From Igniting Talent to Becoming a Demon God Section 9

"So that's how it is..."

Lu Chao was secretly surprised, and his impression of Gold-Stone Martial Arts Hall rose another notch.

Compared to the martial arts schools in Prism Ring City that only wanted to collect more tuition, this one was somewhat different.

"Thank you, Master Luo!"

After thinking for a moment, the four of them did not hesitate and all nodded in agreement.

Once they had paid one after another, Luo Qianshan finally lowered his body slightly, took up a stance, and officially began teaching the martial art.

"Gold-Stone Combat Arts has four levels: Rock Skin, Copper Flesh, Iron Bone..."

"For now, I'll only teach the basic practice method of the first level. There are five movements in total. We'll discuss the rest in three days."

As he taught the combat art, Luo Qianshan's air changed abruptly, as if he had suddenly become a different person. His age and stoop both vanished in that instant.

With the slightest movement, he seemed like a boulder shifting position. His fists swung and palms chopped, the force of them splitting the air with the sound of tearing silk.

Every movement was like a massive rock crashing to the ground, filled with overwhelming power!

Stance work, leg techniques, fists and palms, the matching breathing tricks... every detail flowed as if formed by nature itself.

"Power rises from the ground. The first thing to look at is your center of gravity."

"Though what you're learning is only a method for training strength, you still have to temper your tendons and refine your skin."

Luo Qianshan's words were hard and forceful, imprinting themselves word by word into Lu Chao's heart.

Thud!

Finally, as Luo Qianshan drew back his fist and stood still, a long breath of turbid air came out like a white ribbon.

The ground trembled. The air inside and outside the Training Building froze in an instant, even the sound of the wind abruptly vanished, and the entire training ground fell into a strange silence.

Lu Chao stood there without making a sound for a long while. When he finally came back to himself, he saw that Luo Qianshan had already returned to that stooped appearance with his hands clasped behind his back, and was pacing unhurriedly back into the Training Building.

"Four junior brothers, Master Luo is busy with many affairs. If you have any questions over these three days, you may come to me."

Zheng Wu's voice rang out at just the right time, breaking the silence.

He deliberately explained a few things. These three days were mainly an adjustment period, and Master Luo would not give too much guidance.

In addition, he emphasized that although what had just been taught was only the basic practice method, it was still strictly forbidden to leak it outside, and they could only cultivate it themselves.

"Senior Brother Zheng, don't worry. We definitely won't violate the hall's rules!"

Zhou Cheng hurriedly answered, patting his chest as he made his promise.

Lu Chao and the other two also knew the importance of the matter and likewise nodded along.

"Good. Then come with me."

With a light nod, Zheng Wu then led them toward the concrete training ground.

Dozens of ordinary students were training nearby, either using dumbbells, tires, and heavy objects to build physical strength, or gritting their teeth as they persisted through frog jumps, laps, aerobic exercise, and fist practice.

Amid the splashing sweat, thudding sounds rang out from time to time.

At last, when Lu Chao and the other three stopped and arrived at a separate open space to one side of the training ground, the gazes of the students turned toward them, some envious and curious, some sizing them up from the sidelines, clicking their tongues and shaking their heads.

"Tsk, those four new guys..."

"Looks like we've got a show to watch."

The blazing sun beat down, and sweat slid over skin.

The concrete training ground was exposed beneath the scorching sunlight, the ground roasted until distorted heat waves shimmered up from it.

Most of the ordinary students standing a dozen meters away had stopped training. They gathered in twos and threes, casting looks over to watch the show, speaking mockingly as they pointed and commented.

"Tsk, tsk, look. They can't even hold a horse stance steady. Their lower bodies are weak, shaky like they're stepping on cotton. With that posture, they want to practice martial arts? I bet they couldn't even beat me in arm wrestling."

"Just watch. I guarantee in three days they'll recognize reality. Weren't we all full of ambition at first too? And what happened?"

"Tempering tendons and training bones is still all right. You can grit your teeth through that pain. The main thing is the breathing tricks. Without a bit of talent, you can't even get through the door. As for breaking through to Rock Skin later, they'll be lucky if they don't injure themselves."

"Let's make a bet and see how many days they can last..."

The voices of discussion drilled into their ears. Lu Chao and the other three had their clothes soaked through, and they had no attention to spare to listen closely as they stood in utter disarray at the edge of the open space.

A closer look showed that each of them was in a horse stance, both arms held level.

It looked simple, but their legs were squatting deep, parallel to the ground, and two water-filled mineral water bottles were tied to each of their wrists, dangling from them.

"This is the first basic movement of Gold-Stone Combat Arts. It's called the Heavy Mountain Stance. It comes from ancient stance training and can temper the tendons and bones, and refine the skin and flesh."

"Strictly speaking, it should be done with Five Tais weighing down the body, with your legs and the top of your head also supporting heavy objects. But considering that the four of you junior brothers have only just entered the school, I won't increase the difficulty."

Zheng Wu stood in front of the four of them, his voice steady, his gaze sweeping over each person's movements. From time to time, he reached out to correct their stance posture.

"You four junior brothers only need to hold it for fifteen minutes. You're allowed to rest midway, but each break cannot exceed thirty seconds."

"When you can endure the Five Tais weighing you down without swaying and stand for a full half hour in one breath, that will count as a small achievement."

He did not stop the discussions and chatter of the other ordinary students, but that kind and steady manner of his, in the eyes of Lu Chao and the other three, seemed like that of a devil.

Because only now did they truly experience the agony of combat arts.

Sweat blurred their eyes, stinging sharply, then slid down their cheeks and splashed onto the cement floor.

Their legs felt as if they had been filled with lead, trembling beyond their control.

Waves of tearing, swelling pain came from their thigh muscles, and their arms, held level, were so sore they could barely keep them raised. The mineral water bottles tied to their wrists were like the final straw that broke the camel's back, impossibly heavy in this moment.

"I can't, I can't anymore!"

Heavy, ragged breathing sounded in rapid bursts. The young man named Zhou Cheng was the first who could not hold on. His face flushed red, and he hurriedly dropped his horse stance frame.

Although they were allowed to rest midway, he had started gasping for breath in less than five minutes, feeling as if every rest stretched on endlessly.

This scene seemed to be a signal. The other two followed one after another. In less than ten minutes, they had already rested more than seven or eight times in a row.

By contrast, Lu Chao was still standing where he was, holding on with everything he had.

He could clearly feel his heart pounding like a war drum, his body growing hotter and hotter, and the soreness and pain from his muscles and tendons were like countless needles stabbing at him, tearing at his will.

But amid this painful torment, there was a certain faint energy flowing through his body with his breathing, seeping into his flesh.

This was the orthodox method of developing vitality.

By relying on specialized methods, paired with breathing techniques, one tempered the flesh and body and honed the mind and will. Afterward, if one could replenish enough nutrition, there would be a chance to grow one's life force and raise one's upper limit.

It was like the principle of building muscle through fitness. In essence, they were quite similar, with no great difference.

"Not bad."

"Junior Brother Lu really does have perseverance."

Zheng Wu nodded inwardly, admiring Lu Chao's attitude toward martial practice.

Not everyone had this kind of patience.

Then his gaze shifted to Zhou Cheng and the other two.

He shook his head, feeling that the contrast was far too obvious.

Up to now, Lu Chao had only rested twice. In terms of endurance and resilience alone, he was already far ahead of them.

Without saying much more, he waited until Lu Chao and the other three had completed fifteen minutes of practice one after another, then began explaining the second movement.

"The practice method emphasizes force, and force rises from the ground."

"The second movement of the Gold-Stone Combat Arts is called the Mountain Hammer Squat. Stand in a horse stance with both legs, lift the anus and tuck in the hips, and lightly clench both hands one foot in front of the chest."

"When inhaling, rise onto the balls of your feet, grip the ground with your toes, and draw both hands inward. When exhaling, push both arms outward and brace the soles of your feet against the ground... Beginners need to hold heavy hammer-like objects, but you four junior brothers only need to form seals with both hands. Repeat two hundred times each..."

Zheng Wu's calm voice rang out, and Lu Chao and the other three once again took their stances.

Their clothes had long since been soaked through, and bead-sized drops of sweat gradually dotted the cement floor.

Unlike Zhou Cheng and the other two, whose faces had gone pale as they swayed unsteadily and nearly collapsed to the ground, Lu Chao also felt the strain and gritted his teeth to hold on.

But his movements were standard, completing the exercises one after another.

Ten, twenty, thirty...

The tearing soreness in his muscles kept coming, wearing away at his will.

Sweat flowed into his eyes, bringing a burning sting that was almost unbearable.

Yet Lu Chao clenched his teeth and forcibly overcame every negative effect.

My recovery... really has improved a lot.

He sensed the difference in himself, and also fully discovered the strength of [Primary Resilience].

Whenever he was about to be unable to hold on, a trace of warmth would emerge from his flesh, easing his fatigue and soreness.

That was exactly why he had been able to persist until now.