I Grind to Martial Saint

Han Yuan helped the fallen child to his feet, brushed the dust from his clothes, and then walked away.

The townspeople on the street were stunned when they saw this.

”Could the rumors be wrong?”

”Impossible. So many people were watching that day.”

”But I feel like this Chief Constable Han... he doesn’t seem as vicious as the rumors say.”

”It’s hard to say...”

Of course, Han Yuan couldn’t hear their whispers.

When he stepped out of the County Yamen, the gazes from the government officials and constables were filled with even more reverence than they had shown the former Gao Yuan.

After all, Gao Yuan had merely been gloomy. This man, however, was a killer who didn’t even blink.

Who would dare provoke him?

Amidst a chorus of deferential calls of ”Chief Constable Han,” Han Yuan walked into the main hall.

Zheng Heda was sitting in the main seat with one leg crossed over the other, humming a little tune.

Master Zhang Hu was off to the side, his eyes bloodshot. His fingers flew across an abacus as he calculated the accounts.

The He Family had a vast number of assets that needed to be accounted for.

Even though the Government Office had several bookkeepers, Zheng Heda still had Zhang Hu double-check everything, which was exhausting him.

”Han Yuan, you’re just in time.”

”We’ve finally tallied up some of the numbers from seizing the He Family’s assets.”

”Take this silver for now... there will be more to come.”

Seeing Han Yuan enter, Zheng Heda handed him a silver note.

Han Yuan glanced at the amount.

Eight hundred taels.

’Not bad.’

Of course, the He Family had much more money than this.

But the public accounts couldn’t look too bare.

Even Zheng Heda and Zhang Hu had only skimmed five hundred taels for themselves; they had deliberately given Han Yuan a larger share.

After all, without him, they wouldn’t be in the position they were today.

Besides, they would have to rely on Han Yuan to maintain peace in Qingshui County in the future, so it was crucial for them to maintain a good working relationship.

Han Yuan put it away. ”My lord, I’ll take my leave now.”

”Go on.”

”Go on, attend to your duties.”

Zheng Heda nodded.

In truth, Han Yuan had nothing to be busy with.

His fearsome reputation was so widespread now that even the Fire Wolf Gang and the Cyan Sand Gang hadn’t dared to cause any trouble for the past few days.

He handed off any miscellaneous tasks to Old Wang.

He had even more free time now than when he was guarding the treasury.

But Han Yuan had no intention of slacking off.

Ever since that terrifying experience on Great Tiger Mountain, Han Yuan knew this world hid many unknown horrors.

Only by constantly growing stronger would he have what it takes to survive.

He went to the courtyard that had previously belonged to Gao Yuan and summoned Wang Dahua and the others.

”Chief Constable, you really want us to do this?”

Wang Dahua clutched the Iron Rod, his expression hesitant.

This Iron Rod was heavy and had sharp edges; it could easily beat a man to a bloody pulp.

”I told you to do it, so do it.”

”My back, chest, thighs, and calves. Hit me as hard as you can.”

Han Yuan stripped off his shirt, revealing a physique of lean, hard muscle.

He no longer needed to hide his Cultivation, and it was far more efficient to have others assist him with Outer Forging.

Wang Dahua, Gu Zhengyang, and the others dared not disobey Han Yuan. Gripping the Iron Rods with both hands, they began to swing them at his body.

THUD! THUD! THUD!

The beating...

...lasted for over an hour.

Han Yuan stood drenched in sweat, his skin glowing red like a hot iron. His veins bulged like writhing snakes.

Wang Dahua and the other government officials collapsed to the ground in exhaustion, their arms cramping from the effort.

”Go get a few more men.”

Han Yuan had no intention of resting.

There were plenty of men in the County Yamen, after all.

”Yes, sir!”

Wang Dahua scrambled to his feet and went outside to fetch more men.

Soon.

Several more government officials were soon swinging Iron Rods at Han Yuan.

...

In the days that followed, Han Yuan trained relentlessly in the Arhat Iron Cloth Shirt.

He wasn’t short on silver coins, so he continuously purchased large quantities of blood-replenishing herbs and ointments to boost his Cultivation efficiency. He was able to train more than thirty times a day.

「More than ten days later.」

BANG!

As Wang Dahua brought a rod down hard on Han Yuan’s back.

It was as if a fierce beast had awoken within his body.

Wang Dahua watched as Han Yuan’s muscles bulged and knotted, a dense web of veins surfacing. He could faintly hear a crackling sound, like grinding bones and sinew.

And in Han Yuan’s field of vision...

Arhat Iron Cloth Shirt: Proficient (0/800)

’My muscles... they feel tougher.’

Though his face was twisted in agony from the pain of his muscles and sinews tearing, Han Yuan broke into a smile.

Seeing that smile, Gu Zhengyang shuddered.

Once the transformation subsided, Han Yuan ordered in a low voice, ”Dahua, cut me!”

Hearing this, Wang Dahua’s hand trembled so badly he dropped the Iron Rod.

”What are you afraid of? Do it!”

Han Yuan growled.

Wang Dahua gritted his teeth, drew the long blade from his waist, and swung it fiercely at Han Yuan’s back.

SCREECH!

His tough, hard muscles were like tree bark. The long blade could only leave a bloody scratch, unable to cut deep.

”Excellent... Excellent!”

Han Yuan roared with laughter.

With his current physical fortitude, it would be difficult for an ordinary person to injure him, even with a sharp blade.

Of course, if a Gathering Power Expert were to focus their Power into a single strike, they could probably still slice through his flesh.

But his Arhat Iron Cloth Shirt was only at the Proficient level. Once he cultivated it to Great Success, he suspected even a Gathering Power Martial Artist would struggle to harm him.

After breaking through to the Proficient realm, Han Yuan’s Qi Power, endurance, Recovery Power, and muscle toughness all increased once more.

This allowed him to train even more ferociously.

By throwing an insane amount of money at it, he could grind out more than forty sessions of Arhat Iron Cloth Shirt training a day.

The only problem was that the government officials and constables at the County Yamen were completely worn out.

...

「Another eighteen days passed.」

The scorching summer finally ended, and the temperature cooled.

「Late at night.」

「The inner courtyard of the County Yamen.」

THUD! THUD! THUD!

Two constables swung iron rods, frantically beating Han Yuan’s body.

Their strength was naturally much greater than Wang Dahua’s.

The blows landed on Han Yuan’s body with dull thuds.

”Yes!”

”Just like that!”

”Incredible!!!!”

Han Yuan even had a look of enjoyment on his face.

This made the two constables feel extremely unsettled.

After several hundred more frantic blows, they too were starting to falter.

”Alright... you two can go on patrol.”

Han Yuan said with a wave of his hand.

The two constables hastily clasped their fists and departed.

The instant they left the courtyard, an extremely contorted expression appeared on Han Yuan’s face.

”So painful!!!!”

A piercing pain shot through him, as if countless red-hot needles were stabbing every muscle in his body. He could barely stand, and collapsed into a heap in the corner.

He endured the agony for the time it takes to drink a cup of tea.

Han Yuan pushed himself up from the ground.

Arhat Iron Cloth Shirt: Minor Success (0/1500)

Having broken through to Minor Success, Han Yuan felt completely different.

When he circulated his qi and blood according to the Arhat Iron Cloth Shirt’s Inner Cultivation Method, his skin grew hard.

Han Yuan pinched his skin hard and it felt like squeezing a thin sheet of metal.

’It’s finally starting to live up to the name Iron Cloth Shirt.’

Han Yuan grinned.

He rested a little longer, drank a medicinal soup he had prepared earlier, then left the County Yamen and headed for his residence.

In the days since Han Yuan became Chief Constable, although he was obsessed with his martial training, the public order in Qingshui County had strangely improved, becoming less chaotic than before.

This was mainly because the city’s numerous small and mid-sized gangs saw that even the Fire Wolf Gang and the Cyan Sand Gang were laying low, so they dared not cause any trouble.