Under One Person: Starting with the Dual Cultivation of Body and Soul.

Lu Jin noticed Lu Lin's little scheme and a smile appeared on his lips.

Li Chang'an was focused on himself and did not notice these things.

When the body-strengthening ointment was applied, it gave him a cool feeling, like bathing in cold water on a summer day.

Compared to its effects on physical training, Li Chang'an felt that this stuff had a refreshing and invigorating effect.

Wait a minute, to refresh my mind, Li Chang'an suddenly realized and said:

"Grandpa, will it hurt more if I get beaten after applying this medicine?"

"It doesn't hurt much, you can ask Lu Lin if you don't believe me," Lu Jin said.

Li Chang'an looked over.

Lu Lin's eyes flickered. Actually, it hurt a little, but since his great-grandfather said it didn't hurt much anymore, he forced himself to say:

"Yes, Grandpa is right, it doesn't hurt at all."

"You don't look like you're not in pain," Li Chang'an thought to himself.

The ointment was applied quickly.

Lu Jin had the two of them assume a standing posture, and then took out a half-meter-long iron ruler from behind her back.

If you're going to use an iron ruler to strike your ribs, you'll naturally need the real thing.

Lu Jin struck Lu Lin first, the heavy iron ruler slamming into Lu Lin's ribs with a "crack." Lu Lin groaned, but didn't move an inch.

Anyone who has been beaten knows that the ribs are the most vulnerable area, and several ribs can easily break, so this area is also known as the soft spot.

"How's the force? How much pain do you feel?" Lu Jin asked.

"It doesn't hurt, continue!"

Lu Lin said, her neck stiff.

In fact, Li Chang'an noticed that Lu Lin was trembling slightly all over, which probably meant she was in some pain.

It wasn't just a little painful, but Lu Lin also had to save face. He had been training for almost a year. If he started screaming and groaning every time he was hit, where would his pride be?

Immediately afterwards, Lu Jin took the iron ruler and began to beat Lu Lin's entire body repeatedly.

Li Chang'an could see clearly that when Lu Jin struck, he used the flat surface of the iron ruler, which allowed the impact to be evenly distributed and the medicinal effects to be thoroughly absorbed into the skin tissue.

Lu Lin had experienced this kind of physical training many times. Although he was in so much pain that he was covered in sweat, he was still able to persevere.

This is why Lu Lin told Li Chang'an that she wasn't in pain; it wasn't because she was trying to save face, but because she was somewhat confident.

The physical exertion of striking the body is very harmful. The goal is not to strike hard, but to pat the ointment applied to the body into the body while striking, just like a medicinal massage.

Noticing that the ointment applied to Lu Lin's body had penetrated deeply, Lu Jin stopped applying it.

"Okay, you should rest for a bit."

Lu Lin, covered in sweat, let out a long breath. Normally, he would have sat on the ground without any hesitation, but now, for the sake of his pride, he could only grit his teeth and persevere.

Lu Jin walked up to Li Chang'an with the iron ruler in hand and smiled:

"Are you ready, Chang'an?"

“Ready.” Li Chang’an said calmly.

In fact, many thoughts arose in Li Chang'an's mind when faced with the scene just now.

However, he saw and dealt with all these thoughts one by one, so he did not feel any unease.

Looking at the calm Li Chang'an, Lu Jin nodded. He was quite composed. She wondered if he would still have the composure when the iron ruler struck him.

Lu Lin, panting heavily, looked at Li Chang'an with curiosity.

He still remembered that when he first practiced external martial arts, his great-grandfather beat him so badly that he ran around the yard in pain. He wondered if his senior brother Chang'an would be like that.

Although he felt that this mentality of wanting to see others make fools of themselves was unethical.

But he still wanted to see what would happen when his usually calm senior brother Chang'an made a fool of himself.

Chapter 45 Tempering Life

"bring it on!"

Li Chang'an tightened his stance, used the awareness of his intermediate state to see himself, and said in a deep voice.

"it is good!"

Lu Jin swung the iron ruler and slammed it down.

The moment he saw the iron ruler coming towards him.

A thought of evasion arose in Li Chang'an's mind, but it was immediately spotted by him and stopped.

But then, fear, pain, and a series of other thoughts followed.

Li Chang'an stopped thinking about it one by one.

next second.

With a sharp "snap," Li Chang'an's chest was struck solidly by an iron ruler.

He felt as if he had been burned by a red-hot iron, and a burning pain suddenly rose up where he had been hit.

The ointment he had applied earlier even amplified the pain, giving him the sensation of drinking hot water after eating spicy food.

At the same time, more ideas emerged.

These thoughts are not only external feedback, but also physical feedback.

Pain is actually a bodily feedback, which is also a kind of delusion. Li Chang'an can see it, but he can't stop it like he would a mental delusion.

So, the burning pain still seeped into his heart.

However, although he could not stop the physical pain, he could stop the psychological delusions such as fear and the urge to run away.

Therefore, to outsiders, it appeared that Li Chang'an remained unfazed and unmoved when Lu Jin struck him with his iron ruler, as if the blow hadn't hurt him at all.

"Good lad, that's quite impressive patience!"

Lu Jin was amazed. After applying this ointment, he would practice his body-strengthening exercises by dipping a belt in iodine solution and disinfecting it as he hit the target.

He still vividly remembers the excruciating pain he felt the first time he was beaten, even decades later.

Lu Lin also looked at Li Chang'an with an incredulous expression.

He said he wasn't in pain, but that doesn't mean he really wasn't in pain.

He's just gotten used to being beaten so much, and he's also proud, so he just keeps it up.

Why does it seem like Senior Brother Chang'an really doesn't have any reaction at all?

But in fact.

Li Chang'an was in excruciating pain.

He's just better at holding his nerve than Lu Lin.

Lu Lin can withstand physical pain, but he can't withstand emotional pain, which is why he's bad at facial management.

Li Chang'an was able to suppress not only the physical pain but also the emotional pain, which is why he maintained a very good facial expression.

Try this!

Lu Jin swung the iron ruler again, striking Li Chang'an's ribs with a "crack".

He used a clever technique with this foot, the force spreading out like ripples on the skin, enhancing the medicinal effect while also bringing the pain to its peak.

Lu Lin's eyelids twitched at the sight. If that attack had hit her, she would have lost her composure and been in excruciating pain.

But Li Chang remained calm and composed.

Doesn't he feel pain? Lu Lin was very puzzled.

Lu Jin also looked surprised, muttering to herself:

"I refuse to believe it!"

Several more iron rulers struck, making a loud cracking sound, and bloody welts appeared all over Li Chang'an's body.

In fact, Li Chang'an deeply felt the pain of each strike.

Because of his heightened perception, he felt the pain much more clearly than Lu Lin did.

And through each bout of pain, he also deconstructs the sensation of pain itself.

If emotions like joy, anger, sorrow, and happiness are a kind of reaction of "sex" to the outside world.

The series of sensations produced by pain are a kind of reaction of "fate" to the external world.

These reactions are all delusions.

The difference is that one can consciously stop sexual fantasies, but one cannot stop fantasies about life.

Because when you are injured, sick, thirsty, or hungry... even if you don't respond, it still exists objectively and has an impact.

Subjective will has little influence on objectively existing feelings.

The objectively existing delusions about the body must be addressed objectively.

If this is not resolved, life and death are intertwined. If your physical desires affect your life, they will inevitably affect your sexuality.

For example, Zuo Ruotong, the advisor, was influenced by his delusions about the body.

If he had no injuries or illnesses, even if he couldn't reach the Heavenly Realm after three stages of Reversal of Life, given his personality, he would only mutter that it was time for cultivation and then embark on the path of seeking the Dao once again.

It can be said that cultivating one's life force and building a healthy body is one of the most important things in spiritual practice.

If one cultivates a healthy life, one will be immune to all diseases, and even in the sweltering heat of summer, an iron ruler could not move one's body. Naturally, one would not give rise to delusional thoughts.

One should not entertain delusional thoughts.

Wouldn't that make sex even purer?

Cultivating both body and mind is mutually beneficial.

Thinking of this, Li Chang'an further stopped his wild thoughts. He stopped tensing his muscles and relaxed his body so that Lu Jin's iron ruler could better strike the weakest and most vulnerable parts of his body.

This little bit of pain!

This is the time for spiritual practice!

During Lu Jin's repeated blows, the ointment on Li Chang'an's body was thoroughly spread, penetrating deep into his pores and beginning to repair and strengthen the damaged areas.

The whole process is like a blacksmith forging iron; each hammering removes impurities and makes the material stronger and tougher.

Lu Lin stared blankly at Li Chang'an, who remained calm and composed without uttering a sound, and thought that her senior brother was ridiculously strong.

That's what it means to not feel pain. I still have a long way to go and need to learn from my senior.

Li Chang'an was somewhat pleased by Lu Lin's genuinely admiring gaze.

But at that moment, he had no interest in paying attention.

His entire attention was focused on dealing with delusions.

"Clap clap clap..."

After finishing a set of iron ruler strikes, Li Chang'an was drenched in sweat, as if he had been pulled out of the water.

After the tempering is over, it's time for the medicinal bath.

Two huge bathtubs, filled with rare medicinal herbs and exuding a rich medicinal fragrance, had been prepared in Lu Jin's room long ago.

Lu Lin and Li Chang'an, whose bodies were sore and weak from being beaten, were lifted by Lu Jin and put into a bathtub to soak in the medicinal bath, allowing their bodies to absorb the medicinal power.

The bathtub was filled with steam.

The warm medicinal liquid soaked into my tired body, gradually transforming the intense pain from the previous physical training into a tingling, comfortable sensation.

Li Chang'an leaned against the barrel wall, exhaling a long breath of turbid air carrying the fragrance of medicine, feeling every cell in his body cheering with joy.

"Brother Chang'an, you're really pushing yourself too hard! I was terrified watching Grandpa's actions just now," Lu Lin said, still shaken.

"Grandpa certainly knows what he's doing,"

Li Chang'an said weakly.

Lu Jin, who was in charge of adding hot water, nodded. He carefully controlled the force he used, afraid of hurting his two precious children.