The Martial Path is Infinite, My Body is Unfettered

At this moment, Lin Qing clearly felt his previously slack skin and membranes suddenly tighten, their toughness greatly increased, and his ability to withstand blows significantly improved.

Lin Qing withdrew his fist and exhaled a long, stale breath; there was no great surprise in his eyes.

In just over two months, going from having no foundation to breaking through to the Skin Refining realm—this speed, given his mediocre aptitude, was already quite impressive.

The commotion on his side naturally caught the attention of the disciples who had not yet left the martial arts hall.

The gazes they cast toward him held a few more traces of surprise and scrutiny.

This senior brother, who usually kept a low profile and was even secretly looked down upon by some due to his ordinary aptitude, had actually broken through without a sound?

It seemed that his comprehension and diligence were not to be underestimated.

"Haha, Junior Brother Lin, congratulations, congratulations! You've broken through to Skin Refining so smoothly."

A hearty voice rang out; it was none other than Zhang Shun.

He strode over with a sincere smile on his face and patted Lin Qing's shoulder firmly. "How does it feel?"

"Brother Shun."

Lin Qing greeted him with a smile.

"I feel full of energy, and my skin feels much tougher."

"Good. Only once you have achieved Skin Refining can you truly be considered to have stepped over the threshold of the martial path." A sharp glint flashed in Zhang Shun's eyes, and he looked eager to test him.

"Come, come, let this senior brother test your mettle. Let's spar a few rounds to help you consolidate your realm!"

Lin Qing knew this was a gesture of goodwill from Senior Brother Zhang Shun and a great opportunity to test his own strength, so he immediately cupped his fists. "Please, Senior Brother, offer your guidance!"

The two stood firm in the center of the arena. Zhang Shun suppressed his aura to the level of an early-stage Skin Refining practitioner and smiled. "Junior Brother, be careful!"

Before the words had even faded, he slid his feet forward, his body closing in like a swimming fish. He launched a simple, straightforward punch toward Lin Qing's chest—it was the Iron Wire Fist technique, Hungry Eagle Pounces on Prey. It was extremely fast, and the force of the wind hit Lin Qing's face.

Lin Qing dared not be negligent; he dropped his shoulders and elbows, meeting the attack with a Bridge Hand Sinks the River, attempting to block and counter.

However, the moment their arms were about to make contact, Zhang Shun's wrist flickered strangely, as if it had no bones.

The momentum of the punch suddenly shifted from hard to soft, sliding past Lin Qing's block like a loach. He turned his fist into a palm and thrust it directly into the opening at Lin Qing's ribs!

Lin Qing was startled and hurriedly twisted his body to dodge.

At the same time, he used the Fixed Gold Bridge technique with his other hand, hoping to use it to defend.

Zhang Shun, however, seemed to have anticipated this. The palm thrusting toward his ribs did not fully commit; his five fingers hooked like claws, lightning-fast, as they latched onto the pulse point of Lin Qing's wrist.

Simultaneously, he delivered a silent sweeping kick, aiming directly at Lin Qing's lower stance.

Hooking above and sweeping below—a shift between the real and the illusory!

Lin Qing was instantly thrown into a panic. His blocking arm was pinned, and his lower stance was under attack; his center of gravity became unstable in an instant.

He stumbled back several steps, nearly landing on his backside, looking quite disheveled.

"Hahaha!" Zhang Shun withdrew his stance and laughed heartily.

"Junior Brother, fist techniques are dead, but people are alive."

"When fighting someone, how can you be constrained by merely parrying move for move?"

"You must know how to treat the false as real, and the real as false; attack where they must save, and strike at their weaknesses."

"If I had used my full strength just now, your wrist would have been numb for at least half a day, and once your lower stance was lost, you would have been at the mercy of others."

Lin Qing steadied himself. There was no shame or annoyance on his face; instead, he appeared deep in thought.

The few moves Zhang Shun had just made, while seemingly casual, had demonstrated the unpredictability of real combat to the fullest.

He had completely broken free from the shackles of rote techniques.

Without a vast amount of actual combat experience, such skill would be impossible to accumulate.

"Senior Brother's lesson is well-taken," Lin Qing said sincerely.

"It was my own assumption; I was always trying to follow the manual to the letter."

Zhang Shun walked up and lowered his voice. "The fist techniques taught by Master are the foundation—they are methods to help you understand force and strengthen your blood and qi."

"But when it truly comes to a life-or-death struggle, you must use any means necessary to take down your opponent and preserve your own life. That is what you call good kung fu."

These words coincided perfectly with some of Lin Qing's own inner thoughts.

Having transmigrated here, he knew that survival was not easy; this was certainly not the time to worry about the conduct of a gentleman.

The martial path is infinite, and my body is unconstrained.

Zhang Shun's words had truly struck a chord with him.

"Senior Brother's insight is profound; this junior brother has been taught well."

Lin Qing cupped his fists solemnly, a flash of realization in his eyes.

Seeing that he understood with a single hint, Zhang Shun was even more satisfied. He reached out and draped an arm over Lin Qing's shoulder. "Come, I'm in a good mood today. I'll treat you to a meal to celebrate your breakthrough!"

At this, several other senior and junior brothers who had previously been indifferent toward Lin Qing also crowded around to offer their congratulations, their words now filled with much more warmth.

"Lin Qing, congratulations."

"I didn't expect you to break through so quickly. It seems you've been putting in extra training, haven't you?"

"I truly didn't expect it would be Junior Brother Lin who broke through first."

Within the martial arts hall, strength is respected above all else.

Now that Lin Qing had broken through to the Skin-Refining stage, he finally possessed the qualifications to be taken seriously by them.

Hong Yuan, sitting upright on a wooden stool, nodded slightly, acknowledging Lin Qing's progress.

Though his innate talent was average, his comprehension and perseverance meant he could barely be considered a talent worth molding.

"Senior brothers, my breakthrough today was merely a stroke of luck."

Lin Qing responded politely to the others.

He then turned to Zhang Shun and said, "Brother Shun, how could I let you spend your money? This meal should be on me. Thank you for your guidance all this time."

Seeing that he was so sensible, Zhang Shun nodded inwardly, thinking that Junior Brother Lin had good comprehension and a clear head, making him someone worth befriending, so he did not decline further.

As evening approached.

The two arrived at a restaurant in the inner city that, while not luxurious, served authentic dishes.

After a few cups of rough wine, the atmosphere grew warmer.

"Lin Qing, congratulations." Zhang Shun smiled and raised his glass.

"It is also thanks to your guidance, Senior Brother." Lin Qing raised his glass in response.

Zhang Shun was his mentor, and although he didn't treat him any differently than the others, he had been diligent and responsible in his duties.

After three rounds of drinks, they began to chat.

Lin Qing learned that Zhang Shun came from an ordinary background, but because his father had been a martial artist, he had practiced martial arts since he was a child.

This allowed him to progress faster than others, yet even so, he had remained at the Tendon-Opening stage for nearly three years.

"Junior brother, now that you have stepped into the Skin-Refining stage, besides training, you should eat more red meat, especially the meat of exotic beasts."

Zhang Shun continued.

"Exotic beast meat?" Lin Qing was startled.

"Between heaven and earth, there are beasts that undergo blood-qi mutations; these are called exotic beasts. They are stronger than ordinary beasts, equivalent to martial artists among humans."

Zhang Shun explained, then took out a piece of dried meat and handed it to Lin Qing.

"This is dried Iron-Hide Wild Boar meat. It is difficult for ordinary hunters to catch and is mostly supplied to the children of inner-city families. You can try it."

Facing the dried meat Zhang Shun offered, Lin Qing reached out and took it. He took a small bite first, and feeling that there was nothing wrong with it, he ate the whole piece.

Soon, a warm current began to surge within his body.

"What is the value of this exotic beast jerky?" Lin Qing asked immediately.

"One tael of silver per catty. It is common for a martial artist to eat three to five catties a day," Zhang Shun laughed.

Only after hearing this did Lin Qing realize how ignorant he had been.

If you don't go out and ask about certain things, you truly won't know them.

"Otherwise, how do you think Wang Cheng broke through?"

"I suspect that even though he comes from a poor family, he must have secretly obtained other precious resources; otherwise, it would be impossible for him to break through so quickly."

After hearing Zhang Shun's words, Lin Qing immediately understood.

It seemed that Wang Cheng did indeed have his own secrets.

At the same time, he realized that progressing too quickly in cultivation would indeed attract the attention of others.

Zhang Shun might have spoken without thinking.

But what if it were someone else with ulterior motives?

"I see." Lin Qing nodded.

"Let's not talk about that. Junior brother, I have ten catties of Iron-Hide Wild Boar jerky on hand. Do you want it?"

Zhang Shun said, smiling as he took out a cloth bundle.

Only then did Lin Qing understand Zhang Shun's intention.

He gave a bitter smile: "Senior brother, with my current finances, I'm afraid I can only afford five catties."

"Oh? I thought that since you run a medicine hall, you would have some spare money."

Zhang Shun was slightly surprised, as he had heard of the Benevolent World Hall.

"After deducting the costs of medicinal materials and processing supplies, I don't actually earn much," Lin Qing replied truthfully.

"Indeed." Zhang Shun nodded.

Lin Qing then took five taels from his pocket and bought half of the jerky in Zhang Shun's possession.

A moment later, Zhang Shun seemed to recall something and lowered his voice: "Junior Brother Lin, there is an opportunity to earn some extra money right now. It carries a bit of risk, but the return is not small—twenty taels of silver. Are you in?"