In chaotic times, one can become a martial immortal.

"You actually dare to come to my Black Cloud Stronghold!"

Zuo Kui stared intently at Lu Yuan, his eyes filled with cold, murderous intent.

"Brother, he's alone. Even if he has those evil hidden weapons, the two of us together can definitely kill him!"

Situ Ming sneered and said directly.

In their eyes, Lu Yuan was still that ant who, despite being able to rely on evil hidden weapons to ambush and kill the third brother, was only at the level of internal energy cultivation and could be easily crushed.

Immediately, the two pounced on Lu Yuan almost simultaneously.

To guard against the sinister hidden weapon, they not only pushed their speed to the limit, but also constantly changed positions.

"Swoosh! Swoosh!"

However, Lu Yuan simply flicked his longsword, and two crimson sword energies burst forth.

The intense heat seemed to distort the surrounding air.

Although Zuo Kui and Situ Ming were fast, the sword energy was even faster, so fast that they couldn't react at all.

"Pfft! Pfft!"

Unsurprisingly, the two blazing sword energies pierced through their bodies in an instant.

"Sword...sword energy..."

Zuo Kui looked down at the charred hole on his body, filled with disbelief.

Although his heart was filled with resentment and regret, the ending was already decided. Before he could say another word, he was completely lifeless and collapsed to the ground.

Situ Ming, who was standing to the side, was already dead beyond any doubt.

Their bodies were completely pierced by the blazing sun sword energy, leaving not only charred wounds but also destroyed internal organs. Even a divine physician could not save them.

Even so, after searching out all the valuables, Lu Yuan set fire to the entire Black Cloud Stronghold, burning it to the ground.

……

"Crackling and popping..."

When the news of the complete annihilation of Black Cloud Village spread, the entire Qinghe County was even more lively than during the Spring Festival, with fireworks and firecrackers going off non-stop.

People flocked to the streets to cheer and celebrate.

"Thank heavens! Black Cloud Stronghold has finally been wiped out!"

"Good heavens, when will the Axe Gang, the Giant Kun Gang, and the Iron Palm Gang all be wiped out?!"

For many years, the people of Qinghe County have been burdened by three great mountains.

Two gangs and one stronghold: the Axe Gang, the Giant Kun Gang, and the Black Cloud Stronghold, have long been harming the people.

Now that Black Cloud Village has been destroyed, only two of the three mountains remain.

Many people were also praying in their hearts, hoping that the nameless heroes who destroyed Black Cloud Stronghold could also take down the Axe Gang, Giant Kun Gang, Iron Palm Gang, and other gangs of all sizes, ridding the people of evil and acting on behalf of Heaven.

What they didn't know was that even if these gangs were wiped out, new gangs would soon emerge and continue to oppress and exploit them.

As the saying goes, wherever there are people, there will be a world of its own.

As long as there is profit to be made, the phenomenon of cannibalism will inevitably occur.

Moreover, even if gangs disappear, other similar organizations will emerge, with plenty of methods to exploit them, both openly and covertly.

If you want to truly change your destiny, you can only make yourself strong, strong enough that no one will dare to bully you anymore.

The upcoming martial arts training program is one of the fastest ways for ordinary martial artists to change their fate.

For this reason, almost all martial artists who possess Ming Jin, An Jin, and even Hua Jin skills and are qualified to participate in the martial arts competition are going all out to prepare for the upcoming competition.

Those who lack the ability to acquire more resources will practice for an extra hour or two each day. If resources are insufficient, time will make up for it. Apart from eating, drinking, and relieving themselves, they will practice diligently even without sleeping.

Those who have the ability to acquire more resources not only train harder but also start frantically accumulating resources.

In short, everyone is making a final sprint, hoping to achieve a significant breakthrough in the remaining days.

Especially those top-tier geniuses sponsored by various organizations, they acted as if they had no regard for their lives.

Those who haven't opened their internal dantian should do everything in their power to do so.

Those who have already opened their internal dantian must, no matter what, truly enter the ranks before the martial arts training begins.

As for Lu Yuan, he now has only one goal: to master the Golden Skin technique.

"Brother Yuan, the meat of the Ironback Bull has been combined with various precious medicinal herbs and processed into jerky using a secret method. Not only is it more effective, but it can also be preserved for a long time. There are a total of 761 catties!"

"In addition, the blood of the Iron-backed Bull is also combined with various precious medicinal materials and made into Blood Essence Pills through a secret method. The effect of restoring blood and qi is more than ten times stronger than that of Blood and Qi Pills. There are a total of 132 pills."

"As for the Ironback Bull's horns, as well as its hide and bones, they've all been exchanged for silver. We've rounded it up for you, making it a total of 35,000 taels!"

In less than a day, Zheng Shuang and Zhang Yida arrived together, full of excitement.

"Thank you!"

After accepting the dried meat, Blood Essence Pills, and 35,000 taels of silver notes, Lu Yuan smiled and said to the two men.

The jerky weighs over 700 jin (350 kg). Even if he eats three jin (1.5 kg) every day, it would last him for more than eight months.

The more than one hundred Blood Essence Pills were also a pleasant surprise, enough to last for a while.

As for the 35,000 taels of silver notes, it was much more than he had imagined.

It's fair to say that hunting this iron-backed bull made him rich overnight.

Not only will there be no need to worry about resource shortages in the short term, but in terms of money, even if we go to the county town, we should be able to support ourselves for quite some time.

No wonder that even knowing that beasts like the Ironback Bull are extremely dangerous, some people still risk their lives to venture into the mountains to try their luck.

"Brother Yuan, we should be thanking you. If you hadn't hunted down that Ironback Bull, our two families would have suffered heavy casualties and might not have gained anything at all."

"That's right. If it weren't for Brother Yuan's help, how could our two families have obtained so much exotic beast meat and Blood Essence Pills?"

Zheng Shuang and Zhang Yida quickly said with smiles on their faces.

Although both families only received 10%, they did not suffer a loss; on the contrary, they made a huge profit.

Their status in their respective families has now risen significantly, and they are only one step away from becoming true heirs.

It wasn't because they obtained a large amount of exotic beast meat and Blood Essence Pills for their family, but because they met Lu Yuan, a young genius who could kill the Ironback Bull without taking any damage.

After they returned and told the elders of each family about this, they finally understood just how terrifying Lu Yuan's strength was, given that he could kill the Ironback Bull without taking any damage. In addition, he was still so young, and his future achievements were beyond imagination.

The two families' patriarchs gave them a strict order: they had to maintain this relationship no matter what, even if Lu Yuan needed their heads as chamber pots, they had to cut them off themselves and then offer them to the other party with a smile.

……

With enough exotic beast meat and Blood Essence Pills to help him, Lu Yuan's cultivation progress can be said to have reached its maximum.

Finally, on the day before the start of the martial arts course, the Five Animal Fist Skin Polishing Chapter is about to reach its conclusion.

The night was cool and still.

Lu Yuan's blood and qi were boiling continuously.

A surge of scorching internal energy was frantically washing over and refining his skin.

pain!

It hurts so much!

heat!

too hot!

Lu Yuan felt as if he had been thrown into a steel furnace.

……