As the morning sun had just begun to cast its rays upon Qinglang Mountain, Zhang Tie rose early and, after washing up, headed straight to the Logistics Hall for breakfast.
Zhang Tie was dressed in the Iron Bear Gang's distinctive uniform and occasionally reached to touch the Outer Sect Disciple token in his Arms, a sense of indescribable achievement welling up within him.
Unconsciously, Zhang Tie had arrived at the Outer Affairs Hall. He looked up at the three large characters, "Outer Affairs Hall," hanging high in the center, bold and powerful. He took a deep breath and stepped inside.
Inside the hall, a young man slightly older than him came into view.
The young man's long hair was coiled high, his face was handsome, and his eyes revealed a sense of composure and capability. He wore the same attire as Zhang Tie, but it seemed to fit him with more freedom and ease.
"Greetings, Senior Brother. I am Zhang Tie, a newly admitted Disciple. I've come to the Outer Affairs Hall to report today," Zhang Tie said, cupping his fists in a bow.
"Junior Brother Zhang, my name is Liu Ye. You can call me Senior Brother Liu from now on," Liu Ye said with a slight smile that made him seem approachable, like an Elder brother from next door.
He continued, "Junior Brother Zhang, you can come here on the first day of each month to collect ten taels of silver. If you wish to send it home, you can leave the address at the Logistics Hall, and a Disciple from the Logistics Hall will arrange for someone to deliver it monthly.
Newly admitted Outer Sect Disciples do not need to participate in Gang missions during their first year; they only need to Cultivate diligently. Later, when you leave, you can go directly to the Transmission Hall to receive a Cultivation Technique to Cultivate."
Liu Ye paused, looking intently at Zhang Tie, as if to confirm whether he had understood.
Then he continued, "Generally, descending the mountain is forbidden. If you need to descend, you must obtain a pass from Elder Wang. Every three years, the Gang's Outer Sect Disciples will have an Outer Sect arena competition, and those who rank in the top ten can enter the Inner Sect and become Inner Sect Disciples.
Those who have not become Inner Sect Disciples after five consecutive arena competitions must either descend the mountain to manage Gang properties or remain on the mountain to do odd jobs if they possess a special skill. There are still two years until the next Outer Sect Grand Competition. Junior Brother Zhang, if you have any questions in the future, you can come to the Outer Affairs Hall and find me."
After speaking, Liu Ye turned and began to busy himself, no longer paying attention to Zhang Tie.
"Thank you, Senior Brother Liu," Zhang Tie bowed again, then turned and left.
Following the location in the admission manual, Zhang Tie quickly found the Transmission Hall.
Outside the Transmission Hall, two majestic stone lions squatted on either side, their eyes wide open, looking awe-inspiring and clearly not cheap. The plaque above the door bore three golden characters, "Transmission Hall," written in a flowing, Dragon-like and Phoenix-like script. If Zhang Tie hadn't known what this place was, he truly wouldn't have been able to read the characters.
Zhang Tie stepped inside, and a faint scent of sandalwood permeated the hall, bringing a sense of tranquility to one's mind.
He immediately saw a middle-aged man sitting behind the counter in the main hall, engrossed in a book. His face had distinct contours, his eyes were deep, and his chin was slightly pointed. On the counter, some books and writing materials were neatly arranged.
Zhang Tie strode towards the middle-aged man, respectfully bowed, and said, "Senior, I am a new Outer Sect Disciple, and I have come today to choose a Cultivation Technique to Cultivate."
"The first floor contains Cultivation Techniques that Outer Sect Disciples are permitted to choose. External Skills are on the left, and Internal Skills are on the right. You may only choose one. After selecting, register it with me. After registration, you can borrow it for seven days. If you still haven't memorized it after seven days, you may renew the loan," the middle-aged man said without lifting his head, his voice flat and unyielding.
"Excuse me, Senior, how can I choose more than one?" Zhang Tie asked cautiously, fearing he might displease the Senior.
"You can exchange them using Gang contribution points, or you can buy them with silver. Participating in Sect missions can earn contribution points," the middle-aged man said, still expressionless.
After thanking the middle-aged man, Zhang Tie turned and walked into the first floor of the Transmission Hall. On the bookshelves in the External Skill area, a dazzling array of Cultivation Techniques made him feel overwhelmed.
"Iron Cloth": External Skill. When Cultivated to a high Realm, blades and swords cannot penetrate, and the body becomes like copper skin and iron bones.
"Iron Arm Divine Fist": External Skill. At Major Achievement Realm, both arms are like cast iron, strength greatly increases, indestructible, and invincible.
"Iron Sand Palm": At Major Achievement Realm, both palms are like rock-solid metal, palm force is profound, and going into a hot oil pot bare-handed is nothing.
"Vajra Leg": ...
One Cultivation Technique after another filled Zhang Tie with excitement, yet he couldn't bring himself to decide which one to choose. Because he had previous experience Cultivating the Elephant Armor Skill, Zhang Tie had initially decided to choose an External Skill, but facing so many options, he fell into deep indecision.
He paced back and forth between the bookshelves, his fingers gently tracing over each Cultivation Technique, his mind constantly conjuring images of himself succeeding in his Cultivation.
Suddenly, his gaze fixed on a yellowed Cultivation Technique book titled "Mystic Armor Skill."
He slowly pulled out the book and opened the first page. The introduction made his eyes light up. "When this skill is Cultivated to Major Achievement, one's body can become like metal, Qi and blood like a Dragon, capable of uprooting mountains and rivers..."
Looking at the introduction in the book, Zhang Tie's heart beat faster and faster. He seemed to see a future where he would dominate the Jianghu with this skill.
"This is it!" Zhang Tie took a deep breath, took the "Mystic Armor Skill," and walked towards the counter. The middle-aged man looked at Zhang Tie but said nothing. After taking Zhang Tie's token and registering it, he allowed Zhang Tie to leave. Watching Zhang Tie's departing back, the middle-aged man shook his head and smiled bitterly.
Zhang Tie hurried back to his simple stone house. The furnishings inside were sparse, with only a bed, a table, and a chair, but for him, it was enough. He closed the door, sat cross-legged on the bed, and carefully took out the "Mystic Armor Skill."
Sunlight filtered through the window lattice, dappling the pages as Zhang Tie's focused gaze slowly followed the text.
According to the Cultivation Technique, the Mystic Armor Skill is divided into three layers. The first layer focuses on Cultivating the skin, flesh, tendons, and fascia. If successfully Cultivated, one can achieve a state of invulnerability to blades and spears, as if clad in sturdy armor, remaining unharmed no matter how much external attacks occur.
The second layer primarily targets the Cultivation of the entire body's bones. Once successful, one will possess immense strength, perhaps capable of tearing a bull apart with bare hands.
The third layer is to refine a powerful Qi and blood. At that time, as long as Qi and blood are not exhausted, the Physical Body will be indestructible. After Major Achievement, a single punch can shake mountains, and even if severely injured, one can heal rapidly, like an undying body.
Zhang Tie took a deep breath, a determined glint flashing in his eyes, as if he saw his future self, with this Cultivation Technique, dominating the world. After finishing reading the Cultivation Technique, he did not dare to delay for a moment and immediately entered a state of Cultivation.
He followed the methods taught in the Cultivation Technique and began to constantly stimulate his Physical Body and temper his skin and flesh.
Thus, day after day.
During the day, Zhang Tie fully immersed himself in the Cultivation of the Mystic Armor Skill, allowing his body to undergo repeated tempering; at night, he delved into the Cultivation of Changchun Gong, guiding the Qi flow within his body through a cyclical circulation.
In the blink of an eye, half a year had passed.
However, the progress of the Mystic Armor Skill's Cultivation was unsatisfactory. Zhang Tie's complexion had darkened, and his skin had become rougher and thicker, but apart from that, there were no other significant changes.
He had consistently failed to grasp the key essentials, let alone reach the Realm of invulnerability to blades and spears. Even if he struck harder, he would still be severely injured. This made him feel somewhat anxious and disheartened.
On the other hand, the Cultivation of Changchun Gong had shown new changes.
Initially, he could only Cultivate for two hours each night before his Meridians would ache unbearably, forcing him to stop. But as time went on, he could now Cultivate for an entire night without any discomfort in his Meridians.
But what was even stranger was that for the past six months, whenever he Cultivated Changchun Gong, as soon as a tiny wisp of Qi flow was generated, that wisp of Qi would instantly vanish without a trace. This situation had occurred many times, leaving him utterly baffled.
At the same time, the green light cluster in his mind was also quietly changing.
Over the past six months, this light cluster had slowly solidified from an ethereal state, becoming clearer and more real. However, despite its change in form, it seemed to have no substantial impact on his Cultivation or life.
On this day, while Cultivating, Zhang Tie decided to go to the Outer Affairs Hall, hoping to get some guidance from Senior Brother Liu.
Inside the Outer Affairs Hall, people came and went, making it lively. Zhang Tie finally managed to find Senior Brother Liu, who was busy.
"Senior Brother Liu, Junior Brother has been Cultivating the Mystic Armor Skill for over half a year, but progress has been slow. Does Senior Brother have any insights you could share?" Zhang Tie respectfully asked his question.
Senior Brother Liu sized him up, somewhat surprised: "You actually Cultivated the Mystic Armor Skill?! There are only two outcomes for those who Cultivate this Cultivation Technique: either they give up Cultivation and choose another Cultivation Technique, or after five years, they achieve nothing and descend the mountain to manage Gang properties."
Senior Brother Liu looked at Zhang Tie, pondered for a moment, and continued, "Fortunately, you've only Cultivated for half a year; it's not too late to change Cultivation Techniques now. This Cultivation Technique is said to have been obtained by an Elder accidentally in an Ancient Tomb. Later, it was verified to be an exaggeration, and no one has successfully refined it for a hundred years. So, Junior Brother Zhang, it would be better for you to get some silver and change your Cultivation Technique."
"How much silver would it cost to choose another one?"
"One hundred taels for an Outer Sect Cultivation Technique."
Zhang Tie was startled by the news but still bowed in thanks before turning and walking out of the Outer Affairs Hall.