From that day on, Qin Fang’s days became even busier.

Every morning, he would perform a session of Standing Pile, then practice the Ox Demon Mountain-Opening Fist, followed by an hour of Darts practice. After a short rest post-breakfast, he would begin the self-torturous ’Wild Bull Hundred Forgings’...

Early spring was approaching, yet the chill in the air grew even more intense.

But during this season, Qin Fang was drenched in sweat.

A Training Method was simply hard work.

There were no shortcuts.

But after just a few days, Qin Fang could feel his body undergoing another earth-shattering transformation.

His flesh and skin had clearly started to tighten. His skin, which had lightened somewhat, was now slowly turning a bronze color, becoming noticeably thicker and tougher.

He also started gradually putting more force into his daily sandbag training.

The changes in his muscles were also very obvious. Thanks to the ’Blood Circulation and Membrane Stabilizing Powder’, his daily extreme training didn’t leave him with any significant soreness; instead, he recovered fully each day.

His muscles grew harder. With just a little bit of flexing, it was as if they were solid metal wrapped in leather... yet his physique didn’t become bulky because of it.

His abs and pecs were well-defined, and his neck was long and slender, giving him an appearance brimming with explosive power.

At the same time, his maximum strength and endurance were also slowly increasing.

But the most crucial part was...

’Wild Bull Hundred Forgings doesn’t show up on the panel... but the proficiency I gain after Standing Pile each day has actually increased?’

This discovery made his eyes light up.

He knew that before Breaking Through, taking one Qi Blood Pill would only increase his proficiency by 11 points.

But after he started cultivating this ’Wild Bull Hundred Forgings’, the effect had actually improved!

And the increase was delightful.

...It increased by 4 points on the very first day!

He was back to the level of gaining 15 proficiency points from a single Qi Blood Pill!

This discovery filled him with an indescribable joy.

’So Physique is also directly reflected in proficiency?’

’Or... is it that the Wild Bull Qi Strength Pile plus the Wild Bull Hundred Forgings... makes for a complete Root Skill?’

He didn’t know the reason, but this was undoubtedly good news!

And as his practice of the Training Method deepened, Qin Fang’s physical condition improved almost daily. After just seven days, the effect of one Qi Blood Pill had reached 17 points!

...Even Qin Fang was stunned!

’Isn’t this effect a bit too astonishing?’

His passion for cultivation naturally soared even higher!

Hardship?

Fatigue?

Pain?

In the face of the powerful inner drive fueled by seeing his strength grow every day, none of these were worth mentioning!

...Well, what was worth mentioning was...

During this process, his Ox Demon Mountain-Opening Fist had also broken through to Minor Achievement.

When he used it, the force was far more penetrating and flexible than it was at the entry-level...

...

"Boss, we can’t go on like this. The fish market has been practically shut down these past few days. With all our men to feed, this..."

While Qin Fang was completely immersed in his training, Xu Meng, on the other hand, was facing a crisis.

Hearing the words of the man beside him, Xu Meng’s expression shifted.

The crisis was none other than...

The news about the Demon in the river had already spread, and now no fisherman dared to go into the river to fish.

The fish market was now at a complete standstill. For nearly ten days, only one or two fearless fishermen had risked coming...

But his Fish Dragon Gang depended entirely on the fish market for its livelihood. What good were one or two fishermen?

Thus, for over ten days, the Fish Dragon Gang had been in a state of almost zero income.

"Master Qian’s connection is about to be cut too... We haven’t supplied him for over ten days, and he’s already very unhappy. He said if we don’t deliver soon, we don’t need to deliver ever again... Boss, we have to think of something. If this goes on, the brothers will really have nothing to eat."

The Fish Dragon Gang had only been managing this fish market for about a year.

The fish market provided them with a large income... but "large" was a relative term.

Compared to ordinary people, it was naturally ’large’.

But in reality... it wasn’t much.

After all, it was just one fish market... How much could they make from taking a cut?

In True Martial Lishui, fish was already cheap. The current market price was just twenty cash for a pound of fish.

A thousand cash was only one tael of silver... That’s fifty pounds of fish!

And they were only taking a cut, twenty percent of the sales price...

They earned even less.

Buying the fish themselves and reselling to merchants would fetch a slightly higher price, but only by a limited amount, and there were costs involved.

So don’t be fooled by the Fish Dragon Gang’s seemingly glamorous position managing the fish market in Fisherman City.

In reality, it was like having a boil in your crotch... only they knew how painful it was.

The Fish Dragon Gang had over thirty members, top to bottom, and they all had to be paid... No money, no food—who would risk their life for you?

So their expenses were also huge.

After a year, they could barely make ends meet... Xu Meng himself didn’t dare use too many Qi Blood Pills for his own cultivation...

’Money is hard to earn!’

And now, they had reached an unsustainable point.

With no income for over ten days, let alone the gang members... Xu Meng himself was on the verge of starvation!

"What’s your idea?"

Xu Meng asked, his expression grim, after hearing the man’s words.

The man opened his mouth, then gritted his teeth and said, "The fish market is a dead end for now... Fortunately, while other businesses are affected, the impact isn’t too great... Boss, we have to find a way to get a piece of the pie!"

"You mean, go after the Water Dragon Gang?" Xu Meng looked at him.

"That’s exactly what I mean!" the man took a deep breath and admitted directly. "One mountain can’t hold two tigers. It’s not the first or second time the Water Dragon Gang has caused trouble for us. But back then, everyone had food on the table, so there was no need to fight them to the death... But now the brothers can’t survive. If we don’t make a move, the gang will fall apart!"

The man said this with a fierce expression.

Xu Meng’s eyes flickered rapidly. A moment later, he took a deep breath and made his decision. "Alright! Gather the brothers. We make our move tonight!"

The man’s eyes lit up, and he immediately replied, "Yes!"

He then ran out.

Xu Meng stood where he was, his gaze flickering toward the marketplace...

The Water Dragon Gang and the Fish Dragon Gang both made their living in the same marketplace; friction was not uncommon.

He had long wanted to get rid of the Water Dragon Gang.

However, that Zhao Cheng of the Water Dragon Gang was indeed not an easy person to deal with, and he had more men.

Plus, with the fish market in hand, he ultimately lacked the resolve to fight them to the death.

But now, things were different...

Xu Meng’s eyes glinted.

Ever since he started down the path of a gangster, he knew it was a road you could only move forward on, never retreat.

It was either eat or be eaten!

...

「Late at night.」

Qin Fang, who had trained hard all day, was fast asleep in his bed.

Until a sudden burst of shouts and killing cries jolted him awake.

He shot upright, his gaze as sharp as lightning, and looked out the window.

The sky was pitch black.

But the sound of hurried footsteps and battle cries abruptly shattered the night’s silence.

Qin Fang’s heart jumped. Without the slightest hesitation, he quickly got dressed, gripping his Darts in his hand.

It wasn’t just Darts...

Under his pillow, there was also a large handful of Iron Nails, which he now grabbed...

At least several dozen of them.

He then quickly moved to the door of the main hall and looked out.

Outside, the light of torches flickered, and shouts rose and fell.

’What’s going on?’ he wondered, startled and suspicious.

Suddenly, there was loud KNOCKING on the courtyard gate.

"Master Qin, Master Qin!"

Qin Fang listened. ’Is that Monkey’s voice?’

His brows furrowed. He moved to the gate and peered through a crack.

He saw Monkey, his face covered in blood, anxiously propping up another man who was also covered in blood.

He was in a panic, knocking on the gate while repeatedly looking over his shoulder. Someone was clearly chasing him.

Qin Fang’s thoughts raced, but he still quickly opened the gate.

The gate opened. Monkey was startled at first, but upon turning to see Qin Fang, he immediately cried out, "Master Qin..."

"What happened?"

Qin Fang asked with a frown, instinctively glancing at the person Monkey was supporting.

"Brother Xu?"

Looking again, he saw the man was unconscious, his face as pale as paper.

A thousand thoughts flashed through his mind, but Qin Fang remained calm and said in a low voice, "Get inside first."

Monkey nodded hurriedly and helped Xu Meng into the courtyard.

Qin Fang glanced outside and saw many torches closing in, heading their way.

His heart sank slightly, but he remained calm and closed the courtyard gate.

"What happened?"

After closing the gate, he turned and asked Monkey in a low, composed voice.