Breakthrough!

In the courtyard paved with blue bricks, Lin Yin stood bare-chested, his expression solemn.

Suddenly, he gave a sharp cry. In the morning light, a pale red mist burst from his upper body, stained with Beast Blood. The Beast Blood clinging to his skin seemed to be shaken off by an invisible, domineering force of Qi.

At the same time, Lin Yin's joints and tendons seemed to tremble with each breath. He drove his inner strength to its utmost, as if his Qi and blood had reached some bottleneck. The next moment, he exhaled a long breath. His breath spun like an arrow, scattering the blood mist before him.

[Heaven rewards diligence, Will achieve something]

[Golden Bell Shield Minor Accomplishment (1/100)]

Golden Bell Shield had officially reached Minor Accomplishment!

A golden glint seemed to flash in Lin Yin's eyes. A faint bronze sheen, imperceptible to the naked eye, passed over his seemingly fair skin.

His feet were planted firmly on the ground, his horse stance as steady as a mountain. His right fist shot out from his waist with a sharp whistle, slamming into the wooden post before him.

With a bang, wood chips flew from the post's surface. Lin Yin's stance remained steady, his knuckles stretched taut and white. The next moment, he struck again. The post let out a groan under the relentless assault, and a hideous, unmistakable gash appeared where it had been hit.

It was like watching a burly man wield a sledgehammer to pound a wooden post.

On the third punch, the thick post, as broad as a man's waist, shattered completely. Lin Yin's knuckles had turned only slightly white.

With every movement, beads of sweat seeped from his Pores. It wasn't a sticky dampness; it was more like steam rising from a hot spring, condensing into fine droplets on his skin.

His sweat and inner strength steamed together, forming a faintly visible wave of Qi around him. Even the bamboo shadows in the courtyard's corner swayed slightly in the breeze.

This was Hardening Technique at Minor Accomplishment. The resulting increase in Qi and blood far exceeded what ordinary people could imagine.

Most remarkably, when Lin Yin exerted his full strength, his face showed no change at all. Only his eyes, like sunlight reflected in a cold pool, shone with astonishing brightness.

It seemed that once Golden Bell Shield reached perfection, hardness and softness complemented each other, and inner strength surged like a mighty river and sea, while the outer appearance grew even more serene.

Morning light spilled over the eastern wall and slanted across Lin Yin's shoulders and back, making the membrane of Qi clinging to his body appear almost translucent.

Lin Yin ceased his training, but his figure continued to dance across the courtyard. He shifted and turned, no longer using heavy, forceful movements, but instead a light and agile palm technique!

The wind from his palms swept over the wooden steps in the courtyard, sending the dust flying before it settled with the end of his movements, returning everything to silence.

Not only had Golden Bell Shield improved; Lin Yin's Cloud Palm and Cloud Stance had also grown more refined!

"Hm?"

In a much wider, brighter courtyard, a middle-aged man stepped out of the side room. His brows knitted slightly as he seemed to ponder something, gazing at the tall wall beside him.

"That aura just now..."

He had faintly heard some disturbance beyond the courtyard wall, and his brows furrowed.

At his level, even the slightest stir of wind or grass could reveal things imperceptible to ordinary people.

Just now, he had sensed an unusual burst of force. It wasn't the sort of display one would expect from someone with Inner Strength, nor was it powerful enough to astonish even him.

It was simply that the person in the neighboring courtyard had changed so much that it surprised him.

"Dad?"

Creak...

The door to the side room opened, and a pretty girl looked at her father in surprise as well.

"You heard it too?"

The man asked curiously.

"Yeah. That guy gets up to practice his punches before dawn every day. He's pretty diligent."

It was clear that the girl hadn't understood what her father meant.

After listening carefully for a while longer and considering the sounds of fists and feet slicing through the air, the man couldn't help wondering whether he had imagined it.

It doesn't sound like the burst of Qi and blood from before...

After a moment's thought, the man turned and disappeared into the side room.

When the bright morning light fell into the cramped courtyard,

Lin Yin had just finished washing up when a series of knocks rang through the quiet, peaceful little courtyard.

Lin's mother warmly ushered Xu Chang, who had been waiting at the door, inside. After a few brief pleasantries, she left him and Lin Yin alone to talk in the room.

"Junior Brother, how are things today?"

Xu Chang asked as he bit into the large bun in his hand, praising Lin's mother's cooking as he spoke.

"Many of the Disciple have already made their move. The house I picked out for you is right next to mine. Trust me, with a location like ours, we'll be as steady as a mountain."

As he said this, a hint of pride appeared on Xu Chang's face.

Luckily, he had a good reputation at the school, and with Lin Yin's earlier request, he had come out on top and rented the house first. Otherwise, a spot that close to the school wouldn't have been his for the taking.

"Thank you, Senior Brother. I've made all the necessary preparations."

"Do you have enough Money and Silver? If not, your Senior Brother has some to spare."

Xu Chang was still talking when Lin Yin pulled out a gleaming pile of silver, making Xu Chang's eyes widen in shock.

"Heavens, that's a lot!"

At a glance, there were probably more than twenty taels, and this was only part of it.

More than twenty taels... In Langshi Town these days, that was no small fortune.

With a solemn expression, Lin Yin took three taels from the pile and offered them to Xu Chang.

"What's this for?"

Xu Chang put aside his surprise and looked at Lin Yin.

"If it weren't for your help, Senior Brother, I wouldn't be where I am today. Finding a house wasn't easy, and I relied on your help, so these three taels..."

"Put those three taels away!" Xu Chang said firmly.

"But..."

"If you really give me this Money and Silver, are you trying to draw a line between us?"

Xu Chang's expression was unusually serious.

Seeing this, Lin Yin didn't dare press the matter.

"In that case, thank you, Senior Brother."

He said nothing more. Rising to his feet, he was about to bow to Xu Chang, but Xu Chang stood from the table and caught him by the arm.

"There's no need to stand on ceremony between us. I only hope you'll reach Minor Accomplishment in Stance Skill soon. If you don't mind, you could join your Senior Brother's team..."

"Minor Accomplishment in Stance Skill? Your team?"

Seeing Lin Yin's puzzled expression, Xu Chang let out a long sigh.

"Wherever there are people in this world, there's bound to be strife. That's true Outside the School, and even more so Inside the School."

"Once your Stance Skill reaches Minor Accomplishment, a little Money and Silver will be nothing. By then, our target will be the Great Medicine."

"The Great Medicine?"

"Exactly, the Great Medicine. Every school has a quota to compete for the Great Medicine. I have the First Senior Disciple backing me..."

At this, Xu Chang's face showed a trace of worry.

"Recently, Second Senior Disciple Brother has won over quite a few newly enrolled Disciple. His side is now enjoying the limelight Inside the School, and their growing numbers have brought them a lot of funding from Outside the School..."

"Funding from Outside the School?"

Lin Yin was still at a loss.

Seeing this, Xu Chang wasn't surprised. He knew the boy before him was practically a martial arts fanatic and didn't understand some of the things happening Inside the School, so he explained.

"Funding is more like a bounty. For example, escorting goods."

"Escorting goods means that wealthy merchants and escort agencies recruit experts to protect their cargo. Disciple from the major martial arts schools are the first people those agencies and merchants turn to.

"But only those who've reached Minor Accomplishment in Stance Skill and attained Bright Strength are qualified...

These are the opportunities we'll have to fight for in the future. The rewards for these jobs often include medicines that are tremendously useful for our cultivation!"