Physical immortality begins with Bajiquan

Chapter 73 Weight-Body Training Method

The next morning.

The morning breeze swirled the tender green leaves of the persimmon tree in the courtyard, which fell into Qin Ting's open bamboo basket. The basket was piled with various colored silk threads and half-embroidered handkerchiefs. She was fiddling with a silver needle, her head bowed as she selected the colors of the threads.

Qin Heng had just finished his stance training and walked over, wiping the sweat from his forehead.

"Sister, I'm going to Huichuntang."

Qin Ting looked up at him and instructed, "Tell Aunt Zhou nicely. If she doesn't want to, don't force her."

"Okay." He turned and left.

The sunlight dazzled on the bluestone pavement of Datong Street. When the porters and vendors passing by saw him, they would quickly step aside and bow respectfully, calling out "Scholar Qin." Qin Heng nodded in response to each of them, his steps uninterrupted. After several twists and turns, he arrived at Yuhuowan Middle Street, where the faint scent of bitter herbs wafted on the breeze.

Huichuntang was right next to the former Qin family breakfast shop. The black lacquered wooden door was ajar, and the wooden plaque above the door was faded but clean. Qin Heng raised his hand and gently pushed the wooden door, and the copper bell under the eaves jingled.

The hall was much quieter than usual, with only an old man dispensing medicine. Uncle Zhou sat behind the examination table, his fingertips touching the pulse, his brow slightly furrowed. Two apprentices, one turning over half-dried herbs in the corner, the other tidying up empty medicine jars, moved slowly. Aunt Zhou stood in front of the medicine cabinet, holding a measuring stick to weigh licorice, her fingertips pausing, and she sighed softly.

Lately, the county has been struggling financially, with exorbitant taxes and levies leaving ordinary people unable to even afford food, let alone medicine and medical care. Huichuntang's business is declining day by day, sometimes going an entire day without making a single sale. Even Qin Heng, after moving to Datong Street, had heard about these things.

Aunt Zhou was the first to hear the noise. When she looked up and saw him, a smile immediately appeared on her face. She put down her writing brush and wiped her hands on her apron: "Xiao Heng, what brings you here? Is your sister feeling unwell again?"

"She's not feeling unwell, Zhou." Qin Heng walked to the counter, his gaze sweeping across the empty clinic. His tone was calm. "My sister recently wanted to open a needlework class to teach the young women and wives in the neighborhood how to embroider. She can't manage it all by herself, so she'd like to ask you to come and lend a hand."

He paused, then added, "The monthly salary is one tael of silver, paid in advance for this month, and includes lunch and dinner. The work isn't strenuous; it's just showing you stitches and teaching you how to stitch fabric. Auntie, would you like to come?"

"Ah? One tael of silver!" Aunt Zhou was taken aback and quickly waved her hands to refuse. "That's too much, absolutely not. When neighbors help each other with embroidery, they only earn four or five hundred coins a month at most. How can you give so much?"

"Auntie, please accept this." Qin Heng said, taking out a few pieces of silver from his pocket and gently placing them on the counter. His expression became even more earnest. "Our parents passed away early, and my sister and I were all alone. We were able to get to where we are today entirely thanks to the Zhou family's care. We siblings will always remember this kindness. This is just a small token of our appreciation; what is this reward?"

He continued to persuade sincerely, "The times are tough right now. The taxes in Heyang City are increasing at every level, and the clinic is struggling. You must be having a hard time making ends meet. If you go and help out, you can earn your salary with a clear conscience and it will help supplement your household expenses. Please don't refuse."

Looking at the money on the table and Qin Heng's sincere expression, Aunt Zhou felt both warm and moved. After some hesitation, she finally nodded gently with tears in her eyes.

When Qin Heng returned home, the sun had just passed the hour of Si (9-11 AM).

He sat under the persimmon tree in the courtyard, his fingertips gently tapping his knees as he silently pondered.

There are still thirteen days until the victory celebration banquet at the garrison headquarters. Including today, there are only twelve days left for him to go into seclusion and cultivate diligently.

If one can hone their external martial arts to the point of achieving an iron-like physique before this banquet, then even if they were to fight someone, they would have more confidence and assurance.

He touched his chest, where the last intact Red-stemmed Warm Sun Grass lay quietly. He knew that even if he took this precious medicine and spent more than ten days grinding away at it, he could probably only advance the progress to seventy percent at most, and there was absolutely no way he could reach the Iron Bone Mastery ahead of time. To achieve his goal on schedule, ordinary internal energy cultivation and bone tempering would definitely not be enough; he would have to use the fierce training method recorded in the "Indestructible Vajra Body".

That is the Vajra Body and Sinking Bone Method.

Qin Heng immediately got up and went straight to the blacksmith's shop in the city. He asked the blacksmith to forge forty iron plates, each about three-tenths of an inch thick, using the hardest wrought iron. He then bought three layers of thick cowhide and sewed a layered iron suit overnight. Several slots were left on the shoulders, back, chest, abdomen, waist, hips, and limbs to allow for the addition or removal of iron plates.

Initially, he only inserted twenty iron plates, and the entire iron armor weighed exactly one hundred pounds. It fit snugly against his skin, and when he wore it, even his breathing became a few degrees heavier than usual.

In addition, he also had four extra pairs of 100-pound iron leg wraps and two pairs of 200-pound stone weights made specifically for adding weight during training.

After everything was ready, he simmered the red-stemmed warming grass over a low flame and drank it. The medicinal juice was warm and sweet, and the warmth slowly spread throughout his body, gradually sinking into the depths of his bones and muscles.

From then on, this hundred-pound iron armor became an extension of his body. He never took it off, whether eating, drinking, walking, or meditating. Even when he slept at night, he would only loosen the two tightest straps to allow his bones to relax for a moment.

Every day at the hour of Yin (3-5 AM), before dawn, he would begin his arduous spiritual practice.

Wearing iron armor and carrying two stone weights in his hands, his entire body instantly weighed 500 pounds.

He firmly planted himself in a horse stance and slowly squatted down. His knees didn't extend beyond his toes, and the 500-pound weight pressed down along his spine, every bone making a faint "creaking" sound, as if it might break at any moment. One hundred squats made up one set, and he did ten sets every day. By the end, his legs were shaking like leaves, and sweat poured down his chin, hitting the ground and creating deep puddles.

He never leaned against the wall for support, nor did he ever call for a stop. He just gritted his teeth and counted off one by one as he continued.

At 9:00 AM, he practiced stance training, holding a 500-pound weight without moving an inch, and could stand for three hours straight.

Sunlight filtered through the leaves of the persimmon tree, casting dappled shadows on him. His iron armor was soaked with sweat, and rust mixed with sweat left dark red marks on his skin. Yet his gaze grew ever more resolute, his strength flowing slowly through his meridians, guiding the medicinal power of the Red Stem Warm Sun Grass, little by little, into the cracks in his bones, torn apart by the weight of the pressure.

Every tear is a rebirth.

With each repair, the bone becomes a little stronger.

This is the fierce power of the Vajra Body Sinking Bone Technique. It does not nourish or moisturize the bones, but rather shatters them with the force of a thousand pounds, and then rebuilds them with the power of miraculous medicine. What ordinary martial artists can take several years to complete through bone training, he can do in twelve days.

The weight of the iron armor increases by ten pounds every day.

110 jin, 120 jin, 130 jin—

By the eleventh day, the iron armor he wore daily had weighed 200 jin, and the total weight he carried during training had increased from 500 jin to 1,000 jin!

Late at night on the twelfth day, all was quiet.

Qin Heng stood on the open ground on the west side of the courtyard and slowly took off his iron armor.

The 200-pound iron armor slammed onto the bluestone slab with a deafening thud, splitting the entire slab in two.

He stretched his arms and legs.

Without the restraints of the iron armor, he felt as light as a feather, as if he could leap onto the roof with a single bound. But at the same time, a sense of immense, mountain-like power surged from the depths of his bones, every inch of his bone feeling as if it were forged from refined steel, indestructible.

He walked up to an old locust tree stump that was about half a person's thickness.

The wooden stake was covered with footprints of varying depths, the marks of his arduous practice over the past few days.

Qin Heng took a deep breath and threw a normal punch.

There was no sound of wind, no force, not even the slightest unnecessary movement; it relied solely on the natural power of the physical body.

"Click!"

A crisp snapping sound.

The old locust tree stump, as thick as a bowl, snapped in two, breaking neatly in the middle, with fine wood chips scattering everywhere.

Qin Heng slowly withdrew his fist and looked at his palm.

His palms remained smooth and clean, no different from those of an ordinary person, but the formidable strength hidden beneath his skin was enough to crush metal and stone.

【Indestructible Body and Iron Bones (Mastery 400/400)】

He let out a long breath.

The summer night breeze rustled through the persimmon tree leaves, and the fatigue and forbearance of the past ten days dissipated with the wind.

Through countless trials and tribulations, one finally achieves the pinnacle of strength.

Tomorrow will be the day he leaves the pass to attend the banquet.