All the gods began by cultivating the Iron Shirt technique.

"Alright, everyone!"

Just as everyone was chatting together in the training ground, a voice rang out from the high platform at the front of the training ground.

The group stopped chatting and turned to look at the high platform ahead. Several figures stood there, the one in the middle being a tall, rough-skinned middle-aged man dressed in black, his posture upright, as imposing as an iron tower. Surrounding him were several guards also dressed in blue, among whom was Shi Yingfeng.

The voice that had just spoken came from that middle-aged man. It was a mystery how he managed to make his voice so clear to everyone from so far away.

"Now that you have joined the Qin family, you will be Qin family guards from now on. I am Zhao Tong, the head guard instructor. I just developed my internal strength a few years ago, and I will be responsible for teaching you martial arts from now on."

The brief statement contained no verbal warning or assertion of authority, but the mere mention of cultivating internal strength was enough to create a deterrent effect.

Although none of the newly recruited guards, except for a few from the Iron River Martial Arts School, had practiced martial arts, they had all heard rumors about martial artists in the martial arts world. Once a martial artist develops internal energy, their strength is no longer comparable to that of an ordinary person.

"Internal strength, I didn't expect Instructor Zhao to have actually cultivated internal strength. I wonder if I could ask him for some guidance?" A senior brother from the Iron River Martial Arts School whispered beside me.

"Give up. Without a unique cultivation method, no matter how much guidance you receive, you will never be able to develop internal strength."

Upon hearing this, the senior student next to him shook his head and said, but his tone was also filled with deep envy.

In the entire Tongjiang County, besides Huang Hui of the Tiehe Martial Arts School, there is now one more martial artist who has cultivated internal strength. Perhaps there is more than one, after all, this is only the Qin family. The Xu family, which can be compared with them, certainly does not lack martial artists like Instructor Zhao, not to mention the county government.

To be able to govern a county and maintain its operation under such circumstances, the Qin and Xu families would not have been so obedient without sufficient armed forces.

However, compared to the others' envy of internal strength, Yang Pan was thinking about the martial arts instruction that Instructor Zhao had mentioned.

After all, even if one eventually masters two levels of Iron Shirt, one will only possess brute strength without any means of combat. However, with Instructor Zhao's guidance, the defense and power of Iron Shirt, combined with combat techniques, will likely be greatly enhanced, significantly increasing one's ability to survive in the upcoming chaotic world.

Without elaborating, Instructor Zhao simply explained the duties of a guard and the rules to be followed before dividing the group into teams.

The Qin family recruited fifty guards in total. Even if all fifty of them were distributed among every courtyard and room of the Qin family, it would be more than enough.

Therefore, the fifty people were divided into two groups. One group was on duty during the day, and the other group was on duty at night. This exchange of personnel ensured the safety of the entire Qin residence to the greatest extent possible.

Yang Pan was assigned to night duty, which meant he could continue cultivating during the day.

After the assignments were completed, everyone got to work. The guards who had been on duty during the day left, and the huge training ground suddenly became empty.

However, the remaining people still did not move. Everyone stood in the training ground in their formation, while only Instructor Zhao remained on the high platform in front.

"As bodyguards, you can't just stand around without some martial arts skills. I know some of you practice martial arts at the martial arts school, but technique and skill are different. Iron Shirt is a skill that increases strength and defense, but only by learning the technique can you release that strength. Alright! Without further ado, starting today I will teach you all swordsmanship!"

"There are hand knives on the two rows of weapon racks; go and get them yourselves."

As Instructor Zhao finished speaking, the crowd dispersed and headed toward the weapon racks placed on both sides.

Yang Pan lifted a longsword with one hand, feeling its weight in his hand and the cool touch of his fingers on the blade. A smile appeared on his lips.

In both his past and present lives, this was the first time he had ever touched such a cold weapon. Weapons like swords, knives, and clubs seemed to possess an innate, indescribable allure for men. Even knowing the current crisis and that wielding a knife meant future bloodshed, Yang Pan still felt an irrepressible excitement.

I twirled the blade in my hand; the knife wasn't heavy, and it fit perfectly in my grip.

After everyone took their weapons, they returned to their original positions. On the high platform, Instructor Zhao glanced around and then, without saying a word, began to practice on the platform.

"A sword for years, a staff for months, a spear for a lifetime, and a precious sword always at hand! Of all weapons, the sword and the staff are the easiest to master. But I don't know staff techniques, so I will teach you sword techniques instead."

Chi!

On the high platform, Instructor Zhao swept his long sword horizontally, the gleaming blade drawing an arc in the air, the sharpened edge faintly emitting a whistling sound, showing its formidable power.

He moved with a flourish, stepping and bending, his body moving with the blade. A long sword flew up and down in his hand, creating a large expanse of bright light. The blade, reflected in the sunlight, enveloped Zhao Jiaotou's figure like a bolt of lightning.

"Chop, sweep, flick, cut, strike, lift, parry, support, thrust, wipe, intercept, press, chop... all kinds of sword techniques are derived from these thirteen basic sword techniques, and today I will teach you these thirteen basic sword moves!"

Buzz!

As the words fell, Instructor Zhao's figure also stopped. The long sword in his hand came to an abrupt halt with the final slash, the entire blade emitting a whistling sound due to the powerful force.

The guards below the stage had their eyes shining. Instructor Zhao's demonstration had shown them the power of swordsmanship, and every move he made filled them with longing. Even Yang Pan was deeply impressed.

Having read many novels in my past life, I always thought that basic cultivation techniques were commonplace and their power was nothing to write home about.

But only after truly encountering these common martial arts techniques can one understand their profound mysteries. Just like the Iron Shirt technique he is currently practicing, although it is not valued by martial arts masters, Yang Pan now sees it as a powerful martial art that can save his life.

The same was true of the basic sword techniques that Instructor Zhao had just demonstrated. Although they were just ordinary thirteen sword techniques, they displayed unparalleled power in his hands.

Yang Pan realized that with his current strength, if he were to go up and fight Instructor Zhao, he would probably be killed instantly with a single blow.

Of course, while this swordsmanship appears powerful, it's possible it was wielded by Instructor Zhao. After all, internal energy is an extremely mysterious thing; once a martial artist possesses internal energy, both their strength and speed will surpass those of ordinary people. This might explain the extraordinary power of the swordsmanship during the demonstration.

Although Yang Pan has not yet developed internal energy, he is still practicing Iron Shirt. It is likely that when he masters Iron Shirt, with the added strength, his basic swordsmanship, even if it doesn't reach the level of Instructor Zhao, will not be too far off.

Although Yang Pan also wanted to learn more advanced techniques, he figured the requirements wouldn't be much easier than becoming a disciple of the Iron River Martial Arts School.

Yang Pan shook his head slightly to dispel the distracting thoughts in his mind, and secretly became alert:

"Aiming too high is not a good thing. Taking it one step at a time is the right way. Right now, the key is to learn the basic sword techniques first."

On the platform, Instructor Zhao had begun practicing again, but this time his movements were much slower. The guards below were mostly ordinary people, so Instructor Zhao couldn't be too fast if he wanted to teach them swordsmanship.

In the crowd, Yang Pan stared intently at Instructor Zhao's movements. He tried his best to replicate every move, from horizontal slashes to vertical strikes, but even so, his movements remained stiff and awkward, like a toddler learning to walk.

However, Yang Pan didn't care. Now he only needed to memorize the sword techniques. As for the details, Instructor Zhao would correct them one by one in the future.

......

Although the situation in Tongjiang County was turbulent, Yang Pan's immediate crisis was temporarily relieved after becoming a bodyguard for the Qin family. The Qin family was indeed a prominent family in the county; even an ordinary bodyguard could earn five taels of silver a month. With this money, Yang Pan no longer had to live a frugal life.

However, Yang Pan also knew that taking this money might be a hot potato. He learned from Shi Yingfeng that the guards usually only received three taels of silver a month. Now, not only had their monthly salary increased, but the Qin family was also providing them with lavish meals. Yang Pan knew that the Qin family was trying to win people over, waiting for the day when the Mongol Tartars would actually attack, and they would be needed to fight for their lives.

However, whether he works hard or not can be put aside for now. At least for now, Yang Pan is a guard for the Qin family, and he performs his patrol duties every day, so he can accept the money without feeling guilty.

......

With war approaching, besides people's livelihoods, the biggest impact will be on prices.

The tuition fee at Tiehe Martial Arts School remained unchanged, but the price of the ointment had increased slightly due to inflation, which inevitably led to a significant drop in Yang Pan's skin resurfacing progress.

Although it was a decline, it only meant he had returned to the same cultivation progress as everyone else. Previously, Yang Pan had no qualms about so-called hidden injuries due to the characteristics of the Longevity Dao Fruit, which led to him cultivating more diligently and quickly, and consequently, his medicinal ointment was consumed faster.

Although the pace has slowed down, his previous training has been effective, and soon his skin-smoothing training will be completed.