Echoing Wraith!

Zhou Tian and Zhang Fang had barely had time to rejoice after hearing the news when another terrifying piece of news reached them.

"Someone died again. It was Old Zhao's son. He died in the old courtyard last night. They said he opened the door and went out himself, then got sucked dry until only a sheet of skin remained. The wind from pushing open the courtyard gate even blew his son's skin up, and it landed right on Old Zhao's face. It scared half the life out of him too."

Zhou Tian's face was full of sorrow.

"Ah, how pitiful. Old Zhao only had that one son."

Zhang Fang shook her head.

"I heard there's probably a powerful Mist Monster hiding in our Outer City, drawing in smaller Mist Monsters to hurt people. As long as they get rid of the big one, everything will be fine."

Zhou Tian knew a little more. Their boat boss was a capable man with well-connected sources. Putting on his straw hat as he headed out, he said, "All right, enough talk. I'm heading out to fish!"

He usually fished in the Black River near their city. This Black River came from the Black Mist, winding through the entire Outer City before eventually flowing into the Inner City. It was immensely broad. There were twenty or thirty fishermen in total, all working under the boat boss's management at the Fishery.

Fishing in the river also required following many rules. For instance, one could not stare directly at one's reflection in the water; any fish that could speak had to be thrown away immediately; and if a fishing net saw blood, the entire net had to be discarded.

"Zhou Second, you'll take a boat out on the upper reaches of the Black River today."

The boat boss was a burly man with his shirt hanging open, a thick mat of chest hair, and two tufts of nose hair sticking out from his nostrils. He coldly addressed Zhou Tian, who had just arrived.

Zhou Tian froze. The upper reaches of the Black River connected directly to the Black Mist and were the most dangerous. He had only recently gone out there; it should not have been his turn yet. It should have been the short man, Zhao Laosi.

Yet several people were gathered around Zhao Laosi today, all smiles as they chatted with him. After asking around, Zhou Tian learned that Zhao Laosi's son had become an official Martial Warrior at the Flying Eagle Martial Arts Hall. Naturally, that earned the father preferential treatment.

Even the boat boss went over to chat with him cheerfully for a few moments, assigning him to the safest job on shore—sorting the catch. He even brought over a black carp, which the man accepted in flattered surprise.

"All right."

Zhou Tian silently agreed. He cast the other man an envious glance, then went to gather his things and prepare to set out.

At that moment, a bearded man nearby glanced at Zhou Tian and smiled. "Old Zhou, I heard you're saving up to send your son to a martial arts hall too? Has he gone?"

"He has. He just went yesterday. I scraped the money together from all over the place, and I still owe quite a bit outside."

"That's a good thing. If he really makes it, you'll be on the same footing as Zhao Laosi in the future. At our Fishery, no one will dare look down on you."

The bearded man spoke with envy written all over his face. Becoming a Martial Warrior was a matter of defying fate and changing one's destiny. Their boat boss, for example, was a First-Rank Martial Artist. Though he was old and his qi and blood had declined, he could still manage the Fishery for the Jia Family of the Outer City and oversee so many fishermen.

Even if Zhao Laosi's son could not advance very far on the martial path in the future, he could still be like their boat boss—serving as a guard or steward for some wealthy Outer City household, living a life free of worry.

"It's too hard. We're just giving it a try. Whether he succeeds or not, it's all right."

Zhou Tian truly did not hold much hope. Becoming a Martial Warrior? Too hard! Far too hard!

Of all the fishermen in their Fishery, more than a dozen had sent their sons to learn martial arts, yet only Zhao Laosi had succeeded.

As a father, Zhou Tian did not have much ability himself, so he naturally could not place too much hope on his son being exceptionally outstanding. He had thought this through clearly.

At noon, inside a small restaurant at the Zheng Family Martial Arts Hall.

"You mean Mist Monsters? That's only a collective name for the monsters born within the Black Mist. The Mist Monster you mentioned is the lowest grade, called an Echoing Wraith. The name comes from 'Answer its call, and its wraithly shadow claims your life.' It has no fixed form and excels at imitating the voices and dreams of people you know, calling your name in the darkness. If you answer, it will drain away your essence, qi, and spirit, and you will die an unnatural death."

After finishing their training, Zhou Chen told Lian Taoze about what had happened the previous night while they ate. Lian Taoze clearly knew more about such things and explained it to him.

"It's normal that it targeted you. You've just begun martial training, so your qi and blood are abundant and your aura leaks out. That was what drew it to you. But there's no need to be afraid. Echoing Wraiths are merely the lowest and most worthless kind of Mist Monster. Once you become a Martial Warrior, your qi and blood alone will be enough to intimidate one. One punch will scatter it into ash and smoke."

After hearing Lian Taoze's explanation, Zhou Chen felt somewhat relieved.

"Ah, the Outer City has become more and more unsettled lately. Junior Brother, you must be careful too. There's no need to fear these lowly Mist Monsters, but mid- and high-grade Mist Monsters are terrifying beyond measure. If our master encountered a high-grade Mist Monster, he would only have escape as an option. All right, enough of that. If a Mist Monster of that level really entered, the Martial Warriors of the Inner City would take action."

This was Zhou Chen's first time hearing that Mist Monsters were ranked.

Mist Monsters were divided into low, middle, and high grades, corresponding to the three ranks of Martial Warriors.

"Are the Martial Warriors of the Inner City very formidable?"

He asked another question.

"Of course. They enjoy the best resources. It takes us three months to reach Initiation, while talented scions of great clans can pile up resources and achieve it in three days. Walk down the streets over there and toss a stone at random—the person you hit will be a Second-Rank Martial Artist. They also have the right to use heavy armor and repeating crossbows. Put on heavy armor and blades cannot harm you; after several volleys of arrows, even Master would have to avoid their edge for the moment."

"Put it this way: if our master could wear heavy armor, become impervious to blades and spears, and possess boundless strength, then no one in our city would be a match for him. That's why Outer City people who secretly keep heavy armor or crossbows will lose their heads if discovered. Hide one set and get caught, and your whole family will be executed. Hide two or three sets, and all nine branches of your clan will be exterminated!"

"So the first principle of martial training is never to oppose Inner City people, and never to oppose the great Inner City clans. All right, I won't keep you company now. I need to train too. Keep working hard on your own."

Though Lian Taoze claimed he was going to train, he actually went off to fight crickets again.

After finishing his meal, Zhou Chen continued his bitter training in the Coiling Python Stance Technique.

A month and a half flashed by. Every day, aside from eating and sleeping, Zhou Chen trained bitterly in the Stake-Standing Exercise.

The benefits were astonishing as well!

Large amounts of meat turned into surging qi, blood, and energy, so he did not have to be like those poor disciples without dietary supplements, who would be starving and dizzy after practicing the Stake-Standing Exercise only a few times.

Meanwhile, the Miasma Poison accumulated in the Black Meat could steadily add about half an inch to the Mist Incense each day.

Over this period, he had raised the Mist Incense to one foot nine inches. But the more than one tael of silver he had earned by killing and robbing was nearly spent. Recently, when he went to buy meat, Zhang Ying had curiously asked why that dog's appetite had grown bigger and bigger every day before, yet it had been eating less lately. Was his senior brother's dog not much of an eater?

Zhou Chen had not known how to answer.

That afternoon, in the courtyard of the Zheng Family Martial Arts Hall, sweat dripped from Zhou Chen's chin, only to be evaporated by the sun before it reached the ground. Panting heavily, he looked at the panel before him.

[Realm: First-Rank Skin Tempering Realm (Initiation) 613/1000]

"Phew—once the incense reaches two feet, I'll light it and cross the threshold of the first rank in one breath!"

Zhou Chen let out a long breath and pinched his arm. It felt like pinching cowhide. Ordinary scrapes and bumps could no longer leave even a mark. No wonder the first hurdle of martial training was skin tempering. This realm classification was rather scientific.

"Ah Chen! Stop training and come rest for a while!"

A thick-browed, big-eyed man called out to him.

The man was called Du Song. He was honest and straightforward, short in stature, and not particularly shrewd. His family sold baked cakes. His father, Du Dalang, had only managed to gather enough money for the martial arts hall by carrying a pole through the streets and lanes every day to sell flatbread.

Zhou Chen had met Du Song while sparring with him. Since their backgrounds and natural aptitudes were similar, the two had gradually become familiar with one another.

Zhou Chen smiled and walked over, sitting down beside him.