Zhao Hall Master

The next day.

"Senior Brother Cheng, someone has come to the martial hall looking for you."

A young disciple with an immature face ran up to Cheng Yang and said.

"Someone is looking for me?"

Cheng Yang nodded.

"All right, I understand."

He soon stopped practicing his stance and headed to the entrance of the martial hall.

A well-dressed man stood at the entrance.

Cheng Yang had never seen him before, so he asked.

"May I ask who you are?"

"Zhao Tiankuo, Hall Master of the Four-Ping Gang."

Zhao Tiankuo answered expressionlessly.

"I have had no dealings with the Four-Ping Gang. What business do you have with me?"

Cheng Yang's expression did not change.

"Two members of our gang disappeared near your home on Old Kui Street. There was also an incense master who was beaten to death alive in his own home. Does Brother Cheng know anything about this?"

Zhao Tiankuo watched Cheng Yang's expression.

"Such a thing happened?" Cheng Yang asked in surprise.

"Hall Master Zhao must be joking. My mother and I moved into the martial hall recently, and I have been focusing on martial arts training. I know nothing at all about what has been happening on Old Kui Street."

"That would be for the best."

Zhao Tiankuo sneered.

"Hall Master Zhao suspects that I killed members of your gang?" Cheng Yang asked solemnly.

Zhao Tiankuo bared his teeth.

"I do have some suspicions, but there is no evidence."

"If there is no evidence, Hall Master Zhao should not speak recklessly."

Cheng Yang's voice sank.

"Zhao was merely making casual conversation. Brother Cheng, please do not take it to heart."

Zhao Tiankuo changed his expression in an instant.

"Since that is the case, if there is nothing else, Hall Master Zhao, please leave. I still need to train."

Cheng Yang had no intention of continuing to speak with this man.

"Brother Cheng, your household still has not paid this month's protection fee for Old Kui Street."

Zhao Tiankuo added.

"What do you mean, Hall Master Zhao? I am no longer on Old Kui Street, yet I still have to pay your Four-Ping Gang a protection fee?"

Cheng Yang frowned.

"Of course you do, unless you no longer want that courtyard on Old Kui Street."

Zhao Tiankuo replied.

Cheng Yang gave Zhao Tiankuo a deep look and said.

"I will pay this protection fee. Hall Master Zhao, make sure you keep it safe."

"Naturally. If Brother Cheng has any problems, you may come to the Four-Ping Gang and find me at any time."

Zhao Tiankuo said with absolute confidence.

Cheng Yang then asked about the amount of the protection fee and paid several hundred copper coins before Zhao Tiankuo finally left.

At the mouth of the alley, another burly man was waiting.

"Hall Master Zhao, do you think that man is the killer?"

"This Cheng Yang has only just entered Flesh Tempering. No matter how much Huang Xuan's lungs fogged, he was still a veteran Flesh-Tempering Martial Master. Cheng Yang cannot be the killer, but..."

Zhao Tiankuo abruptly changed the subject.

"This Cheng Yang looks refined and honest, but he is absolutely ruthless at heart, the kind who repays every grievance down to the smallest crack in the eye. Back then, he was merely a mud-legged peasant expelled from the martial hall. Where did he get the silver to enter the Chen Clan Martial Hall?"

"Hall Master Zhao means...?"

"I suspect he was the one who wiped out the Golden Tiger Gang."

"That bunch of trash from the Golden Tiger Gang could be wiped out by a snot-nosed brat. If they died, they had it coming."

"This kid has talent, and his temperament is fierce, but it is simply too much of a pity."

Zhao Tiankuo shook his head, the azure sky reflected in his pupils.

"The skies over Qinglin County will soon change..."

"If he stands on the wrong side, then no matter how good his talent is, it will have to turn into a pinch of gray bones..."

"What exactly is the Four-Ping Gang's background?"

A trace of urgency rose in Cheng Yang's heart.

His status as a genius had already spread throughout Qinglin County for several days. What was more, the Chen Clan Martial Hall stood behind him, one of Qinglin County's foremost powers. Even so, the Four-Ping Gang had not given him the slightest bit of face...

What backing did they have behind them?

People often feared what they did not know...

"It seems I am still too weak. Relying only on the title of genius is utterly useless. I must transform from a genius into a strong man. Only then can I intimidate these petty scoundrels."

"In the end, I still have to rely on myself..."

"Strength!"

Without letting any more negative emotions affect him, Cheng Yang calmed his mind and continued training.

Today, he would probably be able to break through with Rock-Still Stance to Great Accomplishment.

By then, he would be a Flesh Tempering martial artist who held three Great Accomplishment stance arts in his hands.

At this stage in Qinglin County, being invincible among those of the same realm would be simplicity itself.

After training for an hour, Cheng Yang was called over by his master to receive guests.

Today's visitors were from the Wang Family, one of Qinglin County's four great families.

After a pleasant conversation.

The Wang Family was also very satisfied with Cheng Yang and agreed to provide him with ten jin of exotic beast meat each month for a month.

Cheng Yang's attitude toward a financial patron was naturally quite good.

After offering solemn thanks, he saw the Wang Family members off.

The afternoon remained filled with dull and tedious martial arts training.

But Cheng Yang enjoyed it.

Because his fate frame recorded the process of his strength rising bit by bit, making him feel deeply satisfied.

He barely stopped throughout the entire afternoon.

After grinding hard for an entire afternoon.

He finally pushed another stance art to Great Accomplishment.

[Rock-Still Stance Great Accomplishment (0/3000)]

After Rock-Still Stance rose to Great Accomplishment, it greatly improved his physical constitution. The qi and blood it provided was as much as the first two intermediate stance arts combined.

Cheng Yang's body changed once more.

His height reached 1.85 meters, and the muscles on his body swelled by another round, coiling like dragons. He looked as though he had been forged from steel.

His biceps bulged, and the circumference of his arms was at least over forty centimeters.

Simply standing before someone gave off an invisible sense of oppression.

Now, there truly were no more stance arts for him to practice.

Cheng Yang currently possessed five stance arts in total.

Wild Bull Stance, Rock-Still Stance, and Back-Piercing Stance had all reached Great Accomplishment.

Spirit Crane Stance and Whale Breath Stance were both at Minor Accomplishment. Without subsequent techniques, there was no way to improve them.

"Could I only practice martial skills?"

When it came to martial skills, Cheng Yang did not really want to practice them.

For someone like him, who practiced martial arts as easily as drinking water, martial skills had a very low cost-performance ratio.

After all, combat between martial artists was, bluntly put, a contest of strength and speed.

Martial skills were only useful in battles between people of the same realm.

What kind of people would devote themselves to studying martial skills?

They were all the sort whose realms could no longer advance, but who still wanted to increase their own strength, so they spent time tempering their martial skills.

Hmm...

Since that was the case, I'll continue practicing beyond Great Accomplishment based on my Great Accomplishment stance arts...

The proficiency level above Great Accomplishment was Perfection.

It corresponded to Bone Tempering Realm martial artists.

Among his current three stance arts, only Back-Piercing Stance had a follow-up stance technique.

If he wanted the follow-up techniques for Wild Bull Stance and Rock-Still Stance, he would need to learn them from his master.

To forge Copper Bone, two Perfection stance arts were needed as a foundation.

Silver Bone required three Perfection stance arts as a foundation.

Gold Bone required five stance arts at Perfection.

As for the legendary Divine Bone, it required more than ten stance arts at Perfection.

First, a small goal.

I'll forge Copper Bone first.

I wonder how many days it will take to train my Back-Piercing Stance from Great Accomplishment to Perfection...

Only after training until his mind was exhausted did Cheng Yang finally stop and withdraw his hands.

When he returned to his room, Chen Feiyi looked at Cheng Yang's physique and sighed with feeling.

"Disciple, your martial arts have improved again..."

"Just a small improvement..."

Thinking of Zhao Tiankuo from the Four-Ping Gang that morning, Cheng Yang asked.

"Master, do you know much about the Four-Ping Gang?"

"The Four-Ping Gang..."

Chen Feiyi paused...