Calling Again

It was the afternoon three days later.

Luo Yi stood under the large banyan tree in the courtyard, looking at the panel that showed his "Mantis Skin Refining Technique" was only a dozen points away from completion.

He struck a pose, about to continue practicing when...

"Clang," "Clang," "Clang."

"Kid, we know you're in there. Open the door immediately, or don't blame us for being rude."

His martial arts realm had improved rapidly, and Luo Yi was in a great mood. Hearing the familiar voices outside the door, he grumbled, "Green Wolf Gang! They're back again after only a few days. They really don't let anyone have peace!"

Not wanting the bolt to be kicked down again, Luo Yi hurried to the courtyard gate. As soon as he opened it, a group of people stood outside. A man with a pointed mouth and monkey cheeks spoke, cursing, "What's wrong with you, you dog? Every time we knock on your door, there's no response, making us 'Little Wolf Head' wait outside for so long? Get lost and let the little beauty in your courtyard come out to greet us?"

Listening to the curses of the pointed-mouth, monkey-cheeked man, Luo Yi thought of his younger sister, who was safely studying at the White Ape Martial Hall. With his current strength, he wasn't afraid of these petty thugs.

Feeling that the man standing inside was a bit foolish, the pointed-mouth, monkey-cheeked man was about to curse again when...

"Slap." Worried that his current strength might be too much and he'd kill the man and get into trouble with the law, Luo Yi used only ten percent of his strength. The man who was slapped flew back five to six meters before crashing heavily to the ground, blood flowing from his mouth, nostrils, ears, and eyes. He lay on the ground, completely unconscious.

After teaching the foul-mouthed thug a lesson, Luo Yi looked at the leader, Little Wolf Head, and said with a smile, "Little Wolf Head, a stray dog from who knows where ran to my doorstep and had a dirty mouth. He'll inevitably cause trouble in the future, so I helped you educate him in advance. Little Wolf Head won't be angry, right?"

Seeing his subordinate sent flying with a single slap, Little Wolf Head's face instantly turned grim. Just as he was about to make a move to test the other's strength, he heard Luo Yi's question. Looking at the fearless young man before him, and not knowing his specific background, Little Wolf Head hesitated. After thinking for a long time, he finally said, "Fine, kid, you're very good. You dare not put our Green Wolf Gang in your eyes. I hope you can still be so tough when our boss or vice-boss comes next time."

After issuing a threat, Little Wolf Head waved his hand, signaling his subordinates to carry the half-dead man away.

After walking a few steps, feeling a blockage in his chest, Little Wolf Head seemed to recall something and suddenly stopped, looking back at Luo Yi. "Kid, besides you, that little beauty in your courtyard should also try not to go out alone recently. Otherwise, if we run into you..." "Ha, ha, ha." Without finishing his sentence, Little Wolf Head and his subordinates walked into the depths of the alley with lewd laughter.

"You're asking for death!" Hearing that these people were targeting Xiao Xi, Luo Yi thought that if Xiao Xi encountered these people on her way back from the martial arts hall one day, the consequences would be unimaginable. A cold glint flashed in his eyes. He quickly walked back into the courtyard, picked up the saber on the stone table, and chased after them.

Soon, Luo Yi caught up with the group of thugs. Seeing the crowds appearing from time to time around the alley, he didn't rush to attack. He cautiously followed them, planning to find out where they lived and then find an opportunity later.

Little Wolf Head led his subordinates ahead, completely unaware of Luo Yi following behind them. After walking a distance, one of the thugs said to the leader, Little Wolf Head, "Little Wolf Head! Monkey is our good brother. He was beaten into this state with one slap. This matter absolutely cannot be let go." The other thugs quickly chimed in, "This person actually dared to injure our Green Wolf Gang brother right in front of Little Wolf Head. He's not giving Little Wolf Head any face."

"Enough, I will handle this matter myself," Little Wolf Head, who was already annoyed, shouted loudly upon hearing his subordinates' constant complaints. Seeing that their boss was truly angry, the subordinates quickly shut their mouths.

The group wound their way through the alleys and finally arrived in front of a hidden alley. Little Wolf Head carefully observed the surroundings, ensuring no one was following them, and then looked at his subordinates: "You guys, take Monkey home first, then go near that kid's residence and find out his origin and background." "I want to see where he comes from that he dares to disregard our Green Wolf Gang."

"Yes, boss." A group of thugs, receiving the order, carried the pointed-mouth, monkey-cheeked man away. Seeing Little Wolf Head enter the courtyard at the end of the alley alone, Luo Yi memorized the location of the courtyard. Not knowing the highest combat power of the Green Wolf Gang, Luo Yi worried that rashly killing Little Wolf Head might lead to a troublesome "Old Wolf Head" appearing later. Luo Yi decided to find out the Green Wolf Gang's specific strength before wiping them out entirely.

With a plan in mind, and fearing discovery, Luo Yi did not linger in the alley. He turned and walked to the largest pharmacy in the South City market, "Huang's Pharmacy." Following the recipe from "Introduction to Poisons" from memory, he first bought various herbs, preparing to make poison powder at home for preemptive defense.

As he was at the market, Luo Yi noticed on his panel that the "Mantis Skin Refining Technique" was only a dozen points away from completion. Thinking that it would be completed soon and the secret manual would be useless to him, he went to the Wucang Pavilion. Using the "Mantis Skin Refining Technique" manual and ten taels of silver, he exchanged it at the Wucang Pavilion for a similar Skin Refining Realm cultivation technique: "Iron Head Skin Refining Technique."

His objective achieved, Luo Yi once again refused Hong Yu's invitation and headed straight home. Back home, he placed the "Iron Head Skin Refining Technique" manual on the stone table. Luo Yi didn't rush to cultivate. He decided to go all out and first practice the "Mantis Skin Refining Technique" to completion. "Strength," "Strength," "Strength." To survive in this world of the strong preying on the weak, to be like a citizen of his homeland and do as he pleased, he needed sufficient strength.

Every time he finished a round of all the moves, seeing the progress point increase on the panel, Luo Yi felt incredibly excited. This feeling of becoming stronger through hard work was truly intoxicating. "Boom, boom, boom." The sound of sonic booms from breaking the air echoed continuously. As he finished the last set of leg techniques, a prompt appeared on the panel:

Mantis Skin Refining Technique (Completion)

To reach completion of the "Mantis Skin Refining Technique" in three days, Luo Yi was once again shocked by his own diligence and martial talent! Just as Luo Yi was about to boast about his aptitude, a surge of hot blood exploded within his body. It was like streams of molten lava erupting from his heart, gradually spreading to the surface of his skin. As the heat flowed in and out of his skin, the familiar pain of needle pricks and ant bites returned, which he had experienced during previous breakthroughs. Having endured this sensation countless times, Luo Yi had gradually become accustomed to it.