Chapter 1: Beilu Academy

Ye Chen, with an excited expression, clasped his hands in salute and stepped out from the large formation of a thousand students practicing on wooden stakes in the lower academy, under the watchful eyes of the crowd. Ye Chen understood that after becoming a student of the upper academy, he would no longer practice on wooden stakes but could begin to cultivate genuine martial arts.

The shattered stone tablet flew out ten zhang, with dust and debris scattering in all directions.

Ye Chen listened attentively to the elder's explanation. Upon hearing the elder mention the national swordsmen and divine archers of the Martial Kingdom, he couldn't help but feel a sense of longing.

Then I will also learn the "Tiger Leap Sword Technique"

Ye Chen's fists struck fiercely against the hardwood post as he began to practice his punches. He is now fifteen years old and has only five years left to cultivate in the academy

Ye Chen was stunned by this scene, unable to utter a word. He was still at the third level of body refinement, practicing daily by striking a hard wooden stake to temper his physique. His strength was not even enough to break a wooden stake as thick as an arm, let alone shatter a stone tablet that was a foot thick.

His idea was quite simple: since the senior brother from the upper house, Yan Han, possessed the strongest abilities and practiced the "Tiger Leap Sword Technique," he would also learn this sword technique.

The power of the foot strike from the chief instructor of the lower house directly shattered the stone tablet, far surpassing the strength of his punches and kicks by an unknown number of times

In the midst of extreme physical exhaustion and numbness, Ye Chen suddenly felt a trace of newfound strength deep within the bones of his spine. The bones are the source of a martial artist's power, and this surge of new energy came swiftly and forcefully, almost instantaneously flooding his entire body

You young rascals from the lower house, pay close attention to me. I will now show you the strength of having reached the sixth level of body refinement!

Ye Chen has practiced diligently for several years and has finally achieved a breakthrough today

He is merely an ordinary commoner, born into a typical farming family in the State of Wu. At the age of five, he was sent to the Beilu Academy, where he diligently studied for nearly ten years. By the age of ten, he had only just managed to reach the third level of the Body Refinement Stage.

Once you break through the initial stage of body refinement, you can shatter a hard wooden stake solely with the strength of your fists and feet. Upon entering the mid-stage of body refinement, levels four to six, your bones become solid, and your vital energy and blood grow increasingly vigorous. Until your entire skeletal structure is filled with vital energy, your strength can reach up to six hundred pounds, enabling you to subdue fierce tigers. After entering the mid-stage of body refinement, you can cultivate various martial techniques, including swordsmanship, knife techniques, and spear techniques, greatly enhancing your combat power.

As soon as the young boys saw the old man in the gray robe begin to speak, they immediately stopped.

As dawn broke, in the martial arts training ground of the academy, over a thousand young men dressed in blue tunics were practicing martial arts. Surrounding the training ground, more than ten solemn-faced instructors stood, urging the youths to diligently hone their skills.

Bang

Striking the wooden post is a fundamental skill in the early stages of body refinement. Before breaking through the third level of body refinement by using strength to break the hard wooden post, one must continue practicing diligently. Do not think that striking the wooden post is tedious and uninteresting. Many prominent civil and military officials in the martial nation, despite their current imposing presence, have all spent several years earnestly striking hard wooden posts at Beilu Academy, putting in significant effort.

Beilu Academy is divided into the Lower House and the Upper House

Ye Chen thought for a moment and said

Over one thousand youths are neatly arranged in the training ground, each with a thick wooden post in front of them. The youths are kicking and striking at the wooden posts, honing their martial arts skills. The synchronized sounds of punches and kicks cutting through the air, along with the rustling of their garments, resonate throughout the entire training ground

If you are twenty years old and have not yet reached the sixth level of body refinement, then you should roll out of Beilu Academy without hesitation. Do not think that you have time to waste! Continue refining!

The old man in the gray robe kicked the stone tablet in half, exhaling and inhaling to gather his energy, feeling quite satisfied with the power of his leg. He then displayed a technique to intimidate the gathered students, and slowly said, "I have only reached the sixth level of body refinement. Beyond this, there are the later stages of body refinement, levels seven to nine, where the internal energy and blood become increasingly vigorous, allowing for a strength of up to nine hundred pounds, sufficient to contend with black bears and rhinoceroses"

The old man in the gray robe led Ye Chen to the other side of the martial arts training ground, where they observed the young students from various academies practicing their martial skills

In another open area of the martial arts training ground, over two hundred young students from the upper academy looked on with disdain as Shi Geng showcased his leg techniques. Among the students of the upper academy, there were quite a few whose martial skills surpassed those of the elder.

In an instant, nearly a thousand young students in the surrounding lower courtyard heard the sound, and almost all fell silent, turning in unison to look at Ye Qin, their eyes filled with astonishment and envy

Body Refinement Level 6, Shadowless Kick

The old man in the gray robe smiled

There are approximately over 200 students in the upper house, with ages slightly older, ranging from 15 to 16 years and above, and their strength is at the martial artist body refinement stage, levels 4 to 6

Ye Chen thought to himself, striking the hard wooden post with powerful punches and kicks, creating a series of loud thuds. However, his strength was still insufficient to break the wooden post

Ye Chen looked incredulously at the shattered hardwood stump, kneeling on one knee, clenching his fists, unable to contain the excitement and ecstasy within him

Ye Chen exerted all his strength, leaping up with a fierce shout, and delivered a flying kick towards the sturdy wooden post in front of him

Above the Body Refinement Stage, there exists a higher realm known as the Spirit Transformation Stage, where one can fly with a sword and cast spells, exhibiting unfathomable divine powers. The first president of Beilu Academy was a Sword Immortal, who once served as the national master of the Martial Kingdom. However, these matters are not for us ordinary mortals to discuss in depth, so it is better left unmentioned.

The lower house has over 1,000 young students, most of whom are in their teens, with their strength ranging from the first to the third layer of the martial artist's body refinement stage

Suddenly, a faint red glow flashed across the face of the old man in the gray robe, and the veins on his forehead bulged.

Fifteen-year-old Ye Chen practices martial arts within this grand assembly of one thousand students

Wu Guo

Disciple Ye Chen, I have met Coach Shi!

All the students in the House of Commons held their breath in concentration

Hello!

Persevere!

Beilu Mountain Range, Beilu Academy

The head instructor of the lower house, an old man in a gray robe, stood with his hands clasped behind his back, his posture straight, and his expression stern as he surveyed the young students of the lower house, shouting sharply.

He can finally enter the upper academy, which also signifies a significant elevation in his status at Beilu Academy. Transitioning from the lower academy with over 1,000 young disciples to the upper academy, which has only about 200 young disciples

The old man in the gray robe observed the scene from a distance and generously expressed his admiration. He then called Ye Chen over and asked, "What is your name?"

Ye Chen's entire body was tense, and every punch and kick was delivered with all his strength against the hard wooden post. His fists had scraped the skin, revealing blood, and sweat had thoroughly soaked his coarse cloth shirt. His muscles were sore and numb, and his legs and arms were severely exhausted, beginning to tremble

More than 200 students from the upper house were practicing on the open ground opposite the martial arts training field, in groups of three or five, engaging in various advanced martial arts such as the bronze man stance, plum blossom stance, sword and saber techniques, leg techniques, fist techniques, and mounted archery.

His abilities are quite ordinary within the academy, and he can be considered relatively unknown

The old man in the gray robe stood with his hands clasped behind his back, exuding an imposing presence akin to a mountain. Every gesture he made carried the air of someone who could command the world. This pride was well-deserved, for he had taught at the academy for four to five decades. Many high-ranking officials of the martial nation who had graduated from the North Ridge Academy would respectfully address him as their teacher.

The stone tablet, which was as thick as a zhang, was kicked in half by the old man in the gray robe with his foot.

Warrior training, fundamentally aimed at tempering the physique, is also referred to as the body refining stage

The old man in the gray robe shouted loudly, his right foot sweeping through the air with a kick! It was so fast that the shadow of his leg was almost imperceptible! His leg struck like lightning, as swift as a thunderclap

The hardwood stake exploded, sending numerous splinters flying.

The power of Old Man Shi Geng's 'Shadowless Kick' is likely something even heavily armored cavalry cannot withstand! We do not know when we will be able to cultivate to the level of Coach Shi. With such strength, one would be sufficient to become a high-ranking military general in the Martial Kingdom.

Boom

The sixth level of the Warrior Body Refinement Stage is still too distant for him

You may choose to study a more advanced martial art, including categories such as sword techniques, saber methods, spear skills, archery, and body techniques, most of which are powerful martial arts. Which martial art would you like to learn

The academy is built against the mountains, covering an area of several thousand acres, with numerous courtyards and pavilions. As the largest academy in the Kingdom of Wu, Beilu Academy has a particularly strong atmosphere of martial arts, having nurtured many civil and military officials for the Kingdom of Wu. Young men from the Kingdom of Wu flock to Beilu Academy in great numbers.

Shadowless Kick

The hardwood stakes in the academy's training ground are specially made to withstand continuous strikes of up to 300 pounds of force, and they cannot be broken by a third-level body refinement practitioner. Only upon reaching the fourth level of body refinement, with a force exceeding 400 pounds, can one forcibly break the hardwood stakes with a full-strength blow

The old man in the gray robe spoke as he approached a stone tablet in the training ground, which was one zhang high and one chi thick, standing like a pine tree, taking a deep breath.

The Beilu Academy has a history of three hundred years and is the most prestigious institution in the Wu Kingdom. You, the current group of students, are still young, most of you in your teens, and you have time to diligently practice and strive to reach the sixth level of body refinement before the age of twenty, in order to pass the academy's strength assessment and graduation examination

I have been stuck at the third level of body refinement for several years, and I do not know when I will be able to break through

Ye Chen still gritted his teeth and persevered, enduring the intense fatigue of every inch of his muscles

Ye Chen looked brightly at the senior brothers and sisters in the upper academy practicing, but he could not discern their strengths. He turned his head and asked, "Chief Instructor, among the senior brothers and sisters in the upper academy, who possesses the strongest combat power, and what do they study?"

The tone of the old man in the gray robe became stern as he waved his hand, instructing the students in the lower courtyard to continue striking the wooden posts. He had repeated this statement at least dozens of times. As for how many could take it to heart, that depended on individual fortune.

This year, it is essential to quickly break through to the third layer of the Body Refinement Stage and enter the mid-stage of Body Refinement

... ...

one hour ... ... two hours

Reaching the ninth level of body refinement, if you were to become a swordsman, you would be sufficient to become the national swordsman of the martial kingdom. If you were to become an archer, you would be sufficient to become the national divine archer of the martial kingdom. A master at the ninth level of body refinement holds a national-level status in the martial kingdom, safeguarding the security of the royal city.

The young men in the lower house erupted in exclamations, engaging in animated discussions. Normally indifferent to the unremarkable gray-robed elder, their gazes now held a newfound respect and awe towards him.

Bang, bang, bang

Very well, this academy has gained another student from the upper house. You should learn from him and diligently practice.

I have broken through! I have finally interrupted the hardwood stake! I have reached the fourth level of body refinement!

Each member of the upper house is highly skilled, but the strongest among them is your senior brother Yan Han, who is at the sixth level of the Body Refinement Stage and practices the "Tiger Leap Blade Technique"

The Body Refinement Stage is divided into nine levels. The initial stage of Body Refinement consists of the first to third levels, which focus on tempering the physique, including the skin, muscles, fascia, and bone marrow. As cultivation progresses, the strength gradually increases, with the maximum strength of both arms reaching three hundred pounds, capable of drawing a three-stone heavy bow