Tempering himself

"Not for now."

"Yu Hao wouldn't dare do anything to me inside the Guard Hall."

Lu Mian's choice surprised Sun Feifei. He had outright rejected her kindness.

"I'm full. Take your time, Miss Sun. I'll be leaving first."

With that, Lu Mian got up and left the Dining Hall without waiting for Sun Feifei's reply.

Sun Feifei frowned slightly.

She did not understand why Lu Mian had refused her help.

Was Lu Mian really naive enough to think Yu Hao would not dare lay a hand on him?

Perhaps he would not inside the Guard Hall, but once Lu Mian left, there were plenty of places for a sneak attack.

These corpse collectors really are strange and antisocial.

Forget it. Once you've suffered a little, you'll come back to me on your own.

Sun Feifei shook her head inwardly.

Captain Chen was right... the Guard Hall really is complicated.

There isn't a single decent person here.

Compared to this place, the Dust-Returning Courtyard is practically a sanctuary.

Lu Mian reflected on this as he walked home.

Take Falcon Squad Sixteen, which he had joined today.

Yu Hao needed no explanation. He clearly had his eyes on Lu Mian's ten Qi-Nourishing Pills and made no attempt to hide his hostility.

Sun Feifei seemed to have been helping him all along, but she was actually trying to draw him into a clique.

After all, most people in the Guard Hall came from established families. It was only natural for those from the Refugee District to band together for support.

For now, Lu Mian did not want too much involvement with these cliques or to owe anyone favors.

He could still handle his current troubles himself.

The only person Lu Mian felt he could not see through was the captain, Han Can.

There seemed to be nothing wrong with the man's attitude toward him.

Yet he was also the one who had revealed that Lu Mian ranked in the assessment's top ten, drawing Yu Hao's hostility.

Had he done it inadvertently or deliberately?

Lu Mian believed it was the latter.

This man was an even more dangerous viper, lurking silently in the grass.

I'll find opportunities later and send them to their graves one by one.

Lu Mian remained unhurried. After leaving the Guard Hall, he headed toward his new home.

His new home was at 32 Prosperity Street in the outer city.

After asking for directions, Lu Mian soon entered a spacious alley.

Houses with gray walls and dark tiled roofs lined both sides of the alley. It was very quiet.

Lu Mian soon found his house.

He took out his key and unlocked the door.

Beyond the door was a moderately sized courtyard, with a well in the middle.

The room straight ahead was probably the main bedroom, with a storeroom and kitchen on either side.

After briefly tidying up the bedroom, Lu Mian went out into the courtyard.

I still have a few days to settle in.

I'll start by reaching the beginner level in the Five Tigers Soul-Chasing Blade and Iron Shirt.

The large amount of meat Lu Mian had eaten earlier had already been digested by his gluttonous stomach, leaving his whole body brimming with strength.

He took out his large chopping saber and began swinging it in the courtyard.

As its name suggested, the Five Tigers Soul-Chasing Blade consisted of five killing moves.

Black Tiger Descends the Mountain, Fierce Tiger Sweeps the Forest, Furious Tiger Turns Over, Blood Tiger Howls at the Moon, and Fierce Tiger Soul-Chaser.

There seemed to be few moves, but each killing move actually required different blade strikes to link it together. It was not that easy.

Although Lu Mian had not practiced the Five Tigers Soul-Chasing Blade lately, he had already absorbed its moves into his mind through Bookworm Heart.

Whoosh, whoosh!

The large chopping saber swept through the air with terrifying force, raising gusts of whistling wind.

Once Lu Mian's mastery of the Five Tigers Soul-Chasing Blade grew deeper and his muscles could perfectly control how he exerted force, he would be able to produce a peculiar resonance between the blade and the air, creating a sound like a tiger's roar.

Lu Mian practiced the moves of the Five Tigers Soul-Chasing Blade one after another, applying force smoothly. Before he knew it, he had completed a full practice sequence.

Swish!

After Lu Mian drew his saber back, he felt a slight swelling in his arms.

I reached the beginner level in a single session... next, I just need to train relentlessly and drill these methods of exerting force into my bones. Once they become instinctive, I'll have reached minor mastery.

At major mastery, the blade produces a tiger's roar as it swings, shaking the opponent's mind.

Once I reach perfection, my mind will be like a ferocious tiger, exerting immense pressure on my opponent.

Lu Mian recalled the broad stages of mastery for the Five Tigers Soul-Chasing Blade.

This blade technique emphasized the mind and will, rather than greatly improving blood and qi.

But that was precisely what had drawn Lu Mian to it.

He had encountered reanimated corpses several times and had even survived an invasion by a powerful eldritch entity.

The mental corruption caused by these eldritch beings was terrifying. He had survived largely because his will was firm enough to resist it.

That meant he also had to strengthen his mind.

He kept practicing late into the night. Only after the food's vital essence had completely dissipated and been absorbed into his muscles, bones, flesh, and blood did Lu Mian return to his room to rest.

The next day.

Lu Mian got up early and first went to the Guard Hall for a free breakfast.

As before, he wolfed down a huge amount of food before leaving.

"Just yesterday, I heard that an enormous eater had joined our Guard Hall! I didn't expect to see him today!"

"That guy's appetite is ridiculous. I wonder which guard unit he belongs to."

"I heard he's with the Falcon Guard. Back when he lived in the Refugee District, he was a corpse collector."

"That explains it."

After Lu Mian left, the people in the Dining Hall whispered among themselves.

Having already left the Dining Hall, Lu Mian naturally could not hear them.

Even if he had, he would not have cared.

Training Iron Shirt requires a specially made iron hammer to toughen the muscles and bones.

I'll visit the Artisans' Hall later and see how much it costs to have one made.

Lu Mian patted his belly and left the Guard Hall.

After asking around, he finally found the Artisans' Hall.

Despite being called a hall, it was essentially a shopping street.

At the Artisans' Hall, as long as one had money, one could buy anything from pills and weapons to all kinds of valuables.

There were smithies, medicine shops, carpenters' shops, general stores, and even places selling talisman water...

Dazzled by the selection, Lu Mian finally stopped in front of a smithy.

Clang!

A brawny man with ruddy skin and bulging muscles was swinging a hammer, beating a piece of red-hot iron.

"What do you want made?"

The burly man noticed Lu Mian and asked without raising his head.

"I'd like an iron hammer. Not one to use as a weapon, but the kind used to temper the body."

Lu Mian explained his requirements.

"Understood. There happens to be one in the corner. Take a look and see if it suits you."

The burly man pointed inside.

Lu Mian entered the smithy and saw that its walls were covered with blades, spears, clubs, and weapons of every kind.

His gaze, however, fell on the corner.

There was a long-handled Golden Melon Hammer there. Its head was the size of a cantaloupe, with rough ridges along its surface.

Lu Mian picked it up and struck his chest.

Thud!

He had used half his strength, and his chest felt heavy and sore.

The weight is right, and the handle is long enough for me to temper every part of my body.

Lu Mian was very pleased with this Golden Melon Hammer.

"Boss, how much is this Golden Melon Hammer?"

"Fifty taels of silver," the burly man said flatly.

Lu Mian did not haggle. He simply put down fifty taels of silver and left with the hammer.

The hundred taels I got from Captain Chen earlier are almost gone.

Even once those ten Qi-Nourishing Pills arrive, at the rate I digest them, I'll probably go through one a day.

I still need to earn more money.

Lu Mian considered this silently.

Practicing martial arts really did burn through money.

Moreover, he had the eerie supernatural ability of the gluttonous stomach. No amount of medicinal ingredients would ever be enough.