Horizontal Training Method

That afternoon, the students of Martial Arts Class A trained freely.

Meanwhile, Zhou Wu taught Qin Fen Thirteen Grand Protectors' Horizontal Training in a private training room.

The other students had not suddenly reached the Third Realm of Jing Li, so they were not qualified to cultivate Thirteen Grand Protectors' Horizontal Training.

"Start by warming up. Once you're done, we'll begin the real training for Thirteen Grand Protectors' Horizontal Training." Zhou Wu said sternly, "The training ahead will be brutal—perhaps even cruel. You'd better prepare yourself mentally."

"Brutal?"

It was Qin Fen's first time seeing Zhou Wu with such a serious expression.

Zhou Wu said, "Martial arts cultivation is divided into external training and internal refinement. External training is exercise; it trains the physique, tendons, bones, and skin. The Six Realms of Strength are all external training realms. There are two different ways to reach the external training realm. The most common and simplest is to rely on external objects to pound the body. This is called the Horizontal Training Method. However, the person doing the striking can easily misjudge the force, and injuries often result.

"That was why the internal refinement masters of the Martial Arts Bureau created Galloping Horse Strength, allowing ordinary people to first cultivate strength, then use it to temper their membranes, tendons, and bones. They could reach the external training realm without relying on external objects to strike their bodies. This is the martial training method.

"Since Thirteen Grand Protectors' Horizontal Training bears the words 'Horizontal Training,' it naturally emphasizes the Horizontal Training Method. Next, I'll use various cruel methods, such as strikes with clubs and lashes from iron whips, to improve your endurance and the strength of your tendons and bones."

"Teacher, I'm warmed up."

After exercising for half an hour, Qin Fen felt the heat throughout his body fully stirred up, and his mind was somewhat excited.

"Good. Now follow me and practice the standing postures in Thirteen Grand Protectors' Horizontal Training. This martial art has thirteen different standing postures. They are methods for generating strength. Practice with me for an hour first."

Qin Fen followed Zhou Wu in practicing the standing postures of Thirteen Grand Protectors' Horizontal Training.

An hour later, Zhou Wu stopped demonstrating.

"Now take up the standing posture from Thirteen Grand Protectors' Horizontal Training."

Zhou Wu held a rubber baton in his hand.

Smack!

Once Qin Fen had settled into the stance, the rubber baton in Zhou Wu's hand suddenly lashed across his calf.

A sharp pain struck him. Qin Fen could not help letting out a muffled groan, immediately channeling strength to the area that had been hit. Only then did the pain lessen slightly. But Zhou Wu had already moved behind him and delivered another blow to his back.

Qin Fen hurriedly channeled strength to his back to ease the pain.

A rapid series of crackling blows rang out.

Zhou Wu continuously struck every part of Qin Fen's body with the rubber baton.

Before long, Qin Fen was covered in bruises. The intense pain was nearly unbearable, but he still gritted his teeth and persisted.

"Your reactions are too slow. Don't focus on the pain in your body. You should focus on me, observe where I'm striking, and channel strength immediately. Make your skin and membranes hard, and you'll reduce the pain from the blows." Zhou Wu said, "The Horizontal Training Method uses external objects to pound the body. To put it plainly, it is impact-resistance training. First, it trains your endurance. Second, it trains your neural reaction speed.

"You must remain alert to your opponent's movements at all times, predict which part of your body will be struck, and begin channeling strength before your opponent attacks. If your skin and membranes become hard, the damage you suffer can be reduced to a minimum.

"That is also why you can only practice the Horizontal Training Method after reaching Smooth Strength. If ordinary people use external objects to pound their bodies before reaching Smooth Strength, they can easily get injured. During training, they need extremely expensive medicines for internal consumption and external application.

"When Smooth Strength is cultivated to an advanced level, every part of the body becomes highly alert. At the slightest disturbance, it moves immediately. For example, when an attack arrives, the pores absorb information from the outside world and instinctively sense danger. Without deliberately channeling strength, it will gather at the place about to be struck, reducing pain and injury.

"This is what is meant by not being able to add even a feather, nor allow a fly to land.

"Once you reach this realm, it becomes very difficult for anyone to kill you with a sneak attack.

"Even if you have no mental preparation at all and someone suddenly launches a sneak attack, before your brain can react, your body instinctively senses the danger and automatically channels strength to the area that will be hit, reducing the damage."

Enduring the pain, Qin Fen trained under Zhou Wu's guidance.

To train Qin Fen's reaction speed, Zhou Wu did not strike very quickly at first. Only after Qin Fen adapted to the pace and his reactions could keep up with Zhou Wu's strikes did Zhou Wu gradually increase his speed.

Originally, Zhou Wu struck once every three seconds.

After Qin Fen adapted, it became once every two seconds, then once every second.

In other words, Qin Fen had to endure sixty strikes per minute. Before the rubber baton landed each time, he had to channel strength in advance to the place that would be struck. Only then could he reduce the pain and injury.

An hour later, the training stopped.

The moment Qin Fen withdrew his strength, he immediately felt a burning pain all over his body. He practically wanted to die.

"Today's training ends here. Go to the lounge and apply medicinal oil over your whole body, then channel strength to speed up your skin and flesh's absorption of it." Zhou Wu said, "If you rely on your body's natural recovery alone, it will take at least three or four days to recover. We still have to continue training tomorrow."

Qin Fen immediately went to the lounge, took off his clothes, and applied Secret Medicinal Oil while facing the mirror.

His entire body was covered in bruises. Deep marks from the baton covered him, and waves of intense pain surged through him. He gritted his teeth and held on, barely stopping himself from crying out.

After the Secret Medicinal Oil was applied, an incomparably cool sensation seeped into his skin, and the pain finally eased considerably.

Qin Fen summoned the Panel, and Thirteen Grand Protectors' Horizontal Training appeared on it.

Thirteen Grand Protectors' Horizontal Training / Rudimentary Understanding (10/100)

This martial art was one rank higher than Thunderclap Fist. Therefore, reaching the peak of the Rudimentary Understanding realm required 100 proficiency. After receiving the Outstanding Youth Certificate, he still had 100 points of Righteous Qi Value left unallocated.

Having learned his lesson twice, Qin Fen did not directly add all 100 points of Righteous Qi Value to Thirteen Grand Protectors' Horizontal Training. Instead, he first added 50 points, raising its Rudimentary Understanding proficiency to 60.

Immediately, Qin Fen felt the skin and flesh all over his body begin to squirm, as though some external force were constantly squeezing and tearing them apart. The pain that had only just begun to fade surged back, showing signs of worsening.

The pain lasted for more than ten minutes before slowly subsiding.

Gurgle, gurgle!

At that moment, strange noises came from Qin Fen's stomach. Gastric juices churned within it, and he was already starving. If he let himself eat freely, he felt he could devour an entire cow.

Qin Fen immediately went to the fourth floor of the cafeteria for a Nutritional Meal.

Half an hour later, he was full of energy again.

PS: Regarding the earlier issue with Galloping Horse Strength proficiency, the author made an adjustment. The original setting was that one would break through to the Third Realm of Jing Li after Peak Perfection proficiency exceeded 400, while the remaining 100 proficiency would come from daily cultivation to consolidate the realm. However, there was considerable debate, so it was directly raised to 500 proficiency.

Congratulations to reader Wanqi Feng for becoming this book's first Alliance Leader. Also, thanks to reader Xiangri Lou for the 10,000-coin reward, and to reader Bingxin Yijiao for the 500-coin reward.