Sinking Force

Time passed quickly. In the blink of an eye, another three days had gone by.

Every day, Lu Li diligently practiced the perfected Eight Trigrams Moving Stake, condensing Internal Force.

Swish, swish, swish.

As he repeated the forms over and over, a gleam flashed through Lu Li's eyes. At last, he broke through to the initial stage of Sinking Force.

"Eight Trigrams Saber Technique" Mastery (235/1200)

"Eight Trigrams Fist Technique" Perfected (500/800)

"Eight Trigrams Moving Stake" Perfected (800/800)

"Eight Trigrams Embracing-Circle Stake Art" Perfected (500/500)

[Realm]: None (Initial Sinking Force)

At this point, his qi and blood had become solid and dense, while his force sank into his Dantian, heavy and enduring. When he struck, layers of force piled atop one another, unceasing and endless.

Lu Li's eyes shone brightly.

Having reached the initial stage of Sinking Force, he could control the weight of his punches at will, advancing and withdrawing with perfect ease. He could stop at a touch, or kill with a single blow.

At the same time, Internal Force at the initial stage of Sinking Force allowed him to hold his breath for a short time, endure hunger and thirst, and withstand grueling battles.

Though Fusion Force was nimble and ever-changing, compared to Sinking Force, it lacked depth and thickness. In a prolonged battle, it would inevitably be suppressed layer upon layer by Sinking Force.

If it were now, killing Baldy Jiao would only take one slash.

After calming himself, he continued training.

Until mealtime.

After nourishing himself with food and a medicinal bath, he ended the day's grueling cultivation and headed toward Apricot Blossom Alley. When he was nearly at the entrance to the small courtyard, Liu Rushuang stopped him.

Lu Li brought her to an empty corner of an alley. He looked around, and only after confirming that no one was nearby did he ask,

"What did you come to see me for?"

"Have you heard? Baldy Jiao is dead."

As she spoke, Liu Rushuang stared at Lu Li, wanting to find something in his eyes.

"When did it happen?"

Lu Li raised his brows at the words, his face full of surprise.

"They say it happened three days ago. His body was thrown into the Black Flood Dragon River. Third Master Zhao, the hall master of the Iron Wolf Gang, has put out a reward and is hunting for the killer."

Worry showed in Liu Rushuang's eyes, yet she could not detect the slightest abnormality in Lu Li's gaze.

She said wistfully, "I thought you killed that beast for me. You made me happy for nothing all night."

Lu Li looked relaxed as he said mildly, "I asked some senior brothers at the martial academy. Baldy Jiao was a Sinking Force expert. I'm only at Ring Force now, two stages below him. You wouldn't understand even if I explained it. In short, he was an old hand who had practiced martial arts for over a decade. Ordinary people were no match for him."

"It really wasn't you?"

"No."

"Now that he's dead, your crisis is over too. Are you still willing to give me ten taels of silver every month?"

"I am. Of course I am."

"Of course you are, but I still feel like you're lying to me. You bad boy, your thoughts run deep. Who knows whether you've been hiding your strength?"

Lu Li rubbed his forehead.

"Liu Rushuang, you can't talk nonsense about certain things. You said yourself that the Iron Wolf Gang is hunting the killer, yet you suspect me and still came looking for me. Are you trying to harm me again?"

Liu Rushuang's breathing quickened, and she instantly panicked. "No, I only said it because no one is here. Don't worry, I won't mention this again in the future!"

Lu Li nodded. "Don't come looking for me if there's nothing important."

Disappointment flickered in Liu Rushuang's eyes. Then she immediately put on a fawning expression. "I don't care. I've set my heart on you for this lifetime.

"You were the first man to see my body. No matter what you think of me, from now on, I'm yours."

"As you wish."

"If you give me money, I'll protect your safety. Of course, it has to be within my abilities. Remember not to cause trouble for me. Keep playing ugly when you should."

Liu Rushuang nodded. "Has training been hard these past few days? Do you have enough money? I brought you another ten taels of silver. I heard that martial artists need to eat plenty of meat every meal. You can't skimp on dietary nourishment."

After speaking, Liu Rushuang took a purse from her bosom. It was the same style as the previous one.

Lu Li pondered for a moment before accepting the silver.

"Hurry back. Things haven't been peaceful lately, so don't run around everywhere."

When he returned to the small courtyard.

Lu Li found that his uncle-in-law Chen Hai and Little Chen Xuan were both there, gathered around the dining table as though celebrating something.

In the past month, he had never seen everyone gathered so completely when he came home.

"A-Li, come sit down. There's great news today—simply a double blessing!"

His uncle-in-law Chen Hai was already drunk, his eyes unfocused and his mouth unable to stop smiling.

Lu Li sat down at the table.

"Uncle-in-law, what is it? Why are you so happy?"

"A-Li, I'll tell you. The greatest matter is that Xiaoxuan is about to enter elementary school and learn to read. Tell me, how could I not be happy?"

Lu Li looked toward his young aunt, Ma Xiaoling, who nodded with a smile in her eyes.

"Xiaoxuan, you'll start learning characters soon. Are you happy?"

"Big bro, Mom said I'll get to know lots of little friends my age. I'm happy..."

Lu Li nodded, got up and picked up Little Chen Xuan. After teasing him for a while, he asked, "Uncle-in-law, what about the second happy event?"

"A-Li, today our entire Outer City is celebrating. Heaven has eyes—that gutter rat Baldy Jiao has been taken in. He died without a whole corpse left, and they say his body was thrown into the Black Flood Dragon River... Just think..."

As he spoke, Chen Hai collapsed and fell asleep.

Lu Li still pretended not to know anything about Baldy Jiao.

After carrying Chen Hai back to his bedroom, he returned to help Ma Xiaoling clean up the mess.

Lying in bed, many thoughts filled his mind.

His desire for Gate-Breaking grew stronger by the day. Only by becoming stronger himself could he truly protect this family.

Golden Gate Martial Academy, front courtyard.

Lu Li practiced his stake art as usual, listening to the others discuss Baldy Jiao.

After finishing a set of punches, Lu Li drew in his stance and stood upright. His face was not red, nor was he out of breath; his breathing remained long and steady.

Just then, Lu Li noticed a group of people arriving at the front gate.

Zhao Kuo stood alone at the entrance, blocking that group from entering.

"Call out your master. Zhao Shuiliu, Third Master Zhao, hall master of the Black Wolf Gang's Ironwood Hall, has arrived."

The moment they heard it was the Black Wolf Gang, the disciples instantly gathered, forming two walls of people behind Zhao Kuo.

Were they here to cause trouble?

Lu Li followed as well.

The two groups confronted each other at the entrance, and the atmosphere instantly became taut as drawn swords.

"Third Master Zhao, what brings you to our Golden Gate Martial Academy?" Zhao Kuo took the lead, showing no fear whatsoever.

Zhao Kuo then gave Hou Sanwa a look, telling him to call their master.

Zhao Shuiliu stepped forward and stared at Zhao Kuo. "My subordinate Baldy Jiao was beaten to death by one of your martial academy's disciples. What was his name again...?"

"Lu Li," the attendant to Zhao Shuiliu's left hurriedly said.

The moment those words came out, the disciples were shocked. Baldy Jiao had actually been killed by Lu Li?

Did Lu Li really have that kind of ability?

But even more than that, they admired Lu Li for eliminating harm for the people. They looked around in all directions, secretly searching for his position.

Zhao Kuo did not see it that way. How could he admit to this?

"Third Master Zhao, you can eat food carelessly, but you can't speak carelessly. What evidence do you have that Lu Li killed Baldy Jiao?"

"Zhao Kuo, my men reported that Baldy Jiao had taken a fancy to Liu Rushuang, the proprietor of the Hometown Inn on Top Scholar Street. Thirteen days ago, Lu Li accepted Liu Rushuang's Protection Notice. Three days ago, Baldy Jiao died a miserable death. Do you dare say there's no connection between these matters?"

"Hand over Lu Li, and this matter will be over." Unconcealed viciousness filled Zhao Shuiliu's eyes.

Zhao Kuo snorted. So it was all based on speculation.

"You say hand him over, and we hand him over?"

"To catch a thief, you need the stolen goods; to catch adultery, you need the pair in bed. Without proof, you came to our Golden Gate Martial Academy demanding a person?"

As soon as he finished speaking, Zhao Shuiliu's eyes bulged round as a leopard's. He shouted, "So what you mean is that Golden Gate Martial Academy intends to protect this murderer to the bitter end?"

"What murderer? I think you're deliberately picking a fight and trying to cause trouble at our Golden Gate Martial Academy." Zhao Kuo did not yield an inch verbally.

The Killing Intent in Zhao Shuiliu's eyes grew fiercer. Baldy Jiao had been personally cultivated and promoted by him. If this matter ended just like that, collecting usury in the future would become difficult.

More importantly, those three bottles of Azure Membrane Paste had taken every ounce of his cunning to obtain. Now someone had killed and robbed Baldy Jiao, leaving him with a bellyful of stifled anger and nowhere to vent it.

"So, Golden Gate Martial Academy wants war?"

At those words, Zhao Kuo fell silent. He did not rush to respond; he could not make the decision in such a major matter.

"So what if we do?" Shen Gangfu arrived at some unknown point. Seeing him, the disciples hurriedly parted to make a path.

Shen Gangfu strode forward.

"Zhao Shuiliu, is Golden Gate Martial Academy a place for you to run wild?"

Zhao Shuiliu did not waste words. "Are you handing him over or not?"

Shen Gangfu's aura surged. "We can't hand him over."

Zhao Shuiliu grew angry again. "You said that. From today onward, the disciples of Golden Gate Martial Academy, including their families, had better watch themselves..."

After saying that, Zhao Shuiliu turned and prepared to leave.

"Zhao Shuiliu, I think you're courting death."

Instructor Shen shouted sharply.

"Instructor Shen, your martial academy's disciple killed my subordinate first, and now you're saying you want to kill me. Do you take the Black Wolf Gang for vegetarians?"