Chapter 96: Chasing Each Other, Not Wasting Our Youth

Under the cover of night!

Lin Chen and Fu Ang emerged from the Martial Arts Pavilion; since it was already late, they encountered no students and thus drew no curiosity or crowds.

The instructor assigned by Zhenyue Martial Arts Hall to maintain order at the Pavilion pulled Lin Chen aside and asked him many questions—clearly, Lin Chen’s victory in the Hall’s sparring contest had already made him famous across all Eight Martial Arts Halls.

In fact, it wasn’t just the Eight Martial Arts Halls; because the contest was public, the number of commoners who watched was enormous, and even after several days, it remained a hot topic in teahouses and taverns.

Lin Chen’s name appeared most frequently—in modern terms, he was topping the trending list.

Commoners debated the excitement of the fights, while many nobles in the county sought to befriend Lin Chen—but Lin Chen declined them all.

At the gate of Jingshui Martial Arts Hall, numerous noble invitations had been delivered; though the gatekeeper informed him, Lin Chen pretended not to know, until Master Kong himself intervened and returned them all.

They cited Lin Chen’s need to avoid distraction in his cultivation as the reason, letting the Hall play the villain.

Lin Chen understood clearly: accepting these nobles’ invitations might bring some benefits—precious meats, perhaps even silver gifts from those eager to invest in or befriend him.

Yet after careful thought, Lin Chen ultimately decided to avoid contact with these county nobles for now.

No profit, no early rising!

These nobles saw his potential and wanted to cultivate goodwill with him early.

It wasn’t that he was aloof—if he now accepted their favors and gifts, he’d make himself seem too cheap.

Only after reaching the Internal Organ Cultivation realm would he begin engaging with the nobles of Poyang County; then, those seeking his friendship would offer more silver, and he’d have real influence of his own.

Back in his dormitory, Lin Chen dismissed Fu Ang and quietly studied the Iron Bones Technique’s manual.

After reading it, Lin Chen’s eyes gleamed.

No wonder it was called Poyang County’s top hardening martial art—Iron Bones Technique was even more powerful than he’d imagined, yet its cultivation difficulty was extreme.

No wonder Zhenyue Martial Arts Hall’s disciples advanced slower—they simply couldn’t rush Iron Bones Technique.

Cultivating Iron Bones Technique could be called the process of refining one’s own body.

The first step of entry was striking one’s own body.

Alternating fists pounded the shoulders, arms, abdomen, and thighs, while breathing and Qi flow were adjusted to match the rhythm of impact.

This step stimulated the muscles and bones, enhancing their resilience.

There was no shortcut to entry—only steady, repeated strikes until the body fully adapted.

“A century ago, the elders walked this path—I’m merely retracing their steps. If I can’t endure this hardship, how can I hope for the later stages of the Martial Dao?”

After a brief moment of reflection, Lin Chen calmed his mind, lit the stove in the courtyard, and began heating water.

Striking the body required herbal baths to accompany it; otherwise, prolonged pounding would damage the bones.

The entry-level herbal bath formula cost three packets per silver tael; according to Fu Ang’s description, one typically trained three hours daily, taking a fifteen-minute herbal bath after each hour of striking.

While waiting for the water to boil, Lin Chen stood in the courtyard, adjusting his breath according to the Iron Bones Technique’s Qi circulation method.

Ten breaths later, Lin Chen clenched his fists, slowly raised them, and brought them down upon his arms.

Thud!

The impact of fist against skin echoed loudly in the courtyard, making his arms tremble involuntarily.

Unlike Zhenyue Martial Arts Hall’s new students, most of whom had opened only one or no orifices and possessed weak fist power, Lin Chen had opened eight orifices—even without activating Clear Wind Palm, his normal punch carried thousands of jin of force.

To be effective, the strikes must gradually approach the body’s upper limit of tolerance; otherwise, it’s like scratching through boots—useless.

In the neighboring dorm, Fu Ang, just lying down, heard the “thud” and blinked—could Lin Private Secretary really be this cruel to himself?

He remembered when he first started: he’d progressed gradually, slowly testing his body’s limits—a process that took nearly fifteen minutes.

No wonder Lin Private Secretary was the one who mastered Clear Wind Palm in three months—his diligence and ruthlessness made Fu Ang feel ashamed; from tomorrow, he’d add an extra hour of daily training.

Today… today was too late—forget it.

…

…

Yet fifteen minutes later, Fu Ang still couldn’t sleep—the rhythmic thuds from next door kept coming like drumbeats, keeping him awake.

“How am I supposed to sleep now?”

Desperate and tearless, Fu Ang climbed out of bed; sleep was impossible, so he might as well train too.

Lin Private Secretary had just begun Iron Bones Technique—he’d train one hour, then soak in the bath and rest.

…

…

In the courtyard, Lin Chen was drenched in sweat, his entire skin flushed red, sweat streaming down his forehead and cheeks.

Cultivating Iron Bones Technique, even at the entry stage, was far more grueling than Clear Wind Palm or Water Cloud Palm.

After one hour, Lin Chen felt utterly drained, trudged heavily to the tub, stripped off his only pair of shorts, and stepped directly into the bath.

Hiss!

As his skin met the herbal liquid, a searing sting surged through his pores; unprepared, Lin Chen winced in pain.

“Damn, I forgot to tell Lin Private Secretary—the Bone Strengthening and Primordial Nourishment Bath is extremely spicy, especially when the body is damaged. I hope Lin Private Secretary can endure it.”

Hearing no sound from next door, Fu Ang realized Lin Private Secretary must have started his bath—he suddenly remembered he hadn’t warned him: it was best to rinse the body with hot water before soaking, to avoid such intense pain.

Fu Ang stopped training—Lin Private Secretary would likely sleep after his bath.

But as Fu Ang lay back down, the thudding resumed next door—this time even more frequent.

Fu Ang’s pupils widened in disbelief—Lin Private Secretary was still training?

Was he made of iron?

He remembered his first time: after one hour of Iron Bones Technique and the bath, he’d been utterly limp, too weak to even move his fingers, and slept for four hours before attempting a second session.

Lin Chen’s body wasn’t made of iron—but by choosing this extreme cultivation path, he’d already prepared himself for hardship.

His panel still hadn’t registered Iron Bones Technique—meaning he hadn’t even taken the first step.

At least, he wouldn’t sleep until the panel updated with Iron Bones Technique.

Fu Ang, already proficient in Iron Bones Technique, was still training in his courtyard.

The Martial Dao isn’t about one person pushing alone.

To walk the extreme path, you must push harder than others.

Thud!

Thud-thud!

Thud-thud-thud!

The rhythmic strikes rose and fell; Fu Ang’s face hardened with resolve.

“Lin Private Secretary just started Iron Bones Technique and trains this hard—how can I let him outdo me? So what if I train all night?”

He rose, got out of bed, and returned to the courtyard.

A dozen breaths later, the thudding from both courtyards echoed in tandem—except Fu Ang no longer used hammers; instead, he repeatedly slammed his chest against a standing stone slab in the yard.

The night passed in silence, accompanied only by the breeze.

…

…

The next morning!

Lin Chen checked his panel immediately.

【Host: Lin Chen】

【Realm: Qi Opening (8/24): (5/100)】

【Clear Wind Palm: Perfect】

【Water Cloud Palm: Great Completion (0/1)】

【Iron Bones Technique: Not Entered (1/100)】

After eight orifices, his realm progression returned to 5 points; Lin Chen frowned but wasn’t overly disappointed.

After eight orifices, the advantage of Perfect Clear Wind Palm vanished—slower progress without its bonus was normal, and even this pace likely included the bonus from his Destiny’s gradual progression; otherwise, it’d be even slower.

At this rate, he’d open one orifice every twenty days—far exceeding the average breakthrough speed of Hall students.

Ignoring the orifice progression, Lin Chen turned his gaze to the Iron Bones Technique entry.

After a night of diligent training, the panel finally updated with Iron Bones Technique—Lin Chen felt a flicker of joy.

The reason he wanted the panel to register Iron Bones Technique as quickly as possible was simple.

Cultivating Iron Bones Technique was too painful—having the panel let him see his progress eased the suffering somewhat.

Visible progress, the spiritual joy it brought, could partially offset the physical pain.

Last night, he’d lost track of time—only when the horizon began to lighten and his body had no strength left did he return to his room to rest.

He changed clothes and prepared to head to the Hall’s dining hall; as he opened his door, he saw Fu Ang stepping out of his dormitory at the same moment.

Their eyes met—he caught a fleeting flicker of resentment in Fu Ang’s gaze.

Probably just his imagination.

“Fu Shidi is truly diligent—I nearly gave up yesterday, yet you kept training.”

Lin Chen sincerely admired him; for someone of Fu Ang’s background to train later than him last night was rare.

But it also made him understand more clearly: Iron Bones Technique was extremely hard to cultivate.

Even with Fu Ang’s diligence, he’d only reached Proficiency—imagine how difficult Great Completion and Perfect Completion would be.

Fu Ang’s lips twitched, his eyes slightly guilty.

He wasn’t more persistent than Lin Private Secretary—he was just stubborn, refusing to lose.

For the last half-hour, he’d merely sat in the courtyard slapping the stone slab, pretending to train—without actually striking himself.

“The Martial Dao lies in diligence—it’s nothing special.”

Fu Ang waved his hand dismissively and changed the subject: “Brother Lin probably hasn’t eaten yet—I’ll take you to see the mess hall’s cuisine at our martial arts academy.”

“Alright, thanks, Brother Fu.”

“No trouble at all—I haven’t eaten yet either.”

Fu Ang scratched his head; he had just woken up, having trained fiercely all night—even though his Iron Bone Art was already mastered, several parts of his body ached faintly.

After eating, I’ll go to the Wudao Pavilion and buy a few jars of Peiyuan Ointment to apply.

(End of Chapter)