I was told I'd be a late bloomer, but I was born with the potential to achieve great things!

"They actually jumped over the 50-pound stone weight?"

"80 jin (40 catties), he actually chose 80 jin from the very beginning!"

Below the stage, a group of expectant teenagers watched Zhou An's actions with shock in their eyes.

"It's only 80 pounds after all."

Compared to the group of impoverished youths, the group of richly dressed youths did not make much of a fuss.

At least, the expressions of those in the top ten did not change at all.

A stone lock weighing 80 jin (40 catties) might seem unbelievable to some impoverished teenagers, but it's still too far out of reach for them.

"A peasant is still a peasant. To think that he can surpass us in just five days is nothing but a pipe dream."

Looking at the young man on the stage, Liu Xuehui, who was ranked in the top ten, sneered inwardly before his gaze swept over several of the young men in fine clothes.

"Brother Qian is right. Rather than worrying about these peasants, they are my real enemies."

Although these people's arm strength was not as good as his, the difference was only three or four kilograms.

"Let me show you the difference now!"

Compared to the expressions of the others, Zhou An, who had already chosen the stone lock, was extremely calm.

Squat down in a horse stance.

With deep breaths, the chest and abdomen expand to the left and right shoulders, and the strength in the whole body begins to relax as the horse stance falls.

However, this relaxation is not a complete letting down of guard, but rather, like a spring, it is preparing for extreme tension.

"drink!"

The next moment, Zhou An's arms passed through the stone lock. The instant his arms touched the cold stone lock, his ten toes gripped the ground like chicken claws, and a powerful force was transmitted to his waist.

In an instant, his arms suddenly exerted force, and the relaxed spring suddenly tightened.

"stand up!"

Zhou An shouted in his heart, and the veins on his arms under his clothes bulged. The power of his blood and qi in his body boiled, making his arms as hard as iron as he lifted the heavy stone lock.

It was completed in one go, without the slightest delay.

"He's up, he's up, he seems much more relaxed than Wang Yi."

The boys in the audience gasped in surprise. Qian An, Sun Shi, and other dormitory members who were on good terms with Zhou An all lit up.

Zhou An ignored the boys' exclamations and instead looked at Guo Tao standing to the side.

"Let me see your limits."

Guo Tao understood the meaning in the boy's eyes, and quickly lifted a 10-pound iron disc with two fingers, placing it on the stone lock.

Zhou An's face flushed red, and his breathing became rapid, but his horse stance remained steady.

One breath, two breaths, three breaths.

"90 jin, guaranteed at least 90 jin, which is already higher than Wang Yi's 81 jin."

"I knew it, I knew eating more would be helpful."

"Can we have another one?"

Soon, amidst the murmurs, everyone turned their attention to Zhou An, whose face was becoming increasingly rosy.

At the same time, head coach Guo Tao picked up a 10-pound stone disc and placed it on the boy's stone lock.

As soon as the stone tablet was placed on it, Zhou An's body visibly swayed.

In less than a breath, his arm began to droop downwards. Even though he managed to lift it up, he could no longer hold on by the second breath.

"Zhou An, 94 jin (72.5 catties)."

At the critical moment, Guo Tao lifted the 100-pound stone lock with one hand and spoke calmly.

"He lifted a 100-pound stone lock with one hand and his tone of voice didn't change at all... As expected, I'm still too weak compared to a true martial artist."

Watching Guo Tao place the hundred-pound stone lock on the ground as lightly as if it were a vegetable basket, Zhou An, his face flushed, sighed inwardly.

Although he knew he could hold on for just one more breath and increase the strength of his arms from 94 jin to 100 jin.

But what's the use of that?

It's still a few pounds short of Liu Xuehui's 103 pounds.

Since we can't completely surpass them, we might as well play it safe.

At least the next time we surpass it, it won't seem unbelievable.

After all, arm strength can still be explained by medicinal diet and food intake.

"94 jin, this person actually gained 27 jin in just five days."

Among the crowd, Liu Xuehui looked at the boy walking down from the stage, and a look of astonishment unconsciously appeared in his eyes.

"How can medicinal cuisine and meat supplements have such a high conversion efficiency in his body?"

"Brother Liu, there's no need to be nervous. He won't have any more medicinal food to nourish him later on. The further we go, the bigger the gap between us will become."

Although Qian Youde was also somewhat surprised, he patted Liu Xuehui, whose shoulder was a little stiff, and said with a smile.

"Brother Qian is right, he won't be so lucky next time."

Liu Xuehui breathed a sigh of relief and nodded subconsciously.

As time passed, the remaining boys, as if they had been injected with adrenaline, went up on stage one after another to be weighed.

However, most of them weigh between 70 and 75 pounds, which is still far from the minimum weight of 90 pounds for the young people dressed in traditional Chinese clothing.

This brought a sense of relief to the young men in their fine clothes.

same.

Zhou An felt increasingly relaxed.

He discovered that although the poor boys who came from the same background as him could not bridge the gap with the well-dressed boys like Qian Youde in a short period of time, their progress was enormous.

Besides Wang Yi, whose arm strength reached 81 jin, five other teenagers increased their arm strength by more than 10 jin in just five days.

This means that after these poor teenagers ate and drank well, their physical fitness improved by a rate no less than that of the well-dressed teenagers.

It's important to know that this is without any medicinal cuisine as an additional source of nourishment.

"Next time I break into the top ten, I won't have to worry about it being too shocking."

Zhou An thought to himself.

Soon, everyone's arm strength test was completed.

The group of teenagers then began cultivating again in the square.

【Tongbei Changquan (Small Mastery 356/500)】

【Tongbei Changquan (Small Mastery 358/500)】

……

【Tongbei Changquan (Small Mastery 412/500)】

After finishing his morning practice, Tongbei Changquan's progress reached 412 points, accompanied by his rumbling stomach.

"It seems that my Tongbei Changquan should reach the pinnacle before dinner tonight."

Feeling the restless energy within his body, Zhou An adjusted his breathing while silently reflecting on his inner state.

"I should be able to eat an extra bowl of rice at noon today."

Now he eats five bowls of rice per meal, and if he adds one more bowl, that makes six bowls.

The cafeteria was packed with people.

Perhaps inspired by Zhou An's 94-pound arm strength, the teenagers today seemed exceptionally enthusiastic.

After all, Zhou An's strength improved too quickly.

Although they can't eat medicinal food for the time being, if they can eat a few more bowls of rice like the other person, they can also quickly increase their strength.

"Oh no, if everyone eats several bowls of rice at every meal, will there be any leftovers left? Will Sister Ge, who's in charge of the meals, blame me?"

Listening to the boys around him discussing wanting two more bowls of rice for lunch, Zhou An, who was getting his food, felt inexplicably guilty as he looked at the busy Sister Ge.

"No, I have to eat faster."

As soon as Fang arrived at the dinner table, Zhou An began to work diligently.

Just as he was digging with great enthusiasm, Zhou An suddenly smelled a familiar yet unfamiliar scent, and his nose involuntarily sniffed it.

"This is... the taste of medicinal cuisine."

Zhou An looked up and saw Liu Shuqing, who was ranked second on the list, carrying food over.

On the tray in his hand were two white porcelain bowls containing medicinal food.

"As expected, as long as you're willing to spend money, you can buy medicinal cuisine here in addition to the rewards... Was my performance today too outstanding, which made them nervous as well?"

Looking at Liu Shuqing walking over, Zhou An thought to himself.

"Brother Zhou, let me introduce myself. My name is Liu Shuqing, a member of the Liu family in Ningshan City."

Upon arriving at the dining table, Liu Shuqing took a white porcelain bowl containing medicinal food from the tray, pushed it in front of Zhou An, and opened the lid.

In an instant, a rich medicinal aroma wafted towards me... My nose involuntarily twitched under the onslaught of the aroma.

"If you want to master martial arts, meat and rice alone are not enough. The higher you go, the higher your requirements for food will be, otherwise it will be difficult to condense more qi and blood power."

Watching Zhou An's actions, Liu Shuqing glanced at his face, which was no less handsome than her own, and said with a smile.

"Brother Liu, what do you mean by this?"

Zhou An's heart stirred, and he vaguely guessed what it was.

"With the talent that Brother Zhou has shown these past few days, as long as you persevere, you will surely be able to become a Blood Refining Martial Artist. But becoming a Martial Artist is only the beginning."

To go further, you need not only more resources, but also friends who can support each other.

One person alone cannot go far within the Seven Mysteries Sect, especially since there is more than one Seven Mysteries Sect in Ningshan City.

Meeting Zhou An's gaze, Liu Shuqing said with a smile.

"I have come here today because I wish to become friends with Brother Zhou."

In just five days, he was able to increase his arm strength by 27 pounds. If he continues, who knows how much he will increase it.

Moreover, the other party was able to get the strict Instructor Guo to allow him to lead the martial arts demonstration on the second day.

Liu Shuqing knew very well that the reason why these people were now far ahead was because they had eaten well and had been exposed to martial arts earlier than those poor teenagers.

But martial arts training isn't just about these things.

Over time, even if those poor teenagers don't eat medicinal food, they can gradually catch up by supplementing their diet with meat.

Strike first and you'll have the upper hand; strike later and you'll suffer the consequences.

A businessman must have a good eye for business; this is a principle that his father instilled in him from a young age, and Liu Shuqing, who loves reading and martial arts, also understands this principle deeply.

That's why he came when the Seven Mysteries Sect was at a disadvantage against the Black Tiger Gang, because he saw it as an opportunity.

"If Brother Liu guarantees that I will have a medicinal meal every day for five days, then we will be friends."

Looking at the medicinal food so close at hand, Zhou An spoke without the slightest hesitation.

Don't let an opportunity that comes knocking on your door pass you by.

"it is good."

Looking into Zhou An's determined eyes, Liu Shuqing pondered for a moment before nodding in agreement.

……