The Great Martial Saint!

Chen Ping'an's hands weren't particularly dexterous, but he managed to get the job done well enough.

"That should do it."

He inserted the newly made wooden stick into the door latch—it fit perfectly, neither too tight nor too loose.

"Wow, brother, you're amazing!"

Chen Erya clapped her hands, showering him with praise.

"Alright, it's time for me to practice martial arts. Little one, if you get tired later, don't wait for me. Just go to bed, okay?"

"Okay," Chen Erya replied.

Chen Ping'an went inside to fetch his undergarments.

These undergarments had now become his training tools for practicing Iron Shirt. They weren't really wearable anymore, but they served their purpose well.

Once he had more money, he would definitely buy proper soft cloth for Iron Shirt training.

The conditions for martial arts training were really too crude.

If it weren't for the golden finger panel, Chen Ping'an wouldn't have the confidence to say that he could definitely master it.

After folding the undergarments neatly, he wrapped them tightly around his chest and back several times, then began his Iron Shirt practice.

With the experience from his previous two successful attempts, he was now more familiar with the process.

He vigorously rubbed his body, then bent and stretched his elbows and arms, making his chest expand and contract repeatedly.

Over and over again.

As he continued rubbing, Chen Ping'an felt his body gradually heating up. Then, as the heat intensified, a faint sense of pain began to emerge.

As the rubbing continued, the pain grew more intense, becoming increasingly noticeable.

However, the pain was still within his tolerance.

Chen Ping'an gritted his teeth and persevered.

Then, in the next moment.

A "+1" symbol flashed across his vision.

Name: Chen Ping'an

Realm: None

Martial Arts: Iron Shirt (Not Yet Mastered) (3/5)

"Excellent!"

The lines of text before his eyes, especially the eye-catching "3," filled Chen Ping'an with exhilaration and a surge of adrenaline.

"Just 2 more points, and I'll meet the requirements to master Iron Shirt."

Chen Ping'an's heart swelled with anticipation as he loosened the undergarments wrapped around his chest and back. His skin was flushed red, and his entire body felt numb—a complex sensation of numbness mixed with pain and itching.

"Brother~"

Chen Erya, ever obedient, handed him a bowl of water.

"Good sister!"

Chen Ping'an praised her, then took the bowl with one hand and gulped down the water.

After drinking, he didn't sit on the wooden stool. Instead, he walked a few steps and sat down on the threshold of the courtyard gate.

They had eaten dinner early, and after cleaning up and his half-hour of practice, it still wasn't too late.

Chen Ping'an wanted to see if he could complete two Iron Shirt practice sessions tonight.

Sitting on the threshold, Chen Ping'an felt a tingling sensation all over his body, as if tiny insects were crawling everywhere. Compared to earlier, the pain had subsided somewhat.

He rested on the threshold for nearly half an hour before slowly getting up. After standing, he didn't immediately start practicing Iron Shirt again. Instead, he adjusted his posture and relaxed his muscles.

"Little one, go wash up first. Once you're done, go straight to bed. No need to wait for me."

Chen Ping'an glanced at Chen Erya, who was nodding off while waiting for him, and instructed her.

"Mm, okay," Chen Erya replied.

"Let's continue!"

Chen Ping'an picked up the undergarments, wrapped them tightly around his chest and back several times, and began practicing Iron Shirt again with practiced ease.

He vigorously rubbed his body, starting off fine, but after a while, the pain became unbearable.

Chen Ping'an gritted his teeth, trying to endure, but the pain only grew more intense. Not only that, but he also felt as if his skin was about to split open.

"I can't keep going!"

Chen Ping'an made a quick decision to stop this practice session. It wasn't that he couldn't endure the pain, but he was worried that if his skin broke, it would affect his Iron Shirt practice in the coming days.

It seemed that with his current physical condition and skill level, it was impossible to practice Iron Shirt twice in such a short time.

The reason he had managed to practice twice yesterday was that he had practiced once in the morning, rested well in the afternoon, and then practiced again in the evening.

If he got up early in the morning, practiced once before going to work, and then practiced again in the evening, he should be able to practice Iron Shirt twice a day.

"Alright, I'll rest early tonight and try again tomorrow morning!"

Having made up his mind, Chen Ping'an removed the undergarments wrapped around his body. He fetched a basin of water and carefully wiped down his body with a cloth.

Speaking of water, there was no well in their courtyard. About half a mile to the east, there was a small stream with a well nearby. Usually, they would fetch water from there and store it in a water vat in the kitchen.

"There's still half a vat of water, so no rush to fetch more."

Chen Ping'an thought to himself.

Although Chen Erya was mature for her age, she was still young, and fetching water was a physically demanding task for her. Chen Ping'an could fill the vat in about ten trips, but it would take Chen Erya at least twenty.

After washing up, Chen Ping'an cleaned himself and went to bed.

When he entered the room, Chen Erya was still awake.

"Brother, you're done?"

"Yeah."

Chen Ping'an responded.

Before sleeping, the siblings chatted as usual.

Chen Erya shared updates about their household's daily needs.

For example, the candles they used sparingly were running low, so they needed to buy a new one soon. The salt was almost out, so they needed to buy some more tomorrow. There was still plenty of rice and oil, but they needed to organize them to prevent mice from getting to them. She also shared some interesting gossip she had heard while out buying groceries.

Mostly, it was just mundane daily life.

Most of the time, Chen Ping'an just listened without interrupting. Occasionally, he would briefly share some details about his workday.

The siblings slept together, and every night like this, they both felt at ease.

"Hu~ hu~ hu~"

Early in the morning, Chen Ping'an was already practicing in the courtyard.

Compared to last night, his body felt much better. He rubbed his body vigorously, moving his hands all over. He bent and stretched his elbows and arms, making his chest expand and contract.

Today, Chen Ping'an had gotten up much earlier than usual. Before dawn, he had already started practicing Iron Shirt.

Chen Erya had been asleep but was eventually woken up by the noise of Chen Ping'an's practice.

Seeing her brother working so hard early in the morning, she felt a pang of heartache.

But no matter how much it hurt her to see him like this, all she could do was prepare a bowl of hot porridge for him.