A Long River Myth

"Grandpa, Mom, I'm going to the martial arts hall."

After eating almost everything edible, Li Hong got up and went out.

It was clear that Li Fulin and the others had not yet recovered from the shock.

But compared to Qin Si's oppression, Li Hong knew that he needed to pay more attention to himself now.

two months.

As for the martial arts academy, if he cannot master the external strength training within two months, his path in martial arts will basically be over.

Of the students who trained at the same time, I recall that less than 20% have now developed external strength.

Li Hong remembered that Instructor He from the Martial Arts Academy had told them this on their very first day.

Normally, someone with even a little martial arts talent needs to overcome the first hurdle in martial arts by developing "external strength".

There are usually signs within the first three months.

Those who haven't even touched the basics after nearly half a year are mostly "leftovers," and their future path in martial arts will depend solely on persistent, gradual practice.

Even if one develops physical strength and can make a living, the chances of achieving great things are slim.

What industry doesn't require some talent?

The original owner of this body initially failed to grasp the basics of external cultivation, and due to a lack of willpower, gradually became disheartened and did not persevere with persistent hard work.

Li Hong hurried along, filled with hope, and in a few breaths walked through several long streets, finally arriving at the location of the outer city's martial arts hall.

What comes into view are two courtyards, with someone on duty in the larger courtyard on the west.

This is a very ordinary military facility under the Great Qi Dynasty.

They were stationed throughout various regions, and their main responsibility was to train reserve soldiers for the imperial court.

Regardless of whether they are from good families, delinquent youths, or children from poor families, as long as they meet the physical requirements and are under seventeen years old, they will all be accepted.

The training hall imparts martial arts skills, and trainees are temporarily exempt from corvée labor during the eight-month training period.

Those who can master the external strength training during this period can stay in the west courtyard of the martial arts hall for further study; otherwise, they will be dismissed.

Even those who are dismissed will be registered, and the court will give priority to conscripting them if it needs soldiers in the future.

As for the disciples who remained, they were able to continue learning martial arts, and the most outstanding ones could even be evaluated as martial arts students in the future.

It can be said that without the martial arts academy, a poor boy like Li Hong would never have had the opportunity to come into contact with martial arts in his lifetime.

He gathered his thoughts, looked up at the courtyard to the east, and stepped inside.

The west courtyard next door was obviously larger and more imposing than the east courtyard, because that was the courtyard where formal disciples who had completed their external training resided.

As for the East Courtyard... it was used to house the disciples recruited each year for training; the two courtyards were clearly separated.

As Li Hong entered the East Courtyard, he saw that more than twenty disciples were already warming up before him.

Several disciples even started practicing early, their clothes soaked through as if drenched in rain.

The smell of sweat and body odor hit me.

The entire east courtyard covers an area of ​​about half an acre, with five sets of wooden stakes and stone locks scattered all over the ground.

There were more than a dozen fake weapons piled up against each of the four walls.

"Hey, Li Hong's here!"

As soon as he stepped into the courtyard, several boys leaning against the wall noticed him instantly.

Judging from his expression and tone, he was clearly quite familiar with the original owner of the body.

Li Hong looked at the group of people who made the sound, and immediately scoffed inwardly.

These people were the same group of fellow trainees that the original owner had tried so hard to curry favor with; they were nothing more than "bad friends."

The tall boy at the head of the group, though dressed in training clothes, clearly had materials that were different from those of ordinary trainees.

It was Yang Chen, the core of their small group.

Although the Yang family, which was one of the top ten families in the outer city, was a branch family, their conditions were still quite good.

Yang's reputation was well-known, so he began to be surrounded by many "younger brothers".

The two people next to him, Qi Feng and Wang Heng, also came from well-off families, while the original owner of this body came from a poor family.

I still remember how the original owner practiced boxing with these guys every day to please them, acting as their human "boxing dummy".

It took a lot of effort to squeeze into the circle.

Such self-deprecation stems from a desire to climb the social ladder by associating with these people in the future.

Yang Chen, who is now in charge, has already reached the threshold of the Outer Ranks some time ago, and in about ten days, he will be able to knock on the gates of the Outer Ranks.

On the other hand, the original owner's martial arts progress was so slow that he exploded with lightning two months later. He was really stupid.

"Li Hong has been waiting for you for ages, why are you so late today?"

Yang Chen seemed to be getting a little impatient waiting, so he beckoned to Li Hong and said, "It's your turn to be the punching bag again today."

Unlike his usual obsequious manner upon meeting, Li Hong spoke in a cold tone, offering only a perfunctory clasp of his hands, "Sorry, I'm not available today."

Having said that, he left without looking back.

"Huh?" Yang Chen frowned, while Wang Heng and Qi Feng beside him were both stunned.

"What does he mean?"

"Hey! Li Hong! What do you mean?"

.........

Ignoring Yang Chen and the other two behind him, Li Hong walked straight into the plum blossom stakes deep in the east courtyard without turning his head.

Silently finding his own preferred technique, he immediately started practicing without saying a word, even "ripping off his clothes".

"The Hundred Refinement Stance Training... refines the Qi and blood. It is a stance training method created to match the Hundred Refinement Boxing Method. After mastering it to a minor level, one can meet the basic conditions for breaking through the barriers and strengthening the body."

"Without a foundation, boxing techniques are like fancy moves without substance; one must first diligently practice stance training to strengthen one's qi and blood and forge the body!"

"The original owner served as a training dummy for others, and his progress in fist techniques was significantly higher than his progress in stance training, but his set of punches lacked power, which was the reason."

After a moment of reflection, Li Hong immediately took three steps onto the stake.

Arms outstretched as one, legs wide open and wide, bending and straightening with precision.

Hundred-Refined Boxing has a history of several hundred years. It emphasizes being straightforward, sharp, and domineering, without any hesitation or fuss.

Experts say that even the most advanced "external" martial arts are all about hard work, not skill. They are easy to learn but difficult to master, and depend heavily on one's physical talent.

Therefore, the corresponding Hundred-Stage Standing Exercise is also the same.

Less than a quarter of an hour after he was on the stake, Li Hong felt his legs ache and his arms go numb.

The martial arts foundation that the original owner had accumulated over the past six months now seemed laughable after his personal experience; it was better than nothing.

Based on his memory and the "statistics" on the panel, it is highly likely that he only practiced the stance training 31 times in the past six months.

The rest of them fell off the stake before they could even hold on for half the time.

Two quarters of an hour later, Li Hong's forehead was covered in large beads of sweat, and the veins on his forehead were bulging.

As for his arms and legs, they were so numb that he had no feeling at all; it was as if he had grown onto a wooden stake.

Half an hour later, Li Hong began to tremble uncontrollably.

This is the second round of stance training, and it's almost over.

This has broken the original owner's record of not practicing the Hundred Refinement Stance Technique a second time in a single day!

But he couldn't hold on for long. Even with his teeth clenched and his willpower incredibly strong, Li Hong couldn't keep going.

Exhausted, he collapsed to the ground in a spread-eagle position, looking like a ball of mud.

"call!"

Blood seeped between his teeth, but he gritted his teeth and didn't utter a sound.

The sudden commotion attracted the attention of many disciples nearby.

"Nearly half an hour? What kind of medicine did Li Hongzhun take? How could he persist in doing the Hundred Refinement Posture twice?"

"Isn't it too late to start putting in the effort now? What were you thinking when you were fawning over Young Master Yang?"

Some people were whispering among themselves.

...........

[Introduction to Hundred-Refined Standing Posture Exercise (33/200)]

"Phew! It's increased... by two progress points!"

Li Hong spat out mud, oblivious to what others were saying.

The feedback from the panel made his eyes light up. After more than half an hour of practicing the stance twice, he had indeed increased his progress by two points!

"So, if I practice this one hundred and sixty-seven more times, I'll definitely be able to achieve a minor level of mastery in the Hundred Refinements Stance Technique and have the foundation for external strength?"

He tried to sit up, but his arms and legs had not yet regained feeling, and he twisted his body like a clumsy snake.

Every movement of my bones and joints felt like being burned by fire...