Chapter 43 - 40: Eighteen Bone-penetrating Methods_1

Lei Laohu’s aura became increasingly fierce, like a rampant tiger storming out of the mountains.

The other members of the Fierce Tiger Gang were surging with vitality, their bodies filled with a crimson aura.

"Kill him."

Lei Laohu roared and lunged from his chair, transforming into a ferocious tiger, his claws slashing towards Lu Yan.

At the moment when Lei Laohu pounced, the two deputy gang leaders and the other three elites also lunged at Lu Yan, each releasing their killer moves.

The first to arrive was actually another deputy leader of the Fierce Tiger Gang, Cuan Shan Hu, Lei Laohu’s adopted son.

His ability was in his speed and leg strength. When he was close to Lu Yan, he tossed a handful of red powder towards Lu Yan’s face.

Lu Yan didn’t have to see to know, it was chili powder.

Leading with chili powder and a coordinated attack from all sides, they left no loose ends.

Lu Yan’s eyes hardened, his vitality surged. He waved his right hand upwards, gusting a palm wind that blew the chili powder away. His hands moved swiftly, releasing five palm strikes in an instant, clashing with the attacks from Lei Laohu and the two deputy leaders.

As for the attacks from behind, Lu Yan paid them no mind.

His Vajra Body technique activated, his back turned gold like cast iron. The attacks from the three elites of the Fierce Tiger Gang landed on him without any effect. Instead, they were forced to retreat due to the rebounding force, their hands and fists numb.

On the other hand, Lei Laohu and the two deputy leaders were sent flying and crashed to the ground.

The arms of the two deputy leaders were broken, heavily deformed, and were streaming with cold sweat from the pain.

Lu Yan looked at the deputy leader who had thrown the chili powder and said, "A decent trick, you have guts."

"But you shouldn’t have used this move against me. So, you die first."

Bang!

With a step, Lu Yan’s figure appeared before him like a gust of wind, his palm landing on the man’s neck, completely eliminating him.

Lei Laohu turned to run.

After just one round, he understood that he was no match for Lu Yan. The gap was too wide.

He finally understood why Fang Xiong had disappeared without a trace.

But he couldn’t outpace Lu Yan at all. Lu Yan caught up with him in just a few steps and threw a punch.

Lei Laohu spun around abruptly, intending to fight to the death.

Crack!

One move, and his arm was broken.

Two moves, he was hit in the chest, sent flying backward, and coughing up blood.

Naturally, this was due to Lu Yan holding back. Otherwise, Lei Laohu wouldn’t have stood a chance of survival from this attack.

Then, Lu Yan quickly picked up a table leg and tossed it, hitting Cao Hu who was trying to flee.

The table leg exploded into splinters, but Cao Hu’s leg was also turned into a right angle in the process, leaving him howling on the ground.

"Whoever runs, dies."

Lu Yan’s cold voice echoed throughout the hall.

The three elites of the Fierce Tiger Gang froze, as quiet as cicadas in the cold winter, not daring to make a move.

Lu Yan walked over to Lei Laohu, looking down at him and said, "Hand over the martial arts you’ve practiced, and I will spare your life."

The martial arts Lei Laohu had practiced was naturally second-rate.

This was one of Lu Yan’s objectives in attacking the Fierce Tiger Gang, to seize martial arts.

"Fiery Tiger Claw is my Lei Family’s secret technique. If you think I will hand it over, you’re dreaming," Lei Laohu roared, glaring at Lu Yan.

"It seems you’ve chosen death," Lu Yan said coldly.

"Ha ha ha, Lu Yan, we’re all living in the martial world. Don’t use these gimmicks. If I hand over the Fiery Tiger Claw, do you really think you won’t kill me? You want to fully control the Fierce Tiger Gang, and that’s not possible if I’m alive."

Lei Laohu laughed.

Lu Yan remained silent.

Lei Laohu must be killed.

Without killing Lei Laohu, he couldn’t take complete control of the Fierce Tiger Gang.

Those old men were really hard to fool.

"I’ll give you one last chance," said Lu Yan.

"Kill me if you want to."

Bang!

With a single stomp, flesh and blood splattered. Lei Laohu was dead.

Lu Yan then turned his gaze to Cao Hu and said, "Can you write down the Fiery Tiger Claw technique?"

"No, Lu Yan, I practice third-rate martial arts. Lei Laohu held onto his secrets and never shared them. I’ve been risking my life for him for decades, but he’s never taught me even half a move," Cao Hu said.

"So, he didn’t teach Fiery Tiger Claw to anyone else?"

"No, he intended to pass on the Fiery Tiger Claw to his son. But he never had a son. Everyone in the Fierce Tiger Gang knows this. You would know if you inquired," Cao Hu said.

Lu Yan had heard rumors about this as well. It was said that Lei Laohu had more than a dozen concubines, with no child to show for his efforts.

This man was impotent.

It appeared that Lu Yan wouldn’t be able to obtain the second-rate martial arts after all. He was a bit disappointed, and his gaze fell on the rest of the gang.

""Write down all the martial arts techniques you have trained in. If anyone refuses, I’ll send them to accompany Lei Laohu. Who dares to refuse? Stand up."

Lu Yan said.

"I am willing to do it."

"I am also willing."

One after another, they nodded like pecking chickens.

"Also, from now on, I’ll be the boss of the Fierce Tiger Gang, you can keep your current positions, any objections?"

Lu Yan added.

"Your obedient servants greet the Gang Leader."

A few elite members of the Fierce Tiger Gang quickly knelt down.

Even Cao Hu, who had broken a leg, struggled to stand up and bow.

Those involved in gangs, after all, are in it for the benefits, not for loyalty.

It doesn’t matter who the gang leader is, as long as their interests are ensured.

"Don’t entertain any other thoughts, or think about stabbing me in the back to the Red-clad Guard. I’ll tell you, the Liu Family might not be able to kill me, but it would be easy for me to kill you."

Lu Yan spoke coldly, not hiding his murderous intent.

"Yes, yes, Gang Leader, please don’t worry."

The elites of the Fierce Tiger Gang kept nodding their heads.

"That’s how it should be, stick with me, and I assure you, you’ll live a more glorious life than you did with Lei Laohu. The future will be full of prosperity, and you’ll have your share."

After showing his might, Lu Yan threw them a sweetener.

Next, was to let the rest of the core elite members of the Fierce Tiger Gang come to meet their new Gang Leader.

Looking at the body of Lei Laohu, as well as a docile Cao Hu and other elites, none of them dared to utter a word of refusal.

Lu Yan instructed them to keep quiet, dispose of Lei Laohu’s body, and hand over the transcribed martial arts techniques to him in three days.

Later on, Lu Yan found nearly two thousand silvers from the residences of Lei Laohu and the Deputy Gang Leader.

Three days later, he obtained two third-rate martial arts techniques.

One was the Savage Tiger Fist, passed down by Lei Laohu to everyone, and it was the most practiced martial arts technique in the Fierce Tiger Gang.

The other was the Iron Sand Palm.

After obtaining them, Lu Yan spent five days mastering them, successfully generating the Avatar.

Then, with more than twenty pounds of ordinary meat each day, he made rapid progress.

As for the more than two thousand silvers, Lu Yan didn’t use them to buy Martial Food for now.

Money is hard to come by, and using it now would not be worth it.

He should wait until he is training second-rate martial arts, or when he reaches the transcendent stage of third-rate martial arts. Only then, it would be worthwhile to use it to boost martial arts and accumulate Qi-blood at the same time.

In the blink of an eye, a month passed.

One morning, shortly after Lu Yan entered the Red-clad Mansion, he received a notice.

The next day, the fifth, sixth, and seventh squads would accompany the Liu Family Clan Elder to Qingyang City.

Qingyang City, a city neighboring Changfeng City, was controlled by the Martial Marquis-level Zhou Clan.

Soon, Lu Yan learned the purpose of going to Qingyang City, it was to compete for the Mutated Nine-section Heart Meat, one of the Eighteen Bone-penetrating Methods.

The so-called Eighteen Bone-penetrating Methods referred to Martial Food.

Martial Food comes in many varieties, not only used for cultivation and accumulating Qi-blood.

There are many martial foods with special functions.

For example, some are used to nourish the body, make up for deficiencies, and heal injuries.

Some are used to detoxify, while others enhance the explosive power of Qi-blood, and so on.

Among them, the most precious ones are those used to break through realms.

For instance, some martial foods can increase the probability of breaking the Sealed Door.

Meanwhile, others can increase the probability of ’Qi-blood entering into bones’ to achieve bone strength.

For the past five thousand years, in the martial world, all martial foods that can increase the probability of breaking through to the bone strength realm are collectively referred to as the ’Eighteen Bone-penetrating Methods’.

That is, there are eighteen kinds of martial food that can increase the probability of achieving bone strength.

The Mutated Nine-section Heart Meat is one of them, which is said to increase the success rate by thirty percent.

Martial artists who have broken through five times, after reaching saturation of Qi-blood, have to make Qi-blood enter the bones to achieve bone strength when they want to make further progress.

But, this step is extremely dangerous.

With the powerful Qi-blood, a slight mistake can lead to bone fracture and death.

At best, it would harm the meridians and cause severe damage to the Origin Energy.

An ordinary person attempting to break through to achieve bone strength without any external help would only have a success rate of twenty percent at most.

The Mutated Nine-section Heart Meat, however, can increase it by thirty percent. How precious is that?

But, the materials for cooking the Eighteen Bone-penetrating Methods are too rare.

The main ingredient, of course, is Alien Beast’s meat.

But the Alien Beasts kept by an ordinary Martial Marquis-level feudal lord are far too low-level and limited in variety, and simply can’t serve as the main ingredient for the Eighteen Bone-penetrating Methods.

However, there are exceptions to every rule.

Lower-level Alien Beasts might produce ingredients for the Eighteen Bone-penetrating Methods, such as the Mutated Heart Meat.