Chapter 44: Progress (Requesting votes and follow-up reads)

Chapter 44: Progress (Seeking votes~ Seeking follow-reads~)

Early the next morning, Chen Pingan rose early to practice the Flying Locust Stone in the courtyard.

His blood and qi were abundant; although he hadn't slept long, he remained high-spirited. Standing in the house, he stared intently at the courtyard wall not far away. Suddenly, he flicked his hand upward, snapped his wrist downward, and thrust forward with force. The stone in his hand flew out, striking the courtyard wall dead center.

Bang!

The stone hit the wall with a loud thud.

With Chen Pingan's vision, he saw a small white dot appear on the front of the courtyard wall.

"The force was a bit lacking."

Chen Pingan carefully contemplated the process of his exertion just now.

After reflecting for a while, he picked up the stone and resumed his practice.

He repeated this over and over.

In less than half an hour, a "+1" experience symbol flashed before Chen Pingan's eyes.

Name: Chen Pingan

Realm: Blood and Qi Second Layer (Consummate)

Martial Arts: Iron Cloth Shirt (Consummate), Flying Locust Stone (Not yet entered) (1/5)

"The practice method is correct!"

Chen Pingan's face lit up with joy.

Currently, at the consummate stage of the second layer of Blood and Qi, his strength was immense, and he still had plenty of energy left while practicing the Flying Locust Stone. Having woken up early today, he checked the time and saw it was still far from his shift, so he continued his practice.

Through repeated practice.

Another "+1" experience symbol surfaced, and the "1" on his golden finger panel turned into a "2."

Chen Pingan then ended his morning practice. Chen Erya had prepared breakfast for him early; after eating hurriedly, he left the courtyard.

"Nannann, brother is heading to work!"

"Mm, walk slowly, brother." Chen Erya sent him off with a smile, watching him leave.

She walked into the courtyard and looked to one side. The front of the courtyard was covered in dense white dots.

These were all the marks left behind by Chen Pingan's stone throwing just now.

"Has brother started practicing a new martial art?" Chen Erya thought, tilting her head. "Brother is truly a genius."

The day's shift was, as usual, peaceful. However, there was a small interlude. When Chen Pingan and Hou Tou returned for lunch, Zheng Shiyong, dressed in his formal official uniform, made a special point of swaggering past them, casting a somewhat provocative glance at Chen Pingan.

Chen Pingan ignored him.

*This guy is sick!*

Beside him, Hou Tou also found it inexplicable, but after glancing at Chen Pingan, a hint of worry arose.

"Ping'an, did you offend him somewhere?"

"Probably not."

Chen Pingan replied to Hou Tou, but in his heart, he was thinking that instead of Chen Pingan looking for trouble with Zheng Shiyong, the man had come to dance in front of him.

*Does he not want to die fast enough?*

"Ping'an, this Zheng Shiyong is highly valued by Lord Tian. Even some senior official constables in the Suppression Division are extremely polite to him. It would be fine if you hadn't offended him, but if you have, you should think of a way to smooth things over," Hou Tou suggested, choosing his words carefully.

Despite his usual boisterous nature, Hou Tou was far more meticulous than most when it came to such matters.

"He's not a Head Constable, and I don't work near him. It's fine." Chen Pingan's expression remained indifferent.

This was the confidence brought by his change in strength.

He had now found the path to continue his cultivation. As long as he kept practicing the Flying Locust Stone, he would surely step steadily into the third layer of Blood and Qi.

By then, his martial prowess would reach the level of a Head Constable.

Even if Zheng Shiyong was an official constable, so what!?

*A pity...*

"I can only wait for an opportunity!" Chen Pingan sighed inwardly.

Upon returning home, Chen Erya had already prepared dinner.

Today's dinner: a large bowl of chicken, a plate of pig's head meat, a bowl of steamed eggs, a plate of stir-fried seasonal vegetables, and plenty of white rice.

"It smells so good. Nannan, your cooking is getting better and better."

Before even entering the courtyard, the aroma hit him, and Chen Pingan couldn't help but praise her.

"Not at all, it's just because brother praises me so much." Chen Erya acted a bit bashful. It wasn't true shyness, but being praised by her brother made her happy, though she felt awkward showing it.

Chen Pingan had a great appetite. He ate three large bowls of rice and finished all the meat before feeling about eighty percent full.

Since he started practicing martial arts, although Chen Pingan's physical build hadn't changed drastically, his physical constitution and blood and qi were completely incomparable to before.

Consequently, his appetite was staggering. He needed massive amounts of food to provide a continuous stream of energy for his body.

He felt satisfied after dinner. However, during lunch at the Suppression Division, although he ate a fair amount, the food was mostly watery and bland, leaving him somewhat unsatisfied.

"If my martial realm continues to break through like this, I'll have to add extra meals at noon. Otherwise, I won't be full at all!"

After cleaning up with Chen Erya, Chen Pingan stood in the courtyard, rubbing his stomach to aid digestion.

Once enough time had passed, Chen Pingan resumed practicing the Flying Locust Stone.

Since the courtyard wasn't spacious enough, Chen Pingan stood inside the house to throw, ensuring a certain distance.

Bang!

Bang!

Bang!

The sound of stones hitting the courtyard wall echoed continuously.

The stones Chen Pingan chose for practice were not large, so they didn't cause much damage to the wall, leaving only white marks.

+1!

+1!

+1!

As the practice progressed, Chen Pingan found that his progress with the Flying Locust Stone was unexpectedly smooth. Before he knew it, he had earned 3 points of experience.

In Chen Pingan's field of vision, the experience behind "Flying Locust Stone" on the floating panel changed from 2 to 5.

Without much hesitation, Chen Pingan habitually tapped the plus sign.

*Whoosh~*

The experience on the panel churned, and the shimmering starlight entered his brow. A familiar sensation washed over him as a massive amount of combat experience and throwing techniques regarding the Flying Locust Stone flooded his mind.

Everything felt as if it had been acquired through months of hard training; there was no sense of falsehood or dilution.

As he entered the introductory stage of the Flying Locust Stone, a surge of blood and qi emerged from Chen Pingan's body. The blood and qi circulated around his body, appearing as if it were about to burst through a thin membrane, but it ultimately fell slightly short and could not break through.

Feeling the changes in his body, Chen Pingan was not angry, but joyful.

"Using the Flying Locust Stone to push my martial realm—this method works!"

Based on his bodily sensations, if he could practice the Flying Locust Stone to the "Small Success" stage, there was a high probability he could enter the third layer of Blood and Qi.

The third layer of Blood and Qi: Tendon Strengthening!

Once one entered the Tendon Strengthening stage, the muscles throughout the body would connect into one, as if becoming a single entity. Therefore, the explosive power of the Tendon Strengthening realm was far more exaggerated than the perfection of the Flesh Training realm. It wasn't just strength; speed and agility would also see massive improvements.

In a low, single-story cottage, a martial expert in the Tendon Strengthening realm could stand on the ground and leap directly onto the roof with a simple jump.

Without external tools, a jumping ability of over ten feet was already an incredible feat for an ordinary person.

Standing in an open area, with a short run for momentum, one could leap across even a small river.

This was the third layer of Blood and Qi, the Tendon Strengthening Realm!

And with Chen Pingan's current progress, he could enter the Tendon Strengthening Realm in three days at most!

A bright future lay ahead.

(End of Chapter)