Mythical Cultivation

The night passed quickly, and as soon as the sky was getting light, wisps of green smoke were already floating in all parts of the village. The wisps of green smoke were visible in the mist, making it look like a fairyland.

The sounds of training could be heard from the square. The square was divided into two groups. One group consisted of over twenty people, where Wu Ming was standing, and they were all teenagers between the ages of ten and fifteen. The other group consisted of children between the ages of eight and ten. They had all recently begun practicing and were currently practicing standing meditation.

Wu Ming's formation first practiced standing meditation for half an hour. Standing meditation is a foundational skill, crucial for the three realms of refining the skin, tendons, and bones, which precede the Qi Refining Realm. These three realms are also known as the Body Tempering Realms, divided into four levels: Entry, Minor Completion, Major Completion, and Consummation. These three realms represent the initial stages of cultivation. Only after the tendons, bones, and skin are fully tempered can the body adapt to the subsequent realms. Therefore, while the Body Tempering Realm is the initial stage, it is crucial to maintain a high level of concentration.

The half-hour standing meditation session quickly concluded. For those who had practiced for years, it was merely a warm-up. Then, Instructor Zhang, one of the two middle-aged men who had led the group with the village chief during their trial yesterday, began to lead them in the Funiu Fist. Funiu Fist is a body-strengthening martial art. Practicing it strengthens one's muscles, bones, and skin. Ultimately, once one's muscles, bones, and skin are trained to the point where they can absorb the vital energy of heaven and earth, one can begin absorbing it and ascend to the Qi Training Realm.

Over twenty people practiced Subduing Tiger Fist simultaneously, while Instructor Zhang constantly checked to see if anyone was straying from the path and provided corrections. Cultivation isn't something you can just pick up a manual and practice on your own. Sometimes, misunderstanding a sentence or failing to execute a movement correctly can lead to years of painstaking practice with no progress, or even serious damage to the body. Even practicing advanced techniques incorrectly can lead to obsession and death. Therefore, constant correction is essential; only after gaining the fundamentals can one cultivate diligently on their own.

People like Wu Ming, Li San and others have already practiced the Tiger Subduing Fist to the level of minor or even major success, so they don't need a teacher to correct them from time to time. The teaching is mainly aimed at those who have just started practicing the Tiger Subduing Fist, so that they don't take detours.

Time passed slowly, and the other group of young men had already finished their training and went to school. Training wasn't just about physical training; the basics needed to be learned, otherwise one wouldn't get far.

"Okay, time is up, let's take a break." As soon as Instructor Zhang's voice sounded, more than 20 young men collapsed on the ground. Tempering the body consumes physical strength, and this is true for both the poor in literature and the rich in martial arts.

"Teacher Zhang, we have now reached the late stage of body tempering, and we don't know what the next realm is. Can you tell us about it?" asked a boy of thirteen or fourteen years old.

"Yes, Instructor Zhang, we still don't know what realm you are at. We have been practicing for several years, and we don't know what level our strength is outside." Everyone started to make a fuss. The main reason was that although these young people had been practicing for several years, they had never left the village and had never met outsiders, so when someone brought it up today, everyone couldn't hold it in anymore.

"Haha, I knew you wouldn't be able to hold back and ask. Actually, this is not a secret. It's just that sometimes knowing too much is not a good thing. It will make you lose confidence, so I didn't tell you. But now the top ones among you like Wu Ming and Li Fei (the Li San mentioned above) have already reached the tendon refining realm. The rest of you will reach the tendon refining realm soon, so it doesn't hurt to tell you about it. I just hope that you won't be too pessimistic after understanding it." Instructor Zhang said.

"No, Instructor Zhang, just tell me," everyone jeered. Although Wu Ming didn't join in the fuss, he actually wanted to know. He just didn't understand the principle that the first bird to stick its head out gets shot, so he always acted like a nobody. Sometimes you want to be invisible, but your talent and strength don't allow it. Even without saying anything, Instructor Zhang mentioned him, even looking at him and Li Fei, as if asking, "Aren't you curious?" Everyone saw Instructor Zhang looking at them, and they all looked at them.

"Teacher Zhang, please tell us about it, we are all very curious," Wu Ming said. Li Fei didn't say anything because he already knew it. After all, his family was the richest in the village, and he was talented, so he was exposed to a lot of things.

"Then I will give you some basic knowledge so that you won't be narrow-minded in the future. Cultivation is actually a process of self-evolution. Think about it, is there any difference between you now and before you started practicing?" Instructor Zhang did not say it directly, but asked a question.

Everyone immediately responded, "I know. I can eat ten bowls of rice in one meal now. I only ate two bowls before." This was the answer of the little fat boy. Everyone else laughed when they heard the little fat boy's answer. But then Instructor Zhang said, "Don't the rest of you eat much more than you did a few years ago? Even more than your parents?" Hearing this, everyone's laughter stopped abruptly, and they all thought to themselves that they were the same, just not as much as the little fat boy.

"Anything else?" Instructor Zhang asked. "I'm much stronger now. I don't know if that counts, but I thought strength increased with age," another teenager asked.

"That's true. As you get older, your strength will increase, but the magnitude won't be this great. That's also because we don't have any equipment to test your strength in our village, otherwise we wouldn't be able to see the changes more directly. Actually, there are many changes, but no one asks about them, and you don't pay attention, so you take it for granted that they're normal."

"There have been so many changes. That thirteen or fourteen-year-old has a strength of nearly a thousand pounds. Which child can kill a wolf alone? Who can cut his finger while cutting vegetables without bleeding? They are all perverts, although I am one of them now," Wu Ming complained in his heart.

"Back to the topic just now, cultivation is a process of self-evolution, and tempering the body is just the beginning. After all, no matter how much you temper your body, you will only have a few thousand pounds of strength in the end, and you will only live to sixty or seventy years old at most. But if you cultivate to the next level, you can easily live over a hundred years old. For example, some of your grandparents are now in their eighties or nineties, and you see, aren't they still alive and well, but some people's grandparents have passed away. This is the difference. Is a few thousand pounds of strength a lot? It is indeed a lot for you, but for me, I can block a few thousand pounds of strength with just one finger. You may not feel it just by saying it, so I will show you how powerful one of my fingers is. Let's go outside the village and try it." After Instructor Zhang finished speaking, he took the lead and walked towards the village entrance.

Everyone followed the instructor to a spot a few thousand meters outside the village entrance. Beyond the farmland, a meadow was covered in rocks, some even as tall as the boys. Instructor Zhang stood in front of a rock and said, "Hit this rock with all your might and see how it goes."

As soon as Instructor Zhang finished speaking, someone stepped forward and, with all his might, punched the boulder. A dull thud left the stone unmoved, while he grimaced in pain. He had just stepped back when another person came forward and punched the same spot. The result was the same, and they retreated with a grimacing pain. Several more people tried, with the same result: a slight crack appeared, that was all. Li Fei also punched the same spot, and the crack grew a little longer and wider.

Wu Ming saw most people had tried, so he stepped forward and punched him with 70% force. The result was just a slightly larger crack, but the difference was that he didn't grimace in pain. After all, he hadn't used all his strength. Only a fool would try to hit a stone with an egg. After more than 20 people tried, all they got was a small, inconspicuous crack on their heads.

Instructor Zhang, seeing that everyone had tried, stepped forward and said, "Look, this is the power of a thumb." Instructor Zhang extended his thumb, prepared for a second, and then pressed it against the boulder. Nothing happened, much to everyone's surprise. "Instructor, it's nothing, nothing has changed," someone said.

"Push it with your finger and see," Instructor Zhang asked. The man who had asked the question pushed it, and with a loud bang, the boulder shattered, sending dust showering him. Wu Ming was stunned. Is this even human? This was too strong! Wu Ming felt his worldview was insulted. Everyone else was equally stunned, and no one spoke for a long time.

"Okay, stop standing there and go back to the square." It wasn't until Instructor Zhang's voice rang in their ears that everyone came to their senses and hurriedly followed Instructor Zhang's footsteps towards the square.