8: Chapter 8 Second Life, First Glimpse into Martial Arts (Part 7)

Liu Meng let out an angry roar, concentrating all the remaining Qi and blood in his body into his right palm.

The ultimate finishing move of the Liegu Palm exploded with full force, carrying a ruthless determination to burn both jade and stone together, striking straight at Lin Shi's face.

In this move, he left himself no retreat; either he would kill Lin Shi with one palm strike, or he would exhaust his strength and be defeated, left with no power to strike back.

Everyone off the stage held their breath. Wang Zhong had already moved his feet, ready to rush onto the stage to save him at any moment, while Hall Master Zhou Yue also sat up straight abruptly, his eyes tense.

But just at this moment, Lin Shi, who had only been defending and not attacking, not only did not dodge, but also did not retreat.

He knew that at such a close distance, he could not dodge with his current physical strength.

His only chance was to be more ruthless than Liu Meng and leave himself no path of retreat.

When meeting on a narrow road, the brave one wins.

He intended to trade half of his own arm for the opponent's entire arm.

He would trade his own severe injury for a victory in this crucial match, and in exchange, secure a bright future for himself.

Facing Liu Meng's earth-shattering palm wind, he instead took a fierce step forward, crashing directly into Liu Meng's embrace.

When Liu Meng's palm wind arrived, Lin Shi swerved his body abruptly, using his left shoulder to forcibly withstand the majority of the force from that palm strike.

With a crisp "Crack" sound, it was the sound of his shoulder bone fracturing.

A piercing, agonizing pain swept through his entire body instantly; Lin Shi's vision went dark, and he nearly collapsed to the ground.

Yet he forcibly steadied himself, not stopping his steps, his right fist gathering all the Qi and blood in his body.

Taking advantage of the close proximity, he unleashed a "Mountain-Sinking Drop," striking Liu Meng's elbow pit with unerring precision.

That was Liu Meng's weak point—the place where his entire arm's Qi and blood were weakest and the point of force was most fragile when the Liegu Palm was fully unleashed.

As the saying goes, the moment of greatest strength is also the moment of greatest vulnerability.

There was another, even sharper sound of bone fracturing.

Liu Meng's scream instantly echoed throughout the entire Martial Arts Arena; his entire right arm bent at an eerie angle, and the palm force that had just been capable of shattering stone and breaking bones vanished without a trace in an instant.

Exhausted and having had all his strength drained by that punch, he staggered back a few steps, then fell onto the arena floor, his face pale, unable to get up again.

The entire Martial Arts Arena instantly fell silent, with a deathly quiet.

A few breaths later, thunderous cheers and applause erupted, nearly blowing the roof off the Martial Arts Arena.

Lin Shi stood on the arena, his left shoulder hanging limply, covered in injuries, blood constantly dripping from the corner of his mouth, his body trembling slightly.

Yet he still stood firmly on the arena; he had won, winning this most crucial match.

He bowed slightly to the referee, and then bowed to the Hall Master and instructor on the main stage.

There was not a trace of pride in his eyes, only a deep sense of composure and the relief of having survived a disaster.

He had won the gamble! It wasn't thanks to talent, nor was it thanks to his cultivation realm.

It was thanks to the clumsy, solid work he had ground out for two years, and even more so, thanks to his steady mindset and resilient will.

Ultimately, it was the victory he fought for by daring to trade injury for injury and daring to risk his life.

Of course, this was all his own doing.

It had nothing to do with his golden finger, nor the fact that he knew he could continue to reincarnate after death. (A doge emoji is omitted here.)

Hall Master Zhou Yue sat in the main seat, looking at the youth on the arena who was covered in injuries yet stood with a straight back, and nodded slowly.

His eyes were full of approval, and also carried a few more shades of heavy regard.

Wang Zhong stood off the stage, his tense body finally relaxing, his eyes slightly red; he felt both heartache and an irrepressible pride.

Lin Shi gritted his teeth and walked down the arena step by step.

Zhao Hu immediately rushed over, wanting to support him but not daring to touch his injuries, so excited that he was incoherent, tears falling: "Senior Brother Lin! You won! We won! We are number one!"

Lin Shi twitched the corner of his mouth, and just as he was about to speak, his gaze swept to the back of the crowd from the Liegu Martial Arts Hall.

Wang Hao was standing next to a youth with sinister eyes, pointing and gesturing at him.

That youth's gaze was like a venom-dipped viper, nailed firmly onto him, filled with resentment and killing intent.

Lin Shi's brows furrowed slightly.

This Wang Hao really is like a lingering ghost.

Time flew by, and another six years passed.

Lin Shi was already eighteen; the thin youth from back then had grown into a sturdy and solid young man.

Between his brows, there was still the unchanging composure, only the corners of his eyes had gained a few sharp edges forged by experience.

Wearing the dark gray uniform of the martial arts hall, a polished iron token hung from his waist—it was the waist token of a probationary steward of the Houshan Martial Arts Hall.

During these six years, his life had progressed steadily and securely, without a single ripple.

Under his caution, Wang Hao's malice never found an opportunity, and in the end, it was left unsettled.

Every day before dawn, he would stand in a stance to practice boxing, and at night, he would go to the library to flip through the cultivation notes of his predecessors; his days were simple and fulfilling.

His cultivation also improved steadily through day-after-day of polishing.

Tree Bark Realm early stage, middle stage, late stage—one step at a time.

However, limited by his innate bone structure, he was always lacking that final bit.

He had been stuck at this step for a full year, never able to polish the Tree Bark Realm to perfection and break through to the peak.

Furthermore, his father was getting old, and after years of martial arts practice, fighting, and toil, he appeared somewhat unable to keep up.

Two and a half months ago, under his father's guidance, he visited Hall Master Zhou Yue again.

Seeking to succeed his father's position and become the logistics steward of the Houshan Martial Arts Hall.

In recent years, in Hansha Town, the strength and reputation of the Houshan Martial Arts Hall had become increasingly prosperous, so this was a lucrative position.

However, Lin Zhen was a veteran with many years of seniority, so no one could push him out, yet others were eyeing the succession greedily.

After meeting the Hall Master, in consideration of his father's years of meritorious service, the support of his master Wang Zhong, and the credit he had earned by risking his life six years ago.

He finally nodded slowly and agreed.

However, he would only be able to officially take over once he broke through to the Ox-Skin Realm; until then, he was only a probationary steward.

During these six years, many things had also happened in Hansha Town.

Relying on Lin Shi's support and his own hard work, Zhao Hu finally broke through to the Tree Bark Realm, joined the town garrison, and became a squad leader.

He was finally able to support his mother and younger siblings with his own skills.

He still regarded Lin Shi as the best brother of his life; every time he received his pay, he would come to find Lin Shi for a drink at the first opportunity.

During a breakthrough, Wang Hao had been too eager for quick success and damaged his foundation, leaving him with no hope of ever reaching the Ox-Skin Realm in this life.

Originally, with his innate bone structure, he had a chance to break through to the late stage of the Ox-Skin Realm, or perhaps even a faint chance to look forward to the Stone Skin Realm.

Disheartened, he returned to the Wang family to do business with his relatives and never mentioned martial arts again.

The Liegu, Benlei, and Houshan Martial Arts Halls were still locked in constant competition and strife, with small frictions never ceasing, but it never escalated to the point of large-scale armed conflict.

It was just that the Liegu Martial Arts Hall seemed to be secretly plotting something.

Time flew by, and another two and a half years passed; Lin Shi was twenty-one.

He finally polished the Tree Bark Realm to perfection and broke through to the peak.

Every day, he would stand in a stance and practice boxing with his master, and in his spare time, he would follow his father to learn how to handle the logistics and miscellaneous affairs of the martial arts hall.

He also took advantage of his position to go on missions to the Houshan Martial Arts Hall in the neighboring Lieshi Town, and in the dead of night, he would sneak back to Heishi Village.

The son from his previous life was already forty-six, and his grandson and granddaughter were twenty-four, already married with children.

Over these years, they still lived in that old house, but the wooden hut had become a stone house, and the number of rooms had increased to three.

It looked like they were living a fairly happy life, but in the end, they had been unable to move to the town; it was his own doing that had burdened them when he was on his deathbed.

To pay for his medical treatment, they had not only spent all their savings but also borrowed a significant amount of debt.

Ultimately, under the condition that he could not reveal his identity or his golden finger.

Lin Shi, wrapped up tightly from head to toe, knocked on the door, placed a package on the spot, and then left.