Chapter 6: Punches Like a Bull

The sky was gradually brightening.

Since winter had set in, the days had grown much shorter.

Lin Zheyu had been standing for nearly an hour. His face was flushed and his breathing was slightly labored, but he still seemed to have energy to spare.

"That’s enough."

Liang Song said, gesturing for him to come over and have some tea.

Lin Zheyu straightened up, shook out his slightly sore legs and arms, and a look of excitement appeared on his face.

He had succeeded.

He was finally able to practice martial arts.

"For someone with such a poor foundation, being able to train to this level within a month shows good perseverance and comprehension," Liang Song remarked, appearing quite satisfied with Lin Zheyu.

He took a sip of tea and continued, "Let me first explain to you what the Martial Dao is."

Lin Zheyu sat quietly, listening with extreme focus.

"The so-called Martial Dao is about training the tendons, bones, and skin on the outside, and the breath on the inside."

"If you want to master martial arts, you must first temper your skin, flesh, and fascia."

"By tempering the skin, flesh, and fascia, you make your muscles firm and full, your tendons and muscles strong and powerful, and your fascia elastic and resilient. This allows for fierce explosive power and strong resistance to impact. This is the Flesh-Refining stage of the Martial Dao."

"After mastering the skin, flesh, and muscles, you then proceed to deep Bone-Forging."

"Bone-Forging works from the outside in, tempering the entire skeletal structure to make the bones increasingly hard and strong. This increases your piercing power and allows you to withstand more powerful bursts of force."

"When bone training reaches its peak, you can forge bones like iron—incredibly hard!"

"Bone-Forging will be a bit difficult for you. Since you didn't undergo the tempering of tendons and bones in your childhood, reaching the level of 'bones like iron' will be very, very hard."

"What I mentioned above is the external training of tendons, bones, and skin. Now, let me talk about the internal training of breath."

"The 'breath' here refers to breathing and meditation. After tempering the tendons, bones, and skin, your control over your body will be further enhanced, allowing you to begin practicing special breathing and meditation techniques."

"Through these special techniques, you can temper and strengthen your internal organs. Your breathing will become deep and long, and your physical explosive power and endurance will reach a terrifying level. This is Organ-Refining."

"The first three realms of the Martial Dao are Flesh-Refining, Bone-Forging, and Organ-Refining."

"For now, knowing the first three realms is enough for you. The later realms are still very far off, so I won't tell you about them yet, lest you become overly ambitious."

Liang Song said calmly.

He stood up and took off his outer coat, revealing the vest underneath and his fluid muscle lines.

Seeing this, Lin Zheyu quickly stood up to follow.

"It is not appropriate to wield weapons in the inner city, so I will teach you the Savage Bull Fist."

"This is a widely circulated technique, suitable for someone like you who is starting martial arts halfway through life. The fist technique has decent power, but it is easy to learn and difficult to master."

"When practiced to a profound level, you will be strong both inside and out, with hard bones, and you can reach the perfection of the Organ-Refining realm."

"The Savage Bull Fist consists of eight basic moves and 128 variations. I will demonstrate it once; you familiarize yourself with it first."

Liang Song said as he took his stance.

Lin Zheyu noticed that once Liang Song became serious, his limp seemed to vanish as if it were nothing.

"Savage Bull Fist, Savage Bull Fist—this is a technique derived from the savage bull."

"The essence and mystery of this fist technique lie in the word 'savage.' When training, you must imagine yourself as a savage bull. Your punches must be unstoppable and fearless."

Liang Song spread his legs slightly, crouched down, and took his stance. An invisible aura began to emanate from his body.

"This is the first form: Savage Bull Charge!"

Liang Song stomped his right foot fiercely, and the muscles in his legs tensed instantly.

Powerful force surged from his legs, channeled through his waist, and transmitted to his arms.

His upper body tilted slightly, and his fists, carrying immense power, struck out like two bull horns.

His entire body's muscles exploded in that instant, pouring power into his arms and turning it into a terrifying offensive that slammed into the wooden post in the courtyard.

The wooden post crackled, and thin cracks appeared on its surface.

"So strong!"

Seeing the formidable force of Liang Song's punch, Lin Zheyu couldn't help but gasp.

"Savage Bull Fist, Savage Bull Fist—the word 'savage' runs through it from beginning to end."

"Do not have a shred of hesitation when you punch!"

Liang Song's voice rang out as he continued to demonstrate for Lin Zheyu.

"This punch is Savage Bull Goring; the center of gravity for the punch lies in the waist. The waist and abdominal power are..."

"This punch is Savage Bull Tail-Whip..."

...

Watching Master Liang demonstrate, Lin Zheyu's eyes shone with brilliance.

This was true martial arts!

The powerful force erupting from every punch and every move filled him with longing.

Soon, the entire set of fist techniques was finished.

Liang Song stopped and asked, "How does it feel?"

"Very strong!"

Lin Zheyu felt excited. He cupped his hands and bowed, saying, "Please teach me, Master!"

"No need for such formalities. You scholars love your tedious etiquette."

"Practice it with me from start to finish first. Let me see how your comprehension is."

Liang Song broke down the Savage Bull Fist and explained it slowly to Lin Zheyu.

Under Liang Song's guidance, he learned very earnestly.

Practicing martial arts was much harder than he had imagined. It required mastering the techniques of exerting force from different muscle groups, training methods, and then constantly practicing to become stronger.

Lin Zheyu was immersed in the Savage Bull Fist, and time flew by.

"Very good, your comprehension is quite decent."

Liang Song praised.

Lin Zheyu's comprehension was good; he could grasp the essence with just a little guidance, making him very easy to teach.

Moreover, his perseverance was extremely tenacious.

After more than four hours of training, even with multiple breaks, Lin Zheyu's physical strength was exhausted, yet he kept gritting his teeth and persisting.

"Perform the Savage Bull Fist from start to finish. I will point out your shortcomings," Liang Song said.

"Yes!"

Lin Zheyu replied.

After more than four hours of learning and training, his clothes were already soaked with sweat.

The intense consumption of physical strength, combined with the buildup of lactic acid, left his entire body aching.

However, Lin Zheyu did not hesitate in the slightest and began to train once more.

Almost there!

Lin Zheyu felt he was reaching his limit!

Once he reached his limit, if he could persist for about another minute and break through it, he would be able to obtain 1 unit of Source Power.

【Hard Work Pays Off】

Name: Lin Zheyu

Source Power: 2

Skills

Savage Bull Fist (Not yet initiated 3%)

Lin Zheyu looked at the data in his consciousness, feeling incredibly exhilarated.

Just as he had imagined, martial arts could be entered into the skill bar.

With a surge of intense excitement, Lin Zheyu took the stance of the Savage Bull Fist.

He stomped his foot, his leg muscles tensed, and the force was channeled through his waist to his arms.

His upper body tilted slightly, and his fists, carrying immense power, struck out like two bull horns.

First form, Savage Bull Charge!

As his fists struck out, Lin Zheyu suddenly felt a sharp pain in the muscles of his waist, legs, and arms.

"Hiss, a cramp!"

Lin Zheyu, who had been looking majestic just a moment ago, was now sitting on the ground in a completely ungraceful manner.

His body twisted in a strange way, trying to alleviate the cramping sensation.

"Haha..."

Liang Song, standing to the side, couldn't help but laugh out loud.

This kid, he was nearly collapsing from exhaustion and still trying to show off.

When over-training, using a high-explosive technique like the Savage Bull Fist made it very easy to cramp.

"Take a rest. Your body is reaching its limit," Liang Song said.

Stepping forward to Lin Zheyu's side, Liang Song reached out and massaged the cramping areas. Lin Zheyu immediately felt the pain subside.

"Thank you, Master."

Lin Zheyu stood up to stretch his tendons and bones, relaxing his muscles, intending to continue in a moment.

He was almost at his physical limit; he couldn't just give up now.

As long as he broke through his limit, he would be able to obtain another unit of Source Power.

Lin Zheyu relaxed his body while listening to Liang Song explain some basic knowledge of the Martial Dao.

Soon, he felt his muscles were sufficiently relaxed.