By using a property broker, it took Su Chen less than two hours to find a suitable place: a house with its own courtyard. The property was in a prime location and relatively isolated, though the rent was slightly expensive at half a tael of silver per month. Since the landlord refused short-term leases, Su Chen had no choice but to rent it for six months. Paying three taels of silver all at once made his heart ache, but he was relieved to finally have a foothold in the Outer City.
Afterward, Su Chen took some time to buy everyday necessities. While he was at it, he retrieved his pre-packed belongings and brought them into his new home. Fearing he might be discovered by the Black Water Gang, he hadn’t returned to his old house. Instead, he had packed up his things ahead of time and stored them at an inn.
In the afternoon, Su Chen arrived at the Martial Arts Hall.
As soon as he stepped inside, he noticed a crowd gathered together. Upon approaching, he learned that someone had successfully mastered the Iron Wire Fist.
"I think his name is Qin Hao. He’s been here for less than half a month, and he’s already mastered the Iron Wire Fist. His talent is insane!"
"I joined half a month ago too, but I haven’t even touched the threshold yet."
"You can’t compare yourself to him. He’s exceptionally gifted."
The disciples chattered among themselves, their voices brimming with envy. Standing in the crowd, Su Chen’s eyes flickered as he watched Qin Hao being escorted into the inner courtyard. From the ongoing discussions, he gathered a rough idea of how difficult it was to learn the Iron Wire Fist.
The difficulty varied from person to person. Those with talent could master it in ten days to half a month, while those without talent might not achieve anything even after a year or so. Once mastered, a faint bloodline would condense on the practitioner’s arms. Qin Hao’s aptitude was clearly top-tier, having cultivated the "iron wire" form in just half a month. Even among the numerous disciples recruited by Hong Ming, he was a standout. It was no wonder he was highly valued by Hong Ming.
At this thought, Su Chen looked down at his own arm. A bloodline as thin as an iron wire was faintly visible. If Hong Ming knew that Su Chen had cultivated the "iron wire" in a mere thirty minutes, the one currently enjoying all the glory wouldn’t be Qin Hao—it would be Su Chen.
"What are you all looking at? Hurry up and practice! Maybe you can achieve a quick breakthrough like Junior Brother Qin!" Li Mo walked over and shouted at the crowd.
The trainees quickly dispersed and resumed their individual practice.
That afternoon, the Martial Arts Hall became Qin Hao’s personal stage. Hong Ming spared no words in expressing his high regard for the boy, declaring that as long as Qin Hao could stabilize his bloodline within a month, he would be accepted as an official disciple.
The Hong Family Martial Arts Hall had many Registered Disciples; if one included those who had already left, the number easily exceeded a hundred. However, there were only seven official disciples, the last of whom was Li Mo, accepted two years ago. This promise made the teenage Qin Hao extremely excited, and he trained even more diligently. Rumor had it that Qin Hao was the illegitimate son of a merchant, holding a low status in his family. He had gone through a lot of trouble just to enter the Martial Arts Hall. Now that he had a chance to become an official disciple, he naturally didn’t dare to slack off.
Perhaps spurred on by Qin Hao, the other disciples’ passion ignited. They trained fiercely, like savage beasts in heat. However, compared to everyone else’s grueling efforts, Su Chen’s attitude appeared somewhat laid-back. It wasn’t that he didn’t want to train; it was just that normal training was too inefficient compared to using his cheat. Therefore, after going through the motions for a short while, he gave up. After all, training wasn’t his purpose for coming to the Martial Arts Hall today anyway.
"Junior Brother Su, are you having trouble with your practice?" Seeing Su Chen stop, Li Mo walked over and asked in confusion. He assumed Su Chen had encountered a bottleneck.
"Brother Li, I’m fine," Su Chen said, shaking his head.
"Is it because of Qin Hao?" Before Su Chen could process the question, Li Mo looked up slightly and muttered to himself, "Since joining the Martial Arts Hall, this is the first time I’ve seen Master this happy."
Hearing this, Su Chen asked, "Brother Li, is Qin Hao’s talent really that great?"
"Very! You haven’t started practicing the fist technique yet, so you don’t know how difficult it is. For Qin Hao to master it in half a month... his talent and physique are probably the best among your batch. Even among the official disciples, no one can compare," Li Mo praised, completely oblivious to the change in Su Chen’s expression.
"Brother Li, besides Qin Hao, what’s the shortest record?"
"That would probably be the eldest senior brother. I heard he successfully cultivated it in a month."
"Then, Brother Li, what exactly counts as mastering the Iron Wire Fist?" Su Chen asked curiously.
Li Mo fell silent for a moment. He originally wanted to tell Su Chen not to aim too high, but remembering how motivated the disciples were this afternoon, he didn’t want to dampen his enthusiasm.
"According to Master," Li Mo explained, "as long as a bloodline appears on your arm, you have successfully taken the first step in practicing the Iron Wire Fist.
"Only when the bloodline is completely stabilized are you truly considered an initiate.
"Then, when it changes from light red to solid red, you have reached proficiency. When it turns from red to dark red, it is considered great mastery.
"Finally, when it completely turns black, you have achieved perfection."
He paused before continuing. "However, these four stages are all incredibly difficult. An ordinary person might not even become an initiate after several years. Even if they do, they might never reach perfection."
Speaking of this, he thought of Qin Hao. It had taken him over two months to become an initiate, yet Qin Hao was a month and a half faster. It was a clear testament to his formidable talent.
"Alright, don’t ask so many questions for now. Your current task is to hurry up and learn the stance training so I can teach you the fist techniques." Seeing Su Chen remain silent, Li Mo assumed he had been discouraged. He offered a few words of comfort before walking away.
"A month, huh?" Su Chen murmured thoughtfully. "If it weren’t for my cheat, I might have gone to Master Hong in a few days to secure more resources. But looking at it now, there’s no need to rush."
He shook his head, dispelling the thoughts from his mind. Then, taking advantage of the fact that no one was paying attention to him, he left the Martial Arts Hall.
Having been busy instructing everyone, Li Mo finally got a moment to rest. Suddenly, he caught sight of an empty spot out of the corner of his eye—Su Chen was gone. He opened his mouth, eventually forcing out a single sentence. "That brat!"
For the following period, Su Chen’s life settled into a simple routine between two places: his home and the teahouse. Other than eating, he spent almost all his time at the teahouse.
"Sir, here are the peanuts and tea you ordered."
The waiter had grown accustomed to Su Chen’s presence. He would arrive every morning, leave in the evening, and sit there for the entire day. He would order a plate of peanuts, hold a book in his hands, and occasionally dip his finger into his tea to trace characters on the table. After ten consecutive days, the waiter was already familiar with him.
Su Chen paid no mind to the waiter’s gaze. His eyes remained fixed on his book as he learned the writing system of this world.
The characters of Daqian were somewhat similar to those of the Tang Dynasty, but not entirely identical. His predecessor had never received an education, so he was essentially illiterate. Therefore, Su Chen used this time to buy a few literacy books from a local bookstore and began teaching himself. With the knowledge base from his previous world, he quickly grasped the majority of Daqian’s written language.
At the same time, while studying, he kept a close watch on every movement across the street. That building was the headquarters of the Black Water Gang.