Receiving the Reward

Fang Jianxing had just reached the doorway when he seemed to remember something, suddenly turning his head back.

"Right, Xiao Meng, let's exchange contact information. I've been wanting to find a martial arts hall to work out at; do you have any good recommendations?"

Meng Chuan took out his phone to save Fang Jianxing's contact details.

"No problem, Brother Fang. The Infinite Martial Arts Hall where I train is quite good. They teach very well. If you want to learn boxing or just get some exercise, you can't go wrong coming here."

Meng Chuan, of course, had to put in a good word for his master.

"Infinite Martial Arts Hall... alright, I've noted it down. Sigh, I'm usually so busy with work that I never have time to exercise. It wasn't until I went for a physical at the hospital recently that I realized my stats were all below standard. That's why I'm trying to lock the stable door after the horse has bolted."

Meng Chuan encouraged him, "Brother Fang, you're still young; it's definitely time to step up your exercise. It's never too late as long as you have the will to start."

Fang Jianxing replied with a smile, "You're right, Teacher Meng. I'll listen to you."

"If you ever feel any psychological pressure later on—whether it's from life or martial arts training—feel free to come to me to vent. I earned a PhD in psychology from Puxiusidun University abroad and am also a professionally certified psychological counselor here in the country. You teach me martial arts, and I'll help you relieve stress. How about that?"

Meng Chuan hadn't expected this Director Fang to be such an all-rounder, being an expert in research while also understanding psychology.

"No problem, Brother Fang. If you have any questions about martial arts, you can always come to me."

"It's a deal, then. Goodbye."

Meng Chuan walked him all the way downstairs and only waved goodbye after watching Director Fang get into his car, then turned around to head back up.

While walking up the stairwell, Meng Chuan felt like something was a bit off, but no matter how much he thought about it, he couldn't quite put his finger on it.

When he reached his door, it suddenly dawned on him.

"This Director Fang seems a bit overly enthusiastic. It's clearly our first time meeting, yet he was as warm as if we were old friends of many years."

"Maybe he just has that kind of outgoing personality. Don't overthink it."

Meng Chuan cast aside his unrealistic suspicions.

His uncle, Meng Yongzhi, walked in from outside at that moment.

"Let's go, Chuan'er. Once we collect the bonus at Police Chief Long's office, we can head back."

Meng Chuan asked in confusion, "We're leaving right after collecting it? Don't I need to help with the publicity?"

Meng Yongzhi explained patiently, "Considering you're still a minor, it's not appropriate for you to do interviews. Besides, your uncle knows you and knows you don't like dealing with these things, so I specifically went to talk to them about it, and they agreed."

He hadn't expected his uncle to be so thoughtful, and it warmed Meng Chuan's heart.

Inside the police chief's office.

Long Jiu transferred the three hundred thousand directly onto Meng Chuan's Citizen ID Card.

The ID card was a form of identification issued to every citizen of Great Chu at birth, along with their birth certificate.

Every citizen could only have one ID card, used to prove their status as a citizen of Great Chu; if lost or canceled, it could be reissued at any time.

At the same time, the Citizen ID Card also functioned similarly to the bank cards from Meng Chuan's previous life, capable of storing, transferring, and paying funds. The method of use was also very simple—just a quick tap would do.

"Two hundred thousand in special bonuses, plus one hundred thousand as a personal token of gratitude from me. That's three hundred thousand in total. Check it, Xiao Meng."

With a "ding," Meng Chuan picked up his phone and saw that the transfer had arrived.

[Received special demon-slaying bonus from Qindu Branch Bureau: 200,000]

[Received transfer from citizen Long Jiu: 100,000]

Meng Chuan prepared to transfer the one hundred thousand back to Police Chief Long.

"Police Chief Long, I can't accept this one hundred thousand. If you hadn't notified Master Luo to save me, I definitely wouldn't have made it."

Long Jiu waved his hand.

"Take it if I give it to you. I'm not short on this one hundred thousand."

The two of them went back and forth several times, and seeing that Long Jiu's attitude was becoming slightly impatient, Meng Chuan finally gave up.

On the way back, Meng Chuan thought that he didn't have any immediate need for money, so he wanted to transfer the 300,000 to his uncle to help with household expenses.

"You keep it. Spend it sparingly and don't waste it. Master Luo has been so good to you, and he saved your life, so show him more filial respect."

Meng Chuan knew his uncle's temper—once he made up his mind, he was just as stubborn as he was—so he didn't bring it up again. In any case, the money wasn't of any use to him for now, so he would just keep it for safekeeping.

December 30th, the New Year was approaching.

Although today was Saturday and he didn't have to go to school, Meng Chuan still got up before dawn. Waking up early to practice martial arts every day had already become an instinctive habit for him.

Today, he had found a new place to practice boxing: the rooftop.

Sweating profusely while facing the rising sun, standing on the roof and overlooking the distant land—he couldn't say why, but Meng Chuan felt that practicing boxing on the roof felt better than doing it at home.

The proficiency on his Martial Dao Limit-Breaking Panel also kept jumping and increasing, providing immediate feedback that proved his intuition was indeed correct.

On the rooftop, Meng Chuan hunched his body, swaying unsteadily like a veteran martial artist, silently contemplating the key points taught by Master Luo.

Finding the right moment, he immediately stepped forward with his left foot, his right hand thrusting out in a drill punch level with his eyebrows, while his left fist followed closely, pulling his right elbow to his chest—this was the Hammer Under the Elbow.

He then immediately exerted force by twisting his waist, stepped forward with his left foot, and rotated his right arm outward to hook back, clenching his fist before twisting it outward and pulling it back above his right ear, palm facing forward, wrist folded, body sinking to generate power as his left fist shot straight out.

He unleashed the final punch toward the rising sun, and six consecutive explosions rang out in the air, a terrifying aura appearing on him that was unlike his usual self.

Pao Fist focuses on lethality, emphasizing a relaxed stance, explosive power, and a profound aura; it is the pinnacle of third-rate techniques within the Xingyi Sect.

It was no surprise that Meng Chuan possessed such an aura; following today's burst of inspiration, coupled with the blessing of One Proof Eternal Proof, his Pao Fist had now reached the Great Success stage, achieving six echoes in one blast.

[Pao Fist: Mastery (88%) → Great Success (1%) Awaiting Limit Break]

[Limit Break Trait: Heavy Strike (Primary)]

"Pao Fist has reached Great Success!"

Master Luo had previously said that even for those with medium or medium-high aptitude, practicing third-rate techniques during the lower three stages of blood-qi, it would take at least several months to a year to progress from entry-level to Great Success.

The only ones capable of matching his speed of progress were those possessing comprehension-type traits or the elite among those with superior aptitude.

When a martial practitioner's strength is sufficiently high and they have practiced many techniques, due to their experience in training and physical conditioning, even those with poor aptitude can cultivate martial arts far faster than those with high talent in the lower three stages of blood-qi.

This is because the path of martial arts is the integration of a practitioner's blood-qi, mind, and technique.

For instance, when a Martial Artist's blood-qi and mind are sufficiently powerful, practicing ordinary martial techniques becomes as easy as turning over one's hand.

However, once one reaches such a realm, practicing these techniques is a waste of time; not only is their power far inferior to a True Technique, but they also fail to provide any stimulation to one's blood-qi, much like how Meng Chuan had previously practiced the Guoyi Fist.