Free Web NovelChapter 25: Chapter 25: Breaking Through
When Liang Cheng returned to the Martial Arts Hall, the disciples in the front courtyard stopped what they were doing and bowed respectfully. He gave a slight nod and walked straight toward the back courtyard but was stopped by Zhou Hu.
"Junior Brother Liang, you’ve worked hard. Master is very happy."
"Huh?"
Liang Cheng was a bit confused. Only after Zhou Hu explained did he understand what was going on.
’Chen Bainian really knew how to play the game.’
It turned out that after the lost goods were recovered, Chen Bainian, fearing another mishap, had escorted the goods directly to the City Lord’s Mansion. However, he still had Chen Fu personally deliver a grand gift to the Martial Arts Hall—a full two hundred taels.
He had also lavished praise on Yang Wei, saying things like "a great master produces a brilliant student" and praising his "unparalleled virtue and righteousness," which greatly pleased the old master. This was what led to the earlier scene.
Liang Cheng could only humbly reply that he was just doing his duty before returning to his room and carefully hiding the silver taels he had acquired.
He also took out the previous piece of cowhide paper and the one from Zhang Kui, trying to piece them together. As expected, the edges matched up perfectly. Once joined, they formed a larger picture, though it was still incomplete. He didn’t know exactly how many pieces were missing.
As for the distorted symbols on it, they seemed to follow some kind of pattern, resembling a sort of cipher or perhaps simplified topographical markers. Liang Cheng examined it over and over for a long while, but it was still complete gibberish to him.
’Looks like I’ll have to find the remaining puzzle pieces, or find someone who understands this.’
He shook his head, put the cowhide paper away again, and tucked it deep under his bed boards. This matter couldn’t be rushed; right now, cultivation was more urgent.
For the next while, Liang Cheng did not leave his room, following a strict cultivation routine. He performed the Posture Stance at dawn, practiced his fist techniques in the afternoon, and tempered his Stone Armor Skill at night, without a moment of slacking.
That two-foot Silver-headed Shark was truly a Spiritual Object. The energy settled in his Qi Blood was gradually drawn out, transforming into a warm current. It was like a deep well, providing new nourishment with every cultivation session.
Half a month passed quietly, and before he knew it, it was early March.
[Mixed Element Stance: Great Success (788/1000)]
[Fierce Bull Force: Great Success (755/2000)]
[Stone Armor Skill (Fragment): Great Success (912/2000)]
The progress was visible to the naked eye. The Stone Armor Skill, in particular, had unexpectedly pulled ahead. His bone density increased significantly, and when he circulated his Power, he could faintly sense the feeling of metal striking stone.
The nourishing effect of the Silver-headed Shark on his body was clear to see.
However, of the high-grade Iron Bone Marrow that Chen Bainian had sent, he was now down to the last three catties. After he used it up, he would have to find a way to buy more.
His savings had now reached over seventeen hundred silver taels, so he didn’t have to worry about running out of money for the time being.
’The saying "murder and arson to line your pockets" is true... the ancients really weren’t kidding!’
...
While Liang Cheng was making steady progress, Linhai Town appeared calm on the surface, but a dark undercurrent was surging beneath.
Zhang Kui, the leader of the Sea Snake Gang, hadn’t been seen for half a month. At first, his men thought he had gone off somewhere to have fun and didn’t pay it much mind.
This sort of thing had happened before. But with ledgers waiting to be signed and several business deals needing a decision, the vice-gang leaders, One-Eyed Flood Dragon and Smiling Tiger, refused to yield to one another. At first, it was fine; they were both looking for Zhang Kui, hoping to gain the upper hand.
But after half a month passed with Zhang Kui still missing without a trace, the situation was clearly not right. They couldn’t help but develop their own ideas and began to vie for power and profit.
The chaos started in the wharf’s unloading area.
The two factions fought three battles on the docks over control of the warehouses, resulting in dozens of casualties. In the end, the Town Protection Station had to step in to suppress them. They punished both sides equally and ordered them not to disrupt the wharf’s operations. Only then did things quiet down on the surface, but the fighting continued in the shadows.
However, the street where Liang Cheng’s family lived remained perfectly calm.
Not only did no members of the Sea Snake Gang come to collect "peace coins," but even the brawling gang members made a point to walk around the area. The neighbors were on edge at first, but when they saw that nothing was happening, they gradually relaxed.
While chatting idly by the well, people would occasionally remark:
"That Liang family boy is really something."
"I heard he’s an Honored Guest Elder for the City Lord’s Mansion now. How would the Sea Snake Gang dare to provoke him?"
"But how did Gang Leader Zhang just suddenly disappear..."
"SHH! Don’t ask so many questions! He probably offended someone he shouldn’t have."
These words occasionally drifted to Lady Ning’s ears, but she just kept her head down, kneading dough, and never engaged with the gossip.
Every five or six days, she would send a message and some food to Liang Cheng through a neighbor who was going into town, but she never mentioned a word about what was happening in their alley.
’I can’t let these trivial matters distract my son. Even though I don’t understand Martial Arts, I will absolutely not hold him back.’
So, the mother didn’t ask, and the son didn’t tell. This was the unspoken understanding between them.
...
「Mid-March arrived in the blink of an eye, and the spring hunt was imminent.」
The atmosphere in the Martial Arts Hall’s back courtyard was somber. Liang Cheng wasn’t training, because Zhou Hu had decided to attempt a breakthrough to Transformation Force.
He had been stuck at the Dark Force Peak for nearly two years, and his foundation was more than sufficient. His battle with Zheng Biao during the Three Towns tournament, though it left him severely injured, had also pushed him one step further.
After his injuries healed, he announced his intentions to Yang Wei. Naturally, Yang Wei did not stand in his way and personally acted as his Guardian.
If Zhou Hu succeeded in his breakthrough, the Yangwei Martial Arts Hall would have two Transformation Force masters and truly become the number one martial arts hall in the Three Towns.
The breakthrough attempt was scheduled for Midnight. The doors and windows of the back courtyard’s Main Hall were shut tight, leaving only Yang Wei and Zhou Hu inside. Disciples like Zhao Yuan and Liang Cheng waited outside in the courtyard, holding their breath in anticipation.
For the first hour, the hall was silent. Zhao Yuan wore a complicated expression. He had been severely injured before, but fortunately, as the son of a grain merchant, his family was wealthy. Coupled with Yang Wei’s favor, he had a constant supply of medicinal soups.
He had mostly recovered by now with no lasting problems, but he had ultimately wasted time. Compared to before the tournament, he had not made any further progress.
From inside, the low hum of circulating Power could be faintly heard. After another half an hour, the sound grew louder, seemingly mixed with the bellows of bulls and roars of tigers, and the doors and windows began to tremble slightly.
Liang Cheng focused his senses and could feel the Qi Blood inside the hall burning like a furnace. Zhou Hu’s aura was continuously climbing, trying to break through some invisible shackles.
Just as his aura reached its peak, as if about to break out of its cocoon in the next moment, suddenly...
PFFT!
A dull, deflating sound was heard, followed by Zhou Hu’s suppressed groan.
All sounds came to an abrupt halt.
The hearts of the disciples outside the courtyard tightened.
After a long moment, the hall door creaked open. Yang Wei emerged, supporting Zhou Hu. Zhou Hu’s face was a ghastly gold, a trace of unwiped blood hung at the corner of his mouth, and his aura was weak, but his eyes were terrifyingly calm.
"Disperse," Yang Wei said, his voice hoarse. "Zhou Hu failed his breakthrough and needs to recuperate. What happened today must not be spread."
"Yes."
The disciples answered in low voices and dispersed, but a shadow had been cast over all their hearts.
Before returning to his room, Liang Cheng glanced over and saw Zhao Yuan standing in the shadows of the corridor, staring in the direction of Zhou Hu’s room, his fingers rubbing together unconsciously.
’Our eldest senior brother failed his breakthrough. The Martial Arts Hall’s strongest public combatant is now just Master Yang Wei, and Wu Tianxiong of the Zhen Nan Martial Arts Hall still holds a grudge over the tournament. With the spring hunt so close, he’ll probably go for the kill this time...’
Liang Cheng closed his door, sat cross-legged on his bed, and slowly exhaled a breath of turbid air.
’In terms of Qi Blood, I’m already qualified to attempt a breakthrough to Transformation Force. Unfortunately, with the Mayfly Life Chart, if I want to soar to the heavens, my condition has to be absolutely perfect, leading to a natural breakthrough when the time is right. But this also allows me to build a massive foundation. With each breakthrough, my strength far exceeds others at the same level. Time to keep training!’
