Chapter 34

After taking down the pair of maces, Bai Lang discovered there was also a set of straps on the antler rack. The loops looked like they would let the wearer carry the maces on his back. He happily put everything away, then turned to see that the others had started making their exchanges too. They might have been a little more familiar with one another, having fought for their lives together, so they chatted a bit as they made their choices. It seemed they had each exchanged for something they wanted.

"By the way, can we exchange points with one another?" Bai Lang asked offhandedly.

"Not allowed. However, you may exchange items with one another," the voice immediately replied.

Bai Lang curled his lip. "Figures. What a pointless hassle."

Everyone finished exchanging their items fairly quickly, but aside from Bai Lang, no one seemed to have chosen anything conspicuous. They appeared to have exchanged for medicinal pills and elixirs instead. Then Bai Lang spoke up. "What happened to the little monk, Ci En? As for me—this trial definitely has a problem!" His words brought tears to the eyes of the two women, while the two men sighed.

"Such a shame about the little monk." The little monk had indeed been brave and diligent. If he hadn't risked his life to break through the target's defenses, everyone there might have died. Their words were full of regret and self-reproach over not being strong enough. Bai Lang blinked. Though he had known the little monk only briefly, Ci En had been talkative and easy to get along with—an excellent monk. And the fact that he wanted to return to secular life made him an even better monk. It was truly a shame that he had died like that.

"By the way, can he be brought back to life?" Bai Lang called out.

"Perhaps, once you have enough points and rare treasures of heaven and earth."

The voice sounded rather irritating, but its words lifted everyone's spirits. They each said they would keep in touch, then followed the voice's instructions and walked out of the palace into the clouds, where they disappeared. Mu Ronghua winked at Bai Lang. "I'll come find you later." Then he left ahead of the others.

Bai Lang was the last to leave the palace. He touched the Jade Fish, glanced back once, then stepped into the clouds.

His vision blurred, just as before, but Bai Lang immediately saw a strange ghostly face on his chest. Its eyes flashed, then it vanished into his chest.

"Hmm?" Bai Lang didn't feel like saying much for the moment. He walked a few more steps, and the white mist disappeared. He found himself standing in his own room. The pair of maces was still on his back, and his clothes were still in tatters, but aside from that, nothing seemed out of the ordinary.

"What's this?" Bai Lang touched the Jade Fish. "Could it be that this fish wasn't responsible?" When he held it up before his eyes, he saw that the Jade Fish looked much more lustrous, almost as if it were about to come alive. "That fast?" Bai Lang muttered.

He quickly changed clothes and put away the Purple Gold Mace, then cursed a few times. "I'd only just gotten my new weapon, and I hadn't even had time to get used to it before I lost the damn thing. Even my short sword broke. What kind of mess is this?" Still, there was an unexpected upside: the fight had greatly improved his Golden Bell Shield inner force's ability to break through his meridians. Perhaps in a few months, he would be able to open the Twelve Primary Meridians and the Eight Extraordinary Meridians, and then he could truly break through the second stage.

Things went just as he expected. Three months later, he had opened all his meridians, and his martial arts had advanced greatly. His inner force was as deep and resonant as a bell. He had yet to open the Ren and Du Meridians, so he couldn't enter the Xiantian realm, but the day he opened all his meridians, he had already quietly broken through the second stage of the Golden Bell Shield. Mu Ronghua had said he would come find him soon, but still hadn't shown up. Bai Lang didn't mind. He was in a good place right now; if Mu Ronghua came looking for him, it would only make it harder for him to keep a low profile.

Bai Lang had no interest whatsoever in making a name for himself in the Changle Gang.

Since Mu Ronghua hadn't come looking for him, Bai Lang was content to leave things that way. Besides, there was a chance they would meet again in the next trial. After breaking through the second stage of the Golden Bell Shield, Bai Lang discovered that the third stage was already within reach. The Golden Bell Shield had three stages in each tier, and the first three were meant to be broken through in quick succession. Gritting his teeth, Bai Lang prepared to go straight for the third stage.

After breaking through the second stage of the Golden Bell Shield, a layer of true energy had already formed over his internal organs, making it difficult for him to suffer internal injuries under normal circumstances. His protective energy had also gradually taken shape. He no longer needed to deliberately circulate his energy to make his entire body one unified whole; previously, he had needed to do so to withstand blows to specific parts of his body. Only after reaching the second stage could it truly be called the Thirteen Great Protectors' Adamantine Bell Shield. And with the Golden Bell Shield inner force nourishing his strength through the Thirty-two Forms Long Fist, Bai Lang's strength had increased another notch.

Over the past few months, he had also tried to find a set of fist and foot techniques stronger than the Thirty-two Forms Long Fist. But he had one condition: he couldn't let his training in the Tiger Form True Intent go to waste. So he had some requirements for the techniques; ideally, they would involve a tiger form. Fortunately, this world had tigers too, and they were probably top-tier beasts, so Tiger Form Fist techniques were sure to exist. He simply hadn't found a suitable one. The techniques he could afford with his contribution points weren't suitable, and he didn't want the ones that were.

One good thing was that he was starting to get the hang of the Iron Mace Technique. Using it was actually simpler than using a saber or sword. It was mostly a matter of smashing, hooking, sweeping, winding, and thrusting—and the moves he used most were smashing and thrusting. If he could make use of a horse's momentum... "But my lightness skill is already fast over short distances. It seems like there's no need for a technique that relies so heavily on a horse's momentum." That was what Bai Lang thought, but it didn't stop him from practicing on mules and on the horses handled by the horse-trading business. He did have that small privilege.

Of course, the people at the horse-trading business and in the gang knew Bai Lang had found a weapon he liked. Most of them just laughed, though. Using a saber or sword was what martial artists did, but wielding an iron mace looked decidedly out of place. This country didn't ban armor, but martial artists didn't wear it. At most, they wore soft armor to guard against assassination. Among martial arts experts, it was better to spend that money on a treasured blade or fine weapon than on armor.

Bai Lang ignored them. One day, he seized his momentum and began attacking the third stage. This stage also required an outside force. Since Bai Lang didn't want others to know he was training in the Golden Bell Shield, he had no choice but to do it himself. He swung the iron mace and struck his own body. This was the Striking Technique. Training in the third stage meant using the Striking Technique to strengthen his flesh, skin, sinews, and bones, and toughen his meridians, making his flesh and skin difficult to injure with blades. Even if he was wounded, it wouldn't hurt much, so he wouldn't lose his ability to fight because of the pain.

The harder the blows, the faster he would break through—but not too hard, of course. Beating himself to death or seriously injuring himself would be stupid. After just three days of striking practice, Bai Lang had mastered the third stage. This stage was actually the easiest and quickest. But as for the fourth stage, Bai Lang flipped through the Secret Manual. "Looks like I'll have to put in the time for this one." Just then, the Jade Fish leaped up again and, with a splash, opened a hole in the air. Bare-chested and holding the iron mace, Bai Lang fell straight into it.