Hardening Technique Acquired, 10 Proficiency Needed Before Entry? Renamed

Silence!

A deathly, suffocating silence!!!

In the courtyard and beyond, those who witnessed the scene stood dumbfounded, their faces etched with shock and overwhelming terror.

Even Zhang Sheng was startled!

He knew exactly how troublesome Tong Roushan, who had tempered his entire body with the Iron-Clad Skill, truly was.

At the peak of the Blood-Tempering Realm, standing two meters tall and weighing seven hundred pounds, with immense strength and thick skin...

Every single attribute stacked together was enough to make any martial artist in the Blood-Tempering Realm feel despair.

Even an ordinary expert in the Blood-Coagulation Realm.

Would have to expend a great deal of effort.

Just to defeat Tong Roushan.

As for killing him... that was essentially impossible!

That was why his intention had been to force him back, not to kill him.

But who could have known...

Zhang Sheng thought back to the kick Shi Wen had used to explode Tong Roushan's head, and recalled how he had nearly died to that same kick the previous night.

A cold sweat broke out across his back!!

If he hadn't dodged in time last night, wouldn't he have been kicked into a pulp as well?

Hiss!!!

The prowess this guy displayed tonight was significantly fiercer than what he had shown last night.

If the opponent had unleashed such brutal methods last night, he wouldn't have even lasted a few rounds before being blown apart, would he?

Thinking of Tong Roushan, who weighed nearly seven hundred pounds and had mastered the Iron-Clad Skill.

Being beaten to a pulp by this man.

Zhang Sheng's hair stood on end, and he felt more and more that befriending this person was a wise choice.

Meanwhile, Shi Wen's chest heaved violently from the intense exertion, his breathing sounding like that of a wild beast.

His own heart was heavy.

Another person I've never heard of has pushed me to this point; just how many hidden powerhouses exist in this vast Black Cloud County?

If my Iron Whip Leg hadn't broken through to the minor completion stage, and if my blood energy hadn't grown stronger, I probably would have had to run for my life tonight. To think his full-body iron-clad defense was so strong—taking so many of my Heart-Piercing Elbows and Prop Punches without dying is truly absurd!

It's a good thing Penetrating Momentum saved me!

Without the trait of Penetrating Momentum, I never would have been able to break through Tong Roushan's defenses.

I must cultivate my basic skills to the major completion or even the perfection stage as soon as possible.

In these chaotic times, only increasing one's strength is the foundation of everything...

Shi Wen rapidly adjusted his breathing.

He allowed his boiling blood energy to gradually calm down.

He skillfully began to search Tong Roushan's body.

With a sharp tug, he ripped the waterproof cowhide pouch from the man's waist.

He took a rough glance, his eyes flashing with brilliance.

Money!!

A thick stack of silver banknotes!!!

This guy had several times more money on him than Chen Shuisheng!

Besides that, there were a few small porcelain vials; he didn't know what was inside.

But since they were carried on his person, they certainly wouldn't be anything ordinary.

Shi Wen's breathing steadied, and he glanced at the dazed Zhang Sheng. "What are you standing there for? If you don't settle accounts now, when do you plan to do it?"

Zhang Sheng snapped out of his trance and looked around.

Clatter, clatter...

Those Robbery Gang thugs holding wooden clubs and short blades threw their weapons to the ground one after another, kneeling in surrender.

As for Zhou Gaoyi, he was scared witless.

The moment his eyes met Shi Wen's, his legs trembled, and he actually wet himself!!

"Damn traitor!"

Zhang Sheng's fury burned, and he ordered his men to seize Zhou Gaoyi. He personally took a blade and stabbed Zhou Gaoyi several times in the stomach, shouting to the crowd, "From this day forward, anyone who dares to betray me will meet this same end!"

"Damn it, he's pissed me off to no end."

"Someone, sever his heel tendons, then toss him out!"

Zhang Sheng roared, and a man immediately stepped forward with a blade to slice through the heel tendons of Zhou Gaoyi before hoisting him up to carry him outside.

"Wait..."

Shi Wen suddenly called out to stop him, "Is that all?"

"Yes, is there something else that needs doing?"

Zhang Sheng was stunned. Shi Wen said nothing more, walking over directly to grab Zhou Gaoyi by the neck. With a crisp crack, he crushed the cervical vertebrae, leaving only a layer of skin attached to the head. "Drag him off and bury him!"

Everyone present felt their hair stand on end.

The crowd was gripped by a numbing terror toward this mysterious masked man!

First he killed Tong Roushan, then Zhou Gaoyi. He hadn't killed many, but this utter disregard for life caused them a visceral, bone-chilling discomfort.

This man was simply too brutal!!

Even Zhang Sheng's gaze shifted.

He had thought he'd brought in a hungry wolf, but he hadn't expected a ferocious tiger!

"Handle the aftermath yourself; don't make me worry about it. Since you've chosen this path, don't be soft-hearted."

"If you don't know how to do it, hand it over to your subordinates; they have the experience."

"Yes." Zhang Sheng's eyes were complex.

Shi Wen wiped the blood from his hands and said calmly, "How many usable men does the Robbery Gang have now? Bring them all over for me to see."

"Understood!"

Zhang Sheng hurried off to reorganize and assemble the men at the Robbery Gang headquarters.

Shi Wen sat on a stone bench in the courtyard.

He chewed on dried meat and drank water to replenish his strength, his eyes studying the parchment on the table.

The content recorded on the parchment was far more detailed than martial arts like the Iron Whip Leg.

Not only did it contain detailed diagrams of figures practicing the techniques, but it also included secret methods for tempering and medicinal baths, making it extremely comprehensive.

This skill was not called the Iron-Clad Skill, but rather the Taibao Hard Qigong!

In the initial stages, one used soft cloth to bind the chest and back, sleeping on hard wooden boards to temper the tendons and bones.

Daily, one had to use wooden bricks, kiln bricks, and iron bricks in conjunction with internal breathing techniques to strike the chest, abdomen, back, and limbs in a specific order. During practice, one stood in the Iron Stake Hunyuan stance, using breathing techniques to regulate internal energy, thereby cultivating a sense of qi. By coordinating muscle tension and mental guidance, this energy was directed to specific parts of the body.

The methods for channeling and exhaling qi also followed a specific rhythm.

Before and after practice, one had to apply medicinal wine to the entire body, followed by a soak in a medicinal bath!

Once one reached a profound level.

A current of energy would surge within the body; this was internal qi.

It allowed a flesh-and-blood body to possess extreme resistance to impact.

As one progressed further.

The training advanced to using wooden and iron rods to beat the body.

Coordinated with internal breathing and the Iron Stake Hunyuan stance for tempering.

This raised the density of the skin, flesh, and bones throughout the body to a certain strength.

When utilizing the internal breathing technique, the entire surface of the body became indestructible, as if protected by a suit of iron armor!

Ordinary external forces would find it difficult to injure a martial artist who had mastered the Taibao Hard Qigong.

Beyond this, the set of techniques contained five specific moves.

The first move was called Iron Stake Hunyuan.

It involved sinking one's qi into the dantian, with both legs standing firm upon the earth, immovable!

No matter how external forces from all directions struck, it was difficult to knock the practitioner down.

The second move was called Iron Armor Body Protection.

By channeling sufficient qi and blood to a specific part of the body, that area of skin and flesh would become as indestructible as cast iron, impervious to blades and spears!

The third move was called Embracing the Moon.

This move was extremely fierce. With arms held as if embracing the moon, the practitioner's blood and qi would erupt upon closing them. The arms would snap shut like iron pincers; even a tiger would be crushed on the spot!

The fourth move was called Taibao Glaring Eyes.

Regardless of the type of martial artist, the face was generally a defensive weakness and a vital point.

This move allowed the head to become as hard as cast iron or stone, serving to deflect incoming strikes!

The fifth move was called Taibao Shaking Mountain!

It focused on channeling the entirety of one's qi, blood, and physical strength into a single palm strike. The momentum of that palm could erupt with the force to shake mountains, emphasizing fighting violence with violence and a desperate, all-or-nothing resolve!

"What a profound Taibao Hard Qigong!"

"Beyond the methods for tempering the entire body, there is actually an internal breath technique to strengthen one's inner energy. No wonder that after I traded so many blows with Tong Roushan, landing strikes squarely on him, he remained as unaffected as if nothing had happened."

"So, aside from his thick skin and flesh and the protection of his blood-qi, that internal breath of his is endless, making his whole body a seamless, unified whole. No matter how much external force is applied, it is dispersed across his entire frame, diluting the impact."

"Only by scattering this internal breath can I inflict any real damage upon him!"

"Although Tong Roushan is clumsy, if I hadn't possessed the Penetrating Momentum trait, I fear the one beaten to death today would have been me."

"I wonder who this hard qigong is related to? And is there any subsequent method of cultivation?"

"What exactly is Tong Roushan's background?"

Shi Wen suppressed the doubts in his heart.

His gaze swept rapidly across the parchment, reading it through in its entirety.

[Extreme Seal]

[Baji Fist Introductory Foundation: Minor Accomplishment (28/100), Trait: Penetrating Momentum]

[Iron Whip Leg: Minor Accomplishment (2/80)]

[Iron Claw Skill: Introductory (1/40)]

[Taibao Hard Qigong: Not Yet Initiated (0/10)]

[Evolution Branch 1: Contaminated Fortune Meat (-7.9h)]

"It takes 10 repetitions to initiate Taibao Hard Qigong?"

Shi Wen was stunned, a surge of joy welling up within him.

The level and strength of a martial art can be discerned from the proficiency displayed by the Extreme Seal.

For instance, Baji Fist Introductory Foundation requires 50 repetitions to progress from initiation to minor accomplishment, while Iron Whip Leg only requires 30. By comparison, the former is indeed stronger and the martial art more complete.

Yet, for this Taibao Hard Qigong to reach the introductory level, it actually requires 10 points of proficiency.

One can only imagine how powerful a boost it could provide if he were to train it to perfection!

Perhaps he wouldn't even need to reach perfection.

If he could train Taibao Hard Qigong to minor accomplishment, he would see immediate results!

"Day has broken."

Shi Wen tucked the parchment away.

He exhaled a long, turbid breath, feeling slightly weary.

In the distance, the golden sun tore through the night, morning light spilling over the earth as dew fell and the clamor of the market streets surged in like a tide.

He had not slept all night.

Having also gone through a tense, life-or-death battle.

The current relaxation brought with it a sense of exhaustion.

"Big Brother, the men have been brought here!"

Just then, Zhang Sheng hurried over with several dozen sturdy men in tow.

This was clearly evident.

The group consisted of people who had practiced martial arts.

Whether by their physique or their gait, they clearly possessed the stance of those who had trained; they were robust and powerful, or possessed fierce builds.

Shi Wen watched this group of people.

His fingers tapped against the stone table as he suddenly said, "The name Robbery Gang sounds too unpleasant. From now on, change the name to Harmony and Prosperity Union."