Martial Dao: Peace by Force

Chapter 66: Chapter 64: Horizontal Training Speedrun, Iron Skin Evolution

But for some reason, Tie Qingyang’s face hardened as he shook his head and said, ”Just drop it.”

”Something bothering you, Dad?”

”Don’t ’Dad’ me! Get serious! I told you to call the management committee. Did you do it?” Tie Qingyang snapped, having no time to waste on such nonsense.

”I made the call. Sun Shengji’s backer agreed to pull their funding... It’s just... the word from the management committee is... they hope we’ll spare Sun’s life. Dad, what are your thoughts?” Tie Feiyang asked in a low voice.

Tie Qingyang’s eyes narrowed. ”Is that an order from the very top?”

”Not exactly... They said Sun Shengji has done a lot for them, and they can’t bear to see him killed.” Tie Feiyang frowned. ’What a pain,’ he thought.

”To hell with that! ’Can’t bear to see him killed’? What a load of bullshit!” Tie Qingyang sneered. He frowned for a moment, but his expression soon smoothed over. ”He lost the bet, so he has to pay the price. He owes Mr. Wan his head. Mr. Wan can’t be bothered with him, but I owe Mr. Wan a favor, and I will repay it. It’s going to rain tonight. Go handle it. Make it clean, so no one can point any fingers.”

”You got it!” Tie Feiyang instantly rubbed his hands together, looking excited.

’That bastard Sun Shengji has killed countless innocent girls by throwing his backer’s weight around. He should’ve been dead long ago!’

Besides, the bastard had even offended Mr. Wan!

...

”WOOF WOOF...”

Under the cover of night, a dog barked in the far distance, then suddenly fell silent.

For some unknown reason, the adjacent houses in the backyard of the Dragon Eagle Martial Arts Hall were all pitch-black tonight. Without a single light, the area seemed utterly desolate.

As Wan Ze entered his room, he even found the scene to be one of peaceful tranquility.

”CLICK!”

He flicked on the light.

All was quiet.

He locked the door behind him. Feeling the power surging through his body, he broke into a silent grin.

’I just had a fierce fight and sprinted for over twenty kilometers, yet I don’t feel tired at all... My Endurance only went up to 0.9, but the effect is already so pronounced.’

’But unlocking a Skill’s Ultimate Effect is what’s truly crucial!’

If it weren’t for the Iron Mountain Fist’s Beng Jin and the Mysterious Shadow Step’s Instant Flash, he never would have been able to kill Xiao Qing with his fists in such a short amount of time.

His eyes fell on the data panel.

...

[Illustrated Guide: Iron Mountain Fist] (Special Level Mastered)

[Skill Ultimate Form Requirement: Defeat 1,000 people with Iron Mountain Fist (one punch only)] (22/1,000);

...

[Illustrated Guide: Taming the Tiger Vajra Skill] (High Level Mastered)

[Skill Special Level Requirement: Achieve Qi and Blood Convergence 10,000 times] (12/10,000);

...

[Illustrated Guide: Mysterious Shadow Step] (Special Level Mastered)

[Skill Ultimate Form Requirement: Move 1,000,000 meters] (25/1,000,000)

...

[Illustrated Guide: Mystic Round Innate Qi Cultivation Technique] (Intermediate Mastered)

[Skill High Level Requirement: Deep Meditation for 1 hour] (Progress: 0%)

...

Wan Ze’s eyebrows rose slightly.

’The kill count for Iron Mountain Fist is racking up pretty fast... I’m starting to wonder what kind of surprise the Ultimate Form will bring.’

As for the Mystic Round Innate Qi Cultivation Technique, it required one hour of Deep Meditation... That was still a difficult task for Wan Ze.

’Maybe allocating points to Intelligence will increase my Deep Meditation time.’

He was soon lost in thought.

Then he looked at his Horizontal Training Technique.

[Illustrated Guide: Horizontal Training Technique] (Basic Mastered)

[Skill Intermediate Requirement: Rub body with Rough Cloth 100 times (32/100), and withstand 1 hit (1/1)]

Without hesitation, Wan Ze took out a clean towel, dipped it in water, and began scrubbing his body.

He scrubbed until his skin was bright red, and he could clearly feel a fiery, stinging pain.

The Basic Effect of the Horizontal Training Technique was Iron Hide, meaning his body could attain an iron-like state. This effect would greatly increase his defense.

During his fight with Xiao Qing, his opponent’s fingertips had lightly grazed his arm through his clothes.

Normally, a strike from an expert of that caliber would have certainly left a red mark, possibly even shifting the tide of battle in that instant.

But thanks to the Iron Hide effect, Wan Ze was completely unharmed. Instead, he seized the opening to press his attack and finished Xiao Qing in one fell swoop.

’The further one progresses in the Blood Tempering Realm, the greater one’s control over qi and blood... I can’t let my guard down.’

’Xiao Qing was at the Blood Tempering Second Transformation, but he was on the verge of the Third Transformation... Maybe his strength had declined due to an injury; it was just his bad luck to run into me. Still, I need to be careful in the future... If my defense is ever broken, I’ll end up just like him!’

Time flew by.

After one hundred scrubs, Wan Ze felt his skin turn an intense red, like the crimson of iron just pulled from the forge, a color that lingered for a long time.

He closed his eyes, sensing the changes in his body. It was a deep-seated solidification, as if a hard, calloused layer of armor was forming all over him.

After a moment, the sensation faded.

His body returned to normal, and strangely, the skin that had been tanned from his recent training turned pale, like that of a pampered young master from a wealthy family.

Wan Ze stared at his arm in disbelief.

’This Horizontal Training Technique has a skin-lightening effect?’

’That’s illogical! Completely illogical!’

’Damn it, a tan looks way cooler! Oh well, whatever!’

Wan Ze glanced around, pushed the thought of his skin color to the back of his mind, and replayed the recent fight in his head before looking at the data panel again.

...

[Illustrated Guide: Horizontal Training Technique] (Intermediate Mastered)

[Effect 1: Slight increase in physical power]

[Effect 2: Iron Hide (Physical Strength +0.02; Endurance +0.02)]

[Effect 3: Iron Skin Evolution--Iron Armor (Endurance +0.04)]

[Skill High Level Requirement: Rub body with sandpaper 500 times (0/500), and withstand 3 hits (0/3)]

...

’Sandpaper? That makes sense. With my current physical constitution, using Rough Cloth to scrub my body won’t have any effect anymore.’

He continued his self-directed cultivation for a while.

Wan Ze began to run laps around the martial arts hall. He kept at it until just before nine p.m., when a few drops of rain began to fall from the dark sky.

It started to rain.

Wan Ze was panting slightly. After running for nearly two hours, even a body made of iron would feel a surge of exhaustion.

”Wan Ze?”

A figure at the backyard entrance was about to open an umbrella and step out from under the covered walkway. ”You just got here?”

”Nah, I got here a little after six.” Wan Ze took two quick steps to get under the eaves and asked casually, ”Are you heading out?”

But Sun Fan’s interest was suddenly piqued. ”How about a spar before I leave?”

Wan Ze let out a soft chuckle.

He didn’t refuse.

”Bring it on!”

...

”THUD! THUD! THUD!”

The two figures blurred together. Sun Fan was struggling to keep up, but she wasn’t holding back in the slightest. Finally seizing an opportunity, she landed a solid punch on Wan Ze’s shoulder.

The moment it connected, she felt a pang of panic, worried she might have actually hurt him.

But to her surprise, a strange force rebounded from Wan Ze’s body.

In an instant, the force of her full-powered punch was not only completely nullified, but the rebound also sent a numbing jolt up her forearm. She stumbled back several steps, a look of utter shock on her face.

”You...?”

Wan Ze nonchalantly patted the spot on his arm, where there wasn’t even a mark, and smiled. ”Your reflexes were good, and your strength has increased a lot... Keep cultivating the Dragon Eagle Secret Martial Arts for a while longer, and you’ll see a fundamental transformation.”

”Wait, since when are you this strong?” Sun Fan looked completely stunned. She stepped forward in disbelief and subconsciously prodded Wan Ze’s chest... then gave it a thump.

’Oh my god, he’s solid as a rock!!!!!’