Gou Zai Wu Dao Chao Shi Xing Nian Da Gong

It was midnight, inside the bedroom.

Zhou Fugan performed the complete Hammer Cloud Stance Technique once, and a new prompt immediately appeared on the virtual interface.

"Host, you are practicing the Hammer Cloud Stance Technique. Effects: It mobilizes the body's potential, absorbs external nutrients, and tempers the body."

The cost: Diligent study and rigorous training, pushing the body to its limits, caused hidden injuries.

"An exemption can be activated without incurring a cost, while retaining its effectiveness."

In an instant, he learned the complete Hammer Cloud Stance Technique and mastered it to perfection.

Zhou Fugan moved swiftly, unleashing the entire set of stance training techniques. Every gesture and movement possessed a unique charm, perfectly natural. Even within the Hammer Cloud Martial Arts School, perhaps only Master Chen could rival this level.

After completing one round of cultivation, Zhou Fugan felt a significantly stronger heat flow throughout his body, and the strengthening effect on his body was significantly enhanced.

He looked at the virtual interface.

"Hammer Cloud Stance Method: Beginner (4/300)".

The maximum progress value is now displayed. And the progress has increased by two points.

"Just as I expected!"

Zhou Fugan's heart skipped a beat.

Previously, practicing the first six forms of the Hammer Cloud Stance Technique required three repetitions to increase progress by one point, while the complete Hammer Cloud Stance Technique increases progress by one point with each repetition. He just practiced it twice, increasing his progress by two points. His efficiency tripled.

However, while the cultivation was highly effective, it also consumed a great deal of energy. After only practicing the complete stance twice, he already felt extremely hungry.

Zhou Fugan had prepared for this; some food was laid out on the table: three coarse flatbreads and a plate of stir-fried vegetables.

He finished all the food in one go and then continued his cultivation.

After practicing three more times, I finally couldn't hold on any longer. I was exhausted and hungry, so I had to rest.

Practicing martial arts is extremely taxing, so martial artists must eat well, ideally with meat and plenty of oil at every meal, so they won't get hungry after only a few training sessions like him. For example, Zhou Sheng's martial arts school provides breakfast and lunch, which are very oily and nutritious, helping him sustain his energy expenditure.

Moreover, as an old man, he was already in poor health, so he needed to take supplements.

Zhou Fugan was somewhat helpless about this. There was nothing he could do; his family had no money, and if they ate lavish meals for more than a few days, they would starve.

"This isn't slow either. Once I break through the skin barrier, making money will be much easier."

Zhou Fugan looked at the Hammer Cloud Stance technique, which had gained three more points of progress, and thought to himself.

According to Zhou Sheng, the Hammer Cloud Stance Technique corresponds to the three stages of body tempering. The first stage, from beginner to minor success, is the Skin Membrane Stage. Only when one's cultivation reaches the limit of the beginner stage can one be considered qualified to challenge the Skin Membrane Stage.

If you can increase your progress by five points every day, you can reach the requirement to break through the skin barrier in just two months.

.....

Next, Zhou Fugan tried to improve his meals, occasionally buying some cheap offal to eat.

This stuff has a strong, fishy smell that can't be masked without spices, but it's also very oily and nutritious. It greatly helped his cultivation.

A month has passed in the blink of an eye.

The small shop of the tailor shop became the base for Zhou Fugan and his grandson to practice the Hammer Cloud Stance Technique. Every evening, Zhou Guangcheng would leave, making room for the grandfather and grandson. Li Qiuhua would also pull Zhou He away to prevent him from peeking.

On this day, inside the tailor shop, Zhou Sheng earnestly practiced the Hammer Cloud Stance Technique. His movements were quite skillful, clearly showing that he had put in a lot of effort.

Zhou Fugan stood aside, watching with a serious expression, occasionally pointing out some problems in Zhou Sheng's cultivation.

He had already mastered the Hammer Cloud Stance Technique to a perfect level, while Zhou Sheng was merely a beginner, so in his eyes it was naturally full of flaws. However, he did not point out all the problems, but only pointed out some superficial issues suitable for Zhou Sheng's current stage of practice.

The two had vastly different levels of understanding of the cultivation technique. Even if he pointed out some of the deeper issues, Zhou Sheng wouldn't be able to grasp them. Only after he had practiced diligently for a period of time and gained a deeper understanding of the technique could he offer any help.

After Zhou Sheng corrected a few minor mistakes, Zhou Fugan called for a halt.

"Alright, Sheng'er. That's enough for today. Your cultivation is quite good; you've already mastered the Hammer Cloud Stance Technique."

Zhou Fugan patted Zhou Sheng on the shoulder approvingly.

"Hehe, okay."

Zhou Sheng scratched his head and chuckled. He had clearly grown taller, his shoulders and back broad and muscular, beginning to develop into a more robust and powerful figure. This was the outward manifestation of his training in the Hammer Cloud Stance Technique. The Hammer Cloud Fist is a powerful and forceful style of boxing, and a strong and robust body can better unleash its power.

Zhou Fugan's cultivation progressed slightly faster than Zhou Sheng's. His originally thin physique had become more robust and muscular, though not as noticeably as Zhou Sheng's; it was practically invisible when he was dressed. After all, he was an old man, long past the age of growth and development, so the changes wouldn't be too significant.

"Sit down and tell me about what happened today."

Zhou Fugan pointed to the chair, then lay down on the recliner next to him.

"it is good."

"Today, Senior Brother Liu praised my stance training, saying that I'm ready to start practicing fighting techniques."

Zhou Sheng sat down and said with a hint of excitement.

"Oh?"

Zhou Fugan's spirits lifted.

Stance training primarily enhances cultivation level, offering little benefit in combat. Only by learning fighting techniques can one improve their combat abilities.

For example, if he doesn't know any fighting techniques, he can only rely on his superior physical strength to overpower ordinary people, and cannot easily defeat them with minimal effort. However, if he encounters a skilled fighter, even if their physical abilities are similar, he will be easily defeated.

Zhou Fugan instructed, "Learn from Liu tomorrow. As the saying goes, 'The early bird catches the worm.' Since we don't have the best aptitude, we need to learn and practice more as soon as possible."

"Grandpa is right," Zhou Sheng agreed wholeheartedly.

Then, he hesitated for a moment and said, "There's something else today. A senior brother surnamed Zhang came to me privately and said that he can get cheap tonics. They are slightly less effective than those from the martial arts school, but much cheaper, only two hundred copper coins a dose."

"Really? You didn't buy it, did you?"

Upon hearing this, Zhou Fugan frowned and quickly asked.

Zhou Sheng shook his head. "No, I think there must be something wrong with something like this."

Zhou Fugan praised, "You did the right thing. In this world, good things can't possibly fall on the heads of us poor people. If they do, there must be trouble hidden behind them."

Then, he stared at Zhou Sheng for a moment and asked, "Sheng'er, have you encountered any problems with your cultivation recently?"

Zhou Sheng hesitated for a moment, then nodded and replied, "Yes, my cultivation progress has slowed down significantly recently. I practice the Hammer Cloud Stance Technique with all my might every day, but I don't feel much improvement in my cultivation. Senior Brother Liu said that if I don't take any tonics, I'm afraid I won't be able to break through to the Skin Membrane Barrier within six months."

Zhou Fugan remained silent upon hearing this.

He had also encountered this problem. His progress in the Hammer Cloud Stance Technique was now more than halfway complete, but the progress points he gained from each practice session had decreased significantly. At the beginning, he gained one progress point for each practice session, but now it took two sessions to gain one progress point, and recently there has even been a continued downward trend.

He guessed it was related to his bone structure.

His natural talent might be even lower than Zhou Sheng's. If it weren't for the cheat's ability to forcibly preserve the effects of cultivation, his cultivation progress would probably be far behind Zhou Sheng's.

According to Liu Cheng's common sense about martial arts, the progress of body tempering depends on two things: physical constitution and the effects of supplements.

The better one's inherent qualities, the faster the progress and the higher the improvement.

Those with poor aptitude progress more slowly, especially as their cultivation level increases, the pace slows and the progress diminishes. Diligent study and arduous practice yielding meager results is extremely discouraging. Countless martial artists with poor aptitude have succumbed to this torment and given up on further training.

Solving this problem isn't difficult; one can simply take supplements to aid cultivation and maintain a normal cultivation speed. However, this requires a large amount of money.

There's an old saying: "The poor study literature, the rich study martial arts." That's what it means.

We absolutely have to make money!

Zhou Fugan pondered for a moment, then said to Zhou Sheng, "Sheng'er, find out about the medicine your senior brother Zhang sells. See how effective it is and what potential risks it might have!"

"good!"

Zhou Sheng nodded. He had been thinking the same thing, since he couldn't afford the martial arts school's "Hammer Skin Soup." If Senior Brother Zhang's wild medicine wasn't too outrageous, he planned to buy some and try it.