Methods for Tempering the Spirit? An Unseeable Existence, Iron Claw Skill Minor Accomplishment, Taibao Heng Lian!

"Damn it!"

Shi Wen flipped the token face-down on the bed, gasping for air!

His first instinct was that he had been played!

The token was an inanimate object.

Yet for some reason, that intense visual impact made his heart hammer and his blood surge, as if he had caught sight of some terrifying entity!

Deep inside, an uncontrollable fear took root.

A mere token could never possess such an effect; the primary reason must be some unknown, mysterious power residing within it.

"Is this thing perhaps a product similar to the statue of the Supreme Saint Immortal Mother?"

"Does it also contain something akin to a 'Calamity'?"

Shi Wen took a deep breath, forcing his chaotic breathing back into a calm rhythm.

He reached out his left hand and gripped the metal token.

[Extremely faint, severely fragmented Calamity intent detected. Evolution branches available: 2]

[1. Extremely Fragmented Spirit Eye Mental Training Method: Temper the spirit through meditation and specific patterns to reach the point of spiritual metamorphosis! (5 years)]

[2. Fragmented Blood Eye Vision Mother God Delusional Calamity Crawling Mist Method: Observe the infinitely vast form and shell of an entity that falls infinitely within the unviewable void, stealing its origin power to nourish one's own spirit. This grants the power of an immortal spirit and mysterious rules, but there is a high probability of being noticed by the entity, dragged into the boundless Void Sea, and sinking forever or falling eternally into illusions, unable to escape! (5000 years)]

[...]

"As expected..."

Shi Wen took a deep breath, his face turning ashen as he flipped the token face-down on the bed again.

He had no desire to look at that token; the goat depicted on it seemed to come alive, as if it would devour him at any moment!

Although he knew this was impossible.

Yet the annoyance of inviting trouble made his state of mind uncontrollably turbulent.

Today, he had first inadvertently provoked that group of mysterious, fanatical Taoists who worshipped the Supreme Saint Immortal Mother, and now, he had unknowingly provoked a mysterious organization.

How could he not feel restless?

A sense of inexplicable oppression welled up in his heart.

"Damn it, I was set up by Zhang Sheng. That guy clearly said Tong Roushan only arrived in Black Cloud County half a year ago and was a retainer for several merchant guilds and gangs in the city. Yesterday, that traitor somehow made contact with Tong Roushan, which is how I lost the Robbery Gang."

"And it turns out this Tong Roushan is also from a mysterious organization?"

"Supreme... what kind of faction is this?"

Shi Wen's expression shifted, and he ultimately wrapped the token up with the Supreme Saint Immortal Mother statue, tucking them away in a corner.

If you have enough lice, you don't itch; if you have enough debt, you don't worry.

He only wanted to practice martial arts in peace and live as an ordinary person; he didn't want to be dragged into any storms. He hoped these people would just leave him alone!

"I need to train even harder!"

Shi Wen took a deep breath.

He went to the backyard to run through a few sets of basic exercises, gaining 3 points of proficiency.

Then, taking advantage of the darkening night, he headed toward Ghost Lane, changing his clothes along the way and putting on the Faceless Man mask once more.

The pale mask was still stained with dark red blood, appearing exceptionally ghastly under the night sky.

In Ghost Lane, several people were already waiting.

When the gang members saw the Faceless Man arrive, they hurried over to greet him.

"Go keep watch in the surrounding area. Don't worry about me; come back when I call for you!"

Shi Wen gave the order, and the group hurriedly dispersed.

Shi Wen then began to practice the Iron Claw Skill in the open space.

Every martial art has its unique merits. Practicing powerful martial arts does not mean one can look down on common ones; if the moves are seasoned and the insight is profound, they can kill just as effectively!

The Iron Claw Skill naturally had many redeeming qualities.

This martial art contained techniques for grabbing, seizing, locking, hooking, and tearing, strengthening the tendons and bones of the fingers, wrists, and arms, as well as explosive gripping power.

It could be used to quickly capture an enemy, or to kill in a single strike!

For instance, when he fought Tong Roushan earlier, the opponent's style was wide and sweeping with great momentum, and his own specialty, Baji Fist, was also a style of meeting force with force, making it difficult to gain an advantage in a head-on collision.

Conversely.

When he used the Iron Claw Skill, he clawed out the opponent's eyes.

This threw the opponent into total disarray, allowing him to finish him off with Yama Beckons!

While having too many martial arts is difficult to master, forming a unique set of combination kills through proficiency offers unexpected benefits.

The moonlight was bright.

In the dim, dark Ghost Lane, that figure darted rapidly through the abandoned houses.

His hands were as indestructible as if cast from steel, leaving deep gouges in the mud bricks and wooden planks wherever they struck, while the sharp, howling wind threatened to tear his eardrums apart!

His movements grew faster and faster!!

Under the moonlight, he transformed into a series of afterimages!

[Iron Claw Skill: Minor Mastery (1/80)]

The moment the text on the Extreme Seal shifted, Shi Wen stood rooted to the spot.

A warm current began to circulate repeatedly through his arms.

During this process, the warmth lingered longest in his palms; the needle-like stinging sensation traveled from his ten fingers to his nerves, transforming into a surging, explosive flow of energy.

But for someone who had endured no small amount of pain, this was hardly worth mentioning.

Crack~

Shi Wen clenched his fingers, and his joints popped like bursting soybeans.

His palms had become much thicker and his five fingers more robust, clearly covered by a layer of hardened calluses. As he casually clenched his fist, he felt a powerful, forceful sensation resonating in his mind.

"Indeed, every martial art has its own unique brilliance!"

"The Iron Claw Skill is an external hard-training art; it requires daily conditioning of the fingers and arms—such as Jar Lifting Skill, Sandbag Gripping, and Sand Piercing Skill—to strengthen the knuckles and wrist power. Only by tempering the tendons and bones can one generate such explosive force."

"If one tempers their palms to a profound level, they can easily tear through stone monuments and crack rocks, causing the strength of their knuckles and wrists to skyrocket!"

"One can achieve this through blood-energy alone, but the two are not the same."

"These external arts truly possess their own unique merits!"

Shi Wen quietly observed his hands.

Under the moonlight, his palms faintly revealed a grayish-brown luster, resembling granite; when they collided with the blue bricks on the ground, they emitted a dull, heavy thud.

"My grip strength has increased!"

Shi Wen pinched the broken brick, his five fingers exerting force.

Before he even channeled his blood-energy, the brick was pinched into pieces, shattering all over the ground!!

At the same time, a new understanding of the Iron Claw Skill emerged in Shi Wen's mind.

"The Iron Claw Skill can be used to counterattack; by striking when the opponent's old force has spent itself and their new force has yet to manifest, one can target the Baihui, Fengchi, Zhangmen, and Hegu acupoints—the convergence points of human meridians and blood-energy."

"If these acupoints are struck, blood-energy stagnation is the least of their worries; they are more likely to be left defenseless against a continuous barrage of attacks, or even suffer grave injuries!"

Shi Wen began to practice in the open space, feeling the changes brought about by his Minor Mastery of the Iron Claw Skill.

His limb movements became exceptionally agile, like a spirit ape in motion, yet wherever his claw-shaped palms struck, they landed like iron hooks, fierce and ferocious!

This level of skill seemed as if he had been immersed in the craft for many years, only then achieving such ruthless and refined precision!!

"Phew... done!"

"The Treasure Blood is indeed crucial. It must have invisibly improved my innate constitution, which is why my proficiency increased so quickly!"

"Otherwise, no matter how high my physical fitness was, it would have been difficult to bring the Iron Claw Skill to Minor Mastery in such a short time."

"If I can obtain more Treasure Blood, my speed in increasing martial proficiency will surely become even faster. The matter of evolving the Fortune Meat cannot be neglected."

Shi Wen lowered his head to look at the palm of his left hand.

[Extreme Seal]

[Baji Fist Introductory Foundation: Minor Mastery (41/100), Trait: Penetrating Momentum]

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

[Iron Claw Skill: Minor Mastery (2/80)]

[Taibao Hard Qigong: Not Yet Initiated (1/10)]

[True Intent: Scorching (Disabled)]

[Contaminated Fortune Meat: Evolution Branch 1 (-10.1h)]

"As expected, tempering different parts of the body also leads to a corresponding increase in blood-energy; my blood-energy has grown stronger once again!"

Shi Wen sensed the blood-energy in his dantian, which had expanded by several percent, and felt a sense of peace in his heart.

In this chaotic world, only the increase of strength could bring him a sense of security.

Especially the tip of the iceberg revealed by the followers of the Supreme Saint Immortal Mother and that mysterious "Extreme" organization—it was enough to make him gasp for air!

The moment he touched upon these things, he felt an indescribable sense of oppression.

He did not know if they would come looking for him.

But for such a mysterious organization to appear in Black Cloud County, there must be a massive conspiracy afoot. When the nest is overturned, no egg remains intact; he had to plan ahead and increase his strength as much as possible within the limited time he had!

"Rest for a while, then I will bring the Taibao Hard Qigong to initiation!"

Shi Wen took a deep breath.

He squatted in the corner, chewing on the Red Python Meat while consuming a medicinal pill to restore his stamina.

Waiting for the time to be right.

He whistled, and the gang members keeping watch hurried back.

These gang members carried mud bricks, medicinal wine, and other items in their hands.

Shi Wen stripped off his clothes, had someone rub his body with the medicinal wine, and then stood in the Hunyuan Stance to sense his internal energy.

Taibao Hard Qigong: Initial Stage.

Stand in the Hunyuan Stance, and while striking the body with wooden or mud bricks, perform systematic tempering using the internal energy method to give birth to internal energy.

While cultivating internal energy, temper the tendons, bones, and the muscles of the entire body.

Polish a stronger physique and refine thick, abundant blood energy!

Shi Wen maintained the Hunyuan Stance posture.

He pressed his tongue against his upper palate to bridge the Magpie Bridge, aligning his Baihui Acupoint and Huiyin Acupoint into a straight line; only with a centered body could the internal energy circulate smoothly within.

Following that.

Shi Wen regulated his breath, guarded his heart, and used Reverse Abdominal Breathing to adjust the tension of his muscles, using his intent to guide that strand of internal energy to circulate through his body!

Although he did not feel any internal energy.

It did not affect the confidence he felt in his bones regarding the Extreme Seal.

"Strike!"

Shi Wen let out a low shout.

The gang members looked at one another, and finally, they swung the mud bricks, striking his body in the prescribed order!

Standing in the Hunyuan Stance, they first struck the upper and lower arms, then the upper and lower legs, followed by the chest, abdomen, shoulders, and back, all while coordinating the muscle tension and the direction of the internal energy flow according to the internal energy method!

However, these gang members dared not use their full strength.

The mud bricks hitting his body felt like nothing more than a light scratch.

Shi Wen grew angry, "Strike with all your might! If anyone dares to hold back, I will make them regret it tonight!"

The few gang members were startled and hurriedly struck with full force.

Shi Wen relied solely on his flesh and blood to resist; he could still endure the strikes to his arms and legs, as his foundational training, along with the minor success of his Iron Whip Leg and Iron Claw Skill, had already made the muscles in those areas tough and strong.

But the chest and abdomen were the softest parts of the human body!!

These gang members were all sturdy men who had practiced martial arts, and the sensation of them smashing down with full force could only be described as profound!

Since Shi Wen had given the order himself, he was too embarrassed to let out a single groan.

He endured it all through sheer willpower, though the mud brick strikes left his entire body red, swollen, and bruised, with his internal organs feeling as if they were churning and overturning.

Fortunately, a martial artist is not an ordinary person.

During this time, he supplemented his training with pills for nourishing blood energy and the meat of exotic beasts, forcibly practicing the Taibao Hard Qigong ten times!

The moment the Extreme Seal displayed that Taibao Hard Qigong had advanced to the Entry level.

Shi Wen sensed a heaven-shaking, earth-shattering change erupting within his body, causing his expression to shift slightly!