Iron Body Technique Mastery

The next day, at the hour of the Dragon.

On the vast bluestone training ground of the Blustering Wind Martial Hall, over a hundred new and veteran apprentices stood in neat rows, silent as the grave. The morning sun spilled down, illuminating the faces of the youths—some excited, some nervous, others defiant.

Li Yuan stood at the end of the line for Class C Room, his washed-out coarse cloth robes making him entirely inconspicuous in the crowd. He kept his head slightly lowered, yet his gaze swept sharply toward the high platform ahead. On the stage stood several martial hall instructors with steady auras and piercing eyes. The stern young instructor from yesterday's registration was among them, standing behind a sturdy, resolute-looking middle-aged man who occupied the center seat.

That middle-aged man was the master of the Blustering Wind Martial Hall, Shi Lie Feng. He did not speak, standing only with his hands behind his back, yet an invisible sense of oppression enveloped the entire grounds, filling every apprentice with awe.

The instructor responsible for teaching the cultivation technique was the young man surnamed Chen.

Instructor Chen swept his cold, sharp gaze over the crowd below. His voice was not loud, yet it reached every person's ears clearly: "Today, I shall teach you the introductory chapter of the Iron Body Technique! This is the foundational method of our Blustering Wind Martial Hall. It tempers the skin and membranes, strengthens the Qi and blood, and is the very beginning of the martial path!"

"The Iron Body Technique emphasizes the word 'Iron'! You must use your Qi and blood as a hammer and your intent as fire. Only through a thousand hammerings can your skin and membranes become as tough as iron, impervious to blades! I will demonstrate the mantra and the circulation path only three times. How much you remember depends on your own fortune!"

With that, Instructor Chen moved, beginning to demonstrate in the center of the training ground. His movements were not fast; each strike and stance was clear and distinct, accompanied by a unique breathing rhythm as he chanted the obscure mantra. As he moved and breathed, a faint, metallic luster shimmered across the surface of his skin, as if he were truly covered in a thin layer of iron.

All the apprentices widened their eyes, holding their breath, terrified of missing a single detail. Li Yuan was even more focused; his powerful mental strength—thanks to the nourishment of the Crimson Sun—allowed him to clearly capture every subtle movement of Instructor Chen, every shift in his breathing, and even the faint fluctuations of Qi and blood as they moved through specific meridians. As for the convoluted mantra, he remembered it firmly after hearing it only once.

After the three demonstrations were complete, Instructor Chen finished his practice and stood still, his face neither flushed nor his breath labored. He said coldly, "Practice and contemplate it yourselves! If you have any questions, you may ask the deacon disciples in your respective areas. There will be a minor examination in half a month. Those whose skin and membranes show no obvious progress will be expelled from the martial hall!"

Once the order was given, the training ground erupted into noise. The apprentices scattered, finding open spaces to begin practicing, clumsily mimicking the movements.

Li Yuan also found a quiet corner. He closed his eyes, replaying Instructor Chen's movements, breathing, and mantra in his mind several times. Only after confirming he had it right did he begin to attempt it.

He set his stance and adjusted his breathing, attempting to stir the Qi and blood within his body to follow the path recorded in the Iron Body Technique, aiming to impact and nourish the skin and membranes of his arms.

However—

The moment he tried, he discovered the problem.

The Crimson Sun Qi and blood within him were pure and vast, far exceeding that of an ordinary novice apprentice. But this Qi and blood was too "arrogant" and "domineering" in nature! It seemed to reject the relatively crude and clumsy guidance method of the Iron Body Technique, moving with extreme sluggishness, far less fluidly than when it circulated through his body on its own.

It was as if he were using a divine weapon, tempered a thousand times, to perform the menial labor of digging in the dirt; not only was the efficiency low, but it felt completely out of place.

He struggled for nearly an hour, his forehead beaded with sweat, yet his arm membranes felt only a negligible, almost non-existent sense of firmness. At this rate, let alone the minor examination in half a month, he might not achieve much even after a year of practice.

Around him, many apprentices had already let out excited low cries. Clearly, some had already begun to feel the effects of their Qi and blood nourishing their skin; though faint, it represented hope.

"Haha, I felt it! My skin is getting a bit hot!"

"Me too! This Iron Body Technique is truly powerful!"

Zhao Hu, who shared Class C Room Seven with Li Yuan, waved his thick arms triumphantly, boasting to the lackeys beside him: "See that? I, Fatty Zhao, am naturally gifted. How long have I been practicing, and I already feel my skin getting much thicker! Unlike some trash who have been practicing for ages without a single result!"

His gaze swept over the corner where Li Yuan stood, filled with mockery.

Li Yuan ignored the surrounding noise and Zhao Hu's provocation. He slowly finished his practice, his brows slightly furrowed.

There was nothing wrong with the Iron Body Technique itself; it was indeed a foundational method for tempering the physical body. The problem lay in his Crimson Sun Qi and blood. The level of this power was too high to be compatible with such an inefficient method of application.

Is this path a dead end?

No, there must be a way.

He recalled the subtle changes in Instructor Chen's skin and membranes when he demonstrated the technique, specifically how his Qi and Blood flowed through certain meridians. It was a process of using external stimulation to guide Qi and Blood to passively nourish the skin and membranes.

However, his Crimson Sun Qi and Blood possessed an inherently powerful ability for active nourishment and strengthening; it simply lacked the correct "guidance" and "target."

Perhaps... there was no need to copy the clumsy circulation route of the Iron Body Technique entirely?

A bold idea rose in his heart.

He closed his eyes once more. Instead of forcing his Crimson Sun Qi and Blood to follow the route of the Iron Body Technique, he attempted to "penetrate" a wisp of it directly into the skin and membrane tissues of his arms!

It was just like how he used the Crimson Sun Power to sear meat, controlling the heat with precision!

This process required extremely fine control. If he were even slightly careless, the scorching Qi and Blood could damage his fragile skin and membranes.

He carefully guided that hair-thin wisp of Crimson Sun Qi and Blood, like the most nimble embroidery needle, slowly "piercing" it into his skin.

At first, there was a slight stinging and burning sensation.

But immediately after—

A miraculous thing happened!

That tiny patch of skin directly penetrated by the Crimson Sun Qi and Blood seemed like parched earth meeting a long-awaited rain. It tightened visibly to the naked eye, taking on a faint, healthy luster that was almost indistinguishable from the surrounding skin! A sense of solid resilience emanated from that spot!

It worked!

And the efficiency was ten, even a hundred times greater than practicing the Iron Body Technique by the book!

Li Yuan was ecstatic, but his face remained calm and composed. He slowly opened his eyes and glanced at his arm, which still looked the same as before.

There was no visible abnormality on the surface, but he knew that beneath the skin, a highly efficient and precise strengthening process, led by the "Crimson Sun," had already quietly begun.

He looked up at the other apprentices in the training field who were still struggling to guide their Qi and Blood according to the traditional methods, and then at the smug Zhao Hu. His eyes were calm and rippleless.

They needed half a month to see initial results?

For him, perhaps one night would suffice.

He would keep the framework of the Iron Body Technique, but the "content" filling it would be redefined by his "Crimson Sun"!

He closed his eyes again, immersing himself in that state of precise control, guiding more Crimson Sun Qi and Blood like countless tiny needles of flame, and began a comprehensive and deep "tempering" of the skin and membranes on his arms.