The first rays of dawn pierced the morning sky.
Chen Yuan woke up feeling completely refreshed, his energy and spirit brimming. Glancing at his interface, he saw the usual daily addition: Low-key Points +3.
After washing up, he headed straight for the Huo Courtyard. He exchanged his remaining quota of one tael of silver for a Skin Strengthening Pill, then paid out of his own pocket for a Blood Qi Pill.
Sun Chengjie walked over with a food tray. His eyes held both worry and confusion as he sat down. "Brother Chen, how could you be given up by the Gu Family? It makes no sense."
Chen Yuan was not surprised that he knew. Whenever Yu Yan and his group made a move, Sun Chengjie was always the first to find out. Clearly, he had his own channels for information. Calmly peeling an egg, Chen Yuan said, "Since it has already happened, all I can do is accept it peacefully."
Sun Chengjie smiled bitterly. Yesterday, Chen Yuan had been summoned by the Gu Family, likely for this very reason. Yet his Brother Chen showed not the slightest hint of distress; he was still chatting and laughing today, seemingly not taking it to heart at all. Sun Chengjie thought that if this had happened to him, he would definitely be depressed for quite a while. Truly worthy of being the strongest Grade D+!
He lowered his voice and said, "Brother Chen, now that this has happened, those who don’t get along with you must be overjoyed. Take Chen Kai, for example..."
At the Chen Family’s home in Lotus Lane.
Ever since Chen Yuan publicly broke three of his ribs, Chen Kai had been constantly gloomy, entirely devoid of smiles. During his recovery, his family had scraped together and borrowed a considerable amount of silver to buy expensive medicine from a doctor. His injuries, which should have taken several months to heal, were now nearly fully recovered in barely a month.
However, Chen Kai still couldn’t find it in himself to be happy. He was already no match for Chen Yuan, and now, with a one-month gap in his training, how could he possibly compete? To make matters worse, he had heard that Chen Yuan’s funding this month had increased by two taels. With one rising and the other falling, he felt he would never get a chance to turn the tables in his lifetime.
Just as he was wallowing in depression, a friend from the Kaisan Martial Arts Hall came to visit, bringing news that made his heart bloom with wild joy and brought tears to his eyes: Chen Yuan had been given up by the Gu Family! He would have no more funding next month!
"Heavens, you treat me well!" Chen Kai threw his head back and laughed wildly, sweeping away all the gloom in his heart.
Without money to practice martial arts, Chen Yuan’s misfortune was a godsend opportunity for Chen Kai to overtake him! Once again, he was brimming with ambition.
"And Gao Mingchang..." Sun Chengjie continued.
At the Changhong Martial Arts Hall.
Gao Mingchang had already thrown himself back into his martial arts practice over the last few days. For his mere internal injuries, his family had also gritted their teeth, scraped money together, and asked a doctor for a few good prescriptions to speed up his recovery. After all, cultivating blood energy was like rowing upstream; lying in bed doing nothing would only cause his blood energy to gradually dissipate.
Today, he had swept away his past sluggishness, wearing a beaming smile as bright as a spring breeze. He executed the Long Arm Fist so vigorously that he looked like an ape that had successfully courted a mate.
Chen Yuan being abandoned by the Gu Family was immensely satisfying!
Gao Mingchang instantly guessed that this was Yu Yan’s doing. Yu Yan had just become the Gu Family’s future son-in-law yesterday, and immediately after, Chen Yuan was abandoned. It was obvious that Yu Yan had used this opportunity to add fuel to the fire, avenging the disrespect he suffered that day.
He was incredibly smug, as this proved his decision last month had been the right one. So what if Chen Yuan beat them and took first place in their group? What use was being a good fighter? By offending Yu Yan, he still had to tuck his tail between his legs and scram.
As for Chen Yuan’s future prospects, Gao Mingchang scoffed at them. This incident was bound to affect Chen Yuan’s mentality. Even if he could withstand the pressure and successfully break through the barrier, comprehending Manifest Force was another hurdle entirely. To hold a nominal position in any faction, an entry-level Martial Artist with a breached Skin Barrier and Manifest Force was the standard requirement. If Chen Yuan couldn’t find a fallback this month, he would be ruined! He would just fade into the ordinary masses.
In the end, he, Gao Mingchang, would be the one having the last laugh!
"Then let them have their fun. After all, it hasn’t been easy for them lying in bed all this time," Chen Yuan said with a faint smile.
Sun Chengjie took a sip of meat broth, thought for a moment, and suddenly asked, "Brother Chen, don’t tell me you are absolutely certain you’ll successfully break through the barrier in the next few days? Or maybe even comprehend Manifest Force before the funding ends this month?"
Besides this, he couldn’t figure out the source of Chen Yuan’s calm confidence.
Chen Yuan stuffed the last piece of chicken into his mouth and laughed. "Let’s leave it to luck."
After the meal, he immediately consumed the Blood Qi Pill and Skin Strengthening Pill, then directly began practicing the Rocky Pile Skill.
As the medicinal effects gradually kicked in, a scalding heat spread from his lower abdomen. Driven by the Rocky Pile Skill, it flowed to his limbs and bones. His blood energy grew increasingly vigorous, and a suffocating sensation surged intensely in his chest. Furthermore, a peculiar force slowly nourished his skin and membrane. His entire body felt a tingling itch, and as the heat rose, he broke out in a fine sweat.
Sensing the time was ripe, Chen Yuan immediately found Senior Brother Tao to act as his Guardian. Breaching the barrier required total concentration. If he were disturbed by others, he would likely fail on the verge of success.
Seeing Chen Yuan’s skin turning slightly red, sweating like rain, and constantly radiating heat, Tao Ping knew the arrow was already on the bowstring and had to be fired. He immediately agreed to the request. "Junior Brother Chen, focus on breaching the barrier with peace of mind. I will keep watch by your side."
He furrowed his brows slightly as he watched Chen Yuan practicing the Rocky Pile Skill in the corner, feeling that his junior brother was being a bit too hasty in his attempt this time.
He had only learned this morning that the Gu Family had stopped funding Chen Yuan. For Chen Yuan to immediately attempt to break the barrier meant there was clearly a fire of resentment burning in his heart. It was possible he could use this momentum to succeed in one fell swoop, but it was far more likely that he would ruin everything due to his impatience.
After all, breaching the barrier in two and a half months was a speed typical of a Grade C+ Root Bone. Chen Yuan merely had a Grade D+ Root Bone. Even with the aid of the Blood Qi Pill and Skin Strengthening Pill, his foundational accumulation was likely insufficient.
Now, he only hoped Chen Yuan could steady his mind and smoothly breach the barrier.
The commotion of breaching the barrier also drew the attention of many fellow disciples.
Although the Skin Barrier was the first hurdle in martial arts practice, no one knew how many people it had kept out. The diligent and hardworking Zhang Shi had already made a dismal exit last month.
Xue Anping and the other two also gathered around. They had just learned from Sun Chengjie that Chen Yuan was abandoned by the Gu Family, only to immediately discover that Chen Yuan was attempting to break the barrier. It was practically shocking their nerves.
Xue Anping spoke with a grave expression, "Brother Chen is being a bit too hasty this time."
To have the second-best results yet still be abandoned. Xue Anping couldn’t even understand it, let alone the person involved. Chen Yuan was probably choosing to breach the barrier to prove himself and make the Gu Family change their minds. However, carrying such thoughts, how could he possibly succeed?
He Qing also found it bizarre. He had thought he would be the first to be eliminated; he never expected Chen Yuan to be ousted before him.
Soon after, his eyes flickered with a different thought. With no funding from the Gu Family and a poor background, Chen Yuan would definitely be short of money for martial arts practice. If he successfully breached the barrier, He Qing might be able to rope him into hunting in the mountains.
Many people quietly observed from the periphery, not daring to make a sound and disturb the process.
Yet, an unfriendly voice chimed in. "What did I say? They’re all just dogs of the Gu Family. Given up at the drop of a hat. If even an eye-catching dog like Chen Yuan ends up like this, one can only imagine the fate of the other dogs."
It was the Zhou Brothers. They had walked near Xue Anping’s group and spoke in suppressed voices, ensuring they wouldn’t be heard by Senior Brother Tao but could be clearly heard by Sun Chengjie.
Xue Anping glared at them coldly. "When I succeed in breaching the barrier, you’ll be the first ones I kill." Having practiced martial arts for a while now, he had also built up his own fiery temper.
Zhou Qian sneered. "A piece of trash like you wants to succeed in breaching the barrier? Oh my, I’m so scared! Can you breach the barrier right now and beat me to death?"
The confrontation here was merely a small interlude.
Surprisingly, Xu Heng also stopped what he was doing and stood in place, watching the figure of Chen Yuan practicing the Rocky Pile Skill. More than a month after he himself had breached the Skin Barrier, this former senior brother was finally making his move.
Song Bridge said indifferently, "Chen Yuan has been practicing martial arts for about two and a half months now, right? If he can successfully breach the barrier, he’d be considered a prime example of making up for a lack of talent with hard work."
However, he didn’t think highly of Chen Yuan’s chances, estimating his probability of success to be around thirty percent.
Xu Heng shook his head, his eyes full of apathy. "In the early stages, diligence might make up for a lack of talent, but practicing martial arts relies heavily on natural gifts. His Root Bone and Comprehension are simply not enough to take him very far."
He had once hoped to walk alongside Chen Yuan and become confidants on the path of martial arts. However, he discovered that the chasm between people was insurmountable. Some people were just destined to not walk the same path.
Song Bridge laughed. "Naturally, he can’t compare with you, Junior Brother. But just becoming an entry-level Martial Artist will be enough to guarantee him a life without worrying about food and clothing."
Chen Yuan concentrated entirely on executing the Rocky Pile Skill. Recalling Master Huo’s teachings in his mind, he slowly guided the accumulated blood energy in his chest, causing it to disperse and flow along his meridians to the skin and membrane of his entire body.
The blood energy in his chest was extraordinarily vigorous. He had forcefully suppressed the blood energy he could have used to break through five days ago until today, so it took some effort to disperse it.
This was absolutely a good thing; a little preparation goes a long way.
Under the guidance of the Rocky Pile Skill, the dispersed, pure blood energy spread out, continuously surging toward his skin and membrane, practically reforming them entirely.
This majestic blood energy then worked in perfect harmony with the medicinal power of the Skin Strengthening Pill, effortlessly penetrating the barrier between his body and skin without any obstruction.
In an instant, Chen Yuan’s entire skin turned bright red. This was the result of the blood energy penetrating through, and it was also the sign of breaching the Skin Barrier!
Seizing the moment, he broke through in a flash.
The Skin Barrier was successfully breached!