Becoming a saint begins with apprenticing under the last martial arts champion.

Chapter 22: Skin Resurfacing

Upon hearing the high priest's question, the man immediately replied:

"We have captured six people with congenital disabilities so far, four men and two women, which meets your requirements, Priest."

"But there are still two people who are born with disabilities... for now."

"There are still ten boys and girls...we haven't made a move yet."

Upon hearing this, the high priest frowned, his eyebrows furrowing.

"Aren't young boys and girls the easiest to take? Why haven't they done it yet?"

The man explained, "Just go to the west side of the city and rob or grab a couple of young kids. It can be done in a day."

"The reason we haven't taken action yet is to find all the people who are ill first..."

The high priest understood; the other party wanted to handle the difficult matter first...

"It's been a month, and we've found everyone who was born with disabilities."

"Why is it that even people born with disabilities can't all be gathered together?"

The man spoke again to explain, "Most people born with disabilities are abandoned and become beggars; they're easy to find."

"But those who are born with a disability don't have serious problems and are from normal families."

"Hard to find, even harder to catch..."

The high priest frowned even more deeply.

He remained silent for a long time before finally saying, "You can verify the power bestowed by the gods yourself later."

"In exchange, the Holy Church also needs to act quickly to obtain what it requires."

The high priest paused slightly, then gave him a deadline, "I'll give you a maximum of half a month."

"Those who are born with a disability, those who are born with a defect, and those who are virgins—all three conditions must be met."

The man was immersed in the joy of gaining new power and didn't take the commanding tone to heart. He simply replied, "Understood, understood."

Immediately, the high priest turned his gaze to the other believers and began to speak to each of them.

The man was no longer in the mood to listen.

All he could think about at that moment was testing his current abilities.

Half an hour passed in the blink of an eye, and the man emerged from the dilapidated temple.

They quickly headed west of the city.

He planned to go to the village port wharf and quickly launch himself into the water to test his new abilities.

During the journey.

The high priest's demands flashed through his mind...

There are supposedly two more people who were born with a disability.

Actually, there's still one missing.

Because he had already locked onto Lu Changqing.

He had previously been the top disciple of Minghao Martial Arts School and had no prior grudges against Lu Changqing.

But by this time, the other party had become a rootless duckweed.

It also meets the requirements of the Umbrella Cult.

So he called for his men to go and arrest them.

only....

The man's brows were furrowed.

Why is it taking Wang Laizi and his gang so long to catch a piece of trash?

Finally, his eyes turned fierce, which, combined with his narrow eyes and scarred philtrum, made him appear even more malevolent.

Wang Laizi and his gang are useless; they should be thrown into the sea to raise demon fish!

...

...

the next day.

After having breakfast, Lu Changqing walked around the yard as usual.

Before long, the courtyard gate was pushed open.

Liu Bai walked in wearing an old robe, carrying many medicinal herbs wrapped in newspaper.

As it drew nearer, the bitter smell of the medicine immediately filled the air.

"Alright, stop practicing for now, go start a fire," Liu Bai said. "We'll start the skin-sharpening process today."

Lu Changqing immediately agreed and went to the side room to start a fire in the stove.

Then, at Liu Bai's instruction, some of the medicine was poured into a large pot and boiled.

While waiting, the two chatted about what had happened the night before.

Liu Bai sat in the armchair and smiled at Lu Changqing, saying:

"Last night a hero killed a demon fish, and the news has already spread among the fishermen. I reckon it won't be long before it's embellished and spread throughout the entire western part of the port city."

"How is it?"

"This is a great opportunity to make a name for ourselves, why not take this chance to find a few powerful figures to rely on?"

Lu Changqing smiled and shook his head: "Relying on heaven or earth is not as good as relying on yourself."

"Now that a great master is guiding me, if I still waver and change my mind, wouldn't that be like throwing away the watermelon to pick up a sesame seed?"

Upon hearing this, Liu Bai couldn't help but burst into laughter, tapping Lu Changqing with his iron fan: "You little brat, your mouth..."

As he spoke, he touched the hundred silver dollars Lu Changqing had given him that morning, and asked with some curiosity, "You and the young master of the Wang family have such a good relationship."

"With all these connections, making a few hundred dollars a month is no big deal. Why bother fishing like this every day?"

Lu Changqing paused for a moment, then said with a smile, "You're not very capable."

"If I had the skill to practice twice or three times, then I would feel perfectly justified in earning this money."

"With my current abilities... Wang Hao can definitely find me a decent job, but he can't really make everyone truly accept me from the bottom of their hearts."

"Back then... emotions and trivial matters would interfere with martial arts practice, so it's better to be carefree now."

This wasn't just polite talk; Lu Changqing genuinely thought so.

The manager of a fishing boat who earns at most forty dollars a month is already looked down upon because of his connections.

He's now able to stand on the ship; that's a testament to his skill.

Lu Changqing knew the principle that you can't bite off more than you can chew.

"Tsk tsk, do you really have to do something? I don't believe your brother can't find you a quiet job." Liu Bai fanned himself slightly with his iron fan.

Lu Changqing immediately shook his head: "Xiao Hao and I can still be friends without any restrictions, but if I really become a 'house slave' dependent on their family, then..."

"Whether I can still laugh and joke like that anymore is another matter entirely."

Upon hearing this, Liu Bai raised an eyebrow, a look of surprise appearing in his eyes.

He never expected that Lu Changqing, who was not very old, would have such a mature mindset!

Immediately, he thought of his family's misfortunes...

Looking at Lu Changqing's youthful yet composed demeanor, Liu Bai's eyes became filled with complex emotions.

In some ways, Lu Changqing and he really do resemble each other...

Silence fell over the courtyard, with only the bitter smell of herbs wafting through the air.

When Liu Bai first heard Lu Changqing say that he wanted to teach him martial arts, he was deeply moved.

He thought that the man was simply blinded by anger and hatred, and that's why he wanted to kill his enemy.

But after spending more than a month together...

He discovered that Lu Changqing's resilience, temperament, and execution ability were far superior to those of ordinary people!

For example, he couldn't let go of family feuds and national hatred, which is why he became addicted to opium and has been in this state for so long without recovering.

If it weren't for Lu Changqing redeeming the Iron Fan and those words...

I don't know how many years it will take... and maybe he'll never have the idea of going back again.

This kind of mental resilience is already evident.

And their execution ability is absolutely exceptional!

Martial arts training begins immediately.

More than a month without a single day of rest!

I practice for more than ten hours every day!

At least Liu Bai himself couldn't do it.

Among the warriors he knew, very few could do that.

Recently, he was planning to get his skin smoothed, and he mentioned needing money one minute, and then immediately started looking for someone to cash out...

Gradually, all that remained in Liu Bai's eyes as he looked at Lu Changqing was admiration!

He thought it would take at least ten years to train Lu Changqing to become the best in Hong Kong.

It seems like it will take about five or eight years...

time flies.

Half an hour passed.

The medicinal bath is ready.

Lu Changqing had already taken out the wooden bucket that Liu Bai had prepared in advance and poured all the dark medicine into it.

Then he went in, and Liu Bai's instructions on breathing rhythm kept coming to his ears.

At the same time, the Tai Chi diagram in my mind began to spin rapidly.

The white portion, representing Yang, should be filled immediately!

Attack: 4 (Hundred-Foot Soaring Step +1) (+)

Defense: 2 (+)