At noon the next day.
The Black Water Gang's Main Hall stood in the most prosperous part of South of the City, Nujiang County.
Two enormous stone lions guarded the entrance. The vermilion gates stood open, and dozens of men in black tunics, broad sabers at their waists, stood in rows on either side. Every one of them had a brutish face and a murderous air.
By then, over a hundred people had gathered in the square before the hall.
Most were dock laborers, along with some idle layabouts from the city and even a few who looked like down-on-their-luck martial artists.
Everyone had their eyes fixed on the lucrative job that paid two taels of Moon Silver, their gazes brimming with longing.
Lu Chen blended into the crowd, inconspicuous and unassuming.
He had deliberately changed into a slightly cleaner hemp shirt that day, but his callused hands and bulging muscles still gave away his identity as a laborer.
"Silence!"
A thunderous shout exploded through the square.
A burly, middle-aged man in a dark blue martial outfit strode onto the platform.
His gaze swept across the crowd. The clamor died at once, and even people's breathing grew quieter.
He was a hall master of the Black Water Gang, said to be at the peak of the Flesh Refining realm. His Iron Fist could beat a mad bull to death.
"I'm Zhao Tieshan, hall master of the Black Water Gang's War Hall."
His booming voice made people's eardrums ring. "The Black Water Gang doesn't keep useless trash! If you want to earn your keep, you'd better show us what you can really do!"
He swept his hand toward a row of stone locks in the middle of the square.
The locks came in different sizes. The smallest was marked one hundred jin, and the largest weighed a full three hundred.
"The test is simple. Two rounds."
"First round: lift a stone lock. Lift two hundred jin, and you pass! If you can't, then get lost!"
A chorus of groans rose from the crowd.
Two hundred jin!
To ordinary people, that was an astronomical weight.
A sack of rice weighed only a hundred jin. They had to lift two hundred jin over their heads. Without specialized strength training or inborn superhuman strength, it was simply impossible.
"Begin!"
At Zhao Tieshan's order, the test officially began.
The first few men stepped up. Their faces turned red with exertion, veins bulging in their necks, but the two-hundred-jin stone lock remained rooted to the ground. Some barely got it off the ground before it crashed down, nearly crushing their toes.
"Failed! Get out!"
The gang members overseeing the test coldly sent them packing.
More than ten people were eliminated in a row, and the atmosphere grew tense.
Lu Chen watched in silence.
Two hundred jin was easy for him.
After breaking through with Stone Crushing Palm, his strength in one arm was at least four or five hundred jin. With both arms, he could easily manage seven or eight hundred.
But he couldn't afford to make too much of a spectacle.
At last, it was Lu Chen's turn.
He walked out of the crowd and came to the row of stone locks.
He ignored the three-hundred-jin one and headed straight for the two-hundred-jin lock.
Taking a deep breath, Lu Chen grabbed its handle with one hand.
"Hah!"
He faked a roar and put on a show of giving it everything he had. His arm muscles tensed as he lifted the lock with a trembling effort.
Under the crowd's watchful eyes, he "struggled" to raise it above his head and held it there for three breaths before throwing it heavily to the ground.
Dust billowed up.
"Pass!"
The gang member overseeing the test glanced at Lu Chen and gave a slight nod. "Not bad. Go wait over there."
Lu Chen panted "heavily," wiped sweat that wasn't there from his forehead, and joined the line of those who had passed.
Out of the corner of his eye, he saw Hall Master Zhao give him a casual glance before looking away.
Good. He hadn't drawn any unnecessary attention.
The first round ended. Of the hundred or so people, more than half had been eliminated, leaving just over thirty.
"Second round: take a beating!"
Zhao Tieshan spoke again, a cruel smile tugging at his lips. "Once you join the gang, you have to be ready to take a blade. If your skin isn't thick enough, you won't live long!"
"Each of you will take three strikes from my men. Anyone who stays on their feet can remain!"
As soon as he finished speaking, more than ten gang members stepped forward, each holding a Water-Fire Cudgel as thick as a child's arm. They eyed the "rookies" with ill intent.
This test measured not only their ability to withstand blows, but their courage as well.
If they couldn't even take a beating with a cudgel, how could they ever dare to risk their lives in a fight?
"Smack! Smack! Smack!"
The dull thuds of cudgels and the cries of pain rose one after another.
Quite a few people collapsed after the first strike, rolling on the ground in agony.
Some managed to endure, but their skin was split and their bodies smeared with blood.
Lu Chen stood in the middle of the line.
When his turn came, the man administering the beating was a gang member with a pockmarked face.
"Kid, grit your teeth. Don't bite your tongue off!"
Pockmarked sneered, swung the Water-Fire Cudgel in his hands, and brought it down hard on Lu Chen's back with a gust of wind.
He was holding nothing back!
Lu Chen's eyes narrowed, but he didn't dodge. Instead, he secretly circulated the power of Stone Crushing Palm. His back muscles tensed instantly, and his skin grew tough.
A dull thud rang out.
The Water-Fire Cudgel landed squarely on Lu Chen's back.
Pockmarked felt as if he had struck a rock wrapped in thick cloth. His webbed hand went slightly numb.
Lu Chen only swayed a little. His feet didn't retreat half a step.
"Hm?"
Pockmarked looked surprised, then a cruel glint flashed in his eyes. "You've got something. Again!"
Thud! Thud!
Two more strikes landed in quick succession, each harder than the last. The final blow even came crashing down on Lu Chen's shoulder.
Lu Chen grunted, and a trace of blood trickled from the corner of his mouth. He had bitten the tip of his tongue on purpose to make it happen.
If he hadn't shown so much as a scratch, it would have looked too fake.
He staggered as if in pain, but still stood firm, staring at Pockmarked like a wolf.
"Good!"
On the platform, Zhao Tieshan's eyes lit up, and he shouted his approval.
"That kid's not bad. He's got a backbone! What's your name?"
Lu Chen quickly clasped his fists and answered hoarsely, "Reporting to the hall master, this humble one is Lu Chen."
"Lu Chen? Good. From now on, you're with my War Hall!"
Zhao Tieshan waved his hand and assigned Lu Chen to his hall on the spot.
The other successful candidates looked at him with envy and jealousy. If the hall master had personally singled him out, his days in the gang would surely be much easier.
Lu Chen was secretly delighted, but kept the same honest, resolute expression on his face.
The second round ended. Of the thirty-odd people, half were eliminated, leaving just fifteen.
Those fifteen were the new recruits the Black Water Gang had taken in.
Each received a set of coarse black clothes with a red sash around the waist, the mark of an ordinary gang member.
They also received a standard-issue broad saber. It wasn't especially well-made, but its edge had been sharpened, gleaming coldly.
"Starting today, you're brothers of the Black Water Gang!"
Zhao Tieshan addressed them. "The gang has its rules. Betray your brothers, and you die! Steal its property, and you die! Flee in the face of battle, and you die!"
The three repetitions of "die" rang out with a murderous force that sent a chill through their hearts.
Lu Chen lowered his head and joined the others in answering.
He touched the black clothes on his body and felt the weight of the broad saber at his waist.
These weren't just clothes. They were a layer of protection.
From this moment on, he was no longer Lu Chen, the laborer anyone could bully. He was a member of the Black Water Gang's War Hall.
That evening, Lu Chen ate his first "gang meal" in the gang's mess hall.
There were great tubs of white rice, as much as anyone could eat.
There was also a huge basin of stewed pork and vermicelli, cooked until soft and mushy. There wasn't much meat, but it was rich with grease.
Lu Chen didn't hold back. He ate three full bowls of rice, then used a steamed bun to wipe the sauce from the bottom of the bowl and ate that too.
The other newcomers were much the same, each of them eating like a starving ghost.
Once he'd eaten his fill, Lu Chen was assigned a shared dormitory.
It wasn't much better than the slums. A dozen or so people still crowded together, but at least the bedding was new and didn't smell moldy.
Lying on his bed, Lu Chen opened the panel.
[Name: Lu Chen] [Identity: Black Water Gang member] [Martial Arts: Stone Crushing Palm (2nd realm, Mastery 3%)]
"I have resources now. And an identity."
Lu Chen closed his eyes and listened to the patrols passing outside now and then.
"Next, I keep my head down and grow stronger."
He knew very well that the Black Water Gang wasn't a charitable organization. It was a den of wolves.
To survive in a den of wolves—and thrive—brute strength alone wouldn't be enough.
He'd have to be fiercer than the wolves and more cunning than the foxes.
And he also had to stay on guard against the hidden threat of the Water Ghost.
Now that he had joined the War Hall, sooner or later he would have to deal with the things lurking in the water.
Beneath the covers, Lu Chen's hand gripped the hilt of his broad saber tightly.
From now on, this blade would be how he earned his keep—and his trump card for staying alive.
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