Plum Blossom Bone-Tempering Technique, Lakeside

Lu Chen finished beating the man and left without saying a word.

The gang's silver was stored in an inconspicuous gray-brick house deep within Huaijiao Alley. It was a standalone building with thick walls, a steel door, and no windows, guarded by gang members day and night.

Inside, there were four accountants: two sent by the Small Knife Society, one hired by Lu Chen himself, and the last being his trusted confidant, Miao Lao San.

Although Miao Lao San was illiterate, he possessed a natural talent for calculation and was an excellent hand at managing accounts.

Even so, Lu Chen personally audited the books every night, only resting once he confirmed everything was correct.

After returning from the martial arts academy, Lu Chen first went to the accounting room to withdraw one hundred taels of silver, then returned to his room to go into seclusion and draw cards.

He continued to focus primarily on the Proud Snow Cold Plum martial arts card pool.

Before drawing, he spent a few ten-pulls on the basic Entering the Jianghu pool, gaining some inventory slots and two trait card slots.

As for the Red Pill Sect's exclusive martial arts card pool, Lu Chen had no intention of pulling from it for the time being.

That pool was expensive; a single pull cost one tael of silver, and it rarely yielded anything good.

He had spent nine taels the day before on a ten-pull, only for the results to be quite disappointing.

Good grief, he hadn't pulled a single martial arts card, receiving only eight secret medicine cards and two Martial Arts Fusion cards.

The secret medicine cards were divided into three types:

[Energy Potion (Small)]: After consumption, it can disperse most fatigue and boost spirit within ten breaths.

[Stamina Potion (Small)]: Can restore a small portion of strength in a short time, especially effective for healing external wounds and blood loss.

[Exclusive Secret Medicine (Small)]: Secretly crafted by the Red Pill Sect; its effects are strange and unpredictable, potentially stimulating hidden potential or causing physical mutation.

Lu Chen had tried the first two, the Energy Potion and the Stamina Potion, and their effects were quite decent.

As for that last exclusive medicine, the description alone sounded sinister.

Lu Chen felt wary and dared not try it.

He steadied his mind and continued to pour silver into the Proud Snow Cold Plum pool.

Ten-pull after ten-pull, attribute points and scattered fist technique experience were gradually acquired until the hundred taels of silver were nearly exhausted.

A striking golden light finally appeared amidst the radiance of the card pool.

Golden Legend!!

[Plum Blossom Bone-Tempering Technique]

Introduction: This method is a closely guarded secret of the Plum Blossom Sect and one of the three core pillars of the foundation-building chapter of the Proud Snow Cold Plum Canon. It is never taught to outsiders and is reserved only for true disciples of the sect.

Cultivation Requirements:

1. Must have stepped into the threshold of External Force and birthed initial internal energy.

2. Must have cultivated Plum Blossom Fist (or a root-source fist technique) to the "Peak of Perfection" realm.

Seeing this golden, shimmering martial arts card, Lu Chen's eyes lit up.

But after glancing down at the cultivation requirements, his excitement cooled by half.

Martial arts were divided into four realms: Rough Understanding, Minor Success, Great Success, and Peak of Perfection.

Lu Chen's Plum Blossom Quick Fist was only at "Minor Success," still far from the "Peak of Perfection."

He had the gold card in hand, but couldn't use it immediately.

Just as Lu Chen was feeling regretful, a flash of inspiration struck him.

Right, don't I have "Martial Arts Fusion" cards? Could I fuse the Plum Blossom Quick Fist with this Plum Blossom Bone-Tempering Technique?

He immediately attempted it.

As it turned out, the fusion card didn't react at all; it seemed the idea was unfeasible.

Lu Chen had no choice but to abandon this shortcut, put the card away, and begin tallying his gains.

This drawing session statistics:

Total pulls: 740.

Basic card pool [Entering the Jianghu]: 100 pulls.

Martial arts card pool [Proud Snow Cold Plum]: 640 pulls.

Aside from attributes, this session yielded mostly various trait cards.

The white and green ones were useless and took up space, so Lu Chen didn't hesitate to discard them.

He pulled fourteen purple trait cards.

Lu Chen took out the trait fusion cards he had saved up and fused them all together, selecting the two with the best effects to place into his card slots.

Traits (3/3):

[Ice Soul Bone-Eroding Force · Purple] (Attack Fusion Trait)

Effect: Attack speed increased by 30%. Attacks inflict frostbite, slow, and continuous ice damage. Can penetrate some protective internal energy and cause additional damage to bones and internal organs.

[Frost-Breaking Mountain Golden Body] (Defensive Fusion Entry)

Effect: Significantly reduces damage, increases self-healing speed, and automatically reflects a portion of damage when attacked.

[Plum Bone] Effect: Increases base defense by 100%. This bonus doubles (to 200%) when in environments with cold winds, low temperatures, or ice and snow.

Lu Chen's various attributes were significantly enhanced.

The experience bar for Plum Blossom Quick Fist had also risen to "Slightly Accomplished 79%."

The surge of energy within his dantian had also grown much sturdier; whereas before it could barely cover a fist, now, when circulated, it could protect nearly half of his body.

Lu Chen was certain that if he were to fight the guard beside Han Qiu again right now.

Even without forming a single Seal, he would absolutely win based on his current attributes and entries!

Afternoon.

The families of the four young masters and misses whom Lu Chen had beaten down at the martial hall were not having it; they gathered men and arrived aggressively to demand an explanation.

These families were all prominent figures in Wen'an County, and to vent their anger, they had joined forces and even hired an External Force martial artist.

They had already scouted that Lu Chen had only just entered the External Force realm.

As for the one they had hired, he had broken through years ago and was half a step across the threshold of the first Seal, rumored to be on the verge of forming one.

Dealing with a newly broken-through Lu Chen should be as easy as turning over one's hand, right?

But once the fighting started, they were all stunned.

That "quasi-first-Seal" expert.

Fumbled and struggled before Lu Chen, and after only a few rounds, he was cleanly and decisively knocked to the ground, looking utterly wretched.

A grand quest for revenge ended with their "strong reinforcement" being beaten up in public.

The people from the four families lost all face, and amidst the jeers of onlookers, they helped their injured away and retreated in disgrace.

Two days later.

The local martial arts circle and the martial halls from Wenwu County looking to move in finally agreed on the terms.

The competition was set for five rounds, with the first to win three matches taking the victory.

Four of the matches would be between disciples, while the final match required the masters of both sides to enter the arena themselves.

When the Wenwu County side selected their opponents, they appeared quite cautious, specifically picking martial halls in Wen'an that lacked fame and had mediocre strength.

Clearly, they were determined to win this trip and did not want any complications, so they avoided tough nuts with deep foundations like the Plum Blossom Martial Hall.

Upon hearing this news, the heart that the mistress had been holding finally settled, and she let out a soft sigh of relief.

The day of the challenge was set for the shores of Yunmiao Lake, located in the western suburbs.

It was the dead of winter, and the lake surface was already frozen like a mirror. The surrounding mountains were desolate and clear, offering a unique, bleak scenery, and the open space was perfect for a competition.

As the news spread, many people in the city heard there was a spectacle to watch and ran out of the city, calling to their friends and companions.

The lakeside soon gathered many spectators, the sound of voices rising and falling.

Many vendors with keen noses had long since carried their poles or pushed their carts along, finding spots nearby to set up their stalls.

Those boiling wontons, cooking noodles, or selling lamb offal soup had steam rising, and the fragrance could drift quite a distance.

There were also those carrying straw bundles selling candied haws, the bright red strings looking quite tempting.

With martial arts being practiced on one side and business being conducted on the other, it was lively beyond compare.

Lu Chen also followed the mistress and her two daughters to Yunmiao Lake.