23: Chapter 23 Daily Cultivation
The incident in the Spirit Energy Secret Realm caused quite a stir within the elite base.
The name Wang Pingan had firmly made its mark among the other seven proud sons of heaven and the four newly arrived Second-Rank Martial Artist who had just broken through.
He was no longer the newcomer who had only gotten in through the sheer dumb luck of "breaking through in the heat of the moment."
Instead, he was a ruthless character with a hard enough fist and a dark enough heart.
The scene in the secret realm where he had crippled Li Moran with a single punch in front of everyone was repeatedly brought up and watched by many.
That crisp, decisive force, and that fierceness without a hint of hesitation, made many people's backs feel a little cold.
Consequently, the atmosphere in the base changed quietly.
Previously, there were still people who saw him as a newcomer and wanted to come over to "spar" with him to weigh his capabilities.
Now, no one did.
Even Su Yue, that fearless short-haired little spitfire, would walk around him when she saw him, muttering "violent maniac" under her breath.
Occasionally, a few elites from other schools who came to serve as sparring partners would try to get close and ask if he had any tips for cultivation.
Wang Pingan would always respond with his signature shy and honest smile.
"Huh? Tips?"
He scratched his head, looking embarrassed.
"There are no tips. I just got lucky, and I listen to Instructor Chen and practice the basics a lot."
These words were watertight.
It was impossible to find any fault with them, yet one felt as if nothing had been said at all.
After a few times, everyone understood.
This Wang Pingan was as slippery as a loach, and his mouth was tighter than a clam shell.
Trying to get any real information out of him was harder than getting Lin Zhan, that taciturn guy, to tell a joke.
Over time, no one came to ask for trouble anymore.
Wang Pingan was happy to be left in peace.
He had completely disguised himself as a cultivation fanatic, spending every day either eating and sleeping, or soaking in the training grounds and the gravity room.
He enjoyed this life where no one disturbed him and he could focus solely on becoming stronger.
He enjoyed even more the thrill of watching the numbers on his system panel change quietly, bit by bit, right under everyone's noses.
The precious treasures he had scavenged in the secret realm, combined with the spoils he "stocked up" on at the scrapyard on weekends, brought his pay-to-win points balance to an unprecedented level of wealth.
He was not in a hurry to dump all his points into his blood qi value.
He had taken Instructor Chen Feng's words to heart.
"If the foundation is unstable, you won't go far."
This advice applied just as much to him, a player with cheats.
He spent most of his pay-to-win points on "solidifying his foundation."
He used the system to precisely and gradually increase his blood qi value.
Each increase was small, just enough to show a tiny bit of "visible progress" in his training the next day.
He kept his strength firmly controlled at a certain level.
A level that was always just a notch below Lin Zhan.
He invested all the remaining pay-to-win points into increasing his mental strength.
This attribute was the most hidden and the least likely to be noticed.
But the benefits it brought were real and tangible.
His perception became increasingly sharp.
His thinking became increasingly clear.
He even felt that when he looked at those profound martial arts theories now, his comprehension speed was several times faster than before.
This all-around strengthening from the inside out intoxicated him.
His performance naturally caught the eye of Instructor Chen Feng.
Instructor Chen Feng was increasingly satisfied with his student, Wang Pingan.
He had high talent, but was neither arrogant nor impetuous.
He was willing to work hard and had a steady temperament.
He was simply a piece of perfect raw jade.
Therefore, Instructor began to give him extra private lessons.
Every week, he would call Wang Pingan to his office alone to provide private guidance.
"Your punches are fast enough and ruthless enough."
In the office of Instructor, he watched the set of boxing techniques Wang Pingan had just finished and spoke slowly.
"However, your force is too scattered."
He walked up to Wang Pingan, extended a finger, and tapped lightly on his lower abdomen.
"blood qi value isn't just about rushing out in a swarm and calling it a day."
"You must learn to control it and harness it."
"Make it like an extension of your arm, able to be retracted and released at will, concentrated and not dispersed."
"Watch carefully."
Instructor said, also adopting the starting stance of the "Federal Military Body Boxing."
He threw a punch.
It didn't stir up any sound of wind, and the movement even looked a bit slow.
But Wang Pingan's pupils contracted sharply.
He could clearly feel that the air in front of the fist of Instructor seemed to have been compressed into a solid, forming an invisible force field.
That was an effect that could only be produced after highly concentrating one's power.
"This is called 'Inch Force,' a technique that a Second-Rank Martial Artist must master to reach the Third Rank."
Instructor retracted his fist and looked at Wang Pingan.
"With your comprehension, you should be able to touch the threshold within half a year."
Wang Pingan's face showed an expression of "sudden enlightenment."
He bowed deeply to Instructor.
"Thank you for your guidance, Instructor! I understand!"
He said he understood with his mouth.
But in his heart, he was frantically calling the system.
"System! How much of that move just now was parsed?"
【Target martial skill 'Inch Force' parsing progress: 78%. Data has been recorded; you can consume pay-to-win points to deduce and learn it.】
Wang Pingan was overjoyed.
Half a year?
As long as I have enough pay-to-win points, I can practice Inch Force to perfection for you tonight!
Instructor is such a good person!
At night, Wang Pingan looked at his system data and decided to learn this so-called 'Inch Force.'
【host: Wang Pingan】
【Realm: Second-Rank Martial Artist (blood qi value 357 / 500)】
【Strength: 35.7】
【Speed: 36.2】
【Physique: 35.9】
【Spirit: 44.7】
【Recovery: 35.7】
【pay-to-win points: 1605】
Night.
Wang Pingan sat cross-legged on the bed, playing back the punch that Instructor had demonstrated during the day in his mind repeatedly.
That punch was silent, yet it seemed capable of compressing the air.
"Touching the threshold in half a year..."
He muttered to himself, but the corners of his mouth couldn't help but curve upward.
Half a year?
For others, perhaps, but for him, it was merely the difference between tonight and tomorrow morning.
With a thought, the pale blue system interface unfolded before his eyes.
【host: Wang Pingan】
【Realm: Second-Rank Martial Artist (blood qi value 357 / 5000)】
【Strength: 35.7】
【Speed: 36.2】
【Physique: 35.9】
【Spirit: 44.7】
【Recovery: 35.7】
【pay-to-win points: 1605】
His gaze locked directly onto the "Inch Force" move that had only been parsed to 78%.
"System, complete the parsing of 'Inch Force' and learn it directly."
【'Inch Force' parsing completion requires consuming 50 pay-to-win points.】
【'Inch Force' infusion-style learning requires consuming 500 pay-to-win points.】
【Total of 550 pay-to-win points. Confirm?】
"Hiss..."
Wang Pingan drew a cold breath as if he had a toothache.
Five hundred and fifty points!
This is almost as much as a Blue Crystal Fruit! The system is truly black-hearted in such a clear way.
However, thinking of that elusive force, he felt the money was well spent.
This thing is a specialty for ambushing people... no, a supreme skill for self-defense!
"Confirm!"
The moment the thought fell, a warm current exploded from his dantian, but unlike the violent increase in blood qi value before, it turned into countless fine threads that instantly traveled to his limbs and bones.
His brain felt like it had been forcibly crammed with a high-speed supercomputer.
Everything about "Inch Force"—the techniques for exerting force, the routes of blood qi value circulation, the coordination of muscles and fascia... countless streams of information surged in, and were then forcibly engraved into his body's instincts.
The entire process took only a few seconds.
When Wang Pingan opened his eyes again, the world seemed different.
He could clearly "see" the blood qi value inside his body; it was no longer a chaotic mass of energy, but "soldiers" that could be precisely commanded and used as easily as his own arms.
He slowly got off the bed, walked to the center of the room, and mimicking Instructor, adopted the starting stance of "Federal Military Body Boxing."
Then, he threw a punch.
The movement was slow and silent.
There was not a hint of wind in front of his fist.
But he could clearly feel a force condensed to the extreme, instantly exploding and then instantly retracting at a position half an inch in front of his fist.
He walked to the desk and picked up a copy of "History of Federal Martial Arts" that was five centimeters thick.
He extended his index finger and flicked lightly at the side of the book.
"Pop."
A soft sound, like flicking a cigarette butt.
He picked up the book; the cover was intact.
But when he flipped through the pages to roughly the center, his pupils suddenly contracted.
The middle pages looked as if they had been squeezed by an invisible force, showing a clear indentation of a finger, with clean edges and the force having penetrated deeply.
"This is Inch Force..."
Wang Pingan looked at his finger, his heart tingling with numbness.
If this were to hit a person...
He suddenly felt a bit of sympathy for Li Moran.
If that guy came to find trouble again next time, and he "accidentally" used this move, his bones would probably fall apart on the spot.
"If Instructor knew I learned it in one night, would his poker face crack on the spot?"
Wang Pingan couldn't help but chuckle, feeling great.
He looked at the system panel again.
【pay-to-win points: 1055】
A balance of just over a thousand made his little bit of smugness quickly calm down.
This amount of money is not enough to be reckless.
That viper Li Moran must be plotting something in some corner, and the fog deep in the scrapyard is becoming increasingly bizarre; money is needed everywhere, so it must be spent sparingly.
He decided not to increase his blood qi value for the time being.
357 points of blood qi value is already considered top-tier among early Second-Rank, and any higher would be too eye-catching.
Play it safe, don't be reckless.
The top priority is to thoroughly integrate "Inch Force" into his combat instincts, to achieve complete control, leaving no traces.
This way, in the next assessment, he can continue to play his role as the "unstable foundation, but incredibly lucky" biased genius.
Thinking of this, Wang Pingan's eyes flickered.
With Inch Force, next time he spars with that battle maniac Lin Zhan, perhaps... he won't have to concede so readily.