Becoming a saint begins with the infinite accumulation of destiny.

"Oh? You have other ideas?"

A strange light appeared in Lin Bao's eyes as he stood with his hands behind his back, gazing at the fiery red sunset in the distance.

"I've heard that another batch of new recruits will be joining soon. Perhaps we should wait until their qualifications are verified before making a decision. What do you think, Uncle Lin?"

Zhou Qing thought for a moment, hesitated for a second, and finally spoke.

After spending a long time with him, he was no longer the naive country bumpkin from the outer city.

They learned how to maximize the family's interests.

The path of martial arts is arduous, and the ways of the world are unbearable.

The family didn't have much savings to begin with, and holding a temporary position as a Bone Forging Martial Artist was already the limit.

If he adds more, his training resources will be squeezed and reduced.

This can also be considered a personal motive of his.

Especially today, someone with less talent and a less privileged family background than himself has actually surpassed him.

The helplessness and resentment in my heart had almost reached their peak.

It wasn't that he resented Chen Shisheng, but rather that the last bit of pride in his heart, the unwillingness to fall behind others, was so different from reality that it caused a slight distortion in his heart.

Train hard in the coldest days of winter and the hottest days of summer.

Why is he necessarily worse than others?

He refused to win over Chen Shisheng; he simply wanted to prove himself one last time.

Without any external appointment or Uncle Lin's protection, he was able to safeguard the legacy left by his father through his own abilities, hard work, and diligence.

"Then let's wait a little longer."

Lin Bao turned around, glanced at Zhou Qing who was bowing his head, and after a long while, he sighed.

This sigh seemed to contain countless complex emotions, like needles piercing Zhou Qing's heart, making him tremble.

"Does Uncle Lin also think I can't break through the Bone Forging stage?"

Zhou Qing's face was slightly flushed, his eyes were unfocused, and he felt as if countless ants were crawling all over his body, making him quite uncomfortable.

He remembered his father's dying words, and how he held his father's hand tightly on his sickbed, his eyes filled with expectation mixed with a hint of worry—a look he would never forget.

It was as if the father were saying it himself:

"Qing'er, you can't do it, give up."

Countless long-suppressed emotions erupted in Zhou Qing's heart like a volcano.

He stood there, his hands clenched into fists, veins bulging on his arms, beads of sweat beading on his forehead, and his head lowered even further.

Lin Bao's eyes were filled with complex emotions. He patted his old friend's only son on the shoulder and turned to leave.

Zhou Qing was left alone in the same spot, silent.

The red glow of the setting sun intensified, casting a faint red hue over one side of the courtyard.

As the sun moved forward, the red light slowly shifted onto Zhou Qing's face.

I don't know how long I stood there.

Zhou Qing slowly raised his head, his clenched hands loosened, and his eyes became more resolute and persistent than before.

He walked slowly back to his position, taking one step at a time. He began to practice his Bull Fist, striving for perfection in every move, every punch and kick.

He hit hard, as if he wanted to vent all the pent-up frustration and resentment in his body.

The fist collided rapidly with the air, producing a series of whistling sounds.

He set a goal for himself: to break through the Bone Forging Realm within a month!

The blood transfusion has reached its limit; all that's missing is one last crucial opportunity.

He kept practicing his Bull Boxing, his posture flawless and his movements unyielding.

If you make a mistake once, you have to start ten times over!

If you make ten mistakes, punch yourself hard!

If you make another mistake, then....

.......

As dusk fell, the sky turned from white to black.

Chen Shisheng rode in a horse-drawn carriage on the bumpy dirt road.

The carriage was drawn by two purebred, tall horses with smooth, glossy coats that gleamed faintly in the moonlight.

The two horses were powerful enough to cover a journey that would normally take half a day in just one hour.

The carriage moved slowly along the main bluestone road, the wheels making a slight friction sound against the ground.

The moon's shadow gradually lengthened, illuminating the outside of the carriage brightly, as if a layer of silvery light had been specially laid out for it.

The guards on night watch saw them from afar and, thinking they were from the Wen family, hurried forward to greet them.

"Brother Chen? You...you're back?"

The man had a rat-like face and a thin build. He was somewhat surprised to see Chen Shisheng.

"Um, where's my sister-in-law?"

Chen Shisheng nodded indifferently, glanced around casually, and found nothing unusual.

He felt a slight sense of relief; it seemed that placing the piece of meat in his sister-in-law's room was the right decision.

Otherwise, what if the water monkeys come ashore under the cover of night...

Do not!

Even in broad daylight, no one can stop it.

It's just a matter of whether it's hungry or not.

"Your wife is at home. Don't worry, Brother Chen! With the brothers here, we'll never let anything happen to her."

The small, rat-faced man solemnly assured him, a slightly ingratiating smile on his face.

"Um."

Chen Shisheng nodded without saying anything more.

He immediately ordered the carriage to wait there, and hurried back to the house to prepare to pick up his sister-in-law and leave.

"Back to Five Rivers City?! But what about the Blackwater Gang...?"

Liu Yun was unaware that the Blackwater Gang had already been wiped out by the Heavenly Fiend Gang, which made her somewhat worried.

"Don't worry, I've taken care of everything over there. Besides, we won't be staying in the outer city this time; we'll be staying in the inner city."

Chen Shisheng said in a deep voice.

"The inner city? The houses there must be very expensive. Aren't you still practicing martial arts? Don't waste money. You need to save it for when you get married."

Liu Yun made a surprising remark, bringing up the topic of Chen Shisheng getting married again.

She didn't understand martial arts, nor did she understand what blood transfusion or bone forging meant.

In her eyes, her brother-in-law suddenly seemed to have become very powerful.

She could sense this from the increasingly respectful attitude of those around her.

Since my brother-in-law is so amazing... his baby must be very heavy!

She thought so.

"There's no rush. I'll take you home first."

Chen Shisheng's forehead creased with annoyance; he couldn't understand why his sister-in-law was so insistent on him getting married.

Changing the subject, he helped pack the things, only moving some commonly used items onto the carriage.

As for the rest of the furniture, we can buy new ones when we get back to the inner city. There's no need to move them again.

"Brother Chen, let me do it, let me do it."

The small, rat-faced man was very observant; he grabbed the items and carried them onto the car with great enthusiasm.

Chen Shisheng did not refuse, but turned around and went back into the house.

puff!

Chen Shisheng looked around to make sure no one was there.

He crouched slightly, bent his legs, and with a little effort, he leaped into the air, easily soaring into the sky.

Then, with a swift sweep of his hand, he took the piece of braised pork that was placed on the roof beam.

When it landed on the ground, Chen Shisheng wrapped it in his old clothes, placed it inside his clothes, and carried it close to his body.

This thing is a lifesaver; it's an essential item when hiking in the wild.

Not long after.

With everything settled, the carriage slowly drove away, heading towards the town entrance.

"Brother Chen..."

The rat-faced man's expression was complex as he watched the departing carriage, his face filled with envy and longing.

He knew that Chen Shisheng's departure likely meant he had entered a new social class.

...

Back in Five Rivers City,

The carriage moved smoothly and unimpeded, heading straight into the inner city.

Jiang Yue'er had already told him the location of the house, so Chen Shisheng and his sister-in-law immediately moved their things in and officially moved in.

The two didn't have much luggage to begin with, and the house was regularly cleaned.

The two were both efficient, and they quickly got everything sorted out.

After dinner, the two went back to their respective rooms to rest.

The next morning.

When Chen Shisheng entered the courtyard, he saw that Zhou Qing had already arrived and was practicing diligently in a corner.

As he entered, the others whispered among themselves, passing on news from the previous day.

Some people glanced at him stealthily, then quickly looked away, their eyes darting around, afraid of being noticed.

But most people are focused on their own things.

In the Wen family compound within the inner city, most martial artists are at the Blood Transformation level, or their families have powerful backgrounds. People like Zhou Qing can enter even before reaching the Blood Transformation level.

Alternatively, it could be like Zhu You before, someone with exceptional talent who entered based on merit.

Therefore, it can be said that those who can come here all have some background or strength.

In short, he cannot be mediocre.

Chen Shisheng casually found a spot and began preparing for a new round of training and bone strengthening.

He first practiced a set of Bull Fist as a warm-up, which would activate his blood and energy and prevent injury during the subsequent training.

After warming up, Chen Shisheng walked to the wooden frame next to him and took down an iron rod from it.

This is an item specially prepared for martial artists who specialize in bone forging. It is about the thickness of an arm and made of refined iron. Its main purpose is to accelerate the absorption of qi and blood into the bones of the body.

After all, there are many bones in the joints of the human body. Due to their location, blood and qi circulation is not smooth in these bones, and it takes a very long time for blood and qi to seep in.

Someone came up with a method to repeatedly pound the bones to create cracks, that is, to break the bones.

In this way, blood and qi can flow smoothly into the bone fissures, saving a lot of time and preventing the bone from slowly grinding away over time.

After removing the iron rod, Chen Shisheng returned to his position and began to slowly pound his joints with it, trying his best to ensure the progress of bone forging without getting injured.

"Brother Chen, did you know? The Ghostly Scourge outside the city has gotten into trouble again."

Suddenly, a familiar face appeared from the side and behind, looking on with a sigh.

This person was none other than Xu Song, who had previously used connections to be transferred back.

As the only son in his family, his family naturally wouldn't allow him to remain in a dangerous situation.

It took a great deal of effort to finally get him transferred back from Pingyang Town and placed in the inner city.

As soon as he arrived in the inner city, he revealed his true colors. Instead of being motivated, he went to various entertainment venues in the inner city to vent his anger.

At this moment, the guy still looked pale and his lips were white.

God knows how late this guy stayed up last night.

However, it was precisely in places like brothels and restaurants, where all sorts of people mingled, that merchants often obtained firsthand information.

After all, many foreign caravans and travelers, having lived in constant fear and tension, were used to enjoying themselves and relieving stress wherever they went.

"They've intercepted another caravan?"

Chen Shisheng was not surprised; Guijianchou had been making frequent moves lately, often provoking and committing robbery.

This can be seen from the soaring prices in the inner city.

"no."

Xu Song looked around, lowered his voice, and tried to get closer to Chen Shisheng.

However, Chen Shisheng coldly pushed his head slightly outward.

He wasn't used to being in close contact with this guy.

But just as he was halfway through his action, his gaze suddenly sharpened and fixed on the top of Xu Song's head.

There, a white phantom suddenly appeared!

[A seasoned veteran of the pleasure quarters (White): A seasoned womanizer. Endurance boost]