A Heavy Halberd, Golden Crocodile's Personal Instruction

The next morning, the sky had just begun to brighten.

Chu Jin was awakened by a series of heavy knocks on the door.

Bang!

Bang!

Every time the courtyard gate rang, the door frame vibrated slightly.

Chu Lie had just stepped out of his room when Golden Crocodile Douluo pushed the gate open and walked into the courtyard.

He wore a golden martial outfit designed for ease of movement, and he carried two massive black iron chests in his hands.

"Up?"

Chu Jin walked out of his room.

"Up."

"Eat."

Golden Crocodile threw the iron chests onto the ground.

With a loud boom, several cracks appeared in the stone slabs of the courtyard.

"Half an hour, Third Training Ground on Consecration Mountain."

He turned and left immediately after speaking, without any superfluous words.

Chu Lie looked at the shattered stone slabs, his eyelids twitching slightly.

"Is this Second Worship always so concise?"

"I suppose so."

"What is in those two chests?"

Chu Jin walked forward and opened the first chest.

Inside, four sets of black weighted gear were neatly arranged.

They could be secured to the wrists, ankles, waist, and back.

Each piece of weight was engraved with a Gravity Soul Guidance Pattern, making its actual weight far exceed its volume.

The second chest contained a pitch-black heavy halberd.

The halberd was not yet sharpened, and its body was forged entirely from dark iron. Its length matched Chu Jin's height, and it weighed five hundred catties.

Chu Lie stepped forward and touched the shaft of the halberd.

"Good material."

"The dark iron used for this halberd alone is worth at least a thousand Gold Soul Coins."

Chu Jin attempted to lift the heavy halberd.

After absorbing his first soul ring, his physical strength had increased once more. He could lift the five-hundred-catty halberd normally, though it remained a significant burden for prolonged combat.

"Second Worship is planning to train you to death."

Chu Lie spoke with concern, but there was a hint of excitement in his eyes.

As a blacksmith, he knew very well that someone who could casually give away a dark iron heavy halberd would never lack resources for future cultivation.

Half an hour later, Chu Jin arrived at the Third Training Ground on Consecration Mountain.

The training ground was located on the mountainside, with a waterfall dozens of zhang high on one side and a steep stone staircase a thousand steps long on the other.

Golden Crocodile was already standing in front of the waterfall, waiting.

"Put on the weights."

Chu Jin secured the weights to his wrists, ankles, and waist in turn.

As the final back weight settled into place, his body sank noticeably.

The total weight was three hundred catties.

Combined with the five-hundred-catty heavy halberd, his burden reached eight hundred catties.

"Climb the stairs first."

Golden Crocodile pointed to the thousand-step stone staircase beside them.

"Walk to the top, then walk back down."

"You cannot put down the heavy halberd halfway."

Chu Jin did not ask for a time limit.

He hoisted the heavy halberd onto his shoulder and stepped onto the first stone step.

The first hundred steps were relatively easy.

By the two-hundredth step, his breathing had already begun to grow heavy.

With every step he took, the ankle weights pulled him downward, and his back felt as if it were being crushed by a heavy boulder.

The Dark Iron Heavy Halberd rested across his shoulders, causing his center of gravity to shift constantly.

With his Double Pupils activated, Chu Jin could clearly see the flaws in his exertion of force.

The strength in his left leg was slightly greater.

His right waist and abdomen would slacken for a split second when he turned.

The position where his shoulder bore the weight of the halberd was too fixed; over time, this would impede blood flow.

Chu Jin adjusted his movements as he climbed the stairs.

By the time he reached the five-hundredth step, his clothes were already soaked through with sweat.

Xiao Jin followed beside him.

At first, it had been very relaxed, even running back and forth around Chu Jin. Later, seeing Chu Jin walk slower and slower, it put aside its playful mood and followed honestly at his heels.

Seven hundred steps.

Chu Jin's legs began to tremble.

Eight hundred steps.

His breathing became rapid.

By the nine-hundredth step, he needed to pause for a moment with every step he took.

Golden Crocodile stood at the summit the entire time.

He offered no urging and no help.

When Chu Jin stepped onto the final stone stair, his hands could barely grip the halberd shaft.

"Put it down."

Golden Crocodile said.

Chu Jin placed the Dark Iron Heavy Halberd gently on the ground.

Golden Crocodile frowned.

"I told you to put it down, not to set it down gently."

Chu Jin gasped for a moment.

"The stone slabs in the training ground will crack."

"If they crack, someone will fix them."

"What if I break the Dark Iron Heavy Halberd?"

"If the Dark Iron Heavy Halberd breaks just because you set it down, you might as well throw it away."

Chu Jin thought for a moment, lifted the halberd again, and simply let go.

Boom!

The halberd shaft slammed into the stone steps.

A visible dent appeared in the stone slab.

"Go down the mountain."

Golden Crocodile turned and headed down.

Chu Jin hoisted the Dark Iron Heavy Halberd back onto his shoulder.

Descending was more difficult than climbing.

His body had to constantly control the forward-leaning center of gravity; a moment of carelessness would send him tumbling down the stairs.

Halfway down, the strength in Chu Jin's right leg briefly lost its balance.

His entire body pitched forward.

Golden Crocodile did not look back.

Chu Jin jammed the butt of the halberd hard into the ground, forcing his body to stabilize.

His Double Pupils rapidly adjusted the force exerted by his waist, abdomen, and legs.

He straightened up and continued downward.

It was not until they returned to the training ground that Golden Crocodile spoke.

"Being born with great strength only means you have a high starting point."

"If strength cannot be controlled, it is merely brute force."

"Your biggest problem right now is that your body is growing too fast."

Chu Jin removed his weights and listened intently.

Golden Crocodile walked up to him, his thick, large palm pressing against his shoulders, spine, and several points along his waist and abdomen.

"Over the past few months, Xiao Jin has been continuously feeding back into your body."

"Your muscles and bones are growing faster than normal cultivation allows, but your control has not fully kept up."

"For example, you were originally only capable of handling a horse, but now you have suddenly been switched to a thousand-year soul beast. It runs faster and possesses greater strength, but it is also much more likely to throw you to your death when it loses control."

Chu Jin nodded.

"How do I train?"

"Train until every ounce of strength in your body obeys you."

Golden Crocodile walked beneath the waterfall.

The water cascaded down from dozens of meters above, crashing against the rocks with a deafening roar.

He thrust his five-hundred-jin heavy halberd into the center of the waterfall.

"Stand in there."

Chu Jin stepped into the pool.

The icy water quickly submerged his knees.

The closer he got to the center of the waterfall, the more intense the impact became.

He had just reached the side of the heavy halberd when the water crashed down from above his head.

Bang!

Chu Jin instantly lost his balance and was swept directly into the pool.

Xiao Jin stood on the bank, originally intending to follow him in, but seeing Chu Jin swept away by the water, its front paws froze in mid-air.

It silently took a step back.

Chu Jin stood up from the water and walked back toward the waterfall.

The second time, he braced his stance in advance.

When the water fell, his body still swayed, but at least he was not immediately swept away.

"Grip the halberd."

Golden Crocodile's voice cut through the roar of the waterfall.

"Keep it thrust forward level."

Chu Jin gripped the heavy halberd with both hands and slowly raised the tip.

The five-hundred-jin weight combined with the impact of the water forced the tip downward.

Veins bulged rapidly on Chu Jin's arms.

After holding on for ten breaths, the heavy halberd slipped from his grasp.

His entire body was swept into the pool once again.

"Continue."

The third time.

The fourth time.

The fifth time.

Chu Jin walked back beneath the waterfall time and time again.

By noon, he was able to remain standing in the current, yet he still could not keep the heavy halberd steady.

Golden Crocodile did not reduce the training.

He allowed Chu Jin to rest for half an hour, then began to teach him basic halberd techniques.

"A halberd can thrust, hack, sweep, lift, hook, and lock."

"While it appears to have many variations, the foundation remains limited to only a few."

Golden Crocodile casually picked up an ordinary iron halberd.

His movements lacked any unnecessary flair.

The first form: straight thrust.

As the halberd tip thrust forward, the air emitted a dull, explosive sound.

The second form: horizontal sweep.

The entire training ground looked as if a giant beast had collided through its center, and wooden stakes several meters away snapped simultaneously.

The third form: downward hack.

The iron halberd stopped above the ground without actually striking it, yet the ground had already been cracked by an invisible force.

Chu Jin activated his Double Pupils, observing carefully.

In every form, Golden Crocodile mobilized the strength of his entire body.

His feet, legs, waist, abdomen, spine, shoulders, and arms—every part completed an explosion in the same instant.

Not a single bit of strength was wasted.