Astonishing

For three days straight, Jiang Qinghe cultivated diligently in the training grounds and did not leave the martial academy again.

On the morning of the fourth day, he sat cross-legged on his bed, gazing at the panel that appeared before his eyes:

[Realm: Body Tempering (Great Accomplishment)]

[Techniques: Iron Shirt Skill (Great Accomplishment—9/30), Wood Splitting Skill (Perfection)]

[Martial Skill: Rock Crushing Palm (Minor Accomplishment—1/10)]

[Potential Points: 3 (0–1 point obtainable daily)]

Having used up the Blood Activating Powder, Jiang Qinghe could clearly feel his cultivation speed slowing.

After the Iron Shirt Skill reached Great Accomplishment, its progress had increased by only a few barely noticeable points.

The Levitation Technique was somewhat difficult to grasp. Jiang Qinghe always felt he was just one step from the threshold, yet he still could not enter the door.

The martial skill Rock Crushing Palm, on the other hand, had improved quite considerably, advancing one-tenth of the way toward Great Accomplishment.

One had to know that ordinary people needed two or three years to reach Minor Accomplishment in a martial skill, and ten years to reach Great Accomplishment.

The vast majority stopped there.

The Perfection realm of cultivation techniques could be forcefully piled up with medicinal pills.

But to reach Perfection in martial arts, one needed both exceptional comprehension and unyielding perseverance; neither could be lacking.

In another half month or so, the Iron Shirt Skill will reach Perfection. If the Levitation Technique enters the door by then, and I raise it to Minor Accomplishment, I should have some ability to protect myself. Then I'll see how things stand and whether I can buy more pills from the medicine hall.

At the third quarter of the hour of the Dragon, Zhao Guangyi looked at the crowd below the platform, his booming voice echoing through the training grounds.

"Everyone, today we will inspect your current cultivation progress."

"The usual rule—test your strength!"

With a sweep of his hand, he pointed toward the Stone Locks arranged neatly along the edge of the training grounds.

The Stone Locks varied in size, ranging from several dozen jin to a thousand jin.

More than twenty Martial Disciples formed a neat line.

Wang Er, at the front of the line, was a tall, skinny young man. He rubbed his fists together, looking eager to try.

With a single stride, he stepped before a three-hundred-jin Stone Lock, planted his horse stance firmly, and gripped the crossbar with both hands. Veins bulged at his temples.

"Up!"

With a loud shout, the Stone Lock rose at once and hung steadily above his head.

Cheers rang out around him. Wang Er set down the Stone Lock, his face flushed red, then cupped his hands toward the crowd smugly. "Please don't laugh at my poor showing!"

The second to take the stage was Gong Jie. The entire training grounds immediately fell silent as they watched the short, sturdy man slowly approach the seven-hundred-jin Stone Lock.

"Brother Gong will definitely break the record this time!"

"I heard last month that he could already lift more than six hundred jin..."

Amid the murmurs, Gong Jie took a deep breath, then suddenly opened his eyes. The muscles in his arms swelled like coiling dragons.

"Ha!"

He lifted the seven-hundred-jin Stone Lock as lightly as though it weighed nothing, holding it motionless in the air for three breaths before slowly lowering it. His face had reddened slightly from the exertion.

"Excellent!"

"Brother Gong has actually reached Great Accomplishment!"

"Brother Gong is mighty!"

The cheers were deafening.

Seeing this, Zhao Guangyi nodded slightly from the platform, though a trace of regret crossed his face. He sighed inwardly.

He's a good seedling. If this had been a few years ago, Master might have taken him as a disciple. What a pity.

The remaining Martial Disciples stepped up one after another for testing, but no one else made a stunning display.

Even Wang Er's three-hundred-jin record was only barely matched by a scant few.

The atmosphere in the training grounds gradually became somewhat dull.

It was as though a splendid performance had entered its intermission.

When it was Jiang Qinghe's turn at the end of the line, everyone looked at this youth who had remained taciturn ever since entering the academy half a month ago, burying himself in training from dawn until dusk every day.

Some wore expressions of anticipation for a spectacle, while more watched with a hint of curiosity.

Jiang Qinghe slowly walked toward the Stone Lock area. Under the puzzled gazes of the crowd, he did not hesitate for long and walked straight past the two-hundred- and three-hundred-jin Stone Locks.

He paused briefly before the five-hundred-jin Stone Lock, then continued onward.

In this world where the weak were prey for the strong, hiding one's strength was useless.

Only by displaying sufficient strength could he earn the martial academy's attention. Perhaps he could then meet Elder Ping and enter his tutelage!

"Five hundred jin already, and he's still not stopping?"

"What is this guy doing? Has he lost his mind?"

"Has he... hasn't gone mad from cultivation, has he?"

Ignoring the voices around him, Jiang Qinghe finally stopped before the thousand-jin Stone Lock.

This enormous jet-black Stone Lock was thicker than his waist. It was said that no one had been able to lift it for a very, very long time.

The training grounds instantly fell silent. Everyone widened their eyes, staring at the youth in the middle of the field.

Gong Jie was shocked as well. During these days, he had watched Jiang Qinghe train from morning to night without missing a single day.

He knew that the other man's progress was indeed almost beyond belief.

But with Stone Locks, the greater the weight, the greater the difficulty.

Once one reached one's limit, even adding another eight or ten jin could make a person collapse.

Yet Jiang Qinghe was directly challenging the thousand-jin Stone Lock, which only someone at the Perfection realm of Body Tempering could barely lift.

On the platform, Zhao Guangyi's gaze sharpened slightly as well.

He noticed the faint sheen on the backs of Jiang Qinghe's hands as he walked, and a look of surprise appeared in his eyes.

If I remember correctly, this fellow only entered the academy half a month ago. He has already reached Minor Accomplishment?

At that moment, the atmosphere across the entire training grounds became tense. Every gaze focused on the youth in the center.

A new Martial Disciple who had entered the academy half a month ago, challenging a thousand-jin Stone Lock—was that possible?

"Whew!"

Jiang Qinghe drew a deep breath and looked at the Stone Lock before him. He slowly crouched down, gripped the icy crossbar with both hands, and exerted force through his waist and legs like a bowstring drawn to the full moon before lifting fiercely!

"Up!"

With a clear shout, the thousand-jin Stone Lock that had not been lifted for years actually began to rise from the ground!

The muscles in Jiang Qinghe's arms twisted tight like steel cables.

One inch, two inches... The Stone Lock finally hung steadily above his head!

Holding the Stone Lock aloft, Jiang Qinghe maintained that posture and slowly turned one full circle in the center of the training grounds.

Only then did he lower the Stone Lock back into place, making the Great Earth tremble at once.

Dead silence.

Absolute silence shrouded the training grounds.

Everyone stood frozen where they were, as though their acupoints had been sealed, their eyes filled with disbelief.

On the platform, Zhao Guangyi could not conceal his shock.

"Jiang Qinghe! Has your Iron Shirt Skill already reached Perfection?"

Jiang Qinghe wiped the sweat from his forehead and cupped his hands.

"Senior Brother Zhao, I have trained day and night without slacking for this past half month. By Chance, I broke through to Great Accomplishment, but I have not yet reached Perfection."

The other Martial Disciples looked at Jiang Qinghe with complicated expressions, no longer having the strength to complain inwardly.

You reached Great Accomplishment just By Chance? Then what are we, who have trained so long yet cannot even touch the threshold of Minor Accomplishment, forever wandering at the entry stage?

That morning's cultivation assessment had plainly become Jiang Qinghe's show alone.

He swept through the entire field with overwhelming force, leaving everyone far behind like a lone rider racing ahead in a cloud of dust.

By comparison, even Gong Jie's performance had dimmed considerably.

After the assessment ended, Zhao Guangyi briefly explained a few details of cultivation before announcing the conclusion.

"Jiang Qinghe, come with me."

The Martial Disciples in the training grounds watched Jiang Qinghe being led by Zhao Guangyi toward the pavilion deep within the martial academy. Some looked unwilling, some carried a trace of envy, but more were simply bewildered, still unable to recover from the shock of what they had just witnessed.