Courtyard House: Starting with handing over the keys, the state helps me abuse birds.

Three days is enough time for a lot to happen.

For Chen's team at the fertilizer base, this was 72 consecutive hours of test runs after the renovation was completed.

The Ministry of Chemical Industry held a meeting overnight and officially approved the industrialization plan. The renovation plan for three large fertilizer plants has been put on the agenda.

For the neighbors in the courtyard, these were three rare days of peace.

Yi Zhonghai and five others are still undergoing "rehabilitation treatment" at the hospital. Without their antics, the air in the courtyard is much quieter. Only occasionally will someone glance at the tightly closed door in the backyard and whisper a few words with complicated expressions.

For Xie Weihong, these three days were a breakthrough period of seclusion.

After returning from Lu Zhaoting's place, he knew the test wouldn't be simple. National-level scientific assessments can't be smuggled out by simply bending an iron ruler.

To provide accurate data, demonstrate controllable capabilities, and pave the way for the subsequent dissemination of "cultivation techniques," all of this requires stronger support.

So after returning to the courtyard house, he officially began his attempt to break through to the fourth tier.

The breakthrough went more smoothly than expected.

The "Bone-Eroding Body Refining Technique" rewarded by the system is a top-level technique that points directly to the Great Dao. In addition, the Spirit-Eroding Crystals and Body-Tempering Liquid accumulated during this period are abundant enough, so the breakthrough is almost a natural outcome.

On the first day, he arranged the Spirit-Eating Crystals into a simple Spirit-Gathering Array in the room, and then drank the Body-Tempering Elixir.

The moment the medicine took effect, a surge of spiritual energy flooded into the limbs and bones like a tidal wave, tempering and reshaping the already extremely strong bones and muscles once again.

The next day, his bones and muscles throbbed, and his blood and qi flowed like mercury. He could clearly feel certain invisible barriers within his body loosening, a sign of his transformation from a "mortal body" to a "spiritual body." Black impurities seeped from his skin, a deeper level of detoxification.

At dawn on the third day, as the first rays of sunlight pierced through the window, a roar that only he could hear resounded within Xie Weihong's body.

With the barrier broken, everything fell into place naturally.

[System Notification: Congratulations, host, on breaking through to the fourth tier!]

[Comprehensive physical transformation: Bone density increased by 500%, muscle strength increased by 800%, and skin resilience increased by 1200%]

[New Ability: Basic Spirit Form, can withstand conventional firearms fire, and has greatly increased resistance to blunt force trauma]

[Divine sense range expanded to fifty meters]

[Gained a Tier 4 exclusive skill: Blood and Mist (can briefly unleash double combat power)]

The moment the breakthrough was complete, Xie Weihong opened his eyes. There was no wind in the room, but the dust within three feet of him automatically dispersed, as if enveloped by an invisible force field.

He looked down at his hands; his skin was smooth and lustrous like jade, with a faint sheen. They appeared delicate, but were actually tough enough to withstand a blade.

This is the fourth order.

The leap from the third to the fourth tier is not a simple accumulation of power, but a leap in the level of life.

At eight o'clock in the morning, Duan Chengyi knocked on the door precisely on time.

Duan Chengyi was stunned the moment Xie Weihong opened the door and walked out.

"Wei Hong, you..." He looked her up and down, his eyes full of surprise and doubt, "You seem... a little different?"

Duan Chengyi couldn't quite put his finger on what was different. His facial features were still the same, his figure was still the same, but the feeling was just different.

His demeanor was more composed, his eyes more profound, and standing there he exuded an aura of profound tranquility and towering grandeur, like a mountain, a river, or a sea.

"Perhaps he's had enough rest," Xie Weihong smiled slightly, offering no further explanation.

In the car, Duan Chengyi hesitated several times before finally asking, "Wei Hong, what have you been doing in the house these past three days?"

"I'm practicing," Xie Weihong said frankly, "to prepare for today's test."

Duan Chengyi nodded and didn't ask any more questions. He knew Xie Weihong had many secrets, some of which he could ask, and some he couldn't. This was the most basic understanding of this line of work.

The test site was located at a secluded military base in the north of the city. The vehicle passed through three checkpoints and entered an open area. This area, originally a training ground for armored units, had been temporarily converted into a testing center.

Lu Zhaoting was already waiting at the entrance of the venue. When he saw Xie Weihong get out of the car, a hint of surprise flashed in his eyes. Like Duan Chengyi, he also felt that Xie Weihong was different, but he couldn't quite put his finger on what was different.

"Comrade Wei Hong, welcome." Lu Zhaoting stepped forward to shake hands, this time gripping them particularly firmly, as if to confirm something. "It seems you've adjusted your condition quite well these past three days."

"Thank you for your concern, Director Lu," Xie Weihong replied calmly.

"Come, let me show you the testing site first." Lu Zhaoting led the two into the site. "For this test, we mobilized the top resources from the Chinese Academy of Sciences, the Chinese Academy of Engineering, and the military industry. Some of the equipment was designed and manufactured on short notice, so it may not be perfect yet, but it is the highest level that China can currently offer."

The venue is huge, about the size of four football fields. The original training facilities have been moved away and replaced with more than a dozen large instruments and equipment, each with researchers busy adjusting them.

Technicians in white coats moved back and forth, creating a tense yet orderly atmosphere.

"That's the strength testing area," Lu Zhaoting pointed to the left side of the arena. "That machine is a dynamic strength testing device specially designed for you. It can measure instantaneous explosive power and sustained output power."

It was a massive, industrial-looking machine, its main structure welded from thick steel plates. On the front was a circular impact target, half a meter in diameter, behind which were connected a complex hydraulic and sensor system. Several researchers were making final calibrations around the instrument.

"What are the design specifications?" Xie Weihong asked.

"The maximum range is ten tons." A middle-aged researcher wearing glasses looked up, his tone carrying the confidence of a professional. "Theoretically, it can measure the peak force of punches, kicks, and other similar actions. We referenced the punching power data of world boxing champions and left a large safety margin. Comrade Xie, you can go all out in a moment without worrying about damaging the equipment."

As he spoke, his eyes held undisguised curiosity. When they received this urgent task three days ago, the entire team found it strange—why design such a large testing instrument specifically for one person?

A normal person's punching force is at most a few hundred kilograms; a ten-ton punch is like using a cannon to kill a mosquito.

But the orders came from the highest level, and they had no choice but to obey.

Xie Weihong nodded and walked to the instrument. He first touched the target surface with his hand; it was a kind of highly elastic composite material with fine anti-slip textures on the surface.

"Do we need to warm up?" the researcher asked.

"No need," Xie Weihong shook his head. He turned slightly to the side, his right fist retracted to his waist, without any complicated power-gathering movements, simply looking calmly at the target.

All eyes on the field turned to him. Lu Zhaoting, Duan Chengyi, the researchers, the technicians adjusting other equipment in the distance... everyone wanted to see what was so special about this young man who could have Director Lu personally oversee the testing.

Xie Weihong took a breath.

Then, he threw a punch.

There was no running start, no shouting, not even any obvious exertion of force. It was just a simple, direct punch, so fast that most people present only saw a blur.

"Bang!!!"

A dull, resounding impact echoed, like a heavy forging hammer striking a steel ingot. The target surface caved in violently, the main structure of the instrument groaned under the strain, and the bolts securing it to the ground were ripped out in half!

The hydraulic gauge needle spun wildly, instantly surpassing the maximum value on the dial, and then "click!"

The pointer shaft broke.

The digital display on the front of the instrument flickered a few times, then three glaring red characters appeared:

Over-range.

The venue was deathly silent.