Fist Technique Breakthrough

Shaking his head, Lin Qing left the martial hall.

Walking through the streets of the Inner City, he could clearly feel the gazes cast upon him had changed.

They were all filled with a touch of curiosity, and even a hint of imperceptible awe.

The Iron Thread Fist Martial Hall was one of the four great martial halls in Qingping County; the status of being its disciple was an invisible amulet here in the Inner City.

Passing through the tidy Inner City and stepping back into the territory of the Outer City felt like crossing into another world.

On the muddy roads, sewage was dumped wantonly.

The bustling crowd was packed together.

The sour, foul air rushed toward him.

It was a mix of sweat and the stench of animal excrement, forcing Lin Qing to cover his nose and mouth.

Lin Qing carefully avoided the feces on the ground and squeezed through the crowd emitting various odors, wanting only to return to Yongning Street as quickly as possible.

As he reached a relatively quiet and narrow alley, two men with their faces covered in black cloth suddenly jumped out from ahead, blocking his path.

They gripped crude wooden clubs in their hands, their eyes fierce.

"Kid, if you know what's good for you, hand over the money you've got on you!"

One of the short, stocky masked men said in an unkind tone.

Lin Qing's heart tightened; his hand subconsciously reached for the hidden pouch of lime powder at his waist, his breathing slightly rapid.

Although he had begun martial arts training, it was only his first day, and his stamina was exhausted.

Facing two armed adult men, his chances of winning were slim.

Just as he prepared to take a desperate gamble, the other, slightly thinner masked man spoke.

By the faint light filtering into the alley entrance, he carefully examined the gray martial robe on Lin Qing, especially the character "Hong" embroidered on the chest, and his expression changed abruptly.

He hurriedly tugged at the sleeve of the masked man beside him, lowering his voice with shock: "Big Brother, he seems to be from the Iron Thread Fist Martial Hall!"

Upon hearing this, the stocky man also stiffened. He looked closely at Lin Qing's attire, and the ferocity in his eyes was replaced by wariness.

The two exchanged a glance and, without any hesitation, didn't even bother to leave a parting threat. Like startled rabbits, they turned and dove into the darkness at the other end of the alley, disappearing in an instant.

Lin Qing slowly loosened his grip on the lime powder, his palm already slick with cold sweat.

He let out a long sigh of relief; beyond the lingering fear, there was a deeper realization.

"To live in this world, one must have a backer..."

He whispered to himself, his desire for strength never more intense than at this moment.

This martial hall robe was his first protective amulet.

Returning to Yongning Street, he saw from afar that Benevolent World Hall still had its doors tightly shut.

Across the way, at the entrance of Security Hall, Pan An was talking to his subordinates when his eyes caught the returning Lin Qing, his expression turning to one of astonishment.

He immediately lowered his voice and instructed his men:

"Go, tell the others below, stop using any tricks against Benevolent World Hall for now—keep it low-key!"

Though the subordinates were confused, seeing the manager's ugly expression, they dared not ask and hurriedly nodded in agreement.

Pan An watched Lin Qing push the door open and enter, his face turning grim.

This kid actually managed to hook up with the Hong Family Martial Hall?

Things seemed to be getting a bit troublesome.

Several days passed in the blink of an eye.

On this day, Clerk Liu visited once again.

He was followed by two bailiffs with their hands on their waist blades, their demeanor even more aggressive.

As soon as Clerk Liu stepped over the threshold of Benevolent World Hall, he spoke: "Little Brother Lin, is the money for the plaque ready?"

He prepared to put on his usual official airs, but his gaze suddenly froze.

It locked onto Lin Qing behind the counter.

At this moment, Lin Qing was wearing his martial robe.

Though he was just standing there quietly, the days of horse-stance training had made his originally thin frame appear more upright, and there was a newfound heroic spirit between his brows.

The reprimand on the tip of Clerk Liu's tongue was swallowed back, and he became much more polite: "Little Brother Lin, have you joined a martial hall?"

Lin Qing rose calmly, cupped his hands, and spoke in a peaceful tone: "Official Liu, it's not quite joining; it's just that my late father had some old ties with Master Hong."

"Master Hong was kind enough to allow me to register at the hall to learn some basic skills for strengthening the body."

Upon hearing this, the corner of Clerk Liu's eye twitched slightly; in his heart, he had already cursed that man surnamed Pan at Security Hall a thousand times over.

This Lin boy had clearly made connections with the martial hall, yet Pan An had goaded him into playing the villain.

Wasn't this just using him as a spear to poke the hornet's nest of the Hong Family Martial Hall?

The Iron Thread Fist Martial Hall held significant power in Qingping County, with nearly a hundred disciples under its banner.

Hong Yuan was, after all, a martial artist of the Organ Cleansing Realm.

He was by no means someone a lowly clerk like him could easily offend.

The smile on his face instantly became a few shades more sincere as he hurriedly said:

"So that is how it is. Young Brother Lin, what a stroke of good fortune!"

"Clerk Liu, here is the silver, please take it."

Lin Qing placed three taels of broken silver forward.

Clerk Liu took the three taels of silver Lin Qing handed over, weighed them in his hand, and tucked them into his robes without even looking.

"Rest assured, Young Brother Lin. Leave the matter of changing the signboard to me; I will ensure the craftsmen deliver the new plaque as soon as possible."

"Furthermore, I see that business at Benevolent World Hall has been slow lately. How about this: the market protection fees for the next three months will be waived."

"Consider it a small gesture of sympathy from this Liu toward you old-established shops."

Lin Qing sneered inwardly; three taels of silver in exchange for three months of waived fees—this clerk certainly knew how to trade favors.

Yet, he remained impassive on the surface, merely nodding faintly: "I have troubled you, Clerk Liu."

"Easy enough."

Clerk Liu gave two dry laughs.

After a few more pleasantries, he led his bailiffs away in a hurry.

Lin Qing watched the scene calmly, his heart undisturbed.

A gentleman is no different from others; he is simply good at utilizing external things.

In the blink of an eye, ten days passed.

Although business at Benevolent World Hall was dismal, with his sister in charge of operations, they could barely manage to sustain their livelihood.

During this time, Lin Qing had poured almost all his energy into martial arts cultivation.

He rose before dawn every day to practice stance training in the courtyard.

Afterward, he would rush to the martial arts hall, where, under the guidance of Zhang Shun and the other senior brothers, he would repeatedly practice basic movements and ponder the techniques of force generation.

Returning home in the evening, he still refused to rest, practicing tirelessly against the old locust tree in the courtyard.

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

Were growing slowly but steadily at a speed visible to the naked eye.

This afternoon.

Lin Qing wore iron rings, wrapped his body in iron wires, and extended his arms.

With his legs set in the Character-Two Clamping Goat Stance, he repeatedly practiced several basic force-generating movements.

With every punch, he tried his best to mobilize the muscles throughout his body, feeling that faint surge of power circulating within him.

"Hey! Heh-heh! Ha!"

"Tsk—!"

He exhaled sharply, coordinating his breath with his movements, practicing one stance and one style at a time.

Just as he completed a coherent set of Iron Wire Fist movements, the iron wires wrapped around his body suddenly snapped open.

The blood and qi throughout his body seemed to be ignited, surging with a roar.

A faint humming sound resonated through his limbs and bones.

A strength far more abundant than ever before welled up from within!

At the same time, the Heavenly Dao Record in his mind shimmered with light.

The text emerged clearly.

[Iron Wire Fist (Entering the Hall)]

[Experience Points: 1/5000]

It was done; his fist technique had finally entered the hall!

Lin Qing retracted his stance and stood tall, his chest rising and falling slightly, his eyes gleaming.

He could clearly feel that both his physical fitness and his control over force had improved significantly.

If he were to face the two robbers from the alley that day again, he was confident he could defeat them even without the lime powder.

"Eh?"

A voice filled with slight surprise rang out from behind him.