Gou Zai Wu Dao Chao Shi Xing Nian Da Gong

"The improvement is too slow!"

Inside the room, Zhou Fugan looked helpless.

After breaking through the skin barrier, he found that his cultivation efficiency dropped sharply. Even with the aid of body-strengthening powder and frantic cultivation, he could only improve by one or two points each day.

To qualify for the second stage, the Bone and Muscle Stage, a full 800 progress points are required.

Wouldn't it take one or two years to achieve that?

He can't wait.

Firstly, he was old. A sixty-year-old man is considered very old in the neighborhood. There are very few people older than him on the whole street; they are all poor people, and those who are not tough enough have died long ago.

Even if he survives a little longer, how many more years can he live?

Seventy years old? Eighty years old?

The higher one's martial arts level, the slower the cultivation becomes. If one's cultivation is this slow from the beginning, one will die of old age before reaching a high level.

Secondly, he currently has the Black Serpent Gang, a powerful enemy, at his side, who might target him at any time. If he doesn't hurry up and improve his cultivation, won't he be left with nothing but to wait for death?

Speaking of which, there are ways to quickly improve one's cultivation level, the simplest being to take stronger tonics.

For example, the Body Strengthening Powder is a tonic before breaking through the skin barrier. After breaking through the skin barrier, Chunhetang has an upgraded version called Body Strengthening Pill.

According to the shopkeeper, the Body Tempering Pill is a tonic made with aged, high-quality medicine using a special refining method. Its effects are concentrated and it is specifically designed for martial artists who have broken through their skin barrier.

There was one problem: the price was too high, a full two taels of silver per pill, which he couldn't afford. Undeterred, he inquired at other pharmacies, only to find they were even more expensive, costing three or four taels of silver.

"Ultimately, it all comes down to poverty!"

Zhou Fugan sighed.

He thought that with increased strength, making money would be easier, but he found it wasn't easy at all.

The main reason is that he can't openly display his cultivation level; otherwise, it's impossible to explain how an old man could suddenly possess such strength. If he were discovered to have secretly learned the Hammer Cloud Fist, things would be even worse.

"Our strength is still not enough, otherwise why would we be afraid of others questioning us?"

"Forget it, let's keep an eye on Gao Fei."

After considering his options, Zhou Fugan decided to continue keeping an eye on Gao Fei of the Black Snake Gang.

After all, he had both old and new grudges, and Gao Fei was a potential threat; he wouldn't feel at ease until he got rid of him.

......

Several days later, at dusk.

Zhou Fugan was sitting in the tailor shop with his eyes closed, resting, when suddenly a familiar sound of footsteps came from outside the door.

He opened his eyes and saw his eldest grandson, Zhou Sheng, walking towards him with his head held high and chest out.

"grandfather!"

Zhou Sheng was carrying a piece of fatty pork tied with a hemp rope. Before he even entered the door, he shouted loudly.

"Sheng'er, why are you back? Did something happen on the way?"

Zhou Fugan sat up and asked with concern.

"No, I've been sparring with my fellow students at the martial arts school every day lately. I'm not like I was the other day. If that guy dares to come again, I'll make sure he tastes my fist."

Zhou Sheng shook his head and said confidently.

"Hehe, my grandson has made something of himself. Why did you even buy meat?" Zhou Fugan praised.

Zhou Sheng hesitated for a moment before cautiously saying, "Grandpa, I... I went on a delivery mission with Senior Brother Liu and earned seven hundred coins."

After saying this, he felt uneasy because his grandfather wouldn't let him go, and he was afraid that his grandfather would get angry.

"Oh? That's great. My grandson can earn money by practicing martial arts now; all that learning wasn't for nothing."

Unexpectedly, Zhou Fugan not only didn't get angry, but instead praised him with some surprise.

"Grandpa, you're not angry?" Zhou Sheng asked in surprise.

"My grandson is doing well, I'm overjoyed, why would I be angry?" Zhou Fugan said with a smile.

Then, he changed the subject, "However, in the future, you should tell your family about these things in advance, otherwise your mother will worry a lot when she finds out."

"Also, going out is different from staying in the city. It's very chaotic outside, so you have to be more careful. Remember, next time you go out, make sure you know exactly what you're doing. Don't go anywhere too far or with too dangerous a route. It's better to earn less money."

"When you're out and about, speak less, mind your own business, and avoid causing trouble..."

Zhou Fugan went on and on about a whole bunch of principles.

Zhou Sheng didn't find it nagging at all; on the contrary, he was deeply moved. His grandfather had been so good to him, and he would definitely take good care of him in the future.

Afterwards, Zhou Sheng recounted his experiences and observations on his escort mission. He said that he had a safe and uneventful journey without encountering any dangers.

After finishing his explanation, Zhou Sheng said with some distress, "Grandpa, I don't know what's wrong with my boxing technique lately. No matter how I practice, I can't seem to improve. Senior Brother Liu said I haven't experienced real combat."

"Martial Master Liu is right. But your cultivation level is too low right now, and it would be too dangerous for you to participate in the battle rashly. It would be best to break through the skin barrier before discussing this matter."

Zhou Fugan pondered for a moment before speaking.

Zhou Sheng nodded and said, "Senior Brother Liu said the same thing. He said that I should focus on stance training now."

"Here's what you'll do: demonstrate your boxing skills, and I'll take a look," Zhou Fugan said.

"It's too narrow here!" Zhou Sheng said, looking around.

"Come to the yard. You don't have to worry about being secretly learned if you practice a boxing style." Zhou Fugan got up and walked towards the backyard.

The two arrived in the courtyard, cleared a space, and Zhou Sheng began to practice his Hammer Cloud Fist.

His boxing skills have improved quite a bit; he fights with great force and has a certain imposing presence.

The Zhou Guangcheng family, who had been alerted, were immediately astonished and exclaimed in praise, "Sheng'er is amazing!"

"Grandpa, I want to learn martial arts too!"

Zhou He watched Zhou Sheng boxing with envy, feeling it was so impressive. He thought his friends would be incredibly envious if they saw it.

"Alright, once Grandpa has saved enough money, I'll send you there," Zhou Fugan said, patting his head.

"Ah~ how much longer!" Zhou He's face immediately fell. He knew that his family was already barely making ends meet by supporting his brother's martial arts training.

"He'er!" Li Qiuhua quickly stopped her son upon seeing this.

Zhou Fugan didn't care and laughed, "Haha, He'er, don't worry, Grandpa keeps his word. When you're a little older, I'll send you there. But you have to be sensible from now on, learning martial arts is very hard."

"I'm not afraid!" Zhou He's eyes lit up, and he answered excitedly.

Soon, Zhou Sheng finished demonstrating his boxing technique and looked at Zhou Fugan expectantly.

"Grandpa, how is it?"

Zhou Fugan pretended to think carefully, and after a while, he gave some pointers.

"Hmm. Your boxing skills have improved a lot, but there's still a significant gap compared to Master Chen. For example, this move, he does it like this, like this, and like this again..."

In his eyes, Zhou Sheng's boxing technique was naturally full of flaws, but he couldn't point them out directly. He could only offer guidance by appearing to be completely clueless.

After listening, Zhou Sheng tried it with some skepticism and immediately found that his boxing technique was significantly smoother and his power exertion was more precise and relaxed.

He was overjoyed. "Grandpa, you're amazing!"

"What's so great about Grandpa? He's just seen Master Chen and the others cultivate," Zhou Fugan said with a smile, stroking his beard.

Zhou Sheng shook his head after hearing this and said seriously, "It's not that simple. I've seen my senior brothers practice their fist techniques all the time. Although I can tell that they practice better than me, I can't really explain why. Grandpa, you haven't learned martial arts, but you can see so much just by watching the sect leader and the others practice. That's something that ordinary people can't do."

Finally, with regret and emotion, he exclaimed, "Grandpa, you must have been a martial arts genius! If you had started practicing martial arts when you were young, you might have become a master like Master Chen by now!"

"Hahaha." Zhou Fugan couldn't help but burst into laughter after hearing his grandson's praise.

"Whether Grandpa is a genius or not doesn't matter anymore. What matters is that I can help you all, and that will make me content!"