Refining Skin, Nascent Martialist

Several days passed, and it was once again the day for the White Horse Gang to collect their protection money.

Lord Leopard appeared on Yongning Street with his subordinates, strutting about with an air of arrogance.

Most of the neighbors swallowed their pride and paid the money.

Lin Qing was no exception; after politely handing over the protection money and offering a few flattering words, he sent Chen Bao on his way.

When it was Old Fan's turn, he finally managed to scrape together the three hundred wen.

"Lord Leopard, the protection money for this month is all here. Please, take a look." Old Fan wore a fawning smile.

"Hmm." Chen Bao nodded languidly and pocketed the three hundred wen.

Immediately afterward, he swung a slap across Old Fan's face.

"Smack!"

He sent Old Fan sprawling to the ground, stars dancing before his eyes.

"Lord Leopard, what is this..."

Old Fan clutched his face, daring not to speak his anger, blood trickling from the corner of his mouth.

"You paid for this month, but what about last month?"

"With interest, that makes six hundred wen in total."

Chen Bao said in a cold, indifferent tone.

Lin Qing felt a chill in his heart.

He detected a different meaning in Chen Bao's words.

Could it be that the Fan family had offended Chen Bao?

At this moment, the other neighbors watching from the sidelines only dared to whisper among themselves.

"Oh, Old Fan's son is just too ignorant of the world."

"That's true. If Fan Kui hadn't offended Lord Leopard's son before, the Fan family wouldn't be targeted at every turn."

"That Fan Kui is too honest. Even though he saved a girl's virtue, his whole family is now... sigh!"

"Shh, keep your voice down. Lord Leopard's son is still rotting in jail."

After hearing Lord Leopard's words, Old Fan's heart sank.

He gritted his teeth and asked, "Lord Leopard, tell me, what will it take for you to let us go?"

Chen Bao let out a cold laugh, his gaze shifting to the house behind him.

"Let you go? Fine. This house of yours isn't bad."

"How about you lend it to my brothers to stay in for a few days?"

"Impossible! You're dreaming!"

A wooden basin flew directly out from inside the house.

Chen Bao's expression turned ugly, and he immediately dodged to the side.

Old Fan's wife and Fan Kui had already rushed out, brandishing wooden clubs.

"I'll fight you to the death!"

Fan Kui let out a roar.

He swung his club, aiming straight for Chen Bao's head.

"Screw your mother!"

Bang!

With a single straight kick, Lord Leopard sent Fan Kui flying several meters away, leaving him writhing on the ground in agony.

Lin Qing felt a shiver run through him.

Judging by the explosive power of that kick, this Chen Bao was definitely a martial artist who had opened his tendons; no wonder he dared to bully the market so brazenly.

"Brothers, beat them to death!"

Chen Bao laughed in fury, and his gang members swarmed forward.

They unleashed a barrage of punches and kicks upon the three members of the Fan family.

Cries for mercy, screams, and angry curses filled the air.

In the end, they dragged the battered, trembling Fan family out of their dilapidated carpentry shop and tossed their meager belongings onto the street.

"Ungrateful wretches! If you can't pay up next month, get the hell out of Yongning Street and sleep on the road!"

Chen Bao spat on the ground, his cold gaze sweeping over the onlookers, many of whom glared back in anger.

But as soon as they met his vicious, predatory eyes, they instinctively lowered their heads.

Chen Bao curled his lips into a mocking sneer, seemingly satisfied with the deterrent effect of having no one dare to step forward.

"If you aren't convinced, I'll beat you until you are. Do you really think the White Horse Gang runs a charity?" Chen Bao sneered, continuing to collect the protection money.

The crowd of neighbors all dared to be angry but dared not speak.

Count on the authorities to step in?

That would be even more useless.

The White Horse Gang would simply produce a scapegoat to serve a few days in jail, and it would all blow over.

On the contrary, reporting it to the officials would only invite even more frantic beatings.

Lin Qing stood at the entrance of the Benevolent World Hall, watching the miserable sight of Old Fan's family huddled in the street corner, his fists clenching tightly inside his sleeves.

It was not that he lacked compassion; he had even gifted them rice last time.

But he knew all too well that this protection money was a rule set by the White Horse Gang.

If he stepped forward now, he would not only fail to help Old Fan's family but would also place himself and the Benevolent World Hall in grave danger.

Once a precedent was set, other neighbors who couldn't pay would also look to him—how would he handle that then?

In this world where the strong prey on the weak, limited kindness must be built upon the foundation of self-preservation.

Lin Qing could only turn away in silence and return to the shop.

He closed the door, shutting out the weeping from the street corner.

Lin Wan had also witnessed the scene and could only sigh.

She said nothing more.

Do not be fooled by the fact that their Benevolent World Hall had been doing decent business lately.

If they were not cautious and offended those who should not be offended, disaster would surely befall them in an instant.

The world is a furnace, And all living beings are but charcoal.

Several days passed.

The Iron Thread Fist Martial Hall welcomed a new batch of faces.

At the same time, among the seven or eight disciples who had joined at the same time as Lin Qing, three or four were leaving the martial hall carrying simple bundles.

They departed with dejected expressions.

Lin Qing encountered one of the honest youths at the entrance; he had joined more than ten days earlier than Lin Qing.

"Brother Da Niu, you all are..." Lin Qing asked, somewhat surprised.

Da Niu looked up, his face filled with disappointment and reluctance, his eyes rimmed with red: "Brother Lin Qing, I'm leaving. It's been nearly three months, and I still haven't been able to sense my blood qi, nor can I touch the threshold of Skin Refining."

"My family nearly emptied their savings to send me here; we truly can't afford next month's tuition."

"I have to find work to help support the household..."

His voice was low, carrying the helplessness of a shattered dream.

The situations of the other departing disciples were largely the same.

The path of martial arts is a cruel screening process; aptitude, comprehension, resources, and perseverance are all indispensable.

Most people, in the end, fall before they even reach the starting line.

Lin Qing watched their desolate retreating figures and sighed inwardly.

That he could remain until now was due not only to his own efforts and the help of the Heavenly Dao Record.

The financial support provided by the improved business at the Benevolent World Hall was also crucial.

Otherwise, he might have been forced to abandon this path just like Da Niu.

He subconsciously sensed his own progress:

[Iron Thread Fist (Proficient)]
[Experience: 3365/5000]

He was not far from breaking through to the Mastery realm.

This made him cherish the opportunity before him even more, and he dared not slack off in the slightest.

After preparing a month's supply of Blood Nourishing Powder, he devoted more time to his cultivation.

Every day, he practiced his stance training without fail, alongside the Twelve Bridge Hands and the methods for tempering his skin.

But today, news spread through the martial hall, causing quite a stir.

Wang Cheng, a disciple who had joined the martial arts hall around the same time as Lin Qing, had successfully broken through and stepped into the Skin Tempering realm.

Lin Qing was slightly surprised; this man's aptitude was only marginally better than his own, placing him in the upper-middle tier.

However, due to his astonishing perseverance, he was famous throughout the entire martial arts hall, earning him the nickname "Ruthless Wang Cheng."

He was always the first to arrive at the hall for training.

And when it was time to leave, he was always the last to go.

Yet, the man was taciturn, dedicating almost every waking moment to his practice.

While others rested, he stood on his post; while others chatted, he practiced his punches, as if he did not know the meaning of fatigue.

Now, he had actually broken through first, becoming the first among this batch of new disciples to cross the threshold of the martial path.

Watching the dark-skinned youth still training diligently in the practice arena, Lin Qing sighed inwardly.

What a grinder...

He lamented to himself, feeling an invisible pressure.

On the path of martial arts, there is no limit to the grind, only more to be done.

He took a deep breath, suppressing the distracting thoughts in his heart.

He threw himself into his own training with even greater focus.

Over the next few days, Lin Qing remained single-minded, practicing diligently without pause.

With the aid of the Blood Nourishing Powder, Lin Qing could clearly feel his own blood and qi becoming increasingly abundant day by day.

His mastery of the Iron Wire Fist techniques also grew more refined.

On the evening of this day, most of the disciples had already dispersed.

Lin Qing remained in a corner of the practice arena, repeatedly drilling the Fierce Tiger Climbs Mountain and Hungry Eagle Pounces on Prey forms from the Twelve Bridge Hands.

He planted his feet firmly, channeled power from his waist and hips, and swung his arms like iron bridges across the sky, whistling through the air as the iron rings on his arms clattered loudly.

Under the friction of the iron rings, the skin on Lin Qing's arms turned bright red at a rate visible to the naked eye.

A surge of heat welled up within his body, and his rushing blood and qi seemed to break through an invisible barrier, merging into his skin.

A sensation of toughness emanated from the skin of his arms.

Lin Qing let out an instinctive low shout, his right fist exploding outward like a cannonball to strike the Iron-Clad Wooden Post used for measuring strength.

"THUD!"

A sound far more dull and heavy than ever before erupted.

The sturdy wooden post actually swayed slightly, leaving a clear, indented fist mark on the iron plating that wrapped it.

[Iron Wire Fist (Pure Mastery)]

[Experience: 1/10000]

Skin Tempering realm, achieved!