Chapter Twenty-Three: Eyes Wide with Astonishment

Going out to fight was something Qin Ming had planned long ago.

He needed to shed blood. This was part of growing up—at the very least, he had to let others witness it.

After purchasing the secret manuals, except for mealtimes, Qin Ming spent most of his days inside his villa. It was essentially his private domain: alone, unrestrained, utterly free.

He was mainly focused on cultivating the Mysterious Dao Diagram, a secret technique from another world that acted like an accelerator, ravenously absorbing cosmic energy and pushing his body to new heights every moment.

He also made time to study the Ninefold Thunder Blade.

This blade technique had a subtle connection with the thrusting fist—on the very first day, Qin Ming grasped the first stage: with one slash, two layers of hidden force overlapped, amplifying his power by 1.4 times.

On the night of June 14th, he succeeded in training the twenty-fourth diagram of the Mysterious Dao.

Morning of June 15th, at the Extreme Gym in Yangzhou City.

Inside the testing room, Wu Tong dismissed the others, leaving only Zhou Jing and Qin Yicheng behind.

"Xiao Ming, let's begin!" Qin Yicheng's face was full of expectation.

Early that morning, Qin Ming had asked him to witness his progress. He immediately notified Wu Tong, which led to this arrangement. Naturally, Zhou Jing was not left out.

For the Extreme Gym, the emergence of a genius would bring great honor and reward points. Since they all lived in the same community, their enthusiasm was understandable.

"We hope you can give us a big surprise!" Wu Tong’s anticipation was palpable.

"Go for it, Xiao Ming!" Zhou Jing clenched his fist encouragingly.

"Alright!" Qin Ming smiled faintly, bent his body like a drawn bow, and launched forward with the speed of a hunting leopard. With a thunderous bang, he punched the measuring device.

Bang...!

Despite layers of dampening, the entire testing room still shuddered.

A number appeared on the display: 15,400 kilograms!

"The standard for a mid-level warlord’s punch is 16,000 kilograms. Xiao Ming’s punch is only 600 kilograms short—almost negligible. This means he’s already stepped into the realm of a mid-level warlord! It's been only a few days since the last test, and this much progress? Unbelievable—absolutely unbelievable!" Zhou Jing was the first to exclaim in astonishment.

In barely over ten days, his punch force had increased by a full 4,000 kilograms—about 400 kilograms every day. Not just Zhou Jing—even if Zhuge Tao were here, he’d be moved.

"This level of strength is more than enough to go hunting!" Wu Tong said, elated after the surprise.

On the way there, Qin Ming had already explained his purpose: to let them see his progress, then go out hunting to hone his combat skills and temper his will.

"Generally, most junior warriors go out to hunt. Xiao Ming is already at the threshold of a mid-level warlord. If he doesn’t go out now, it wouldn’t be appropriate. Some things must be trained from a weak age. Otherwise, when your strength grows, certain things become impossible to grasp," Wu Tong said. "Old Qin, you can rest easy! Besides, with us arranging a hunting team for him, do you really think we’d put him in danger? If something happened, not only you, but I wouldn’t accept it either. Xiao Ming is now on the record with both the local and even the headquarters!"

"It’s just a father’s worry for his own child—can’t help it," Qin Yicheng said with a wry smile.

"Perfectly natural!" Zhou Jing laughed. "Think of how we were back then—ea