With all these qualities, I will eventually become immortal.

Chapter 83 Introduction to Hard Kung Fu, Chen Tiepai's Strike

Early the next morning.

On the roof.

The morning sun slowly rises on the horizon.

Meng Chuan sat cross-legged on the ground, following the posture shown in the diagram of "Nourishing Qi and Wearing Armor".

Place your hands naturally on your knees with your palms facing up and lean your body weight down.

As time went on, Meng Chuan gradually found the right breathing rhythm, which became long and steady.

Finally, the first ray of light pierced through the clouds and shone on him.

At the same time, Meng Chuan sensed wisps of purple energy faintly appearing in the air, converging towards him.

He was overjoyed and quickly guided his energy to draw upon the precious purple aura.

Purple energy flowed along his meridians, and wherever it reached, Meng Chuan could feel a warm power nourishing his body.

His skin had a rosy glow, as if it had been infused with new life.

As the purple aura slowly merged with the body, it gathered in the Yongquan acupoint after a short while.

[Nourishing Qi and Armoring Exercise: Beginner Level (2%) - Awaiting Breakthrough]

[Limit Breaking Trait: Flesh Flower (Intermediate)]

About ten minutes later, the sun was high in the sky, and the purple aura between heaven and earth disappeared completely.

Meng Chuan interrupted this strange state of cultivation and turned to check the panel.

The panel was shimmering with light, and he noticed that the trait column only showed "Intermediate" instead of the "Advanced" trait he had expected, which gave him pause for thought.

"Perhaps only by breaking through the limits of a cultivation technique at the True Skill level or above can one obtain advanced traits."

Donning his armor and entering the gate, Meng Chuan pondered his future cultivation plans.

He plans to come to the rooftop every morning to absorb the purple aura for internal nourishment.

Then during the day, I would find Coach Chen Tie to practice outside for an hour.

Last night, Luo Guanyun explained some key points of external training for hard kung fu to Meng Chuan.

"Hard qigong is also a martial art, so naturally, those with a certain talent for external training can learn it faster."

But more importantly, it requires physical willpower—the ability to endure the pain of being beaten—to achieve an extraordinary physique, because being beaten is the core element of hard-skill training.

"However, sparring training is harmful to the body, and you must apply a health-preserving ointment afterward to avoid leaving any aftereffects."

"In ancient times, many masters of external martial arts often died young because of problems in their bodies, which led to the decline of their qi and blood."

Last night before going to bed, Meng Chuan had already purchased ointments for practicing external martial arts online.

The logistics are very fast now; the plaster is already in the courier's hands and is being delivered.

Currently, there are four types of plasters available for sale in the martial arts association's marketplace, suitable for external martial arts training.

The prices, from lowest to highest, are: [Muscle Regeneration Cream], [Bone Strengthening and Blood Promoting Cream], [Tendon Strengthening Cream], and [Body Strengthening Cream].

Having some savings, Meng Chuan spent 100,000 yuan at once to buy enough Vitality and Muscle Regeneration Cream to last for half a year.

Applying the Vitality and Muscle Regeneration Cream after the massage can effectively relieve muscle fatigue, assist in the initial stages of external martial arts training, and help practitioners quickly recover their strength, making it perfect for his current use.

Moreover, Luo Guanyun does not recommend that he use the three more expensive ones at present.

"Those three kinds of medicine are too strong for you to handle, but you absolutely cannot skimp on the money for the Vitality and Muscle Regeneration Ointment!"

Ping An Middle School Martial Arts Arena.

In the wooden dummy area, Meng Chuan was practicing boxing alone while waiting for Teacher Chen Tie to start his class.

The force of the punches was fierce, and the iron-core wooden stakes trembled violently.

[Luo's Eight Extremes: Proficient (12%) → (13%) Awaiting Breakthrough]

Boxing and stance training are the main parts of daily practice. Meng Chuan closed his eyes, stood still, and carefully felt his body.

Each improvement in his boxing skills led to an increase in his blood and qi. Meng Chuan felt a surge of heat flowing into the meridians of his limbs from the mysterious acupoints within his body.

The difficulty of practicing Luo's Bajiquan is indeed far greater than that of Paoquan. Even after more than ten days of training, the improvement was less than 10%.

As he was pondering this, Meng Chuan saw a giant bear dressed in a black martial arts uniform walking towards him; it was none other than Teacher Chen Tie himself.

"Xiao Meng, your punches are really good."

Meng Chuan said with a faint smile:

"Thank you, teacher."

"I saw you sent me a message, are you going to start practicing hard skills now?"

"Yes, I would like to ask the teacher to help me with the training."

"It's nothing. What kind of martial art do you practice?"

"I practice the [Qi-Nourishing Armor Body] technique. Please give me more guidance, teacher."

Chen Tie was shocked upon hearing this.

"Wow, this technique is amazing, but I've heard it's very difficult. It seems Master Luo has a lot of confidence in you."

Chen Tie extended his large, rough hand, with its broad knuckles and calloused texture, to show Meng Chuan, then said with ill intent:
"I practice Shaolin's Vajra Palm and Iron Shirt techniques, and I'm especially good at striking techniques. I'm just worried that you won't be able to withstand many blows."

Meng Chuan thought for a moment and said:

"Teacher, please go ahead and do it. I'll try first."

Martial artists don't care about formalities. Meng Chuan took off his training clothes shirt directly, revealing a strong and muscular body.

"ready or Not?"

"Come on, teacher."

Chen Tiegang was just threatening him with words to get revenge for the teasing he had done a few days ago; he wouldn't actually hit him hard this time.

Chen Tie channeled his energy into his palms, a slight force emanating from them, and then began to alternately pat Meng Chuan's body with both hands.

The crisp cracking sounds continued, and Meng Chuan shuddered as he felt the force, his muscles tensing instantly.

"Relax, don't be so tense. Use your breathing techniques to regulate your energy."

Meng Chuan took a deep breath, trying his best to adjust his breathing rhythm. With each inhale and exhale, he slowly began to feel something in his body. The sound of the banging was quite loud, and many classmates around witnessed this scene.

Hu Jiaxiang thought to himself:
"Your brother Tie is getting revenge; he's beating you so badly."

"Of course, this is practicing external martial arts, so the fight is perfectly legitimate."

"But your brother is really tough. Even though he's swollen all over, he hasn't uttered a sound."

Seeing that Meng Chuan and Chen Tie were focused on their sparring, the other students didn't disturb them. After watching for a while, they went back to practicing their own boxing.

The martial arts exam is next summer, and if I don't work hard, I'll only be able to go to a third-rate martial arts high school.

The beatings continued, and with each slap, a red mark would appear on Meng Chuan's skin.

But he remained silent, his eyes showing determination, showing no sign of backing down.

Chen Tie's attacks may seem ruthless and merciless, but in reality, he has a good grasp of the nuances.

Each of his palm strikes perfectly stimulated Meng Chuan's skin and muscles.

"Alright, let's call it a day. Too much of a good thing can be bad."

The hour-long beating session passed in the blink of an eye, and Meng Chuan's entire body was covered with dense red marks.

"How was it, Xiao Meng? How was the teacher's training?"

"It's quite tangy and refreshing, it's great!"

Meng Chuan glanced at the panel and saw that his proficiency in the Qi Nourishing Armor Technique had increased by 1%. He should be able to increase his proficiency a little more after the ointment was applied and he recovered.

Based on this calculation, it should take about a month to reach the proficiency level.

Although his body was exhausted, his desire to become stronger enabled him to overcome all difficulties.

"Did you bring your external martial arts plaster? Take advantage of the open pores now and apply it quickly for the best recovery effect."

"I brought a teacher."

"Okay, I'll apply it to your back for you, and you can handle the rest yourself."

The moment the plaster touches the body, a cool sensation instantly washes over you, followed by the body absorbing the medicinal properties and feeling a slight warmth.

"Bear with it, it hurts at first, but it'll feel good soon."

Meng Chuan took the ointment and applied it to other parts of his body. The soreness and swelling in his body gradually subsided, and his muscles relaxed at the same time.

"Alright, that's enough for today. If you keep practicing, it will affect your boxing. To be honest, external skills are just a minor thing; internal energy and blood circulation are always the most important."

It was rare to see Teacher Chen Tie giving a lecture, so Meng Chuan nodded in agreement.

"By the way, are you still practicing your movement techniques right now? I can keep you company."

Chen Tie's idea was simple: to regain face while Meng Chuan was unwell.

"No, teacher, let's do it in a few days."

Meng Chuan planned to learn a new movement technique from Master Luo. He wanted to test the effect of "Acupoint Access" on improving his comprehension of movement techniques.

Chen Tie said with a hint of regret:
"Ok."

After finishing his evening standing meditation, Meng Chuan dragged his tired body to bed.

He wasn't sleepy yet, as it was his first time practicing and his body wasn't used to it. Meng Chuan took out his phone and casually browsed through the martial arts association's training ground.

Clicking on the [Online Courses] section, he found a course called [Basic Theory of External Kung Fu] among the many paid courses.

The instructor of this course is a very distinguished person. He is the horizontal training professor of the Southern United Martial Arts University and the fourth Grandmaster [Thick Earth Dragon King Chen Yu].

After he clicked on it, the first section showed that he could listen to it for free.

Half an hour later, Meng Chuan finally came to his senses and suddenly realized that time had flown by.

Clicking on the remaining 17 lessons, which cost 180 yuan after a 10% discount, Meng Chuan bought them without hesitation.

He was just a beginner in terms of hard physical training, but after listening to this lesson, he truly gained a lot and sincerely admired it.

"As expected of a professor from a top-tier martial arts university, his skill is absolutely amazing!"

In the Great Chu Kingdom, most well-known martial arts masters hold teaching positions at top martial arts universities.

Each professor and mentor is a master of the art they have cultivated.

This basic theory of external martial arts provides a glimpse into the whole picture. With this in mind, Meng Chuan's determination to be admitted to the Master Class of the North Union University became even stronger.

Meanwhile, at Yuan Huan's home.

With the page fully loaded, Yuan Huan successfully logged onto the dark web, the "Dark World".

His gaze swept quickly across the screen, finally settling on the "Blackwater Service Company" section, and he clicked on it without hesitation.

It is one of the three major scourges of evil in the Great Chu Kingdom, and "money can make the devil turn the millstone"—Blackwater Service Company.

A service category pops up on the page, listed from top to bottom as: [Kidnapping], [Assassination], [Hiring], and [Other Services].

After clicking on the hiring service, Yuan Huan frowned slightly as he looked at the prices and service levels displayed on the screen.

He spent most of the money in his pocket on a set of magical artifacts.

"This is highway robbery! It's fucking too expensive!"

After flipping through the pages for a while, Yuan Huan understood the situation, and a cold smile appeared on his face again.

"Zong He is just a weak and feeble old man from the Ninth Gate. He doesn't have much ability. Add to that the ordinary teachers at the school, and even if something unexpected happens, hiring a Level 3 team should be enough to handle it."

Thinking of this, a cruel glint flashed in Yuan Huan's eyes.

He was fed up with the slow, drawn-out days and was ready to achieve a grandmaster status before flying far away.

A short while later, the computer screen displayed that the transaction was complete.

Yuan Huan activated the demonic seed within him, and in an instant, a thick black mist formed chains that surged from his body and connected to the back of the door.

A moment later, the back door was pushed open, and the Hu brothers quietly appeared.

The two stood before Yuan Huan, their expressions blank, without uttering a word.

"My good disciples, you have worked so hard. Now, your master has an important task for you."

(End of this chapter)