Tempered by a Thousand Blows, Reached Beginner (Please Read On)

The next day,

Four Seas Martial Arts Hall,

Huang Sihai gathered everyone together and asked, "Other than Liu Chun, who else has broken through to the Purple Membrane?"

Liu Chun stood proudly among the crowd, enjoying the envious looks of the others.

"Me!" Silly Qiang bared his arms. His thick, sturdy skin membrane shimmered purple-blue, heavy and powerful. Purple-blue was the mark of someone who had just entered the Purple Membrane stage.

"Purple Membrane? Silly Qiang is that impressive?" the students said enviously.

"Master, leave this hall challenge to me!" Silly Qiang said smugly.

Huang Sihai showed a trace of satisfaction. "Not bad. Purple Membrane after two months of training. Though you cannot compare to those of exceptional talent, you are outstanding among the ordinary."

Liu Chun smiled. "Silly Qiang is quite capable. With his natural strength, if I had not reached the Black Membrane stage recently, I might not necessarily be his match."

She seemed to be praising Silly Qiang, but was actually flattering herself, quietly telling everyone that she had already reached the Black Membrane stage.

"What? Black Membrane? Black Membrane in three months?" The others were indeed shocked.

"Senior Sister Liu Chun will definitely make it to the second floor this year." A Zhen gave a thumbs-up.

"What about you? Still not at Purple Membrane?" Huang Sihai asked A Zhen.

"Almost, Master." A Zhen lowered her head.

"Your talent is no weaker than Silly Qiang's. You are just not diligent enough. If you were even half as hardworking as A Wen, you should have reached Purple Membrane long ago." Huang Sihai shook his head.

"A Wen is far too diligent. It is as though martial arts training is something fun," A Zhen said with a shrug.

Liu Chun sighed. "Unfortunately, diligence cannot overcome natural aptitude. Martial arts ultimately depend on talent. Diligence without talent is ultimately like drawing water with a bamboo basket—nothing but wasted effort."

Silly Qiang looked at the silent A Wen in the corner and said, "Senior Sister A Chun, those words hurt A Wen's feelings... With diligence and hard work, one can still bloom late."

Huang Sihai also frowned. "Those with talent are ultimately few. For ordinary people, diligence is the only way forward."

He also knew that someone with Li Xiuwen's level of talent would find it difficult to achieve greatness, but Liu Chun, as a senior sister, should not have said something like that.

If she said such things and discouraged Li Xiuwen and the ordinary disciples, what if they dropped out?

Would that not affect his income?

So, Liu Chun was good in every regard, but her temperament and conduct still left something to be desired.

After all, she was only sixteen. Her family was wealthy, and she had never had to take charge of a household early in life, so her worldly experience was somewhat lacking.

"My apologies. I was too blunt," Liu Chun said with a bow, realizing that her words had indeed been hurtful.

Huang Sihai asked, "A Wen, are you confident you can reach Purple Membrane this month? With two Fish Balls helping you, there should not be a problem, right?"

Li Xiuwen smiled. "I am confident."

Liu Chun raised her eyes toward Li Xiuwen and thought, He actually ate Fish Balls to build up his vitality and blood? What does he mean by that? Does he want to compete with me for the second floor?

Everyone knew that Fish Balls were poisonous. Unless one was attempting a breakthrough, they were generally not used.

For building up vitality and blood in daily training, arduous practice was still best. It built a solid foundation.

What A Wen was doing was no different from pulling up seedlings to help them grow.

The martial arts world was much like the fitness world. There was an unspoken hierarchy of contempt: those who trained hard looked down on those who took drugs.

On second thought, Liu Chun thought, If two Fish Balls still cannot get him to Purple Membrane, then he is destined to fail. There is nothing to fear.

Huang Sihai nodded. "Today, I will give you a proper understanding of the Night Heron Style, as well as the four talents of Pine Hall that I have learned about.

"Longlegs Seven, Wen Wu, Black Dog, Tian Er... These four are the most outstanding prospects Night Heron Martial Arts Hall has produced this year."

That evening,

Li Xiuwen went to the pharmacy and spent twenty yuan on ingredients for a batch of Blood-Transforming Paste.

Used sparingly, they were enough for a day of cultivation.

He only had four hundred yuan left. He only intended to use one hundred yuan for experimentation.

The remaining three hundred yuan could not be touched, or he would go hungry this month.

In truth, for the first level of the Binding Armor Skill to produce noticeable results, it would cost over a hundred yuan a day.

Although Blood-Transforming Paste was a secret medicine, it was not difficult to prepare.

Li Xiuwen used the clay pot Auntie normally used for making fortifying soup and simmered it over low heat for an hour.

After it cooled, it congealed into a pot of date-red gelatin, like pork rind jelly.

"What are you doing?" Auntie asked curiously.

"Brewing medicine. It can help with cultivation," Li Xiuwen said with a smile.

"How much did this whole pot cost?"

"Twenty."

"Learning martial arts is really difficult..." Auntie sighed and left.

After preparing the Blood-Transforming Paste, Li Xiuwen took a small hammer weighing four taels and headed up to the rooftop.

"Forty for a small hammer, eighty for a large one..."

Following the principles of the Binding Armor Skill, he began circulating his energy, striking himself while sensing the so-called "vitality and blood" within his body.

The principle of the Binding Armor Skill was to move the body's "vitality and blood" along the meridians to the skin membrane, tempering it.

This would raise the skin membrane's resistance to blows to the limit of its current realm.

So-called "horizontal training" in this world literally meant "training horizontally," the ultimate enhancement in horizontal dimensions!

After training for a while, Li Xiuwen discovered something was wrong.

"If I circulate my energy, I cannot strike myself. If I strike myself, I cannot circulate my energy..."

"For this hard qigong training, it would be best to have an assistant dedicated to striking me."

Some time later,

Li Xiuwen brought Auntie to the rooftop. He handed her the hammer and took off his jacket.

Auntie could not help laughing. "I have never heard such a request in my life."

A Wen was actually asking her to hit him with a hammer.

Li Xiuwen said, "Auntie, aside from Uncle, do not let anyone else know about this."

"I know. Shall I start hitting?" Auntie raised the small hammer.

"This hammer is very light, and you are not very strong. Just hit me with all your strength. Hit wherever I tell you to. Start with both arms," Li Xiuwen said.

Clang!

The hammer came down.

It was still an iron hammer. Though light, it still hurt when it struck his body.

Even through the Azure Membrane, it left behind a purple bruise.

"Does it hurt?"

"What martial arts would I be training if it did not hurt? Keep going. Put some strength into it!"

"Then I will use more force."

On the rooftop, Li Xiuwen silently recited the energy-circulation formula for the first level.

"Close the Earth Gate, seal the Mysterious Female, let qi flow through the Bubbling Spring like roots taking hold..."

Auntie followed his instructions, striking him with a rhythmic cadence.

At night,

Uncle returned. After finishing up matters at the factory, he came to the rooftop. "Why are you hitting A Wen? What did he do wrong?"

"You might not believe it, but A Wen asked for it himself... Here, I am tired. Your turn."

After some explanation, Uncle also became Li Xiuwen's assistant.

After a mixed-gender double beating that lasted two hours, the major muscle groups across Li Xiuwen's body had turned purple-blue, with some swelling.

"Is this really martial arts training? It is not some demonic art, is it?" Uncle had read plenty of martial arts novels.

"This is how it is trained. Do not worry. With my physique, if I apply the paste and sleep for the night, I will be fine tomorrow," Li Xiuwen said.

Auntie said, "All right, A Wen, take it easy. I am really worried about you."

Li Xiuwen asked instead, "Did Brother Ji come today?"

"No. He has not really been killed, has he?" Auntie was somewhat puzzled as well.

"That would be for the best." Uncle sighed and turned to leave.

That night,

Li Xiuwen applied the medicinal paste and lay in bed, tossing and turning for a long time before finally falling asleep.

First, there was the pain, but that was manageable.

The most unbearable part was the itch!

His muscles seemed to be sprouting, growing outward with a rush.

He did not move, yet a faint rustling sound came from his skin membrane.

Li Xiuwen was delighted. According to the technique's description, this meant he had trained it correctly.

During the day, hard qigong required striking practice. At night, while sleeping, the meridians would automatically move the medicine's energy to repair wounds and strengthen vitality and blood.

Sure enough, when he got up the next day,

Li Xiuwen moved his somewhat sore body, ate breakfast to replenish his energy, and looked toward the [Incense Burner].

A fresh stick of incense stood upright, wisps of blue smoke curling upward.

[Li Xiuwen]

[Martial Arts]

[Binding Armor Skill: Beginner (1%)]