Early the next morning, Chen Ping’an was already up and practicing the Flying Locust Stone in his courtyard.

His Qi Blood was abundant, and despite not sleeping long, he was full of vigor. He stood inside the house, his eyes fixed on the courtyard wall not far away. Suddenly, he raised his hand, snapped his wrist down, and flung it forward. The stone in his hand flew out, striking the courtyard wall squarely.

BAM!

The stone hit the wall with a resounding thud.

With his sharp eyesight, Chen Ping’an could see a small white mark appear on the wall.

’The force is a little weak,’

Chen Ping’an carefully mulled over the motion he had just used to generate force.

After reflecting for a moment, he retrieved the stone and resumed his practice.

He repeated this process over and over. In less than an hour, a "+1" experience symbol flashed before Chen Ping’an’s eyes.

Name: Chen Ping’an

Realm: Qi Blood Second Realm Perfection

Martial Arts: Iron Cloth Shirt Perfection, Flying Locust Stone Unentered (1/5)

...

’The training method is working!’

A look of joy crossed Chen Ping’an’s face.

Now at Qi Blood Second Realm Perfection, his strength was immense, and he still had plenty of energy to spare while practicing the Flying Locust Stone. He had woken up early on purpose, and seeing there was still time before he had to report for duty, he continued his practice.

He practiced repeatedly. The "+1" experience symbol appeared again, and the number on his Golden Finger Panel changed from 1 to 2.

Chen Ping’an then stopped his morning practice. Chen Erya had already prepared breakfast for him, which he ate quickly before leaving the courtyard.

"Nannan, your big brother is off to work."

"Okay, take care, brother." Chen Erya smiled as she saw him off, watching him until he was gone.

She walked into the courtyard and glanced to the side. The wall was covered in a dense pattern of white marks.

These were all traces left by Chen Ping’an’s stone-throwing practice just now.

’Has brother started practicing a new Martial Arts Technique?’ Chen Erya tilted her head and thought. ’He’s such a genius.’

...

The shift that day passed peacefully. There was, however, a small incident. At noon, when Chen Ping’an and Monkey Head returned for lunch, Zheng Shiyong, dressed in the uniform of an official constable, made a point of swaggering past them, even shooting a provocative glance at Chen Ping’an.

Chen Ping’an ignored him.

’That guy’s nuts!’

Monkey Head, standing beside him, was also baffled. But when he glanced at Chen Ping’an, a flicker of concern appeared on his face.

"Ping’an, did you offend him somehow?"

"I don’t think so."

Chen Ping’an replied to Monkey Head, but inwardly, he was thinking, ’I haven’t gone looking for trouble with Zheng Shiyong, yet here he is, prancing around in front of me.’

’Is he in a hurry to die?’

"Ping’an, that Zheng Shiyong is highly regarded by Lord Tian. Even some of the senior official constables in the Garrison Commandant’s Office are extremely polite to him. It’s fine if you haven’t offended him, but if you have... shouldn’t you think of a way to smooth things over?"

Monkey Head offered his suggestion, choosing his words with care.

Don’t be fooled by Monkey Head’s usual boisterousness; in matters like these, he was far more perceptive than the average person.

"He’s not my supervising Constable, and I don’t report to him. It’s fine." Chen Ping’an’s expression was indifferent.

This was the confidence his newfound strength had given him.

He had now found a path to continue his Cultivation. As long as he kept practicing the Flying Locust Stone, he would surely and steadily break through to the Qi Blood Third Layer.

By then, his Martial Dao strength would have reached the same level as a Constable.

’So what if Zheng Shiyong is an official constable!?’

’What a pity...’

Chen Ping’an sighed inwardly. ’I’ll just have to wait for another opportunity!’

...

When he returned home, Chen Erya had already prepared dinner.

Tonight’s dinner: a large bowl of chicken, a platter of braised pork head, a bowl of steamed eggs, a plate of stir-fried seasonal vegetables, and fluffy white rice.

"It smells amazing! Nannan, your cooking is getting better and better."

The tantalizing aroma had greeted him before he even stepped into the courtyard, and Chen Ping’an couldn’t help but praise her.

"Oh, stop, it’s just you being a good flatterer," Chen Erya said, a little coyly. It wasn’t that she was truly shy; she was just happy to be praised by her brother but too embarrassed to show it openly.

Chen Ping’an had a hearty appetite. He ate three large bowls of rice in a row and devoured all the meat, yet he only felt about eighty percent full.

Since he had started practicing martial arts, Chen Ping’an’s physical frame hadn’t changed much. But in reality, his Physique and Qi Blood were on a completely different level than before.

Consequently, his appetite was also astonishing. He needed to eat massive amounts of food to continuously supply his body with sufficient energy.

He ate his fill in the evenings, but at the Garrison Commandant’s Office for lunch, although the quantity of food was not small, it was mostly bland and watery fare, leaving him unsatisfied.

’If my Martial Arts Realm keeps advancing like this, I’ll have to start bringing extra food for lunch. Otherwise, I’ll never get full!’

After cleaning up with Chen Erya, Chen Ping’an stood in the courtyard, rubbing his stomach and digesting his meal.

Once he felt he had digested enough, Chen Ping’an resumed his Flying Locust Stone practice.

The courtyard wasn’t spacious enough, so Chen Ping’an stood inside the house to throw, ensuring a certain minimum distance.

BAM!

BAM!

BAM!

The sound of stones striking the wall echoed continuously through the courtyard.

The stones Chen Ping’an chose for practice weren’t large, so they didn’t cause much damage to the wall, merely leaving behind a series of white marks.

+1!

+1!

+1!

As his practice continued, Chen Ping’an found that his progress with the Flying Locust Stone was unexpectedly smooth. Before he knew it, he had gained 3 experience points from his training.

On the panel floating in his vision, the experience for Flying Locust Stone changed from 2 to 5.

Without much hesitation, Chen Ping’an tapped the plus sign next to it with practiced ease.

WHOOSH~

The experience points on the panel swirled, and shimmering starlight flowed into the spot between his eyebrows. A familiar sensation washed over him as a vast amount of combat experience and throwing techniques for the Flying Locust Stone flooded his mind.

It all felt as if he had personally gained it through months of arduous practice, completely authentic and without any dilution.

As he reached the Flying Locust Stone Introduction level, a surge of Qi Blood welled up within Chen Ping’an’s body. The Qi Blood roamed through him, feeling as if it was about to break through a thin membrane, but ultimately, it fell just short and failed to push through.

Sensing this change in his body, Chen Ping’an was not angered, but overjoyed.

’Using the Flying Locust Stone to advance my Martial Arts Realm—this method works!’

Based on the sensations in his body, he judged that if he could train the Flying Locust Stone to the Minor Achievement stage, he would most likely be able to break through to the Qi Blood Third Layer.

The Qi Blood Third Layer—Yijin!

Upon entering the Yijin stage, all the muscles in the body would connect into a single, unified whole. As such, the explosive power of the Muscle Strengthening Realm was far more exaggerated than that of Perfect Muscle Training. It wasn’t just strength; speed and agility would also be massively enhanced.

A martial arts expert who had entered the Yijin stage could stand on the ground in front of a low, single-story house and, with a light leap, jump directly onto the roof.

The ability to jump over ten feet high without any external aid was an incredible feat, utterly inconceivable for an ordinary person.

From a running start in an open field, they could leap across a small river in a single bound.

This was the Qi Blood Third Layer, the Muscle Strengthening Realm!

And at Chen Ping’an’s current rate of practice, he could reach the Muscle Strengthening Realm in three days at most!

A bright future lay just ahead.