Another Visit

Three days later, in the afternoon.

Luo Yi stood beneath the giant banyan tree in the courtyard, looking at the Panel. The Mantis Skin Refining Technique was only a dozen or so progress points away from perfection.

He struck a stance, about to continue practicing, when—

"Bang! Bang! Bang!"

"Kid, we know you're in there! Open the door right now, or don't blame us for getting rough!"

Luo Yi's martial arts had improved quickly, and he was in high spirits. Hearing the familiar voices outside, he called out, "The Green Wolf Gang! You're back again after only a few days? Can't you let me have a moment's peace?"

Not wanting the door latch kicked in again, Luo Yi hurried over to the courtyard gate. He had just opened it when—

Among the group standing outside, a sharp-faced man with a ratlike look cursed at him. "What's wrong with you, you little bastard? Every time we knock on your door, there's no answer. You made Little Wolf Head wait outside forever! Now get out of the way and have the little beauty in your courtyard come greet us!"

As the sharp-faced man hurled insults at him, Luo Yi thought of how his younger sister was studying at White Ape Martial Hall, where she was safe. And with his current strength, he had nothing to fear from the gang of thugs before him.

Seeing that the man in the doorway looked a little dazed, the sharp-faced man was about to keep cursing when—

"Smack!"

Worried that his strength had grown too great and that he might kill the man with one slap, bringing a lawsuit down on himself, Luo Yi used only one-tenth of his strength. The sharp-faced man flew five or six meters before crashing heavily to the ground. Blood poured from his mouth, nostrils, ears, and eyes, and he passed out on the spot.

After teaching the foul-mouthed thug a lesson, Luo Yi looked at the gang's leader, Little Wolf Head, and said with a smile, "Little Wolf Head, some stray dog showed up at my door. His mouth was filthy, and that sort of thing is bound to get him into trouble sooner or later. I just helped you teach him some manners in advance. You're not angry, are you?"

Seeing his subordinate slapped flying, Little Wolf Head's face darkened at once. He was about to test the young man's strength when—

Hearing Luo Yi's question and seeing the young man standing there without a trace of fear, Little Wolf Head had no idea what he was dealing with. He hesitated for a long time before finally saying:

"Fine. You're something, kid. You dare look down on the Green Wolf Gang? I hope you're still this tough when our gang leader or deputy leader comes around next time."

After making his threat, Little Wolf Head waved his hand and told his men to carry off the half-dead man.

They walked a few steps, but the bitterness in his chest wouldn't ease. As if struck by an idea, Little Wolf Head suddenly stopped and looked back at Luo Yi.

"Kid, you and that little beauty in your courtyard had better not go out alone for a while. Otherwise, if we run into you..." He left the rest unsaid. "Ha, ha, ha!"

Little Wolf Head and his men laughed lewdly as they walked deeper into the alley.

"You're asking for death!" Hearing that these people had set their sights on Xiao Xi—

Luo Yi thought of the terrible consequences if Xiao Xi happened to run into them on her way back from the Martial Arts Hall.

A cold glint flashed in his eyes. He hurried back into the courtyard, grabbed the Dao from the stone table, and took off after them.

Luo Yi soon caught up with the gang of thugs. Seeing people appear now and then around the alley, he didn't strike right away. He followed carefully behind them, planning to find out where they lived and deal with them later.

Little Wolf Head led his men ahead, completely unaware that Luo Yi was following them.

After they had walked for a while, one of the thugs said to Little Wolf Head, "Little Wolf Head! Monkey's our good brother. Someone slapped him into this state—we can't let this go!"

Seeing one of them speak up, the other thugs quickly chimed in. "That guy dared to hurt one of our Green Wolf Gang brothers right in front of Little Wolf Head. He showed you no respect at all!"

"Enough! I'll handle this myself." Little Wolf Head was already in a foul mood. Hearing his men complain nonstop, he shouted at them.

The men saw that their boss was truly angry and hurriedly shut their mouths.

The group wandered around the alleys before finally reaching a secluded lane. Little Wolf Head studied the area, made sure no one was following them, then turned to his men.

"You lot, take Monkey home first. Then go near that kid's place and find out everything you can about his background."

"I want to know exactly who he is, daring to look down on the Green Wolf Gang."

"Yes, boss!" The group of thugs carried the sharp-faced man away.

After watching Little Wolf Head enter the courtyard at the end of the alley alone, Luo Yi memorized its location.

Not knowing the Green Wolf Gang's strongest fighter's realm, he was wary of killing Little Wolf Head rashly. What if some Old Wolf Head showed up afterward? It would be a real nuisance. Luo Yi planned to learn the gang's true strength before wiping them all out.

Having settled on a plan, Luo Yi worried someone might discover him, so he didn't linger in the alley.

He turned and went to the largest apothecary in the South District market, Huang's Apothecary. Following the recipe from Introduction to Poisons, he bought various herbs, planning to take them home and make poison powder as a precaution.

Since he was already at the market, Luo Yi checked the Panel. The Mantis Skin Refining Technique needed only a dozen or so more progress points to reach perfection. He was about to complete it, and the manual would be of little use to him afterward.

So he stopped by Wucang Pavilion and exchanged the Mantis Skin Refining Technique manual and ten taels of silver for another Skin Refining Realm Cultivation Technique: the Iron Head Skin Refining Technique.

With his purpose accomplished, Luo Yi declined Hongyu's invitation once again and headed straight home.

Back home, he placed the Iron Head Skin Refining Technique manual on the stone table. He didn't rush to practice it, deciding instead to strike while the iron was hot and perfect the Mantis Skin Refining Technique first.

"Strength. Strength. Strength." To survive in this world where the weak were prey for the strong, to be a Superman and do whatever he pleased, he had to possess enough strength.

Every time he finished all the moves and saw the Panel's progress increase by one point, Luo Yi felt a surge of excitement. The feeling that he could become stronger simply by working hard was truly intoxicating.

"Thump, thump, thump!" Sonic booms kept bursting through the air. As he finished the final leg technique, a prompt appeared on the Panel:

Mantis Skin Refining Technique (Perfected)

After bringing the Mantis Skin Refining Technique to perfection in three days, Luo Yi was once again astonished by his own diligence and martial talent!

He was just about to brag about his aptitude when a wave of scorching qi and blood exploded inside him.

It was like streams of boiling magma gushing from his heart and gradually spreading to the surface of his skin.

As the heat kept flowing in and out of his skin, the needle pricks and ant bites he had felt during previous breakthroughs returned.

He had lost count of how many times he had endured this. Little by little, Luo Yi had grown used to the feeling.