Only by reaching the level of “tough skin” can one truly stay and continue practicing the next stages. Otherwise, without this foundation, it’s impossible to master Hui Shan Fist, and staying would be pointless.

Very soon, only five days remained.

Inside his own house.

In the afternoon, Henry Webb returned from the courtyard and sat on a stool to rest for a while, just about to get up to eat.

With a click, the wooden door was gently pushed open.

Second sister Emily Webb quietly walked in, holding a small bundle in her hand—a gray little bundle.

Even before she got close, a strong medicinal smell wafted from the bundle.

Emily Webb quickly closed the door behind her and dropped the latch.

“Xiao He, this is for you!” She walked over and handed the small bundle to her younger brother.

“Second sister, what’s this?” Henry Webb asked in confusion, taking the gray cloth bundle and opening it. Inside, there was another layer of gray cloth.

After unwrapping three layers of cloth, inside was a yellow paper packet. On the outside of the packet, written in red characters: 养血散.

The three big characters were clearly visible.

“This is Nourishing Blood Powder!” Henry Webb was stunned. He often went to the pharmacy to buy golden worm meat, so he was very familiar with this formula.

This is a recipe specifically for replenishing qi and blood, very effective, but quite expensive.

“Don’t worry, it’s not stolen, nor was it bought,” Emily Webb smiled, a slightly shy expression appearing on her rosy face.

“I help Mr. Grant tidy up the medicinal herbs and storeroom every day. There are lots of scraps and leftovers in there. I gathered them bit by bit, and it took a long time to collect this small packet. Just don’t mind that it’s all fragments.”

Hearing this, Henry Webb carefully opened the paper packet and looked inside through a small opening.

Sure enough, it was all tiny fragments, very small pieces.

The largest was only the size of a fingernail, the smallest just a grain of rice.

Who knows how much time and effort Emily Webb spent collecting this packet.

After a moment of silence, Henry Webb nodded seriously.

“I understand. Don’t worry, I’ll definitely make it!”

“Mm, I believe in you!” Emily Webb nodded earnestly as well.

The two of them chatted quietly for a while, and soon it was getting dark.

Henry Webb then got up to walk Emily Webb back to her rented room near Hui Shan Fist.

Returning home, Henry Webb silently soaked the Nourishing Blood Powder in water and immediately began to boil it.

As he boiled the medicine, he pulled open his collar and glanced at the Breaking Boundary Pearl.

The pattern there had already turned completely black a few days ago.

A strange urge made him feel as if there was a balloon about to burst hanging on his chest.

With just a light touch, he could break the balloon and use the Breaking Boundary Pearl.

But he kept holding back, determined to rely on his own efforts to break through the skin-tempering entry of Hui Shan Fist.

Yet as the final deadline drew closer, his hope grew smaller and smaller.

“Often, you really have to admit, there are differences between people.”

Henry Webb watched the burning stove and put the medicine pot on to boil.

He knew that if he couldn’t pass the skin-tempering stage, he would have to leave the Hui Shan Fist school and would never be able to advance further.

Chapter 9 Breaking Through (Part 1)

If he could truly reach Stone Skin, the tuition fees at Old Man Grant’s place would be greatly reduced, and only after reaching Stone Skin could one truly be considered a member of Hui Shan Fist.

Right now, those who hadn’t entered the school, like them, were replaced batch after batch. In Old Man Grant’s eyes, they were just tools for making money, without any value.

“If I can get past this hurdle, it’ll be a whole new world.” Henry Webb looked at the slowly heating medicinal soup.

He stopped being distracted and focused on carefully boiling the medicine. After letting it cool a bit, he began to drink it slowly, sip by sip.

Nourishing Blood Powder is a formula for gently nourishing qi and blood, and it works very well.

The next morning, when Henry Webb started skin-tempering again, he could clearly feel the difference.

When he struck the sand and stone, the stinging pain in his fists was less, and his recovery during rest was a bit faster.

Although the changes were slight, they were obvious enough to notice, which was remarkable.

But to his disappointment, after a whole day, he still hadn’t broken through.

Meanwhile, among those who started skin-tempering with him, one finally succeeded. Another chose to give up, packed up, and left in silence.

“Do you know what they’ll do after leaving?” Samuel Hayes stood beside Henry Webb and asked in a low voice.

“I don’t know,” Henry Webb replied.

“Some will join small gangs, some will spend all their money and gamble on martial arts, probably ending up as laborers. Those from better-off families will go home to help out, and some will be hired as bodyguards for others.”

Samuel Hayes’s face was expressionless.

“My family’s bodyguards all came from this background. We’ve already changed many batches.”

“…Why change them?”

“Because the previous bodyguards either became disabled or died.” Samuel Hayes patted Henry Webb’s shoulder hard. He said nothing more and turned to leave.

The two were friends. Recently, Henry Webb had been training hard but still couldn’t break through, and everyone around had noticed.

At first, many people respected him for his diligence and effort, but now, their attitudes had started to change.

Henry Webb noticed this.

He stood where he was, waiting for his turn to do skin-tempering. While waiting, he couldn’t help but glance in Xiao Ran’s direction.