Iron Cloth Shirt Advancement

Today is Thursday, and it remains a day for free training.

After parting ways with Dai Fei, Xu Ziming did not continue to linger at school.

This was because his Iron Cloth Shirt, following his battle with Song Wenkang, had miraculously improved by over 60%.

A quick check revealed it had reached <strong>[Iron Cloth Shirt: First Realm (87.5%)]</strong>.

This meant that one more training session would be enough to break through to the Iron Skin realm, at which point he could free up an Equipment Slot.

Not to mention that practicing ancient martial arts might provide other benefits to his body, such as an increase in his Life Energy Level.

Another reason was that his school scholarship and the police station reward had both arrived—ten thousand plus five thousand, along with the thirty thousand he "earned" from looting Song Wenkang's body.

His personal assets had reached an unprecedented height.

It was time to pick out a new weapon for himself; the Type 1 Psionic Sword was, after all, just a basic standard-issue weapon, and it was starting to feel clumsy to use.

Therefore, he headed to the Pengcheng Martial Arts Training Base near his home, the place he passed by every time he left school.

It was equipped with specialized self-study training rooms where you could do whatever you wanted as long as you paid, including dedicated spaces for ancient martial arts like the Iron Cloth Shirt.

Schools generally didn't have such facilities, as their primary training equipment was provided for those practicing the Basic Body Forging Method.

It was a rare treat to ride his bicycle through the city during the day; the surrounding spring breeze felt warm and very comfortable.

Soon, he arrived in front of the high-tech building, its lobby already crowded with people training one after another.

Everyone was extremely focused, sweating like rain.

Passing by the gleaming GG Sign, Xu Ziming finally walked inside.

"Welcome to the Pengcheng Martial Arts Training Base. How may I help you?"

As soon as he entered, a sweet-looking young lady approached him.

"Do you have a room specifically for practicing the Iron Cloth Shirt?"

"Of course, please follow me." Practicing ancient martial arts wasn't rare here; many older people preferred to train in these things.

It was just that there were fewer young people, but since the base was a business, as long as it wasn't illegal, no one really cared.

"Specialized Ancient Martial Arts Training Room, 200 yuan for three hours."

The young lady smiled and displayed the payment code. Xu Ziming aimed his wristband at it to scan, and only then did she swipe her card to open the room door.

"The training time is three hours. If you feel it's not enough, you can continue training and just pay the difference when you come out."

She smiled gently before turning to leave.

"Quite user-friendly." Xu Ziming muttered to himself and slowly walked inside.

The moment he stepped in, he was surprised by the complete range of facilities.

Beyond the basic thick ropes, there was sand and gravel, soldering irons, whips...

The main theme was: whatever tortures the body, use it.

Gulp. Even Xu Ziming couldn't help but swallow hard at the sight.

Is this Iron Cloth Shirt technique actually a legitimate cultivation method? Xu Ziming really wanted to ask.

After hesitating for a few seconds, he walked over to the instrument filled with sand and gravel; it was a device that looked like a tumble dryer.

The standing iron-skinned device was filled with sand and gravel; as soon as one stepped inside and was submerged, the device would automatically start running.

Before beginning his training, Xu Ziming first unequipped the Basic Body Forging Method from his Equipment Slot and then slotted in the Iron Cloth Shirt.

He would never remove the Qilin Source Blood; it was too dangerous, as he might be targeted.

Buzz, buzz, buzz. Xu Ziming had already entered the device, and as his body became completely submerged, the entire instrument began to operate.

Countless grains of sand and gravel rolled over his body, rubbing against his skin.

Less than two minutes in, a look of agony and ecstasy appeared on Xu Ziming's face—not because he couldn't handle the churning stones.

But because...

"Wait, my crotch, it hurts so much!!"

Because the Iron Cloth Shirt didn't cover every part of the body, and Xu Ziming had stripped off all his clothes.

However, once the machine started training, it would never stop until a valid training cycle was completed, and one valid cycle for this machine was one hour.

Rumble!

The sand and gravel machine continued to run, and Xu Ziming's face had already turned somewhat pale.

<strong>[Iron Cloth Shirt First Realm (90.3%)]</strong>

<strong>[Iron Cloth Shirt First Realm (91.5%)]</strong>

Fortunately, the progress of the Iron Cloth Shirt was rapid, and new notifications kept ringing in his ears.

He could only grit his teeth and force himself to endure it with his willpower.

Finally, after an hour of torture, the rolling sand and gravel machine stopped, and Xu Ziming stepped out, weak.

The realm of his Iron Cloth Shirt was stuck right at <strong>[First Realm (99.9%)]</strong>.

This value had remained the same for ten minutes, and even after another ten minutes, it still hadn't changed.

He simply took a Blood Qi Potion from his wristband and downed it in one gulp, then resolutely cast his gaze toward the branding iron not far away.

The branding iron had begun heating up the moment this room was activated; by now, after an hour of scorching, its temperature had reached over five hundred degrees.

The melting point of iron is approximately 1538 degrees Celsius. Since his body couldn't be pierced by iron weapons, five hundred degrees shouldn't be enough to burn through it either.

Xu Ziming thought with trepidation, yet he still lifted the branding iron. It was a massive piece of iron, large enough to cover his entire body.

As Xu Ziming raised the branding iron, scorching heat already began to radiate from it.

"Sizzle—"

A piercing pain shot through his skin and spread across his entire body; within just two seconds, he began to tremble uncontrollably.

Pain, it was so painful! A bone-deep agony!

But with the help of the Iron Cloth Shirt, his body was not burned through by the branding iron, leaving behind only a long white mark.

Next, he had to maneuver the branding iron to traverse his entire body.

Back, chest, stomach, arms, thighs...

One area after another was passed over by the branding iron. The moment the final patch of his body was covered by the iron, a familiar electronic chime rang in his ears.

[Iron Cloth Shirt: Second Mirror Iron Skin (0.00%)]

[Permanent solidification conditions met, Steel Skin trait permanently solidified, Iron Skin effect increased by 50%]

[Equipment Slot vacated, new Equipment Slot 1/2 unlocked, Note: Each new Equipment Slot unlocked requires an additional permanent solidification]

The breakthrough was a success; he had finally reached the Iron Skin realm. He immediately tossed the hot branding iron aside to carefully sense the changes in his body.

It felt as if he were shedding his skin; the old skin was constantly peeling away while new skin grew in its place.

He touched himself and found layers of black sludge sloughing off his body, while the newly grown skin felt incredibly smooth. He stabbed it fiercely with a long sword, yet not even a mark was left behind.

He couldn't feel any pain at all.

He had finally mastered it, though the requirement to permanently solidify another trait to increase his Equipment Slot meant it really wasn't as simple as he had imagined.

Xu Ziming thought to himself, but then he caught a whiff of an unbearable stench. Oh no, he was outside right now; how was he supposed to go home covered in this black sludge?