth behind "the poor study, the rich practice martial arts."
Without energy to fuel it, martial arts training drained your life. With energy, it strengthened your life.
He didn't rest right away. Instead, he took advantage of the heat in his body and returned to the corner of the courtyard.
The night was as dark as ink, and only a few dim oil lamps remained lit in the courtyard.
Lu Chen planted his feet and assumed the starting stance of Stone Crushing Palm.
Perhaps because he had just replenished his qi and blood, his palm techniques felt noticeably different this time.
His joints, which had felt stiff before, were as if freshly oiled, and his movements flowed more smoothly.
Thud! Thud! Thud!
His palms struck the stone mill, each blow ringing out dully into the quiet night.
One, two, ten, a hundred...
Lu Chen shut out everything else, immersed in the feeling of growing stronger bit by bit.
Blood swelled through his arms. Under the intense friction, his skin turned red, and tiny beads of blood even appeared in places.
But he didn't stop.
The talent Heavenly Dao Rewards Diligence didn't just give him a status panel. It also imbued him with a rule: as long as he worked hard, he could break through his physical limits without suffering hidden injuries.
Every pang of pain was a mark of becoming stronger.
After who knew how long, Lu Chen felt his arms grow so heavy he could barely lift them. The warmth inside him had been used up, replaced by a deep sense of emptiness.
He stopped, panting, and immediately looked to the upper-right corner of his vision.
[Name: Lu Chen] [Martial Art: Stone Crushing Palm (1st Realm, First Glimpse of the Way 49%)]
"I trained for one shichen tonight and gained 4% proficiency."
A hint of delight flashed in Lu Chen's eyes.
At this rate, Stone Crushing Palm would break through to the next realm in half a month at most.
He knew this wasn't just a rise in proficiency; it was a transformation in his physical constitution.
The first step on the path of martial arts was "refining strength," tempering the muscles and bones to build power.
But the real watershed was "refining the skin."
Only when the skin over the whole body had been tempered until it was tough, the qi and blood abundant, and the body possessed tremendous strength—so that ordinary sticks could scarcely hurt it—could one be considered to have truly stepped onto the path of martial arts.
At that point, forget the ordinary members of the Black Water Gang—even Scarface, that guy, wouldn't be able to take a palm strike from him.
Lu Chen rinsed his swollen arms with cold water, returned to bed, and fell asleep the moment he lay down.
That night, he slept especially deeply.
In the days that followed, Lu Chen's life became extraordinarily regular.
During the day, he went to the docks to haul cargo, choosing the heaviest jobs that paid the most to hone his Hauling skill and strength as he worked.
At night, he came back and bought the cheapest meat he could find. After wolfing it down, he trained relentlessly in Stone Crushing Palm.
Every day left him exhausted as a dead dog, and every month the Black Water Gang took a cut of his hard-earned wages. But whenever he saw the numbers on his status panel keep climbing, he felt a deep sense of security.
Nothing was more reassuring than certainty.
Ten days later.
By the Angry River, the sun was setting.
Lu Chen had just unloaded the last sack of rice and was about to collect his wages.
Suddenly, a commotion broke out at the far end of the dock.
"Catch him! Don't let him get away!"
"That little thief dared to steal cargo from our Black Water Gang!"
A ragged little beggar, clutching a bundle to his chest, dashed wildly through the crowd. Four or five Black Water Gang enforcers chased after him.
The little beggar was scrawny, but unusually nimble. He darted between piles of cargo and people, dodging capture by the skin of his teeth several times.
Lu Chen frowned slightly and quietly stepped aside to clear the way.
He wasn't fond of meddling, especially before he'd grown strong enough to protect himself.
Just as the little beggar passed Lu Chen, his foot caught on a loose mooring rope. He lost his balance and crashed hard to the ground.
The bundle in his arms came undone, and a dark-red medicinal herb rolled out.
"Blood Ginseng?!"
Someone in the crowd cried out.
Lu Chen's breath caught.
Even without knowing herbs, he could tell it was valuable from the strange fragrance and its color, so red it looked ready to drip blood.
A precious herb that could greatly replenish qi and blood!
The little beggar ignored the pain, scrambled to his feet, and reached for the Blood Ginseng.
But that brief pause had sealed his fate.
"Run? Let's see where you can run now!"
A huge foot slammed into the little beggar's back, knocking him to the ground again.
The Black Water Gang enforcers surrounded him, bringing down their clubs.
"Ahhh!!"
His shrill screams made the laborers around them shudder. They all turned their heads away.
The enforcer leading them bent to pick up the Blood Ginseng. He carefully wiped the dirt off it, then sneered.
"Damn it, you even dared steal the congratulatory gift for the hall master. You must be tired of living!"
The enforcers had beaten the beggar until they were tired. One of them spat on the ground.
"Take him away! The hall master said to chop him up and feed him to the fish!"
The little beggar, beaten bloody and mangled, was dragged away like a dead dog, leaving a streak of blood on the ground.
Not one person dared speak up, let alone step in.
Lu Chen stood among the crowd, his face calm, but his hand trembled slightly inside his sleeve.
It wasn't fear. It was a desire born of instinct.
The Blood Ginseng had been less than three meters away from him.
In that instant, every cell in his body had screamed at him to seize the precious herb.
If he could eat that Blood Ginseng, Stone Crushing Palm would definitely break through at once—perhaps even jump several realms!
But he held back.
The enforcer who had picked up the Blood Ginseng had bulging temples and callused hands. He was clearly a martial artist, far stronger than Lu Chen was now.
If he made a move, he'd be the one to die.
"Strength..."
Lu Chen took a deep breath, suppressing the agitation inside him.
This world was too cruel.
Treasure stirred the heart, but without the strength to protect it, it became a death warrant.
The little beggar's fate was the best lesson of all.
Lu Chen collected his wages. This time, he didn't buy pig offal. Instead, he bought a pound of streaky pork.
The incident had shaken him, and he decided to be a little less easy on himself.
Money could be earned again. Improving his strength was what mattered.
Back at the courtyard, after finishing the meat, Lu Chen went to his usual spot.
Tonight, he would break through the bottleneck.
On his status panel, Stone Crushing Palm's progress had reached (1st Realm, First Glimpse of the Way 99%).
He was one last step away.
Lu Chen stood before the stone mill, his expression solemn.
He steadied his breathing, matching his heartbeat to a certain rhythm. His muscles began to ripple in measured waves.
With a low shout, he slammed his right palm down.
This palm strike was no longer just brute force. It carried a vibrating force.
Bang!!!
A muffled sound rang out, as if something had shattered.
It wasn't the stone mill, but some kind of shackle inside Lu Chen.
A warm current exploded from his palm and surged through the channels in his arm, flooding his body and washing over his skin and muscles.
Lu Chen felt a tingling spread through his body, followed by an indescribable sense of ease.
The rough skin on his palms shed its calluses. The new skin looked smooth, but was extraordinarily tough.
He looked at his status panel.
[Name: Lu Chen] [Martial Art: Stone Crushing Palm (2nd Realm, Accomplished 1%)] [Trait: Iron Skin (Beginner, tough skin that can withstand blows from blunt weapons)]
Lu Chen stared at his palm, his eyes blazing.
Finally, he'd broken through!
He picked up a fist-sized blue brick and squeezed it hard with all five fingers.
Crack!
The hard blue brick crumbled to powder in his hand, sifting down in a fine stream.
"So this is Stone Crushing Palm, accomplished..."
Lu Chen's lips curled into a smile.
If he ran into that hundred-jin sack of rice again, he could probably lift it with one hand as easily as picking up a chick.
More importantly, with this layer of "Iron Skin," he finally had a little capital to protect himself in these troubled times.
Before you continue