"Xiaolan, your Chen Chu is doing exceptionally well."
"Yeah, he managed to break such a thick tree with a single kick. As expected of a cultivator. As for me, just a touch of my old arms and legs, they'd fall apart."
"Uncle Qin, you certainly have a way with humor."
"Congratulations, Xiaolan, your family now has a cultivator."
"Oh, thank you for the kind words, Aunt Zhang."
"Ah Chu has only just established his foundation, and there's still a long journey ahead before he can truly be considered a cultivator. There might come a day when he doesn't want to practice anymore because of the hardships and exhaustion that come with martial arts."
Outside the courtyard, the elderly residents continued to praise Zhang Xiaolan, who remained modest.
In the yard, Chen Chu and Chen Hu worked together to dismantle the peach tree, removing branches and cutting the trunk into manageable sections for disposal. However, in truth, it was Chen Hu who was doing most of the heavy lifting.
"Brother, you broke it with your kick, so why am I the one cutting up the tree while you watch?" Chen Hu complained while rubbing his aching shoulders.
Chen Chu, still slightly irritable from the discomfort in his calf, replied, "Because you were the one who said it depended on the power of real martial arts. Quit the chit-chat and get to work."
His calf was still throbbing with pain, making it difficult for him to squat down comfortably. What else could he do?
Despite Chen Hu's initial complaints, witnessing Zhenwu's incredible power had only fueled his excitement and determination to start practicing martial arts.
As night fell, a Hexagonal Salamander, over 50 centimeters long, lounged on the table, wearing an oddly human-like expression of laziness. Its eyes, resembling black beans, seemed dull as if lost in thought.
In the room, Chen Chu sat cross-legged on his bed, his eyes closed in meditation.
Within his body, Qi and blood continuously circulated along the path dictated by the Dragon Elephant Kung Fu, refining the extraordinary energy introduced into his body. Each cycle increased his physical strength by a single point.
According to the practice guidelines, the First Layer primarily aimed to fortify the body, toughening the skin, tendons, and bones. Once his physique and Qi and blood reached their current limit, they would transform and cultivate a genuine power akin to the inner Qi from martial arts novels, propelling him into the Second Heaven.
The fundamental requirement for reaching the First Layer's limit was achieving an arm strength of 300 kilograms and possessing a physique about five times that of an ordinary person. And these were just basic standards; when combined with real martial arts, even a First Layer practitioner could unleash devastating combat power far surpassing that of an ordinary person.
For the next few days, everything proceeded as planned without any hitches.
Chen Chu diligently attended his daily school practice sessions, seeking advice from Pang Long whenever he faced challenges. In the afternoons, he would occasionally engage in discussions with Xia Youhui after practice.
Furthermore, his avatar continued to consume large amounts of food each day, steadily increasing its size, and accumulating 2 evolution points daily.
On Monday morning, in the personal training area on the third floor, Chen Chu slowly opened his eyes. A weary smile tugged at the corners of his lips, etching the tiredness on his face.
Not far away, Xia Youhui rested on a nearby sofa, offering a smile. "How's it going? Finding it hard to accept the sudden slowdown in progress?"
Chen Chu nodded, acknowledging his difficulty. Initially, he had experienced a swift daily increase of 1 point in his physique and strength attributes after establishing his foundation. At that pace, he believed he would reach the First Layer's limit in a mere month. However, after just three days, Chen Chu noticed a significant drop in the speed at which his body absorbed extraordinary energy during cultivation.
Based on his current rate of cultivation, he estimated it would now take four days to increase an attribute by 1 point, meaning it might take up to four months to reach the First Layer's limit.
This unexpected setback left Chen Chu feeling somewhat perplexed.
Xia Youhui chuckled and said, "I went through the same experience. Initially, the rapid progress was exhilarating, but after a few days, the abrupt slowdown can be quite frustrating."
"Indeed," Chen Chu agreed.
Xia Youhui, who had already been at the foundation level for half a month, would now require approximately two months to reach the First Layer's limit under these circumstances. Chen Chu realized that his cultivation speed was nearly half as slow as Xia Youhui's.
At their current weak levels, the gap may not seem evident, but as they progressed to the Second and Third Layers, it would become increasingly apparent and challenging to bridge.
Of course, a rapid cultivation speed doesn't necessarily guarantee one's ascent to strength.
Similarly, the cultivation world does contain instances of ordinary individuals who initially progressed slowly, only to surpass prodigies through consistent accumulation, but such cases are exceedingly rare.
And just as ordinary people diligently work on their cultivation, do these prodigies put in the same effort? For instance...
Hoo!
In the distance, Lin Xue, clad in a form-fitting training suit, exhaled deeply as she carefully sheathed her 1.5-meter-long, 10-centimeter-wide, 10-kilogram heavy longsword.
The school's training area was divided into two sections: one for Chen Chu's solitary practice of static skills and another for spacious sword skills and sword arts practice.
The surrounding walls were fortified with high-strength materials, accompanied by various testing and training equipment to cater to most students' training needs.
A few exceptionally talented students who favored solitude or required specific training conditions had the option to rent exclusive practice rooms from the school. However, this came at a steep cost. For instance, the activity room that Lin Xue and her companions had applied for cost several tens of thousands each month, and approval took a grueling two days.
Lin Xue wiped the sweat from her brow, placed her longsword on the rack, and approached Chen Chu. "Chen Chu, don't overthink this. While your cultivation speed may be a tad slower than ours, your foundation is solid."
"The path of cultivation demands perseverance. Short-term advantages don't always equate to long-term success."
Despite Chen Chu's initial refusal to join their small club, Lin Xue didn't take offense. As the squad leader, she occasionally provided Chen Chu with guidance on fundamental practices.
Chen Chu nodded in agreement. "Don't worry, Monitor. This gap won't deter me."
At that moment, Xia Youhui posed a curious question. "Squad leader, how long will it take for you to reach the limit of the first layer?"
Lin Xue, having wiped her sweat away, pondered for a moment. "Probably within half a month."
Suddenly, Xia Youhui's eyes widened in disbelief. "How is that possible? We're all practicing an advanced technique, and you only established your foundation two days before us. Why are you progressing so much faster?"
Lin Xue gave him a narrowed, mocking look and said, "Because you're lazy. Look at Chen Chu, he practices diligently and steadily improves every day after recovering his energy. What about you?"
Xia Youhui replied in exasperation, "Squad leader, we're high school students, not ascetics. Why are we pushing ourselves so hard?"
"And it's not just me taking a break; they're resting too. Why don't you mention them?"
A little distance away, Luo Fei, with her long hair cascading down her shoulders, read a Taoist book in silence. On the sofa opposite her, a girl named Li Wenwen indulged in pastries.
To an outsider, this scene might resemble an afternoon tea gathering rather than a training session. However, Chen Chu knew that this was their unique method of recovery. Running Qi and blood and refining extraordinary energy could be incredibly draining.
Whether it was the foundation-building method or the current real martial arts technique, there were no shortcuts to effective practice.