For a moment, the cramped bedroom was awash in radiant light. Glazed, multicolored clouds appeared out of thin air, then vanished in the blink of an eye, sinking beneath Luo Bin's skin into his bones and sinews, where they surged and shifted.
"Ah—"
After confirming that he would upgrade the Primordial Stance to the Pure Yang Hundred-Forging Technique, Luo Bin felt a piercing pain rampage through his limbs and bones, beyond the strange sights that no one inside or outside the room could perceive. The visions sank into his body as if reshaping his bones and sinews...
His mind was awash not only with pain, but also with an indescribable pleasure...
A short while later, Luo Bin felt much lighter on his feet. Even his mind seemed clearer and more nimble than before.
"Is this... one of the benefits of modifying the technique?"
Luo Bin's bones cracked and popped. His muscles, tempered to be as hard as metal in the late Golden Skin stage, now seemed to be forged by the Samadhi True Fire. Every inch of fiber was repeatedly washed by Pure Yang Qi and Blood, torn apart, and then regenerated.
Beneath his skin, his blood surged, and pale golden qi and blood seemed ready to burst out of his body...
Luo Bin was quietly delighted. He'd made the right gamble this time. The foundation of the stance method remained intact, so its compatibility with the "strange technique" he'd eventually obtain had not changed in the slightest. But the meridians' internal routes for circulating energy and the method of tempering qi and blood had undergone a fundamental change.
It was no longer gentle nourishment, but fierce, powerful forging.
"Phew—"
He let out a long breath of turbid air, feeling as though his body were a piece of iron heated red-hot and being hammered into shape. His sinews, bones, skin, and membranes gradually grew tougher, following a steady upward curve...
Luo Bin sensed that the Primordial Stance already contained a trace of pure yang attribute... The Pure Yang Hundred-Forging Technique had expanded that trace until it was as thick as an arm. If he encountered Strange Specters again, it would likely counter them even more effectively!
[Realm: Golden Skin Pass—Complete]
[Modification Points: 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 a technique is modified, does the old version's progress carry over to the new one?
"And my realm's reached Golden Skin Pass—Complete..."
Bare-chested, Luo Bin relished the exhilarating surge of power as he headed for the bathhouse in Qufang Garden...
In the distance, Chuntao was carrying his clothes. When she caught sight of Luo Bin almost naked, she immediately hid around a corner and covered her flushed lips. "Young Master Luo... he's gotten even more muscular..."
As she spoke, her legs tightened beneath her skirt, and her knees rubbed together.
Smack!
"What are you looking at, skulking around here?" Xiahe was shy and spoke in a voice as soft as a mosquito's buzz, but she still startled Chuntao. The trace of longing that had surfaced in Chuntao's heart immediately retreated deep inside.
"N-nothing."
The next morning, a gentle breeze stirred.
The consequences of Chen Jing's debauched behavior and the honey trap had been too damaging, so Chen Tianren decided to confine him for a month. He said that, for the time being, Chen Jing could come to Qufang Garden and learn martial arts from Jiang Ling, as well as cultivate his character.
Besides maintaining the family business's respectable appearance, Chen Tianren was secretly recruiting men, offering generous pay to hire Martial Masters.
The consequences of the Pei Family's old Daoist using Spirit Binding and General Commanding... had made Chen Tianren realize deeply that martial arts were the foundation for survival in chaotic times. Chen Manqing's situation had left him in a complete bind, and a bounty had even been posted among the three religions and nine schools of Ping City.
All to find that old Daoist from the Pei Family...
Luo Bin kept silent about it. He had no intention of helping that foul woman, Chen Manqing, and Chen Tianren understood. After all, his daughter's "little fairy" remarks had already reached Luo Bin's ears, so a rift between them was unavoidable.
Qufang Garden.
Luo Bin had perfectly inherited the first two layers of the Pure Yang Hundred-Forging Technique. He was still getting used to the third, but when he circulated his qi and blood, a problem arose that he couldn't ignore.
Although he had inherited every bit of experience and know-how from the modified technique, and could put it to immediate use as if it were an extension of his own body, mastering it was still somewhat difficult.
After practicing in the courtyard for a while, Luo Bin summoned Hu Junzhi and asked, "Where do Martial Masters usually gather in Ping City?"
"Brother Luo, are you looking for someone to spar with?"
Hu Junzhi recalled the "painful days" when Luo Bin had dragged him and Zhang Huai in as sparring partners during his last seclusion. They'd taken a beating every day, their muscles and bones aching terribly, but at least the Chen Family had prepared medicinal baths to help them recover...
So now, both of them had broken through to the middle stage of Golden Skin.
Even so, if Luo Bin wanted him to be a punching bag again, no way!
"That's right. I've reached Golden Skin Complete, and I need to master my strength quickly and hone my combat skills..."
Hu Junzhi had just breathed a sigh of relief at having escaped Luo Bin's clutches. Now, hearing him say so casually that he'd reached Golden Skin Complete, he was too stunned to speak.
What kind of freakish genius was this? He hadn't even been practicing martial arts for a month!
"Brother Luo really is a natural-born genius... If you're looking to spar, though, there's a place that should meet your needs..."
Luo Bin asked curiously, "Where?"
"Zhenyuan Escort Agency. The escorts there are all capable Martial Masters. You know how dangerous escort work is these days. If an escort doesn't have a trump card to rely on, they'll probably 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 and get those two sets of Water Ghoul Soft Armor. We can take the opportunity to thank that leading actress, Su Yunong, too."
"Sure!"
Hu Junzhi had recently been serving as Luo Bin's driver. Chen Tianren had picked an idle car from the parking lot at the Chen Residence for Luo Bin to get around in, and Luo Bin was deeply grateful.
Now he truly looked like a young nobleman from the Republic of China era.
Qunyu Garden was bustling. Singers performed and actors put on shows. All sorts of people put on airs and spent silver dollars, going through no end of trouble, all for the chance to catch a glimpse of some top leading actress. If they were lucky and had something to offer, maybe they could even enjoy a little more.
Green Field Cafe was where Luo Bin and Su Yunong had met last time. With noon approaching, there weren't many customers inside.
Su Yunong sat by the window in a dark red brocade qipao, her arms bare as she enjoyed the cool breeze. She held a round fan and kept glancing hopefully outside.
Sunlight spilled in from the side, illuminating her full, voluptuous figure, round and lush. She still had that hourglass shape, but unlike Wen Li, who was cold on the outside and sweet within, Su Yunong was alluring on the outside and cold within.
A car gleaming jet-black rolled slowly toward the cafe and came to a gentle stop beneath its covered walkway.
The driver hurried out to open the door. First, a matte-black leather shoe emerged from the back seat. Then a striking young man in a light brown pinstriped suit stepped out and straightened up, the muscles across his shoulders and back subtly bulging as if ready to burst through his suit.
Such a stylish figure was a rare sight in Ping City...
The moment he stepped out, he drew the attention of the "fake socialites" who had come to Qunyu Garden to watch the shows.
"Miss Su, I've come to pick up the things."
Luo Bin raised his wrist and checked the time. He still had a few minutes before their agreed meeting time, so he wasn't late. Seeing Su Yunong sitting by the window and looking out, he waved to greet her.
Nearby, the owner of a roasted-sweet-potato stall exclaimed to the fruit seller beside him, "Since when did a young master this dashing show up in Ping City?"
"Dunno... but I think I've seen him somewhere."
Just then, a young man came over to buy a roasted sweet potato. He turned and saw Su Yunong by the window, radiating charm, and was instantly spellbound.
"Miss Su is at Green Field Cafe!"
The sweet-potato seller asked, "Who's Miss Su?"
"Heh, you don't even know Miss Su? She's the daughter of a big shot at the Tianhai Chamber of Commerce. I hear opera's just her hobby. She came to Ping City just to experience the culture and customs of this former stronghold of the previous dynasty.
"And to polish her opera skills, that's all."
"Hmph, you dishonest shopkeeper! Charging a silver corner for one roasted sweet potato would've been bad enough, but you don't even know who Miss Su is? I'm not eating this. Give me my money back!" The young man flung the sweet potato into the stall owner's arms.
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