From Beggar to Emperor: My Profession Has Its Own Characteristics

Zhou Ping then stepped forward and carefully adjusted Zhao Tiezhu's posture, reaching out to press down on his slumped waist and hips, correcting the angle of his feet and the degree of knee bending.

The time he spent correcting Zhao Tiezhu's movements was significantly longer than when he corrected Zhu Yuan earlier.

Physical constitution is one of the important factors that determine a martial artist's future potential, and comprehension is equally important.

From the initial state of this most basic stance training, Zhou Ping had a general idea in his mind:

Zhu Yuan seems to have a better understanding than Zhao Tiezhu.

"For your first time practicing Zhan Zhuang (standing meditation), the main thing is to see how long you can hold the position and feel the key points." Zhou Ping took two steps back, his gaze calmly sweeping over the two of them. "Let's begin now."

After saying this, Zhou Ping stood with his hands behind his back in front of Zhu Yuan and Zhao Tiezhu, watching quietly without saying another word.

Less than a quarter of an hour had passed.

Zhao Tiezhu's legs had begun to tremble slightly uncontrollably, but he gritted his teeth and refused to utter a sound.

His face was flushed red, and fine beads of sweat appeared on his forehead. The veins on his neck bulged out, like several twisted earthworms wriggling under his skin.

For Zhu Yuan, this period felt even longer and more arduous than transporting twenty shipments of goods continuously at the dock.

Fortunately, the physical enhancements he gained from his job as a porter made him more composed than Zhao Tiezhu when facing static endurance tests.

Without the advantages of his profession, his legs would be shaking much more violently than Zhao Tiezhu's right now.

For an ordinary person like Zhao Tiezhu, who was trying this for the first time, it's quite remarkable that he's been able to persist for so long.

Zhou Ping's originally calm gaze gradually revealed a hint of surprise.

Zhao Tiezhu's condition was better than he had expected, after all, it was their first time practicing standing meditation.

Zhu Yuan's performance was something he hadn't expected at all; he had actually managed to hold on until now, and his posture was still relatively stable.

"Zhao Tiezhu, don't push yourself too hard," Zhou Ping reminded him at the right moment. "It's normal for your legs to shake, but if you feel pain in your knees, get up immediately to avoid injuring your bones."

At this moment, Zhao Tiezhu really wanted to respond, but he felt that once he opened his mouth, the breath he was holding in would be released.

He caught a glimpse of Zhu Yuan beside him out of the corner of his eye. Although Zhu Yuan's forehead was covered in sweat and his breathing was a little heavy, he still maintained his posture steadily and showed no sign of giving up.

"Zhu Yuan is still persisting... How can I just give up like this?"

A thought flashed through Zhao Tiezhu's mind, and he clenched his teeth even tighter.

Seeing this, Zhou Ping simply nodded slightly and did not urge him further.

He has five years of experience in instructing disciples, and with his keen eye, he can intervene in time to stop Zhao Tiezhu if he tries to push himself to the point of injury.

As time went by.

Zhao Tiezhu's legs went from trembling slightly to shaking noticeably, and then gradually became stiff. His two thighs felt like they were filled with heavy lead, hard and heavy, and he almost lost all feeling in them.

Large beads of sweat streamed down his flushed cheeks, dripping onto the ground in front of him and leaving dark dots.

"Alright, that's good enough for your first time," Zhou Ping said at the right moment, extending his hand to Zhao Tiezhu, who was almost unable to hold on.

Zhao Tiezhu felt as if he had been granted a pardon. He immediately relaxed his tense posture, grabbed Zhou Ping's outstretched hand with both hands, and with Zhou Ping's help, slowly stood up. After standing up, he couldn't help but exhale a long breath.

At this moment, Zhu Yuan still persisted.

It took about 15 minutes after Zhu Yuan started practicing Zhan Zhuang (standing meditation) before his legs began to tremble noticeably.

Unlike his treatment of Zhao Tiezhu, Zhou Ping did not immediately call a halt this time.

He stepped forward, reached out and pressed on Zhu Yuan's lower back, thighs and other key areas, and then felt the stability of his body and the way he exerted force. He couldn't help but be secretly amazed.

Judging from the subtle reactions in Zhu Yuan's muscles and the traces of his initial adjustment, he had indeed never practiced standing meditation before.

"You're quite the porter," Zhou Ping said, withdrawing his hand and looking at Zhu Yuan.

"At the dock, everyone says I'm amazing, and they even think I've secretly learned martial arts," Zhu Yuan replied with a somewhat forced smile during a moment of rest.

"Oh, right," Zhou Ping said, remembering something, "how do you use your waist when you carry loads?"

Zhu Yuan thought for a moment and replied, "Keep it tense...you have to keep it tense, you can't relax, but you can't be too stiff either."

"When practicing Zhan Zhuang (standing meditation), there are actually similarities in how you use your waist."

As Zhou Ping spoke, he reached out and gently patted Zhu Yuan's lower back to help adjust the slight curve.

"Don't collapse, and don't deliberately stand too straight; just maintain a natural upright posture."

Remember, the force should originate from the soles of your feet, travel through your calves and thighs, reach your waist, then your back, and finally flow into your arms.

When you carry a bag, the force presses down from your shoulders; when you practice standing meditation, it's the opposite—the force pushes up from the soles of your feet. You need to find that pushing feeling.

At this moment, following Zhou Ping's train of thought and guidance, Zhu Yuan tried to focus more on the soles of his feet to experience the subtle feeling of power rising from the ground.

Surprisingly, when he focused his mind on this, his legs, which had been trembling incessantly, seemed to stabilize somewhat, and the amplitude of the shaking decreased significantly.

Zhu Yuan was immediately overjoyed.

He had a solid foundation due to the nature of his profession as a porter, and experienced senior brothers like Zhou Ping provided guidance and instruction.

He felt that this was his first time practicing standing meditation, and he had to try his best to hold the position for at least 45 minutes.

Once this thought arose, the slight wavering that had arisen due to exhaustion was suppressed by a new surge of energy.

Time passed little by little.

As time went on, Zhu Yuan felt that time was passing more and more slowly, and each breath felt exceptionally long.

His legs felt as if they were being pricked by countless fine needles, the tingling and numb sensation spreading from the soles of his feet all the way to his thighs. His body swayed slightly involuntarily, and beads of sweat rolled down his forehead, soaking his collar.

Zhu Yuan only chose to give up when his body was about to lose control if he continued.

He stopped forcing himself, relaxed his waist and hips, and slowly straightened his stiff legs, ending his stance.

Seeing this, Zhou Ping nodded. If Zhu Yuan didn't give up at this point, he would have to step in to stop him.

Without the aid of good medicine to aid recovery, one should not over-practice martial arts, lest it damage one's foundation.

Zhu Yuan had to go to the dock to earn money in the afternoon. With such a family background, let alone the best medicine, they might not even be able to afford the most common blood-activating and stasis-removing medicine.

"Very good! It's been more than 15 minutes and a half." Zhou Ping stepped forward, his gaze towards Zhu Yuan now showing more appreciation.

call--

After finishing his standing meditation, Zhu Yuan kept adjusting himself.

A quarter of an hour is fifteen minutes. He had already spent nearly forty minutes on his first standing meditation session, which was a much better result than he had expected.

Despite his exhaustion, he felt a surge of satisfaction.

"When you stand at the basic pile for half an hour, you've entered the basics."

Zhu Yuan, you have a very good foundation and excellent comprehension. If you continue like this and work a little harder, you'll reach the entry-level standard very quickly.