Foundational Training for Beginners! Changes to the Body, the Wonders of Medicinal Soup, and Awe-Inspiring Might

Shi Wen's heart leaped with joy.

The Extreme Seal was the cheat ability he had discovered after crossing into this world.

The Extreme Seal could turn martial arts into data. As long as he raised his proficiency, he could master martial arts in their most perfect form, without encountering any bottlenecks!

[Baji Fist Introductory Foundation has now been digitized. Current data:]

[Baji Fist Introductory Foundation: Not Initiated (0/1)]

"It really worked!"

Shi Wen clenched his fist, joy swelling in his heart!

He drank a bowl of weak tea in the Outer Courtyard and waited for his strength to return.

Then he hurriedly gritted his teeth and got up to train.

He awkwardly held the Yin-Yang Stance for half an hour, practiced the Charging Step, then flowed through all six killing moves in succession. By the end, he was drenched in sweat.

The data on the Extreme Seal

had also undergone a subtle change.

[Baji Fist Introductory Foundation: Initiated (1/50)]

"I've initiated it!"

In an instant, Shi Wen felt a warm current surge through his body. The warmth was most pronounced in his legs.

He also saw clear muscle lines appear on his formerly slender legs, while new memories about the foundational training filled his mind.

When he performed the Yin-Yang Stance again, his movements were clearly far more precise than before.

As he practiced the Charging Step,

he gained a deeper understanding.

"So the Charging Step works by driving off the ground with the leg, sending the force through the waist and hips to the opposite hand, and unleashing several times the power!"

"And those six basic killing moves contain so many intricacies..."

Shi Wen finished holding the stance.

Then he began practicing the moves.

The Prop Punch, also known as the bowstring snapping and arrow shooting forth, was fast and fierce. Power rose from the feet, traveled through the waist and hips, and reached the knuckles as penetrating force. It was designed to attack the chest and abdomen!

One blow could turn even a burly man into a weak-kneed wreck!

The Mountain-Splitting Palm, also known as the Five Mountains Facing Heaven Cone, was designed to attack the head and neck.

The Face-On Palm mainly targeted the throat and face.

The Silk-Reeling Crushing Punch was used to break free with spiraling force when seized, then seize the opening to punch the opponent in the jaw or throat.

The Heart-Piercing Elbow was a killing move in the foundational training!

Also known as Yama Beckons, it could shatter an opponent's breastbone and internal organs in an instant. It was the deadliest move in the foundational training!

The Mountain Leaning Strike unleashed force through the shoulder, back, and side of the chest and hips, allowing one to send an opponent flying in an instant!

"Though it looks like basic training, it contains a complete method of practice and a whole set of moves. Master Li really does know his stuff!"

Shi Wen's eyes gleamed.

Before initiating the training, he hadn't been able to see much of the deeper principles in these moves.

Now that he had initiated it, he felt that once he mastered the six killing moves, he could travel the world with confidence!

"If the foundational training is already this fierce, just how powerful is true Baji Fist?"

After his strength returned, Shi Wen continued training.

He didn't know whether the training was exhausting him or the potato cake he'd eaten that morning hadn't been filling enough.

Before long,

his stomach rumbled. His guts twisted painfully like a knotted rope, and training felt like being stabbed by ten thousand needles. It was agonizing!

The Foundational Training felt awkward and was hard to complete even once.

Fortunately, it was lunchtime.

Disciples who had trained in the Outer Courtyard, disciples who hadn't trained, and even some wearing training uniforms came in from outside, streaming toward the Dining Hall in a great crowd.

Shi Wen stared, dumbfounded.

There hadn't been nearly so many disciples in the Outer Courtyard just moments ago.

But once lunchtime arrived, more than sixty people gathered all at once. It was downright ridiculous.

Shi Wen had trained all morning.

His body was soaked with sweat and the rain mist drifting down from the sky, so he simply changed into his training uniform.

He had to admit, although the Fist Academy's training uniforms were also made of hemp, the craftsmanship was clearly better than that of his clothes.

The training uniform was a brown short jacket, with the Fist Academy's insignia embroidered over the left breast.

Shi Wen joined the queue for food. It was soon his turn.

He took one look and was quite astonished.

There was rice in the wooden tub!

It was coarse rice, with uneven grains, and he could even see little black stones and bits of husk. But according to his predecessor's memories, he had only ever eaten rice during festivals!

Beside the rice tub were two tubs of meat and one tub of soup.

No wonder so many people came back to eat without a word when mealtime arrived. The food was really good.

He got a heaping bowl of rice, topped with meat, and a bowl of soup.

The aroma of meat wafted over. Shi Wen's mouth watered, and he carried his meal off to find a place to sit.

There were seats in the Dining Hall, but those were reserved for Inner Courtyard disciples.

Most of the Outer Courtyard disciples found a spot to sit and started eating without a care for appearances.

Shi Wen quietly found a place and sat down to eat, but then Yan Kai, who was seated nearby, waved him over. "Junior Brother Shi."

"Senior Brother Yan?"

Shi Wen spotted him and hurried over. "Did you need something?"

Out of the corner of his eye, he discreetly sized up the people eating at the table. There were men and women, all strong and imposing, and their food was clearly much better than his: braised pork, pig's trotters, ribs, and the like.

"Senior Brothers and Senior Sisters, this is the new junior brother who joined the Fist Academy today."

Yan Kai smiled. "This junior brother is handsome and very hardworking. I saw him training by himself all morning, hardly stopping at all. I'm sure he'll be one of us in the Inner Courtyard someday."

The Inner Courtyard disciples who hadn't met Shi Wen gave him a brief look.

Then they lost interest and turned away.

The junior brother was indeed rather handsome, but good looks couldn't make up for a lack of natural aptitude.

To practice martial arts, one needed either natural aptitude or a wealthy family. Training required enough food and medicine to nourish the body. Otherwise, there was no way to temper the body and build up one's vital energy and blood!

Shi Wen was simply one of those who would quietly leave after two months.

He might not even last that long.

When Yan Kai introduced him,

Shi Wen hurriedly greeted everyone, only to be left in an awkward spot.

Not a single person responded.

"How's your training going today, Junior Brother? Make sure you get a good rest at noon. I'll give you some pointers this afternoon."

Yan Kai felt the awkwardness too.

He chatted with Shi Wen for a couple of minutes, then put some meat on a small plate for him before turning back to continue talking with the Inner Courtyard disciples.

Most of their conversation revolved around which young disciples at various Fist Academies and martial arts schools had reached which level, which gangs were on the rise or had been wiped out, and which places offered the best pay for official posts.

Their topics

had nothing to do with a poor kid like him, who never knew what tomorrow might bring.

Naturally, Shi Wen wasn't about to invite trouble for himself.

He said a word to Yan Kai and left.

Quite a few Outer Courtyard disciples saw the scene. Some snickered, while others looked down on him, convinced that the newcomer wanted to climb straight to the top by cozying up to the Inner Courtyard disciples.

Shi Wen said nothing and silently lowered his head to eat, replenishing his strength.

When he finished eating,

he returned to the Outer Courtyard and found a corner to continue training.

Some disciples who had finished their meals and returned to the Outer Courtyard saw him. Their eyes filled with disdain.

They all thought Shi Wen was showing off to attract attention on purpose.

Why else would someone skip his midday nap and run off to train after eating?

Was he that desperate to catch Master Li's and the Inner Courtyard disciples' attention?

Shi Wen ignored them.

He had simply realized that he felt good training on a full stomach, with plenty of strength left in his body.

The rising proficiency on the Extreme Seal was the source of his motivation to train.

Other people couldn't see the future or track their progress. Given enough time, they would grow numb, lose heart, and give up.

But he was different.

He had the Extreme Seal, which could turn martial arts into data. As long as his proficiency increased, he could break through.

He could see every improvement in every punch and every kick!

Everything he did gave his will powerful fuel to endure repeating the same exhausting training, over and over!

In the meantime, some Inner Courtyard disciples left the Outer Courtyard to go outside.

They, too, saw Shi Wen training during the lunch break.

But they paid him little mind, quickly turning away and heading off.

To be honest, if Yan Kai hadn't introduced him earlier, they wouldn't even have bothered to notice the Outer Courtyard disciples.

Could a newcomer really stand out?

Every new arrival started out diligent as could be. Ten days or so later, they would start questioning their lives and stop showing up.

Few lasted two months before leaving!

Those thick-skinned enough came back at noon to mooch a meal. Those with thinner skin simply stopped coming.

Shi Wen said nothing.

He simply took advantage of the lunch break, gritted his teeth, and raised his proficiency once more. Only then did he find a corner and lie down in a sheltered spot to nap, just like the other disciples.

By the afternoon,

the Outer Courtyard disciples' training rang out.

Shi Wen was jolted awake.

He opened his bleary eyes, and only then did all sorts of aches and pains surge through his body.

He lowered his gaze to his palm, and the pain throughout his body seemed to vanish with it.

[Extreme Seal]

[Baji Fist Introductory Foundation: Initiated (3/50)]

"As long as I complete the foundational training fifty times, I'll reach minor mastery."

"Once I've perfected the foundational training, I should be able to temper vital energy and blood within my body. Only by becoming a Blood-Tempering Realm martial artist will I have even a little ability to protect myself in this chaotic world. If I become an Inner Courtyard disciple, the Red Lantern Gang should think twice before taking me to Dragon Sorrow Ravine as a sacrifice to the gods..."

Holding on to this thought,

Shi Wen gritted his teeth and pushed himself to keep going. He sat up for a moment to clear his head, then scooped up some cold water from the vat to wash his face.

Only then did he continue training.

That afternoon, Shi Wen gritted his teeth and kept at it.

But he could only raise the Foundational Training's proficiency twice before becoming too exhausted to move.

It wasn't that he didn't want to continue. His body simply couldn't handle such strenuous activity, and it forced him to stop. The soreness throughout his body and the intense pain in his bones were unbearable; he couldn't maintain his training at all.

"This body has been hungry and cold for years, and it's malnourished. It can't handle suddenly training so intensely."

"They say a scholar needs books and a martial artist needs wealth. I've only trained for a few hours, and I'm hungry again. My guts are twisting like a knotted rope. I heard I'll also need medicinal soup and medicinal baths later to nourish my sinews and bones. Otherwise, they won't be able to withstand the strain of martial arts training, and I'll suffer internal injuries."

"In this condition, forget breaking through. Even keeping up with daily training will be hard."

"I wonder if having the Extreme Seal can help me avoid this problem."

Shi Wen sat on the steps.

He wiped the sweat from his forehead and quietly estimated how many days it would take to train the Foundational Training to minor mastery.

As he thought,

he wondered whether joining the Fist Academy would make the Red Lantern Gang think twice and keep them from coming after him.

"Senior Sister Li is here!"

"Good afternoon, Senior Sister Li. Are you handing out medicinal soup again today?"

"..."

A burst of noise pulled Shi Wen's thoughts back.

It turned out that Li Qianqian, a Senior Sister from the Inner Courtyard, had come to hand out medicinal soup. Yan Kai hurried over to greet her warmly.

The Outer Courtyard disciples who had been practicing stances, the Charging Step, and their moves all jogged over to queue for a bowl. Every one of those burly men blushed and grew bashful in front of the beautiful, gentle woman.

Shi Wen went over too and queued for a bowl of medicinal soup.

Once he swallowed the bowlful of soup, thick with the smell of medicine, a warm current seemed to spread through his organs.

The aches and soreness throughout his body slowly melted away.

Shi Wen was astonished to discover that his fatigue and swollen muscles were quietly fading. After one bowl of medicinal soup, it was as if every negative condition had disappeared!

"Junior Brother, I saw how hard you were training this afternoon. If there's anything you don't understand, remember to ask me. Don't be shy."

Yan Kai came over and said a few words.

He had been assigned to manage the Outer Courtyard disciples and teach the newcomers their forms.

More than ten new disciples had joined over the past few days, and Shi Wen was the only one who had practiced for half a day and already made his moves look so convincing.

He had seen that Shi Wen was practicing correctly and taking it seriously, so he hadn't interrupted him.

"Thank you, Senior Brother Yan."

Shi Wen nodded. He wanted another bowl, but Yan Kai stopped him. "Each person gets one bowl. If you want more, you'll have to pay extra."

"Junior brother, don't underestimate this medicinal broth. The broth at the Fist Academy is paired with the martial arts they teach, and it doesn't come cheap. The human body has its limits, and medicinal broth is like firewood, adding another log to the furnace that is the body."

"Those senior brothers and sisters in the Inner Courtyard either soaked in medicinal baths from a young age, drank medicinal broth, or practiced the basic foundation skills from childhood. Those with the means even sought out pills to nourish their bodies. With such a solid foundation, they could soar to new heights once they began training!"

"Take our Fist Academy's senior brother, Shang An. His family is part of the South City Chamber of Commerce, and he's been nourished with all sorts of potent medicines since childhood. He's only twenty-seven, yet he's already a master in the Origin Blood Realm."

"You might not have a clear idea of what the Origin Blood Realm means. Those famous experts in the city—the Black Whale Gang's hall masters, for example, and even some martial instructors at the Fist Academy and County Lieutenants at the County Office—are only at the Origin Blood Realm!"

"But aside from his talent, the reason senior brother can cultivate so quickly also has to do with money. Without money for meat, you can't keep training. Without money for medicine, your body gets run down!"

"So it's true what they say: poor families raise scholars, rich families raise warriors."

Yan Kai sighed with feeling, then turned to help his senior sister, Li Qianqian, keep order at the scene.

He really was an easygoing fellow.

After finishing the medicinal broth, Shi Wen rested for a while.

Then he continued practicing his fists.

He didn't know whether it was all in his head,

or whether the medicinal broth really was that potent.

He managed to practice the basic foundation skills twice in a row before finally feeling exhausted.

Rest, practice, rest, practice...

The Fist Academy's gongs and drums rang out, signaling that classes were over. The Outer Courtyard disciples left in twos and threes.

During that time, quite a few disciples glanced at the frail figure still practicing in the corner.

They sneered.

If hard work were enough, everyone could become an Inner Courtyard disciple.

Why put on a show on your very first day?

Give it some time, and won't you end up showing your true colors like everyone else?

Heh. You really think you have the talent for martial arts? That you can temper your qi and blood with the basic foundation skills?

Some Inner Courtyard disciples came out as well.

They seemed to be discussing something, their laughter ringing out without pause.

The Inner Courtyard disciple named Zhou Heling even called out to Yan Kai with a smile. "Junior brother Yan, let's go. It's time to meet those Boat Gang fellows as arranged. We should head over and talk."

"All right!"

Yan Kai had clearly been waiting for them too.

When he saw them arrive, he smiled and left with them.

They were obviously going to discuss something important.

And none of it had anything to do with Shi Wen.

The sun sank in the west.

The Inner Courtyard and Outer Courtyard disciples had almost all gone home.

Li Qianqian came out from inside and glanced at the young man practicing his fists, but said nothing.

She waited until he had finished the final move of the basic foundation skills.

Then she said, "Junior brother Shi, the Fist Academy is closing. You should head back."

"All right, senior sister."

Shi Wen panted and wiped the sweat from his forehead.

He saw that the Outer Courtyard's equipment was in disarray, so he helped Li Qianqian put everything away.

After saying goodbye, he turned and left.

"He's an honest little junior brother, at least. It's just a shame that good people have no place in troubled times."

Li Qianqian watched Shi Wen leave in silence.

She felt little else.

Clearly, over the years, she had seen far too many people arrive full of excitement and leave in disappointment.

Shi Wen had no idea what others thought of him.

He glanced at the Extreme Seal in his hand, feeling only a sense of security fill him.

[Extreme Seal]

[Baji Fist Introductory Foundation: Beginner (9/50)]

"In four more days, I'll be able to bring the basic foundation skills to the Minor Achievement stage."

"Red Lantern Gang... I hope the Fist Academy can keep them in check!"

Shi Wen took a deep breath and hurried to the docks.

Black Cloud County was a large county with a population of around five hundred thousand. Most livelihoods depended on the Dragon King River, including river transport. Two large docks, controlled by the government and the Black Whale Gang, served as the main hubs, with countless smaller wharves as support. The docks saw tens of thousands of people pass through, and countless boats came and went each day.

They provided a living for who knew how many people.

Shi Wen's family was of modest means. His father was a small-time trader in river transport, while his mother made a living weaving baskets at a workshop.

With something like the Red Lantern Gang happening, there was truly no way to put their grievances into words!

Shi Wen found his father at his stall by the docks.

Several members of the Red Lantern Gang stood beside the stall, deliberately causing trouble. They wanted to force Shi Wen's family to give in and go to Dragon Sorrow Ravine to make offerings to the gods.

The burly man leading them saw Shi Wen arrive.

He gave him a malicious look and twisted his neck, about to taunt him.

But out of the corner of his eye, he caught sight of the Fist Academy emblem on Shi Wen's chest.

His expression shifted. Without a word, he led his men away...