It was still dim.
Nanquan Lane, Lihua Lane, Chen family courtyard.
Chen Ping'an, shirtless, continuously rolled in a pile of sand and gravel. The sharp sand and gravel constantly stimulated his skin.
Sand and gravel rolled, Qi and blood surged.
After a long while, a +1 experience symbol appeared in Chen Ping'an's vision.
"It's done!"
Chen Ping'an smiled and stood up from the sand and gravel.
Name: Chen Ping'an
Realm: Qi Blood Level One Perfection
Martial Arts: Iron Cloth Minor Achievement (40/40)
.......
Six days had passed since Zheng Shiyong's martial arts initiation was announced. Just two days after the announcement, his official assignment was set.
Night duty at the Zhenfu Division.
The Nanquan Lane Garrison Office had a very detailed division of labor. Common assignments could generally be divided into street patrol, arrest, duty, and clerical work.
The duty position was much better than street patrol. Duty, as the name suggests, meant being on duty within the Zhenfu Division. This assignment was responsible for the dispatch and summation of various affairs, reporting directly to the Chief Constables. Not only did it avoid daily street patrols, protecting one from wind and sun, but it also offered frequent contact with the Chief Constables, making it truly a desirable position.
Let alone the Chief Constables, there was a good chance of seeing the highly esteemed Squad Leader and Deputy Squad Leader of the Nanquan Lane Garrison Office.
Even if one couldn't speak to them, such frequent appearances, being remembered by the Squad Leader or Deputy Squad Leader, was an extremely good thing.
Don't underestimate the small matter of being remembered by the Squad Leader; at critical moments, it could determine a person's future.
There was only one slot for official registration, but several people met the criteria for merit and seniority. How would the choice be made?
It was still up to the Squad Leader.
Those who were familiar and those who were not would naturally be treated differently.
This was an unwritten rule of the Zhenfu Division, but one that was implicitly understood.
The duty assignment, generally speaking, could only be held by official Yamen Runners. Even a small number of night duty positions were given to temporary Yamen Runners who had achieved martial arts initiation and had extremely long seniority.
Although Zheng Shiyong had achieved martial arts initiation, his seniority was still shallow, and it was not his turn no matter how it was rotated. If there wasn't Zheng Chatou's shadow behind his final assignment, no one would believe it.
However, others were others, and what happened to them had nothing to do with Chen Ping'an.
These days, he ate meat daily to nourish his body. He continuously practiced Iron Cloth every day, tempering his body, refining his Qi and blood, and accumulating cultivation experience.
Until this morning, he finally accumulated enough 40 points of cultivation experience.
"Come on!"
Chen Ping'an smiled, his mind focused, and he clicked on the faintly visible plus sign next to Iron Cloth.
Whoosh~
On the panel, 40 experience points instantly swirled, transforming into specks of starlight that surged towards his glabella.
As the starlight entered his glabella, it was still a familiar sensation.
All sorts of incredibly complex information regarding Iron Cloth practice, comprehension, practical combat, and contemplation continuously emerged in Chen Ping'an's mind.
This information was not rigidly forced, but rather, through an incredibly profound method, it allowed Chen Ping'an to continuously understand and digest it himself. The moment the starlight entered his body, these things were no longer external, but rather Chen Ping'an's own acquired experience, accumulated and summarized bit by bit through tireless daily effort.
Iron Cloth Major Achievement! Skin like oxhide, capable of withstanding ordinary blades and swords.
Although he would still be injured after withstanding them, the injuries could be minimized.
A martial arts practitioner of upper-middle talent would need to spend more than ten years of arduous effort, practicing tirelessly every day, to reach this Realm!
Not only did Iron Cloth reach Major Achievement, but Chen Ping'an's entire body's Qi and blood also stepped onto a new level under a mysterious and inexplicable guidance.
Qi Blood Second Realm, the Realm of Flesh Refining!
Qi Blood First Realm was for Skin Refining! Qi Blood Second Realm was for Flesh Refining.
The Qi Blood Second Realm, coupled with Major Achievement level Iron Cloth, meant that Chen Ping'an, relying solely on himself, could deal with five or six strong adult men armed with bladed weapons.
If he were more aggressive and adopted a strategy of exchanging injuries for lives, he could even fight seven or eight strong men armed with bladed weapons.
Of course, if he fought like that, his own outcome wouldn't be too good either!
After all, although Iron Cloth was an external hard Cultivation Technique, it was only a low-grade Cultivation Technique and could not truly ignore blades and swords.
Now, if Chen Ping'an's strength were revealed, he would be a well-known figure among the various Gangs in Nanquan Lane. Even in the Nanquan Lane Garrison Office, among the official Yamen Runners, his strength could rank among the top ten.
He was young and vigorous, with strong Qi and blood, incomparable to those older official Yamen Runners who were declining in strength.
Chen Ping'an's eyes flickered, and his gaze fell upon the panel that had appeared before him.
Name: Chen Ping'an
Realm: Qi Blood Second Realm
Martial Arts: Iron Cloth Major Achievement (0/100)
......
"Qi Blood Second Realm!"
Chen Ping'an's heart was excited. This meant he had stepped onto a new level.
"After Major Achievement is Perfection. Does it require 100 experience points to practice Iron Cloth to Perfection?"
Chen Ping'an thought so.
However, since he had to go to work soon, he didn't spend much time thinking about these things. Now that he had just broken through the Realm and was in good condition, he could continue to practice Iron Cloth twice.
He knew early on that he would accumulate enough experience today, so he woke up earlier than usual. Therefore, he had ample time.
He rolled into the sand and gravel, continuing to practice Iron Cloth.
With Iron Cloth at Major Achievement, the stimulating effect of the sand and gravel on his skin had weakened.
"It seems I need to switch to stones," Chen Ping'an thought during his practice.
In his vision, two +1 experience symbols appeared consecutively. But Chen Ping'an found that he could still continue practicing.
"Should I continue!?"
Chen Ping'an hesitated slightly.
He woke up early today, and the time he had set aside was indeed ample. But if he continued to practice, time would become a bit tight.
"Continue!"
After a moment of hesitation, Chen Ping'an finally made up his mind.
"Time waits for no one; not a single bit can be wasted. Again!"
When the +1 experience symbol appeared again, Chen Ping'an quickly wiped himself down, hastily put on his clothes. After greeting Chen Er'ya, he ran directly out of the courtyard gate.
His practice time this morning was a bit long. Looking at the time, it was almost time for him to go to work, so he had no choice but to run.
Although the hour was late, Chen Ping'an was in excellent spirits.
With Iron Cloth at Major Achievement, he could relatively easily gain 3 experience points at once. Even if he couldn't push for 4 experience points at night, he could still accumulate 6 experience points a day.
Thus, Iron Cloth Perfection was just around the corner!
Just like that, Chen Ping'an excitedly ran to the entrance of the Zhenfu Division. Looking at the time, he wasn't late yet.
Chen Ping'an breathed a sigh of relief.
Just as he was about to step through the main gate of the Zhenfu Division, a deep voice rang out from behind him.
"So hasty, what kind of behavior is that?"
Upon hearing this, Chen Ping'an's expression stiffened.