Chapter 60: Skyshatter Kick, Iron Shirt Third Layer

Chapter 60: Skyshatter Kick, Iron Shirt Third Layer

Thud… thud… thud…

Su Chen was already accustomed to Tao Wenxuan’s bureaucratic droning. As soon as the county magistrate entered, Su Chen placed Wei Jie’s severed head on the table.

“Ahh!”

The head rolled onto the floor with a dull thud, revealing Wei Jie’s lifeless, fish-eyed face. A foul stench—mingled with blood and decay—filled the air.

A servant girl nearby instinctively screamed, clamping her hands over her mouth and nose, her face twisting in horror.

The County Clerk, who had been seated chatting with Su Chen, shot upright the moment he saw Wei Jie’s head. His expression shifted rapidly before hardening into grim resolve.

Tao Wenxuan, meanwhile, remained slightly more composed. He stared at the severed head for a long while before turning to Su Chen with a faint smile. “Champion Yang, truly impressive! Even a figure like Wei Jie has fallen to your hand. This is indeed a joyous occasion for our county courthouse!”

“Bring it out!”

After praising Su Chen, Tao Wenxuan summoned a servant to deliver the reward—three hundred taels of silver. This time, however, it was not in silver ingots but silver notes.

Su Chen inspected the payment before tucking it away and bowing to Tao Wenxuan. “County Magistrate Tao, I have urgent matters to attend to, so I’ll take my leave. Should you have further tasks in the future, feel free to seek me out—provided the price is right.”

The reward of three hundred taels had genuinely tempted Su Chen, prompting him to flatter Tao Wenxuan despite himself. Tao Wenxuan’s face lit up at the words. “Of course, of course! County Clerk, see Champion Yang off!”

“Yes, sir!” the County Clerk nodded.

Su Chen paid no mind as he turned to leave. Yet suddenly, he halted mid-step and glanced back at Tao Wenxuan.

“Champion Yang, anything else?” Tao Wenxuan asked, noticing the pause.

Su Chen replied, “During the fight with Wei Jie, I overheard a piece of information. Would the county magistrate care to hear it?”

“What is it?” Tao Wenxuan blurted out before catching himself and chuckling. “I’ll pay ten taels of silver for this information.”

“This concerns the Pure Land Sect.”

“Twenty taels!” Tao Wenxuan pursed his lips and raised two fingers.

Su Chen smirked, omitting the details of his battle with Wei Jie, and recounted how Wei Jie had met with two Black-Cloaked Men.

Tao Wenxuan fell into deep thought, his expression darkening. Yet he did not press further. “Thank you, Champion Yang. This information is invaluable to me. Allow me to personally escort you out.”

With that, he strode outside alongside Su Chen, the County Clerk trailing silently behind.

Once outside the county courthouse, Su Chen waved a hand. “No need to see me further.”

Under the watchful eyes of the two men, he turned and left. Tao Wenxuan gazed at Su Chen’s retreating figure and murmured, “Send someone sharp to tail him. I want to know everything about him.”

“Yes, sir!”

Not long after leaving the courthouse, Su Chen sensed someone shadowing him.

The pursuer’s technique was far more refined than the gang in Lanye Town. They kept a careful distance, nearly imperceptible.

Had Su Chen not been naturally cautious, even he might have missed them.

After leading them in circles through the streets, the follower suddenly vanished. Su Chen frowned—had they given up so soon?

Yet he remained wary and did not leave immediately. Sure enough, he soon detected another stranger tailing him.

“They must’ve guessed I noticed. Changed disguises and followed again,” Su Chen mused, shaking his head. Such a technique would have fooled most people.

Unfazed, he entered a tavern, indulged in a hearty meal, then slipped out the back.

After spending an incense stick’s worth of time shaking off his pursuers, he changed clothes and melted into the crowd, finally returning home.

On the table lay a pile of silver taels—the fruits of his labor over the past fortnight.

“Three hundred taels for Wei Jie’s head, twenty for the intel, thirty-nine from looting his corpse, plus my own savings… total of three hundred and seventy-seven taels!”

After counting, Su Chen turned to the secret martial arts manual he’d obtained. Though called a “manual,” it was merely a few sheets of paper.

After studying it for some time, he finally discerned its name: Skyshatter Kick.

The title wasn’t explicit in the text; Su Chen had inferred it from the content. Yet even if not exact, it couldn’t be far off—after all, he’d personally experienced Wei Jie’s formidable leg techniques.

“The pages seem scrambled—deliberately, by Wei Jie.”

After flipping through multiple times, Su Chen concluded the order was jumbled but complete. He spent an hour reorganizing it until the progress panel updated, finally exhaling in relief.

“This technique will bolster my legwork. It enhances both speed and striking power. A solid martial art for me!”

At his current level of expertise, he could judge its quality—mastering it would significantly boost his strength.

“Prioritize advancing Iron Shirt first. If there’s surplus, then cultivate Skyshatter Kick.”

After brief contemplation, he decided. He spent two hundred taels to activate Easy Mode, soaking in warm water for half an hour to elevate Iron Shirt to the Third Layer.

The progress panel updated: [Martial Arts: Iron Wire Fist · Residual 0 (Limit Tortoise Shell Art + 20 portions of Vital Energy Powder/level)]

Su Chen blinked in surprise. The next advancement would revert to requiring Vital Energy Powder and Limit techniques. Slightly dismayed, he regretted not buying more Red Bloodgrass earlier.

“Only six portions of Red Bloodgrass left—can refine six more doses at most. Still need fourteen… Sigh, guess I’ll have to return to Medicine Town.”

Though resigned, he accepted it. If strength was the goal, a second trip was trivial.

“Still have funds. Might as well push Skyshatter Kick to Limit via Gold-Fueled Enhancement.”

He began cultivating the Skyshatter Kick, using the Easy Mode: kicking fifty, one hundred, one hundred and fifty times. For Su Chen, it was as effortless as drinking water.

To reach Limit, he needed gold. He exchanged ten taels of silver at the Gold Exchange, then initiated the Gold-Fueled Enhancement.

Whoosh—whump!

In the courtyard, Su Chen tested the Skyshatter Kick’s power. A single kick tore through the air with a sharp whistle, leaving a blurred afterimage as his leg snapped back.

Satisfied, he noted that its raw power rivaled the combined force of Iron Sand Palm and Iron Thread Fist, yet its speed far surpassed both.

“Next, test the Third Layer Iron Shirt’s resilience,” he murmured, feeling the surge of vitality in his body.

(End of Chapter)

Chapter end