Another ten days passed in the blink of an eye.
Lu Chen's small courtyard had become a Forbidden Zone.
The suffocating stench of medicine and blood hung over the courtyard all day long.
The dull thuds of blows never stopped from morning until night.
Whenever Wang Xiaoliu came to deliver food and medicine, he could feel a wave of heart-stopping heat rushing toward him as he approached the secret chamber.
In the center of the secret chamber.
Lu Chen stood naked, without a single patch of uninjured flesh on his body.
His skin was swollen and split, only to quickly scab over and peel away under the medicine's effects.
This cycle had repeated countless times.
Broken ironwood rods lay piled at his feet like a small hill.
Each of these rods was as hard as iron and could easily break an ordinary person's bones, yet they could only leave streaks of white on Lu Chen before snapping apart themselves.
"Just a little more..."
Lu Chen panted heavily, sweat mixed with blood running down his muscles.
He could feel his body reaching its limit.
His skin, muscles, sinews, and bones were all undergoing a transformation.
It was like iron ore burning at its hottest in a furnace, about to melt and be reforged into steel.
"Again!"
Lu Chen let out a low growl.
He stopped using the wooden rods and grabbed a fine-steel dagger instead.
The dagger was razor-sharp, able to shave hair with a breath.
His gaze sharpened. Without the slightest hesitation, he gripped the dagger in reverse and drove it hard toward his chest!
Anyone else who saw this would have thought he was insane.
That was his heart!
If his defenses failed, the blade would pierce straight through!
But Lu Chen held nothing back. It was a show of absolute confidence in his defenses, and the resolve to put himself in mortal danger to find a way through.
A crisp clang of metal rang out.
The dagger's tip struck the skin of his chest, sending up a spray of sparks!
His skin caved in at once, but did not break.
Then a strange vibrating force surged from beneath his skin.
The dagger was violently knocked away.
Lu Chen felt his chest go numb, as though he'd been bitten by a mosquito.
The dagger's tip had even curled slightly!
At that very moment, the qi and blood inside him boiled like an erupting volcano.
A warm current swept through his entire body, and every cell seemed to cheer.
His skin, once a bluish-black, rapidly darkened until it turned a deep, shadowy iron color.
It no longer looked like human skin, but a genuine suit of iron armor.
Lu Chen's whole body shuddered. An invisible wave of air spread out from him, making the tables and chairs tremble.
Success!
Overjoyed, Lu Chen immediately summoned his status panel.
[Name: Lu Chen] [Realm: Body Tempering Realm (Flesh Refining Stage, Complete ＞ Quasi-Internal Strength Realm)] [Martial Arts: Iron Cloth Shirt (3rd Realm, Mastery 1%)] [Traits: Thick Skin (Complete), Force Dissipation (Beginner ＞ Newly Added!)] [Force Dissipation: A trait derived from the Iron Cloth Shirt at Great Completion. The skin and muscles possess exceptional toughness and elasticity. When attacked, they can vibrate automatically, dissipating thirty percent of the force, with a chance to rebound against the opponent's weapon.]
Force Dissipation!
This was the core trait of the Iron Cloth Shirt's Third Realm!
If Thick Skin and Bronze Skin had merely let him endure attacks head-on, Force Dissipation was a far more sophisticated defense.
It would greatly reduce the damage Lu Chen took from even stronger attacks.
And with his own Vibrating Force to strike back, too.
He was practically a spiky iron turtle now!
"Good! Fantastic!"
Lu Chen clenched his fist, feeling that explosive strength.
Now, even if he stood still and let an ordinary Flesh Refining Realm martial artist hack at him, they probably couldn't even break his skin.
Even a Meridian Connecting Realm expert wouldn't find it so easy to kill him.
"With my defenses ready, it's time to get in the water."
Lu Chen walked to the corner and opened a large wooden chest.
Inside were all the supplies he had prepared over the past few days.
Fish Skin Water Armor, a water-dividing spike, Breath Holding Pills, and several specially made waterproof fire starters.
He checked each item with meticulous focus.
He was about to risk his life; he couldn't afford the slightest mistake.
Everything was ready.
Lu Chen changed into a black outfit for moving at night and strapped the water armor and supplies to his back.
He glanced out the window.
The moon was dark, and the wind was high.
It was the perfect time for an adventure.
"Tonight, I'll explore that Ghost's Worry whirlpool!"
Lu Chen blew out the oil lamp and was just about to open the door.
Knock, knock, knock.
Suddenly, someone knocked at the courtyard gate.
The knocking was unhurried, but carried an authority that brooked no refusal.
Lu Chen frowned and stopped in his tracks.
Who would come at this hour?
That rhythm didn't sound like one of the gang's men.
"Who is it?"
Lu Chen asked in a low voice, one hand resting on the hilt at his waist.
"Hall Master Lu, I've come to call on you late at night. Sorry for the trouble."
A man's voice came from outside, slightly low.
"I'm Zhao Gang, a constable from the County Yamen. I have official business I'd like to discuss with Hall Master Lu."
A constable from the County Yamen?
Lu Chen's heart tightened.
Although the Black Water Gang was powerful, it still had to show the County Yamen respect in public.
He had heard of Zhao Gang.
The County Yamen's top fighter, a tough opponent. They said his cultivation had long since reached the Meridian Connecting Realm. He was upright and incorruptible, unlike those underlings who took bribes.
What was he doing here?
Had he discovered something?
Lu Chen's thoughts raced, but he kept his expression neutral.
He casually tossed the bundle under the bed and straightened his clothes.
"So it's Constable Zhao. What an honor."
Lu Chen went over and opened the courtyard gate.
A tall man stood outside, a broad saber at his waist.
He wore a neat constable's uniform, his sharp eyes fixed intently on Lu Chen.
"It's late. Hall Master Lu, are you... heading out?"
Zhao Gang glanced at Lu Chen's night clothes, his expression half-amused.
Lu Chen didn't bat an eyelid.
"I was getting restless from practicing martial arts, so I thought I'd go out for some air. What, Constable Zhao, are you going to police that too?"
"Not at all."
Zhao Gang stepped into the courtyard and glanced over the pile of broken ironwood rods, looking somewhat surprised.
That was some formidable Body Cultivation.
He looked back at Lu Chen, his tone serious.
"I came here to ask Hall Master Lu something."
"Several old fishermen have recently gone missing in the city. I heard... the last time they were seen, they were entering Hall Master Lu's residence."
"I wonder, Hall Master Lu, have you seen them?"
Lu Chen's heart sank.
They were the three old men he'd had brought over for questioning.
It seemed there truly was no wall without a crack.
He was investigating the secrets of the Angry River, and it seemed the County Yamen was watching that place too.
Now things had gotten interesting.
Before you continue