Early the next morning, Chen Ping'an woke up early to practice the Flying Locust Stone in the courtyard.
His Qi Blood was abundant; although he hadn't slept for long, he was still full of vigor.
He stood inside the house, his eyes fixed on the courtyard wall not far away.
Suddenly, he raised his hand, flipped his wrist downwards, and threw the stone forward with force, sending it flying straight into the courtyard wall.
Bang!
The stone hit the courtyard wall, making a sound.
Chen Ping'an's eyesight allowed him to see a small white dot appear on the wall.
"The force is a bit lacking."
Chen Ping'an carefully analyzed the process of his throw.
After a while of contemplation, he picked up the stone and continued practicing.
This was repeated over and over.
In less than half an hour, a +1 experience symbol flashed before Chen Ping'an.
Name: Chen Ping'an
Realm: Qi Blood Second Stage Perfection
Martial Arts: Iron Cloth Perfection, Flying Locust Stone Not Initiated (1/5)
...
"The practice method is correct!"
Chen Ping'an's face lit up with joy.
He was now at Qi Blood Second Stage Perfection, possessing immense strength, and still had energy left to practice the Flying Locust Stone.
Having woken up early today, he saw that there was still plenty of time before his shift, so he continued to practice the Flying Locust Stone.
He practiced repeatedly.
The +1 experience symbol appeared again, and the '1' on the Golden Finger panel turned into a '2'.
Chen Ping'an then stopped his morning practice.
Chen Er'ya had already prepared breakfast for him nearby, and after quickly eating, he left the courtyard.
"Nannan, your brother is off to his shift."
"Mm, brother, take care," Chen Er'ya said with a smile, watching Chen Ping'an leave.
She walked into the courtyard and looked to one side; the courtyard wall was covered with dense white dots.
These were all marks left by Chen Ping'an's stone throws.
"Has brother already started practicing a new martial arts Cultivation Technique?" Chen Er'ya thought, tilting her head. "Brother is truly a Genius."
...
His shift that day was still uneventful.
However, a small incident did occur: when Chen Ping'an and Monkey Head returned for lunch, Zheng Shiyong, wearing the official uniform of a Yamen Runner, deliberately swaggered in front of them for a while, even giving Chen Ping'an a slightly provocative look.
Chen Ping'an ignored him.
That guy is sick!
Monkey Head on the side also felt bewildered, but after glancing at Chen Ping'an, he felt a little worried.
"Ping'an, did you offend him somewhere?"
"Probably not."
Chen Ping'an replied to Monkey Head, but in his heart, he thought that he hadn't gone looking for trouble with Zheng Shiyong, yet Zheng Shiyong had come prancing in front of him.
Was he tired of living?
"Ping'an, this Zheng Shiyong is highly regarded by Lord Tian, even some senior official Yamen Runners in the Zhenfu Division are extremely polite to him.
If you haven't offended him, that's fine.
If you have... do you want to think of a way to ease the tension?"
Monkey Head carefully chose his words, offering the suggestion.
Don't let Monkey Head's usual boisterousness fool you; he was far more meticulous than the average person in these matters.
"He's not a Chief Constable, and I don't work under him. It's fine," Chen Ping'an's expression was calm.
This was the confidence brought by his change in strength.
He had now found a way to continue cultivating; as long as he kept practicing the Flying Locust Stone, he would surely steadily enter the Qi Blood Third Stage.
At that time, his martial arts strength would have entered the level of a Chief Constable.
So what if Zheng Shiyong was an official Yamen Runner!?
What a pity though...
His martial arts strength couldn't be displayed openly.
"I can only wait for another opportunity!" Chen Ping'an sighed softly in his heart.
...
Upon returning home, Chen Er'ya had already prepared dinner.
Tonight'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, plus fluffy white rice.
"It smells so good, Nannan, your cooking is getting better and better."
Even before entering the courtyard, the fragrant aroma wafted over, and Chen Ping'an couldn't help but praise her.
"Not at all, it's just brother praising me so well," Chen Er'ya said, a little shyly.
It wasn't true shyness; it was just that being praised by her brother made her happy inside, but she was too embarrassed to show it.
Chen Ping'an had a very good appetite, eating three large bowls of rice in a row and finishing all the meat before he felt about eighty percent full.
From the start of his martial arts training until now, Chen Ping'an's physique hadn't changed much.
However, his physical body and Qi Blood were completely incomparable to what they once were.
His appetite was also astonishingly large.
He needed to eat a lot to continuously provide ample energy for his body.
In the evening, he ate to his satisfaction.
But at noon in the Zhenfu Division, although he ate a lot of food, it was mostly clear broth and plain dishes, and he wasn't particularly satisfied.
"If my martial arts Realm continues to Breakthrough like this, I'll have to add extra meals for myself at noon.
Otherwise, I won't be able to get full at all!"
After tidying up with Chen Er'ya, Chen Ping'an stood in the courtyard, rubbing his stomach and digesting his food.
Once he had digested enough, Chen Ping'an continued to practice the Flying Locust Stone.
The courtyard wasn't wide enough, so Chen Ping'an stood inside the house to throw, ensuring a certain distance.
Bang!
Bang!
Bang!
The sound of stones hitting the courtyard wall echoed continuously in the courtyard.
The stones Chen Ping'an chose for practice were not large, so they didn't cause too much damage to the courtyard wall, only leaving white marks.
+1!
+1!
+1!
As the practice continued, Chen Ping'an found the progress of the Flying Locust Stone surprisingly smooth.
Unknowingly, he had gained 3 points of experience.
In Chen Ping'an's sight, on the panel floating in the Void Realm, the experience behind Flying Locust Stone changed from 2 to 5.
Without much hesitation, Chen Ping'an skillfully clicked on the plus sign next to it.
Whoosh ~
The experience on the panel swirled, and the twinkling starlight entered his glabella.
A familiar sensation washed over him, and a large amount of combat experience and throwing techniques related to the Flying Locust Stone continuously emerged in his mind.
Everything felt as if he had diligently practiced for several months, without any falsehood or dilution.
As the Flying Locust Stone reached initiation, a surge of Qi Blood spontaneously emerged from Chen Ping'an's body.
The Qi Blood circulated around his body, as if it was about to break through a thin membrane, but it was just short of it and couldn't break through.
Feeling the changes in his body, Chen Ping'an was not angry but happy.
"Using the Flying Locust Stone to advance my martial arts Realm, this method is feasible!"
Based on his body's sensations, if he could practice the Flying Locust Stone to Minor Achievement, he would most likely be able to enter the Qi Blood Third Stage.
Qi Blood Third Stage, Muscle Changing!
If he entered Muscle Changing, all his muscles would connect into one piece, as if forming a whole.
Therefore, the power unleashed in the Muscle Changing Realm was far more exaggerated than that of Qi Blood Second Stage Perfection.
Not only strength, but also speed and agility would be greatly improved.
In a low-rise house, a martial arts expert who has entered Muscle Changing can directly leap onto the roof with a light jump while standing on the ground.
Without external aids, a jumping ability of over one zhang (about 3.3 meters) is an extremely incredible feat for ordinary people.
Standing in an open area, with a short run-up, one could even leap across a small river.
This is the Qi Blood Third Stage, the Realm of Muscle Changing!
And at Chen Ping'an's current practice progress, he would be able to enter the Realm of Muscle Changing in at most three days!
A bright future lay ahead.
