Lin Chen stepped into the iron house, and the door slowly closed behind him.
The entire iron house was instantly plunged into darkness.
Pa!
The next moment, a beam of light fell from the front wall of the iron house.
Lin Chen looked up. The light was shining down from a small hole above the roof, illuminating an ancient painting hanging on the wall.
Lin Chen’s eyes instinctively focused on the painting, which depicted a figure holding an iron hammer.
Poof!
Just upon looking at it, he felt a mighty force rushing towards him, like a tangible heavy hammer, striking him fiercely.
This force penetrated his skin, reaching deep into his bones. Every inch of muscle, every bone felt like it was repeatedly hammered.
In just a breath, Lin Chen’s skin had a trace of blood seeping out.
Pa!
The next moment, the light disappeared, and the room returned to darkness.
Lin Chen’s heavy breathing was clearly audible in the room. Feeling all the pain in his body, he finally understood the meaning behind the mysterious smile Senior Yan had when he turned to look back.
This was torture in the true sense.
Practicing Iron Bone Skill involved hammering oneself, but he always had the initiative and was mentally prepared.
However, this Thousand Hammer Map was different. Just one glance, and he was already being hammered all over.
Who on earth painted this Thousand Hammer Map? Could it be a picture similar to Martial Path Will?
The martial arts of this world were far more powerful and mysterious than he had imagined!
First, there was the Martial Path Will scroll, and now this Thousand Hammer Map, both representing the terrifying and frightening side of martial arts in this world.
This power defies logic!
But it’s precisely this kind of logic-defying power that makes the heart yearn.
Lin Chen licked his lips, tasting a trace of blood. Despite this, his expression began to turn excited. Only such powerful and mysterious martial arts power was worth his pursuit.
If his initial motivation for setting foot on the path of martial arts was to change his fate—from being an ordinary person to gaining some status and position—
At this moment, he had an additional motivation for advancing in martial arts.
The pursuit of such extraordinary martial arts power.
Pa!
A crisp sound echoed in the iron house as the light reappeared, illuminating the Thousand Hammer Map on the wall.
Lin Chen activated the Iron Bone Skill, his Qi Blood surging wildly within, his bronze-colored skin trembling continuously.
"Come on."
His gaze once again turned to the scroll on the wall.
Boom!
That mighty force surged forward once again, but this time Lin Chen was prepared, using his Qi Blood to withstand the terrifying impact of the force.
One breath, two breaths...
Under the impact of this mighty force, he barely endured two breaths before collapsing.
The pain of the hammer blow spread all over his body once again.
The light went out, the force dissipated.
Lin Chen gasped heavily, this time with blood seeping from all his five orifices.
"At this rate, I can only endure one more time. Since Senior Yan brought me here, it can’t be just for me to endure hammering."
Lin Chen lowered his head in thought. The Iron Bone Skill method practiced at the Mountain Suppressing Martial Arts Hall involved striking oneself either with fists or by using external objects, and during impact, he would always let his Qi Blood circulate according to the rhythm of the Iron Bone Skill.
Therefore, he needed to feel the rhythm of the hammering when it struck him, so that the Iron Bone Skill’s operation speed could align with it.
Thinking of this, Lin Chen took a deep breath, relaxing himself entirely. The darker it was, the more focused his attention became.
The title "All the Way Black" reached its peak at this moment.
Pa!
The light reappeared.
Lin Chen’s eyes were firmly fixed on the scroll. This time he saw the figure in the scroll swinging the hammer.
Even though it was just a blurry figure, the moment the other party swung the iron hammer, Lin Chen instantly adjusted the Iron Bone Skill’s operation speed to match the speed of the hammer.
Poof!
This hammer made Lin Chen spit a mouthful of blood.
Darkness engulfed him, yet Lin Chen’s eyes were shining brightly in this darkness.
He guessed right.
To resist this hammer force, it was necessary for the Iron Bone Skill’s operation speed and rhythm to match the rhythm when the hammer fell on him.
It sounds simple but is extremely difficult to execute.
In such extreme pain, maintaining composure and noticing changes in pain all over the body is no easy task.
"Once more!"
Lin Chen’s eyes were filled with determination and resolve as he gazed at the scroll for the fourth time.
The light appeared, the hammer fell.
"Arm!"
In Lin Chen’s eyes, the hammer was like a massive hammer, pounding onto his entire body, but at that moment, when he made an effort to stay clear-headed despite the pain, he managed to capture the initial source of pain.
Right shoulder!
The first spot where the heavy hammer landed was his right shoulder.
It was like a person stepping on an ant with one foot; it seemed to instantly crush the whole ant, but upon closer inspection, the foot must first contact a certain part of the ant’s body.
With this realization, Lin Chen adjusted his breathing, waiting for the next heavy hammer to fall.
Right shoulder, left arm...
Under the successive blows of the heavy hammer, Lin Chen started to follow the rhythm of its fall, guiding the qi and blood within him to respond accordingly.
Fifth time, sixth time...
Lin Chen’s breathing and the operation of the Iron Bone Skill subtly changed. The originally familiar cultivation technique became smoother at this moment, and every mobilization of qi and blood could cause a tremor in his entire musculature, as if dancing with the power of the Thousand Hammer Map.
The pain did not diminish.
However, at this moment, Lin Chen found himself in an extremely mysterious feeling. Every time the heavy hammer fell, the bronze hue of his skin deepened, and a faint sheen appeared on the surface, like a layer of golden armor.
The mysterious power of the Thousand Hammer Map seemed to feel some kind of provocation as well. The power continued to increase, with each heavy hammer strike stronger than the last, like surging tides, wave after wave impacting Lin Chen’s body.
Five openings, seven acupoints, every pore of Lin Chen’s body was oozing blood. He had completely turned into a man of blood, but only his eyes grew brighter.
He could still endure it.
Senior Yan had said that he could only come in twice a month, and each opportunity used was one less available.
He had taken first place in the March competition, and he would take first in the county fight as well!
Outside the iron house.
Yan He’an initially sat leisurely by a stone table on one side.
When he heard three distinct "bang" sounds from the iron house, Yan He’an smiled gently and stroked his beard. Lin Chen’s comprehension of the Iron Bone Skill was fairly decent, truly a clever person, discovering the nuances so quickly.
When six sounds came from the iron house, his smile widened...
However, at the tenth sound, Yan He’an stood up from the stone stool, his old eyes staring at the iron house, filled with sharpness.
Eleven sounds, twelve sounds, thirteen sounds...
By the time the eighteenth sound was heard, Yan He’an was already pacing back and forth in the courtyard.
"Could it be that Lin Chen intends to enter Iron Bone in one go?"
The astonishment in Yan He’an’s old eyes turned into expectation.
The Thousand Hammer Map contains a thousand hammers, and no matter which horizontal cultivation method one practices, enduring the first thirty hammers means stepping into the mastery stage.
Bronze skin, iron bones!
"To leap from bronze skin to iron bones in one night is akin to the Clear Wind Palm achieving perfection overnight!"
Yan He’an didn’t even realize that his tone had a slight tremor. Horizontal training was different from palm techniques and fist techniques.
Horizontal cultivation methods demanded comprehension but required even more honing.
To withstand thirty hammers the first time entering the iron house not only required one’s body to endure but also demanded immense willpower.
"If he can truly endure thirty sounds, then he is the first genius in Poyang County in nearly a hundred years!"
Over the century in Poyang County, many geniuses had emerged, some entering the grade before twenty years of age, others stepping into the Refining Viscera Realm within a year of joining the martial arts hall.
But the few who could cultivate at such a rapid pace mostly did so due to consuming rare heavenly materials and earthly treasures.
The recent Scholar Jiang is the best example.
However, in Yan He’an’s eyes, only someone like Lin Chen could truly be considered a genius.
Resources could be fought for, but comprehension and willpower couldn’t be altered by external forces.
Inside the iron house, no more light appeared, as Lin Chen slowly exhaled a breath of stale air. He didn’t know how much time had passed. Towards the end, his entire body was numb, relying solely on sheer willpower to maintain the qi and blood circulation of the Iron Bone Skill through his body’s instincts.
"Panel."
Upon seeing the "Mastery" column under the Iron Bone Skill on the panel, a smile appeared on Lin Chen’s face as he slowly pushed open the iron house door.
"Young Master Lin!"
As the iron door opened, Yan He’an’s gaze immediately shifted over. Upon seeing a blood-soaked figure, he couldn’t help but gasp.
"Senior."
Lin Chen forced a smile on his face, and as the light hit his eyes, he felt somewhat dazed. The next moment, everything started spinning, and his consciousness began to blur.
"Young Master Lin, Young Master Lin?"
Yan He’an quickly stepped forward to support Lin Chen, feeling the surging qi and blood within Lin Chen’s body, and heaved a sigh of relief.
Fortunately, it was just a faint.
Looking at the young man collapsed in his arms, Yan He’an was truly at a loss, unable to comprehend what exactly kept Lin Chen going.
Was it the yearning of a low-class family child for every opportunity to learn martial arts?
Yan He’an picked up Lin Chen and left the courtyard. Fortunately, the Martial Arts Garden was not lacking in pills to aid bodily recovery.
Yanshan County.
"Lin Chen, on the path of Extreme Martial Arts?" A young man, upon hearing the report from his junior, disappeared from where he stood in a flash, diving into the sea of flames ahead the next moment.
The young man left behind watched his senior brother’s figure with an expression of awe.
Even though he had seen his senior brother charge into the fire for training many times, it still left him in awe each time.
"In the county fight two months from now, first place is undoubtedly my senior brother’s."

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