Stronger! Even Stronger! Strongest!

"That woman, that woman is a gift for you."

Zhao Liuye pointed toward the carriage, "The daughter of the Li Mansion, the apple of their eye. She is well-versed in the zither, chess, calligraphy, and painting. She is nineteen years of age and still a virgin."

Chen Han's fist tightened inadvertently, but he quickly regained his composure once he realized it was inappropriate.

"Did you kidnap this girl?"

Zhao Liuye bowed deeply, his face full of sycophancy, "You may rest easy, sir. This woman was promised to this humble one as a concubine by her own father, Squire Li. To put it bluntly, he sold her to me."

"That old bastard is cold-hearted. To cooperate with my gang, he didn't even want his own daughter. He didn't care if she was willing or not; he drugged her and sent her over. Naturally, this humble one was more than happy to accept."

Upon hearing this, rage surged in Chen Han's eyes. He never imagined that Li Muyun had been sold by that old wretch, Squire Li.

Li Muyun had once provided him with immense help. If not for her, he might have been hunted down and killed by Hou Chun long ago, and he certainly wouldn't be where he is today.

Now, seeing Li Muyun—who had indirectly saved his life—treated in such a manner, he naturally felt a deep sense of unease.

Having experienced so much and killed so many, he admitted that he was indeed cold by nature, prone to violence at the slightest disagreement, but he was not a man devoid of sentiment.

"Very well, but... it is not enough."

Zhao Liuye broke into a cold sweat, his eyes darting around in panic. He finally hurried to the carriage and retrieved an old book from inside.

With lowered brows and a submissive expression, he carefully handed it to Chen Han.

"Sir, this is a second-rate martial arts manual I had promised to give Squire Li. It is one of a kind in Black Lion City and was the main reason Squire Li was willing to bleed for it."

A second-rate martial art!

Chen Han's heart trembled. In this chaotic world, people were divided into ranks, and martial arts were no different.

The Chen Family's Mountain Breaking Fist was a third-rate martial art. Though powerful, it could at most allow a practitioner to reach the realm of a Martial Master, and it inevitably left behind hidden injuries.

As practitioners aged, they would suffer from physical weakness and kidney failure, plagued by illnesses and dying earlier than the average person.

This was the unavoidable, fatal flaw of third-rate martial arts.

The gap between second-rate and third-rate martial arts was not vast, but the greatest difference was that one would remain strong and healthy in old age, without hidden ailments, living longer than ordinary people.

As for first-rate arts and supreme techniques, those were things Chen Han could not yet hope to encounter.

Do not underestimate third-rate martial arts; in the eyes of commoners, they were unreachable. Ordinary families had no access to them at all and could only learn unranked techniques, unless they were individuals of exceptional talent.

Chen Han took the book. On the cover were several bold, sweeping characters—Thunderbolt Extreme!

After flipping through a few pages and confirming there were no issues, Chen Han said, "Not bad. I am satisfied with this martial art. You may go..."

Watching the two figures disappear into the end of the street, Chen Han approached the carriage and lifted the curtain. The beautiful and delicate Li Muyun was lying there quietly, her skin as smooth as cream, her tall, elegant frame requiring her to lie sideways to fit.

The collar of her dress was disheveled, revealing a large portion of her charms.

Without hesitation, Chen Han hooked one arm under her knees and the other behind her back, then left the scene at high speed.

Before long, he returned to the Chen Mansion without a sound.

The Chen Mansion was vast, and as a martial artist, he naturally had his own private quarters. After settling Li Muyun down properly, Chen Han washed up and changed out of the blood-stained wedding attire.

Afterward, he lay on the bed, clutching the pillow beside Li Muyun, and fell into a deep sleep.

The next morning, Li Muyun woke up. Finding herself in an unfamiliar environment, she felt a surge of terror. She felt her body all over, and only after confirming she had not been violated did she let out a long sigh of relief.

Recalling the last moment in her memory, she remembered having a meal and taking a stroll in the courtyard. She didn't know how, but her mind suddenly became dizzy. Sensing something was wrong, she had tried to find the younger brother she trusted most, but it was too late.

Everything went black, and when she opened her eyes, she was here.

She looked around; it was an extremely simple room, small but comfortable.

A few clothes were drying in the cabinet, and Li Muyun found them familiar—the scent was familiar, too.

After some thought, she realized they seemed to belong to Chen Han.

Just then, she noticed a note left on the bedside table with writing on it.

After reading it, Li Muyun felt a lingering fear. She murmured to herself, "Thank goodness, thank goodness I happened to run into Chen Han, otherwise I would have been finished. But who could have drugged me..."

Chen Han had omitted the pig-like behavior of Squire Li, intending to find an opportunity to tell her later.

Of course, he also told Li Muyun in the note not to leave the room, as being discovered would be troublesome, both externally and internally.

Li Muyun sat back on the bed, feeling relieved. She would naturally follow whatever Chen Han said, after all, he had saved her life once again.

She felt grateful in her heart, thinking that she must properly thank Chen Han in the future.

The next day, a shocking piece of news exploded in the city, causing an immediate uproar.

Overnight, more than fifty members of the Black Mountain Gang had been slaughtered by a ruthless individual. The scene was gruesome; not a single body was left intact, and some were barely even recognizable as human!

At this moment, in the training grounds of the back courtyard, many people had already begun their practice. Dressed in short shirts and trousers, they threw punches, the dull thuds of impact echoing constantly. Each move was like a dragon soaring or a tiger leaping, quite fierce.

Chen Han watched the familiar faces and began his own training.

Boom!

His breathing was steady, his posture as firm as a pine or cypress. His simple Mountain Breaking Fist struck the iron post, producing a dull sound that caused the other disciples to glance over in surprise.

"It's Chen Han. He's back."

"Have you heard about what happened last night? They say he's already reached the bottleneck of the Transformation Realm, just a single step away from breaking through."

"Tsk, tsk, tsk, terrifying. How old is he even? I'm afraid he's about to rival the Patriarch back in his prime."

"Senior Brother Chen Han, I heard you've already touched the threshold of the Transformation Realm. I have a few questions regarding my punches; would it be too much trouble for you to instruct me?"

Chen Han's fists whistled with the wind. He didn't even glance at the pretty junior sister who had appeared out of nowhere to ask for advice, simply saying coldly, "Get lost..."

Surrounded by an endless stream of praise and affirmation, Chen Han remained expressionless. He ignored them all, focusing solely on practicing his punches over and over again.

Once, he had fallen from his pedestal, met only with disappointment and mockery. Now, he stood at the pinnacle of these martial disciples, greeted by nothing but adulation and awe.

All of this was simply due to the crude and straightforward concept of strength.

He had every reason to believe that if he were to become weak once more, they would treat him with the same disdain as before.

Therefore, he had no pleasant expressions for these people; he was, if anything, indifferent.

[Heaven rewards diligence; success is inevitable!]

[Name: Chen Han]

[Lifespan: 20/110]

[Skill: Mountain Breaking Fist (Minor Accomplishment) 97/100]

[Skill: Taiji Health Cultivation Technique (Proficient) 1/500]

Become stronger! Stronger still! Even stronger!

This was his only goal now...