Late at night, all was silent.

Chen Shouyi sat cross-legged on the bed, entering a deep meditation.

His breathing was long and distant, each inhale and exhale lasting over a minute.

In a state of unconscious awareness, a complex and awe-inspiring image became increasingly clear in his mind. The strands of muscle were delicate yet dense, full yet dimensional; he could see not only the surface muscles but also within, observing the fine blood vessels, various nerve endings, tendons between muscles, and lymphatic tissue.

There was no distinction between inside and outside, as what appeared in his mind was a four-dimensional image.

At this point, it seemed that a certain stage had been completed, as the scope of the image in his mind began to slowly spread. From the edges, countless dark intersecting lines started to extend inward, gradually outlining a general shape...

...

After ten minutes, Chen Shouyi opened his tired eyes, a hint of joy flashing across them.

After waiting so long, he had finally completed the "flesh refining."

Chen Shouyi sat up from the bed and extended his arm.

He saw the muscles in his forearm starting to pulse fiercely at will, like the joyful undulating keys of a piano during play.

Not just the arms.

Whether limbs, back, or feet, even the thin muscles behind his fingers that were as fine as a cicada's wings, he could control them precisely.

Of course, he could do this before, but today it seemed easier and effortless.

He stood up and moved his body, feeling like all the muscles were more coordinated and during exertion, it was as if a layer of lubricant had been added, creating a very smooth sensation.

However, Chen Shouyi felt that more than anything, this was a self-induced illusion.

Practice is a gradual process of reaching a natural culmination.

There wouldn't be any sudden leaps within a short time, just like being unsatisfied after eating nine buns but feeling full with the tenth; the reason for fullness is not the tenth bun but the previous nine.

He opened the attribute panel and found that perception had reached 12 points.

Meanwhile, his time training in the other world had also increased his agility by another point, reaching 14.3.

He took a final glance at the knowledge tab and was about to close the attribute panel when he was slightly stunned, discovering his swordsmanship had unconsciously reached "Mastery: 1."

"When did this happen?" He thought to himself, greatly surprised.

His progress in swordsmanship had stagnated for a long time; after reaching "Proficient: 20," no matter how much he trained, he couldn't advance. Chen Shouyi initially thought about using energy points for optimization but unexpectedly had already quietly crossed the threshold.

"It looks like completing 'Deep Meditation to Self-Refining - Flesh Refining' is the cause!" He pondered.

Feeling slightly excited, he picked up his sword, but realizing it was deep night, he reluctantly put it down.

Forget it, there's no rush.

...

The next day at six, Chen Shouyi awoke automatically due to his biological clock.

He opened his eyes and lay in bed for a long time without getting up.

A gentle breeze slowly flowed through the room.

In the bedroom, the air conditioner, which had been specially turned on to prevent Shell Lady from getting cold, had long since stopped unknowingly, making the sudden breeze seem quite chilly.

Of course, with his non-human physique, he was long unaffected by such cold, but at this moment, his mind felt eerily frozen, as if falling into an ice cave.

Chen Shouyi stared blankly at the white ceiling, motionless, lying for a full half hour before stopping the control of the breeze, woodenly getting up to dress.

He looked at the switch on the door, holding onto a sliver of hope, pressed lightly, but the light was still motionless!

The second mutation finally arrived!

He walked heavily to the bathroom.

Chen Xingyue was brushing her teeth, glanced at Chen Shouyi entering, and said indistinctly, "Brother, why did you get up so late today?"

"There's no electricity today!" Chen Shouyi said.

"I know, I woke up from the cold at dawn," Chen Xingyue said calmly, without much reaction.

"I mean there's no power!" Chen Shouyi repeated.

"Brother, you're acting strange, what's the fuss about no electricity? It will come soon." Chen Xingyue said.

Chen Shouyi felt like he was talking to someone who didn't understand, truly exhausted: "Where are Mom and Dad?"

"They went to the restaurant, of course!" Chen Xingyue said inexplicably.

Chen Shouyi frowned slightly, left the bathroom, and quickly went to the balcony to pull open the curtains.

Outside was covered in white snow; it was still early, and there weren't many people in the community.

Meanwhile, Chen Xingyue finished washing up, walked out of the bathroom, returned to her bedroom, and shortly came out holding her phone, briskly walking out: "Brother, look at my phone, it won't turn on, is it broken?"

Chen Shouyi took a look, pressed the power button, but the phone showed no response: "It's useless, throw it away!"

"I'm not as rich as you!" Chen Xingyue gritted her teeth angrily, irritatedly said: "I'll take it to the phone repair shop, maybe the battery's the problem."

Saying that, Chen Xingyue marched toward the door.

"Don't go out today," Chen Shouyi quickly stopped her, "Wait, I'll call Mom and Dad back."

"Brother, what's wrong with you today, acting all mysterious!"

Just then, the door opened, and Father Chen and Mrs. Chen walked in breathlessly carrying big bags, immediately saying upon seeing them, "Come help get things from below, we hired a three-wheeler!"

Apparently, the elevator wasn't working either, fortunately, they managed to carry so much up to the fifth floor.

"Parents are indeed sensitive to this kind of situation," Chen Shouyi thought silently.

After arranging the goods, the four went downstairs.

Chen Shouyi only then realized they bought quite a lot, just the bags of 25-kilogram rice were ten, other vegetables, and meats almost filled a whole tricycle.

He lifted the rice bags onto his shoulder, stacking six, then grabbed two more and headed back upstairs.

The elderly tricycle rider laughed, commenting, "Looks refined, but strong, good at heavy lifting!"

"It's just brute force," Chen Dawei pulled out his wallet, handed over three bills.

The elder took the money, held it against the light, and said, "Alas, the world's becoming chaotic."

...

In one day, all of Hedong City descended into chaos.

Supermarkets and food markets were looted clean.

In just one day, there were numerous crimes like vandalism, robbery, murder, malignant and ubiquitous.

Even a closed bank near Chen Shouyi's home was forcibly damaged by rage-driven citizens, robbed of all its cash.

During the last mutation, banks at least hadn't lost electricity and could still dispense cash, but this time, even banks' backup power systems failed to function properly.

A regular family usually doesn't have much cash at home, most of the money is typically placed in banks.

But when money can't be withdrawn from the bank, no amount, even billions in the bank, is merely numbers, not even that. Someone having billions in the bank could become penniless overnight.

When the hard-earned money risks becoming void, the panic and anger can break all restraints, driving individuals to unimaginable acts.

Global turmoil erupted simultaneously, not only in Hedong City or the Great Xia Country.

Until evening, heavily armed soldiers took to the streets, enforcing martial law, and Hedong City's order gradually stabilized.

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