Next day!
Lin Chen woke up, staring at the increased Qi Blood value on the panel, stunned for a few moments.
[Name: Lin Chen]
[Occupation: Martial Artist]
[Qi Blood: 2545/3000]
[Life Chart: [Natural Progress]: Martial Arts First Realm, Perseverance, Gradually Advancing, Unstoppable, No Bottleneck Problem.]
The Qi Blood increased by another 2 points, reaching 32 points.
The diet hadn't changed, but the Qi Blood value increased, so there was only one possible explanation.
"Unstoppable is effective!"
Lin Chen was delighted, thinking that if this continues, he could reach the three thousand mark for Qi Blood this month and cultivate Essence Qi.
...
...
The second day.
[Qi Blood: 2579/3000]
Qi Blood increased by 34 points.
Now, Lin Chen could confirm that the Life Chart had entered the [Unstoppable] stage.
Catching up with Lu Yongfeng and Cheng Ying could be expected soon.
...
...
On the third day.
Yu Yongnian suddenly spoke, "Lin Chen, try lifting the stone block."
Lin Chen was taken aback. He hadn't planned to lift the stone block every time he gained ten pounds of strength; instead, he wanted to save up for a big lift.
However, since the instructor spoke, he naturally wouldn't refuse.
In the yard, there were noticeably more stone blocks than the previous days, all weighing over five hundred pounds.
Lin Chen looked at the Qi Blood value [Qi Blood: 2615/3000], thought for a moment, and directly skipped the five hundred ten pounds, walking to the five hundred twenty pounds stone block.
His action made Lu Yongfeng and the other four stop once again.
Instructor Liu and Instructor Chen exchanged a glance, seeing the surprise in each other's eyes.
From the moment Yu Yongnian asked Lin Chen to lift the stone block, the two had been carefully observing Lin Chen, and soon understood why Yu Yongnian would make such a request.
Judging from Lin Chen's Qi Blood appearance, his strength could indeed have reached five hundred ten pounds.
But Lin Chen walked towards the five hundred twenty pounds, so did they misjudge?
"Can he really lift it this time?"
Yan Dexing's words carried a hint of sourness, but before anyone else could respond, Lin Chen had already lifted the stone block.
Lu Yongfeng, just about to respond, pursed his lips and immediately swept his right leg sideways.
He had already broken through the Qi Blood point in his right arm and was now working on the joint of his right leg.
"Not bad, keep practicing."
Yu Yongnian's comment of "not bad" made Instructor Liu and Instructor Chen roll their eyes internally.
Just "not bad"?
They had been in the Martial Hall for seven to eight years, and it was the first time they saw a prodigy like Lin Chen.
Did you suffer in the early stages and now it's all sweet in the late stages?
Dusk settled.
After the meal delivery at the canteen, the three instructors left as usual, leaving six of them, including Lin Chen, to continue practicing.
A quarter-hour, half a two-hour, a two-hour time span...
Noticing the five who didn't stop, Lin Chen felt a bit puzzled, thinking, "You're all not sleeping?"
After some thought, Lin Chen decided to persuade them, hoping they wouldn't go overboard.
"Senior brothers, I think one shouldn't overdo martial arts practice. Rest is important, or it will affect the next day's state."
Nobody responded, not even Zhao Jingchuan, who usually treated him best. He just continued practicing silently.
With no response, Lin Chen could only return to his dorm with helplessness.
As he turned to leave the yard, Lu Yongfeng and the other four stopped simultaneously, exchanging glances, and Yan Dexing spoke, "He's only five hundred twenty pounds, still has a gap with us."
"That's right, the further we go, the harder it gets. We're at five hundred nine now, he can't catch up," Xu Botao added.
Lu Yongfeng looked up, gazing at the bright moon overhead, and said, "Soon, I'm already starting to feel it, the cultivation of Essence Qi is near."
...
...
The fourth day.
Qi Blood increased by 38 points.
The fifth day.
Qi Blood increased by 40 points, and Lin Chen lifted a five hundred thirty-pound stone block.
Tonight, Lu Yongfeng and the others practiced an extra quarter-hour.
Yan Dexing continued, "He's still behind us."
The sixth day, Qi Blood increased by 42 points, and Lin Chen lifted a five hundred forty-pound stone block.
Late night.
Yan Dexing: "He's still... a bit... behind."
Lu Yongfeng: ...
Unaware of the psychological changes in Yan Dexing and the others, Lin Chen immersed himself in the bodily transformations brought by the rapid increase of Qi Blood over the days.
Each punch was stronger than the last.
The feeling was marvelous.
The seventh day, Lin Chen lifted a five hundred fifty-pound stone block.
The eighth day, Qi Blood value reached [2822/3000], and he lifted a five hundred sixty-pound stone block again.
The ninth day, a five hundred seventy-pound stone block.
The tenth day, a five hundred eighty-pound stone block.
Late night.
Lin Chen left, Yan Dexing: "He... with us..."
Lu Yongfeng: Shut up!
Yan Dexing stammered, "I wanted to say, he's caught up with us."
Since everything he said before proved wrong, he decided to do the opposite this time.
Indeed, as clever as he is.
The eleventh day.
Lin Chen lifted the five hundred and ninety jin stone block.
Lu Yongfeng and the four others were completely numb.
They were somewhat doubtful whether Lin Chen was practicing the same Martial Arts as they were.
It was getting harder for themselves as they progressed, but how come it got easier for Lin Chen?
This stone block must be made of tofu, fake for sure.
Yan Dexing couldn't help but walk up to the stone block and kicked it.
It hurt a bit, it was real.
Instructor Yu Yongnian and the three other instructors had been feeling quite complicated these past few days.
Every time Instructors Liu and Chen left the courtyard, they would pester Yu Yongnian, asking if he had given Lin Chen some kind of Martial Path pill.
They asked so many times that Yu Yongnian even started doubting whether he had given Lin Chen such a pill.
Did I give Lin Chen one?
Am I really getting too old to remember?
"Give me three more days... Just three days and I can cultivate Essence Qi."
Lu Yongfeng repeated this phrase like a robot, while Zhao Jingchuan watched him with eyes full of sympathy.
It's no use.
Judging by the situation, Lin Chen would probably be able to cultivate Essence Qi in a day.
That night!
There was a fierce wind in the backyard!
It wasn't a cold wind, but a wind of punches.
Lu Yongfeng and the others' fists and kicks had become nothing but a show.
No matter how cold the wind was, could it be colder than their hearts?
"Brother Lu, aren't you sleeping tonight?"
"Not sleeping." Lu Yongfeng gritted his teeth; he couldn't let Lin Chen surpass him just like that.
In the end, Zhao Jingchuan and the others left, leaving only Lu Yongfeng still sweating away.
...
...
The next morning.
Rising to the crowing of roosters.
As soon as Lin Chen opened his eyes, he saw the changes on his panel.
[Name: Lin Chen]
[Profession: Martial Artist]
[Qi Blood: 3000/3000]
[Life Chart: [Natural Progress]: Martial Arts First Realm, Perseverance, Step by Step, Unstoppable, No Bottleneck Problem.]
After ten months of hard training, today his Qi Blood finally reached the standard.
Lu Yongfeng, Cheng Ying...
He finally succeeded in his comeback.
...
...
In the dormitory, Gu Fei was no longer there.
Ever since he was taken for special training by the instructors that day, Gu Fei returned to his village, saying, "Chen, since you don't go to the Martial Arts Arena, staying there alone is no fun for me either. It's the same to train boxing at home."
Lin Chen washed up and headed to the backyard.
Upon entering, he saw that Lu Yongfeng and the others were already there, but what puzzled him was that Lu Yongfeng was not practicing Martial Arts but sitting at the stone table, looking drowsy.
Although puzzled, Lin Chen still proceeded as usual, starting his punching exercises on his own.
His Qi Blood had already reached the standard, and today he might just cultivate Essence Qi.
As the morning sun rose, Lin Chen was surrounded by a faint morning glow. He took a deep breath, slowly raised his fists to shoulder height, and then punched out, driving the Qi Blood throughout his body to surge, as if rivers were roaring within him.
Each punch was accompanied by a low but powerful sound of the wind, as though the air was being torn apart by this force.
This commotion caught the attention of Zhao Jingchuan and the others.
They too would have their punches bring wind, but at this moment, Lin Chen's punching wind was intimidating, and Lu Yongfeng, originally drowsy, was now fully attentive, staring intently at Lin Chen.
At this moment, Lin Chen wasn't aware of the reactions of Lu Yongfeng and the others. This round of punching made him indulge in it, his Qi Blood circulating faster within his body, bringing about a comfort he had never experienced before.
His breathing gradually became deep and rhythmic, with each respiration bringing resonance throughout his body.
"Breaking through to cultivate Essence!"
Instructor Yu Yongnian and the other two didn't know when they appeared at the courtyard entrance, all three of them refraining from stepping in, not wanting to disturb Lin Chen at this critical moment when his Qi Blood was breaking through and condensing into Essence Qi.
One round, two rounds, three rounds...
Lin Chen lost track of how many rounds he had gone through, just a bodily instinct urging him to accelerate his moves further, with shadows of punches densely interwoven, akin to a torrential storm, while within him, his Qi Blood burned like lit fire, constantly pushing against the limits of every part of his body.
Silently!
After another full-force punch, Lin Chen suddenly felt an unprecedented force explode within him, as if something shattered inside him—his Essence Qi barrier!
With the breaking of the Essence Qi barrier, Lin Chen's eyes suddenly sparkled, clear and profound. He felt a warm current flowing through his limbs and bones, eventually converging in his abdomen, continuously circulating and never ceasing.
Lin Chen slowly withdrew his fists, standing tall like a pine, surrounded by an aura that was subtle yet undeniable.
Full of life and energy, with the might of Qi Blood surrounding him!
This was the sign of cultivating Essence Qi.
"Hahaha!"
Yu Yongnian laughed heartily, his laughter filled with satisfaction.
He could not be more satisfied with Lin Chen.
"Within a month, going from four hundred jin to cultivating Essence Qi, even the noble sons from the county can't compare!" Instructor Liu also sighed with emotion.
Lin Chen cupped his fists and sincerely said, "I thank the three instructors for their cultivation. To take a small step forward on the Martial Path, I will forever remember the guidance and kindness of the three instructors."
The one he should thank the most for successfully cultivating Essence Qi was Instructor Yu, and he kept this gratitude in his heart, not needing to express it now.
Beside him, Lu Yongfeng and the others were collectively silent.
Finally, Zhao Jingchuan was the first to speak, "Junior Brother Lin... Now we should call you Senior Brother Lin, congratulations."
Participants in the Martial Hall were of the same age, and seniority was determined by strength.
Now Lin Chen was undoubtedly the Senior Brother!
PS: Responding to the chapter title, kindly give me just a bit more time, just a bit more... brothers, with this book at this point, there are two follow-up versions planned. If you think the pace is slow, cast a monthly vote, if you think the pace is okay, cast two. Regardless of which version follows, Nine Lamps has a thirty-chapter draft prepared.