It was already dark, and descending the mountain would be unsafe, so Zhao Lin spent the night on Eagle Beak Cliff.

The next day, he brought the Black-horned Antelope’s corpse down from the clifftop. He raced down the path, thoroughly enjoying the exhilarating speed.

Zhao Lin felt his running speed had more than doubled. If he were to compare himself to an animal, he could probably run nearly as fast as a horse.

He carried the Black-horned Antelope back home, put it down, had a quick bite to eat, and immediately rushed to the Liuhe Sect.

He was paying for his martial arts training, so missing a day meant wasting a day’s tuition. Now that he had absorbed the second Essence Soul, he couldn’t afford to waste any more time.

As he passed through the county town’s main gate, Zhao Lin stopped to take a closer look at a notice. It was a wanted poster for Drilling Mountain Leopard and his key subordinates.

As the bandit leader, Drilling Mountain Leopard had a bounty of one thousand taels of silver on his head, dead or alive.

His Second Shopkeeper, Third Shopkeeper, and other top lieutenants also had bounties ranging from tens to hundreds of taels.

Zhao Lin hadn’t expected the bandit leader he’d killed to be worth so much money. If he could claim the reward, he wouldn’t have to worry about his training fees for the next two or three years.

Unfortunately, unless one could guarantee complete anonymity, claiming such a reward would be suicide.

Although he had no intention of doing so, Zhao Lin still committed the bandits’ portraits to memory.

There were no photographs in this era, so the portraits were mostly just rough likenesses. The artists had never seen the bandits in person, and many of the drawings were based on hearsay.

"Perfect timing. The fist competition is tomorrow. Let’s have a practice match."

Sun Xiaofan said, grabbing Zhao Lin as soon as he arrived at the Liuhe Sect.

Yuan Cheng walked over as well. "You’ve been with the sect for three months, so you’ll be in the fist competition tomorrow, too. Be prepared."

The so-called "fist competition" was a contest of Fist Skill among the apprentices.

The apprentices studying at the Liuhe Sect competed against each other periodically and were ranked according to their skill.

Each of Zhu Huaishan’s six disciples had two or three apprentices under their tutelage, so the competition was also an assessment of the disciples’ teaching abilities.

Yuan Cheng was in charge of three apprentices—He Jin, Sun Xiaofan, and Zhao Lin—and naturally hoped they would rank well.

Zhao Lin was eager to test how much his martial arts had improved after absorbing the Black-horned Antelope’s Essence Soul, so he agreed without hesitation.

"Make your move!"

The two stood opposite each other. Since Zhao Lin was the junior, Sun Xiaofan allowed him the first move.

Zhao Lin loosened up, throwing a few punches and kicks in place. He needed to acclimatize to the changes in his body.

"Here I come!"

As the words left his mouth, Zhao Lin moved, throwing a punch at Sun Xiaofan’s left shoulder.

Sun Xiaofan raised a hand to parry the blow, then flowed into a downward palm strike, trying to seize the centerline and regain the initiative.

Zhao Lin immediately changed tactics, sidestepping and ramming forward with an elbow strike.

Sun Xiaofan was known for his speed and agility. Seeing that Zhao Lin was actually trying to fight speed with speed, he couldn’t help but smile faintly as he changed his own move in response.

They exchanged blows, their footwork shifting and hands a blur. In less than ten breaths, a muffled THUD echoed out, and Sun Xiaofan staggered back several steps, clutching his chest.

"How are you so fast?" Sun Xiaofan said, his voice laced with disbelief.

Zhao Lin was secretly overjoyed. ’Before, whenever I sparred with Sun Xiaofan, I was always overwhelmed by his dizzying flurry of attacks. Now that I’m faster, his moves don’t seem so quick anymore.’

"Let’s go again," Sun Xiaofan said defiantly.

"Alright. Your turn to go first," Zhao Lin nodded.

"Take this punch!"

Sun Xiaofan pushed off his toes and leaped forward, launching both fists at Zhao Lin’s chest.

Zhao Lin blocked with his forearm, then sidestepped and snapped out a kick.

In this second exchange, Sun Xiaofan’s attacks were fierce; it was clear he was finally getting serious.

But unfortunately for him, Zhao Lin was as agile as a cat, and Sun Xiaofan’s fists couldn’t even graze his clothes.

This bout was decided in just seven breaths, and again, Zhao Lin was the victor.

"How did you suddenly get so good?" Sun Xiaofan asked, astonished.

The first time, he could blame it on underestimating his opponent, but this second loss left him speechless.

Yuan Cheng was also surprised, but it wasn’t Zhao Lin’s speed that shocked him; it was his agility and flexibility. 𝕗𝕣𝐞𝐞𝘄𝐞𝚋𝚗𝗼𝘃𝗲𝗹.𝚌𝕠𝚖

An ordinary martial artist at the First or even Second Layer of the Power Realm wouldn’t be this nimble. Only those who had refined their tendons could move like this.

’Could this be innate talent?’

Even though Yuan Cheng was a fairly broad-minded person, he couldn’t help but feel a faint pang of jealousy.

He knew Zhao Lin was naturally strong, and while powerful martial artists weren’t uncommon, one with this level of agility was a rare find indeed.

This boy was born for martial arts.

’What am I even doing, getting worked up over nothing?’

Yuan Cheng gave a self-deprecating laugh and quickly adjusted his mindset.

’There are countless martial artists in the world, and plenty are stronger than me. Am I supposed to be jealous of every single one? I’d never be able to live with myself.’

"Martial arts values being ’still as a maiden, swift as an escaping hare.’ Simply being fast from start to finish isn’t true skill. The key to defeating an opponent is the ability to explode with speed after a moment of stillness."

Yuan Cheng said, offering his critique. Then he called over his other apprentice, He Jin. "You, come and spar a few rounds with him."

"Yes, sir."

He Jin walked up to Zhao Lin and took his stance, gesturing for him to make the first move.

"This is just a spar. Exercise some restraint," Yuan Cheng reminded them.

He Jin had been training at the Liuhe Sect for over two years and had reached the Second Layer of the Power Realm. He consistently ranked among the top three apprentices.

Because he had undergone Bone Refining, his fists were incredibly hard. If he were to strike with his full power, Zhao Lin might not be able to withstand the blow, which was why Yuan Cheng had issued a reminder.

Wary, Zhao Lin didn’t attack immediately. After a moment’s standoff, he suddenly struck out with his palm.

The palm strike was a feint, meant to draw his opponent’s attention. Midway through the attack, he pivoted and snapped out a kick.

He Jin wasn’t fooled. He brought up his knee to intercept.

Zhao Lin’s foot connected with He Jin’s shin, and it felt like kicking an iron plate. Even though he had held back some of his power, a piercing pain still shot through his leg.

’So this is the Bone Refining Realm. His bones really are tough!’

Zhao Lin immediately changed his strategy, doing his best to avoid a direct clash.

They rapidly exchanged more than a dozen blows. Having practiced the Six Harmonies Fist for over two years, He Jin had a profound grasp of its essence. Zhao Lin, being a relative newcomer, was at a disadvantage when it came to technique.

Furthermore, He Jin was already at the Second Layer of the Power Realm, while Zhao Lin had only recently undergone two transformations. The gap between their realms was too wide, allowing He Jin to attack without reservation.

After several dozen more exchanges, Zhao Lin was forced to the edge of the training area and raised his hand in defeat.

"There’s a proverb in the martial world: ’Nothing is indestructible, and only speed is unbreakable.’ You two each embody one of these principles."

Yuan Cheng said encouragingly, "For someone who has only been training for three months, to be able to go toe-to-toe with He Jin is already quite impressive, Zhao Lin."

Although Zhao Lin had lost, he wasn’t disappointed.

This was a spar, not a life-or-death battle. If it had been the latter, he was confident he could have used his superior speed to remain undefeated.

’Regardless, I finally have strength approaching the Second Layer of the Power Realm.’

「The next day, the fist competition was held as scheduled.」

The sixteen apprentices were paired off to compete. By midday, Zhao Lin had placed fifth, ranking just behind a few apprentices who had been training for two or three years. And that was with him holding back.

Sect Leader Zhu Huaishan and his disciples were all greatly surprised.

Zhu Huaishan summoned Zhao Lin to the rear courtyard. "You have done very well," he said. "To achieve such results in only three months... you are a promising talent for the martial arts."

"Continue to train hard. If you encounter any difficulties, feel free to come to me."

Zhao Lin knew his performance had caught the Sect Leader’s eye, but he showed no hint of smugness, replying calmly, "Yes, Sect Leader."

"Which do you think is more important: one’s realm, or one’s practical combat skill?"

Zhu Huaishan asked abruptly.

Zhao Lin was taken aback. "Realm or practical combat... Sect Leader, what do you mean by that?"