The catch inspired my entry: Persistence will eventually lead to invincibility.

The rain was still falling, drizzling down.

When Chen Shi got home, he was soaked to the bone, looking like a drowned rat.

"Brother Shi'er, are you alright? You didn't catch a cold, did you?"

tide Niang felt very distressed when she saw her husband return soaking wet.

"There's just some hot water boiling on the stove. Go take a hot shower and change into some clean clothes," she said, scooping the hot water into a bucket with a wooden ladle.

Chen Shi poured the unsold catch into the water vat, then carried the wooden bucket full of hot water to the corner of the woodshed. Fishermen like him didn't have a proper place to bathe in their houses; they would just build a simple shed, use a few pieces of coarse cloth to partition off a small space, or, like Chen Shi, relieve themselves in the corner of the woodshed.

"call……"

He removed his wet clothes, placed a scalding hot towel on the back of his neck, and let out a long breath. The hot water trickled down his back, taking away the chill from his body. He closed his eyes, recalling everything that had just happened.

"Li Ran is dead, and Zheng Yi Martial Arts School doesn't seem to want to pursue the matter. I can finally go back to selling fish in town and have some peace and quiet again. Next, I need to go to Sanli Town to find Master Shen and ask him how exactly to hone this 'Martial Arts Physique'."

Having experienced two life-or-death battles in a short period of time, Chen Shi understood the importance of strength even more.

Having martial arts skills alone is not enough; one must also hone one's martial arts physique.

Otherwise, it will become a "glass cannon" that only attacks and has no defense.

His attacks are formidable, but his defenses are extremely weak; a single misstep could render him incapable of offense. This superficial strength is not what Chen Shi seeks. What he truly desires is to become a master of both offense and defense, capable of unleashing devastating blows and withstanding the enemy's attacks.

"I just don't know... whether my savings are enough," Chen Shi muttered to himself.

Everyone assumed that a wealthy young man like Li Ran would carry at least a dozen taels of silver with him when he went out, but after searching his entire body, he only found three taels of loose silver. Including his existing savings, he had less than thirty taels in total.

How long can thirty taels of silver sustain the tempering process?

It is said that martial arts training is a money pit, and its value lies in honing one's physique.

While martial arts skills can be improved through talent and comprehension, requiring relatively few resources, cultivating a martial physique is entirely different. Even if one is born with exceptional potential, without sufficient nourishment from precious medicinal herbs, the chances of successfully forging a powerful body are extremely slim.

"No matter what, I have to keep going down this path."

Before returning home, Chen Shi went to the Water Control Bureau and successfully inquired about the requirements for promotion to Water Patrol Guard.

We don't care about background, we only care about ability.

The exact required strength wasn't specified, but it's likely the requirements aren't very high. The town's patrol guards are no match for the grandmasters who run martial arts schools; they're roughly on par with the elite disciples of those schools.

"So refreshing..."

A bucket of hot water had warmed his icy body, but it had already lost its heat.

Chen Shi changed into the clean clothes that tide Niang handed him, poured out the wastewater, and then sat down with her to eat dinner by the firelight inside the house.

............

Early the next morning, Chen Shi sailed his small boat to Sanli Town.

He even put the task of hauling in the nets on hold, planning to replace them when he returned to Ludang Village in the evening. He would then leave the fish he caught in the water tank at home for a day before selling them in town.

Once ashore, Chen Shi secured the sampan and headed towards the Canglang Gang. It wasn't his first time here; he remembered the way to Canglang Hall, but yesterday's heavy and prolonged rain had turned the already difficult dirt road into a muddy mess.

Upon arriving at Canglang Hall, Chen Shi explained his purpose.

Some of the gang members already recognized him and knew that he was a disciple taken in by Deacon Shen, so they did not stop him. When he asked to see Deacon Shen, someone immediately went to inform him.

Before long, the familiar middle-aged figure appeared before them.

"Professor Shen!" Chen Shi greeted him with clasped hands.

As a disciple, he naturally had to take the initiative to maintain this master-disciple relationship.

Shen Lang nodded slightly and asked, "Did you encounter any difficulties in your swordsmanship training today?"

He subconsciously thought that Chen Shi was stuck in his sword technique practice.

So they came to ask me for advice on how to successfully cultivate the sword technique to the third level. Because the strength of the "Canglang Sword Technique" increases significantly every three levels, but the difficulty of cultivation also increases accordingly.

Chen Shi shook his head.

"Master Shen, I am not here today to ask for instruction in swordsmanship. Not long ago, I successfully mastered the third level of the 'Canglang Swordsmanship,' and as you said, my strength has indeed increased significantly."

What?!

Shen Lang was shocked, his eyes filled with disbelief.

He had witnessed Chen Shi's talent before and was prepared for the speed at which the young man practiced swordsmanship, but he still did not expect that the other party would break through to the third level so quickly.

Originally, I thought that even if Chen Shi encountered a bottleneck and came to ask for my guidance, it would take him at least seven or eight days to grasp the key points, break through smoothly, and cultivate to the third level of swordsmanship.

But now... he has actually mastered it?

How much time has it taken since I learned the sword technique and reached the third level!

"You little rascal, you always manage to surprise me every time you come."

After the initial surprise, Shen Lang felt more gratified and excited.

This shows that he has a good eye, even an exceptional one, and was able to find a talented martial artist in the marketplace. What excites him even more is that he may actually see someone master this sword technique to the ninth level in his lifetime.

"Speak, what is it that you came here to ask today?" After calming himself down a bit, Shen Lang asked gently.

"It's about martial arts physique," Chen Shi replied respectfully. "This disciple has come to ask Master Shen for guidance on how I should hone my martial arts physique..."

After listening to Chen Shi's words, Shen Lang nodded thoughtfully.

"That's true... At first, I thought it would take you ten days to half a month to reach the third level, and then I would teach you how to hone your 'Martial Body'. However, I didn't expect you to cultivate your swordsmanship so quickly, which is beyond my expectations."

"Now that you have mastered the Canglang Blade Technique to the third level, it is time to teach you how to hone your martial arts physique."

Shen Lang paused for a moment, then continued his explanation.

"Martial arts training is divided into skill and physique, the former of which you already know. But if you want to hone the latter, precious medicines are indispensable. Such as precious fish and precious herbs, which can be taken internally or used externally, can all be used to hone the physique. However, before that, you must first learn to 'manipulate qi and blood' so that you can hone your physique more efficiently."

"Controlling Qi and Blood? Master Shen, what does that mean?"

Chen Shi didn't understand what "manipulating qi and blood" meant, so he asked from the bottom of his heart.

"The so-called control of Qi and blood refers to a martial artist's ability to autonomously control the flow, strength, and distribution of Qi and blood within the body, achieving complete control. Just like controlling a horse by holding the reins, once you learn to control Qi and blood, you can control your strength and blood, precisely applying it to every inch of your body."

Besides enabling more precise exertion and effective control of power, it also allows for the internalization of Qi and blood, making your strength imperceptible to ordinary people. Furthermore, it enables "Qi and blood tempering," which means actively guiding Qi and blood to the muscles, bones, and flesh to gradually hone your physique.

"What should I do now?" Chen Shi asked anxiously.

"The Qi follows the blade," Shen Lang said calmly.