Eighth Rank

Azure Dragon Cave Heaven.

Crane Claw Imprints Sand.

Red Cliff Copper Wall.

Ten Mile Thunderclap.

With every punch and kick, Zhong Lin stirred up violent gusts, while his chest heaved with breaths that rasped like a bellows.

The foundation of the Iron Mountain Skill did not lie in these moves at all, but in the breathing method contained within the flow of the moves. Only when paired with the moves could it truly bring out the body-tempering effects of the Iron Mountain Skill.

With max-level experience, Zhong Lin was always able to fully draw out the Iron Mountain Skill's training effects. As his fists and legs stretched and moved, the tendons and bones within his body were continually compressed, stretched, and tightened, while the medicinal power clung to them and steadily strengthened them.

Over seven days, the supply of Blood Replenishment Pills had been more than sufficient. Coupled with Zhong Lin's nearly perfect absorption of the medicinal power, his martial cultivation could be described as advancing a thousand miles in a day.

In the courtyard, Zhong Lin stood bare-chested. His body had long since lost its former gauntness and filled out, every slab of muscle tight and solid, his limbs supple and powerful.

Outwardly, he merely looked sturdier than before, but only Zhong Lin himself knew that the density of his muscles and bones had increased greatly. He had gained a full twenty to thirty jin in weight.

Suddenly, Zhong Lin let out a shout, and the style of his fist technique changed abruptly. His body became like a fierce tiger descending the mountain, and the faint intent of a tiger's roar seemed to ring from within.

"Fierce Tiger Descends the Mountain."

Zhong Lin stomped hard. His formerly lean legs suddenly swelled at that instant, muscles churning beneath the skin as veins bulged out.

Whoosh!

Zhong Lin burst forth with a kick, streaking through the air.

One charge, one kick, one explosion.

The force in his leg tore through the air with a heart-rending shriek that carried far into the distance, razor-sharp and piercing.

Zhong Lin descended from the air and stood motionless where he landed, his eyes slightly closed. Only after a long while did he slowly open them.

"The Eighth Rank Tendons Transformation Realm is complete."

"My meridians have been strengthened, my skin membranes are tougher, and my strength has increased considerably. I should have five hundred jin of strength now."

"And this is only the initial stage of the Eighth Rank Tendons Transformation Realm. The Iron Mountain Skill also focuses on strength, so my strength should continue to grow later on."

Zhong Lin was overjoyed. He now had a sufficient understanding of the Eighth Rank Tendons Transformation Realm.

One had to know that in this age, where ninety-nine percent of people could not even eat their fill and suffered from malnutrition, five hundred jin of strength qualified one as a strongman.

Whenever he glanced at the empty bottles on the ground, Zhong Lin's heart bled again.

"Poor scholars, rich warriors—the saying really is true. The price of completing Tendons Transformation Realm cultivation in just seven days was twenty-three Blood Replenishment Pills, two hundred and thirty taels of silver... Fuck."

The silver he had earned these past few days had basically all been spent on Blood Replenishment Pills. Unfortunately, Zhong Lin still had not deciphered the Blood Replenishment Pill formula.

He had identified every medicinal ingredient contained within it, and Zhong Lin had tried gathering all the herbs together and refining them over a fire. In the end, all he got was a pile of dregs that smelled poisonous, let alone edible.

"What a pity."

After sighing for a while, Zhong Lin put on his full set of gear again, packed the thirty portions of Eight Treasures Blood Nourishing Soup he had obtained from Xu Lewu, bent his knees slightly, and crossed the courtyard wall in a single step.

The tendons and membranes of the Eighth Rank Tendons Transformation Realm could stretch and contract with tremendous force, allowing for fierce bursts of power and great agility. Scaling a two-meter-high courtyard wall was as easy as walking on level ground.

Following the familiar route to the mountain hollow, he paid three Big Coins and began setting up his stall to sell medicine.

"Brother, want any manuals?"

A familiar figure approached Zhong Lin again. It was none other than the Skinny Monkey who had tried to sell him manuals the first time he came to the Black Market.

This fellow was a regular at the Black Market. Every day, he arrived punctually to hawk his manuals. And sure enough, some people really did fall for his scams.

Zhong Lin could not be bothered to warn anyone. The more you tried to warn people about such things, the less they believed you. Only after they truly rammed into the south wall would they turn back.

Though Zhong Lin had never spoken to him, after selling medicine here for seven consecutive days, they had become familiar by sight, even if neither could see the other's face.

He had not expected this guy to try selling him something again. Was he looking for a beating?

Before Zhong Lin could get angry, the Skinny Monkey hurriedly said, "Brother, don't get mad. Hear me out first. This time I'm not selling a cultivation technique or a weapon, but a book of unorthodox miscellaneous arts. The real deal. I just don't know whether you'd be interested."

"Not interested. Get lost."

Zhong Lin cursed and drove the Skinny Monkey away directly.

The Skinny Monkey left awkwardly, not daring to offend Zhong Lin. The main reason was that he recognized the Ghost Head Saber in Zhong Lin's hand, while its former owner had not appeared in a long time. Unless something unexpected had happened, he had probably met his end.

Customers soon arrived, and they were all familiar faces.

"I'll take three portions."

"Give me two portions."

"Five portions."

"One portion."

Business was as booming as ever. The Eight Treasures Blood Nourishing Soup Zhong Lin had been selling these past few days had built up a reputation and gained returning customers.

In less than half an hour, all thirty portions of Eight Treasures Blood Nourishing Soup had sold out. He stuffed all the silver into his money pouch. There was no need to buy pills now; the Ghost-Faced Man who sold pills had stopped coming two days ago, leaving Zhong Lin disappointed for quite some time. He had originally wanted to see whether he could get close to him again and try to buy the Blood Replenishment Pill formula for study.

As Zhong Lin collected his silver, he suddenly sensed someone watching him from afar. He immediately turned and swept his gaze in the direction of that feeling.

That person hastily avoided his gaze, turned away, then bent over a stall to look around as though asking about prices, appearing utterly natural.

"This is the last day of the Black Market this month. It seems someone has finally lost patience." Zhong Lin sneered.

Zhong Lin had been selling Eight Treasures Blood Nourishing Soup every day recently, and the profits had long since made others green with envy. That watchful gaze just now was not the first. The last two or three times he had come to the Black Market, Zhong Lin had vaguely sensed someone spying on him.

They had been discreet, but Zhong Lin's former self had been a hunter, exceptionally sharp-eyed and alert. How could he have failed to notice? He had merely pretended not to know.

After wiping the words off his sign, Zhong Lin rose and wandered through the Black Market with the crowd, buying a few things he needed along the way.

An hour later, Zhong Lin left the Black Market. After he departed, several figures vanished from the market as well, stirring up a round of discussion.

The onlookers saw more clearly than those in the thick of it.

With Zhong Lin's business thriving so spectacularly, there was naturally more than one group watching him.

"Fuck, someone beat us to it. The fat sheep that was practically in our mouths flew away."

"Who were those people just now?"

"What do you mean, one group? Open your eyes and look carefully—there were two groups. One was from the Black Tiger Gang. Their leader was a tower-like brute named Dong Yan, whose Mixed Iron Palm could fight and kill Eighth Rank martial artists. The other group was brought in by Skinny Monkey. They were a mixed bunch, and I couldn't recognize them, but they probably weren't weak either."

"Hiss! Doesn't that mean the medicine seller is dead for sure? What a pity about his Eight Treasures Blood Nourishing Soup. It was a little expensive, but the effects were really good."

"Heh, not necessarily. If that medicine seller gets captured, no matter who takes him, they'll definitely force him to reveal the formula. Then we'll just be buying from a different stall."

"That's true."