Start with push-ups to gain experience

Chapter 448 My ambition is to reach the pinnacle of the world.

The next day, early in the morning.

The rain seemed to have washed away all the dust, leaving the sky clear and the sun shining brightly.

Outside the courtyard, the crisp calls of the neighboring grocery store vendor drifted in, mixed with the owner's warm greetings to regular customers.

In the courtyard, Li Zhenhua, his back hunched, was busy working in front of the vegetable patch.

He was wearing a worn-out, dirt-resistant blue cloth coat and clutching a hoe in his hand.

He was carefully digging a straight, shallow furrow in the newly turned-up ridge.

Fang Cheng, shirtless and wearing only athletic shorts, carried a heavy wooden bucket and followed behind, assisting with the task.

The bucket was filled with fermented organic fertilizer, and you could smell a faint humus aroma when you got close.

"Grandpa, let me do the hoeing, you can rest for a while."

Seeing the sweat on his grandfather's forehead, Fang Cheng couldn't help but offer some words of comfort.

"Get out of here, you look down on old people, don't you?"

Li Zhenhua didn't even look up, his hands never stopped moving:
"With your brute strength, you could dig half a meter deep with one swing of a hoe. Are you planting vegetables or burying landmines?"

"This is just light physical work, you don't need to help. Your grandpa is still in good health."

As he spoke, he used the tip of a hoe to level the bottom of the ditch, muttering to himself:
"Around the Qingming Festival, it's time to plant melons and beans. The weather right now is neither too hot nor too cold, and there's plenty of rain, making it the perfect time to sow seeds."

"I plan to plant some cowpeas and cucumbers for you on this plot of land; they'll be perfect for summer."

Fang Cheng smiled and didn't insist any further, simply following silently behind.

After the ditch was dug, they used a small ladle to scoop up the slightly pungent farmyard manure from the bucket and spread it evenly at the bottom of the ditch.

"Don't apply too much fertilizer, just a thin layer is enough."

Li Zhenhua hurriedly gave instructions:
“Remember to apply fertilizer sparingly and frequently. Too much fertilizer will burn the seedlings and prevent the seeds from germinating.”

He was like a seasoned master craftsman, always remembering to guide his "apprentice" beside him.

Looking at this familiar courtyard and feeling the warmth of the sun on his skin, Fang Cheng's state of mind was as calm and clear as the weather.

Yesterday's conversation with Shi Chengyi at Xishan Cemetery, those heavy topics, seemed to have been temporarily washed away into the corners of my memory along with that rain.

Join the Special Investigations Team?
To be honest, this suggestion is not urgent for Fang Cheng, and it is not even a priority.

After all, there are still many things I need to do.

Fang Cheng put down the fertilizer bucket, picked up a water ladle, and began watering the ditch where the fertilizer had been spread.

The clear, cool well water flowed slowly along the ditch, moistening the dry soil.

My thoughts seemed to flow slowly with the water.

For example, the "Illuminati" that only exists in the imagination.

That would be a force entirely belonging to Fang Cheng himself, an order hidden in the shadows of the world, established by his own hands.

To successfully establish the initial framework, it is necessary to recruit reliable personnel with special abilities and find a sufficiently secretive base.

These all require a significant amount of time and effort to plan and execute.

Another example is the issue of one's own qigong practice.

The magnificent sun in the inner world is merely an empty shell.

How to infuse it with true "divine power," as Shi Chengyi said, by endowing it with a martial spirit that combines "vitality" and "dominance."

His ultimate goal is to reach the point where inner visions manifest outwardly and interfere with reality; this is his current core pursuit.

No matter how the external environment changes, strengthening one's own strength is always the fundamental way to remain invincible.

If you are strong enough, you can solve all the problems in the world.
If there's something I can't handle, then I'll just train even harder.

Anyway, there will always be a solution eventually!
After Fang Cheng finished watering, he put the water ladle back in its place, picked up the empty bucket, and slowly straightened his back.

With this simple movement, a series of subtle yet clear "crackling" sounds came from the spine, as if a sleeping dragon was stretching its limbs.

The power contained within this robust body is extraordinary, even in the most ordinary of lives.

With a creak, the door opened.

Li Biyun came out carrying a basin of freshly washed clothes. Seeing the grandfather and grandson busy in the yard, a smile immediately appeared on her face.

"Dad, Chengcheng, take a break and have some water."

She placed the basin on the stone bench in the yard and turned to go inside to pour water.

"No need, no need, it'll be done in a minute."

Li Zhenhua waved his hand and used a hoe to smooth out the last clod of earth.

Fang Cheng put down the bucket, walked quickly over, and naturally took the basin of clothes from his mother's hands:
"Mom, I can do it. You go watch TV."

"You're the only one who cares about your mother."

Li Biyun patted her son's arm with a smile, her eyes full of love.

But he didn't really abandon the task; instead, he picked up a piece of clothing from the basin and started helping to hang it up.

As she expertly unfolded her clothes, she asked casually:

"By the way, how did you meet that old gentleman you talked to yesterday? He seemed to have a strong presence, unlike most people."

Li Zhenhua finished hoeing the ground, leaned the hoe against the wall, walked to the well to wash his hands, and his ears perked up, clearly curious about the matter.

Fang Cheng paused for a moment, then casually draped a T-shirt over the hanger and replied in a relaxed tone:
"Oh, he's a former colleague of Grandpa Ma Donghe. He heard about me and thought I was pretty good, so he came to visit and said he wanted to introduce me to a job opportunity."

"Work?"

Li Biyun's eyes lit up instantly, and her hands moved faster. She lowered her voice and leaned closer, asking with a mixture of anticipation and nervousness:

"What kind of job is it? I heard Officer Wei mention it yesterday, it seemed like... he wanted you to take some kind of exam?"

Upon hearing Wei Zheng's name, Fang Cheng knew that the other party must have revealed some information to his mother in an attempt to get closer to her.

No wonder my mother and grandfather seemed a bit unusual on the way home yesterday, speaking and acting with extra caution, as if afraid of saying something that might offend them.

Only today, when the atmosphere at home had eased, did his mother finally find an opportunity to probe his intentions.

Fang Cheng understood, and did not completely hide it from his mother, nodding in agreement.

"Well, it is."

He hung the dried clothes on a bamboo pole and carefully considered his words as he spoke:

"It's a special position related to the police system, belonging to a government department. It's highly confidential and requires passing internal exams and selections. They didn't go into details about what I'll be doing; they just told me to think about it."

"Government departments?"

After washing his hands, Li Zhenhua's voice rose several notches upon hearing this:
"That's great! Working for the government is stable and respectable, much better than those lawyers or lecturers you're doing."

"Acheng, we must seize this opportunity!"

The old man shook the water off his hands and strode over, becoming more and more excited as he spoke, as if he could already see his grandson wearing a uniform.

"Cough cough!"

Li Biyun suddenly coughed twice, interrupting her father's long-winded talk.

While pretending to straighten her clothes, she glanced at Li Zhenhua out of the corner of her eye and said casually:
"Dad, don't be too happy yet."

Li Zhenhua was getting into the conversation when his daughter interrupted him, causing him to choke on his words and freeze in his expression.

He made an "uh" sound, as if the pause button had been pressed, and his excitement subsided at a visible speed.

He certainly understood what his daughter meant.

Yes, government departments, civil servants...

It sounds glamorous, but the hurdle of "background check" is like a mountain blocking your own door, impossible to get around.

The atmosphere in the courtyard instantly quieted down, with only the clothes drying in the sun swaying gently in the breeze.

Li Zhenhua rubbed his hands together, gave an awkward, dry laugh, and tried to save face:
"I'm just... happy for Acheng. Besides, anything is possible with effort..."

He looked up at Fang Cheng, a hint of anticipation in his eyes, and lowered his voice, as if searching for some secret:
"Ah Cheng, I think that old Mr. Shi from yesterday had quite a presence and spoke very kindly. He must be a high-ranking leader, right?"

"Do you think... he might have a way to help you resolve that... um, that thing?" Looking at her grandfather's cautious yet somewhat "clever" eyes, and her mother's complex expression of wanting to ask but not daring to, filled with both anticipation and worry.

Fang Cheng's heart felt as if it had been gently touched by something.

Their own future has always been the softest and most sensitive place in their hearts.

Fang Cheng's face immediately lit up with a bright smile. He put his arm around his mother's shoulder, winked at his grandfather, and said in a relaxed tone:
"Mom, Grandpa, don't worry about it. It's not even close to being decided yet. They just mentioned it casually. Whether I go or not depends on whether I want to or not."

"Don't worry, someone as talented as me can find work anywhere!"

Fang Cheng understood perfectly.

There are some things and secrets that are really not suitable to tell or explain to family members right now.

The reason why Shi Chengyi personally stepped forward, setting aside his status as the former head of the Special Investigation Team, treated me with great courtesy, and even went so far as to reveal the shocking secret of his father's case as a bargaining chip.

Ultimately, it stems from the "value" one demonstrates.

It was the manifestation of celestial phenomena in the Ma family's water dungeon, the extraordinary martial arts talent, and the martial will that moved even Shi Chengyi.

All of this stems from Fang Cheng's own strength.

If we could turn back time to six months ago, and the two met again, Old Shi would at most have regarded himself as a younger man with good physical fitness.

They might glance at it a little more because of Ma Jianguo, but that's about it.

He would never see himself as "the hope for reviving martial arts," much less extend such a solemn invitation.

Without real ability, he remains a struggling commoner at the bottom of society, unable to even pass the background check for graduate school entrance exams because of his father's "crime".

Perhaps, as he had told Shi Chengyi, he could only find an ordinary job and live a mundane life in the daily grind.

Thinking of this, Fang Cheng's lips curled into a barely perceptible smile.

A peaceful and stable life?
That was just the most convenient and reasonable excuse when facing Shi Chengyi.

I get up at four o'clock every morning and insist on exercising regardless of the weather.

Each time, wearing the mask, he challenges one powerful opponent after another, fighting against those monsters.

Everything I do is to continuously "gain experience" and become stronger.

In order to one day reach the true pinnacle of this world and experience the magnificent scenery that ordinary people can never imagine in their lifetime.

How could he possibly be content with mediocrity and remain forever unknown, buried in the sea of ​​people?

However, my current strength is far from sufficient.

Many things are still beyond our complete control.

Therefore, one needs to lie low, be patient, and devote all time and energy to improving one's strength, which is the most important thing.

After hanging up the clothes, Fang Cheng picked up a broom in the corner of the yard and began sweeping up the fallen leaves and dirt on the ground.

Amidst the rustling sound, my thoughts became clearer.

Even with a powerful figure like Shi Chengyi as a backer, joining the Special Investigation Team now would inevitably present many obstacles.

The complex interpersonal relationships and the open and covert struggles between factions can be glimpsed from the few words spoken by Shi Chengyi and Wei Zheng.

Obeying the rules and accepting the tasks assigned are secondary.

In Fang Cheng's view, this is no different from clocking in at work.

It's just that the work is more dangerous and exciting.

However, this can provide some practical opportunities that are usually hard to find, which is not a bad thing for oneself.

The key is that in the process of carrying out a mission, in order to deal with certain powerful enemies, it is easy to expose one's true strength and trump cards.

Even the most secretive identity of "White Owl" could be exposed and discovered by outsiders, bringing trouble upon them.

In the eyes of Ma Jianguo and Shi Chengyi, they were just martial arts prodigies who appeared only once in a century.

They value their own talent and potential in martial arts.

What Fang Cheng has shown so far is nothing more than profound internal strength and accomplished martial intent.

Even if they could project their true energy to enhance their attacks, in their assessment, they would probably only be able to barely contend with those so-called A-level ability users.

They didn't know what their real trump card was.

Once he fully unleashes his power, he will likely shock them and even shake the entire Special Investigations Team leadership, attracting even more attention.

In particular, will Chief Ling, who rejects martial arts factions, see himself as an outsider and take action to suppress and restrict him?

These are his core concerns.

unless……

Fang Cheng stopped sweeping, leaned against the broom, and gazed at the azure sky.

Unless he joins the Special Search Team, he can't perform like he did when he was a sparring partner at the Global Elite Club.

They don an innocent-looking disguise, possessing immense autonomy and the ability to choose tasks at will.

Then, while receiving their government salary, they comfortably "slack off at work and gain experience."

If these conditions can be met, it's not impossible to consider it.

Fang Cheng then gave a self-deprecating laugh and shook his head.

How could that be? The world doesn't revolve around you alone.

To gain corresponding rights and freedoms, one must demonstrate sufficient value and power to the outside world.

You can't expect to gain benefits while remaining low-key and dormant, unless your strength completely overwhelms the surrounding environment.

Just like in a club, you can do whatever you want and treat going to work as a game to grind experience points.

So, after much thought, we finally came back to the most fundamental topic: improving our strength.

As for Wei Zheng's mention of joining the Special Search Team to obtain cultivation resources that enhance qi and blood, it is not very attractive to Fang Cheng at the moment.

The underwater training chamber on Yong'an Island still contains the remains of many ancient creatures.

The life energy contained within those bones is so potent that even the Noah Organization would risk a blood feud with the Truth Society to compete for it, far surpassing anything found in the ordinary world.

When it comes to the safety of family members, relying on the protection of others is ultimately less reliable than having complete control over one's own life.

The only advantage of joining the special investigation team might be the chance to uncover the truth behind my father's wrongful conviction...

After much deliberation, Fang Cheng finally came to a conclusion.

Joining the Special Search Party at this stage is not a wise move.

At least, Shi Chengyi is now showing sincerity, such as protecting his family, offering opportunities to investigate the case, and promising a future for martial arts.

These things were not enough to sway him or make him abandon his own pace and plans.

However, this incident also served as a reminder to Fang Cheng.

As his strength increased, he began to come into the view of the top figures in the country's power structure.

It will likely become increasingly difficult to maintain the image of an ordinary office worker and blend into the crowd as before.

A new, more substantial social identity is needed as cover.

A lawyer, or a university lecturer... perhaps that's not enough.

Fang Cheng was deep in thought, but his sweeping motion didn't stop; he instinctively maintained a steady sweeping rhythm.

Suddenly, a dazzling light flashed before my eyes without warning.

Its brightness was even more dazzling than the sun overhead.

"Hey, my cleaning skills have finally leveled up!"

Fang Cheng paused slightly while sweeping, then a pleased smile appeared on his lips.

Well, he can even learn to sweep the floor without any instruction and level up smoothly.

This can probably be considered a kind of "heaven rewards diligence" in a certain sense.

(End of this chapter)