Chapter 54 - 55: Fusing Ape Arm Skill, Dual Force

Chapter 54: Chapter 55: Fusing Ape Arm Skill, Dual Force

[Martial Arts: ... Iron Cloth Shirt (Incomplete) (Second Layer 1%)]

[Easy Mode: ... Iron Cloth Shirt (Incomplete) 0 uses (200 taels of silver/use)]

Seeing this, Su Chen was completely dumbfounded. "Why is it still at the second layer?"

Before integrating the Ape Arm Skill, it had been at the second layer. He never expected it to remain there even after the fusion.

"Wait, my arms seem to have changed!"

Just then, Su Chen suddenly felt a wave of warmth wash over his arms. Focusing on the sensation, he was instantly startled. "Inner Power has been generated in my arms, too!"

As if unable to believe it, Su Chen focused again and quickly confirmed that he wasn’t mistaken. There was a stream of force in his palms, and another in his arms.

Feeling the dual forces, Su Chen made a silent guess. "The power in my palms comes from the Iron Sand Palm and the Iron Wire Fist. Could this new one in my arms be from the Ape Arm Skill?"

"No wonder the Iron Cloth Shirt didn’t level up. Fusing the Ape Arm Skill added an extra stream of force to my body. And the changes don’t stop there. The power in my palms can now extend into my arms. The two forces run like parallel lines, completely independent of each other."

Realizing this, Su Chen commanded the two streams of force, finding them as easy to direct as moving his own fingers, without the slightest hint of sluggishness. Furthermore, the original force that used to only flow through his palms could now circulate throughout his entire arms.

"Let’s test their destructive power!"

Su Chen stepped into the courtyard. After glancing around, he couldn’t find anything suitable to strike, so he had to gather some stones from nearby to serve as his targets.

After a lengthy session of testing, he came to a conclusion. "The power of the two forces is roughly the same."

However, he didn’t stop there. A new idea sprang to mind. "What if I overlay the two forces?"

The urge grew impossible to ignore. He quickly found a stone the size of a human head. Based on his previous tests, he knew he couldn’t completely shatter a rock of this size with a single palm strike.

Channeling both forces simultaneously, he launched his palm forward. It was as if a bomb had been detonated inside the rock. With a loud BANG, the stone blasted apart, scattering debris all over the ground.

The power was astonishing! Even Su Chen was startled, staring at his own hands in disbelief.

"Let’s try it on a piece of iron!"

Su Chen returned indoors and found a palm-sized iron plate about the thickness of a knuckle. He grabbed it firmly.

CRACK, CRACK, CRACK!

Almost immediately, he heard the metal fracturing. The moment the dual forces surged into it, the iron plate shattered into countless pieces, crumbling as easily as a crushed potato chip.

Seeing this, Su Chen clicked his tongue in amazement. Neither force could achieve this level of destruction individually, but combined, they tore through the metal with ease. This amplification in power was far greater than simply adding one and one together.

"Five strikes. Both forces are depleted simultaneously, giving me the same number of uses as when I only had a single force. The system panel really pulls its weight! With this new stream of Inner Power, my overall strength has multiplied several times over!"

Having witnessed the devastating effects of the dual forces, Su Chen tested them a few more times, highly satisfied with the results. His only complaint was that his energy bottomed out after exactly five strikes, preventing him from practicing any further.

"I’ve been staying in Medicine Town for almost ten days. It’s time to leave."

His testing complete, Su Chen prepared to depart. He returned to the kitchen and began packing his belongings.

Meanwhile.

"Hall Master, we’ve tracked down the killer!" a man reported respectfully, rushing into the courtyard and dropping to one knee.

"Lead the way!" The gray-robed man stood up abruptly. Flicking his sleeves, he strode forward with a group of subordinates trailing closely behind.

The group marched directly through the streets. Recognizing them as members of the Medicine Gang, pedestrians hastily scrambled out of the way, only daring to whisper among themselves once the men had passed.

An incense stick’s time later.

"Hall Master, he’s in the house just around the corner ahead!" a subordinate pointed out.

"Good!" The gray-robed man nodded grimly. "I want to see exactly who has the gall to murder a member of my Medicine Gang!"

The group pressed forward. Suddenly, a man approached from the opposite direction. He was tall, dressed in a white robe, and carried a bundle on his back.

"Halt! Who are you?" the gray-robed man barked, abruptly stopping in his tracks and staring at the man as they were about to brush past each other.

"I’m a local resident," Su Chen replied evenly.

The gray-robed man sized Su Chen up and said suspiciously, "I don’t think I’ve ever seen you around here."

"I just moved in recently."

Although still harboring a faint sense of oddity, the Hall Master didn’t bother to press the issue further. He simply waved his hand dismissively. "Alright, get out of here. Keep your eyes peeled next time and don’t get in my way!"

With that, he led his men away. Rounding the corner and walking for another ten minutes, the gang finally arrived outside a courtyard house.

"Hall Master, this is the place!"

The gray-robed man quickly closed the distance, his men hot on his heels.

BANG!

The wooden door was violently kicked open. As they swarmed into the courtyard, the gray-robed man waved his hand. "Search the place!"

"Hall Master, there’s no one here."

"Hall Master, nothing on this side either."

After a brief sweep, his men reported back. Hearing this, the gray-robed man shot a dark glare at the subordinate who had provided the intel. "Are you playing me for a fool?"

"N-no, Hall Master! The man really lives here!" the subordinate stammered, his face turning pale with fright.

"Then where is he?"

"I... I don’t know!"

The gray-robed man’s expression darkened further. Looking around the courtyard, he inadvertently spotted a pile of freshly swept medicinal dregs. He walked over and reached out to touch the remnants. Feeling the lingering warmth on his fingertips, his expression shifted drastically.

He marched back to the informant and demanded, "What does the killer look like?"

The subordinate scratched his head, racking his brain for a moment before answering, "He looks... completely plain. Extremely ordinary!"

"Could it be that guy?" The Hall Master suddenly recalled the young man they had crossed paths with moments earlier. He immediately waved his arm and bellowed, "After him!"

...

Just as Su Chen stepped outside the borders of Medicine Town, he heard a sharp shout from behind. "Halt!"

He stopped and glanced over his shoulder, only to see the same group of men from earlier sprinting toward him at breakneck speed.

Within moments, the gray-robed man had closed the distance with his men. Su Chen looked at them impassively and asked, "Is there a problem?"

The Hall Master scrutinized Su Chen closely for a moment before his gaze settled on the bundle slung over the young man’s back. He ordered in a low, gravelly voice, "Take him away."

The gang members immediately fanned out, surrounding Su Chen on all sides.

Seeing this, Su Chen narrowed his eyes. "We don’t seem to have any enmity between us, do we?"

"I’m from the Medicine Gang," the gray-robed man replied coldly, staring daggers into Su Chen’s eyes.

Su Chen’s pupils contracted slightly, but his expression remained unfazed. "What does that have to do with me?"

"You killed one of my men, and you think you can just walk away?"

"And what exactly do you want?"

The gray-robed man’s gaze hardened. To him, this nonchalant response was absolute confirmation that Su Chen was Brother Leopard’s killer.

"What do I want? I’m going to drag you back, slice you into a thousand pieces, and bury you alongside Leopard!"

With a vicious wave of his hand, the Hall Master gave the order. Like a pack of rabid dogs, his subordinates immediately swarmed forward.