5: Iron sheet full

Early the next morning, just as the sky was beginning to brighten.

Lin Que did not go directly to the Martial Arts Arena in the detached courtyard. Instead, he turned and headed for the stables in the servants' quarters.

Before he even got close, he heard the sounds of angry shouting and the crack of a whip.

"Didn't you eat? Cutting fodder so slowly! The Eldest Young Master will be exiting seclusion soon. If the horses lose even an ounce of flesh, I'll cut off your own to make up for it!"

Lin Que frowned slightly and quickened his pace.

He saw several Third-Class Servants kneeling on the ground, cutting fodder, their hands covered in chilblains from the cold. Among them, a chubby boy was clumsily moving hay bales. His movements were just a little slow, and the Overseer's whip was about to come down again.

"Stop." Lin Que said calmly.

The Overseer was stunned. He turned around, ready to curse, but upon seeing the visitor wearing the black martial attire of a Second-Class Guard and a waist token, he immediately swallowed the profanities on the tip of his tongue and put on an ingratiating smile.

"Oh, if it isn't Guard Lin? What brings you back to this dump?"

Lin Que ignored the Overseer and walked straight to the chubby boy. This boy was none other than Er Niu, the one who had been terrified yesterday.

Er Niu looked up and saw Lin Que. His eyes reddened, but he shrank back, not daring to speak.

He knew Lin Que's status was different now—he was a Second-Class Guard, while he himself was still a lowly groom who could be beaten to death at any moment.

"Get up."

Lin Que took out two still-warm Meat Buns from his robe (these were the rations from the detached courtyard's breakfast) and stuffed them into Er Niu's hands.

"Come with me."

Er Niu, holding the buns, was dumbfounded. "Brother... Brother Lin, where to?"

"The Guards' Detached Courtyard."

Lin Que glanced at the Overseer, who shrank his neck in fear and waved his hands repeatedly.

"Take him! By all means, take him! We're actually short of a handyman there."

Lin Que patted Er Niu's shoulder. His voice, though calm, carried an undeniable force: "I need an assistant for my training. Instead of being treated like livestock here, you might as well come with me to the training ground. It'll be tiring, but at least... you'll be able to live like a human being."

Er Niu stared blankly at Lin Que, tears instantly streaming down his face.

In this dog-eat-dog Su Residence, everyone was eager to step on others to climb higher. Only Lin Que, after getting promoted, still remembered to pull a good-for-nothing like him up.

"Brother Lin! I'll go with you! My life is yours from now on!"

Er Niu wiped his face roughly, took a fierce bite of the Meat Bun, and followed behind Lin Que...

The Guards' Detached Courtyard, Martial Arts Arena.

It was much more spacious than the open area in the servants' quarters, equipped with various Stone Locks and wooden dummies.

Many Guards were already there for their morning exercises, the air thick with the smell of sweat.

Lin Que led Er Niu to a secluded corner.

He took off his upper garment, revealing his well-defined muscles that gleamed with a bronze-like sheen.

"Er Niu, take this." Lin Que pulled a Wrought Iron Staff from the weapon rack and tossed it to Er Niu. The staff was heavy, several times heavier than the wooden one before. A hit from this would absolutely break bones and tendons.

Er Niu was startled, his hands trembling as he held the iron staff. "Brother Lin, this... this is iron! It could kill someone!"

"Don't worry, it won't kill me."

Lin Que sank into a horse stance, his entire body's muscles tensing, emitting a series of crisp sounds like tightening bowstrings.

"I need to borrow this external force to fully refine the Exotic Beast Meat I ate yesterday and make a final sprint toward the Perfection Realm of the Iron Skin Technique."

"Use all your strength. Hit me!"

Er Niu looked at Lin Que's resolute eyes and gritted his teeth. He knew Lin Que wasn't joking.

"Brother Lin, then... I'm hitting!"

Clang!

A clear, metallic clang resounded throughout the entire Martial Arts Arena.

Er Niu's strike landed on Lin Que's back, actually producing a sound like striking iron!

Lin Que's figure remained unmoving. On the contrary, Er Niu's hands were numbed from the recoil, and the iron staff nearly slipped from his grasp.

[Sustaining wrought iron heavy blow!]

[Damage transfer successful... Iron Skin Technique (Major Achievement) cultivation progress +2%]

Lin Que felt the stream of heat within his body, converted from the pain, rapidly washing over every inch of his skin's texture. The remaining violent essence from the Exotic Beast Meat was, under the forging of this external force, hammered bit by bit deep into his muscles.

"Not enough. Continue! Don't stop!" Lin Que shouted lowly.

Clang!

Clang!

Clang!

An extremely bizarre scene unfolded on the Martial Arts Arena.

A chubby boy, sweating profusely, was swinging an iron staff, madly striking a motionless young man.

Every strike rang out like a great bell.

The Guards practicing around gradually stopped their movements, one by one staring dumbfounded.

"Is this kid crazy? Using an iron staff to train the Iron Skin Technique?"

"Even Instructor Zhang Tie wouldn't dare to withstand it like this, would he?"

"This isn't cultivation; this is clearly forging iron!"

Time passed from morning all the way into the afternoon.

During this period, Er Niu collapsed from exhaustion five times, only to get back up and continue striking.

And Lin Que was like a piece of tireless, stubborn iron. Under these successive blows, each capable of crippling a man, the color of his skin grew darker and darker, gradually shifting from the initial bronze hue toward a deep, black-iron color.

Finally, at the moment the sun set in the west.

Er Niu used the last of his strength to strike a blow at Lin Que's chest.

Hummm—!

This time, there was no impact sound. The iron staff seemed to hit an invisible layer of Qi membrane and was violently repelled. Lin Que's body shook violently, as if something inside him had shattered.

A pitch-black, ink-like luster instantly covered his entire body, then rapidly receded beneath his skin. His skin returned to its normal color, but upon closer inspection, one could see his pores had closed, his muscle texture was like iron, giving off an indestructible, solid quality.

[Congratulations, Host!]

[Tempered a thousand times, sublimated to the extreme!]

[Iron Skin Technique Realm: Perfection!]

[Acquired Trait: Black Iron Body (Rebound force increased by 30%, Qi and Blood like a furnace)]

[Note: Transfer targets Zhao Si, Ma Liu have been consumed.]

Lin Que let out a long breath, a white mist shooting out like an arrow three feet into the distance.

The Iron Skin Technique had reached Perfection.

Among all the Guards in the residence, probably no one was more proficient than him in this Cultivation Technique.

"Good! Impressive!"

A round of applause came from the edge of the Martial Arts Arena. Instructor Zhang Tie, hands behind his back, had been watching for who knows how long. Now he strode forward, his face full of appreciation.

"In less than ten days, you've brought an external hard technique to Perfection, even manifesting the 'Return to Simplicity' phenomenon." Zhang Tie looked at Lin Que, his eyes blazing. "Lin Que, you truly are a martial arts prodigy! Those ten catties of Exotic Beast Meat weren't wasted!"

Upon hearing this, the surrounding Guards looked at Lin Que with eyes full of envy and awe. Perfection! Many Guards trained their whole lives and only reached Major Achievement.

"All thanks to your cultivation, Instructor." Lin Que put on his clothes, cupped his fist in salute, and casually pulled up Er Niu, who had collapsed exhausted on the ground.

Zhang Tie nodded, took out an exquisite small porcelain bottle from his robe, and poured out a crimson red Medicinal Pill.

As soon as the pill appeared, a rich medicinal fragrance instantly filled the air. Just one whiff made people feel invigorated.

"This is a peiyuan pill."

Zhang Tie held the pill and said solemnly, "This pill can solidify the foundation and nurture the Origin, strengthening the foundational Qi and Blood. Now that your Iron Skin is Perfected and your Qi and Blood are abundant, if you take this pill, there's a chance you can directly break through the Physical Body barrier and step into the 'Muscle Forging Realm'!"

peiyuan pill!

Muscle Forging Realm!

As soon as these words were spoken, the sound of swallowing saliva instantly rose across the Martial Arts Arena.

This was a genuine ranked Medicinal Pill!

For these old Guards who had been stuck at the Skin Training Realm for years, this was a life-changing divine medicine!

Zhang Tie handed the pill toward Lin Que: "The Eldest Young Master will be exiting seclusion soon. You need stronger strength. This pill is your reward."

Lin Que was just about to reach out and take it.

"Wait!"

A rough voice suddenly cut in.

The crowd parted. A burly, fierce-looking bald Guard with a muscular build strode out.

He was bare-chested, a descending tiger tattooed on his chest, exuding a ferocious aura.

Wang Meng.

The troublemaker of the Guards' Detached Courtyard, a veteran Second-Class Guard, and previously recognized as the person most likely to break through to the Muscle Forging Realm.

Wang Meng walked up to Zhang Tie, cupped his fist in salute, then stared at Lin Que with unfriendly eyes, saying in a booming voice, "Instructor, rewards and punishments should be fair. Resources should go to the most useful person."

"Although this kid has mastered Iron Skin, he's only been here for a few days after all. His foundation is ultimately too shallow."

As he spoke, Wang Meng suddenly shook his body. His muscles bulged like rocks, faintly pushing aside a wave of air.

"Your subordinate has been stuck at the Peak of Skin Training for three years, just one step away from Muscle Forging!"

"If you give this peiyuan pill to me, I can break through to the Muscle Forging Realm tonight!"

"When the time comes, having me spar with the Eldest Young Master would definitely be more suitable than this kid who only knows how to get hit!"

Wang Meng turned his head, looking at Lin Que provocatively, his eyes greedy. "Lin Que, a man should know his limits. You can't handle this pill. Why not give it to your elder brother? Consider it a favor I owe you. How about it?"

[Danger-level malice detected!]

[karma transfer system locking on...]

[Target locked: Wang Meng (Malice Value: 70%).]

At this moment, the entire field fell silent.

Everyone was waiting to see the show.

On one side, the newly emerged dark horse Genius; on the other, the long-established, intimidating tough guy.

Who would this pill ultimately go to?

Lin Que looked at Wang Meng's face, full of greed, then at the peiyuan pill so close within reach. Give it up? In his dictionary, once something was in his hands, there was no reason to give it away. Moreover, this was his first day among the Guards. If he didn't establish his authority, how could he survive here in the future?

Lin Que smiled.

He slowly walked up to Wang Meng. His voice was calm, yet it carried across the entire Martial Arts Arena:

"No need for favors."

"Since Brother Wang thinks you're stronger than me..."

Lin Que picked up the slightly bent Wrought Iron Staff from the ground and casually twirled it.

"Then please, Brother Wang, give me some guidance. Let's see whose skin is harder, yours or my staff?"