Martial arts immortality begins with upgrading buildings.

Chen Qing felt a strange energy suddenly surge into his body, and his strength instantly increased.

The three bags of rice that were originally heavy on my shoulders suddenly became light as a feather, as if I were carrying a wad of cotton instead of grain.

At the same time, the personal panel that appeared in front of him also quietly changed.

【Occupation: Porter (One-time limit break 0/500)】

[Talent: Critical Strike]

"So, the so-called 'mastery' is simply breaking one's own limits to activate one's physical talents."

A sudden realization dawned on Chen Qing.

His gaze fell on the talent section, and a clear annotation immediately appeared before his eyes.

[Critical Strike: Can instantly unleash power exceeding three times one's own limits]

"What incredible talent! Even if I become a martial arts master in the future, this talent will still be of great use."

Chen Qing could not hide his excitement; his fingertips trembled slightly.

This talent is clearly tailor-made for combat.

In chaotic times, if you want to gain a foothold and rise against the tide, you will inevitably have to get your hands stained with blood.

And this critical strike talent is the sharpest weapon to kill enemies!

With his current strength, lifting 500 jin of goods is no problem at all, and when he reaches his limit, his strength can reach more than 600 jin.

Once the critical strike talent is activated, it can instantly unleash a terrifying force of 1,800 jin.

Yan Laosan could draw blood with a single punch from Zhang Mazi, so his full-force attack would definitely be too much for that half-baked martial artist to handle!

Having acquired such formidable talent, Chen Qing felt inexplicably more confident.

He used to be nothing more than a tiny ant in the torrent of chaos, easily swallowed up and killed by a gust of wind or a ripple.

But now, he is strong and powerful, far surpassing his peers in strength, and possesses this extraordinary trump card. He is no longer the soft persimmon that can be easily manipulated and has no power to resist.

After carrying the last three bags of rice, Chen Qing went straight to the supervisor's office to collect his wages, and then hurriedly returned to the shack to prepare lunch.

As his body grew stronger, his appetite also increased day by day, and he would eat two pounds of meat a day.

In addition to rice, vegetables, eggs, and other supplements for nutrition, the daily expenses were at least sixty copper coins worth ten cash, which was roughly half a silver dollar.

However, his average daily income was only thirty copper coins, which meant he was short thirty copper coins every day.

The three silver dollars that were left were now almost gone, enough to last for at most three more days.

If he still can't find a more lucrative job by then, he will be forced to reduce his food intake.

But he knew in his heart that once his food intake decreased, his body would inevitably become thinner and thinner, and the strength he had worked so hard to gain would also decline.

He absolutely would not allow this to happen!

"Tomorrow's management fee must not be paid! The steamship they stole must be taken back!"

A chilling killing intent flashed in Chen Qing's eyes; he had already made up his mind.

After lunch, the boys from the shack, as usual, went to the county town together to look for odd jobs.

But their luck was exceptionally bad today. The group waited on the street for an entire afternoon without getting a single job.

For safety's sake, the group didn't dare to delay and hurriedly returned to their shack before it got dark.

Chen Qing went to the market again and bought fresh meat and vegetables to ensure a nutritious diet for each meal.

After finishing his meal, he began practicing Baduanjin (Eight Pieces of Brocade) as usual to strengthen his body.

After finishing his daily routine, he picked up a kitchen knife, sat at the entrance of the shack, and began to carefully sharpen it.

The blade gleamed with a cold, sharp light in the dim light.

......

The next morning, just as dawn was breaking, Chen Qing went to the dock to work as usual.

After working hard for half a day and just receiving his wages from the foreman, he saw Zhang Mazi leading a group of Shandong gangsters, swaggering towards the dock with an extremely arrogant expression.

"Listen up, you Shangquan gang members! It's time to pay your management fees today!"

Zhang Mazi stood with his hands on his hips, looking smug.

Yesterday, he killed Yan Laosan, and the effect of making an example of him was obviously very significant.

When he came to collect the money today, the small groups at the dock were all silent and trembling, no one dared to resist in the slightest, and they all obediently paid the 10% management fee.

If he handles this matter well, he will not only gain the appreciation of the boss, Qin Gen, but also receive a share of the management fees collected.

These good days are so much better than carrying heavy loads and doing manual labor all day long.

"Zhou Tao, you're the head of the Shangquan Gang. You're in charge of collecting this money and handing it over to me."

Zhang Mazi looked at Zhou Tao with a smile, but his tone was full of unquestionable arrogance.

"Your Shangquan Gang carried a total of 360 bags of rice today, earning you 450 copper coins in wages. After deducting a 10% management fee, that's 45 copper coins—not a penny less!"

Upon hearing this, the members of the Shangquan Gang turned pale and looked distressed.

The rice merchant quoted a price of 1.25 copper coins per bag for transporting the rice. For 360 bags of rice, the total labor cost was indeed 450 copper coins.

But everyone knows that of these 450 copper coins, 60% will be taken by the foreman Qin Gen, and only 180 copper coins will actually end up in the hands of these laborers.

Everyone originally thought that this 10% management fee would be taken from their wages, and even though it hurt, they could still grit their teeth and bear it.

Unexpectedly, Zhang Mazi was taking a cut from the total compensation paid by the rice shop.

This means that 70% of their wages will be taken away, which is practically leaving them no way to make a living!

Zhou Tao gritted his teeth in anger, his chest churning with fury, wishing he could rush up and fight Zhang Mazi to the death right there and then.

But when he thought of Yan Laosan, the toughest fighter at the dock, being beaten to death by Zhang Mazi, the anger in his heart was instantly extinguished by a bucket of cold water, leaving only endless frustration and powerlessness.

He dejectedly stretched out his hand, about to ask his brothers to chip in the money, when Chen Qing suddenly grabbed his arm with such force that he was slightly startled.

"I refuse to accept this!"

Chen Qing took a step forward, looked directly at Zhang Mazi, and spoke in a loud voice.

"Zhang Mazi, what right do you have to take a 10% management fee from us? Yan Laosan is old and just has a name without substance!"

Now, I am the best fighter at the dock, and I challenge you!

"Didn't you practice Iron Shirt? Dare to take one of my punches!"

Chen Qing deliberately put on an arrogant and domineering demeanor, shouting loudly at Zhang Mazi, acting like a reckless fool who didn't know his own limitations.

"Mr. Zhang, we're so sorry, the child is just talking nonsense and doesn't know any better. Please don't take it seriously! We'll pay the management fee right away, right away!"

Zhou Tao was instantly terrified and broke out in a cold sweat. He quickly reached out and covered Chen Qing's mouth, his face as pale as paper.

He also knew that the kid had indeed gotten much stronger recently, and could carry three bags of rice at a time, making him stronger than many able-bodied laborers.

Even so, he was still far inferior to Yan Laosan.

Even Yan Laosan couldn't withstand Zhang Mazi's punches, so Chen Qing's actions were simply courting death!

Da Niu and the others rushed forward, grabbing Chen Qing's arm tightly and whispering to him not to act impulsively and not to risk his life.

But Chen Qing was completely unafraid, yanked Zhou Tao's hand away, and shouted at Zhang Mazi again.

"Zhang Mazi, are you scared?"

"You think I'm afraid of you?"

Looking at the boy with the childish face in front of him, Zhang Mazi seemed to have heard the biggest joke, and a contemptuous smile appeared on his lips.

He just beat Yan Laosan to death yesterday, and this little brat dares to jump out and fight back today. Does he really think he's soft-hearted and doesn't dare to kill a child?

Since this kid is determined to die, then let him have his way!

At worst, I'll kill another one, just to show these people at the docks what happens when they resist Zhang Mazi!

"Fine, since you're so eager to die, I'll grant your wish!"

Zhang Mazi stared fiercely at Chen Qing, his tone nonchalant, "But I've always been fair. If I take a punch from you, you'll take a punch from me too."

"Okay, it's settled then!"

Chen Qing remained arrogant on the surface, but secretly sneered in his heart.

This pockmarked man has taken the bait.

Let him throw the first punch; does Zhang Mazi even think he'll have a chance to retaliate?!

He turned to the onlookers and shouted, "Everyone heard that! He took my punch first, and I'll take his punch in return. Whoever chickens out is a dog!"

The onlookers, mostly laborers, were astonished and whispered amongst themselves.

They simply couldn't understand where this teenager got the confidence to challenge Zhang Mazi.

Has he gone mad?

It's worth noting that Yan Laosan, who can carry 500 jin of goods, could only inflict minor injuries on Zhang Mazi with a single punch, even if he used all his strength.

This child is less than half the size of Yan Laosan, how much strength could he possibly have?

His punches wouldn't even have been enough to tickle Zhang Mazi.

But Zhang Mazi's fists are truly deadly!

The way everyone looked at Chen Qing now carried a hint of sympathy.

This child is probably not going to make it today.