Iron Crotch Technique

The Iron Crotch Technique, full name Strong Essence and Potent Yang Iron Crotch Technique, is a foundational external martial art for cultivating a man's... well, his manhood. Upon reaching great mastery, it offers three major benefits: First, the manhood becomes as hard as refined iron, capable of withstanding blade and sword strikes with ease. Second, the vital essence is perfectly preserved, meaning the practitioner's vital energy is abundant, greatly increasing their strength. Third, it has the effect of improving and solidifying one's innate potential.

After understanding the Iron Crotch Technique in detail, Xiang Yang was extremely satisfied with its three major benefits. He felt that although the martial art's level seemed low and its name rather crude, it was definitely a good foundational practice.

Let's discuss the first benefit. Humans have many vulnerable spots, such as the heart, throat, temples, spine, and eyes. For men, the manhood is added to this list. Therefore, by forging the manhood into a state impervious to blades and spears, the Iron Crotch Technique eliminates one of the body's weaknesses. Certain moves, like the "castrating kick," would no longer be effective against Xiang Yang.

The second benefit, abundant vital essence and greatly increased strength, would be the most helpful to Xiang Yang at his current stage. He was currently just an ordinary teenager, getting winded after wielding a ten-odd jin saber for just a few minutes. It was even less feasible to contend with someone like Hu Qiang, who possessed natural divine strength.

If he cultivated the Iron Crotch Technique and achieved some success, Xiang Yang would gain strength beyond that of ordinary people. Combined with the rudimentary saber techniques left by Xiang Da Niu, he would have the capital to directly confront Hu Qiang.

What made Xiang Yang even more excited was that with sufficient vital essence, it would greatly benefit the cultivation of internal energy in the future. As the saying goes, "refine essence into qi." The essence-strengthening effect of the Iron Crotch Technique was like equipping a perpetual motion machine and a booster for those cultivating internal energy, saving considerable effort.

The third benefit was not immediately apparent but would manifest over the long term as an effect that improved and solidified one's potential.

According to the technique manual, people's innate physical constitutions varied, some strong and some weak. The strong, like Hu Qiang, possessed natural divine strength and could wrestle with tigers and brown bears. The weak, however, could not lift a shoulder pole, their limbs small, a condition inherited from the womb.

By cultivating the Iron Crotch Technique, one could gradually enhance their physical potential. For example, someone who could lift a fifty jin stone as an adult might have reached their limit. However, after practicing the Iron Crotch Technique, they might gain the possibility of lifting a seventy jin stone.

This point seemed to overlap slightly with the second benefit of increasing strength, but potential referred to the future, while increased strength was about the present; they were not the same thing.

Take Xiang Yang now, for instance. He had practiced a few moves with Xiang Da Niu. He could lift the ten jin stone lock in the yard three sets of five repetitions, totaling fifteen times. After practicing the Iron Crotch Technique, it was estimated that within half a month, he could double this amount. This was the immediate effect of practicing the Iron Crotch Technique, and also the second benefit.

The cultivation method for the Iron Crotch Technique was not simple; it required the integration of internal and external practices.

The "internal" aspect did not refer to cultivating internal energy but rather to ingesting medicinal soups. The medicinal power would stimulate the body's vital essence, similar to how ordinary people consumed bull penis or drank turtle soup to enhance virility. However, the soup method for the Iron Crotch Technique was more refined, harmless to the body, and was the essence of the entire technique.

The "external" practice was divided into several stages. The first stage involved spending half an hour each day massaging several hidden meridians around the manhood, combined with ingesting the medicinal soup. Once one could achieve a full erection that lasted all day without falling, they would have achieved minor success and could proceed to the second stage.

The second stage was much more brutal. It involved using a rope to secure the manhood and hang a water bucket filled with thirty jin of water, training its hardness and endurance. Achieving success meant being able to withstand this for an hour without feeling pain, after which one could proceed to the next level: beating with a wooden stick.

The wooden stick beating was not done with full force from the start. It varied from person to person, with individuals estimating their own strength. The standard was to endure ten blows to the manhood with the wooden stick, after which the number of blows could be gradually increased.

Finally, upon achieving great mastery of the Iron Crotch Technique, one could use ordinary iron weapons to strike and chop. As long as one was not someone with natural divine strength like Hu Qiang or a master of internal martial arts, they would be impervious to blades and spears, becoming the hardest part of the body.

Xiang Yang also noted that the cultivation of the Iron Crotch Technique must be done with extreme caution and care. Typically, a master would guide and protect the practitioner, as injuring the lower body was easy. At best, it could affect a man's virility and disrupt marital harmony. In severe cases, it could even lead to castration.

Of course, according to the technique manual, achieving great mastery required not only the cultivation method but also, crucially, individual talent and aptitude. For an ordinary teenager like Xiang Yang, the day of great mastery was far off. However, achieving minor success and improving his strength and potential was not a problem.

What surprised Xiang Yang the most was the final section of the manual, which stated that the Iron Crotch Technique was highly compatible with the Iron Shirt Technique and the Iron Head Technique. They could be cultivated together, significantly increasing their power and effectiveness.

"It's a shame. If the remaining two mission rewards were the Iron Shirt Technique and the Iron Head Technique, after completing the missions, I could cultivate them all the way and turn myself into a literal iron block. Then even the Big Beard from Black Wind Mountain Stronghold wouldn't be able to move me. I'd be enough to dominate the county, and perhaps even qualify for the Divine Constable Gate."

Xiang Yang scratched his head, thinking to himself.

The Divine Constable Gate was a special organization under the Great Zhou Dynasty, filled with countless experts. It was responsible for overseeing and managing disputes and criminal activities among martial artists in the jianghu. It was on a completely different level from a county constable like himself. Xiang Da Niu's lifelong wish was to train Xiang Yang into a constable of the Divine Constable Gate, but sadly, he would never see that day.

"However, compared to seemingly clumsy external martial artists, the image of a white-robed swordsman, elegant and graceful, suits me better. Not to mention, the Basic Breathing Technique can allow me to cultivate internal energy. This is an internal martial art, very rare in An Yuan. After achieving some success, combined with the subtlety of the Hu Family Saber Technique, there's no reason I wouldn't have a chance to enter the Divine Constable Gate."

As he thought, Xiang Yang became somewhat lost in thought, his mind conjuring images of himself dominating the world with his sword, countless heroines crying to have his children. Unknowingly, drool dripped down his face, a pig-like expression that wasted his handsome appearance.

However, it wasn't long before a cool breeze blew in from outside, causing the lit white candle to flicker dimly. Startled, Xiang Yang quickly slapped himself, then got up to close the door properly. He respectfully bowed to Xiang Da Niu's memorial tablet before sitting down. It was his otaku nature, always prone to daydreaming.

"Some habits die hard. The matter of killing Hu Qiang is still up in the air. I should focus on how to quickly increase my strength and deal with Hu Qiang first."

Xiang Yang regained his senses. He thought for a moment, then his brow furrowed again. Becoming stronger was the right thing to do, but becoming stronger meant practicing the Iron Crotch Technique.

There was nothing much to say about the external practice of the Iron Crotch Technique, but the internal medicinal soup was quite expensive. His entire fortune was only a little over one hundred taels of silver. Two taels were saved by Xiang Da Niu, and one hundred taels were gifts from people who came to pay respects in the past two days. The funeral for Xiang Da Niu was the day after tomorrow, and arranging it would cost a considerable amount. Thinking about it made him feel depressed.

"Forget it. Things will work out when the time comes. Let's prepare a couple of doses of medicine first. Once I have strength, why worry about money?"

Having made up his mind, Xiang Yang focused all his attention back on the Iron Crotch Technique, scrutinizing every word. As the evening deepened and the night was quiet with no one to disturb him, he gained quite a lot.