Progress

Early the next morning, Chen Ping'an was up at dawn, practicing Flying Locust Stones in the courtyard. His qi and blood were abundant. Though he had not slept for long, he remained full of vigor. Standing inside the room, he fixed his gaze on the courtyard wall not far away. Suddenly, his hand whipped up and his wrist snapped down, thrusting forcefully forward. The stone in his hand flew out, striking straight against the courtyard wall. *Thud!* The stone hit the courtyard wall with a sharp crack. Looking with his keen eyesight, Chen Ping'an spotted a tiny white mark on the wall. *The force is still lacking a bit.* Chen Ping'an carefully reflected on how he had exerted his strength just then. After contemplating for a short while, he retrieved the stone and resumed practicing. Again and again. In less than an hour, a +1 experience symbol flashed before Chen Ping'an. Name: Chen Ping'an Realm: qi and blood second layer, perfected Martial Art: Iron Shirt (perfected), Flying Locust Stones (not yet entered, 1/5) ... "The training method works!" Delight showed on Chen Ping'an's face. Having reached qi and blood second layer, perfected, his strength was immense, so practicing Flying Locust Stones still left him with energy to spare. Having deliberately woken up early today, he saw there was still plenty of time before his shift, so he continued his practice. He threw again and again. The +1 experience symbol surfaced once more, and the 1 on the golden finger panel turned into a 2. Chen Ping'an brought his morning practice to an end. Chen Er Ya had long prepared breakfast nearby. After eating in a hurry, he left the courtyard. "Nannan, your brother is off to duty." "Mm. Take care, Big Brother." Chen Er Ya saw him off with a smile, watching him depart. She walked into the courtyard and looked toward the wall, which was covered in dense white marks. All of them were traces left behind by Chen Ping'an throwing stones just now. *Has Big Brother already started practicing a new martial arts method?* Chen Er Ya tilted her head in thought. *Big Brother really is a genius.* ... His shift that day was peaceful as usual. However, a small episode occurred: at noon, when Chen Ping'an, Monkey, and the others returned to eat, Zheng Shiyong, wearing the official uniform of a registered runner, made a deliberate point of swaggering past them, even casting a slightly provocative glance at Chen Ping'an. Chen Ping'an ignored him. *That bastard has a screw loose!* Beside him, Monkey also found it baffling, but looking at Chen Ping'an, a trace of concern arose. "Ping'an, did you offend him somewhere?" "Probably not." Chen Ping'an replied to Monkey, but in his heart, he thought: he hadn't even gone looking for trouble with Zheng Shiyong, yet the man was prancing right in front of him. *Is he in that much of a hurry to die?* "Ping'an, this Zheng Shiyong is favored by Master Tian. Even some of the veteran registered runners in the Suppression Office treat him with great courtesy. If you haven't offended him, that's fine. But if you have... should we figure out a way to smooth things over?" Monkey weighed his words as he made the suggestion. Despite how loud and boisterous Monkey usually was, he was far more observant than most people in matters like this. "He's not a head runner, and I don't work under him. It's fine." Chen Ping'an's expression was indifferent. This was the confidence that his growing strength gave him. He had already found the path to continue cultivating. As long as he kept practicing Flying Locust Stones, he was bound to steadily step into the qi and blood third layer. When that time came, his martial arts strength would reach the level of a head runner. Even if Zheng Shiyong was a registered runner, so what? A pity, though... His martial arts strength could not be displayed in broad daylight. *I can only wait for another opportunity!* Chen Ping'an sighed faintly to himself. ... When he returned home, Chen Er Ya had already prepared dinner. Tonight's meal: a large bowl of chicken, a plate of pig head meat, a bowl of steamed eggs, a plate of stir-fried seasonal vegetables, and glistening white cooked rice. "Smells wonderful! Nannan, your cooking is getting better and better." Before even stepping into the courtyard, the mouthwatering aroma reached him, and Chen Ping'an could not help but praise her. "No, it's just that Big Brother is too kind with his compliments." Chen Er Ya was a bit bashful. Not truly shy, but hearing her brother praise her made her happy inside, even if she felt embarrassed to show it. Chen Ping'an had a hearty appetite, wolfing down three large bowls of rice in a row and finishing every scrap of meat before feeling about eighty percent full. From the time he began martial arts training until now, although Chen Ping'an's build had not changed drastically, his physical body and qi and blood were completely incomparable to what they used to be. Along with that, his appetite had become astonishingly large. He needed to eat heavily to continuously provide his body with ample energy. In the evening, he ate to his satisfaction. But at noon in the Suppression Office, although he ate quite a bit, it was mostly watery and bland, leaving him far from satisfied. *If my martial cultivation realm keeps breaking through like this, I'll have to get extra food for myself at noon. Otherwise, I won't even be full!* After tidying up together with Chen Er Ya, Chen Ping'an stood in the courtyard rubbing his belly to digest his food. Once enough time had passed, he resumed practicing Flying Locust Stones. The courtyard was not spacious enough, so Chen Ping'an stood inside the room to throw, ensuring a sufficient distance. *Thud!* *Thud!* *Thud!* The sound of stones smashing against the courtyard wall echoed continuously through the yard. The stones Chen Ping'an selected were not large, so they caused no significant damage to the courtyard wall, merely leaving one white mark after another. +1! +1! +1! As the practice proceeded, Chen Ping'an found that his progress with Flying Locust Stones was unexpectedly smooth. Before he knew it, he had gained 3 experience points. Within his field of vision, on the panel floating in the void, the experience behind Flying Locust Stones changed from 2 to 5. Without hesitation, Chen Ping'an tapped the plus sign behind it with practiced familiarity. *Swish!* The experience on the panel churned, and shimmering starlight entered between his brows. The familiar sensation rushed in as vast combat experience and throwing techniques regarding Flying Locust Stones surfaced continuously in his mind. Everything felt as if he had trained painstakingly for months, with nothing false or hollow about it. As Flying Locust Stones reached entry level, a surge of qi and blood welled up out of nowhere within Chen Ping'an. The qi and blood coursed through his entire body, as if on the verge of breaking through a thin membrane, yet in the end it fell slightly short and failed to push through. Feeling the changes in his body, Chen Ping'an was not disappointed; rather, he was overjoyed. *Using Flying Locust Stones to advance my martial cultivation realm—this method works!* Judging by his body's intuition, if he could practice Flying Locust Stones to lesser mastery, there was a high probability he could step into the qi and blood third layer. Qi and blood third layer: tendon changing! Once entering tendon changing, the muscles throughout the body would connect as one, functioning like a unified whole. Therefore, the explosive power unleashed in the tendon changing realm was far more astonishing than flesh tempering perfected. Not only strength, but speed and agility would also see a massive leap. Facing a low, single-story house, a martial artist who had entered tendon changing could stand on the ground and leap directly onto the roof with a light spring. Without relying on external aids, a jumping ability of over a zhang high was an utterly incredible feat for ordinary people. Standing in an open area, with a short running start, one could leap right across a small river. This was the qi and blood third layer, the tendon changing realm! And at Chen Ping'an's current rate of progress, in at most three days, he would be able to enter the tendon changing realm! A bright future lay right ahead.