Beginning Cultivation

He Keji's eyes lit up when he saw the man, and he quickly said to Li Beichen in excitement.

"Today we got lucky. Senior Brother is filling in for the lesson. He's a Seventh Grade Skin Refining martial artist, the strongest person in Like-Elephant Martial Hall besides the Hall Master."

"Senior Brother Zhang Meng?"

"That's right! He lives up to his name—fierce!"

As Zhang Meng appeared in the Outer Courtyard, the crowd that had still been somewhat noisy immediately fell silent. They stopped what they were doing and consciously gathered closer.

Li Beichen followed He Keji and found a spot near the front.

By this hour, there were already more than fifty disciples in the Outer Courtyard.

Senior Brother Zhang Meng swept his gaze over the crowd.

"I see some new faces among you today. Junior Brothers who joined the hall within the past three days, step to the front row."

Hearing this, Li Beichen gave He Keji a slight nod.

"Brother He, I'll go to the front first."

"Go on. Senior Brother should give you special guidance."

Six others stepped forward alongside Li Beichen. Only one of them, standing beside him, looked to be around fifteen. The rest were roughly Li Beichen's age, or even older.

Li Beichen thought this was only natural.

Unless there were other reasons, anyone under sixteen could enroll directly at Thunderbolt or Cloud Crane Martial Hall and save five taels of silver. Why not?

Once Li Beichen and the other six had stepped forward, Zhang Meng's voice rang out again like a great bell.

"External martial arts begin with Flesh Tempering."

"Muscles are the foundation of external martial arts."

Zhang Meng raised his thick, dark brows and stripped off his shirt on the spot, revealing bulging muscles that looked as though they had been cast from iron.

With the slightest exertion, his muscles stood out in sharp definition. Veins bulged, muscle fibers stretched tight, like steel cables.

The sheer aura of violent aesthetics sent a shudder through the crowd.

Zhang Meng was very satisfied with their reactions.

"The bigger your muscles! The harder they are! The stronger they become! Only then can they support you as you charge ahead fearlessly on the path of martial arts!"

"What I will teach you is Like-Elephant Martial Hall's foundational martial art, Giant Elephant Fist!"

"If you can cultivate Giant Elephant Fist to Slight Mastery, you can strike with an audible crack and become a true Grade Entry martial artist!"

"And if you can cultivate it to the realm of Pure Fire and Green, then with this most basic fist art alone, you can achieve great completion in Flesh Tempering and have hopes of reaching Eighth Rank."

As he spoke, Zhang Meng rolled up his trouser leg, exposing a thigh as thick as an ordinary person's waist.

"Of all the muscles in the human body, the largest are in the legs. Though Giant Elephant Fist is called a fist art, it also begins with the leg muscles."

"Giant Elephant Fist, first form: Giant Elephant Stomp!"

With an exceedingly fierce stance, Zhang Meng suddenly stomped down. It truly resembled an enormous elephant setting foot upon the ground, its momentum startling.

Once one form had been demonstrated, the next followed close behind.

"Giant Elephant Fist, second form: Ivory Fist Spike!"

"For this form, imagine your fists as elephant tusks. The key lies in generating force through the waist and hips, then bursting it out through the fists!"

"Giant Elephant Fist, twelfth form: Elephant Charge Strike!"

"This final form uses every muscle group in the body to exert force. It takes the shape of an elephant's charge. It can temper the muscles of the entire body, while also being a move with formidable combat power."

[Giant Elephant Fist]

Zhang Meng carefully demonstrated all twelve complete forms one by one, explaining the key hurdles within them as well.

The crowd listened, utterly enthralled.

Sure enough, this Senior Brother was highly skilled.

Li Beichen merely followed along and imitated each form. When he finished practicing the final form, [Elephant Charge Strike], several lines of small text appeared before his eyes.

[Technique: Giant Elephant Fist—Incomplete (Beginner)]

[Progress: (0/100)]

[Traits: None]

"Incomplete?!"

Li Beichen raised a brow. He suppressed the question in his heart, intending to ask around later.

After Zhang Meng completed one round of demonstrations, he began again.

Only after three full rounds did he stop.

Then he addressed the crowd.

"Now, practice the fist art yourselves. I'll correct your movements!"

Li Beichen had followed along for three rounds. With the proficiency panel at his side, he could already perform these basic movements with decent form.

Among the seven people in the front row, most were practicing in a crooked, haphazard mess. Only Li Beichen and the youngest-looking youth to his left could remember every movement and perform the whole set.

Zhang Meng walked over from left to right.

"Use your thighs to generate force! Are you a sheep or an elephant?!"

"Punch straight!"

"Mm, not bad. What's your name? How old are you? When did you enter the hall?"

Very quickly, Zhang Meng reached the youth beside Li Beichen.

"Reporting to Senior Brother, my name is Zhang Yuan. I'm fifteen, and I entered the hall the day before yesterday."

"Not bad! We're even from the same clan. Keep practicing—generate force through the waist and hips!"

Zhang Meng lingered beside Zhang Yuan for a while longer, pointing out all sorts of details.

Naturally, Li Beichen beside him also entered his line of sight.

At that moment, Li Beichen did not even notice Zhang Meng. He was completely focused on practicing the fist art, cultivating [Giant Elephant Fist].

With the system at his side, his talent was astonishing.

Every time he practiced a round, new insights emerged in his mind.

After one round, the movements in the next became even smoother.

Suddenly, Li Beichen felt a large hand on the muscles along his spine, guiding him in how to exert force.

Then Zhang Meng's voice sounded by his ear.

"The spine is like a great dragon. One section, one force—imagine the force rising layer upon layer!"

"Whip it out!"

Li Beichen suddenly understood. He hurriedly adjusted the way he exerted force according to Zhang Meng's guidance.

Sure enough, before, only his movements had been smooth. After Zhang Meng's instruction, even the force he generated showed a trace of continuity.

Moreover, as the power traveled through his body, Li Beichen's muscles seemed to awaken and begin heating up.

"You're not bad either. What's your name?"

"Li Beichen."

"Very good. Keep working hard!"

Although Zhang Meng had only instructed Li Beichen on one point, it was the most crucial point—one that could be applied to every form of [Giant Elephant Fist].

If Li Beichen had tried to comprehend it on his own, he would likely have needed to practice more than ten times, perhaps even dozens of times, before grasping that feeling of force generation.

Li Beichen understood this very clearly.

Because the progress on the proficiency panel had leaped forward by a large margin.

[Progress: (23/100)]

"Sure enough, true teachings are worth a single sentence!"

Seizing that feeling, Li Beichen began tirelessly practicing [Giant Elephant Fist] over and over.

After ten rounds, his clothes were soaked through with sweat. Even the stone bricks beneath his feet had acquired a layer of sweat stains.

At the same time, his stamina was being rapidly drained. This was only because he had undergone Physique Enhancement several times. With his former physical condition, managing three rounds would already have been remarkable.

The progress of [Giant Elephant Fist] had also silently risen by 7 points.

Senior Brother Zhang Meng had finished making his rounds, corrected everyone's movements, and returned to the front.

Li Beichen's concentration drew an appreciative look from him. However, he also noticed that Li Beichen was close to exhaustion, and even his movements were beginning to deform.

"Too much is as bad as too little. Stretch your muscles, apply Giant Elephant Ointment, and practice again this afternoon!"

The reminder sounded beside Li Beichen's ear, breaking his focus.

Only then did Li Beichen stop cultivating. Exhaustion and soreness swept over him like a tide, leaving him unable even to lift his hands. He could barely support his own body.

"Giant Elephant Ointment?"

Li Beichen looked puzzled.