I was told I'd be a late bloomer, but I was born with the potential to achieve great things!

"Resources, rankings?"

Among the crowd, Zhou An looked at the rows of stone locks in the square with obvious astonishment in his eyes.

Is the Seven Mysteries Sect really going all out?

First, there were plenty of meat and rice dishes in the canteen, and now they want to provide cultivation resources through rankings. It's really too absurd.

After all, lunch alone costs a lot of money.

Zhou An was somewhat puzzled and also felt uneasy.

He wasn't sure whether the Seven Mysteries Sect genuinely wanted to cultivate disciples or was urgently creating a batch of cannon fodder to rush to the front lines.

If you don't understand, just ask.

Zhou An felt he wouldn't be able to practice martial arts with peace of mind until he figured these things out.

But he was even more unwilling to watch the resources slip through his fingers.

After what happened this morning, Zhou An had truly confirmed that he was very likely a martial arts genius, and that to master martial arts, he needed sufficient resources.

Otherwise, if he continues to go hungry, no matter how talented he is, he will eventually fade into obscurity among the crowd.

In their haste, they might even train themselves to death.

After all, Zhou An's training efficiency was too high. What would take an ordinary person a month to learn a boxing technique, he could master by practicing it ten times with all his might.

"May I ask, Instructor Guo, what kind of cultivation resources do those ranked higher receive?"

Before Zhou An could speak, a young man in fine clothes in the front row had already asked a question.

"As I said this morning, the most important thing for a martial artist is qi and blood, and the simplest way to enhance qi and blood is through diet."

"Eat well, drink well, rest well, and combine that with professional boxing techniques, and you will be able to quickly enhance your energy and physical strength in a short period of time."

This time, Guo Tao, as the head coach, did not reprimand him, but spoke solemnly.

"Having meat at every meal is just the most basic guarantee for practicing martial arts. Above that, there are medicinal meals and even blood-nourishing powders that specifically enhance qi and blood."

One serving of medicinal cuisine is equivalent to 10 meals of ordinary meat, and one serving of blood-nourishing powder is equivalent to 10 servings of medicinal cuisine.

Some of you may not understand what I mean.

But all you need to know is that if an ordinary person eats meat and practices martial arts, it would take three months to be able to sense the flow of qi and blood.

So if the meat is replaced with medicinal cuisine, then perhaps it will only take a month to achieve success in cultivation.

As for the more potent blood-replenishing powder, that's a precious substance that only those of you who have sensed the flow of qi and blood are qualified to refine.

At this point, Guo Tao raised his right index finger and said loudly.

"To ensure fairness, all those who rank in the top 10 of this weightlifting event will receive an extra serving of medicinal cuisine every day thereafter as a form of nourishment."

This medicinal meal is worth one tael of silver.

A single serving of medicinal cuisine is worth one tael of silver!

In Ningshan City, a family of three only needs half a tael of silver a month for living expenses.

Thinking of this, Zhou An's breathing suddenly became rapid.

"We must find a way to break into the top ten."

At that moment, Zhou An made up his mind.

Taking first place would attract a lot of attention and could very well make you a casualty, but being in the top ten wouldn't be so noticeable.

Even so, Zhou An still had some doubts.

Is it unfair that the top 10 teams receive the same reward?

"My name is Qian Ming, and I'm in charge of registering for this weightlifting event. Everyone whose name I call should come forward immediately."

If someone fails to appear more than three times without a valid reason, it means they have forfeited their participation, and they will be expelled from the Seven Mysteries Sect.

记住，石锁的重量分别是50斤、80斤、100斤、150斤，另外每一块石锁上还可以各放置10斤的石饼。

All you need to do is assume a horse stance like I am and lift it up with the strength of your arms.

If you can hold this position for three breaths, you have succeeded.

Perhaps some of you are worried that having multiple people lift the same stone lock will make it impossible to discern each other's abilities.

But with Coach Guo around, you don't need to worry about this.

As soon as he finished speaking, Qian Ming immediately put down the stone lock in his hand, took out the roster from his clothes, and said loudly.

"Zhang Yi."

As soon as he finished speaking, a burly young man stepped forward.

Then this person followed suit, stood in a horse stance in front of the 50-pound stone lock, and lifted it up by passing through the stone bar in the middle of the lock with both arms.

During this time, head coach Guo Tao observed his expression and occasionally touched his arms. Finally, he even placed a 10-pound stone disc directly on the stone lock.

Only when the veins on the man's arms were bulging and his face was contorted with rage did he take the stone lock from the man's hand with one hand.

"Your arm strength is good, but your stance is unstable, and you don't know how to use your waist to generate power. You need to work on that."

After saying that, Guo Tao announced loudly amidst the other party's grateful gaze.

"Zhang Yi, stone weight, 68 jin."

"Is this what a martial artist is like? To be able to accurately judge a person's arm strength simply by observing their expressions and the time it takes to lift weights. Truly remarkable."

In the crowd, Zhou An looked thoughtfully at the second person to step forward.

He wasn't sure if this method was truly accurate, but judging from Guo Tao's guidance to Zhang Yi...

This test is not just a superficial ranking, but more of a preliminary assessment of each person's qualifications.

"Li Mu, 52 jin of stone lock."

Soon, the second person's test results came out.

"Zhao Wu, 58 jin of stone lock."

"Qian San, 62 jin of stone lock."

"Sun Shi, stone lock, 66 jin."

"..."

As time went by, the seventeen- or eighteen-year-old boys all tested their initial arm strength.

After some analysis, Zhou An concluded that the average person's arm strength is roughly between 50 and 70 jin.

"I wonder how many kilograms my arms can hold?"

As Zhou An watched the teenagers finish their tests, he felt a sense of anticipation.

Although he, like everyone else, was learning martial arts for the first time, judging from Guo Tao's previous guidance to other young people...

While lifting the stone lock relies primarily on the strength of the arms, a strong horse stance and the power generated from the waist can also provide a certain advantage.

"Next, Zhou An."

"It's finally my turn."

Upon hearing this, Zhou An immediately stepped forward and approached the 50-jin stone lock.

With a firm stance, he passed his arms through the stone lock.

After briefly assessing the weight of the stone lock, Zhou An took a deep breath, clenched his fists tightly, and lifted the stone lock up as the veins on his arms bulged.

"Um?"

Guo Tao, who was standing to the side, had a sudden glint in his eye. Having seen so many idiots, the sudden appearance of someone who seemed to be fluent caught his attention.

Seeing that Zhou An seemed to be able to hold on, they immediately added a 10-pound stone cake and began to knead and explore his arm.

Zhou An's face turned bright red. In just about four breaths, he felt as if his arms weighed a thousand pounds and began to go numb.

Fortunately, at the critical moment, Guo Tao caught the stone lock with one hand, which allowed him to breathe a sigh of relief.

"It's a bit raw, but overall it's okay. I'll eat more meat next time."

Guo Tao commented.

"Thank you, Coach Guo."

Zhou An bowed and left.

"Zhou An, 67 jin... Next, Zhang San!"

"67 jin (38.5 catties), this number already ranks in the top ten among those who have been there before."

Zhou An thought to himself as he walked into the crowd.

However, nearly half of the people have not yet been tested, so we cannot be careless.

"67 jin (38.5 catties). Although this person's face is unremarkable, his arm strength far surpasses that of us."

At this moment, a horse-faced boy in the crowd grinned and said, his eyes full of envy.

Upon hearing this, everyone around him gasped and scrutinized him until Zhou An's figure merged into the crowd, at which point the oppressive atmosphere gradually dissipated.

"Qian Youde, 96 jin (76.5 catties)."

Just then, a loud shout came from the stage.

The crowd looked in the direction of the sound and saw a young man in fine clothes walking down from the stage with an arrogant and smug expression.

"Hmph, a bunch of country bumpkins I've never met before."

If you knew my actual arm strength exceeded 100 pounds, your eyes would probably pop out.

Amidst the shocked gazes of the audience, Qian Youde walked towards a group of elegantly dressed young men.

These people may not have come from wealthy and privileged families, but most of them were descendants of gentry and merchants, with some members of their families studying literature and others practicing martial arts.

Seeing the disdain in everyone's eyes, he realized that they were looking at him with disdain.

Do you think you, a mere poor kid, can compete with us?

……