Qi and Blood First Layer

The panel presented today was different from usual. In Chen Ping'an's field of vision, a plus sign had appeared at the very end of the Martial Art entry. "It really can be upgraded!" Suppressing the excitement in his heart, Chen Ping'an cleared his mind, focused his will, and tapped on the plus sign. *Whoosh!* As the plus sign was tapped, the 5 experience points preceding it underwent a miraculous transformation. Motes of experience turned into bits of starlight, streaming toward the glabella between Chen Ping'an's brows. As the starlight entered his body, Chen Ping'an initially felt only a refreshing coolness that made his mind exceptionally clear. Then, stream after stream of intricate information surged into his head. This information was all cultivation insights regarding Iron Shirt. The complex knowledge was instantly understood, digested, and thoroughly mastered by Chen Ping'an, as if he had entered a state of complete selflessness. None of these insights felt fabricated out of thin air; it was as though he had cultivated and accumulated them bit by bit himself. Training through the dead of winter and the sweltering heat of summer! In a daze, it felt as though Chen Ping'an had practiced Iron Shirt for months. Every repetition had been performed in the most precise posture, and every recuperation after training had been supported by the most fitting tonics, leaving behind no hidden ailments or internal injuries whatsoever. Everything had proceeded along the path of Iron Shirt cultivation with the most correct training methods and the most ideal tempo. Name: Chen Ping'an Realm: Qi and Blood First Layer Martial Art: Iron Shirt (Entry Level) (0/15) ...... "Qi and blood first layer!" A sharp gleam seemed to flash from Chen Ping'an's eyes. Not only had he entered the threshold of Iron Shirt, but he had also truly stepped onto the path of martial cultivation! How arduous was martial cultivation! Ordinary people who lacked the proper method could train bitterly for months and still fail to cross the threshold. Moreover, forcing oneself through bitter training carried the risk of hidden ailments and internal damage—a tremendous hazard. Yet he... had entered the threshold?! From starting to practice Iron Shirt the day before yesterday until today... it had taken only three days in total. He had entered the martial path just like that? Just three days... Although he had anticipated this, when it actually happened, an unreal sensation still welled up within Chen Ping'an. In three days, I went from an ordinary mortal to a martial practitioner of the qi and blood first layer. Such speed was simply absurd! And what was more... My future doesn't stop here—it has only just begun! Chen Ping'an felt thrilled. He could practice Iron Shirt twice a day, earning 2 experience points. According to the panel display, reaching lesser mastery in Iron Shirt required 15 experience points—which meant seven and a half days. In this way, he could completely cultivate Iron Shirt to lesser mastery within Little Tiger's ten-day deadline! With that, the risk of his plan was reduced once again, giving him an even greater certainty of success! Inside the small courtyard, it took Chen Ping'an quite a while before his surging excitement finally settled. He carefully inspected the changes in himself. Removing the wrapped undergarments, he found that his skin appeared exceptionally smooth, as though it had never endured the harsh friction from earlier. "Breaking through realms even restores me to peak condition!" Chen Ping'an rejoiced inwardly, having discovered another hidden feature of his golden finger. He tested it by tapping lightly with his hand and discovered that although his upper body was bare, it felt as if he were striking through clothing. Chen Ping'an's eyes lit up. The effect of entering Iron Shirt seemed quite remarkable! Next, Chen Ping'an could not help but increase his force. As his strength rose, he began to feel some pain, but compared to before entering Iron Shirt, the pain was noticeably reduced. "So that's how it is!" Chen Ping'an nodded to himself. The effect of entering Iron Shirt was equivalent to wearing a rather thick undergarment, which could greatly lessen the lethal impact of punches, palm strikes, and kicks. As for bladed weapons... it could only be said to be better than nothing. The difference between entering Iron Shirt or not was merely whether a blade sliced into soft tofu or dried tofu. Aside from the changes in his skin, Chen Ping'an discovered that his strength seemed to have grown substantially as well. However, without testing it carefully, he couldn't say exactly how much stronger he had become. Yet, perhaps due to the golden finger, neither his build nor his skin looked any different on the surface. "Mm, the current me could at least take on two of my past selves!" Chen Ping'an concluded at last. After taking in the bodily changes that came with stepping onto the martial path, Chen Ping'an did not wash up. Instead, he wrapped the undergarments around himself several times and resumed practicing Iron Shirt. Normally, with the sessions spaced so closely together, his physique and cultivation state would never have allowed him to complete a second round of Iron Shirt practice. However, under the effect of the golden finger, his breakthrough had restored him to full condition. Not exploiting this bug to keep cultivating would simply be doing himself a disservice. Half a shichen later. The familiar "+1" experience notification appeared once again. Name: Chen Ping'an Realm: Qi and Blood First Layer Martial Art: Iron Shirt (Entry Level) (1/15) ...... Looking at the "1" on the panel, Chen Ping'an was thoroughly satisfied. "This way, in another seven days, I can cultivate Iron Shirt to lesser mastery," Chen Ping'an murmured, contentment on his face as his heart surged with emotion. ...... Early the next morning, Chen Ping'an rose at dawn and began practicing Iron Shirt. After a full half-shichen, he successfully turned the "1" on the panel into a "2". After wiping his body clean and finishing breakfast with Chen Er Ya, he headed off to the Nanquan Lane Suppression Office. "Ping'an!" Monkey had arrived early and called out to Chen Ping'an from a corner. Beside him stood Dashan. Because Chen Ping'an had practiced Iron Shirt, even though he had woken up early, he was still a little later than usual. However, it was no big deal; he had not missed the time for roll call. At this moment, the head runners and many registered runners had not even arrived yet! *I still need to be earlier next time!* Chen Ping'an reminded himself sternly. Now, although he had entered the martial path and possessed a bit of modest capital, compared to the rules of the Suppression Office, he was still as insignificant as an ant. "What's going on today?" Walking over to Monkey and Dashan, Chen Ping'an noticed that today's atmosphere seemed different from usual and asked curiously. Unlike ordinary days when the runners stood scattered in small groups of three to five, quite a crowd had gathered in the center today. "Ping'an, you don't know yet, do you?" Monkey raised an eyebrow, grinning smugly. "What happened?" Chen Ping'an looked toward the center and noticed the numerous runners faintly encircling a young man whose face could not be seen clearly. "Call me Older Brother, and I'll tell you!" Monkey could not help showing off. Opportunities like this were rare, so Monkey naturally wanted to milk it for all it was worth. "Forget it then!" Knowing Monkey was joking, Chen Ping'an was not annoyed, but he had no intention of playing along. The expression on Monkey's face froze. He saw that Chen Ping'an was not putting on an act—pretending not to care while burning with curiosity inside. Seeing Chen Ping'an so genuinely unbothered left Monkey himself itching to spill the beans.