Not far from the West Garden Hot Springs, there was a training field where many people were currently gathered.
"Uncle Lian, this time each of the Eight External Skills Masters is truly top-notch. Four are from the army, and the other four are also formidable Outer Strength Experts from the Eastern Domain Three Prefectures. Look, that silver-haired old man is the Eagle Claw King, and there's..." Vice Manager Li from the Prince Mansion said to Lian Yan, slightly ingratiating.
Lian Yan nodded indifferently and swept his gaze over the Eight External Skills Masters without his eyes lingering for even a second on the so-called Eagle Claw King and others.
Training Outer Strength involves either training fingers and claws or legs and feet, because whichever part you train, it will be different from normal people. For example, those who practice Claw Technique tend to have thicker fingers with more calluses. Uncle Lian had no high regard for these individuals.
"Oh?" Uncle Lian's eyes suddenly brightened, staring at the last one among the eight, a man in black with a stern demeanor.
That man was not particularly strong, his muscles were not as developed as the others, and his hands were devoid of any calluses, making him look nothing like an Outer Strength Expert. Yet, Uncle Lian's gaze lingered on this man in black for a full three seconds.
Suddenly, the stern man in black looked up and met Uncle Lian's eyes, his gaze bursting forth like a flash of lightning.
"Zhao Yunxing! So it's General Zhao. His Highness actually condescended to invite you. If Little Yu could become your disciple, it would not be difficult for him to become a master in the future," Uncle Lian said with a smile, being quite aware of Zhao Yunxing's prowess.
Zhao Yunxing's expression remained stern: "His Highness said that the Third Prince can choose whoever he wants as his teacher. It all depends on His Highness's discernment. Senior Lian, please avoid subtly hinting to His Highness, otherwise... even if he chooses Yun Xing, Yun Xing will not accept him as a disciple."
"I am well aware of that. It all depends on Little Yu's own choice," Lian Yan replied with a smile and a nod.
This time, the Eight External Skills Masters were all extremely formidable; being able to bring Outer Strength cultivation of these eight to such a realm also meant they were at a Grandmaster Level. Whichever one Qin Yu chose would be a good choice, yet Lian Yan secretly hoped Qin Yu would choose Zhao Yunxing because he knew how formidable Zhao Yunxing was.
Moments later, footsteps sounded outside, and an excited Qin Yu rushed in. As soon as he saw the eight masters, his eyes lit up.
"Little Yu, choose one of these Eight External Skills Masters as your teacher," Lian Yan said with a smile.
Qin Yu, however, examined each master carefully. The most prominent was like a bear-like giant. His enormous arms were thick enough to match Qin Yu's waist in girth, and with one punch, Qin Yu did not doubt its power.
Immediately, Qin Yu became even more excited.
"Choose one? Can't I choose all eight?" Qin Yu asked Lian Yan, furrowing his brow in confusion.
Lian Yan was startled, and all eight masters, including the stern Zhao Yunxing, were taken aback, raising their eyebrows with involuntary smiles appearing at the corners of their mouths.
"Ahem," Lian Yan coughed before speaking earnestly to Qin Yu, "Little Yu, training is not like studying. When studying, you can have several teachers, but in martial arts, it doesn't work that way. For example, if you train in several types of Inner Strength at the same time, you would be courting disaster."
"But what I'm learning is Outer Strength?" Qin Yu countered.
"Outer Strength is even more critical. Outer Strength is about training the body, challenging its limits continuously. Every Outer Strength Expert has their own method, tested by countless predecessors, which ensures you won't overtrain your body and cause it damage. But... if you learn from several teachers at once, mixing those methods together, then..." Lian Yan shook his head and sighed, the implications clear.
Besides this reason, there was an even more important reason.
"None of us eight would likely want to share a disciple with others," said a burly bald man with a smile, while the others nodded in agreement.
After all, these eight were all Grandmasters of Outer Strength, each of them too proud. How would they be willing to share a disciple with someone else? However, when they heard what Qin Yu said, none of them minded since he was just an eight-year-old child after all.
"I understand," Qin Yu nodded.
Suddenly, a sly glint flashed through Qin Yu's eyes, causing Lian Yan's heart to skip a beat. He knew Qin Yu meant well, but he also liked to play pranks, which the guards and servants at Cloud Mist Villa had often endured.
"Uncles and sirs," Qin Yu said, blinking his large eyes at the Eight External Skills Masters, "Grandpa Lian told me you are experts in Outer Strength and asked me to choose you as my teachers, but perhaps you should each perform something to help me decide, right?"
Indeed, how could he choose without a demonstration?
"Haha, well said, I'll go first. What should I perform? I, Man Dong, have many skills." The largest among them, a man as burly as a bear, stepped forward. He had a One-legged Copper Man in his hand and after a moment of thought, he smiled, "Alright, I'll demonstrate strength."
Man Dong placed the One-legged Copper Man on the ground and immediately spotted the huge green stone used as a decoration in the West Garden. The stone was almost half as tall as a man and looked to weigh a thousand pounds. He walked over and grabbed both sides with his hands.
"Hmph!"
With a grunt from Man Dong, Qin Yu saw a visible breath streaming from Man Dong's nose. His arms' muscles bulged grotesquely, intertwining like earthworms, their sculpted look embodying divine power and instilling terror.
"Lift!"
With a loud shout from Man Dong, he tossed the massive green stone upwards with his hands.
Qin Yu's jaw dropped. Lifting a thousand-pound stone was daunting enough, but Man Dong had just sent it flying into the air, demonstrating strength well beyond a thousand pounds. The stone flew up a meter or two before crashing down heavily.
Man Dong steadied his stance and extended his hands to grasp the green stone as it fell.
The impact on Man Dong's hands from the stone was greater than its own weight, yet he firmly held it, his immense strength evident.
"Incredible," Qin Yu exclaimed, his eyes wide.
Man Dong chuckled nonchalantly, "I alone have the strength of eight hundred pounds in one hand. Together, my hands easily surpass a thousand pounds. It's like child's play to me." Man Dong, possessing Innate Divine Strength, was one of the top three Outer Strength masters of the Fierce Tiger Army and was nicknamed 'Man Bear'.
"Impressive, impressive! Who's next?" Qin Yu was now excited. After witnessing such a performance, how could he not be thrilled? Thinking about possibly possessing such strength in the future excited him more, but he was unaware of the challenge he would face in training to reach a level like Man Dong's, given Man Dong's innate divine power.
A lean man with a hawk nose stepped forward, saying, "I practice the Iron Sand Palm." Qin Yu noticed that this man's palms were unusually rough and had a greenish tint. The hawk-nosed man walked up to the green stone and suddenly struck it with a palm.
The green stone violently shook and then exploded into dozens of large pieces, the power of the palm strike shockingly formidable.
Qin Yu's mouth gaped open in amazement as he watched the cold hawk-nosed man. With such palm force, who could withstand it if struck on the body?