The Difficulty (Please Keep Reading)

Li Yuan carried the tiger's carcass straight back to Blue Stone Village. He went directly to Li Zhi's house, then to Chicken Brother's father Chen Quan's home, and called them over to help him process it.

They skinned it, stripped the meat from the bones, and divided it up. The few of them worked for half the day.

In the middle of it, he asked Li Zhi and the others if they wanted to move to the county town, but they all refused, saying they weren't used to living there.

Seeing that, Li Yuan could only nod and give Li Zhi some silver.

He also gave dozens of pounds of the leftover tiger meat to his uncle and Chen Quan. Even then, more than half remained, and he planned to keep it for himself.

He wasn't short on money right now, so there was no need to sell it. He could just keep it and eat it little by little.

Though this tiger meat wasn't nearly as nourishing as the Black-Striped Tiger meat from before, there was plenty of it. Dried, it would last him a good while.

After finishing with the tiger, Li Yuan built a fire and grilled several pounds of fresh tiger meat.

The chunks sizzled, fat dripped down, and the aroma filled the air.

Li Yuan sprinkled on some salt. Once it was crisp on the outside and tender within, he blew on it to cool it and took a big bite.

The meat was a little tough, with a faint gamey taste that lingered on his tongue.

"Not bad. It's edible, and that's what matters."

He picked up some chili powder from beside him and sprinkled it evenly over the meat.

There was nothing like wolfing down a big hunk of meat. Li Yuan hadn't enjoyed a meal like this in a long time.

He ate five or six pounds in one sitting before finally patting his belly, satisfied.

"It's fine for a change of pace, but it's nowhere near enough to replenish my qi and blood quickly."

Li Yuan knew full well that ordinary tiger meat and Black-Striped Tiger meat were worlds apart in their effects.

After resting for a while, Li Yuan remembered he still had something to do that day: move house.

With his strength and income both on the rise, it was no longer suitable for him to keep living in the filthy, chaotic Shanty Town, where he had little privacy.

He had his eye on a vacant little courtyard near the edge of the Inner City. Today was a good chance to go take a look.

The courtyard was in a decent location and had a wall around it. It was far better than the Shanty Town.

The landlord was a middle-aged man dressed in silk.

He sized Li Yuan up. Though young, Li Yuan stood tall and straight, with a calm gaze; he didn't look like an ordinary poor laborer. The landlord's tone was fairly courteous.

A landlord needed to know how to read people.

"This courtyard is private and quiet. The brickwork and roof tiles were all renovated last year," he explained. "The rent is three taels of silver a month."

Li Yuan walked around the courtyard, inside and out.

It wasn't very large, but there was enough room for him to practice his fists. There was one main room and a small side room. Though simply furnished, everything was clean and tidy.

"That'll do." Li Yuan nodded with satisfaction, then haggled with the landlord.

In the end, they settled on fifteen taels of silver for six months.

The landlord's smile grew broader after he received the money. He promptly wrote up a rental contract, and both men pressed their fingerprints to it.

After handing over the key, the landlord left.

Once he had settled the matter of moving, Li Yuan returned to his old place, packed up his belongings, and soon moved into the courtyard.

After settling in, Li Yuan's life fell back into its regular rhythm.

He spent most of every day honing his boxing and building up his qi and blood. Now and then, he went into the mountains to gather the medicinal herbs Su Wan needed.

Before he knew it, two months had passed.

During that time, he had finally mastered the Iron Arm Technique.

But he had also realized that the skills in his upper body had all gained a solid foundation.

His speed now came mostly from the strength and power of his qi and blood. He lacked leg techniques that could deal damage.

If he ran into an opponent with nimble footwork or one who excelled at keeping their distance, he might find himself on the back foot.

He couldn't go around carrying a bow all day, could he? And whether a heavy bow's arrows could pierce Stone Skin defenses still needed to be tested.

One afternoon, Li Yuan was in the back courtyard as usual, receiving personal instruction from Yang Chong.

Suddenly, Liu Yan rushed in, her face bright with joy.

"Master! Senior Brother... Senior Brother has recovered!" Liu Yan shouted, panting.

Yang Chong froze, his hands stopping mid-motion. "Recovered? What do you mean, recovered?!"

"Senior Brother's injuries have healed! His... his qi and blood have recovered. Go see for yourself—he's in the front courtyard right now," Liu Yan explained.

Yang Chong seemed unable to believe his ears. "Really?! You mean Cao Chuan has... recovered to the Iron Skin Realm?"

After Liu Yan nodded emphatically, Yang Chong could no longer contain himself. He moved at once and hurried to the front courtyard.

Li Yuan and Liu Yan exchanged a glance, then followed.

Quite a few disciples had gathered in the front courtyard, all looking at Cao Chuan.

In the middle of the crowd, Cao Chuan's face was still a little pale, but his eyes seemed clearer than before.

Yang Chong had one hand on Cao Chuan's shoulder, his eyes closed as he focused on sensing the state of his qi and blood.

A moment later, Yang Chong opened his eyes and cried out delightedly, "Good! Good! Your foundation's still there, Chuan'er. You really have recovered!"

He clapped Cao Chuan hard on the shoulder, his face alight with emotion. "I knew there was always a way through! Focus on consolidating your strength, and given time, you'll surely return to your peak!"

His gaze swept slowly across the onlookers.

Some of the disciples looked at him with reverence.

Liu Yan and Zhao Qin wore heartfelt smiles.

Lin Mingsheng gave him a warm smile and nodded gently.

Li Yuan stood at the very back, his expression calm as he quietly watched.

At last, Cao Chuan looked back at Yang Chong. He drew a deep breath and said evenly,

"Teacher, I'm sorry. After the Inner City tournament, I... realized a lot of things."

"It's all right. What matters is that you're back," Yang Chong reassured him.

Cao Chuan's return breathed new life into the Five Animals Academy.

His injuries had healed, and his qi and blood began gradually recovering to their former level.

Hope blazed anew in Yang Chong's eyes. From that day onward, he returned to his old ways.

His attention was no longer focused entirely on Li Yuan. Sometimes he went out for a whole day, no one knowing where.

Still, there was one good thing: Yang Chong never missed his monthly allowance of Black Paste.

Li Yuan took it in stride. What he needed most now was a steady stretch of time to build up his strength.

With his techniques, as long as he kept training methodically, breaking through was only a matter of time.

Whether his master taught him or not made some difference, but not a great deal.

In the days that followed, Li Yuan kept to his usual routine.

He hunted, gathered herbs, and ventured deep into the mountains to seek out fierce beasts and fight them, honing his boxing and tempering his will.

He grew more and more familiar with the terrain around Wuxi County.

From time to time, he ran into bandits and outlaws who had made their dens in the wilderness.

They were all fairly weak, probably relying on their numbers to occasionally waylay travelers and rob them.

Li Yuan dealt with them a few times, killing several, but found they had hardly anything worth taking.

The best of them was at the Stone Skin Realm, just like him. Even after Li Yuan stripped him of everything, he barely got ten taels of silver—not enough to buy even a pound of meat.

Li Yuan shook his head. It seemed getting rich this way wasn't very realistic.

Just like that, another two months passed.

Li Yuan's Bear Form Fist was drawing closer and closer to mastery, and his qi and blood had steadily increased over the past few months.

But Lin Mingsheng, who was usually quiet and unassuming, had actually mastered both the Ape Form Fist and Deer Form Fist. His Crane Form Fist was also on the verge of mastery.

If all three forms reached mastery and his qi and blood built up enough, Lin Mingsheng would be qualified to attempt the Iron Skin Realm.

His rate of progress was even a little faster than Li Yuan's, despite Li Yuan having a technique panel.

Li Yuan couldn't help but marvel. He really couldn't underestimate anyone; talent and hard work were never in short supply.

At the same time, Li Yuan had noticed a problem.

This technique could strengthen the defense and power of his arms, but it took an enormous amount of time to train. He had to repeatedly strike his arms and soak them in medicinal baths.

Although it was easier to learn than the Five Animals Fist, it consumed even more time.

More importantly, it also slowed his progress in other techniques.

So he decided to set the Iron Arm Technique aside for now, focus on mastering the three forms and breaking through to the Iron Skin Realm, then return to the Iron Arm Technique once he had reached the Iron Skin Realm.