Retirement begins with summoning Yuan Tiangang

The next few days passed like a perfectly replicated mold.

They would get up before dawn, practice horse stance, carry stones, and set off.

We ate some dry rations for lunch, and in the afternoon we continued practicing horse stance, carrying stones, and traveling.

We found a place to stay for the night, started a fire to cook, and took a medicinal bath.

It was tedious and tiring, but Lin Feng never complained.

He found himself making rapid progress.

On the first day, he couldn't even lift that rock that was half a person's height.

The next day, he was able to lift it and walk a few steps.

On the third day, he was able to carry a stone for half a mile.

On the fourth day, he was able to do squats while lifting stones.

On the fifth night, they camped by a small river.

The river water was cool in late autumn, but there was a flat sandy area on the bank, suitable for camping.

Qinglong lit a fire and set up a pot to boil the medicinal bath.

Lin Feng took off his clothes and climbed into the tub. The hot water reached over his shoulders, and he sighed comfortably.

Qinglong walked over and reached out to pat his shoulder.

This time I didn't use any force, I just touched it lightly.

Lin Feng felt Qinglong's fingers linger near his shoulder blade for a moment, then move to his arm and press down along the muscle lines.

"Don't move," Qinglong said.

Lin Feng dared not move.

Qinglong pressed for a while, then withdrew his hand and nodded: "Not bad."

"What's good?" Lin Feng asked.

"Look for yourself." Qinglong pointed to his arm.

Lin Feng looked down.

The firelight shone on my arm, and my skin was slightly red—it had been soaked in hot water.

But upon closer inspection, one can see an extremely faint, pale golden light flowing beneath the skin, like tiny golden threads shimmering along the veins.

"This is..." Lin Feng's eyes widened.

"It will be heavier the day after tomorrow."

Qinglong said,

"This means the muscles and bones in your limbs have begun to strengthen. You should now have the strength of 500 jin in one arm."

Five hundred jin!

Lin Feng was so excited he almost jumped out of the bucket. He clenched his fists, feeling the power surging through his muscles.

It's definitely different now. Before, he could only carry about a hundred kilograms of things, but now he can carry several times that amount!

"Really? That's great!" he exclaimed excitedly.

"What about the second and third levels of the acquired realm? And the innate realm?"

"What's the rush?"

Qinglong poured cold water on it.

"The Nine Heavens are the highest level, each more difficult than the last. You've only just begun; the road ahead is long."

Lin Feng chuckled, not caring at all.

He leaned against the barrel wall, looking at the faint golden light on his arm, feeling quite pleased with himself.

Master Yu Yuan had already told him about this golden light.

Although that old man was always nagging, he was actually quite skilled in cultivation.

When Raymond Lam was practicing his horse stance, he was mentally guiding the posture.

When carrying stones, he taught us how to breathe and how to exert force.

While taking a medicinal bath, he could even explain the function of each ingredient in the prescription. Although Lin Feng couldn't understand him, he thought it was very impressive.

"Kid, your uncle did a pretty good job teaching you."

The voice of Master Yu Yuan echoed in my mind; surprisingly, he wasn't exaggerating.

"Although the method is a bit crude, the approach is correct. This is how you train to reach the Acquired Realm; there are no shortcuts."

"Old man," Lin Feng asked in his mind.

Do you think I can cultivate to the Innate Realm?

"Nonsense," Master Yu Yuan scoffed.

"With my guidance and your uncle watching over you, if you don't reach the Innate Realm, you might as well find a block of tofu and smash your head against it."

Lin Feng smiled.

Although the old man's words were harsh, they sounded quite reassuring.

After soaking in the medicinal bath, Lin Feng felt relaxed all over, as if he had inexhaustible energy.

He put on his clothes, walked to the riverbank, and found a rock about half his height, which was a size larger than the previous one.

He crouched down, hugged the stone with both hands, took a deep breath, and strained!

The stone wobbled and lifted off the ground.

Lin Feng gritted his teeth and lifted the stone above his head.

The muscles in his arms were taut, the veins bulging, but he remained steady, without shaking at all.

He held the stone, walked a few steps along the riverbank, then walked back and gently put it down.

His face wasn't flushed, and he wasn't out of breath.

"Uncle Qinglong, look!"

He turned his head and said excitedly.

Qinglong sat by the fire, munching on a flatbread.

Hearing this, he looked up, nodded, and said, "Not bad. We'll do extra practice tomorrow."

Raymond Lam: "..."

In the days to come, we will continue our journey and continue our practice.

They traveled north, passing through several county towns.

Some places were bustling, others were deserted, but Qinglong never lingered long. He would stay for one night at most, buy some dry food and medicinal herbs, and leave early the next morning.

Lin Feng didn't ask where they were going.

He followed Qinglong, practicing whatever he was told to practice and eating whatever he was told to eat.

-

More than ten days passed.

That night, they slept by the river again. The river seemed quite long; they could still see it after walking for several days.

Qinglong took the wooden bucket out of his storage ring. Lin Feng was no longer surprised; he already knew that Uncle Qinglong had a "treasure" that could hold a lot of things.

The medicinal bath was ready, and Lin Feng climbed in.

The water temperature was just right, and the medicinal aroma was strong.

He soaked in the water for a while and suddenly felt his arm getting hot.

It wasn't the heat from the water, but the kind of heat that came from deep within your bones.

He raised his arm and looked at the firelight.

This time, I could see it more clearly; the pale golden light beneath the skin of both arms was brighter and denser than before.

The light, like flowing water, slowly moves along the direction of the muscles and bones, from the shoulders to the elbows, to the wrists, to the fingertips, in a continuous cycle.

Even stranger was his leg.

The area above the knees also began to show a golden glow. Although it was very faint, it was definitely there.

Below the knees, it's still the same.

Lin Feng climbed out of the bucket, dried himself off, and ran to Qinglong.

"Uncle Qinglong, look!"

He pointed to his arms and legs.

Qinglong was packing his things when he heard this, so he looked up and glanced at him.

He reached out and pinched Lin Feng's arm, then pressed on his knee.

"Not bad." He nodded.

"It will be a second time the day after tomorrow."

Raymond Lam's eyes lit up: "Really?"

"Hmm," said Qinglong.

"At the second level of the acquired realm, your limbs and bones have been strengthened by more than half. You should now have the strength of 800 jin in your arms and be able to support 1,000 jin in your legs."

Lin Feng was so excited he almost jumped up.

He clenched his fist, feeling the power surging through his muscles—it was indeed very strong!

"Then...can I try?" he asked.

"Try what?"

"Practicing boxing by carrying stones on my back!" Lin Feng said.

"Didn't you say before that weighted training is more effective?"

Qinglong glanced at him, said nothing, walked to the riverbank, found a boulder taller than a person, weighing at least seven or eight hundred pounds.

He picked up the stone with one hand, walked back, and placed it in front of Lin Feng.

"Use this," he said.

Lin Feng looked at the boulder and swallowed hard.

But he didn't back down.

He crouched down, hugged the stone with both arms, took a deep breath, and strained!

The stone has been lifted off the ground.

It's very heavy, extremely heavy.

Lin Feng felt like his back was about to break, but he gritted his teeth and managed to carry the stone on his back.

Carrying it on your back feels like carrying a small mountain.

He steadied himself and assumed the starting stance for the "Breaking Wind Fist".

He has been practicing this set of boxing techniques for almost a month, and he knows every movement by heart.

But when I practiced before, I always felt something was missing. The movements were the same, but the strength and the spirit were not right.

But now, carrying a stone weighing seven or eight hundred pounds, the feeling of practicing this set of punches is completely different.

Every punch he threw carried the wind.

It wasn't the wind from the punch, but real wind; the fist sliced ​​through the air, making a "whooshing" sound.

With each step, the ground trembled slightly, and sand flew up.

He got more and more energetic as he played.

Sweat poured down his face like rain, but he didn't feel tired; he only felt exhilarated.

It was as if all the strength in his body had found an outlet, pouring out through the force of his punches.

Qinglong sat by the fire, watching quietly.

The firelight danced on his face, making his eyes appear frighteningly bright.

He watched intently, nodding occasionally, but remained silent.

Lin Feng fought for a full half hour.

When he finished his routine, he was soaked in sweat and panting heavily, but his eyes shone like stars.

He put the stone down, this time gently, without making a dent.

"Uncle Qinglong," he asked, panting.

"How...how's my training going?"

Qinglong stood up, walked up to him, and patted him on the shoulder.

"It's alright," he said.

"To be continued tomorrow."

Lin Feng smiled.

Although it was only two words, he could tell that Uncle Qinglong was satisfied.

At night, he lay on the spread-out hay, looking at the starry sky, unable to fall asleep for a long time.

The golden light in his arms and legs had faded, but he could feel that power still lingering, flowing deep within his bones and muscles, like a dormant river.

It will be a second case the day after tomorrow.

We've taken another step closer to the innate realm.

He closed his eyes, a smile playing on his lips.

Fell asleep.