I achieved mastery of martial arts during the Republic of China era.

Chapter 11 Breakthrough of Wood Muscle

The sky was leaden gray, and fine snowflakes, like salt foam, drifted down silently, landing on the rammed earth ground in front of the martial arts school, quickly turning into wet puddles.

Zhou Tong stood in the corner of the courtyard, wearing only a thin gray short-sleeved outfit.

Snowflakes landed on his shoulders and hair, then melted away by the heat rising from his body, forming a faint white mist.

He closed his eyes and concentrated, his body moving slowly with the movements of the Dragon Tiger Stance, his breathing long and deep.

During this period, he practiced diligently every day and finally reached the edge of a breakthrough.

The perfect version of the Dragon Tiger Muscle Training Pole is far more difficult than the ordinary version. The control of muscles, coordination of breathing, and fine adjustment of the center of gravity during each transition are all extremely demanding.

He believes he would never have made such progress without the panel constantly correcting the settings.

But precisely because of this, his perception and control over his own body reached an astonishing level.

At one moment, Zhou Tong froze.

He slowly opened his eyes, a glint of shrewdness flashing in them.

The blood and qi in my body surged like a tide, and beneath the skin, the muscles undulated slightly like waves. An unprecedented feeling of fullness came from my limbs and bones—it was done.

He took a deep breath, the cold air rushing into his lungs, but it couldn't extinguish the burning passion in his heart.

After three months of hard work, the moment has finally come.

"Um?"

Not far away, under the eaves, Ji Chang, who was taking small sips from a flat tin wine pot, suddenly looked up.

His gaze swept over Zhou Tong like lightning, then he strode over, his boots leaving clear footprints on the wet ground.

"It's done?" Ji Chang's voice was not loud, but it carried obvious surprise.

Zhou Tong turned to look at him, a smile rarely seen on his face these days, and nodded: "It's done."

Snapped!

Ji Chang slapped Zhou Tong hard on the shoulder, so hard that Zhou Tong staggered. "You kid, you really know how to keep your temper in check!"

I always thought you were progressing fast, but when I asked you, you always dodged the question, saying things like "it will happen naturally"...

"Tsk tsk, if you think about it, you've only been at the martial arts school for about three months, right?"

He looked Zhou Tong up and down, his eyes filled with amazement: "He mastered the Dragon-Tiger Flesh-Refining Stance in just three months... Damn, that's genius anywhere!"

Zhou Tong smiled, his gaze unconsciously glancing towards the eaves not far away—Liu Qing and Zheng Hao were standing there, one with his arms crossed and the other with his hands behind his back, quietly watching the other students practice their skills in the courtyard, their expressions indifferent.

"He can't be called a genius." Zhou Tong withdrew his gaze, his tone calm.

Ji Chang followed his gaze and clicked his tongue:

"Those two are prodigies, incomparable. They mastered stance training in a month and entered the Bone Forging Realm after a year of martial arts training. Although they are still in the Bone Forging Realm now, their reputation is no less than that of many dirty martial arts masters."

He paused, then looked at Zhou Tong again, his gaze different from before:

"But your speed in three months would rank you among the top students at the Dragon Tiger Martial Arts Academy over the past ten years. What else could you call that but genius?"

Ji Chang spoke sincerely.

Previously, he valued Zhou Tong, seven parts because of Zhou Chengzong's connections and abilities, and three parts because he felt that Zhou Tong was a calm and steady person, worth befriending.

But after spending these three months together, he watched Zhou Tong diligently cultivate every day without fail, regardless of wind or snow, and his focus and perseverance were genuine.

Now, having witnessed firsthand his remarkable talent, Zhou Tong has quietly gained a greater sense of genuine respect.

Just then, a figure flashed through the moon gate in the front yard, and the eldest brother, Chen Zong, walked in wearing a dark blue cotton robe.

Seeing this, Zhou Tong nodded to Ji Chang and quickly went to greet him.

"Senior Brother." He stopped and respectfully clasped his hands in a salute.

Chen Zong looked at him calmly: "What is it?"

"When I was cultivating just now, my blood and qi flowed into my skin and muscles, and my body trembled slightly... I should have successfully completed the Dragon Tiger Flesh Training Stance." Zhou Tong's voice was not loud, but it carried clearly.

Upon hearing this, the originally noisy shouts and the sounds of fists and feet cutting through the air in the courtyard became eerily quiet for a moment.

Immediately afterwards, all eyes turned to them.

The two people who were practicing stopped, the one who was standing alone stopped his stance, and the people chatting under the eaves also stopped talking.

Dozens of gazes fell upon him, some with surprise, some with envy, some with scrutiny, and some with barely perceptible jealousy.

Liu Qing and Zheng Hao also glanced at them.

Liu Qing's cool eyes lingered on Zhou Tong for a moment before looking away.

Zheng Hao merely raised an eyebrow, his expression remaining calm, as if he had only seen a trivial matter.

But most people in the martial arts school could not remain so calm.

"Three months...it's only been three months, right?"

"Isn't this the boy from the second branch of the Zhou family who was kicked out before?"

"Mastering stance training in three months... that speed is far behind Senior Sister Liu and Senior Brother Zheng, but among us, it's already top-notch!"

Whispers spread like wildfire.

Many people's gazes toward Zhou Tong have changed—before, they looked at the down-on-his-luck young master with indifference and pity, but now they look at him with genuine respect.

Looking at Zhou Tong, who was the focus of everyone's attention, Song Jie, sitting in the corner, felt a mix of emotions, like a spice shop had been overturned.

He has been at the martial arts school for more than half a year, but his stance training is still stuck at the final bottleneck and he has not yet been able to achieve perfection.

Seeing Zhou Tong overtake him at this moment, the bitterness and frustration he felt were almost overflowing.

The young man from the Li family noticed his expression, nudged him with his elbow, and whispered:

"What, regretting it now? Tch, mastering stance training in three months is impressive, but that only shows he has excellent comprehension."

The subsequent "Flesh Training" relies on physical talent; that's the real challenge! Besides, even if his performance in Flesh Training remains good, so what? Without the Zhou family's background, he's ultimately different from us.

Seeing that Song Jie's expression relaxed, he gave him another push, speaking casually:

"Besides, if he progresses quickly in training his muscles later, we can just bring him back into the circle then, right? Each level should be placed in the circle that is appropriate for them, it's no big deal."

Song Jie pursed his lips, not replying, but staring at the upright figure in the courtyard with a complicated expression.

At this moment, Chen Zong spoke, his voice calm and steady: "Practice it once, let me see."

"Yes."

Zhou Tong responded and immediately took off his short jacket, revealing his bare upper body.

The cold wind, carrying snowflakes, blew against his body, but he seemed oblivious; instead, a faint blush rose on his skin.

He lowered his waist, sat on the horse stance, and assumed the starting posture of the Dragon and Tiger stance.

Every move was steady and fluid.

Breathing in sync with the movements, with each inhale and exhale, the chest rises and falls like a bellows, and the heat rising from the body actually pushes the falling snowflakes back by about a foot.

When he finished his move, he stood still.

The next moment, under everyone's gaze, his muscles began to ripple and undulate slightly like flowing water, and countless tiny insects seemed to be crawling and churning under his skin. A healthy, light red glow emanated from within, and under the snow's light, it even had a warm, jade-like texture.

"It's definitely done."

Chen Zong nodded slightly, a faint smile appearing on his usually serious face.

He already had a high opinion of Zhou Tong's temperament and perseverance over the past few months, and now that he saw that Zhou Tong had made a breakthrough in three months, he was also pleased.

"Not bad." He stepped forward, reached out and kneaded several key areas on Zhou Tong's shoulders, arms, and back, feeling the full and elastic tension of his muscles. He nodded, "You have a very solid foundation. Come with me to see your master."

"Yes!" Zhou Tong was overjoyed and quickly put on his clothes.

Chen Zong turned and walked towards the backyard, with Zhou Tong following closely behind.

Wherever they went, the trainees automatically made way for them.