Chapter 25: Skin Smoothing

He still remembered the first time he met Zhang Lingshan; the man had been a fool who stole money from his family to study martial arts and would throw himself against walls in suicidal fits.

Yet, in less than a year.

The man had undergone a complete transformation, evolving from a short, stocky fellow who had never practiced martial arts into a robust man capable of lifting two hundred pounds.

He was now only a single step away from being a Skin-Refining martial artist like himself.

An infinite complexity welled up in Shi Lei's heart.

Everyone else was progressing, while he was merely treading water. Was this to be his life?

According to the martial arts hall's rules, once one reached the Skin-Refining stage, if they failed to progress to Flesh-Refining within three years, the hall would cease providing meals and Sihe Soup—effectively casting them out.

And he had less than six months remaining before that deadline.

If he still couldn't reach Flesh-Refining by then, he would have no choice but to leave the hall in disgrace. He would either have to work as a guard for a household, become a low-level enforcer in a gang at a gambling den or brothel, or join a security bureau as a caravan escort.

In short, if he didn't reach Flesh-Refining, his life was essentially over.

Shi Lei was unwilling to accept this.

He silently picked up the stone lock and began his strength training, without a single thought of resting or idling.

Zhang Lingshan was entirely unaware of Shi Lei's thoughts. Holding the two-hundred-pound stone lock, he performed a complete set of the Red Line Fist.

His face did not flush, and his breath did not quicken.

His movements were steadier than even some of the Skin-Refining senior brothers in the courtyard, proving that his constitution and strength had fully entered the Skin-Refining realm.

Next, he only needed to temper his skin in various parts of his body with iron sand, supplemented by the martial arts hall's specially prepared medicinal baths.

In time, he would surely achieve a smooth breakthrough in Skin-Refining!

It was time to seek out Master Hong.

Thus, without delay, Zhang Lingshan went to the main residence to request an audience with Master Hong.

"The Master has gone out of town and won't return for a short while. Young Master Zhao Qing handles all major affairs in the hall; I can arrange the minor matters. What is it you need?" the butler asked.

Zhang Lingshan had originally intended to report that his Red Line Fist had reached his upper arms, but since Master Hong was away, he simply stated that he had met the requirements for Skin-Refining and was applying for iron sand and medicinal baths.

The butler nodded upon hearing this. "That is a minor matter; there is no need to disturb Young Master Zhao Qing. I have a two-hundred-pound stone lock here. Pick it up and perform a set of the Red Line Fist for me to see."

"Alright."

Zhang Lingshan finished the set quickly.

The butler immediately arranged for his iron sand and medicinal baths.

This was a service provided by the martial arts hall at no extra cost.

The emergence of a new Skin-Refining martial artist enhanced the hall's reputation externally and strengthened its power internally. It was a win-win.

Having received the iron sand and medicinal baths, Zhang Lingshan returned to the back courtyard of the hall. He asked Senior Brother Song Dazhuang to help him rub the iron sand against the skin of his back, while he rubbed the areas he could reach himself.

"Endure it a little," Song Dazhuang comforted him. "All the other senior brothers went through this. Only by enduring the greatest hardships can one rise above others."

"Mhm."

Zhang Lingshan nodded heavily.

Among all the brothers, he had the closest relationship with Song Dazhuang. During their Red Line Fist sparring sessions, it was always Dazhuang who acted as his training partner.

Furthermore, since he spent most of his time training strength with the stone lock, he had few opportunities to spar, making it unnecessary to get to know the other brothers.

This resulted in him having trained in the back courtyard for two months while only being familiar with Dazhuang; he could mostly only call the others by name, maintaining nothing more than a nodding acquaintance.

Usually, he didn't pay attention to others, and they didn't look at him; they ignored one another, focusing solely on their strength training.

But today was different.

Zhang Lingshan noticed that as he performed his skin-refining exercises, many eyes would occasionally drift toward him. He had suddenly become a focal point.

Fortunately, this situation only lasted for one day.

By the second day, everyone returned to their own tasks, losing interest in watching his training.

However, his breakthrough did make the other brothers much more diligent, as if everyone had been spurred into action.

This was not surprising.

Whenever a brother in the courtyard made a breakthrough, the others would feel stimulated, believing that they too could succeed if they worked hard, thus feeling encouraged.

It was just that this enthusiasm usually only lasted a few days.

Once the passion faded, everything returned to normal.

*It's been ten days. My skin has indeed thickened a layer, but I'm still quite far from Skin-Refining,* Zhang Lingshan sighed inwardly.

Only now did he truly understand the pain of cultivation for an ordinary person.

Because Skin-Refining was a slow, grinding process, unlike martial arts that could be boosted with energy points, it could not be achieved overnight.

Skin-Refining required the persistent use of iron sand to rub the skin and medicinal baths to repair it, allowing the skin to undergo new growth and transformation.

Repeating this day after day was truly exhausting.

No wonder it was called "Skin-Refining" (Mo Pi). The word "grind" (Mo) was incredibly apt.

"Brother Dazhuang, you've been here a long time. How long does this Skin-Refining cultivation usually take to succeed?" Zhang Lingshan finally couldn't help but ask one day.

Song Dazhuang replied, "Generally, it takes three months. Those with strong recovery abilities can finish in about a month. I see you're getting close; don't rush. Too much of a good thing is as bad as too little."

"Then thank you for your kind words, Brother Dazhuang."

Zhang Lingshan smiled.

He found that although Senior Brother Song Dazhuang was honest and simple—appearing somewhat clumsy and not particularly bright—he always spoke with wisdom. He was patient, never spoke ill of others or lost his temper, and was extremely steady and reliable, never cutting corners.

Among all the brothers Zhang Lingshan had met so far, Song Dazhuang was the one he admired most.

Moreover, Brother Dazhuang took quite good care of him, answering many of his questions.

For instance, it was Dazhuang who told him that Skin-Refining was divided into Ox Skin, Stone Skin, and Bronze Skin.

And as for the levels of the other senior brothers in the courtyard, despite Song Dazhuang's lack of interest in gossip, he knew everything clearly.

For example, Shi Lei was at the Stone Skin level, which was the middle tier.

The strongest was Senior Brother Zhu Wei, who was at the peak of Bronze Skin. It was said he was about to break through to Flesh-Refining. Under normal circumstances, he rarely appeared in the hall, only showing up occasionally.

There were several other senior brothers who, like Zhu Wei, rarely came to the hall—some were at the Bronze Skin level, some at Stone Skin, and some even at the most basic Ox Skin level.

It was heard that they all had work to do outside, and the money they earned was far more worthwhile than coming to the hall just for a free meal, so there was no reason to waste their time here.

Only when the Sihe Soup was distributed every four days would some of them take advantage of their leisure time to rush over.

"By the way, Brother Dazhuang, do you know what kind of work they do? I'm a bit short on money lately and want to find some work to earn a bit." Zhang Lingshan inquired.

Song Dazhuang said, "Are you very short on money? I have some spare cash I don't need. If you're in urgent need, take it and use it first."

As he spoke, he pulled a five-tael silver note from his robe.

Zhang Lingshan was both surprised and moved.

Brother Dazhuang usually kept a low profile, yet he could casually produce five taels of silver and lend it to him so generously without even asking when he could pay it back.

With a friend like this, what more could one ask for!