In the world of martial arts, grind your skill level to become a saint.

In this agonizing wait, time seemed to pass incredibly slowly.

Finally, just when most people were about to give up, a faint glimmer of dawn appeared on the horizon.

As the sky brightened, everyone's tension, which had been high all night, finally eased completely.

A faint smell of blood still lingered in the morning mist.

Without further hesitation, everyone began loading the truck and sped away from the area.

This is only halfway up the mountain road, but the other half is mostly downhill, so it should be faster.

The group set off in the morning and finally arrived at Daling Town near dusk in the afternoon.

After delivering the goods to their employer, everyone finally breathed a sigh of relief. They then found an inn, stayed overnight, and set off on their return journey early the next morning.

Su Hao was indeed feeling quite tired this time, first from traveling day and night, and then from being attacked by bandits and strange beasts.

A series of events followed one after another, and even though he was now at the Iron Skin Realm, he really couldn't withstand it.

So this time he didn't go out for a stroll. After having dinner with Wang Yu and a few others, he went back to his room to lie down and rest.

I slept until the next morning before joining the group to head back.

This time, because the carriage and horses had been sold to a new owner, the journey was almost twice as fast as it had been before.

If it weren't for the need to wait for the coachman and accountant, Su Hao and his companions, with their stamina comparable to oxen and horses, would have already been running at full speed.

The purpose of this journey is to cross the Daling Mountains and return to the vicinity of Yanshan City within one day, before dark!

They traveled without stopping or incident, and the group finally crossed the city gate of Yanshan around midnight.

Back in Nanshan Town, we gathered in front of Zhou's Pharmacy.

Upon learning of the unexpected turn of events during the mission, Zhou Zhengtang, his father Zhou Chengan, and several other elders of the Zhou family rushed over to inquire about the situation.

Everyone breathed a sigh of relief upon learning that the medicinal herbs had not suffered much damage in the end.

However, after learning that the mission had been attacked by bandits and strange beasts, resulting in the deaths of four team members.

The Zhou family members also began to look solemn and gloomy.

I never expected that this mission would result in such a large loss of manpower.

However, with risk comes sacrifice. As long as you choose the path of a guard in exchange for high rewards, such risks are unavoidable.

After arranging the funerals of those people, Su Hao and the others received their share of the reward and returned to their residence in Hongqiao Town.

"We'll likely have more missions like this in the future, but we can't rely on luck every time..."

Su Hao sat in the courtyard, his mind still replaying the events of that night.

The sheer power of that strange beast left him with lingering fear.

This also made his sense of urgency grow stronger and stronger.

This world still holds countless powerful, unknown entities, and he is currently far too weak…

However, Su Hao has only just broken through to the Iron Skin Realm, and he will not be able to break through again in the short term.

The only way to temporarily improve one's strength is to accelerate the training of Yue Shan Fist and break through to the Iron Skin Realm as soon as possible!

When the two types of qi and blood combine, the power of martial arts will double, and you won't feel so powerless when facing the same situation again.

...

In mid-August, the autumn chill begins to set in.

The heat subsided, leaves fell, and the world was shrouded in a desolate hue.

In a lakeside pavilion in Yanshan City, Liu Chongshan stood by the railing, looking at the lake surface where fallen leaves were floating, and gently tapped the stone railing with his fingers.

Wow!

The water rippled, and a small silver fish leaped out of the water at the center of the wave, but was quickly swallowed by a large black-mouthed fish.

Liu Chongshan frowned slightly, gazing quietly at the slowly calming lake surface before finally looking away.

Turning around, I saw a middle-aged man with gray hair and wearing purple clothes standing behind me.

There were no blackfish in this Fengshui Lake originally, but a blackfish appeared out of nowhere, and from then on this body of water became lively.

The middle-aged man stepped forward, stood with his hands behind his back, and looked at the lake surface, speaking calmly.

"Lively?" Liu Chongshan shook his head. "I think the whole lake hates this black fish."

"That doesn't change the fact that it's the most powerful in the entire lake, so whether other fish hate it or not is irrelevant."

The middle-aged man smiled slightly.

Liu Chongshan remained silent and did not continue the conversation.

The two stood there silently for a long while before Liu Chongshan finally said in a deep voice, "You didn't call me here today just to discuss the fish of Fengshui Lake, did you?"

"That's exactly what I was thinking..." The middle-aged man smiled and then took out a slip of paper from his sleeve.

"This is the information Yan Zhen gave to the Martial Arts Alliance, and he will be hosting a banquet at the Babao Restaurant tonight, so he will probably invite you to the banquet."

Liu Chongshan took the note and opened it.

After a moment, he put down the note, his eyes turning cold.

"That's quite a thorough investigation. He really does know me best..."

"When faced with sufficient self-interest, friendship and family ties are easily broken. So you know what will happen next, and this is your chance to make your mark."

The man spoke in a flat tone, as if he were talking about something trivial.

How can I be sure that the information you provide is accurate?

Liu Chongshan raised an eyebrow and asked.

"It's very simple. Just invite him to the banquet, and you'll know the outcome."

The man shook his head and then turned away.

"Also, your daughter Liu Jun and your apprentice have been in close contact with people from the Martial Arts Alliance lately. This is not a good thing..."

After leaving a message, the man walked away from the pavilion.

At this moment, only Liu Chongshan remained in the pavilion.

"call…!"

Liu Chongshan watched the other person's departing figure and let out a long sigh.

Looking at the note in his hand, his eyes flickered uncertainly. After a long while, he rolled up the note, crushed it into powder, and scattered it on the lake surface.

...

Thump! Thump…

The dull thuds of fists pounding against the iron stakes echoed continuously in the courtyard.

Su Hao, shirtless, rained down punches on the iron stake in front of him.

At this moment, the veins on his arms were bulging, his skin was red, and one could vaguely see the blood and qi surging under his skin, making a faint sound like a rushing torrent.

clang!!!

Until the final punch landed, the fist struck the iron stake with a crisp sound of metal colliding.

Su Haocai stopped punching and stood still, his skin turning rosy.

"They're here!"

His eyes narrowed as he felt the exhilarating sensation of his blood and qi flowing through his body, constantly cleansing his entire being. A look of joy appeared on his face.

This feels right; it's a sign of a transformation in your Qi and blood!

After waiting for a full half hour, the qi and blood in Su Hao's body finally calmed down.

Su Hao, who had been sitting cross-legged, opened his eyes, raised his hands to look at his arms, and felt the changes brought about by the breakthrough!

After ten days of arduous training, his Yue Shan Fist finally broke through to level 3 and officially entered the Iron Skin Realm!