First update,

...

"Is it possible?"

Watching Qin Fang show a bitter melon face, Luo Shixiong and the others were also a bit concerned as they asked. It was obvious they treated Qin Fang as a fellow apprentice.

Of course, there might be some selfish reasons for their concern, like if Qin Fang was learning here, then Cai Qing's primary training target would shift from them to Qin Fang, allowing them a chance to slack off a little.

"Let's give it a try!"

Qin Fang wasn't absolutely sure, as when he gained All Attributes +5, he knew his Strength had increased significantly, and now that he'd advanced to Level 2, with Full Attributes +10, his Strength had naturally doubled.

But facing such a heavy stone lock, Qin Fang still felt a bit uncertain, given that he'd never dealt with something so massive before, let alone lifting it 200 times, which was terrifying.

Hu~~

Qin Fang walked up to the stone lock, took several deep breaths, expelled the turbid air from his week, re-inhaled, and then reached out his right hand to grab the handle of the stone lock. He clenched his five fingers and began to exert force in his arm.

Luo Shixiong and the rest watched from the side, having been through this stage themselves, they didn't feel much about it now. But seeing Qin Fang tackling such high intensity as a newcomer, they were afraid something might go wrong. Thus, they watched intently, ready to help in case something happened.

"Ah ha~~"

As Qin Fang applied force with his hand, the muscles in his arm tensed, bulging veins popped out, and with a loud shout that resembled thunder, he suddenly lifted the arm, and the stone lock, weighing about fifty to sixty catties, was effortlessly hoisted up as if it were just a common brick.

"Good..."

Luo Shixiong and the others were somewhat astounded; Qin Fang's physique appeared lean and his arms weren't thick. Cai Qing had said Qin Fang was frail and that wasn't just a joke, but to think those arms could lift the stone lock one-handed, so effortlessly and in one go, was baffling.

"Could this guy be naturally strong?"

Luo Shixiong and the others whispered to each other in sheer surprise. Even they had trained for a long time to achieve such an effect, and by then, they had learned how to exert force and use certain techniques. Qin Fang, on the other hand, was simply relying on his brute strength alone.

Regardless, Luo Shixiong and the others were very supportive, immediately praising him. Even Cai Qing and Ning Yumo in the house couldn't help but glance over, just in time to see Qin Fang already lifting and lowering the stone lock.

Ning Yumo seemed surprised. Initially, she had thought about persuading Cai Qing to start training from the basics, but before she could speak up, Qin Fang had already started and effortlessly lifted the stone lock, which was truly unexpected.

Different from Ning Yumo's reaction, Cai Qing's beautiful face darkened instantly, fury flashing in her eyes. If Ning Yumo hadn't been there, she probably would have gone out and intensified Qin Fang's training right away.

"Hehe, it doesn't seem as hard as I thought!"

Qin Fang, holding the heavy stone lock in one hand, showed a trace of a smile on his face—even if it was forced, it was much better than not being able to lift it at all.

Feeling the sharp gaze from behind, Qin Fang didn't need to look back to know it must be from Cai Qing. However, he was aware Ning Yumo was likely watching too, so he turned around, still holding the stone lock, and gave Ning Yumo a smile. He even bent his other arm to pose and show off his muscles, prompting Ning Yumo to burst into a fetching giggle, unavoidably evoking a flutter of movement.

The more he did so, however, the more intense the fury in Cai Qing's eyes became, and her look toward Qin Fang grew increasingly colder.

Qin Fang, meanwhile, provocatively showed a very disdainful sneer towards Cai Qing, fueling her rage even further.

Ning Yumo hadn't noticed the exchange of looks between the man and woman; otherwise, she would definitely have taken Qin Fang away. She was well aware that her good friend and confidante Cai Qing could unleash a much more ferocious temper than hers when provoked.

Cai Qing was pulled back into the house by Ning Yumo to continue chatting, while Qin Fang began his grueling training. The stone lock, weighing fifty to sixty catties, wasn't really weightless in his hands. Simply holding it aloft wasn't an issue, but lifting it up and putting it down, over and over again, was a different story entirely.

In the beginning, Qin Fang could hold up for the first twenty or thirty lifts, but after that, his arm started to tingle, and he noticed his Physical Strength Points rapidly depleting, a clear sign of how taxing the exercise was.

Moreover, Qin Fang's sweat was streaming out, quickly soaking the T-shirt he was wearing.

But Qin Fang didn't give up, clenching his teeth and persisting, especially since he was surprised to find the Body Strengthening Technique's Combo Points increasing with each lift of the stone lock. This meant if he did 100 lifts, he would gain 100 Combo Points, which could be exchanged for a 0.1% increase in Body Strengthening Technique Proficiency.

"With two hands, that's a total of four hundred times, doesn't that equate to a 0.4% increase?"

Qin Fang began calculating in his mind, this was certainly a pretty good deal, he thought.

What surprised him most was the discovery that not only could he increase Combo Points by taking hits, but high-intensity training like this could do the trick as well.

It seemed that Cai Qing's arrangement of such intensive training wasn't harming him but instead, it was a blessing in disguise, giving Qin Fang a huge advantage.

"It looks like our struggle with each other may not have a clear winner till the very end..."

With such a discovery, Qin Fang was overjoyed. If there hadn't been people around, he really would've liked to throw his head back and let out a long howl to express his exhilarating mood.

Even so, each time Qin Fang lifted the Stone Lock, he would let out a deep "ah-ha" sound, very rhythmic, like a chant.

The training continued. Qin Fang's Physical Strength Points were rapidly depleted with every lift and drop, even Luo Shixiong and the others would glance over at him from time to time, wondering when he would be unable to continue.

Clearly exhausted, Qin Fang's arms shook violently as he held the Stone Lock aloft, as if they might break at any moment, causing the others to watch with trepidation.

Yet, every time they thought Qin Fang couldn't go on, he would just pause his movements briefly and rest for about half a minute, then continue with the training.

That half-minute, although insignificant to others, seemingly rejuvenated Qin Fang. His movements returned to their initial pace, and he continued to lift and drop the Stone Lock rapidly.

"This is too bizarre..."

After watching several times without catching anything amiss, the crowd could only utter such a phrase before going back to their own training.

They were indeed very curious, but such matters were hard to pinpoint the cause for, and they ended up considering Qin Fang to be a stubborn freak, akin to a Xiao Qiang.

As for Qin Fang, he just smiled lightly and continued to frantically accumulate Combo Points.

To anyone else, such depletion of energy was a fatal flaw; reaching their limit meant they had to stop, or they might cause excessive damage to their bodies leading to serious injuries.

But Qin Fang was different. His Props Box was always stocked with 99 specialty baozi, each capable of restoring 7% of his Physical Strength Points, and increasing happiness level by 4%; all could provide him with a significant boost in Strength.

Whenever Qin Fang felt drained, he would immediately munch on a few baozi. As for those half-minute to minute breaks, those were merely to cover his tracks.

Time flew by, and before anyone realized, it was noon, and nearly time for lunch. It was then that Ning Yumo and Cai Qing stepped out of the house. By this time, Qin Fang had completed a hundred moves, and had accumulated enough Combo Points to make another exchange.

"Qin Fang, come on, let's go out for lunch!" proclaimed Ning Yumo when she came out.

"Mo Mo, that won't do. Since you entrusted Qin Fang to me, I can't let him be too lax," Cai Qing interjected before Qin Fang could respond, already making plans for him, "Luo Shidi, when it's time to eat, you take Qin Fang for lunch, got it?"

"Sister Ning, let's just go out to eat together. It's been a while since we've had a meal and a chat. We'll catch up properly..." Cai Qing added.

"This..." Ning Yumo suddenly hesitated, clearly tempted and unsure of what to choose as she looked at Qin Fang with difficulty.

"Sister Ning, you and Sister Qing go have lunch. I can manage something simple at the martial arts hall," said Qin Fang, graciously making his position known.

Despite his strong dissatisfaction with Cai Qing's behavior, taking a break from her for an afternoon would give him some rest, sparing him from enduring her frigid remarks and those sharp, knife-like glances during lunch.

"Well... okay then! Thanks, everyone..." Finally, Ning Yumo was persuaded by Qin Fang, nodded her agreement, politely addressed Luo Shixiong and the others, and was dragged off by Cai Qing. (To be continued, if you want to know what happens next, please visit www.qidian.com. There are more chapters available so support the author and support genuine reading!)

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