My martial arts have no bottlenecks.

Chapter 69 Bronze Armor Realm

The 28th day of the twelfth lunar month.

Liang Cheng changed into a plain cloth outfit, while Ning San Niang had already prepared incense, candles, and paper money. They then returned to the seaside village by carriage.

After getting off the car, Liang Cheng took out the prepared bamboo basket, helped Ning San Niang, and headed to the cenotaph of Liang's father by the sea behind the mountain.

Ning San Niang lit incense and candles, arranged the offerings, and whispered about the recent situation at home. Liang Cheng knelt in front of the tombstone and silently burned paper money.

The ashes of the paper swirled and floated up, mingling with the morning mist. Ning Sanniang sat for a long time before finally wiping away her tears. Liang Cheng kowtowed three times before returning to the village, where he encountered the Sea Serpent Gang at the village entrance.

Three men were collecting New Year's goods from house to house, carrying chickens and ducks in their hands and rice sacks on their shoulders. The one in the lead was a man with a scarred face.

The two met face to face on the narrow dirt road. Scarface looked up and saw Liang Cheng. His face turned ashen, and the two live chickens he was carrying fell to the ground and scurried into the roadside bushes.

"Master Liang..." Scarface's throat was a little dry. He tried to force a smile, but his lips twitched as if he were having a spasm.

The two young gang members behind him didn't recognize Liang Cheng, and when they saw their leader like this, they stood there dumbfounded.

Liang Cheng glanced at the rice bags in their hands and the cured meat tucked under their ribs, but said nothing. Ning San Niang gently tugged at her son's sleeve.

Liang Cheng stepped aside to make way, and the scarred man, as if granted a pardon, bowed and scraped, practically shuffling past the roadside ditch.

Two young gang members followed suit, shrinking their necks and leaving closely behind.

After walking a dozen steps, Scarface suddenly remembered something, turned back, and called out in a trembling voice, "Don't worry, Master Liang. We haven't accepted any tributes from this village for a long time, we would never dare to do it again!"

Ning San Niang sighed softly, shook her head, and remained silent.

The two returned to the old house, which had been closed for a long time and was covered in cobwebs. Liang Cheng helped Ning San Niang clean it up.

The neighbors around him had mixed feelings. After exchanging greetings, none of them dared to come over and disturb him anymore. Liang Cheng was different after all.

The entire village benefited from this, at least the Sea Serpent Gang didn't dare to openly accept money, and life became much more stable.

Just then, footsteps came from outside the courtyard gate. They lingered at the entrance but did not come in for a long time. Liang Cheng put down his tools and opened the wooden door.

Two elderly people were standing outside the door.

It was Chen Laosi, Da Tou's father, and Er Gou's father. Both of them were carrying things in their hands: a basket of eggs and two salted fish.

"Young man from the Liang family..." Big Head's father spoke first, his voice hoarse.

"Uncle, come in and talk." Liang Cheng stepped aside.

The two entered the house, put down their things, and were somewhat reserved. Ning San Niang brought them hot tea, which they accepted with both hands, their hands trembling slightly.

A moment of silence.

Er Gou's father put down his teacup and pulled a crumpled envelope from his pocket: "This was sent by Master Chen more than half a year ago. He said it was sent by Er Gou and Da Tou..."

Inside the envelope was a piece of paper with a few lines of writing written on it in a crooked hand. It said that they were busy doing business outside and wouldn't be able to come back for the New Year. They told the family not to worry.

Chen Laosi quickly pulled out a similar envelope, with almost identical contents.

"Young Master Liang," Chen Laosi looked up, something flickering in his cloudy eyes, "you've made something of yourself now, you've entered the martial arts academy, and you know a lot of people. Could you help us ask Master Chen..."

He paused, his throat bobbing, "Just one question: where exactly are Da Tou and Er Gou busy? When are they coming back to visit?"

Liang Cheng looked at the two old people. They probably already guessed what was going on, but they were unwilling to admit it.

If the paper is torn and the inside is empty, a person cannot survive.

Liang Cheng was silent for a moment before speaking: "Master Chen said that the caravan they were with went far north, and it would take two or three years for them to make a round trip."

Liang Cheng's voice was steady, and the two old men stared intently at him, as if trying to find even the slightest flaw in his face.

At this moment, Liang Cheng took out two red envelopes that he had prepared in advance, each containing twenty taels of silver notes, and pushed them over.

"Moreover, Master Chen asked me to bring this back. He said it was the year-end bonus from the boss of Da Tou and Er Gou, so that you two could have a good New Year. I was originally going to deliver it to you after I finished cleaning, but since it's here, I'll save myself the trouble of making a trip."

Chen Laosi's hands trembled violently. When he took the red envelope, his fingernails dug into the paper. Er Gou's father looked down at the banknotes for a long time, then suddenly grinned, but his smile was more like a grimace.

"Good, good, good, my Er Gou is doing great."

The two men stood up, their backs hunched, and walked out. When they reached the courtyard gate, Chen Laosi suddenly turned around, his lips moved, and in the end, he only managed to say, "Young man Liang, thank you."

Liang Cheng stood at the door, watching the two elderly people support each other and slowly walk away along the dirt road.

Ning San Niang came out of the kitchen with red eyes and wiped her hands on her apron.

"Cheng'er, Da Tou and the others..."

"Mother, they are doing well. They've just gone a bit far, but a man's ambition lies in all corners of the world. They'll come back once they've earned some more money."

"Um."

Ning San Niang nodded and didn't ask any further questions.

After cleaning the old house, Liang Cheng and his mother returned to town to welcome another Lunar New Year's Eve.

Liang Cheng has been in the world for almost two years without realizing it, and is now officially eighteen years old.

On the first day of the Lunar New Year, people flocked to Liang Cheng's door to offer their New Year's greetings.

The town's wealthy families, the surrounding martial arts schools, and even the town's security office all sent people to deliver New Year's gifts.

The gift list was piled up half a foot high, ranging from ginseng and deer antler to fine silks and satins, a dazzling array. Even the old fisherman who had sold him the silver-headed shark had come to his door with generous gifts.

Liang Cheng simply closed his door to visitors, accepting the gifts but refusing to see them.

Ning San Niang would greet them with a smile, giving each visitor a handful of candy, saying, "Cheng'er is practicing his martial arts, so please don't disturb him. Sorry for the inconvenience."

But everyone smiled and said it was only right, and no one dared to say it was wrong.

In the quiet room in the backyard, Liang Cheng was indeed cultivating. Apart from going to the martial arts school to wish his master a Happy New Year, he had hardly ever left the house.

Before he knew it, it was already the tenth day of the first lunar month. Forty days had passed since the martial arts academy began its break. The pills he carried with him were almost completely used up. Fortunately, Chen Bainian sent him New Year's greetings and pills to replenish his supplies.

At this moment, several lines of small characters appeared before Liang Cheng's eyes:

[Broken Wave Technique, Level 1: Minor Success (2262/2500)]

[Stone Armor Technique (Iron Armor): Mastery (2981/3000)]

【Dragon Step: Mastery (140/3000)】

The Dragon Step technique has already broken through to the Great Completion stage, and the Iron Armor Realm is only a hair's breadth away from perfection, allowing him to break through to the Bronze Armor Realm.

Liang Cheng's entire body was covered in ointment. The medicinal power of the cold iron essence and red copper sand penetrated into every inch of his muscles and bones. Under the stimulation of his qi and blood, a dark luster gradually appeared under his gray iron-colored skin.

He took a deep breath and repeatedly struck his entire body, "Thump! Thump! Thump!"

When the final hammer blow landed—

"boom!"

The barriers within the body suddenly opened up.

As the gray iron color fades, a warm and rich bronze color emerges from beneath the skin.

[Stone Armor Skill (Bronze Armor): Beginner (1/500)]

He bowed his head to finish his work, his skin showing no abnormalities, but with a slight thought, a bronze color seeped out from under his skin, like a living metallic film covering his entire body.

Moreover, unlike the Iron Armor Realm's ability to withstand attacks head-on, the Bronze Armor Realm's defense is more flexible. He took out the Vanguard Blade and lightly slashed at it, causing his skin to slightly indent like copper before bouncing back, dispersing and neutralizing the force.

Liang Cheng then struck his chest with the back of his blade. The clear, metallic clanging sound echoed in the quiet room. The copper light beneath his skin suddenly shone brightly, and his skin texture resembled layers of interwoven copper mesh, dissolving the force of the blade layer by layer.

The blade could only penetrate half an inch before it could go any further, as if it were pressing not flesh and blood, but a densely cast bronze core.

Iron armor is like a suit of armor, resisting external attacks; bronze armor is like a mortise, protecting against penetrating force from within.

Now that the Stone Armor Technique has reached the Bronze Armor Realm, attacks that decompose into internal energy are almost no longer effective. I wonder how it will defend against a True Qi Realm expert.

Just then, Zhou Hu's voice suddenly came from outside the door.

"Junior brother, Master is looking for you. If you have time now, please go to the martial arts school."

As Liang Cheng went out, Zhou Hu told him some news.

Qiao Zhi has arrived.