Mysterious Heaven Sect

The next day!

The East City was shaken, and the martial arts circles of Guangping County were in an uproar.

Wang Heng, head of the Wang Family, and his nephew Wang Hao had been killed, and most of the Wang Family's skin-toughening martial artists had been wiped out, with only a few who were not at the Wang estate last night escaping the disaster.

While the major factions of Guangping County were shocked by the news, Xu Ping and his father in the Xu Family, located in the North City, had not slept all night.

The father and son sat staring at a bag of silver on the table, sitting there from the early hours of the morning until noon.

In the early hours of the day, Father Xu had heard movement in the courtyard and got up to investigate, only to discover an extra bundle. Upon opening it, he found it contained a full two hundred taels of silver.

"Ping'er, who do you think dropped this silver? Could it have been dropped in the wrong courtyard?"

"Father."

Xu Ping interrupted his father, a look of resolve flashing in his bloodshot eyes. "Don't think about who dropped this silver. Consider this as if it never happened, and don't mention it to anyone, including Mother and the others."

Having practiced martial arts, his mind was relatively sharp.

Two hundred taels was not a small sum; it was impossible for it to have been dropped by mistake.

The person who dropped the money in the dead of night without leaving a trace clearly did not want their identity exposed.

Qingtian Town.

Lin Yan was very satisfied with last night's haul.

Eight hundred taels in banknotes, over two hundred taels in silver, and some martial arts pills—the total value was already close to fifteen hundred taels.

The two hundred taels at the Xu Family had been thrown by him.

Because of him, Xu Ping had been crippled by the Wang Family's schemes, so his strike against the Wang Family could be considered revenge for Xu Ping.

The two hundred taels were compensation for Xu Ping, as well as gratitude for Xu Ping giving up his opportunity for a position at the Tang Family to him.

The North City was chaotic; this money was enough for the Xu Family to buy a house in a less bustling area of the East or South City, with several dozen taels left over, enough for the Xu Family's expenses for several years.

It wasn't that Lin Yan didn't want to give more, but he also needed money for his own martial arts practice. If there were another opportunity in the future, he would send more to the Xu Family then.

If he gave the Xu Family too much, they would only save it; it was better to use it for his own martial arts training first.

No one knows yet that I have broken through to the third level of skin-toughening. No one will associate the killing of the Wang uncle and nephew with me. I'll wait a few days for the storm to settle before returning to the city to announce my breakthrough.

Seven days later.

Yang Family Martial Arts Hall.

Lin Yan entered the hall and looked at the sparse figures of the youths in the front courtyard, unable to help but frown. When he came to apprentice at the hall last year, there were over a dozen disciples in the front courtyard, and every time he visited afterward, the number of disciples in the front courtyard had remained above ten.

Were there so few people signing up for the martial arts hall this year?

Filled with doubt, Lin Yan passed through the middle courtyard toward the back. The number of disciples in the middle courtyard was also not high, but fortunately, when he entered the back courtyard, there were still a few senior brothers present.

"Junior Brother Lin."

Lv Qianfan and the others, who were practicing in the back courtyard, stopped to greet him as soon as they saw Lin Yan enter.

Lin Yan nodded in response. "Senior Brother Lv, is Master in?"

"Master is in the main hall."

"Then I will go pay my respects to Master first and chat later."

Lv Qianfan and the others watched Lin Yan's back as he walked toward the main hall, their expressions complex.

Junior Brother Lin had started skin-toughening later than them, and they had looked down on him at first because of his ordinary background. They hadn't expected that in the blink of an eye, Junior Brother Lin would already be a second-level skin-toughening martial artist, and a standout one at that.

Don't let the "chat later" fool you; that was merely polite social convention.

On the contrary, Li An had a very good relationship with Junior Brother Lin. If Li An were here, Junior Brother Lin would have definitely stopped to have a real conversation instead of just saying "chat later."

In the main hall, Yang Qingfeng was flipping through an account book. Seeing Lin Yan enter, a smile appeared on his face.

"Disciple pays respects to Master."

Lin Yan bowed and said directly, "Disciple has come this time to tell Master some good news."

"What good news?"

Yang Qingfeng subconsciously scanned Lin Yan, and after a moment, his eyes lit up. "Third level of skin-toughening?"

"Master, your eyes are like torches; indeed, nothing can be hidden from you."

Lin Yan chuckled. Yang Qingfeng stood up from his chair, stepped forward to grasp Lin Yan's arm, and exerted a little force. Feeling the surging blood and qi within Lin Yan, he let go with a look of gratification.

"Not bad. I originally thought it would take you another half a year to break through to the third level of skin-toughening. This is truly a surprise."

Yang Qingfeng was immensely satisfied with Lin Yan.

At first, he only thought Lin Yan had a good temperament, but martial arts cultivation relied more on resources. He hadn't expected Lin Yan to surprise him time and again. From the first level to the second, and now to the third, this speed of cultivation had already left ninety percent of the martial artists in the county behind.

While satisfied, Yang Qingfeng also felt a twinge of guilt deep down.

As the master of the martial arts hall, he naturally hoped his disciples would all be geniuses. Now that two such geniuses were standing before him, he felt both joy and shame.

Since opening the Yang Family Martial Arts Hall, he had treated his disciples quite fairly. Aside from the apprenticeship fee, he only marked up the cost of medicinal supplies and meals by twenty percent. Consequently, he hadn't managed to accumulate much wealth over the years.

With the resources at his disposal, he could manage to support a student through the second and third stages of skin-tempering, but the expenses required to rapidly push for the fourth stage after the third were a terrifying sum.

He and the Zhao Family had exhausted everything they had just to barely cover Linyuan's expenses; he simply couldn't provide much more martial resources for Lin Yan.

This was the reason he had sought a marriage arrangement for Lin Yan in the first place, and why he had later provided him with secret medicinal formulas.

Feeling guilty, he could only offer compensation in this manner.

"You have already reached the third stage of skin-tempering. I will now teach you the method for the fourth."

Setting aside the emotions in his mind, Yang Qingfeng began to instruct Lin Yan on the fourth stage of skin-tempering.

"The first stage is Rough Skin, the second is Forging Flesh, and the third is Cleansing Tendons. This fourth stage is known as Bone Tempering."

"The first three stages train the skin, flesh, and tendons—all areas easily reached by qi and blood. But bones are different; they are hidden deep within the flesh, where qi and blood struggle to enter and impurities are difficult to remove."

He turned to look at Lin Yan, his tone deepening: "The fourth stage of skin-tempering is also called 'Rebirth of Body and Bone.' This stage requires you to permeate your bones with qi and blood, refining the impurities out of them bit by bit."

"At this stage, mere persistence is useless; it requires the support of both diet and secret medicines." Yang Qingfeng held up two fingers. "For food, you need at least precious meat. As for medicinal aids, two things are indispensable: the externally applied Bone-Strengthening Paste and the internally consumed Bone Tempering Pill."

"The Bone-Strengthening Paste is roughly the same across all martial arts halls, but the Bone Tempering Pill is divided into three grades based on the primary ingredient. The best is the Tiger Bone Tempering Pill, made from the marrow of tigers at least three years old. Slightly inferior is the Bear Bone Tempering Pill, and the lowest grade is the Leopard Bone Tempering Pill."

Lin Yan listened intently, pondering for a moment before asking, "Master, is there a significant difference in the efficacy of these three pills?"

"You get what you pay for. A Tiger Bone Tempering Pill costs one hundred taels, the bear version is seventy, and the leopard version is only fifty."

Yang Qingfeng used the prices to give Lin Yan his answer directly. "The three pills don't just differ in efficacy; the main point is that taking the Tiger Bone Tempering Pill offers the highest chance of successfully completing the fourth stage of skin-tempering."

"How often should the Bone Tempering Pill be taken?"

Lin Yan asked the question he was most concerned about. A high unit price was one thing, but the frequency of consumption was the real issue.

"If you have enough silver, all three can be taken daily. However, most third-stage skin-tempering martial artists only take one every ten or fifteen days. Your Junior Brother Zhao takes a Tiger Bone Tempering Pill every three days, plus other secret medicines and precious meats, costing over a thousand taels a month."

Hearing his master's words, the corner of Lin Yan's mouth twitched. He didn't think he had spent even a thousand taels from the moment he started practicing martial arts until now.

This martial path wasn't just a money pit; it was a bottomless black hole.

Seeing Lin Yan's shocked expression, Yang Qingfeng explained, "Linyuan's situation is different. His goal is to break through to the fourth stage within this year, so he is investing without regard for cost. You don't have to be like him."

At these words, Lin Yan's heart stirred, and he asked curiously, "Master, Junior Brother Zhao is seventeen this year. Is there a reason he is in such a rush to break through to the fourth stage?"

Yang Qingfeng glanced toward the door. "Hmm, there is indeed a reason for Linyuan's urgency. Since you have already entered the third stage of skin-tempering, it is time I told you about the martial arts situation in the entire Dengzhou Prefecture."

Lin Yan listened carefully, waiting for his master to enlighten him.

"The current dynasty operates under a system where the imperial family and the sects rule together. When this dynasty overthrew the previous one, the major sects contributed greatly. In return, the imperial family granted them vast fiefs. These lands nominally belong to the Great Zhou, but the true power lies with the sects. The Dengzhou Prefecture, where we reside, belongs to the Mysterious Heaven Sect."

Lin Yan's mind raced. He doubted any dynasty would willingly accept such a division of power; the imperial authority and the sects must have clashed many times. However, that was too far removed from him. He only needed to know that the Mysterious Heaven Sect governed Guangping County.

"The Mysterious Heaven Sect's governance of Dengzhou Prefecture is somewhat similar to the imperial family's; they don't send disciples to station themselves in every county. Dengzhou oversees forty-eight counties, all governed by the local Patrol Bureau. The Patrol Bureau has the power to maintain order and set taxes. As long as the local Patrol Bureau pays the taxes set by the Mysterious Heaven Sect on time, the sect doesn't interfere with how much tax the bureau collects from the county."

"The Patrol Bureau has that much power?"

Hearing this, Lin Yan gasped.

Taxation and public order—holding these two powers made them no different from local warlords.

However, based on his recent understanding of the Guangping County Patrol Bureau, while they were powerful, they didn't seem to be as absolute as his master described, otherwise, they wouldn't be locked in a struggle with the Four Seas Gang.

"The Patrol Bureau's power is indeed great, but it is not without checks and balances."

Yang Qingfeng, sensing his disciple's thoughts, explained, "The powerful families in each county are all martial artists. The Patrol Bureau cannot tax them too heavily, or it will incite public outrage. The Mysterious Heaven Sect certainly won't back the bureau; if they fail to collect enough tax, the sect will simply replace them with another faction."

"Therefore, to collect enough tax, the Patrol Bureau cannot offend the local martial arts families too severely. After all, most of the shops and businesses in the county are controlled by these families. If these families play a few tricks, the Patrol Bureau won't be able to collect enough tax to meet the Mysterious Heaven Sect's requirements, and they will face severe punishment from the sect."

Lin Yan understood now, and at the same time, he realized the brilliance of the Mysterious Heaven Sect.

By delegating power to the Patrol Bureau without acting as their shield, the sect ensured the bureau couldn't use the Mysterious Heaven Sect's name to intimidate the local martial arts families.

And if the Patrol Bureau imposed excessive taxes, inciting public resentment, the Mysterious Heaven Sect could simply step in to resolve the situation and appease the people.

The major martial arts families and the commoners wouldn't direct their hatred at the Mysterious Heaven Sect; instead, they would be grateful to the sect for upholding justice.

The Patrol Bureau played the villain, while the Mysterious Heaven Sect maintained the image of a benevolent ruler.

"Master, is the Patrol Bureau open to anyone?"

"Naturally not." Yang Qingfeng shook his head. "The Mysterious Heaven Sect takes the lion's share of the taxes and doesn't care for the scraps, but that doesn't mean their disciples don't. The people behind the Patrol Bureaus in each county either have deep ties to the Mysterious Heaven Sect's disciples or have the backing of powerful forces from the prefecture capital."

Lin Yan realized that the Mysterious Heaven Sect was outsourcing the power of order and taxation to those with either strength or connections.

"In Dengzhou Prefecture, the Mysterious Heaven Sect is the sky. Linyuan is training so desperately because he wants to join the sect and become a disciple. But the minimum requirement for the Mysterious Heaven Sect to recruit disciples is to reach the fourth stage of skin-tempering before the age of eighteen."

Fourth stage before eighteen?

Lin Yan's mouth twitched. He had only started practicing martial arts at eighteen.

"Master, since the Mysterious Heaven Sect has such a requirement, why didn't Junior Brother Zhao start practicing earlier? If he had started a year earlier, wouldn't he have had more time?"

This was what puzzled Lin Yan. If Junior Brother Zhao's goal was to become a disciple of the Mysterious Heaven Sect, he could have started at fourteen or fifteen, or even earlier. Why wait until sixteen?

"Most people's tendons and bones don't fully develop until eighteen or later. If they start training too early, their bodies cannot withstand the potent martial medicines, and the end result is repeated failure when attempting to break through to the fourth stage."

Yang Qingfeng knew his disciple came from an ordinary background and lacked deep knowledge of the Martial Dao, so he offered further explanation: "The reason many martial artists get stuck at each of the four stages of Skin Tempering is that they unknowingly damage their foundations during the cultivation process, or by the time they realize it, it is already too late."

"Only a rare few can fully develop their sinews and bones before the age of eighteen, and Linyuan is one of those few."

Lin Yan asked again: "Master, the Mysterious Heaven Sect only recruits martial artists who have completed four stages of Skin Tempering before eighteen. Does that mean those like Junior Brother Zhao, whose sinews and bones develop early, possess something special, such as a unique innate constitution?"

He asked this because he was thinking of his own Stone Waist Savage Spine. At first, he had assumed there was a distinction in innate constitution among martial artists, but even now, having entered the third stage of Skin Tempering, he had never heard the term "innate constitution" from any other martial artist.

"Why would you think that?"

Yang Qingfeng was somewhat surprised by his disciple's words and laughed: "There is no such thing as a 'unique innate constitution' in the Martial Dao world, at least not that I have heard of. Of course, it is possible your guess is correct, but that would likely be a secret belonging to a higher level of the Martial Dao circle, not something we could know."

Hearing his master's reply, Lin Yan felt a flicker of disappointment; he had been wondering if his Stone Waist Savage Spine counted as a unique innate constitution.

"The reason the Mysterious Heaven Sect requires disciples to reach the fourth stage of Skin Tempering before eighteen is that to achieve this, one must begin cultivation by age sixteen; otherwise, there isn't enough time. Those who can fully develop their sinews and bones before eighteen are indeed superior in their speed of Martial Dao cultivation compared to those who do so after eighteen."

Lin Yan looked thoughtful, pondering for a few moments before asking: "Master, how does the Martial Dao circle determine if one's sinews and bones are fully developed?"

Yang Qingfeng stroked his beard, mused for a moment, and said: "Bone-feeling, sinew-touching... but these methods are mostly based on experience and are not necessarily accurate. The most precise method is to take medicine. Linyuan was tested only after having someone feel his bones and then taking a Bone Setting Pill."

"A Bone Setting Pill?"

"If someone whose sinews and bones are already fully developed takes this pill, they feel nothing unusual, as if they had simply drunk a bowl of water. But if someone whose sinews and bones are not yet fully developed takes it, they will experience pain throughout their entire skeletal structure. The more immature the sinews and bones, the more intense the reaction. However, this Bone Setting Pill is not easy to refine, and the necessary medicinal ingredients are not cheap. A single pill costs over a hundred taels of silver. Ordinary families cannot afford such an expense; only those great families who wish to discover talented disciples early can afford to use it."

"I see. Thank you for clearing up my confusion, Master. I understand now." Lin Yan bowed, then smiled: "With Junior Brother Zhao's talent, there should be no problem for him to enter the fourth stage of Skin Tempering within this year."

"It is not that easy." Yang Qingfeng gave a helpless smile: "To reach the fourth stage of Skin Tempering within a year requires not only Linyuan's innate talent but also a massive amount of Martial Dao resources to support him. Back then, I made an agreement with Linyuan's family to cultivate him together. By now, my own savings have been emptied, and the Zhao Family is no better off."

Just after Linyuan reached the third stage of Skin Tempering, the Zhao Family mortgaged several of their silver shops and businesses in the city to the money lenders, and they sold every one of their hundred-plus acres of fertile land outside the city.

The Zhao Family's century of savings had all been spent on Linyuan.

If the gamble paid off, everything would be regained.

If the gamble failed, the Zhao Family's century-old legacy would be gone.

"It is precisely for this reason that I cannot provide you with much financial support for your Martial Dao. I hope you do not blame me."

"Master, you speak too heavily. That I have reached this point today is entirely due to your teachings; that is already a debt of gratitude as vast as the heavens. Junior Brother Zhao has a bright future, and it is only right that you cultivate him with all your might. I feel only gratitude."

Lin Yan's expression was sincere. He truly felt no resentment, as his master and the Zhao Family had an agreement in place.

Moreover, in everyone's eyes, Junior Brother Zhao's Martial Dao potential was higher than his own, unless he were to expose the existence of the Martial Dao Tree.

But the Martial Dao Tree was his greatest trump card and secret; it could never be exposed to the outside world.

Yang Qingfeng looked at Lin Yan. The more sincere Lin Yan was, the more guilty he felt. If it were any other martial arts school, they would have poured all their resources into cultivating such a talented disciple.

After a long while, he made a decision: "If any other martial arts school is willing to cultivate you, I grant you permission to transfer to another school."

Lin Yan was stunned. Seeing the serious expression in his master's eyes, he understood that his master was not testing him, but rather felt guilty for giving the resources to Junior Brother Zhao instead of him.

"I do not regret becoming your disciple, Master."

Transferring to another martial arts school was something Lin Yan had never considered.

"I give you my word on this; there is no need to make a hasty decision."

Yang Qingfeng sighed inwardly. Lin Yan's Martial Dao talent was not much inferior to Linyuan's, only he was two years older and had a poorer background.

Yet it was precisely these two points, especially the latter, that were most valued in the Martial Dao. If not for that, why would the families he had approached to act as a matchmaker have rejected Lin Yan?

Now that Lin Yan had reached the third stage of Skin Tempering, if he were to bring up the marriage proposal again, those families likely wouldn't refuse.

However, as soon as this thought surfaced in Yang Qingfeng's mind, he dismissed it.

Those four families had already refused once; to go knocking on their doors again would only serve to strip Lin Yan of his face and dignity.

It would not do!