This was the life of a gang's brass. Ordinary warriors had to work their asses off mining just to barely survive, while they could sit back and reap the benefits without labor.
"Boss, I heard Li Zitian is back, running around like a mad dog investigating his brother's disappearance," a lean young man said while tearing into a piece of meat.
"Poh! That kid was called away by an Immortal Master for a task. Too bad he didn't die out there!" another spat.
"You said it! That kid's talent is frightening. If he manages to reach Proficiency in 'Demonic Ape Palm', I'm afraid even you, Boss, might not be able to suppress him!" several others chimed in, their tones laced with apprehension.
"Don't worry!" A strapping man with a full beard sitting at the head spoke in a booming voice, picking up a large piece of meat into his mouth. " I am not far from the Proficiency in Demonic Ape Palm, either. When the time comes, why would I fear a junior like Li Zitian?"
This man was the Black Tiger Gang Leader, Liu Heihu.
The "Demonic Ape Palm" he spoke of was precisely the first combat skill that came along as one had achieved the Body Tempering Fourth Level in Demonic Ape Blood Qi Art!
"Wanting to eliminate Li Zitian? Is there any difficulty doing that?"
From one of the tunnels came a sudden, calm voice, echoing within the cavern.
"Who's there?!"
Liu Heihu and the others' expressions changed drastically. Their eyes swung towards the source of the voice, their Qi and Blood instantly churning around them.
From the shadows stepped a tall, slender figure, wearing a black cloth mask that exposed only his eyes, glinting with calmness under the dim light.
Liu Heihu's gaze was sharp, like a fierce tiger's, fixed on Lu Lin. "What did you just say? You can get rid of Li Zitian?"
"Yes!" Lu Lin returned his gaze, giving a candid nod.
"Oh?" Liu Heihu leaned forward slightly and sized him up with suspicion. "Who's backing you up? Which gang do you represent?"
This was the first possibility that came to his mind—some force was wanting to cooperate with them to deal with the increasingly cocky Blood Wolf Gang.
Lu Lin, however, shook his head, his tone flat yet firm. "Don't bother guessing. I'm alone."
"Just you?" To Liu Heihu's left, a massive man, nearly two meters tall and built like a iron pagoda, erupted in anger, thundering, "Kid, are you messing with us?"
Everyone knew that Li Zitian was not only at the Body Tempering Sixth Level but had also long reached Small Proficiency in the 'Demonic Ape Palm'.
In this Xuan-iron mine, unless several experts at the same Level set up an ambush, no one could take his life alone.
Bang!
Lu Lin knew that idle talk with these people was useless. Only tangible strength could win the right to be heard.
He suddenly pushed off the ground, shooting forward like an arrow from a bowstring, his fist aiming straight for the giant man's face, as a gust of wind rushed past!
"You're courting death!" the giant man roared. His Qi and Blood all over surged instantly. The muscles of his right arm coiled and bulged, gleaming with an iron-gray sheen. His palm, kicking up a fierce, whistling wind, came slapping hard toward Lu Lin's fist, powerful and heavy as if it could break stone.
Fist and palm collided violently!
Two torrents of robust Qi and Blood clashed fiercely, sending visible crimson waves rippling outward as air currents churned, stirring up dust from the ground.
The next moment!
A faint crack sounded. The pagoda of a man's face froze in disbelief. His entire arm trembled convulsively as he felt the bones could break at any moment and his colossal frame staggered backward.
Having gained an upper hand, Lu Lin pressed on without mercy. With his shifting footwork, he pursued the man like a shadow following its owner. His right fist hadn't yet lost its momentum when his left fist, like a serpent emerging from its lair, went straight for the giant's throat!
To the side, Liu Heihu's expression twisted ugly. Letting out a low roar of shock, he lunged forward to intervene. His palms, large as a cattail-leaf fan, wrapped in a nearly tangible Qi and Blood, slapped toward Lu Lin's flanks, intending to rescue his lieutenant by forcing Lu Lin into defense.
Surprisingly, Lu Lin did not dodge. He still directed his right fist forward, while his left fist abruptly swung back, meeting Liu Heihu's twin palms head-on!
Boom!
Another muffled, terrifying explosion! The force of Qi and Blood erupted, then scattered!
All Liu Heihu felt was an overwhelming force coursing up his arm. The bones in his arm instantly went numb and ached sharply; his Qi and Blood was boiling.
He groaned, utterly unable to keep his footing. Thud, thud, thud...he was sent backing away over a dozen steps. Each step left a deep footprint in the hard ground until he barely managed to halt his movement.
One of his arms hung limp, trembling incessantly. His face was pale, and a trickle of blood even seeped from the corner of his mouth.
He jerked his head up, his eyes filled with shock and horror, fixed on Lu Lin whose breathing remained calm. It was a long moment before he squeezed out a few words through clenched teeth, "S-so... so strong! W-ere you... born with immense strength?!"
He, Liu Heihu, broke through the Body Tempering Sixth Level five years ago. Now, he was at the very limit of the Sixth Level, just one step away from attempting the breakthrough to the Seventh.
Moreover, he had also reached Small Proficiency in the 'Demonic Ape Palm' and was now nearing the stage of Proficiency. He considered himself unmatched among the Body Tempering Sixth Level martial artists at this mine.
Yet, a single punch from Lu Lin had already left him hard-pressed. This man's power was simply terrifying. Li Heihu had been under such pressure only in front of those who had broken through the Body Tempering Seventh Level.
But he did not suspect Lu Lin had already reached the Seventh.
Because progressing from the Body Tempering Sixth Level to the Seventh required guiding Qi and Blood into bones, hammering a thousand times and forging a hundred times the bones, during which Qi and Blood was to bones what a sledgehammer was to a piece of iron, hardening them like refined steel.
This was extremely perilous. The slightest mistake could shatter one's bones, resulting in death. It absolutely required the protection of the precious 'Bone Protecting Pills'.
Furthermore, one pill was not enough. One had to take a pill every ten days continuously for half a year to complete the breakthrough.