The next morning, after the roll call at the River Department.
Chen Qing was arranging his Patrol's waist token and saber.
Cheng Ming strolled over and pulled him into the shadow of a nearby pillar.
Cheng Ming glanced around, and after confirming no one was paying attention, he said in a low voice, "I went home last night and mentioned your situation to my eldest sister."
"Oh!?"
Chen Qing looked up, his heart stirring at Cheng Ming's peculiar expression.
"It's done."
A relaxed smile appeared on Cheng Ming's face. "She agreed. From now on, she'll give you two extra Blood Qi Pills each month."
Chen Qing cupped his fist respectfully. "Chief, thank you so much."
Two Blood Qi Pills cost at least five taels of silver, and to receive them every month was an incredible boon for Chen Qing.
"Go on."
Cheng Ming patted Chen Qing's shoulder and smiled. "Cultivate well. Who knows, if you're lucky, you might even make your next breakthrough."
.....
With the Martial Arts Examination approaching, the atmosphere at the Zhou Institute was as taut as a fully drawn bowstring.
Zhou Liang paced back and forth within the Zhou Institute every day, his gaze fixed mostly on the disciples at the Dark Force Cultivation level.
After all, they were the main contenders for the upcoming Martial Arts Examination.
Chen Qing, meanwhile, was just an inconspicuous figure in the courtyard, training bitterly. With the Blood Qi Pills sponsored by the Cheng Family, in addition to the Blood and Qi Powder he bought himself, his progress in the Long Arm Pile Skill was visibly accelerating.
One evening.
'It's about time I tried to generate Dark Force.'
The blood and qi in Chen Qing's body surged and roared like Earth Fire churning deep within his veins. Every breath he took was scorching hot, his exposed skin glowed an unnatural crimson, and a faint white steam rose from his body.
In moments, his clothes were soaked through with sweat.
Anyone watching closely would have seen the signs.
Before he knew it, the sun began to set.
The Zhou Institute disciples began packing up their equipment in twos and threes.
"It's almost dark, and he's still cultivating."
"He's another He Yan!"
"No, he's even more hardworking than He Yan!"
"Sigh... but what's the use of just training blindly?"
....
The murmurs of conversation, accompanied by sighs, quickly faded into the twilight.
Only Chen Qing remained on the vast training ground.
He stood atop a wooden pile, his eyes tightly closed.
He felt as if a ball of fire was burning in his chest, spreading throughout his entire body.
It was his blood and qi, flowing through the soles of his feet, his back, and his shoulders, connecting each section and forming countless circuits.
And this was the sign of reaching the Perfection of Manifest Force.
The breakthrough had officially begun.
The night deepened, and the courtyard fell silent.
Standing on the wooden pile, the blood and qi in Chen Qing's body began to boil, rushing toward every limb and bone.
Everywhere it went, he felt as if a flame had ignited from within.
In that instant, it felt as though his flesh and bones were being incinerated, turning to ash, and that ash then condensed into a single wisp of qi.
Manifest Force erupts from the flesh and resounds through the sinews and bones; Dark Force, however, must sink into the marrow and flow through the central meridians. Its Power is contained, like a viper flicking its tongue—silent, yet fatal.
Chen Qing was currently enduring this very ordeal—tempering one's sinews and bones with blood and qi was naturally far more difficult, and far more painful, than tempering skin and flesh.
At first, it was just a feverish heat throughout his body. Soon, this heat spread, feeling like flames searing his skin.
Then, the flames invaded inward, burning fiercely within his sinews and bones.
The night was heavy, and all was deathly silent.
The empty courtyard echoed with nothing but his suppressed, heavy gasps.
Chen Qing was drenched, as if he had just been pulled from the water, yet the agony continued unabated.
But he knew that the longer he held on, the more profound the resulting Dark Force would be.
He could clearly feel his sinews and bones gradually toughening, his pores contracting violently—
this was the sign that his flesh, sinews, and bones were becoming fully integrated.
「Time passed quietly.」
Chen Qing was like an old monk in deep Meditation, only the even rise and fall of his breath betraying his state.
The pain gradually dissipated as his flesh and sinews finally became one.
He had persisted to the very end, finally achieving Perfection.
BOOM!
After an unknown amount of time, the searing agony finally began to recede.
A strange sense of open-flow emerged, as if a blocked river had been completely dredged. His blood and qi flowed without obstruction, circulating harmoniously through flesh, sinews, and bones, reaching every corner of his body.
The pores all over his body seemed to awaken, greedily opening and closing as they breathed in the cool night air.
BOOM—!
It was as if something inside his body had completely exploded, only to fall silent in an instant.
[Heaven Rewards Diligence, success is assured.]
[Long Arm Pile Skill at Great Success (1/2000)]
"Hoo!"
After about fifteen minutes, Chen Qing exhaled a turbid breath and slowly opened his eyes. 'So this is Dark Force?'
His body felt unprecedentedly light, and his control over his blood and qi was exquisitely fine.
Wherever his Intention went, a condensed, restrained Power containing a terrifying explosive force now lay dormant within his sinews and bones, ready to be unleashed at a moment's notice.
'Qin Lie reached Dark Force in about half a year, and he's considered the best disciple at the Zhou Institute. By that measure, my own progress is pretty damn good.'
'I'll find a chance to report this to Master tomorrow.'
'It's necessary to display some of my strength, to show people that I'm worth the investment.'
'Hiding one's ability is for self-protection, but revealing it is for seizing opportunities.'
'Besides, I have some questions about my future Cultivation to ask Zhou Liang, and I might even get some extra resources allocated to me.'
'It's all pros and no cons.'
Afterward, Chen Qing left the Zhou Institute and headed home.
It was late, and the streets were completely empty.
In Gaolin County, pedestrians vanished from the streets as soon as night fell. Only the Inner City remained bustling with activity.
Two old, black-canopied boats were moored quietly at the dock, swaying gently in the night wind and letting out a soft CREAK.
Chen Qing skillfully untied the hemp rope fastened to the stern of the neighboring boat, stepped onto the slippery planks, and slipped through the rear cabin into his own family's boat.
Inside the cabin, the flame of an oil lamp flickered like a single bean.
Ms. Han was mending a fishing net by the dim light. She looked up at the sound of his entry, her face etched with unconcealable exhaustion and worry. "Why are you so late? You must be starving. There's still some congee in the pot. I'll go heat it up for you."
She put down her work and, with a hunched back, began to shuffle toward the attached boat that housed their stove.
"I was training and lost track of the time."
Chen Qing took off his short tunic, stiff with dried sweat and reeking of the river, and casually draped it over a worn-out oar.
"I'm starving. Mom, could you boil some water? I need to wash up; I'm covered in sweat."
"I know."
Ms. Han replied as she slipped into the cramped inner boat. "By the way, your aunt came by today. She stood at the bow for a while. From what she was saying, it sounds like the Yang Family wants to scrape together some capital to open a small shop in Baihua Lane."
Chen Qing scooped up half a ladle of cold water, gulped it down, and wiped his mouth. "Uncle hasn't had any work since he hurt his leg. Opening a shop to do odd jobs would be a good thing."
Ms. Han sighed. "In this day and age, opening a shop isn't so easy."
Chen Qing thought for a moment and said, "It should be fine."
He knew that ever since he had uprooted the Black Water Gang, the Tiger Gang, who took over Baihua Lane, had been looking out for the Yang Family. Opening a small shop shouldn't be a problem.
"What do you know!"
Ms. Han pursed her lips. "Opening a shop isn't so easy! It takes a lot of capital! If they lose it all, everything will be gone for nothing."
....