16: The best is achieved through modifications!

Black Stone City, East Market.

The clamor of the market, mixed with the stench of sweat, cheap cosmetics, and the musky smell of some beast, assaulted his senses.

Along both sides of the street were crooked wooden and stone buildings, adorned with faded cloth banners, selling crude ironware, pickled beast meat, and some unidentified herbs gathered from the wilderness.

Most pedestrians looked sallow, their eyes wary, their steps hurried. Occasionally, Martial Artists wearing leather armor and carrying weapons could be seen, their gazes sweeping over the crowd with a condescending scrutiny.

Lin Jingyu’s two-meter-tall, burly figure moved among them, standing out like a crane among chickens.

Beneath his tattered clothes, the outlines of his coiled muscles were faintly visible. His steps were steady and powerful, each stride seemingly carrying an invisible pressure.

Pedestrians along the way instinctively avoided him, casting glances of awe or fear. The shocking scene at the city gate had clearly spread like a whirlwind among the lower classes.

He needed a place to settle down and gather information—where there were many demons and where evil spirits were rampant. evolution points were the absolute priority.

"Get lost! You blind fool!"

A crude shout mixed with the whistling sound of a whip cutting through the air rang out.

A burly man in short clothes with a scarred face was wielding a leather whip, lashing a scrawny boy huddled by the roadside.

The boy clutched a tattered cloth bundle, trembling, several bloody marks already visible on his body. Beside him, several equally fierce men stood with their arms crossed, laughing.

"Wang Laoliu is bullying people again..."

"Shhh... quiet down, those are people from the Black Tiger Gang, we can't afford to offend them..."

"That kid seems to have stolen some dried meat from a stall..."

The whispers of passersby carried a sense of numbness and fear.

Lin Jingyu’s steps did not falter, his gaze sweeping over the Evil Qi on the burly man Wang Laoliu and his companions, and the pure terror in the boy’s eyes.

His brow furrowed almost imperceptibly. Bullying the weak, in his eyes, was no different in essence from those evil spirits and demons; they were all scum that deserved to be crushed.

Wang Laoliu was whipping with gusto when the corner of his eye caught a tall figure walking straight towards them, seemingly ignoring them. Anger flared in his heart. In this East Market, who didn't know the prestige of the Black Tiger Gang?

"Hey! You big guy! Can't you see I'm busy? Get lost..." His arrogant words abruptly stopped.

Lin Jingyu’s gaze, like two cold blades, fell upon him.

Wang Laoliu's hairs instantly stood on end!

A terrifying chill, stemming from instinct, as if being targeted by a primeval Vicious Beast, instantly froze his blood!

The whip in his hand froze in mid-air, and the rest of his words were stuck in his throat, not a single syllable escaping.

The few laughing thugs beside him also froze like ducks whose necks had been squeezed, their laughter congealed on their faces as they stared in horror at the burly figure radiating an invisible pressure.

Lin Jingyu didn't even stop, merely sweeping his gaze over them.

That gaze was calm and unruffled, yet it contained Evil Qi like mountains of corpses and seas of blood, and the cold indifference of one who disregards life.

Wang Laoliu and the others felt as if an invisible giant hammer had struck their chests, causing them to stagger back several steps, their faces ashen, their hearts pounding wildly, almost exploding!

They had no doubt that if they dared to utter another word or Move the whip again, they would instantly be reduced to minced meat on the ground!

Lin Jingyu withdrew his gaze and walked past them, as if merely brushing away a few specks of dust.

He walked up to the cowering boy and casually tossed down a hard Ore fragment, stained with blood, that he had taken from the Corpse Fiend Master.

"Take it."

His voice was low and brooked no argument.

The boy looked up in terror, seeing Lin Jingyu’s iron-like face and deep eyes, and shivered. He then reacted, quickly grabbed the blood-stained Ore fragment, and scrambled into a nearby alley, disappearing from sight.

Wang Laoliu and his companions remained frozen in place until Lin Jingyu’s figure vanished into the crowd. Only then did they gasp for air, their backs drenched in cold sweat, their legs still trembling uncontrollably.

"Sixth... Sixth Brother... who... who was that person?" A thug’s voice trembled.

Wang Laoliu wiped the cold sweat from his forehead, looking with lingering fear in the direction Lin Jingyu had disappeared. His voice was hoarse: "I... I don't know... but damn it... he's even scarier than the gang leader... Let's go! Stay away from that fiend!"

Lin Jingyu walked through the bustling streets, his destination clear—the Martial Arena.

It was the most chaotic place in Black Stone City, and also where one could gather the most information.

Bloody fights, gambling with money, a gathering of all sorts of people—it was also the best place to inquire about demons.

Turning a street corner, a burst of fervent cheers and the clanging of metal resounded.

Ahead appeared a huge open-air venue, surrounded by rough wooden stakes and iron chains, with a raised arena several feet above the ground in the center, covered with thick yellow sand.

The air was thick with the smell of sweat, blood, and fanaticism.

"Black Wolf! Tear him apart!"

"Iron Claw! Dig out his heart!"

"Go! Don't be a coward!"

On the arena stage, two figures were locked in a fierce battle.

One of them was lean and swift as the wind, wearing a pair of steel claw gauntlets on his hands, his five fingers curved like hooks, glinting with a cold, eerie light.

His movements were elusive, his claw attacks fierce, each strike producing a piercing sound of air being torn, aimed directly at his opponent's vital points! His Moves were tricky and ruthless, carrying a vicious intent like a bird of prey striking!

"Eagle Claw Technique!" someone knowledgeable in the audience exclaimed.

Lin Jingyu’s gaze was instantly drawn to those steel claws.

Not the gauntlets themselves, but the claw technique displayed by the lean man! The Moves were fluid, the method of exerting force unique, and the Qi and blood power concentrated at his fingertips carried a sense of penetration and tearing!

[Ding! Detected a complete Martial Skill: Eagle Claw Technique (Yellow Rank Medium Grade)! Do you wish to record it into the System?]

A cold System prompt sounded in his mind. "Record!" Lin Jingyu thought.

[Eagle Claw Technique (Yellow Rank Medium Grade) successfully recorded!]

[Martial Skill: Eagle Claw Technique (Not Initiated) -> Can be modified, deduced, or evolved by consuming evolution points!]

On the arena, the lean man—"Iron Claw" Sun Ying—completely suppressed his opponent with his fierce and tricky Eagle Claw Technique. A cruel glint flashed in his eyes. Spotting an opening, his steel claws, with a shriek that tore through the air, viciously grabbed at his opponent's throat! If this claw strike connected, death was certain!

"Die!" Sun Ying sneered.

However, at this critical moment!

"Stop!" A furious roar, like a clap of thunder, exploded!

A figure appeared on the edge of the arena like a phantom. It was the referee of the martial arts competition, a middle-aged man with a composed Aura and prominent temples.

A sharp glint flashed in his eyes, and his right hand, with five fingers together, shot out like lightning! His speed was even faster than Sun Ying's Eagle Claw! He moved later but arrived first!

"Ch!"

A soft sound, like fabric tearing.

The referee's five fingers had indeed arrived first, precisely clamping onto Sun Ying's steel-clawed wrist that was reaching for his opponent's throat!

A surge of immense power erupted, and Sun Ying's certain strike was forcibly halted in mid-air, the steel claw just an inch away from his opponent's throat!

Sun Ying's face changed drastically. He felt his wrist was locked in an iron vice, and intense pain shot through him, rendering him unable to Move!

He looked at the referee in horror. The opponent's five fingers wore no protective gear, yet they firmly clasped his wrist, which was covered by the steel gauntlet! The power contained in those fingertips made his heart pound with fear!

"Referee... you!" Sun Ying was both shocked and enraged.

The referee coldly glanced at him, his voice not loud, but carrying an unquestionable authority: "Martial Arena rules: stop when touched. If you try to kill again, I'll cripple your martial arts!" He exerted a slight force with his fingers.

"Argh!" Sun Ying cried out in pain, cold sweat instantly breaking out. He felt as if his wrist bones were about to be crushed! He had no doubt that the other party had this ability! He could only endure the humiliation, retract his claws, and retreat.

The audience below was in an uproar, shocked by the sudden turn of events and the power displayed by the referee. The opponent, who had narrowly escaped death, scrambled off the arena.

"What powerful finger strength!" A sharp glint flashed in Lin Jingyu’s eyes.

That grip from the referee, though just a fleeting glimpse, showed Qi and blood condensing at his fingertips when he extended them, carrying an incomparably sharp and extremely penetrating Concept!

Its subtlety and application of power far surpassed Sun Ying’s Eagle Claw Technique on the stage! This was definitely not an ordinary grappling technique!

[Ding! Detected a Martial Skill fragment containing a higher level Concept (Sky-Piercing Finger nascent form)! Do you wish to consume evolution points for associated deduction?]

The System prompt sounded again!

Lin Jingyu’s heart stirred. The evolution direction of Eagle Claw Technique was precisely Sky-Piercing Finger! This referee's finger technique had clearly touched the edge of Sky-Piercing Finger!

"Associated deduction! Target—Sky-Piercing Finger (Initiated)! Consume evolution points!" Lin Jingyu ordered without hesitation.

[Command confirmed! Based on Eagle Claw Technique (Yellow Rank Medium Grade), associated deduction target: Sky-Piercing Finger (Profound Rank Low Grade)!]

[evolution points consumed: 800 points!]

[Deducing... Deduction complete! Infusing...]

Boom!

A martial Dao enlightenment far more profound and ferocious than the Eagle Claw Technique instantly flooded Lin Jingyu’s mind!

It was as if countless light and shadow figures demonstrated before his eyes how to condense Qi and blood at a single fingertip, how to unleash extreme penetrating power from tendons and bones, how to ignore obstacles and injure enemies by piercing through the air!

At the same time, a peerlessly sharp Qi current flowed between his ten fingers, and the dark golden luster beneath the skin of his fingertips even took on a hint of sharp silver light!

[Ding! Sky-Piercing Finger (Initiated) successfully mastered!]

[Current Martial Skill: Sky-Piercing Finger (Initiated) -> Qi and blood condense at the fingers, piercing the air to injure enemies!]

[Remaining evolution points: 1231!]

Instantly mastering a Profound Rank Martial Skill! This was the Heaven-Defying aspect of the System!

Lin Jingyu slowly raised his right hand, his five fingers naturally spread, and a barely perceptible cold glint seemed to flow at his fingertips in the sunlight. He looked at the arena; the referee had already released Sun Ying and was announcing the results of the match.

Sun Ying clutched his throbbing wrist, glaring resentfully at the referee, and sullenly stepped off the stage.

The referee felt an extremely oppressive gaze and suddenly turned his head, meeting Lin Jingyu’s deep, cold eyes.

His heart inexplicably tightened! That gaze was calm, yet it made him feel as if he was being targeted by an unparalleled vicious weapon!

Especially the five fingers that the other party casually let hang, they actually caused his own Sky-Piercing Finger power at his fingertips to subtly resonate and... tremble?

Who is this person?!

What a terrifying Aura! What a sharp finger Concept?!

Lin Jingyu withdrew his gaze, a cold arc forming at the corner of his mouth. With Sky-Piercing Finger newly formed, he just needed a whetstone.

He no longer lingered, turning to leave the bustling Martial Arena.

His destination: the west side of the city—where Black Stone City's largest martial arts school, Kaishan Martial Arts School, was located.

According to the snippets of conversation from passersby, this Kaishan Martial Arts School seemed to have a close relationship with the Zhao family.

More importantly, a martial arts school often meant... Cultivation Techniques!

The mark of the Blood Soul Life-Chasing Curse on his wrist had long dissipated, but Lin Jingyu could feel that the Zhao family's retaliation would not be long in coming.

"Kaishan Martial Arts School..." Lin Jingyu murmured, Battle Intent rising in his eyes. "I hope your Cultivation Techniques don't disappoint me."

His burly figure merged into the chaotic flow of people in Black Stone City, his steps firm, his goal clear.

Indestructible Vajra protecting his body, Dragon-Elephant Giant Strength within him, and now the sharp edge of Sky-Piercing Finger added to his arsenal!

This small, desolate border city was destined to be engulfed in towering waves because of his arrival!