Testing Strength

The night was deep and silent.

Inside the main bedroom, only a kerosene lamp covered with red gauze remained.

The light was dim and yellow, and the warmth was pervasive.

On the bed, Shen Yun was already fast asleep.

The satin quilt had slipped off for the most part, half-hidden and half-revealed, her plump and mature figure lay across it.

Lu Zhen held the corner of the quilt and gently pulled it up, carefully covering the intimate view in the room.

He closed his eyes, his mind sinking into his consciousness.

[Daily Settlement Panel Activated]

[Today's Settlement: Practiced Iron Wire Fist for three hours, threw ten thousand punches.]

[Base Rewards: Silver +0, Profession EXP +0, Martial Skill EXP +60, Physique EXP +10, General EXP +20]

[Level Bonus Triggered: Daily Settlement Level Lv.3 (Daily Rewards X3)]

[Final Acquisition: Silver +0, Profession EXP +0, Martial Skill EXP +180, Physique EXP +30, General EXP +60!]

Without the nourishment of high-grade medicinal herbs and mutated flesh, the settlement rewards from ordinary days were indeed like a drop in the bucket for Lu Zhen, who had already stepped into the Bright Force realm.

[Lu Zhen (30 years old)]

[Realm: Bright Force Early Stage]

[Wealth: 1996 Silver (including unregistered bank notes, gold bars, etc. converted to estimated value)]

[Current Profession: Ship Guard]

[Level: Daily Settlement Lv.3 (215/800)]

[Skills:]

[Cart Pulling Lv.3 (50/800)]

[Seafaring Lv.2 (15/20)]

[Coiling Dragon Stake Lv.4 (1210/3000)]

[Iron Wire Fist Lv.4 (640/3000)]

[Physique: Blood-Qi Like a Furnace Lv.5 (590/10000)]

[General EXP: 845 points]

"The Coiling Dragon Stake has reached its cap."

This stake-training technique, used to temper strength, could no longer yield any Blood-Qi for him, even with the hardest practice, now that he had entered the Bright Force realm.

From now on, he only needed to spend half an hour each morning to stand in the stance, just to warm up his muscles and consolidate his strength.

Practicing more would be a waste of effort.

As for the Iron Wire Fist.

With his current formidable cultivation in the early stage of Bright Force and his monstrous physique of "Blood-Qi Like a Furnace," a casual punch from him could make his tendons snap and produce the power of six fully formed sounds.

If he had enough experience to push this Lv.4 Iron Wire Fist up another level, to level five.

That would be Seven-Sound Limit Break.

Which was what his master, Yan Tieqiao, called "Force Extreme Second Level"!

"As long as I have the panel, I can continuously upgrade and deduce this ordinary martial skill without any bottlenecks."

Even the extremely rare Force Extreme Seventh Level would not be the end.

This was his greatest confidence.

However, Lu Zhen knew very well that although the breakthrough of Iron Wire Fist was tempting, the 845 points of General EXP he currently held could not be casually squandered on martial skills.

"I must prioritize upgrading the Daily Settlement level."

This was the true core of the panel.

In martial arts cultivation, the further one progressed, the more massive the experience required for techniques and physique became, like a bottomless pit of gold.

Only by increasing the base multiplier of Daily Settlement could he gain hundreds or thousands of extra experience points out of thin air each day.

This was called sharpening the axe before cutting wood.

Currently, it was Lv.3 (215/800). He still needed 585 points to level up.

"Add points."

The 845 points of General EXP on the panel instantly decreased, turning into a barely perceptible stream of light that flowed into the progress bar of the settlement level.

The progress bar was instantly filled.

The text blurred for a moment before becoming clear again.

[Level: Daily Settlement Lv.4 (0/3000)]

[Level Privilege: Daily Rewards X4!]

The next day.

Beep... beep-beep.

Two dull car horn blasts echoed at the mouth of the alley.

Lu Zhen had risen early.

A pitch-black Ford sedan was parked at the alley entrance.

The window rolled down, revealing the face of Gu Yanzhi, who wore a gentle smile. He had traded his long gown for a dark gray jacket, better suited for movement.

"Brother Lu, get in." Gu Yanzhi beckoned.

"Brother Gu is quite punctual." Lu Zhen strode over.

He pulled open the door and sat in the passenger seat.

The interior smelled faintly of leather and tobacco.

The driver in front stepped on the gas, and the car let out a low roar, slowly pulling out of Anping Street and heading toward the inner city.

The streets grew increasingly crowded.

The steam from breakfast stalls and the laborers pushing carts intertwined, reflecting the unique congestion and anxiety of these troubled times.

The car passed through several blocks, and as they traveled, the surrounding buildings grew taller and more imposing.

Half an hour later.

The car slowed to a stop outside a towering gray-brick compound.

Two rows of armed guards stood outside the gate, and Western-style searchlights were mounted atop the high walls.

A heavy plaque with white characters on a black background hung directly above the gate.

It read: East City Garrison Bureau, Third Station.

"This Ocean City East City Garrison Bureau has ten stations in total. The one before us is the Third Station."

Gu Yanzhi lowered his voice, giving Lu Zhen the inside scoop.

"The rules in the bureau are strict. At the bottom are the ordinary squads, ten men to a squad. The squad leader is usually an expert who has just entered the Bright Force Martial Master level.

Above them is the commander, or captain, who manages three ten-man squads.

To become a commander, one must be at least a top-tier figure among those who have just entered the Bright Force Martial Master level, or be at the mid-stage of Bright Force.

As for the station chief, they must not only be a ruthless character at the mid-stage of Bright Force, but they must also possess solid connections and influence."

Lu Zhen listened quietly, nodding slightly.

Gu Yanzhi smiled and continued, "However, the world is chaotic right now, and the mutated beasts outside the city are causing havoc, so the bureau is short-handed everywhere.

As long as your cultivation has reached the late stage of Lianli, you can basically pass upon arrival. But for this trip, we have to start as ordinary members.

Once we demonstrate our Bright Force strength later, we will naturally be promoted to squad leaders."

During their conversation, the two had already crossed the high threshold.

Upon entering the compound, a thick, martial air of solemnity rushed toward them.

The air was not only filled with the pungent smell of weapon oil but also faintly mixed with an indelible, aged scent of blood. That was the baleful aura left behind by years of fighting mutated beasts outside the city.

The courtyard was massive, the bluestone slabs on the ground worn into pits and bumps.

At this moment, many rogue martial artists were gathered in small groups, trying their luck at the registration. The clothes these people wore were a motley, eye-catching assortment.

There were those in the cyan-waisted martial arts uniforms of the Flying Swallow Sect, those draped in the tiger-striped coarse cloth vests of the Black Tiger Hall, and others wearing the front-buttoned long gowns of the Iron Wire Hall... the attire of various martial arts halls and Jianghu sects mixed together in a chaotic mess.

In the center, in front of this crowd of disheveled rogue cultivators, several stone locks for strength testing, each the size of a millstone, were lined up.

Numbers were written on them in red paint: 500 jin, 800 jin, and the one at the very end was terrifying in size, weighing a full 5,000 jin. That one was specifically for Bright Force Martial Master testing.

"Hah!"

A man in tattered gray short-garb turned beet red, his hands gripping the 500-jin stone lock for dear life. His legs trembled as he barely managed to lift it an inch off the ground.

The bailiff in charge of registration waved his hand with a cold face.

"Your foundation is too weak, get lost! Next!"

Immediately after, a dark-faced man walked up to the 800-jin stone lock. He gathered all his strength, but only managed to make the lock wobble; he couldn't lift it at all.

"You can't even lift 800 jin and you come to the Garrison Bureau to die? Get out!" The bailiff chased him away without ceremony.

Lu Zhen stood outside the crowd, watching with a calm expression.

Not far away, on the steps leading to the inner hall.

Several men from the Garrison Bureau stood with their arms crossed, coldly watching the disheveled rogue cultivators below.

These were ordinary members of the Garrison Bureau, uniformly dressed in coarse cloth front-buttoned uniforms with gray bases and black edges. A fist-sized character "Garrison" was embroidered in white thread on their chests, and they wore sturdy yellow ox-hide belts around their waists.

The leading man, surrounded by these ordinary members, wore a mysterious black brocade martial arts uniform with hidden patterns. Not only was the fabric of excellent quality, but the cuffs and collar were also trimmed with bright red silk thread.

Most striking of all was the "Garrison" character on his chest, which was actually embroidered with interwoven gold and silver threads.

This man was Zheng Hu, his gaze sinister, his temples slightly bulging, his blood and qi remarkably dense and settled.

He was clearly a captain of the constables who had just stepped into the realm of Bright Force, and he was also a member of the Zheng Family, an upstart family of strange martial arts.

They had always been mortal enemies with the Xiao Family, who stood behind the Gu Family.

"Captain."

A lackey with a sharp, monkey-like face, dressed in a standard grey-bottomed, black-trimmed uniform, suddenly leaned into Zheng Hu's ear and gestured with his chin.

"Look over there, isn't that the eldest young master of the Tongjiang Chamber of Commerce, Gu Yanzhi?

A dog raised by the Xiao Family has actually run into the territory of our Third Station to scavenge for food. Should we give him a hard time?"

Zheng Hu narrowed his eyes, looked in the direction indicated, and a cold sneer tugged at the corner of his mouth.

The Garrison Bureau was a semi-institutional military office; while recruitment depended on strength, it also emphasized "establishment and deployment."

"No rush." Zheng Hu stroked his chin, his smile not reaching his eyes.

"Wait until he exhausts all his strength to pass the test, then we'll use the excuse that the establishment is full to block him.

Let this dignified young master suffer a silent loss in public. We call this handling matters impartially, and even the Xiao Family won't be able to find fault with it."

Over here.

The person in front finished their attempt, and it was Gu Yanzhi's turn.

He took off his jacket, handed it to Lu Zhen, took a deep breath, and strode toward the eight-hundred-jin stone lock.

A few days ago, he had just broken through to the late stage of Lianli, and his blood and qi were at their peak.

"Rise!"

Gu Yanzhi sank his feet, unified his waist and horse stance, and exerted force with both hands.

The heavy eight-hundred-jin stone lock was steadily lifted off the ground by him, pulled up to waist level, and held there for three breaths.

"Good strength!"

"A solid foundation indeed."

The surrounding rogue martial artists, dressed in the attire of various martial arts halls, expressed their admiration one after another.

Gu Yanzhi dropped the stone lock with a "bang," a look of joy on his face as he brushed the dust off his hands and walked to the desk to register.

Just then.

"Hold on."

Zheng Hu shook out his black brocade martial arts suit, embroidered with gold and silver characters, and walked slowly down the steps with several subordinates, directly blocking the path.