Qin Ming (Please Follow Along)

That day, at the Zhao Family's training ground.

Li Yuan and Zhao Qin stood facing each other.

He was thrashed by Yang Chong every day, so he had no clear idea how good he was now.

Now was the perfect chance to see where he stood within the Stone Skin Realm.

They clasped their fists to each other, then took up their stances.

"Junior Brother, watch out!" Zhao Qin called in a low voice, launching the first attack.

He, too, specialized in Bear Form and Tiger Form. With steady steps, he chopped a palm straight toward Li Yuan's chest.

Li Yuan slid diagonally backward, reaching for Zhao Qin's wrist at the same time, trying to deflect the force.

Zhao Qin seemed to have anticipated that. Halfway through the chop, he changed his move, turning his palm into a claw that clamped toward Li Yuan's arm, while his other hand drove a bear-like shoulder strike toward Li Yuan's ribs.

Li Yuan reacted swiftly, letting his arm sink with the motion and bending his elbow to draw it in. He barely evaded the claw.

At the same time, he drove off the ground and twisted sideways, taking Zhao Qin's shoulder strike on his own shoulder and back.

"Thud!"

The dull impact sent Li Yuan stumbling two steps, but he immediately steadied himself.

Instead, he twisted at the waist and channeled the force into a Tiger Roar Fist, driving it straight toward Zhao Qin's centerline with a fierce punch.

Zhao Qin crossed his arms before his chest and took the blow head-on.

"Thump, thump!"

Zhao Qin was also jolted half a step back, his arms tingling slightly.

A flicker of surprise crossed his eyes. He hadn't expected Li Yuan's technique to be so polished.

He exhaled sharply and stopped holding back, unleashing Bear Form Fist at the Great Accomplishment stage.

His fists came like a violent storm, paired with Tiger Form Fist, which was nearing Great Accomplishment. The pressure on Li Yuan mounted.

The two traded blows across the training ground. The sounds of fists and feet colliding rang out as their figures crossed and recrossed, drawing several Zhao Family guards nearby to stop and watch, murmuring among themselves.

Some time later.

"You let me win, Junior Brother." Zhao Qin lowered his stance and exhaled.

Li Yuan gave a wry smile. "You're impressive, Senior Brother. I still lost."

He hadn't deliberately thrown the match. Even giving it his all, he was indeed still weaker than Zhao Qin.

At that, Zhao Qin could only laugh heartily, though there was bitterness in his heart that he couldn't voice.

Every one of Li Yuan's moves was exceptionally smooth. If he could use a little less force, he never wasted more.

His defense was steady, and his counterattacks were fierce and precise. Zhao Qin hadn't won easily, and he had spent far more energy than he'd expected.

"Senior Brother, how would you rate my strength in the Stone Skin Realm now?" Li Yuan asked, rinsing his hands in a basin nearby.

Zhao Qin thought it over before answering. "Overall, I'd say you're above average."

"You don't need to worry too much. Just keep building your qi and blood and honing your fists.

"You're still young. As long as you take steady steps and progress in order, you have a very good chance of breaking through to Iron Skin."

He paused, his voice tinged with feeling. "A lot of people, myself included, finally manage to build up enough qi and blood, only to find themselves nearing thirty.

"After thirty, qi and blood naturally start to decline. If your first attempt at breaking through the bottleneck fails, you grow anxious. The more anxious you become, the harder success is. And so it goes, in a vicious cycle, until breaking through becomes harder and harder."

He looked at Li Yuan, his expression grave. "And, Junior Brother, you should know that even among prodigies, there are different levels.

"At last year's Inner City tournament, I faced a genius from a prominent family who was two years younger than you, yet had already broken through to Stone Skin. His Breeze Sword Art was so masterful it seemed to defy nature."

Li Yuan was curious. "Did you win?"

"I gave it everything I had, and still lost. I was twenty-five at the time, while he was only around fifteen..."

Zhao Qin shook his head, a trace of helplessness on his face.

"A fifteen-year-old in the Stone Skin Realm?" Li Yuan was astonished.

Zhao Qin sighed. "They never lack food. They're nourished by all kinds of medicinal meals, and elders in the Bone Forging Realm personally guide them from time to time.

"Standing in a wind like that, even a pig could take flight, let alone someone with a decent talent to begin with."

"I'm telling you this not to discourage you, but to remind you that there's always someone stronger, and there's always a higher sky.

"I've been in the Stone Skin Realm for over four years, and your Senior Sister Liu Yan has been there for nearly three.

"Cao Chuan had better talent and broke through in two and a half years, but he still spent four years grinding away in the Iron Skin Realm.

"And going from Iron Skin to Bone Forging is another huge hurdle. You have to refine your qi and blood and transform it into force. It's defeated who knows how many people."

He patted Li Yuan on the shoulder. "So, in my view, stepping into the Iron Skin Realm before thirty is already quite an accomplishment.

"As for the Bone Forging Realm... even the prodigies from prominent families, with no shortage of resources, wouldn't dare boast that they could break through before thirty. You're still young, and you have a long road ahead. Keeping your feet on the ground is what matters most."

Li Yuan nodded silently, keeping his Senior Brother's words in mind.

In the blink of an eye, another half-month passed.

That day, Li Yuan changed into clean, neat clothes and tidied himself up before a basin of water.

Zhao Qin had made arrangements for the two of them, and they had agreed to meet in the Inner City that afternoon.

It was about time to leave.

Just as he was about to step outside, hurried footsteps and a shout sounded from beyond the door. "Brother Li! Brother Li! Something's wrong!"

A young man in a gray tunic came rushing to the entrance, panting. He was a low-ranking member of the Grey Rat Gang, the small gang where Li Yuan held an honorary position.

"What's going on? Why are you in such a panic?" Li Yuan furrowed his brow.

"Brother Li, it's the Transport Gang! They suddenly came to two shops in our territory today to collect protection fees, and they raised the price by thirty percent!

"Our men argued with them, but it looks like they're about to start fighting.

"Gang Leader Wang told me to hurry and ask you to come over and back us up!" the young man said quickly.

It had to happen now, of all times.

If he hurried over to the gang, he'd surely be late for the Inner City.

And Huang Wei... he'd arranged to meet her ahead of time. If he didn't show up...

But the Grey Rat Gang paid him a monthly stipend. It wasn't much, but it was a steady source of income.

They usually got along fine, but now that something had happened, it would be unreasonable to stay away when he held an honorary position there. Even if his reputation in the business wasn't ruined, it probably wouldn't be very good afterward.

After hesitating for a moment, Li Yuan sighed inwardly and said, "Lead the way."

When Li Yuan arrived, the two sides were arguing furiously in front of a shop.

"This place has always been under the Grey Rat Gang's control!"

"Bullshit! This street should've belonged to the Transport Gang long ago!"

"Do you people have no sense of rules?"

"Fists make the rules!"

Gang Leader Wang Kui of the Grey Rat Gang had blood on his face and was being supported by two men.

A young member of the Grey Rat Gang lay on the ground, his chest caved in. He was already dead.

The Transport Gang had seven or eight men there. Their leader, a bald man named Liu San, was wiping blood from his fist.

"Won't pay? This is what happens! Wang Kui, I'll ask you one last time: are you paying or not?"

"Liu San! You bastard, you killed someone!" Wang Kui's eyes were bloodshot.

"So what if I did? If you're useless, don't take up space." Liu San spat on the ground.

Li Yuan's heart sank. Someone had died.

When the men saw Li Yuan arrive, Wang Kui's face lit up. He hurried over and explained the situation.

After hearing him out, Li Yuan didn't want to fight either. He looked at Liu San and said in a low voice:

"You've already killed one of our men. Now that I'm here, who this street belongs to is another matter.

"But you'll have to pay compensation for his life."

The Transport Gang held the upper hand, and its leader had spent many years as a veteran of the Iron Skin Realm. Li Yuan figured that as long as they could settle things peacefully, that would be enough.

Just then, a voice came from behind the Transport Gang's men. "Liu San, you can't even handle a little thing like this?"

The Grey Rat Gang could call for backup, and so could the Transport Gang.

The crowd parted, and a middle-aged man in a silk shirt, lean and wiry, strolled forward.

His gaze was sharp, and the joints in both his hands were thick. At a glance, it was clear that he was highly skilled in external martial arts.

This was Qin Ming, the Transport Gang's fourth leader and a veteran who had spent many years tempering himself in the Stone Skin Realm.

Li Yuan watched Qin Ming stroll forward, his heart sinking.

He knew this matter would be difficult to settle peacefully.

He had heard of this man: the Transport Gang's fourth leader, a veteran of many years in the Stone Skin Realm and a tough opponent. He wouldn't be easy to deal with.