For over ten days straight, Lu Chao had completely adapted to his new routine.

Nothing unexpected happened during that time. Neither the Rock Gang, which he had been worried about, nor the fanatics from the God-Worshiping Church made an appearance.

With everything calm and peaceful, he gradually focused more of his energy on practicing the Second Level of the Fighting Skill.

THUD! THUD!!

Dull thuds echoed through the training hall.

Lu Chao had taken another day off from work and come to the dojo.

Standing alone in a corner of the training area, he sank into his stance, feet planted on the ground as if they had grown roots, and used two red leather sandbags to temper his body.

THUD!

THUD!!

Again and again, Lu Chao tensed his muscles, standing his ground without any attempt to dodge.

Two sandbags, each weighing dozens of kilograms, slammed into his shoulders and back, then his chest and abdomen, letting out dull thuds.

The violent impact penetrated his pores, rattling his bones and organs and bringing a wave of searing, dull pain.

Watching this, Li Dong and the other disciples clicked their tongues in amazement. ’If that were me,’ they thought, ’I’d probably be on the ground after two or three hits.’

’The third form of the Second Level of the Fighting Skill: Heavy Mountain Impact.’

’I have to keep my muscles tensed at all times, stabilize my center of gravity, and withstand the continuous impacts. I also have to maintain the special breathing technique, inhaling and exhaling to guide the shockwave through my pores and temper my muscles.’

Standing his ground, Lu Chao gritted his teeth and endured the continuous, jarring impacts.

The dull ache inside him intensified, and his organs vibrated faintly.

This was the difficulty of the Second Level of the Fighting Skill. Every form required enough willpower and physical strength to endure, and you also had to master the special rhythmic breathing just to get the hang of it.

Because of this, he had sought out Luo Qianshan several times over the past couple of weeks to ask for guidance on the difficult aspects of the training.

He’d thought Luo Qianshan might have just been making a polite offer, but to his surprise, the man had actually pointed out his mistakes, allowing him to finally grasp the proper breathing technique.

WHOOSH—!

HISS!!

With each breath in and out,

Lu Chao cleared his mind, focusing completely on the rhythm of his breathing.

The air flowed like a living stream, drawn into his lungs with a specific rhythm before being slowly released.

The force of the impacts was thus controlled, guided to seep deep into his muscles, bringing with it a strange sensation of being tempered.

This continued for over ten minutes.

Lu Chao’s muscles burned with pain, and he panted heavily.

But even so, after a brief rest, he walked to another corner of the training area.

Looking closely, one could see several solid wooden posts, each so thick it would take two or three people to wrap their arms around. They stood firm and hard.

Their surfaces were covered in dozens of shallow indentations, as if hammered out by bare fists and palms.

’The fourth form: Rock-Shaking Hand. It requires striking the wooden posts with bare hands, then applying medicinal ointment after a certain number of hits to strengthen the skin, flesh, and bone.’

’Sinking an inch into the wood is Minor Achievement, which strengthens the power of my Rock Hide. Sinking three inches is great achievement... Once it’s perfected, splitting steles and cracking stones will be no problem...’

With the description of the technique flashing through his mind, Lu Chao steeled himself and smashed his fist into a solid wooden post.

POW!

The hard post didn’t move an inch, but the Rebound Force sent a sharp pain through his fist, and the skin instantly reddened.

Even so, he didn’t use his Martial Arts Power to augment his strength. He gritted his teeth and continued to train arduously, move by move, relying solely on his physical body and willpower.

Many disciples felt a jolt when they saw this, especially the junior disciples who hadn’t yet broken through to the Fighting Level. A wave of pressure washed over most of them.

’If Senior Brother Lu, who’s already at the Fighting Level, is training this hard, what excuse do we have to slack off?’

In an instant, sweat was flying in the training hall as more and more people steeled themselves and began to train with the same desperate intensity.

.....

"These people are so foolish."

Near the arena, Fang Jingyi’s brow furrowed slightly. She watched the scene, confused.

The people beside her had similar, perplexed expressions.

"Especially that Senior Brother Lu. Last time I thought he had some grit, and I even started to think highly of him for a moment. I can’t believe he still doesn’t get it."

"Training this desperately without professional biotherapy equipment or high-quality nutritional supplements and recovery balms will only lead to exhaustion and physical damage. It just depletes their potential and makes it harder to break through to the next level."

"Looks like joining the Patrol Department didn’t help him at all. He’s still so short-sighted."

"Heh, the others are just the same, aren’t they? But most of them are commoners. It’s only normal they don’t know any better..."

The group of young men and women clicked their tongues, their voices laced with a distinct sense of superiority.

As they chatted, they naturally gathered around Shen Tianchen, forming their own little clique.

Standing to the side, Senior Brother Xu and Senior Brother Sun heard this and gave an awkward smile. They felt an invisible barrier separating them from this group, making it impossible to fit in.

As for Shen Tianchen, who was at the center of the group, his expression was placid, but he still glanced subconsciously at Lu Chao and the others. Beyond his confusion, he felt an inexplicable flicker of irritation.

"Of course, Senior Brother Shen, you’re different from them."

Smiling faintly, Fang Jingyi seemed to read his mind. Her admiration was undisguised as she said, "You have superior talent, plus you have the full support of Master Luo and my cousin Qingxue. You’re already in a completely different league than they are."

"Besides, my father told me that the special resolution from the Hengjia Security board has already been passed."

"They’re going to fully fund your breakthrough to the Professional Level, so you can rest easy."

Her few words were like a gentle spring breeze.

Shen Tianchen’s placid expression shifted slightly, and the irritation in his heart gradually faded.

’She’s right.’

’These junior disciples are basically just ordinary people with poor aptitude. We’re not in the same world anymore.’

In contrast, he looked at the junior disciples gathered around him, all actively trying to get on his good side.

’Most of them are from the inner city. Their families either own businesses or have elders who are board members of major corporations. They have abundant resources and exceptional talent.’

’Master and Senior Sister both told me to learn how to properly leverage the power and people around me.’ 𝐟𝕣𝕖𝐞𝐰𝕖𝚋𝐧𝗼𝚟𝐞𝕝.𝗰𝐨𝐦

’And these connections...’

His eyes glinted as he swept his gaze across the training hall, past Lu Chao and all the other disciples.

Shaking his head inwardly, Shen Tianchen finally retracted his flat gaze and turned to Fang Jingyi’s group with a confident smile.

....

"Hahhh!"

「That evening, at dusk.」

Lu Chao dragged his exhausted body into the dojo’s shower room for a quick rinse.

He let out a long breath as the warm water from the showerhead cascaded down, tracing the lines of his muscles and washing away the day’s fatigue and sticky sweat.

White steam filled the narrow shower stall, and for a rare moment, he felt a sense of relaxation and ease.

Today was his day off, a rare chance to spend the entire day dedicated to his Fighting Skill, squeezing out every last drop of his potential.

In contrast, on days he was on patrol duty, he could only squeeze in a rushed visit in the evening.

He relaxed, savoring this brief moment of peace.

Lu Chao looked at his panel, and a screen of light appeared.

[Life Energy: 27→28!]

[Potential Progress: 30%]

’Not bad.’

Amid the sound of the running water, Lu Chao nodded slightly.

Thanks to his salary from the Patrol Department, the food stipend from the stakeout mission, and consuming large quantities of Exotic Beast Meat, his Life Energy had finally increased by another point, and his Potential Progress had also risen significantly.

It might seem slow, but he still hadn’t used this month’s potion allowance.

’The Patrol Department gives out one Life Potion every two months. I should be able to apply for it at the end of the month.’

’As for Brother Hao’s sponsorship, Brother Qiang sent me a message this afternoon telling me to head to the bar tonight.’

As the thought crossed his mind, the sound of the water came to an abrupt stop.

Lu Chao turned off the showerhead, his rinse finished.

After drying off, he changed into a clean, long-sleeved crewneck and loose pants, then left the dojo and headed for the bar.