Gou Zai Wudao Shi Lian Shen

evening.

The boys finally finished their day's practice.

As soon as Senior Brother Chen Chong shouted "End the practice," the young men who had been standing in the stance suddenly seemed to have their bones removed, swaying and staggering. Some sat down on the ground with a thud, while others held their knees and gasped for breath.

Practicing the Panlong Zhuang Gong (a type of martial art) is extremely grueling.

Practice in the early morning, practice in the morning, and practice again in the afternoon.

After a whole day, my shoulders and back felt like they had been ground down by a millstone all night, my waist and hips were sore and stiff, and my legs were numb and swollen, as if they no longer belonged to me.

Lu Chen was also feeling bad.

He slowly retracted the stakes, feeling a tightness in his chest. Sweat streamed down his temples, and his clothes were soaked and dried repeatedly, clinging to his body uncomfortably.

But there was a calmness in his eyes that was more than others.

[Panlong Stance Exercise: Not Yet Entered]

[Progress: 32/100]

After a day of hard practice, I made a few more progress points.

This made Lu Chen feel that at least he hadn't been working in vain.

"Brother Lu Chen, let's go. If we don't go to the cafeteria soon, all the good meat will be gone."

Lu Yuan dragged his weak legs over, urging him on, but he walked with a limp.

Lu Chen glanced at him and couldn't help but ask, "Are your legs alright?"

Lu Yuan grimaced and rubbed his thigh.

"What are you doing? It's almost broken."

As he spoke, he couldn't help but swallow again.

"But when I think of that bowl of meat soup in the cafeteria, I feel like I can still walk."

The two walked together toward the canteen.

As I passed by the outer corridor, I happened to run into a young man.

The young man was about seventeen or eighteen years old. He was wearing a gray short shirt, typical of outer courtyard disciples, with a cloth belt around his waist. He wasn't particularly burly, but he was much more robust than Lu Chen and the other village boys.

He is Guo Sheng, a senior student from the Foreign Languages ​​Department.

They arrived at Canglong Martial Arts School six months earlier than Lu Chen and his group.

"Junior Brother Lu Chen, Junior Brother Lu Yuan."

Guo Sheng greeted him with a smile.

Lu Chen stopped and cupped his hands in greeting.

"Senior Brother Guo."

Lu Yuan quickly called out, "Senior Brother Guo."

Guo Sheng walked over with a smile, his gaze sweeping over the two of them, and inquired, "I heard that among your group of newcomers, there's a genius who mastered the Panlong Stance in just three days?"

Lu Chen nodded. "Yes, Senior Brother Guo."

"It's Shi Hao from Shiqiao Village."

Lu Yuan added with considerable envy:

"Shi Hao is really lucky."

"I heard the master wants to take him as his true disciple, just waiting for him to break through to the Blood Transformation Realm and become a martial artist!"

"The owner even granted him the special privilege of receiving a bowl of tiger bone tonic soup from the pharmacy every day!"

At this point, Lu Yuan's eyes lit up, and he couldn't help but lean closer to ask, "Senior Brother Guo, you've been at the martial arts school for half a year now. Have you tried this tiger bone strengthening soup?"

"Is it good?"

Guo Sheng's expression shifted slightly upon hearing this: "Tiger bone tonic soup?"

"It seems the owner really values ​​this kid named Shi Hao."

Lu Yuan was taken aback. "Is this herbal medicine very expensive?"

Guo Sheng did not answer immediately, but slowly said, "Tiger Bone Strengthening Soup is a good medicine specially made in the pharmacy for nourishing the blood and qi of martial arts practitioners and animals."

"It contains tiger bone, old ginseng rootlets, blood vine, deer tendon, and several medicinal herbs that warm and nourish the bones and muscles."

"One bowl a day, and you'll earn at least three taels of silver a month."

"Three taels of silver?"

Lu Yuan's voice changed.

He instinctively stopped in his tracks, his eyes wide with shock.

Lu Chen couldn't help but feel a jolt in his heart.

Three taels of silver.

This is no small sum for a boy from a mountain village.

Many families in Lujia Village work hard all year round, but after deducting food, clothing and other necessities, they may not be able to save a single tael of silver.

In years of famine, forget about saving money; just not being in debt is considered a success.

Three taels of silver is enough for a family to buy a lot of grain, and can even allow an ordinary mountain village family to get through the whole winter comfortably.

However, in the martial arts school, there was only enough for Shi Hao to drink tiger bone strengthening soup for a month.

"Just a bowl of herbal soup, and it's so expensive?" Lu Yuan was astonished.

Guo Sheng smiled, his tone carrying the insight that only a senior disciple possessed.

"You think practicing martial arts is just about gritting your teeth and enduring it?"

"You've all felt it these past few days practicing the Panlong stance. Martial arts are extremely taxing on your qi and blood. If you only practice without replenishing it, your body will be completely drained sooner or later."

"Ordinary rice can only fill your stomach, but meat can give you strength."

"If I really want to break through to the next level and obtain blood, eating meat alone isn't enough."

"We still need to rely on medicine to nourish the blood and energy that have been honed by stance training and boxing."

He paused, his tone becoming meaningful, "The meals the canteen provides you each day can at most ensure you don't go hungry."

"Shi Hao drinks a bowl of tiger bone tonic soup every day, which helps him recover his blood and energy faster and grow stronger muscles and bones."

"You train for the same amount of time, and after a good night's sleep, you still have backaches and leg pains the next day."

"If he drinks a bowl of medicinal soup, he might be able to practice a couple more times tomorrow."

"That's the difference."

Lu Chen's expression shifted slightly upon hearing this.

After hearing Guo Sheng's explanation, he finally understood what that bowl of tiger bone strengthening soup really meant.

"No wonder Senior Brother Chen Chong said before that martial artists are all sickly."

"The benefits of drug use are enormous!"

Guo Sheng then said, "However, breaking through to the Blood Realm is not so easy."

"Dietary supplements, medicinal supplements, talent, innate constitution, hard work, and even luck... all are indispensable!"

"Although Shi Hao has shown considerable talent, he will need more money to buy medicine if he wants to go further on the path of martial arts!"

"One bowl of tiger bone soup is far from enough."

Lu Chen pressed Guo Sheng for an answer: "Senior Brother Guo, are there many others in the martial arts school like Shi Hao who receive daily herbal medicine from the pharmacy?"

Guo Sheng glanced at Lu Chen, smiled, and said, "Not much."

"Among the outer disciples, almost no one receives this treatment."

"As for the inner court disciples, because they hold official positions and receive offerings from other family forces, it is not a problem for them to drink a bowl of body-strengthening soup every day."

"However, as their skill level increases and their martial arts training deepens, the body-strengthening soup becomes less and less effective for them."

"If the inner disciples want to advance further, the Body Strengthening Soup alone is not enough; they also need a higher-quality Blood and Qi Powder."

Upon hearing this, Lu Chen couldn't help but feel that practicing martial arts was a bottomless pit.

As you become stronger, the quality of the tonics you need will also improve significantly.

No amount of money could fill it up.

At this point, Guo Sheng muttered to himself again, "However, the fact that the martial arts school can produce such a promising talent as Shi Hao is also good news for the rest of us disciples..."

After dinner, Lu Chen and Lu Yuan returned to the dormitory-style dormitory in the outer courtyard.

They are currently only nominal disciples of the martial arts school, and everyone has to squeeze onto a large communal bed.

Shi Hao, on the other hand, was moved to a private room because he was appreciated by the owner.

The next day.

A rooster's crow woke all the boys.

"Oh no, I have to get up and practice again!"

"Ouch, my back..."

"I can't take it anymore, I can't get up. I'm not practicing martial arts anymore, I want to go home!"

The continuous practice of stance training had left everyone with aches and pains, and some people were already having second thoughts and were considering giving up.

"I want to take the martial arts exam; I want to become a martial arts scholar!"

At this moment, Ma Sanjin roared and climbed out of bed.

His shout gave many teenagers who wanted to give up a boost of confidence and a reason to keep going.

Everyone got up one after another and rushed to the training ground to practice their skills.