Overlord Breaks the River

Lin Qing understood immediately.

Although business at the shop had improved, the previous deficits were too large, and with the added expenses of his martial arts training, his sister was surely strapped for cash and too embarrassed to ask for help.

A wave of heartache washed over him, and without a moment's hesitation, he took a small pouch of silver fragments from his robe and pressed it into her hand.

"Sister, take this money. Use it when you need to; don't skimp on yourself."

Lin Qing's tone was relaxed, as if it were a trivial matter.

"I can earn money now, so you don't need to worry about the household expenses anymore."

Feeling the heavy weight of the coins in her palm, Lin Wan froze. Looking into her younger brother's calm and reliable eyes, her nose stung, and her eyes instantly turned red.

She quickly lowered her head to hide her loss of composure.

Her brother had truly grown up.

She didn't know when it started, but her brother was no longer the boy who needed her protection; he had become the true pillar of this family.

He had become so tall, so dependable.

"Mm, Sister knows."

Her voice was choked with emotion, thick with a nasal tone.

Yet, her heart was enveloped by an immense sense of security.

Lin Qing looked at his sister's reddened eyes and her hands, which were covered in thin calluses.

His resolve to become stronger grew even firmer.

I must live a life of substance...

And let my family live a more peaceful life.

More than two months passed quietly.

At the Hong Family Martial Hall, the sound of whistling fists could be heard before the light of dawn had even broken.

Lin Qing was shirtless, his bronze skin exposed, the contours of his muscles clearly defined.

He took a deep breath, his lower abdomen slightly distended, then channeled power through his waist and stance. His fists struck out alternately as he let out short, powerful shouts:

"Hey! Hey! Hey!"

Each shout was accompanied by the sound of his fists breaking the air, his momentum imposing.

Afterward, he demonstrated a more refined method of vocalization.

He inhaled silently, and at the moment of exhaling to strike, he squeezed a sharp, short, piercing sound from the depths of his throat: "Tsk—!"

It sounded like a steel wire snapping, carrying a penetrating force.

This was the unique way of tempering power in the Iron Wire Fist.

Using sound to condense qi, his attacks were unstoppable.

Then, Lin Qing struck out with both fists.

As he unleashed the Twelve Bridge Hands, they were no longer simple moves, but infused with his own understanding.

His feet were planted as if rooted to the ground, his waist and stance unified, and as his arms danced, the fourteen dark iron rings on his wrists clattered sharply.

Sometimes he used the Hard Bridge to cut through the air, striking and advancing with force; other times he used the Soft Bridge to entangle, deflecting power and strangling his opponent.

This performance made Zhang Shun nod in approval.

"Junior Brother Lin, your martial arts progress is getting faster and faster. At this rate, it won't be difficult for you to surpass me."

Zhang Shun praised him sincerely. Although Lin Qing's natural talent was average, his comprehension was truly excellent, far better than most of the other disciples.

"Min, spar with Junior Brother Lin. I want to see your current levels."

Zhang Shun spoke to a lean martial hall disciple standing nearby.

"Yes, Senior Brother Zhang." The lean man stepped forward and bowed to Lin Qing with a fist-palm salute.

"Please enlighten me, Senior Brother Zhao." Lin Qing returned the salute.

This man was Zhao Min, who had entered the hall a year earlier than him and was currently at the Skin Refining Realm.

Sparring with him to hone his skills was perfect.

"Junior Brother Lin, watch out!"

Zhao Min let out a low shout and unleashed a Fierce Tiger Climbs Mountain, his arms pressing down suddenly with fierce, biting wind.

Lin Qing remained unhurried. His footwork shifted; it looked as if he were going to meet the attack head-on with a Bridge Hand Sinks the River, but at the moment of contact, he twisted his waist. He turned hard into soft, his arm sliding past the other man's grasp like a nimble fish, and he followed through with an elbow strike aimed directly at the exposed ribs!

Caught off guard, Zhao Min let out a muffled grunt and retreated several steps, a look of astonishment on his face.

This change in Lin Qing's technique completely exceeded the inherent patterns of the fist style; he had already reached the stage of applying what he learned with flexibility.

"I was careless just now. Come again."

Zhao Min was clearly unconvinced, so he became even more cautious and alert, his eyes locked onto Lin Qing's hands.

Lin Qing's expression turned solemn, his arms shifting through various postures as the two circled each other, sensing one another's aura.

A moment later, perhaps it was Lin Qing's excessive calmness that irritated Zhao Min; he suddenly stepped forward, hunched his body, and threw a straight punch toward Lin Qing's lower abdomen.

Lin Qing retreated a step, and Zhao Min immediately followed up with a flurry of footwork, turning his fist into a claw and striking toward Lin Qing's ribs.

But at that very moment, Lin Qing seemed to have anticipated this move; he immediately executed a Rigid Bridge, sweeping his arm across like a blade and brushing directly against Zhao Min's neck.

Zhao Min broke out in a cold sweat instantly.

"Junior Brother Lin, how did you know my move?" Zhao Min asked, feeling a lingering fear.

If this had been a life-or-death struggle, he would likely have been killed by Lin Qing in an instant.

Life and death often hang in the balance of a single moment.

"Senior Brother, you flatter me," Lin Qing said, withdrawing his stance and cupping his fists.

"I saw you subconsciously reach out to press down earlier, so I realized your habitual movement was to transition from a fist to a claw."

"Therefore, I intentionally left an opening to lure you in."

Zhao Min took a deep breath, realizing that this junior brother's martial arts attainment had already far surpassed his own.

He immediately cupped his hands and said, "I concede."

Lin Qing smiled and offered a few words of praise in return.

The atmosphere was harmonious.

On the Heavenly Dao Record, the experience points for Iron Wire Fist ticked upward quietly.

[Iron Wire Fist (Supernatural)]

[Experience: 1/20000]

Over this period of time.

In the process of sparring with fellow disciples of different styles, Lin Qing continuously verified and adjusted his own fist techniques, absorbing valuable combat experience.

Every exchange allowed him to deepen his understanding of the Iron Wire Fist.

Coupled with his use of supernatural pharmacological knowledge to continuously improve and consume more potent Blood Nourishing Powder, his blood and qi nourishment far exceeded that of ordinary people, making his cultivation twice as effective with half the effort.

His martial arts realm had also steadily advanced to the late stage of Skin Refining under such diligent practice and medicinal assistance.

His skin had become tougher, making it difficult for ordinary clubs or staffs to cause even the slightest injury, and his overall physical quality had seen significant progress.

Given his average aptitude, this speed could only be described as rapid.

Hong Yuan, who had been sitting in the grand chair in the main hall—seemingly resting with his eyes closed but actually observing the entire training ground—suddenly opened his eyes.

A flash of surprise crossed his seemingly cloudy old eyes, and his gaze immediately landed on Lin Qing.

During Lin Qing's punching motion, he had clearly sensed a feeling of natural perfection, as if he had faintly touched the threshold of fist intent.

Average aptitude, yet such outstanding comprehension?

In just over five months, he has already achieved minor success in the Iron Wire Fist... Hong Yuan thought to himself, though his face remained calm as he gave a slight nod.

He then closed his eyes again, as if it had been nothing more than a casual glance.

However, his gaze would still occasionally drift toward Lin Qing's movements.

By the afternoon, Hong Yuan rarely refrained from letting the disciples practice on their own.

Instead, he gathered all the disciples, including Lin Qing, to the center of the training ground.

"The Iron Wire Fist emphasizes foundations, but it also emphasizes lethality!"

Hong Yuan's voice was like a booming bell as his gaze swept over the young faces.

"Today, I shall teach you all a killing move of the Iron Wire Fist: Overlord Breaks the River!"

Before the words had even faded, he slammed his palm onto the stone table beside him.

"Clatter--!"

The eighteen thick, pitch-black steel rings forged from refined steel that had been resting on the table seemed to be pulled by an invisible force, suddenly springing into the air.

Like cascading mercury, they fell one by one onto his muscular, knotted forearms.