First Tier!
The Supervision Bureau, training room.
Shen Heng practiced the Five Animal Fist with his full attention.
The incandescent lights cast his shadow across the floor, sometimes extended and relaxed, sometimes firm and forceful.
He opened like a fierce tiger pouncing on its prey, his movements agile and sharp; he finished as lightly as a running deer, his movements fluid and natural. Every motion seemed to hold a surging strength.
Once, twice, three times...
His body grew hotter and hotter...
Beads of sweat rolled down his firm body, but before they could fall to the floor, his searing blood and qi instantly steamed them into wisps of white vapor that drifted slowly into the air.
Finally, as he once again sprang up with a tiger's stride and thrust his sharp claws forward, a strange, indescribable sensation that connected his entire body welled up within Shen Heng.
In an instant, he felt as though a pair of invisible hands had savagely torn his muscles apart. The piercing pain shot through his entire body like an electric current, forcing a muffled grunt from him.
At that moment, the surrounding Origin Power stirred and surged madly toward Shen Heng's body.
Wherever the Origin Power passed, his muscles seemed to gain new life, constantly expanding and growing. Every fiber danced with joy, bursting with unprecedented vitality.
Shen Heng gritted his teeth and endured the pain in his body, completing the Five Animal Fist one move at a time.
As he finished the final form, Shen Heng slowly straightened up, a gleam of excitement in his eyes.
First Tier. I'd done it!
Shen Heng stood where he was, taking in the strength surging within his body.
Strong! Powerful!
As for that feeling of being able to tear the heavens apart that novels described, he didn't feel anything like that.
"Whatever. Let's go see how much punching force I have after the breakthrough!"
Shen Heng walked toward the punching force tester by the wall.
He raised both hands, curled them loosely into fists, and drove a straight punch forward.
Bam!
The numbers on the punching force display flickered rapidly.
748.7 kg!
Bam! Bam!
Two more punches followed in quick succession.
732.4 kg! 741.2 kg!
"Before I broke through, my straight punch had around 490 kg of force. After the breakthrough, it went straight up to 740 kg. An increase of nearly half?"
"Mm, still a quarter short of becoming a one-ton superman. Keep at it!"
Shen Heng returned to the center of the training room and once again took the opening stance of the Five Animal Fist.
The remaining Origin Power flowed toward Shen Heng's body, guided by the movements of the Five Animal Fist.
This time, however, it was unlike his previous training.
Rather than feeling a slight comfort as the Origin Power nourished it, his body began trembling uncontrollably.
Realizing something was wrong, Shen Heng quickly stopped training and examined his body's condition with some confusion.
Healthy, strong, powerful...
There didn't seem to be any negative conditions.
Puzzled, Shen Heng tried practicing the Five Animal Fist again, but as the Origin Power flowed through his body, his body began trembling along with it.
Shen Heng stopped again.
"Is it because I can't train right after a breakthrough? Or is there some other reason?"
Shen Heng frowned slightly. He didn't know much about cultivation and had no idea what was causing this.
"I'll ask the captain later!"
Shen Heng paused his Five Animal Fist training, sat cross-legged, and began his breathing exercises.
Night.
The Supervision Bureau, dining hall.
Everyone from the Supervision Bureau had gathered in the dining hall, chatting as they ate.
"A new milk tea shop opened outside the eastern district. Couples get their second cup half-price! Anyone want to order together later?" Wu Cheng asked as he ate.
"You haven't even finished what's in your mouth, and you're already thinking about having milk tea later? Take a look at yourself. Out of all of us, you're the only fat one. You embarrass us when we go out!" Han Ling complained.
"Hey, what do you know? I'm sturdy, not fat!" Wu Cheng raised a hand and patted his chest. "Besides, I've got the standard build of an ancient general. Muscle and fat. The muscle gives me strength, and the fat blocks blades and supplies energy. It's just not all that popular in modern times!"
Shen Heng glanced up at Wu Cheng. He wasn't wrong; his build really couldn't be called fat. If he had to compare him to anyone, he looked like Zhang Fei from the newer Three Kingdoms series in Shen Heng's previous life.
"Tch, you, a general? Generals lead the charge and break through enemy lines. They're nothing like you, doing everything you can to hide in the back during a fight!" Han Ling said disdainfully.
"Ah! That's where you don't understand. A true great general stays in the rear and commands the entire battlefield. If I'm needed on the front lines in person, that means the situation has already deteriorated to a certain point! You wouldn't want things getting that bad, would you?"
"Tch, absolutely shameless!"
"Hehehe..." Wu Cheng chuckled, not minding Han Ling's words in the slightest.
"They said it's buy one, get one free for couples. You don't even have a girlfriend. How are you going to buy it?" Zheng Anlin asked.
"Ah! Brother Zheng, that's where you don't understand. That's just how they word the promotion. It's actually just a buy-one-get-one-free deal for their grand opening!" Wu Cheng waved a hand.
"What if they check? What will you say?" Zheng Anlin asked.
"Then I'll say my girlfriend insisted that the cup of milk tea I was giving her was the free one, so she got really angry, and we broke up!" Wu Cheng said with an unconcerned look.
Shen Heng: "..."
"Little Wu, you're not so young anymore. You really should settle down and find yourself a wife!" Li Jianguo advised from beside him.
"Ah, well..." Faced with Old Li's advice, Wu Cheng awkwardly wiped the grin off his face. He turned and looked around, redirecting the fire. "Wei Leyang hasn't found anyone either!"