Chapter 226: Upper-stage Rank-3

Time ticked by. Fang Ping maintained his Horse-riding Stance, endlessly replenishing his Vitality and honing his bones.

When he first started, he had even used Mentality to move energy particles.

Later on, Fang Ping had stopped doing this. As far as he was concerned, it was just an excuse to pull the wool over everyone’s eyes. Only Lu Fengrou was outside now, so there was no point in continuing the deception.

He used his Wealth points to continuously replenish his Vitality.

The few people outside the door with Lu Fengrou all sensed this happening but did not mention the matter.

Currently, everybody was not sure what was going on with Fang Ping.

Unless Fang Ping himself explained it, they could only treat it as an abnormality.

Even Huang Jing, a Grandmaster powerhouse, could not deduce the origins of Fang Ping’s Vitality. Sometimes, Grandmasters were more useful than machines. Unless they really wanted to slice Fang Ping into pieces for research though, it was hard to tell exactly what was going on.

Old Man Li thought for a while before asking, “Could it be that his brain is abnormal?”

Fang Ping’s abnormality was not as obvious as those of other people.

Wang Jinyang’s bone marrow, Li Hansong’s skull, and Yao Chengjun’s Mentality—these people’s abnormalities were all obvious, distinctive features.

They could not identify Fang Ping’s abnormality for now. It could be considered a peculiar feature of his Mentality, but his Mentality had not been this strong previously. There was currently no viable explanation for the matter of his Vitality.

…

5 hours…

10 hours…

A day and a night…

48 hours had gone by. In the cultivation chamber, Fang Ping was trembling all over.

Lu Fengrou had been keeping an eye on him; seeing this, she furrowed her brow and said, “Although he still has plenty of Vitality and his Mentality is still in abundance, his body and his mental state can’t sustain it anymore.”

Bone-honing for 48 hours straight was unheard of!

For a martial artist, a one to two hour cultivation period was considered long already.

Fang Ping, however, had not slept or rested and had honed continuously for 48 hours. He was almost to his limits.

Old Man Li shook his head. “He’s not done yet.”

“I know, but if he keeps going like this, I’m afraid he won’t be able to complete it.”

“Let’s observe a while longer.”

Both of them said nothing more. They closed their eyes and began to focus.

…

“I’m so tired!

“So sleepy!”

Fang Ping also felt his brain was sluggish despite his Mentality still remaining at above 400Hz for the moment.

After continuously honing for two days and two nights, he was mentally exhausted.

Humans could not sustain continuously repeating a process for 48 hours without pause; they would become very weary.

“I need to find something to focus my attention on…”

Fang Ping’s mind was sluggish, but he suddenly opened his eyes and shouted toward the outside of the cultivation chamber, “Instructor Lu, are you still there?”

Lu Fengrou opened her eyes but did not speak.

“Instructor, do you have any pills on you? I’ll help you count them. I’m so tired, I’m about to fall asleep.”

Lu Fengrou still did not reply.

“Instructor, are you there or not? I’m really about to fall asleep. I’m so tired and sleepy, I can’t keep this up any more.

“Instructor, if you don’t have any pills, I can count money too, or you could help bring me a computer and let me watch some television…”

Lu Fengrou’s expression was black as thunder. Old Man Li sneezed and called, “Little Song!”

Song Yingji walked over immediately. Old Man Li smiled and said, “Go find an atlas of human anatomy and bring it in for him. Let him refresh his spirits a little.”

Song Yinji chuckled dryly, “It’s not suitable, right? His attention might wander and he’ll end up honing the wrong place…”

“It’s fine. He’s very afraid of dying. He’ll be careful.”

“Alright then, I’ll go look for something.”

…

Very quickly, the doors to the cultivation chamber were opened.

Nobody entered, but an atlas was thrown inside.

Fang Ping did not move his feet; he tried to use his Mentality to read the atlas, but his Mentality was still a little too weak. The atlas shifted slightly, but its pages did not turn.

Seeing this from outside, Old Man Li was consumed by feelings of envy, jealousy, and hatred. He grumbled, rather jealously, “It seems he’s a little stronger than I am.”

Lu Fengrou, on the other hand, treated it as no big deal. Fang Ping was still much weaker than her, after all.

Of course, this sort of Mentality was comparable to that of Peak Rank-6 martial artists who could experience the spiritual realm.

Old Man Li’s strength was not weak, but his Mentality was truly average and not as strong as Fang Ping’s.

…

In the chamber, Fang Ping’s Mentality was not strong enough to open the atlas, so he could only rely on strong control to move his feet, using the tips of his toes to flip through the pages.

When he saw images of a dissected, bloody brain…Fang Ping suddenly sobered up. Now he really wanted to smoke a cigarette, then go out and kill some people.

He guessed that Old Man Li was outside with Song Yingji as an accomplice and that Lu Fengrou had acquiesced to the whole.

If he had been a Peak Rank-6 or a Grandmaster, things would be much easier. He could go out now and beat those three till they were half-dead, then send them to the laboratory to see people’s brains being dissected!

“I want strength. I must have strength. Next time, I’ll take them to see people slicing open a high-ranked powerhouse’s brain for fun!”

Fang Ping was indignant. ‘Sooner or later, I’ll show you that a Rank-6 or 7 powerhouse’s brain can also be dissected!’

…

By the third day, Fang Ping’s Wealth points had almost run out.

His honing was also nearing completion.

After continuously honing for 60 hours, even with the atlas to provoke him, Fang Ping was currently close to falling unconscious.

That is, until he felt his spine heat up. All the bones in his body began to pop and his Vitality started roiling madly…

Fang Ping was suddenly wide awake. His honing was nearly complete!

“Fang Ping, remember, try to hone your bone marrow!” Lu Fengrou’s voice called from outside the cultivation chamber.

Fang Ping said loudly, “Got it!”

An instant later, Fang Ping’s Vitality began to churn furiously. The bones in his body made popping noises and his spinal vertebrae shuddered non-stop.

The exterior of his body was covered in layers of tainted blood that dripped down like water.

“My body’s reforming. The circulation cycle is complete!”

Fang Ping’s bleary gaze lit up!

Vitality that had previously been somewhat obstructed was currently flowing smoothly through the areas below his head.

“It’s so hot!”

His spinal vertebrae felt burning hot. Every time his Vitality circulated, it seemed to become stronger.

This repeated again and again. After more than ten cycles, Fang Ping suddenly coughed violently and spat out streams of murky, tainted blood.

“I’m transforming!”

Fang Ping watched with wide eyes as his muscles endlessly contracted and expanded. Every time they expanded, they made his skin feel even tighter.

This was the mortal body transforming!

Within his body, his bones and Vitality were also transforming.

Upper-stage Rank-3 truly was different from other stages.

Even when he was at the aspiring martial artist stage and had completed his thrice-honing, the results of honing were nowhere as obvious as what was happening now.

“This means I’m on my way to becoming a Golden Body. Is this the foundation for a Golden Body?”

This series of realizations helped Fang Ping to gain some mental clarity.

In the next moment, the transformation would be at its end due to his Vitality being used up.

Fang Ping checked and saw he was left with little more than 3 million wealth points.

Fang Ping gritted his teeth and swiftly finished restoring his Vitality.

Very quickly, the transformation started up again.

His skin, his meridians, his bones, his Vitality, and his inner organs all seemed to be transforming.

‘I don’t have enough Vitality. It can’t penetrate the deepest parts of my bones.’

Fang Ping furrowed his brows and continued replenishing his Vitality.

His Wealth points kept decreasing continuously as well.

2 million… 1 million… 500 thousand…

An hour later, his Wealth points had been completely depleted, becoming 0!

This was the first time Fang Ping had completely used up all his Wealth points.

The sound of chaotic popping signaled that Fang Ping had truly completed the Upper-stage Rank-3 transformation.

He hastily checking his stats; when he noticed the 0, he felt both thrilled and sad at once.

Wealth: 0

Vitality: 209cal (999cal)

Mentality: 300Hz (510Hz)

Bone-honing: 177 bones (90%), 29 bones (30%)

‘I’m Upper-stage Rank-3 now…

‘But I’m really broke now! I’m penniless, I’ve used up all my Wealth points, and I still have a debt of 1000 credits…

‘To reach Upper-stage Rank-3, how much did I spend exactly? How many Wealth points?’

Fang Ping did not dare to calculate the total. He only knew that right now he did not even have the Wealth points to restore his Vitality and Mentality to peak condition.

Of course, an Upper-stage Rank-3’s improvement was not based purely on bones or Vitality.

His bones, muscles, and skin had all reached a pinnacle. He might not be far from Peak Rank-3 now.

Gently tapping the back of his hand felt, and sounded, like alloy.

“If I were to go act as one of the 18 Bronzemen </anno>now, I probably won’t need any makeup, but it’s probably more accurate say “blood man” right now.”

Fang Ping muttered to himself. The doors to the cultivation chamber opened. Lu Fengrou glanced at him and nodded slightly. “Not bad. It’s a pity though.”

It was not bad because Fang Ping’s transformation this time had honed his musculoskeletal system and skin to a new stage that was only a step away from Peak Rank-3. As long as Fang Ping was able to make some slight adjustments and get used to the new workings of his body, he would be a Rank-3 martial artist.

It was a pity because Fang Ping had not managed to hone his bone marrow.

This meant Fang Ping’s excuse was still incomplete.

Of course, if his Mentality could increase a little and develop almost to Lu Fengrou’s level, then it would be no problem even if he did not hone his bone marrow.

If she wanted to right now, Lu Fengrou could also make her Vitality everlasting…that is, compared to a Rank-3 martial artist.

Old Man Li made his way into the cultivation chamber.

Fang Ping said suddenly, “Instructor Li, did you say that you would give me credits earlier?”

Old Man Li said in astonishment, “When?”

“Then…then you didn’t say you wanted to dissect my brain?”

Old Man Li looked even more confused. After a moment of speechlessness, he asked, “Say what?”

Fang Ping shook his head and said sheepishly, “I probably misheard it.”

Old Man Li ignored Fang Ping. Let the boy think that it was an auditory hallucination.

They did not pursue the topic. Old Man Li looked Fang Ping over and nodded slightly. “Not bad. Cultivate properly. At this stage, don’t rush to break through. Right now it’s important to accumulate both strength and knowledge.

“Otherwise, you’ll really become a Vitality martial artist.

“Combat Techniques need to be deeply cultivated and understood. You must reach at least the point where you’ve mastered power…”

Lu Fengrou said coldly, “Master power? If you don’t master a lethal move, you’re useless!”

Old Man Li smiled and said, “I’m just making a suggestion. I’ll leave now. I won’t stick my nose where it doesn’t belong.”

Fang Ping quickly said, “Thank you, Old Li.”

These people had probably been here throughout the last few days.

Old Man Li did not reply and left swiftly with a wave of his hand.

The moment he left, Lu Fengrou said, “Continue cultivating here. Stabilize your state. Upper-stage Rank-3 is close to Peak, so your Vitality should be nearing 1000cal, right?”

“Yes. Instructor, I think my Vitality has reached a limit…”

“That’s normal,” Lu Fengrou explained. “The effects of your thrice-honing have pretty much reached their limit now. The only advantage is that when you enter the Grandmaster realm in future, you can reach Rank-8 sooner.

“After all, what you honed thrice then was your bones and not your whole body.

“Your internal organs are still the same as everybody else.

“This means that after you enter the middle ranks, the gap between yourselves and normal martial artists will be narrowed down.

“Of course, if you’ve accumulated advantages in the early stages, they’ll be obvious in the three upper ranks and the gap won’t be so easily bridged.

“One step at a time.

“You’re already Upper-stage Rank-3 whereas others are still at Rank-1. Even Chen Yunxi, who was close to thrice-honed, hasn’t reached Peak Rank-2 yet now.

“The gap between you and the rest might be a continuous thing.”

Fang Ping asked again, “Then my Vitality can only be maintained at this stage?”

“Not necessarily. You’ve only just reached this stage. From now on, keep honing your body and let it strengthen. Maybe you’ll be able to break through this barrier.

“The limits of one’s Vitality involve many deciding factors including the body, the bones, the meridians, and the internal organs.

“Your so-called limit now is actually decided by your own body’s physical qualities. The fact that you could reach thrice-honing says that your body developmental level is higher than that of other people.

“Under these circumstances, you still have a chance to surmount this limit.”

“Then if my Vitality reaches 1000cal and above, would my Vitality outbursts be stronger than others of the same level?”

“Of course,” Lu Fengrou smiled faintly, “If your Vitality breaks through 1000cal, it also implies that your qualities in all aspects are stronger than martial artists of the same rank. As such, if both parties attempt the same Vitality outburst, it is very normal for you to be a bit stronger.”

“Then is it possible for 1cal of Vitality to be equal to a Peak Rank-3 martial artist’s 2cal of Vitality?”

“That depends on your body’s physical qualities.”

“Got it.”

Fang Ping nodded lightly, then said, “In that case, the strength of my Vitality now should be much higher than those in Middle-stage Rank-3. Could I easily defeat them then?”

Lu Fengrou massaged her forehead. This brat spouted such a lot of nonsense.

“You’ll know if you try it yourself. Alright, stabilize your state first. I’m leaving now. Go to my place when you’re done.”

“Alright, thank you, Instructor.”

Lu Fengrou did not reply but left quickly.

…

Once Lu Fengrou left, Fang Ping did not waste time. Drawing on the energy in the Energy Room, he started quickly restoring his Vitality. Decreasing his Mentality a little did not really affect his combat strength now.

After three hours, Fang Ping’s Vitality was fully restored.

…

When he walked out of the cultivation chamber again, it was 3 o’clock in the wee hours of the morning.

There were still around 7 hours left to 72 hours.

The moment Fang Ping came out, he went straight to the point and called, “7 hours at the cultivation chamber at 60 credits. Anyone want it?”

Currently, there were still people at the service center. Hearing this, someone said, “That’s too long.”

“Buy it together. When one of you finishes cultivating, the next one can continue. What does waiting a little matter? It’s cheaper by 10 credits. Where else can you find a deal like this?”

“50 credits and we’ll buy it together!”

Fang Ping glanced sidelong at the person who had just spoken and narrowed his eyes. “60, or I’ll close off your loan quota!”

The person who had spoken stood stunned for a moment; it seemed that he had only just noticed the other party was Fang Ping. Hearing this, his face turned green. That shameless motherf*cker!

“Are you buying it or not? Even if you don’t I’ll close it off anyway!”

“Fang Ping, you…!”

“Your loss if you don’t buy it. I’m giving it to you for 10 credits cheaper, yet it’s like I’m forcing you or something…”

“Fine, I’ll buy it!”

The boy looked upset. Yes, it was cheaper, but why did taking this discount make him feel so resentful?

Seeing the transaction between both parties, Song Yongji gave a big smile and said, “5 credits for the handling fee.”

Fang Ping’s cheeks twitched. ‘That’s fine. I’ll remember this grudge!

‘You’re more ruthless than robbery!

‘Just for using your computer once, you charged me 5 credits and 150 thousand!

‘It’s a pity I don’t have a door this time!’

Fang Ping did not waste time in unnecessary talk. He looked at the person who agreed to the transaction, saying, “I’ll decrease 60 credits from your loan first. You can pay it later. I won’t charge you interest.”

Song Yingji was stunned for a moment. F*ck, he still had an ace up his sleeve!

Fang Ping glanced at Song Yongji smugly. ‘You really think I’m a fool? Like I’d let you take advantage of this?’

Fang Ping walked off, thoroughly pleased with himself. After he left, the student from earlier was still muttering, “You know who I am?”

Fang Ping obviously was not about to tell the student that he had records on all Rank-3 martial artists, mainly to calculate who might be short-lived and how much interest to add.

For instance, Fang Ping had added on 0.1% interest for Qin Fengqing as he always felt Qin Fengqing’s face was very unpleasant.

…

“Upper-stage Rank-3! The whole world is my oyster!”

After exiting the cultivation chamber, Fang Ping had a sudden epiphany. Today, he had officially become one of the elite martial artists!

Only after entering Upper-stage Rank-3 could Fang Ping understand why he had to use 10000cal of Vitality before he could wear down the Grand Missionary.

If nothing else, his body’s strength had doubled!

Right now even without the use of Vitality, if any Rank-1 or Rank-2 martial artists attacked him, they still might not be able to get past his body’s defenses.

That is, on condition they did not hit him on the head.

Once he used his Vitality to defend himself, a Middle-stage Rank-3 martial artist who wanted to break his defenses would have to have an extremely powerful move with a Vitality outburst of at least 300cal and above.

“When I succeed at my Combat Techniques and collect some Wealth points, I’ll sweep through the Rank-3s unrivaled!”

Fang Ping was full of confidence. There was no reason for it; he was just that strong!

Footnotes:

Fang Ping is referring to The 18 Bronzemen, a 1976 Hong Kong kung fu film with a Shaolin theme. In the film, the 18 Bronzemen are the legendary bronze guardians of the Shaolin inner sanctum. They are the final ‘test’ where a Shaolin disciple must defeat the guardians to prove his worth and leave the monastery.

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