He achieved the pinnacle of martial arts starting with breaking through the limits of Tiger Fist.

Manager Zhang knows his stuff; even if this fish isn't worth a thousand taels, it's not far off.

He knew Jiang Lin wasn't short of money, after all, he sold fish to him every day.

But to give away such a large sum of money so readily is truly remarkable.

"Young master's gift is so generous. When he said he wanted to add another dish, he was definitely not lying."

This banquet at the Long family is not for just anyone. It's a gathering of the most elite people in Changning County, with at most thirty or forty tables.

A fish weighing over 200 pounds could really make a side dish.

"Then I'll trouble you, shopkeeper, to have someone deliver these to my senior sister's residence. I also need to go into town to have two sets of clothes made, so as not to tarnish her reputation."

Jiang Lin pointed to the hempen clothes he was wearing and smiled at Steward Zhang.

"Young master, you have considered this very well. As the saying goes, clothes make the man and a saddle makes the horse. Once you change your clothes, you will surely be even more radiant."

Manager Zhang gave a thumbs-up, offering a sincere compliment.

Jiang Lin was already handsome, and now that the Tiger Soul Pole has been fully mastered, his temperament has become even more outstanding, making him even more imposing. Even his skin, which had been dark from years of fishing, has become fairer in the past few months.

Even dressed in this linen outfit, he would attract the attention of young ladies on the street. If he were to wear fine clothes, he would definitely be a dashing young man.

After bidding farewell to the shopkeeper, Jiang Lin strode towards the county town.

Once inside the city, he went straight to a clothing shop.

The so-called "fitting attire" was not armor, but rather clothing worn for riding, archery, and leisure – with narrow sleeves, tight fit, and a neat, close-fitting style.

To put it simply, it's a high-end version of sportswear from ancient times.

In this world where martial arts flourish, tight-fitting clothing has become especially popular.

The clothing store had all kinds of outfits, ranging from a few taels to around thirty taels.

If you want to customize it, adding jade belt dragons, golden bells, and the like, then there's no upper limit; it can easily cost over a hundred taels of silver.

Although Jiang Lin could afford the money, he wasn't extravagant. He chose two outfits that cost around thirty taels each, just enough to look presentable.

In addition, two pairs of fine cloud-walking boots were provided, making a total of two sets of clothes, which cost more than eighty taels of silver.

This was the first time he had ever spent so much money on clothes.

Firstly, with progress in martial arts, it's indeed time to pay more attention to certain aspects.

Secondly, since he broke the fishing limit twice, he has become very confident in his ability to make money. A few dozen taels of silver is no longer a large sum of money.

Two sets of clothes, one black with cloud patterns, and the other blue with water patterns.

Jiang Lin had originally planned to return to the martial arts school, but then he thought that since he had given such a large gift, it wouldn't be appropriate to invite Lin Zheng to the banquet again tomorrow.

Returning to the "Water Tiger Gang" stronghold, they found several targets already erected in the courtyard.

Including Chen Sanlang, the group practiced with great enthusiasm.

The crowd wasn't so enthusiastic the day before, but after Jiang Lin demonstrated his arrow skills and amazed everyone, they started to take it seriously.

Jiang Lin's progress in martial arts has been somewhat slow in recent days.

The "Tiger Soul Stance" is capped at 500 for the Great Perfection stage, while the "Tiger Ben Fist" is even lower, with only 300 for the beginner level.

He planned to save his stance training for later, after he had earned enough money.

He chose to abandon boxing techniques because his stance training was not yet perfected and he could not break through to the next level.

The only areas where progress was made were archery and the "Water-Separating Technique".

Jiang Lin

[Breakthrough Point]: 0 (Progress 36%)

[Martial Arts] The Startling String Manual (Mastery 437/8000)

[Martial Arts] Water Splitting Technique (Mastery 182/1200)

These two are the skills I've been focusing on recently, and unlike stance training which is slow, both are skill-based and progress is very fast.

……

The next day, Jiang Lin practiced his water skills for half a day and then returned directly to the fish market.

After taking a shower, I changed into a black outfit and cloud-patterned boots, and I felt completely refreshed.

As the saying goes, "Buddha relies on gold plating, and people rely on clothes." Once he changed into his new outfit, he looked completely different. When he walked out the door, everyone in the stronghold stared at him with admiration.

The Long family banquet is an evening feast, and now is the perfect time to set off. After all, Master Li Zhenguan will definitely be there today, and a disciple cannot arrive later than his master.

The Long family lives in the inner city, which is not open to ordinary people.

Despite Jiang Lin's current smart attire, he still had to show his invitation at the inner city gate before he could enter.

This was his first time entering the inner city, and it was different from the outer circle he had imagined.

Logically, the inner city should be smaller than the outer city, but Jiang Lin didn't find it crowded at all.

Each of the grand mansions had its own high walls enclosing its own territory, making them appear much more spacious than the outer city.

At this moment, the wide street was bustling with carriages and horses, many of whom were on their way to a banquet at the Long family's residence. Jiang Lin didn't need to ask for directions; he could simply follow along.

As a wealthy family in the county, the Long family naturally put on an impressive banquet. Jiang Lin could see from afar that most of the street was decorated with lanterns and colorful flowers.

Upon arriving at the entrance of the Dragon Mansion, one sees a continuous stream of congratulatory carriages in front of the grand mansion, with many maids in brocade robes coming and going.

Starting from the main gate of the Long family mansion, a row of lanterns was hung all the way to the square inside the mansion.

At the main gate, Long Yan, the eldest son of the Long family, led the gatekeeper to greet the guests, and Jiang Lin handed over the invitation.

"So you are a disciple of the Tiger Warrior Martial Arts School, Brother Jiang. Please come in. Many of your fellow disciples have already arrived. Please take your seats inside."

Jiang Lin politely replied, "Please."

Following the lanterns, he arrived at a large square. He glanced around and saw the martial arts school members on the east side, including Senior Brother Zhou and Lin Zheng.

"Senior Brother Zhou, Senior Brother Lin," Jiang Lin stepped forward to greet them.

When Zhou Ping saw Jiang Lin, he stood up, patted him on the shoulder, and turned to introduce him to the people at the table, "This is Junior Brother Jiang from the outer academy. He has now broken through three barriers and is not far from becoming a martial artist. His future is promising."

"So it's Junior Brother Jiang. Come, come, take your seat quickly."

"Could it be that Junior Sister Long came to ask you just now? Junior Brother Jiang is indeed extraordinary. It's a cause for celebration that he has earned Junior Sister's favor."

Upon hearing this, all the senior brothers greeted him with smiles and were very polite.

Jiang Lin cupped his hands in greeting and found a seat next to Lin Zheng.

The banquet had not yet begun; some tea and dried fruit were laid out on the table for everyone to chat.

A short while later, everyone stood up. It was Master Li Zhenguan who had arrived, along with Wei Song, the head of the Xingyiquan school.

Li Zhenguan was just making a brief visit; as Long Susu's master, he would definitely be seated at the main table.

As everyone continued chatting, the guests outside gradually arrived. Just as the banquet was about to begin, a commotion suddenly broke out at the door.

"The county magistrate has arrived..."

Immediately, a buzz of discussion arose around them; the relationship between the Long family and the government was not harmonious at the moment.

Anyone with eyes to see can tell that the Great Jin Dynasty is currently in turmoil, with a heretical rebel army causing chaos in the south and foreign tribes eyeing it covetously in the north.

Don't be fooled by the fact that the people in the surrounding prefectures and counties of Yunmeng can barely make ends meet; that's because this area is a land of plenty.

Other places were already in dire straits, resembling apocalyptic scenes.

Last time, it was rumored that the Long family suffered heavy losses in the depths of Yunmeng. Since then, the Long family has supported gangs to control resources and has been recruiting people from various martial arts schools.

Even the weapon forging shops are filled with orders from the Long family. Keep in mind that this is only Changning County, and this is only one branch of the Long family.

Looking across the entire prefecture, the Long family behaves in this way everywhere. Are they planning a rebellion?