Chapter 26: Iron Thread Fist Limit, Vital Energy Powder

Chapter 26: Iron Thread Fist Limit, Vital Energy Powder

The next day.

As Li Mo had predicted, several factions arrived one after another.

Most were gangs from the border areas between the Slum District and the Outer City, with a few from the outskirts of the Outer City itself.

All were small-time operations.

Beyond these, no affiliation requests from shops arrived. This was expected—profitable businesses were already backed by martial cultivators and had no need to affiliate with Su Chen.

Su Chen selected a few suitable gangs for affiliation. The fees were modest, barely covering the cost of a single meal from the previous night. As for the unsuitable ones, he rejected them without hesitation.

By noon, the expected visitors had all come, and Su Chen finally had a moment of peace.

Just as he prepared to head out for lunch, someone unexpected arrived.

“Senior Apprentice Sister Fang Rou, you’re here to see me?”

Seeing Fang Rou standing at the door, Su Chen asked in surprise.

Fang Rou smiled and nodded. “Yes, Junior Apprentice Brother Su. I have a lucrative opportunity to discuss with you.”

“Please, come in.”

Su Chen invited her inside, then asked, “What kind of opportunity?”

“This is straightforward,” Fang Rou said directly. “My family operates in the fabric and silk trade. I’d like to invite you to affiliate with us. What do you think?”

“Regarding the terms, my family is willing to offer you ten taels monthly as an affiliation fee.”

Hearing this, Su Chen blinked. “Senior Sister Fang Rou, I’ve only just become a disciple. I’m not sure I’m worth this price yet.”

From his conversation with Li Mo the previous night, Su Chen understood the market rate for his services. At his current level of demonstrated strength, two taels per month was the maximum even for shops or gangs.

Yet Fang Rou had immediately offered ten taels, which naturally piqued his curiosity.

“True, you’re not worth it yet,” Fang Rou admitted. “But I heard from Senior Apprentice Brother Li Mo that you have exceptional talent. You’ve cultivated entirely on your own without relying on anyone else. This offer reflects your potential.”

She explained her reasoning, clearly coming with sincerity.

“Also, Li Mo recommended you specifically.”

Li Mo had mentioned this last night, but Su Chen hadn’t expected Fang Rou’s offer to be so generous.

Knock knock knock.

“Is Master Su Chen at home?”

Just then, a knock at the door interrupted them. A middle-aged man stood outside, spotting Su Chen in the courtyard.

“I’m from the Zhou family.”

The Zhou family?

Su Chen gestured for the man to enter. “What brings you here?”

The man replied, “My young master, Zhou Shen, learned of your recent induction into the Hong Martial Arts Hall. He’s invited you to dine at the Drunken Immortal Pavilion tonight.”

“Zhou Shen? Is he Zhou Tao’s second elder brother?” Fang Rou interjected, puzzled.

The man smiled. “Precisely.”

He turned back to Su Chen. “Young Master Zhou deeply admires you, Master Su. He hopes you’ll honor him with your presence.”

“What does he want from me?” Su Chen asked bluntly.

The man hesitated. “Well…”

“I’ll step out for now,” Fang Rou said tactfully, excusing herself.

Once she’d left, the man lowered his voice. “Young Master Zhou has long admired your reputation. He wishes to hire you as a retainer, offering one hundred taels.”

He raised a finger, his voice trembling slightly as he spoke the number. Even he seemed awed by the sum.

Su Chen arched an eyebrow but wasn’t shaken by the number. After all, he was a man of the world.

A retainer was essentially a private bodyguard. While less degrading than slavery, it required signing a contract—a weaker version of an indentured agreement, typically with a set term. Such contracts severely restricted personal freedom.

Naturally, Su Chen had no intention of accepting. He shook his head. “Apologies, but I’m not interested.”

The man blinked in surprise but, seeing Su Chen’s resolve, simply nodded and took his leave.

Moments later, Fang Rou returned. “Junior Brother Su, how about I raise my offer to fifteen taels? What do you think?”

She’d overheard the previous negotiation and was secretly stunned. She hadn’t expected Zhou Shen to take such an interest in Su Chen. A hundred-tael offer spoke volumes about Zhou Shen’s regard for him.

After careful consideration, she’d raised her bid. Fifteen taels was the absolute limit she could afford. Even so, she remained anxious, fearing rejection—after all, Su Chen had turned down one hundred taels without hesitation.

“Agreed.”

Fang Rou, expecting a refusal, froze mid-sentence. Blinking her bright eyes, she stared at him in disbelief.

“Then I’ll prepare the contract immediately,” she said, smiling.

Half an hour later, Fang Rou returned with the contract. Su Chen reviewed it and signed without issue.

“Senior Sister Fang Rou, could I request an advance of fifteen taels?”

As Fang Rou turned to leave, Su Chen called out, coughing lightly.

“Of course!”

Fang Rou handed him the fifteen taels without hesitation, then left with a spring in her step.

Later, Su Chen visited the Gold Exchange.

Upon returning, he locked his door. He had no plans to go out tonight—he’d already earned one hundred taels and exchanged them for ten gold ingots.

“It’s time to upgrade Iron Thread Fist!”

He’d prioritized Iron Sand Palm earlier because Iron Thread Fist was too easily recognized. Liu Heishui had identified it at a glance during their fight. But now, Iron Sand Palm had reached its limit.

Ape’s Might was sufficient for now, and he lacked the funds to max out either Turtle Shell Art or Bone Shrinking Technique. Upgrading Iron Thread Fist made sense.

More importantly, he wanted to see how maxing Iron Thread Fist would affect Iron Sand Palm.

[Easy Mode activated: Practice empty-handed punches for one hour to max out Iron Thread Fist.]

After paying the cost, Su Chen immediately activated Easy Mode.

As the Progress Panel lit up, he began throwing punches into the air.

Whoosh! Whoosh!

An hour passed quickly.

A warm sensation spread through his arms, and a crimson bloodline surged forth. Iron Thread Fist had reached its limit.

The Progress Panel displayed:

[Martial Arts: Iron Thread Fist (Limit), Iron Sand Palm (Limit)...]

[Easy Mode: Iron Thread Fist 0 uses (None), Iron Sand Palm 0 uses (Limit: Iron Thread Fist per use)...]

Su Chen frowned. “How does this work?”

Before he could finish speaking, the panel shifted again:

[Martial Arts: Iron Wire Fist · Residual (Uninitiated)...]

[Easy Mode: Iron Wire Fist · Residual 0 uses (10 portions of Vital Energy Powder per use)...]

“Iron Sand Palm and Iron Thread Fist fused into Iron Wire Fist?”

Su Chen’s eyes widened in shock, then confusion.

“But what’s this Vital Energy Powder?”

(End of Chapter)

Chapter end