Strange Species

The stone lock left the ground in response, and as if it had no weight at all, he easily hoisted it above his head.

A moment later, Fang Shuwen set down the fifty-pound stone lock, his gaze landing on the one-hundred-pound stone lock.

"Thud!"

The one-hundred-pound stone lock slammed into the ground.

"Whew, one hundred and fifty pounds is a bit of a struggle; my single-arm strength is probably around one hundred and twenty pounds."

Fang Shuwen looked down at his hands, then back at the stone lock.

In his past life, he struggled to lift a fifty-pound dumbbell with both hands at the gym, yet now, he could lift one hundred pounds with a single hand and still have strength to spare.

This was the change brought about by entering the threshold of the Martial Dao.

His strength had nearly doubled!

"Time to try the wooden dummy!"

He walked over to the wooden dummy and assumed the starting stance of the Body Strengthening Fist.

The images of the thirty-six figures practicing in his mind surged forth instantly, and his body moved naturally, without needing to think.

Fist, palm, elbow, shoulder.

Every strike landed precisely on the wooden dummy's pressure points, emitting dull thuds of impact.

Reaching the final move, Fang Shuwen twisted his waist and hips, throwing a punch.

"Bang!"

The wooden dummy swayed violently, its base grinding against the bluestone floor, wobbling several times.

"Hmm?"

"The force landed on the wooden dummy, but at least half of it dissipated."

Fang Shuwen retracted his fist and stood still, looking down at his hand.

With a single-arm strength of one hundred and twenty pounds, the impact of a punch should have been even greater.

By his estimation, he should have been able to snap a wooden pole as thick as his arm.

Yet, landing on this wooden dummy, the effect was underwhelming.

The reason was that the force was too scattered and not integrated.

"So, this is what Master Chen at the martial arts hall meant when he taught others: having the realm but lacking integrated force makes it difficult to unleash one's full power."

Fang Shuwen stood in place, frowning in thought for a moment.

Master Chen had been lecturing a wealthy young master who had forcibly raised his level using medicinal drugs.

He had overheard a few sentences back then and hadn't understood them at the time.

Now, having tried it himself, he saw it was indeed so.

The Martial Dao Panel only granted the corresponding realm and strength.

It merely pulled him across the threshold.

The path behind that door was, in reality, still very long.

"It's a good thing I didn't rashly rush out today; otherwise, if I had really faced those two ruffians, I might not have been able to beat them."

Those two ruffians were no ordinary street idlers; they were members of the Wild Wolf Gang from the west side of the city.

Gang members might not have practiced martial arts, but street brawls and fighting were their daily bread, and they surely had a repertoire of dirty tricks and underhanded moves.

If they had truly come to blows, with his unintegrated force and lack of combat experience in the Body Strengthening Fist, he might well have capsized in the gutter.

"So, the Martial Dao Panel only saves me the bitter labor of tempering. To truly master the skills, I must practice diligently myself!"

Fang Shuwen understood the principle in an instant.

He wanted to continue training, but seeing that the sky had turned completely dark, he realized he had to give up and head back before the gates between the courtyards were locked.

Not long after he left, a figure carrying a lantern arrived at the spot.

"Cough, cough. The young miss will be back in a month; I must have someone clean this place up tomorrow."

"Eh? Has someone been practicing here?"

Chen Zhong, the old steward of the Zhao Estate, walked past the wooden dummy on the side and noticed the clear friction marks on the ground.

Although servants cleaned the area daily, they naturally wouldn't move these heavy wooden posts.

Furthermore, as a practitioner of Mingjin, he could tell at a glance that this was the result of someone practicing their strikes.

"Tsk tsk, I didn't expect there to be someone in the estate who had actually entered the threshold of martial arts."

"Judging by the marks, it's a young lad."

Chen Zhong pondered for a moment, letting a few figures pass through his mind.

He thought about it, but couldn't determine exactly who it was.

Finally, he shook his head; it was only the entry level of martial arts, still a long way from Mingjin.

He thought about the few youngsters in the estate, all of whom were already quite old.

It was unlikely they would ever reach Mingjin in this lifetime, so he stopped thinking about it, carried his lantern, locked the courtyard gate, and returned to his own quarters.

The next day.

Before the sky was fully bright, Fang Shuwen woke up.

He didn't wake up naturally; he was woken by the commotion in the courtyard.

Mother Wang was shouting at the top of her lungs for Cuicui to get up. Her voice had such piercing power that even through the brick wall, it felt like it was exploding right next to his ears.

"Cuicui! The sun is already hitting your backside! Get up and study! If you don't pass the exam for the elite class, I'm marrying you off!"

Fang Shuwen rubbed his eyes, rolled over, and sat up.

Old Fang was no longer in the room; his quilt was folded neatly and placed at the foot of the bed.

The gatekeeper's duties required rising before dawn; by the time the masters of the house woke up, the gatekeeper had to be at his post.

Fang Shuwen washed his face and went to the kitchen, where Hu Da had already left him breakfast.

One egg, two steamed buns, and a small dish of pickled vegetables.

Although it couldn't compare to the spicy soup and tofu pudding of his past life, in this era, given the status of the Fang father and son, being able to eat this much meant Old Fang had already sacrificed a great deal of face.

Where exactly do the skill points for this Martial Dao Panel come from?

Fang Shuwen wondered while eating breakfast.

Yesterday, he had touched that piece of miscellaneous jade at the bookstore, and then his golden finger had activated.

If he found another piece of similar jade, could he get another skill point?

Once this thought emerged, he couldn't stop it.

But the problem was, where could he find that kind of miscellaneous jade?

Should he go find that sucker again?

Clearly, the old man in green robes had a status that was not simple.

Even if he won at chess again, the other party would likely only give him money, not let him pick up another bargain.

Fang Shuwen stuffed the last bite of the bun into his mouth, shouldered his cloth bookbag, and headed out.

He planned to wander the streets again today.

Not to play chess, but to see if he could run into another sucker.

After exiting the back gate of the Zhao Estate, he passed through two alleys and arrived at Xikou East Street.

The East Street in the early morning was completely different from the evening.

Breakfast stalls billowed with white steam, the fragrance of soy milk and fried dough sticks mixing with the smoky air of coal stoves, bringing the whole street to life.

Fang Shuwen walked along the side of the street, his eyes constantly scanning the vendors on both sides.

There were those selling vegetables, those selling fish, and those selling miscellaneous goods.

There was even an old man squatting in a corner with a tattered cloth spread out in front of him, displaying a few stones he claimed were jade dug out from the mountains.

Fang Shuwen squatted down to take a look, picked one up, and felt it.

There was no reaction.

The Martial Dao Panel remained quiet, with no prompts whatsoever.

"Little brother, this is old-pit material. Look at this luster, it's so rich!"

Seeing him pick up the stone, the old man's eyes lit up, his spittle nearly spraying onto Fang Shuwen's face.

"I'm just looking."

Fang Shuwen put the stone down, stood up, and walked away.

Some "old-pit material"—more like a pit for swindling people.

If it were truly good merchandise, it would appear at the Treasure Gathering Pavilion or in the bustling city centers.

In any case, it was absolutely impossible to display it on the main street.

After wandering through more than half the street and touching no fewer than twenty stones, tiles, and scraps of metal, the interface remained completely motionless.

It seemed not all jade would work.

It had to be the kind that contained "heterogeneous energy."

So, what exactly was heterogeneous?

But how was one supposed to find this stuff?

Just as he was thinking this, a commotion suddenly erupted ahead.

"Make way, make way!"

"Everyone, move aside!"

"Our Young Master Lu of Xikou stayed overnight at Big Willow Village yesterday and happened to encounter a heterogeneous snake demon wreaking havoc."

"Guided by a spirit of chivalry, Young Master Lu stepped in to act righteously, slaying the heterogeneous creature, and is hereby commended!"

Seven or eight patrol officers wearing new-style black uniforms and wielding black-and-white batons surged in from the street corner.

They plastered a notice onto the bulletin board by the side of the road.

A heterogeneous snake demon?

Heterogeneous!

Fang Shuwen's eyes widened abruptly, and he couldn't help but stare at the notice that had just been posted.