Han Qiu had been able to break through his limits twice in one day because his physical condition had not been very good to begin with.
After those two breakthroughs, his body was much stronger. To surpass himself again, he would need to put it under even greater pressure.
Ordinary running and climbing could hardly draw out his body's potential anymore.
Generally speaking, the limits of the human body were not set in stone. The stronger one's foundation, the harder it was to break through that barrier. To shatter it, one had to pay a price many times greater.
Tang San found Han Qiu's movements intriguing. He tried to copy his stance, spreading his feet, lowering his waist, and pushing his arms outward. But after holding it for only a moment, he felt a stretching ache in the fascia of his shoulders and back, and his limbs began to refuse to obey him.
"So hard!"
Tang San frowned slightly. The internal force of the Mysterious Heaven Skill circulated through his body, but this method focused on stretching the sinews and pulling the bones, not simply using internal force to drive it.
Tang San had practiced the Tang Sect's martial arts since childhood. Its moves emphasized speed and sharpness, and he had never encountered such a slow-paced method of stretching the sinews and bones. He found it awkward and nearly lost his balance several times.
Watching Tang San imitate him, Han Qiu's lips curled into a faint smile.
"Hiss!"
Tang San sucked in a sharp breath and struggled to complete one pose. Fine beads of sweat appeared on his forehead, and his arms trembled slightly.
He was greatly surprised.
Watching from a distance, he had thought Han Qiu's movements relaxed and fluid. Only after trying them himself did he understand how difficult they were.
The movements looked simple, but they placed extremely high demands on the fascia and ligaments. A moment's carelessness could strain his sinews and bones.
"This cultivation method's demands on the body are a bit too high."
Tang San lowered his arms and stopped. He raised a hand to rub his aching shoulders and neck, looking at Han Qiu, who was still practicing the Muscle-Tendon Changing Classic with ease.
Han Qiu stretched fully into every movement, a continuous series of soft pops and cracks coming from his sinews and bones.
The Qi-State Origin-Flow circulated endlessly within him, constantly repairing damage to his meridians as he stretched. One process tore and tempered them while the other nourished and repaired them, each complementing the other.
Han Qiu's breathing was steady and deep, without the slightest sign of strain.
Tang San activated the Purple Demon Eye and looked at Han Qiu again, but he could still see only a layer of warm, substantial Qi enveloping him. He could not see clearly how it circulated within, and his doubts grew even stronger.
"Han Qiu, those movements of yours are interesting. Where exactly did you learn them?" Tang San could not resist asking. "I've never seen anyone train their body like that."
Hearing this, Han Qiu slowly ended his practice and let out a long breath of turbid air. A comfortable sensation spread through his sinews and bones.
He scratched his head and smiled with a show of mystery. "Just a lucky encounter. It's only a method of strengthening the body that I came across by chance."
Seeing that he did not want to elaborate, Tang San did not press him. Everyone had secrets, himself included. He simply made a mental note of it.
He could clearly sense that Han Qiu's body was growing stronger at an astonishing speed. Even he, who had painstakingly cultivated the Mysterious Heaven Skill, was shocked by such rapid progress.
"Those movements of yours are very effective, but it's easy to injure yourself practicing them. Without a sufficient foundation to support you, you could easily end up with hidden injuries," Tang San warned.
Han Qiu understood. Tang San was describing the drawbacks an ordinary person would face when practicing the method.
But he had the Qi-State Origin-Flow to fall back on. Its origin Qi would repair any damage immediately, so he had no need to worry about lasting harm.
"I know what I'm doing," Han Qiu said with a faint smile.
He looked up at the horizon. The rising sun had gradually climbed higher, and most of the morning mist had dispersed.
"From now on, it's time to put tempering my body by day and practicing the Golden Light Mantra by night on the schedule too."
Han Qiu pondered this to himself.
The Qi-State Origin-Flow continually generated origin Qi, the Muscle-Tendon Changing Classic tempered his body, sinews, and bones, while the Golden Light Mantra could transform that Qi within him into protective golden light.
Though it was only an introductory cultivation method from Mount Longhu, it cultivated both nature and life.
With the three working together, even if his Martial Soul proved unsatisfactory, he would have the means to protect himself.
Beside him, Tang San was still reflecting on how the practice had felt. He tried half a movement again, but still found it hard to hold.
He thought to himself, Han Qiu's foundation is probably already on par with mine. When we compete after our Martial Soul Awakening, it probably won't be so easy.
Han Qiu caught sight of Tang San still trying again and again, and a smile touched his lips.
He knew very well that Tang San's talent defied the heavens, but he himself was no longer the little fool who could only lie in a rocking chair and slack off.
As long as the grind doesn't kill me, I'll grind like my life depends on it!
Just watch me outwork you until you cry!
Han Qiu did not stop for the entire morning.
One moment he practiced the Muscle-Tendon Changing Classic, stretching his sinews and pulling his bones; the next he did weighted frog jumps. Then he ran to the mountainside to climb it over and over, or sprinted, taking turns with all the body-training methods he remembered from his previous life.
An ordinary child put through that would have long since collapsed on the ground, too exhausted to move.
But with the Qi-State Origin-Flow supporting Han Qiu, his origin Qi rapidly repaired the damage every time he pushed his body past its limits. Sweat soaked him through again and again, yet his breathing remained frighteningly steady.
Tang San watched from the side, his scalp tingling.
He had cultivated the Mysterious Heaven Skill for years and was long accustomed to gradual progress, but Han Qiu was ramming his body straight into its limits.
From time to time, he joined in for a few moves, but after copying them for only a moment, his whole body ached and felt weak. Several times, he simply stopped to regulate his breathing and recover.
Han Qiu, by contrast, was like a robot that never tired. He went through one routine after another, and the more he trained, the more spirited he became.
This is fucking ridiculous. It opens the door for ridiculous's mom-ridiculous has come home, Tang San marveled inwardly.
He considered himself exceptionally talented, and only after years of painstaking practice had he acquired his current physique. Yet Han Qiu's progress in such a short time had utterly overturned his understanding.
The Han Qiu who used to love lying in a rocking chair and complain of being tired at every turn had become a completely different person.
The sun slowly rose overhead, and the sounds of families calling one another to eat drifted from the village.
Only then did Han Qiu stop all his training. His clothes were soaked through with sweat, but his steps were still steady, and there was only a slight sheen of sweat at his temples.
He gave a great, lazy stretch, his sinews and bones cracking and popping. The Qi within him circulated slowly, smoothing away all the fatigue in his body.
Tang San sat slumped on a bluestone nearby, panting heavily. Beads of sweat covered his forehead, and his arms still ached faintly. Looking at the energetic Han Qiu, he felt a surge of frustration.
He clearly had not been slacking off, yet by comparison, he seemed like the one who had been lazy.
"Good grief, you... you're pushing yourself way too hard," Tang San said with a rueful laugh, his voice full of helplessness.
"I've practiced the Mysterious Heaven Skill for so long, and even I wouldn't dare train like that."
Han Qiu wiped the sweat from his face and grinned. "Can't be helped. If you want to get stronger, you have to put in the hard work."
Han Qiu knew he could grind so hard only because of the Qi-State Origin-Flow's special support. Anyone else training this way would have long since been left with hidden injuries all over their body. Naturally, he would not tell Tang San any of that.
Tang San stood and brushed the dust from his clothes, a jumble of emotions in his heart.
Before, he had been certain he would have the upper hand in their contest after the Martial Soul Awakening. But now, the outcome had become shrouded in uncertainty.
"Let's go. It's time to head back for lunch," Tang San said with a sigh.
"All right, let's go." Han Qiu followed Tang San toward Holy Soul Village.
All the way back, Tang San kept thinking about Han Qiu's body-training routines, and the more he thought about them, the worse he felt.
He had thought he was already working hard enough, but compared with Han Qiu, he actually felt he had been rather lax.
No, from now on, I have to train twice as hard too, Tang San resolved inwardly.
Han Qiu glanced at Tang San's solemn face and chuckled to himself.