Chapter 1

**Bang——**

With a loud noise, the dozens of pounds of rock in front of him instantly shattered into countless small stones, splashing in all directions.

Fang Wu looked at his palms, which were as white and delicate as a girl's, seemingly unaffected by the powerful attack that had just shattered the stone.

"Iron Sand Palm is finally at the initial stage of mastery."

Iron Sand Palm is mainly practiced in two ways. One is to directly insert the hands into iron sand. This method results in extremely large and thick hands, which, although powerful, can severely damage the hands, making it difficult to perform daily tasks like holding plates or bowls, and by the age of thirty or forty, the hands might be rendered useless. The other method involves striking a sandbag filled with iron sand and applying a special medicinal liquid, which not only ensures strength but also keeps the hands fine, white, and smooth, making it hard to tell that they have been trained in Iron Sand Palm.

Since he stopped practicing the basic桩功 (zhuanggong) given by the Night Watch and instead cultivated the White Jade桩 (zhuang), he experienced the effects of cleansing and strengthening his body. The hidden impurities in his body were cleaned out, and his innate talent for martial arts significantly increased, leading to the initial mastery of his Iron Sand Palm.

"System"

He silently recited the word, and a semi-transparent panel appeared before his eyes.

Fang Wu

Race: Human

Realm: Blood Refinement (Mastery)

桩功 (Zhuanggong): White Jade桩 (Initial Mastery)

Martial Skills: Iron Sand Palm (Initial Mastery), Basic Fist and Footwork (Mastery), Basic Lightness (Mastery), Basic Saber Technique (Mastery)

Cultivation Techniques: None

Spirit Energy: 3 points

The White Jade桩 is a type of桩功 (zhuanggong), which is similar to horse stance. Its purpose is to strengthen the lower body and overall health. It is practiced by combining special breathing techniques and movements, and visualizing oneself as jade.

The basic桩功 (zhuanggong) given by the Night Watch was not much different from a horse stance, only explaining some key points and precautions. Fang Wu, however, combined a regular piece of white jade and the桩功 (zhuanggong) passed down from his parents, transforming it into the White Jade桩, which could cleanse his body.

However, the effects of the White Jade桩 were not limited to this; it also gave Fang Wu the ability to directly attack demons and evil spirits, more accurately, to dispel evil.

"It's dusk, time to return to the Night Watch and start the night shift."

Returning from outside the city, he saw the three large characters "Da Yun Cheng" (Great Cloud City) on the city gate. It was a small city in the southern part of the Daxing Kingdom. The guards were about to stop Fang Wu and ask for an entry fee, but upon seeing the black iron badge with the character "Night" on his waist, they let him pass, their eyes filled with pity.

Walking into the city, the shops on the street were preparing to close, and the inns were shutting their doors. If he wanted to stay at an inn at this time, he would likely be overcharged.

"A roasted chicken."

Fang Wu approached a cooked food shop, felt his money pouch, and took out a piece of silver, handing it to the owner.

"Sure thing."

The owner quickly handed Fang Wu a still warm roasted chicken, intending to take advantage of the closing time to overcharge him. However, upon seeing the black iron badge on Fang Wu's waist, he took out a string of copper coins and gave them to Fang Wu.

"Hey, boss, you gave me too much change."

Fang Wu weighed the copper coins in his hand, realizing that the owner had given him too much, perhaps to curry favor.

"No, no, no, thanks to the protection of the Night Watch, we can live safely. This is what I should offer you."

"Then I'll come back to your shop next time."

"Sure thing, thank you, sir."

Fang Wu left with the roasted chicken, and the owner's face instantly darkened, preparing to spit in Fang Wu's direction. However, he noticed some loose change on the table, which was exactly the extra change he had given Fang Wu.

"Ha, a rare fool."

He pocketed the loose change and quickly closed the shop door.

Fang Wu walked down the street for a moment and returned home.

*Knock knock knock*

*Creak*

The old door opened, and a head peeked out. The girl cautiously looked around and then saw the roasted chicken in Fang Wu's hand, jumping in front of him.

"Brother, we're having roasted chicken today?"

In front of him was his younger sister, Fang Mengzhu, who was three years younger than him, a pure and innocent girl in her early teens.

Fang Mengzhu was not Fang Wu's biological sister. He had found her in a trash pile and raised her, eating from various households.

However, she had grown into a graceful young woman, with untidy hair framing her face, large and expressive eyes, and slightly upturned eyelashes, making her look particularly cute.

"This is your dinner. I have to patrol tonight, so I'll have dinner and a snack at the Night Watch."

"Be careful, brother, and remember to come home safely."

"Sure."

Fang Wu turned and left the door, walking to a place where his sister couldn't see him, then activated his basic lightness skill and quickly headed to the Night Watch.

Perhaps it was time to consider learning a more reliable lightness skill.

Fang Wu quickly arrived at the entrance of the Night Watch. The guard frowned upon seeing him.

"It's almost the hour of the Rooster. Why are you so late?"

"Sorry, I'll come earlier next time."

He quickly brushed off the guard, who was just a gatekeeper. Fang Wu walked to the changing room for the black iron night patrol and found his locker, starting to change his clothes.

The hour of the Rooster is from 5 PM to 7 PM, the time when dusk approaches night.

"Old Fang, you're too late. Look at the others... forget it."

Jiang Tou, whose real name was Jiang Suping, began to scold Fang Wu. Fang Wu was about to use his martial arts breakthrough as an excuse, but he remembered the guy who had just been promoted to a bronze night patrol officer a few days ago and held back his words.

Anyone who could easily shatter a rock could be promoted to a bronze night patrol officer. At this stage, their blood and qi were usually strong enough, and their strength was sufficient to face demons and evil spirits alone.

However, due to the shortage of night patrol officers, bronze officers were often assigned to patrol certain streets alone, which could result in them being killed by powerful demons.

Of course, in most cases, they could still defeat the demons.

"Hey, that's strange. Where are Old Zhang and Old Zheng? They usually come early."

"Never mind, we have a new recruit today. You can take him under your wing."

Jiang Tou, known as Jiang Tou by everyone, was a bronze night patrol officer with three years of experience, fully functional.

Fang Wu looked at a silent young man in the corner, who seemed overly cute, almost androgynous, but the visible Adam's apple confirmed he was male.

"This is Zhang Yuzhu. His name sounds like a girl's... but don't worry, his strength is quite good."

At that moment, Jiang Tou leaned close to Fang Wu, put his arm around his shoulder, and whispered,

"He's almost at the level of a bronze night patrol officer. Just protect yourself."

"Zhang Yuzhu, I'll call you Brother Zhu. Is that okay?"

The young man in the corner nodded, not saying anything, his eyes darting around, as if he had social anxiety.

"You'll be following this guy, Fang Wu. Don't look at him being almost late today; he's actually quite reliable. He's your senior and big brother now."

Fang Wu was speechless. If he didn't want to stand out, he would have told Jiang Tou that he already had the strength to become a bronze night patrol officer.

But considering that he could only shatter a large rock and had no powerful external training, lightness skills, or other offensive techniques, he decided to keep quiet.

After getting dressed, the bell rang in the Night Watch, signaling the start of the shift.