Chapter 3: The Mine

  The training hall is a relatively large square, in fact, the Dragon and Tiger Society has many training halls, this is just one of them.

  The young men either waved their fists or held wooden swords and sticks, linking one move after another. Although the moves were ordinary and even clumsy, this method could temper the body, that is to say, it was possible to feel the internal energy, and thus practice inner strength.

  Sweat dripped down, unnoticed by anyone. Slacking off during intense training would result in punishment. Moreover, martial arts determined their future; how could they be so carefree every day? The young men wholeheartedly shed their sweat.

  A week later, the first person cultivated internal strength and was taken as a disciple by the sect's elder, who taught him profound skills. The young people were naturally envious, so they worked even harder to cultivate their skills, hoping to be valued by the elder. In this intense competitive atmosphere, several weeks later, one after another, people successfully cultivated internal strength.

  Wang Chen also practiced internal power half a month later, but the internal power practiced with great force is different from that of ordinary people. Other internal powers follow the fixed meridians in the body, while this internal power requires mixing Qi into the blood and fusing it with the blood to form a special internal power. Moreover, general internal powers only operate along part of the eight extraordinary meridians, whereas Wang Chen's internal power, which fuses with the blood, can not only circulate through all the meridians in the body but also slowly pass through the small collateral meridians inside the body.

  In this case, the internal force of great strength has a much better strengthening effect on the body than other internal forces, especially when Wang Chen had just started practicing martial arts for a period of time. His strength increased greatly and his arms were as strong as 200 jin, enough to knock down four or five young men. However, with the increase in power, the internal force of great strength needs to absorb sufficient blood energy to progress further, which is also a drawback.

  But this is also the reason why Wang Chen chose this method. According to the method, it is simple and easy to learn, as long as you nourish yourself well every day, work hard and practice diligently, you can achieve one layer in a year. In other words, as long as Wang Chen eats more meat and tonic medicine, the first layer is very easy to practice.

  One and a half years have passed in the blink of an eye. The young boys from back then have grown up. As the saying goes, where there are people, there is conflict. Wang Chen and his friends are no longer the naive boys they used to be.

  The water in the Dragon and Tiger Gang is very deep. A year ago, two short-sighted young men offended a disciple of an elder, and a few months later they disappeared without a trace, and no one in the gang cared. This made Wang Chen even more vigilant, as the phenomenon of disciples forming cliques and seeking private interests was too common, and most of them were related to those first-class masters who were elders.

  The death of a fellow disciple suddenly quieted the boisterous young men, after all, the Dragon and Tiger Sect recruits new members every year, and it's not a big deal if a few ordinary disciples die. This made Wang Chen feel an urgent need to take control of his own destiny, which naturally meant practicing even harder.

  Saying that the method of practicing Dali Gong is also a kind of cheating. If there is an expert who constantly hunts and eats the blood of tigers and leopards, or even powerful beasts, or has a large amount of gold and silver to buy various medicinal herbs, such as hundred-year-old ginseng, then one can quickly increase their strength. However, this is obviously impossible. On the one hand, which young master with wealth and power would be willing to learn this unorthodox Dali Gong?

  On the other hand, Dahlikung has a fatal flaw. The internal force produced by Dahlikung is fundamentally different from that produced by ordinary Qigong methods. The internal force produced by Dahlikung has already merged with part of the blood, which means that once you have practiced Dahlikung, you cannot switch to another internal Qigong method.

  Wang Chen didn't know this, otherwise he wouldn't have chosen the Great Strength Technique. However, many things in life are coincidental, and what sets geniuses apart is that they seize opportunities to achieve success.

  Time flies, and the disciples who enter and leave the gang have two years to learn basic martial arts in the gang. After that, they will be assigned to various halls of the gang to take care of business. After all, the Dragon and Tiger Gang occupies almost all the escort bureaus, mines, and weapon smelting plants in Cangzhou City, and also occupies half of the silk business. These businesses require a lot of manpower, especially in this chaotic world, without martial power, it is impossible to keep wealth safe. Of course, new disciples who have just gone to the hall will not be assigned to important and dangerous positions, after all, that would be sending them to their deaths.

  In two years, Wang Chen's internal strength has made great progress. Now his internal power has reached the upper level of third-class, and he is also among the best in many young people.

  However, there is a reason for this. On the one hand, Wang Chen's Dahelijiao is not an entry-level technique, it's relatively easy to practice. Many people who choose Sanliu Neigong are still struggling in the lower levels of Sanliu. To further break through the techniques of Sanliu, you need to understand a bit about the characteristics of the techniques, such as the "Fusong" technique, which is a simplified version of a first-class technique but much stronger than other Sanliu techniques at the same level, not to mention non-entry-level techniques. However, you have to pay to gain, and to master Fusong, you need to grasp its intent, which is very difficult to comprehend. At least the instructor who taught Wang Chen basic fist and footwork didn't understand it, and he was a second-class expert and a mainstay of the sect.

  On the other hand, Wang Chen discovered that eating more blood-rich foods could speed up his Xuegong training. So, Wang Fan used all his monthly allowance to buy meat dishes and secretly ate them.

  Wang Chen had also wanted to buy some elixirs, but after inquiring about them, he found out that even the cheapest elixir for enhancing cultivation would cost several hundred taels of silver per piece, not to mention the better ones.

  The poor are better at writing, while the rich are better at fighting; this indeed makes some sense.

  Early in the morning, as soon as the sun had just woken up, Wang Chen and others came out of their rooms one after another. In the courtyard, Wang Chen and Zhang Tie sat together eating, while others were in their own circles.

  "That glutton has eaten five bowls of rice again," the young man beside him said with a sneer, his face full of disdain and mockery.

  Wang Chen's cultivation of the Great Strength Technique required a large amount of qi and blood, so he naturally ate more. The amount of five bowls of rice per meal was really astonishing, and many young people from better families couldn't help but mock him. However, Zhang Chen didn't get angry, firstly because he had experienced fleeing for his life before and had eaten all sorts of wild fruits and roots, and secondly because eating more was beneficial to his internal strength, and thirdly because Wang Chen's own strength wasn't enough yet, so he felt that he shouldn't show off too much.

  However, Wang Chen's good friend Zhang Tie didn't have such a good temper. Upon hearing the young man's laughter, he immediately stood up, glaring with anger. His nostrils emitted a loud "huff" sound, and his body leaned forward slightly, assuming a fierce and aggressive posture.

  "Hū hū" (a sharp hissing sound) Zhang Tie's body emitted an astonishing aura.

  "What's wrong with you? You're acting like a girl!"

  The atmosphere in the courtyard suddenly became heavy, and the young man's face turned red with a hint of white, clearly both angry and resentful.

  Zhang Tie's prowess was well-known to them. His powerful inner strength, combined with his robust physique, made him unbeatable by anyone in the courtyard at this stage. Wang Chen couldn't help but nod in secret, Zhang Tie's Wild Bull Strength had already reached the upper third level, making him a top-notch expert among the crowd.

  The young man's face turned pale and he involuntarily retreated, Zhang Tie was known for his fierce temper and many people had learned their lesson from him, it was pointless to fight back. The youth beside him hastily mediated: "Forget it, don't quarrel anymore, we'll be separating soon, what's the point of arguing?"

  After hearing this, the person seemed to have found an excuse and naturally stopped talking. The few people grumbled and walked away, "Isn't it just relying on the rapid growth of their current strength? Moreover, that waste who can only cultivate third-rate techniques for a lifetime is just a waste."

  They didn't intentionally lower their voices, but Zhang Tie's face turned green with rage as soon as he heard them. He was about to rush out and teach them a lesson, but just as he was about to swing his arm, it was grabbed by a pair of hands. After struggling for two seconds, he couldn't move at all, so Zhang Tie had no choice but to sit down and eat.

  This man was naturally Wang Chen. He pulled Wang Chen and they sat down to eat together, after all, there would be fewer opportunities for them to be together in the future.

  Just then, as a few people were leaving, the young man who had just been scolded turned his head and glared at Wang Chen, with a hint of anger flashing in his eyes, apparently remembering him with hatred.

  "This is really..." Wang Chen felt a wave of depression, "once again understanding the benefits of strength, it was clear that Zhang Tie was scolding him, but in the end, he was the one who looked down on himself as being weak!"

  …………………………………………

  After dinner, the steward led a few people in. Everyone naturally knew what was going on. After three years of practicing martial arts, the disciples of the Dragon and Tiger Sect had made some progress and were about to be dispatched to various industries under the sect's control. On the one hand, they would protect the sect's industries, and on the other hand, they would also temper the disciples' abilities and martial arts skills.

  "Those going to the mine, follow me; those going to the workshop, follow me; those going to the security bureau, follow me." After a few shouts, everyone was allocated according to their previous thoughts. They had been informed of this beforehand, and Wang Chen had also discussed it with Zhang Tie. Wang Chen decided to go to the mine, and Zhang Tie followed Wang Chen's suggestion to go to the workshop.

  The Dragon Tiger Gang has three major industries: escort agency, mine and weapons.

  In the escort agency is the real Jianghu life, is the vast majority of people want to go, although Wang Chen also very much wants to go, but still endured the thought. Escort agency though good every month's dividend is the highest, but one's own skill is too low, went after too dangerous, for safety can only temporarily give up.

  Going to a workshop to make weapons is safe and good, but it's very tiring. Not to mention, hitting iron all day means there's no time to practice skills. The management is also very strict.

  In the end, Wang Chen still decided to go to the mine. The mine was one of three places that were not popular among people. Firstly, the mine was located deep in the mountains tens of kilometers away, and it would take several months before he could return to Cangzhou City once. Every day, he could only stay in the desolate mountains, which was very dull and boring. Moreover, the pay was particularly low, with only ten taels per month. Additionally, the arms trade in Cangzhou City was mostly controlled by the Longhu Gang, so there would be no gang fighting at the mine. Even if there were fights, it would be after defeating the Longhu Gang, which meant that going to the mine was equivalent to being under house arrest. Therefore, not many people were willing to go to the mine.

  Wang Chen went to the mine because he found that the work there was quiet and peaceful, a good place for ascetic practice. Zhang Tie also didn't like the hustle and bustle of Jianghu, just wanting to live a stable life, so Wang Chen suggested he go to the blacksmith's workshop. The blacksmith's workshop is where one learns to make ironwork, among the Dragon Tiger Gang's industries, only the arms and escort business are most profitable, Zhang Tie practiced the fierce bull skill, with great strength, naturally suited for the blacksmith's workshop.

  Following the middle-aged man out of the yard, Wang Chen took a last look at Zhang Tie, who also turned his head and waved. He had wanted to say something to take care, but after thinking about it, he didn't know what to say, so he just turned his head and left.

  Afterwards, Wang Chen followed the middle-aged man to other courtyards. After a while, Wang Chen felt very helpless following behind the middle-aged man, and unexpectedly no one else was willing to go to the mine. In the end, it wasn't until an elder threatened and promised an additional ten taels of silver that a few people finally followed along. After everything was done, they arrived at the outer reaches of the gang's territory, where the middle-aged man went to one of the gang's businesses, and the several people each mounted a horse and left in different directions.