All the gods began by cultivating the Iron Shirt technique.

At the Iron River Martial Arts School, the sun was high in the sky, and the blazing sunlight filtered through the old locust tree in the courtyard, casting dappled shadows and bringing a touch of coolness.

Huang Hui sat upright on a stone chair in the shadows, his gaze falling on a few disciples in the courtyard. Nowadays, the number of disciples in the martial arts school is becoming increasingly scarce. Including Yang Pan, who arrived not long ago, there are only six people in total.

With so few members, the profits naturally decreased significantly. However, the martial arts school had been doing quite well over the years, and they had actually accumulated a considerable amount of silver. Huang Hui was recently considering moving away from Tongjiang County.

Although he had fully mastered his father's skills and reached the third level of Iron Shirt, where he could generate internal energy from the outside in, such strength would be considered quite formidable by ordinary martial artists. However, he knew that in the eyes of true masters, such cultivation was merely that of a third-rate martial artist.

With such skill, let alone roaming the martial arts world, even self-preservation would be difficult. This is why Huang Hui chose to inherit the martial arts school instead of venturing into the martial arts world; after all, where is the safety and comfort of running a school and making money compared to fighting and killing?

Unfortunately, although he understood this principle early on, his fellow disciples practicing martial arts in the school probably didn't quite understand it.

They probably still dream of mastering the Iron Shirt technique so they can ride across the land, righting wrongs and upholding justice. Haha, what a bunch of ignorant young people.

However, Huang Hui would not tell these people the truth. If he told them directly that even if they learned Iron Shirt, they would only be third-rate figures in the martial arts world, wouldn't that ruin his own reputation?

After all, everyone in the county knew that his father was someone who could fight Guo Jing, the great hero.

Anyway, they pay for martial arts training at the school, and how well they ultimately learn it is up to their own fate. Besides, everyone has their own interests, and if one person can't master Iron Shirt, someone else can certainly achieve a higher level of proficiency.

After taking a sip of tea, Huang Hui got up and walked into the courtyard.

Yang Pan was still practicing Zhan Zhuang (standing meditation), but compared to a month ago, his Zhan Zhuang skills were now much more proficient. When he stood in Zhan Zhuang, he was like an old tree with deep roots firmly planted in the earth, exuding a stable, solid, and unshakable aura.

Not only that, his chest was also rising and falling with the stance training. Each breath was extremely long and deep. If one was not physically strong, one would probably feel dizzy after only a few breaths.

"It seems that Junior Brother Yang has completely mastered the stance training. Next, he can begin his Iron Shirt training."

Huang Hui's words rang in his ears. Yang Pan suddenly opened his eyes, exhaled the last breath of stale air before ending his stance training, and looked at Huang Hui with a joyful expression:

"Senior Brother Huang, may I begin practicing Iron Shirt Cultivation?"

He couldn't help but be excited, after all, in chaotic times, strength is the foundation of survival. The current situation in the county will probably become completely chaotic before long. Originally, even if Huang Hui hadn't spoken up, Yang Pan was already planning to ask to learn Iron Shirt today.

"Of course, I see that your health has recovered in the past month, so the Iron Shirt training can naturally be put on the agenda."

Huang Hui led Yang Pan to a corner of the courtyard, finally stopping at a spot where several wooden stakes stood.

Yang Pan knew that this was where the other disciples usually practiced. Each of the wooden stakes in front of him was wrapped and bound with rough hemp rope, and the barbs on them were protruding, with traces of blood still visible on them.

"Iron Shirt is an external martial art that aims to toughen the body by using external force to strike, rub, and impact it, making the body harder."

"During this process, the practitioner's body must be strong enough, otherwise a few blows will be too much for them to handle. That's why I had you practice standing meditation to recuperate your body first."

Huang Hui looked at Yang Pan and continued:

"The Iron Shirt technique taught at my Iron River Martial Arts School has two layers. The first layer is skin-grinding. Practitioners first need to use this wooden stake to grind their outer skin until it becomes as tough as cowhide before proceeding to the second layer of striking training."

Skin smoothing?

Yang Pan's gaze returned to the wooden stake; now he understood where the bloodstains came from. But was he really going to just keep grinding it down like that...?

And even if it succeeds, he'll be covered in calluses. Although he doesn't care about his appearance, human skin is fragile, and damage is inevitable during the skin-smoothing process. Forget about cultivation, recovery will take a lot of time.

However, looking at Huang Hui's body, although his skin was relatively rough, he didn't have those thick, grayish-white calluses.

Seeing Yang Pan's confusion, Huang Hui quietly took out a small porcelain bottle from his pocket.

"This is an external medicine to assist in the training of Iron Shirt. External martial arts training is the most harmful to the body. Without the help of this medicine, even if you succeed in the end, you will be left with a lot of illnesses."

In fact, many external martial arts techniques from various schools and sects have been leaked out, but very few people have been able to master them. The reason for this is the lack of the core auxiliary external medicine.

Yang Pan took the small porcelain bottle, uncorked it, and immediately a strong smell of Chinese medicine wafted out, dispelling his doubts. Just as he was about to put the bottle away, Huang Hui's voice came again.

"One bottle, one ounce."

"One ounce! Senior Brother Huang, is this external medicine also charged separately?" Yang Pan looked at Huang Hui, his voice rising slightly.

"Of course, it's not free, is it? This external medicine is made from a combination of various medicinal herbs. Don't be fooled by its small size; it's enough for about ten uses during the skin-resurfacing stage," Senior Brother Huang said irritably as he snatched the bottle.

"Of course, if you buy a few more bottles, I can give you a discount."

Tsk, what a heartless, unscrupulous merchant!

Yang Pan's eyelids twitched violently. He never expected that even after transmigrating, he still couldn't escape the fate of being exploited and oppressed. He had originally thought that the remaining dozen or so taels of silver would last him for a while, but now it seemed that his expectations would have to be lowered again.

Even so, Yang Pan did not intend to give up. After all, you have to be alive to spend the money you earn. Compared to feeling sorry for the money in his hands, Yang Pan valued his life more.

With a heavy heart, Yang Pan took out one or two taels of silver and handed it to Huang Hui. Yang Pan also received the bottle of external medicine. Next, Huang Hui would personally teach him the first level of Iron Shirt Technique, the skin-grinding skill.

Skin smoothing isn't just about randomly rubbing against something like a wild boar scratching an itch; there's a proper technique involved.

For example, when rubbing your skin against a hemp rope, you should stop when you feel your skin getting hot. At this point, you can apply ointment to the rubbed area to maximize the training effect.

The simple steps are not complicated, which is one of the advantages of practicing external martial arts. Unlike internal martial arts, it is not cumbersome and complicated, nor does it require talent. As long as you work hard and are willing to endure hardship, and have enough resources, you will eventually succeed in your practice.

However, this does not mean that external martial arts training is superior to internal martial arts techniques. If that were the case, various schools and sects would not have monopolized internal martial arts techniques and strictly prohibited their leakage.

The reason is that external martial arts have a low ceiling. Even after practicing external martial arts for several years or even more than ten years, one may still not be able to beat a martial artist who has been practicing internal martial arts for a few years. After all, once a martial artist develops internal strength, their strength and speed will far exceed those of ordinary people.

Having transmigrated to a different dynasty, Yang Pan naturally wanted to cultivate internal energy techniques. Unfortunately, due to his age and the limitations of his environment, he could only cultivate Iron Shirt first.

Bang!Bang!

In the courtyard, Yang Pan took off his shirt. After a month of recuperation, some muscle definition had appeared on his body. Although it wasn't quite full and muscular yet, it did exude a sense of strength.

At this moment, under Huang Hui's instruction, he was using his body to strike the wooden stake. Each time he struck, the hemp rope wrapped around it would rub against his skin, leaving faint scratches. After a while, Yang Pan felt his entire upper body become hot and burning, and there were even a few places where blood seeped out because he didn't control his strength well.

"Cultivation also requires a balance of tension and relaxation. From now on, follow this feeling. I'll apply the medicine to your body now. After applying this medicine, you'll feel a strong cooling sensation. Once the cooling sensation completely disappears, it means the medicine's effects have worn off. At this point, rest for two hours before continuing your cultivation."

Huang Hui applied ointment to Yang Pan's body. A clump of ointment the size of a finger joint was evenly spread all over his upper body. Immediately, a strong coolness spread throughout his body. It felt like applying floral water, with a burning pain in the coolness.