Dragon City High School.
After the Heavenly Pile class, it was a free time for cultivation.
Yu Zheng, with his hands clasped behind his back, patrolled among a group of students, their faces twisted in pain, drenched in sweat. He noticed that Lu Chenzhou had finished his stance work and had begun a new position.
This position, why does it look like Hard Qi Gong?
He observed for a moment, his eyebrows knitting slightly.
He approached Chenzhou and asked,
"Chenzhou, where did you learn this ’Arhat Skill’?"
"Reporting, I learned it at the Martial Arts Hall."
Yu Zheng gestured with his hand and said,
The classmates watched as Chenzhou was summoned away by the teacher.
"Why is Chenzhou thinking about practicing Hard Qi Gong?"
"Don’t know, probably just for fun."
Liu Huan also expressed his doubts,
"What’s been going on with Chenzhou lately? He seems like a different person."
"Chenzhou, was the ’Arhat Skill’ taught by Ji Xuantong?"
Yu Zheng stood there, calmly watching Lu Chenzhou.
"Chenzhou, you must not slack off just because your cultivation has improved quickly recently... It’s not that I don’t want you to learn Hard Qi Gong, it’s just truly unnecessary."
"You know and yet you still learn it?"
"I’m just trying it out. It won’t delay my regular fist practice. I’ve calculated that, besides my daily homework and necessary rest, I still have half an hour of leisure time. I used to spend it scrolling through my phone and reading news. Now, I have decided to use it for practicing Hard Qi Gong."
"Why are you so persistent about Hard Qi Gong?"
"My thinking is that with Hard Qi Gong by my side, and if I buy a good set of bulletproof clothing later on, I won’t get hurt in an attack like the last one."
Yu Zheng realized that Lu Chenzhou lacked a sense of security. Indeed, he had once walked through the Ghost Gate. If he hadn’t been strong enough, he would have been the one to fall that day.
Seeing Chenzhou’s resolute gaze, he said,
"Try it then. If it doesn’t work, give it up. Half an hour of leisure time is important too; a martial artist’s mind can’t always be tense. Relaxation is essential!"
"Thank you, teacher. If I see no effects, I’ll give it up immediately."
"Right, practicing Hard Qi Gong requires impact training – something that needs assistance. Have you thought of a solution?"
"I plan to look online for Hard Qi Gong teachers."
Yu Zheng was silent for a moment, then said,
"Go find Teacher Hong Fu. I recall he once wanted to practice Hard Qi Gong but gave up quickly... however, he bought a Cross Training Robot which is now gathering dust."
"Thank you for the guidance, teacher!"
Chenzhou was filled with gratitude.
Although the teachers weren’t very hopeful about him, they genuinely had his best interests at heart.
"Go on then, and I hope your ’Tiger Supreme Fist’ will be proficient by the summer examinations. If you can Breakthrough Fifth Rank by the end of the year, then you’ll be able to secure your position on the Key Focus List."
With half a year left, he believed in himself... and the Martial Arts Tree.
Hong Fu clenched his fists, his body tense, his muscles and bones making a symphony of sounds, the dust and debris on the floor trembling faintly along with the deafening sound of a tiger’s roar.
This was his Martial Arts Strong Sound "Tiger Roar Mountain Forest"!
He called out to the outside of the door.
Lu Chenzhou walked in and said,
"Teacher, I’d like to practice Hard Qigong."
Hong Fu was also slightly taken aback, but then he regained his composure and asked, Find the newest release on novel⟡fire.net
"Which cultivation technique have you learned?"
"Teacher, I need to borrow your Cross Training Robot."
"Alright, follow me."
Hong Fu didn’t inquire why Lu Chenzhou wanted to learn Hard Qigong.
He believed Ji Xuantong and Yu Zheng must have already warned him and respected his decision. In fact, he was also curious about what achievements this student, who had brought him some surprises, would reach if he pursued Hard Qigong.
In the storage room of the Martial Arts Room,
Hong Fu walked out holding an object almost as tall as him, lifted the dust cover from it, and revealed a cylindrical black machine that resembled a Wooden Dummy. It had many mechanical arms, the ends of which were wrapped in rubber.
"This is ’Little Cross.’ It’s an intelligent civilian robot designed and produced by Divine Martial Technology in the early years, specifically for facilitating Hard Qigong training. Since the market is not large, it was discontinued quite early. I’ll give you the manual, you can figure it out on your own.
It’s called intelligent, but it really isn’t much better than some hotel meal delivery robots, practically idiotic. I didn’t have the patience to tinker with it and hired someone to help me train. As someone who has been through it, I neither support nor oppose your training in Hard Qigong.
In any case, if you can master it, it will definitely be beneficial."
Lu Chenzhou stroked the dust-covered robot and smiled,
"Thank you, teacher. I’ll take it to my dormitory. If you need it, let me know, and I’ll bring it back. It won’t interfere with my regular cultivation."
"Hmm, Hard Qigong causes significant damage to the body. After your impact resistance training, apply medicine promptly. Go directly to the medical room and buy a box of ’Black Jade No. 1’ ointment for 2000 yuan. It offers the best cost-performance ratio. I don’t recommend the more expensive ones; don’t scrimp on this money!"
Lu Chenzhou placed ’Little Cross’ opposite his Wooden Dummy for training.
"It seems that Teacher Hong Fu really understands me."
He looked through the manual for a while, plugged in the robot, and turned it on.
["Little Cross at your service."]
"Little Cross, activate the Cross Training mode, lowest intensity level."
["Received, initiating Cross Training mode. Please ensure there are no fragile valuables, the elderly, children, or pets around..."]
’Little Cross’ recited a litany of precautions, then its arms began to swing emptily with moderate strength. There was rubber protection for beginners, and Lu Chenzhou tried it out, finding that his own Fourth Rank physique could completely withstand it. In the future, as he progressed, the intensity would increase, and the rubber would be removed, forcing his body to resist the hardness of machinery.
That’s why ordinary people really wouldn’t dare to train in Hard Qigong.
Lu Chenzhou began the Arhat Skill practice according to the requirements of the "Three Trainings and Five Skills." After preparing, he took off his training clothes and revealed his strong upper body, which had a golden tan due to sunlight and rigorous training.
"Let’s begin, Little Cross!"
After the command, ’Little Cross’ immediately struck toward Lu Chenzhou with its mechanical arms, the smacking sounds echoing in the dormitory while Lu Chenzhou winced slightly in pain.
His fists clenched tightly as he stood firm like a warrior monk.
"Little Cross, stop."
’Little Cross’ immediately powered down.
Lu Chenzhou looked at his upper body covered in red marks. He didn’t feel it during practice and had gone numb to the pain, but now that he stopped, his body was sore and swollen.
He immediately took out the ’Black Jade No. 1’ ointment and applied it. It was leftover from when Yu Zheng had bought it, and there was still some left. This box would be enough for one week of application at his current stage.
That meant he would need to spend an additional 8000 yuan per month on medicine and might need even more expensive ointments as the intensity increased in the future.
The school wouldn’t reimburse these expenses.
"Now, I still have 130,000 yuan in savings. Excluding regular expenses, that’s enough for ten months of training. I hope to see results; otherwise, it’s best to cut losses early."
Lu Chenzhou looked toward the Martial Arts Tree.
[Arhat Skill: Beginner (2%) → Beginner (5%)]
"An improvement of 3% in half an hour, that’s not bad progress. I can master it in a month, much better than I expected. Indeed, the Martial Arts Tree is all-powerful. For such cross-training martial arts, half an hour a day is sufficient. More than that, and my body can’t take it. I also need time for my muscles to heal and repair, so it cannot be my primary focus."
Looking at ’Little Cross,’ Lu Chenzhou thought again about the battle that night.
"Martial Arts Chips, prosthetic implants..."
Was the human body really such an inconvenient thing? If he encountered a Prosthetic Black Knight again, he intended to use his well-tempered flesh and blood to tear those mechanical prosthetics apart.