Golden Muscle Perfection, Pure Yang Qi and Blood, Zhenyuan Escort Agency

For a moment, Luo Bin's cramped bedroom blazed with multicolored light, crystalline clouds appearing out of thin air before vanishing in an instant beneath his skin into his sinews and bones, churning and surging.

"Ah—"

After confirming that he had upgraded the "Primordial Stance" to the "Pure Yang Hundred-Forging Technique," aside from the subtle phenomena imperceptible to anyone outside the room, a searing pain ravaged every limb and joint. The strange phenomena sank into his body as if reforging his very bones and sinews...

His mind churned not only with agony but also with an indescribable pleasure...

After a short while, Luo Bin felt his body grow much lighter, and even his mind was clearer and sharper than before.

"Is this... some kind of bonus from modifying the technique?"

Every bone in Luo Bin's body crackled. His muscles, tempered to the hardness of metal and stone at the late Golden Skin stage, now seemed forged by "Samadhi True Fire." Every fiber was repeatedly scoured, torn, and regenerated by Pure Yang Qi and Blood.

Beneath his skin, blood vessels bulged, and faint golden qi and blood nearly burst forth...

Luo Bin rejoiced inwardly—he had gambled correctly this time. The foundation of the stance remained intact, and its compatibility with that future "extraordinary technique" was unchanged. However, the internal meridian pathways for qi circulation and the method of tempering qi and blood had undergone a fundamental transformation.

No longer gentle nurturing, but violent, majestic forging.

"Hoo—"

He exhaled a long breath of Turbid Qi, feeling his body like a piece of red-hot iron being hammered. His bones, sinews, and skin gradually grew tougher in a steady upward trend...

Luo Bin sensed that the Primordial Stance had always contained a trace of Pure Yang attribute... and the Pure Yang Hundred-Forging Technique had widened that trace to the thickness of an arm. If he encountered Strange Specters again, the restraining effect would be far stronger!

[Realm: Golden Skin Pass (Perfection)]

[Modification Value: 12→2]

[Techniques: Pure Yang Body-Forging Technique (Third Layer, 5/20), White Ape Through-Arm Fist (Second Layer, 2/6)]

"The layer count didn't drop. After the technique was modified, the old version's progress carried over to the new one.

And my realm has reached Golden Skin Pass Perfection..."

Luo Bin, bare-chested, savored the exhilarating surge of power as he headed toward the bathhouse in Qufang Garden...

In the distance, Chuntao, carrying clothes, caught sight of Luo Bin's nearly naked form and immediately ducked around a corner, covering her flushed lips: "Young Master Luo... he's gotten even buffer..."

As she spoke, her legs beneath her skirt pressed together, her knees rubbing against each other.

Smack!

"What are you looking at, skulking around here?" Xiahe was reserved, her voice soft as a mosquito's hum, but it still startled Chuntao, who quickly buried the fleeting romantic thought deep in her heart.

"N-nothing..."

The next morning, a gentle breeze blew.

Chen Jing's scandalous entanglement with a honey trap had caused such a terrible stir that Chen Tianren decided to ground him for a month, ordering him to come to Qufang Garden and learn martial arts from Jiang Ling to cultivate his character.

Beyond that, Chen Tianren not only maintained the family's business face but also secretly recruited Martial Masters at heavy expense.

The consequences of the Pei Family's old Daoist's [Spirit Binding and General Commanding]... had made Chen Tianren deeply realize that martial arts were the true foundation for survival in these chaotic times. Especially with Chen Manqing's troubles driving him to distraction—he had even posted a bounty across all levels of Ping City society.

All to find that old Daoist of the Pei Family...

Luo Bin kept silent on the matter. He had no desire to exert himself for that foul woman Chen Manqing, and Chen Tianren understood. After all, his daughter's "little fairy" remarks had already reached Luo Bin's ears; the rift was unavoidable.

Qufang Garden.

Luo Bin had perfectly inherited the first two layers of the Pure Yang Hundred-Forging Technique, while the third layer was still being integrated. However, when channeling his qi and blood, he encountered a problem he couldn't ignore.

Although the modified technique's experience and details had been fully absorbed by him, using it as naturally as an extension of his own arm still proved difficult.

After practicing in the courtyard for a while, Luo Bin called Hu Junzhi over and asked, "Where in Ping City do most Martial Masters gather?"

"Brother Luo wants to find someone to spar with?"

Hu Junzhi recalled the "painful days" when he and Zhang Huai had been dragged in as Luo Bin's sparring partners during his last seclusion. Every day, they took a beating, their muscles and bones aching unbearably, but at least the Chen Family prepared medicinal baths to aid recovery...

Thanks to that, the two of them had also broken through to the mid Golden Skin stage.

That said, there was no way he was volunteering to be a punching bag again!

"That's right. I've reached Golden Skin Perfection, and I need to quickly master my strength and hone my combat skills..."

Hu Junzhi, who had just been relieved at escaping that ordeal, was stunned speechless by Luo Bin's casual mention of "Golden Skin Perfection."

What kind of freak was this? It hadn't even been a month since he started martial arts!

"Brother Luo is truly a prodigy... But if you're looking for sparring, there's one place that might suit your needs..."

Luo Bin asked curiously, "Where?"

"The Zhenyuan Escort Agency. Those escort guards are all capable Martial Masters. After all, you know how dangerous it is to run escorts in this day and age. If a guard doesn't have a reliable specialty, they'd likely be torn apart by monsters or drained dry by Strange Entities halfway through the journey..."

Luo Bin nodded, then suddenly thought of something. "Let's go to Qunyu Garden first. I need to pick up those two sets of Water Ghoul Soft Armor, and take the opportunity to thank that opera actress Su Yunong."

"Alright!"

Hu Junzhi had recently been acting as Luo Bin's driver. Chen Tianren had picked one of the idle cars from the Chen Residence parking lot for Luo Bin's use, for which Luo Bin was deeply grateful.

Now he truly looked the part of a Republican-era young master.

Qunyu Garden was bustling with activity—singers, performers, all sorts of people putting on airs, spending silver dollars, and going through great trouble just for a glimpse of some top-tier opera actress's beauty. Those with luck or potential might even get a taste.

"Green Field Cafe" was where Luo Bin and Su Yunong had last met. As noon approached, there weren't many customers inside.

Su Yunong sat gracefully by the window, dressed in a dark red silk-embroidered qipao, her bare arms exposed to the cool breeze. She held a round fan in her hand, occasionally lifting her head to gaze expectantly out the window.

Bathed in the sunlight streaming from the side, her figure was voluptuous and full, round and smooth—still that hourglass silhouette. But unlike Wen Li's outer coldness hiding inner warmth, Su Yunong was the type who appeared alluring on the outside but was cold within.

In the distance, a car gleaming with black luster slowly approached and came to a halt under the eaves near Green Field Cafe.

The driver hurriedly got out to open the door. From the back seat, a matte black leather shoe first emerged, followed by a heroic young man in a light brown pinstriped suit. He straightened up, the faint bulging muscles of his shoulders and back nearly bursting through the fabric.

This kind of getup was truly rare in Ping City...

As soon as he stepped out, he drew the gazes of the "fake socialites" heading to Qunyu Garden for the opera.

"Miss Su, I've come to pick up what you have for me."

Luo Bin raised his hand to check his watch—still a few minutes before the agreed time, not late. Seeing Su Yunong looking out the window, he waved in greeting.

Not far away, the roasted sweet potato vendor exclaimed in amazement to the fruit seller beside him: "When did such a dashing young gentleman come to our Ping City?"

"No idea... but he looks kind of familiar."

Just then, a young man came to buy a roasted sweet potato. Turning his head, he caught sight of the enchanting Su Yunong by the window and was momentarily stunned:

"Miss Su is actually at Green Field Cafe!!"

The sweet potato vendor asked: "Who's Miss Su?"

"Ha, you don't even know Miss Su? She's the daughter of a tycoon from the Tianhai Chamber of Commerce. I hear opera is just her hobby—she came to Ping City only to experience the cultural customs of this former dynastic capital.

And to polish her opera skills on the side."

"Hmph, you unscrupulous vendor, charging a silver coin for a roasted sweet potato is bad enough, but not even knowing Miss Su? I'm not buying anymore—give me my money back!" The young man flung the sweet potato back into the vendor's arms.