"Cross training?" Lu Qian shook his spear, feeling strangely nervous yet somewhat curious.
The current mainstream martial arts of Great Yin focus on cultivating primordial energy, expanding the meridians, unlocking classic pathways, and opening acupoints.
More advanced levels emphasize fortifying the foundation and nurturing innate energy, excavating the treasures hidden within the body, and ultimately cultivating various incredible martial abilities.
Exhaling like thunder, binding qi into weapons, soaring through the sky, crushing clouds with iron palms—these martial skills in the mundane world are no different from the legends of immortals.
Cross training external skills means single-mindedly tempering the physical body, forging all muscles, bones, and meridians into a diamond-like unity.
This path is regarded as a side school, a deviation from orthodox methods.
It lacks the extraordinary supernatural effects of other martial arts.
Its practitioners only gain thick skin, strong muscles, iron bones, great strength, running faster and jumping higher.
Aside from that, their lifespan is no different from ordinary people, sometimes even shorter due to the excessive damage they inflict on their bodies.
This is the cross-training martial cultivation of Great Yin.
Still, it cannot be denied that cross trainers develop extremely fast in the early stages and boast tremendous combat power.
Provided enough resources, in just a few years, they can possess the fighting strength of someone at the primordial energy or meridian expanding stages.
Whether in the Duke of Lai's residence, the Marquis of Tian'en's mansion, or Great Yin's martial nobility families, there are always household retainers and servants specializing in cross-training techniques.
When Lu Qian was studying at the Lu clan academy, he had seen several of those first-born sons from the main family line accompanied by cross-training retainers—burly men who could topple eight horses with a shove, drag nine oxen backwards, run on shoulders, or stand on their arms.
His spear pointed straight at the adam’s apple of a broad-shouldered man standing several zhang away.
Lu Qian spoke coldly, "I've been wanting to find a cross-training expert to spar with."
The big man chuckled, pointing at Lu Qian.
"Spar? No, it's just for fun. But today, the thing we’re playing for is your life."
Shaking his head, the man sighed, "You seem like a good fellow, but unfortunately, you offended someone you shouldn't have."
Lu Qian’s heart moved.
He was about to probe further when suddenly a deep roar erupted from the man’s chest.
The brute took a tremendous step forward, and a fierce wind howled as he charged.
With one crushing fist, he slammed down towards Lu Qian’s head.
Boom!
The punch echoed like a thunderclap right beside Lu Qian’s ears.
His ears rang painfully, spiritual energy within his mind rocked, and reflexively, he lifted his hands, driving his spear like a serpent striking from water.
In an instant, the point of the steel spear pierced straight into the giant’s adam’s apple.
This spear thrust came purely from his raw physical strength—he hadn’t unleashed any of his Yuan Gang cultivation.
A crisp ‘ding’ rang out as the spear shook, rebounded from the giant’s throat.
A sesame-sized white spot appeared at the impact site, but the skin wasn’t pierced at all.
The giant’s heavy fist bombarded his head, and in the chaos, Lu Qian ducked his head.
His single ponytail at the back of his head snapped upwards violently, and the brutal punch landed directly on his braid.
Sharp pain exploded on his scalp as tufts of hair flew everywhere.
Over two feet of his ponytail were smashed and torn apart; the hair ties snapped into pieces, and the remaining foot of hair danced wildly in the punch’s gust.
Lu Qian retreated quickly.
The giant laughed lowly, his chest rumbling with endless breathing sounds, like several tigers grumbling and roaring deep within.
Step by step, he pressed closer.
Every step was followed by a punch aimed straight at Lu Qian’s head.
‘Ding ding ding’—clear collision sounds rang ceaselessly.
Lu Qian’s spear sliced through the air with piercing whines, striking the giant’s adam’s apple with ruthless precision again and again.
The giant pressed on with twelve steps, throwing twelve heavy punches in a row.
Lu Qian retreated twelve steps while plunging over a hundred spear thrusts forward.
His spear technique was finely honed—out of those hundred plus thrusts, nearly all pierced the same spot.
Yet on the giant’s throat appeared only a broad white patch about the size of a bean, and his thick skin remained unbroken.
A violent counterforce surged, injuring Lu Qian’s wrists.
When moving, his joints prickled sharply as if stuck by needles.
“Not bad spearwork, but with this little power, this broken spear can’t harm me,” the giant chuckled deeply.
He drew in a deep breath; the muscles of his upper body oddly swelled.
His tight black centipede-stitched outfit snapped several times.
The giant bared his chest.
Knotted veins writhed fiercely beneath his skin.
Next moment, his heavy fist rained like hail, a series of dense thudding sounds bursting through the air.
Lu Qian took a deep breath and smiled brightly at him, “Thank you for satisfying my curiosity. Primordial and meridian expanding stage martial artists really don’t have the physique, strength, and peak combat power that cross trainers possess.”
“But now I’m going to use Yuan Gang. Do you still dare to harden your body against a hundred spear thrusts?”
Breathing steadily, Lu Qian summoned a continuous flow of energy.
Inside him, the vast ocean of Yuan Gang surged wildly.
A faint blue shimmer appeared on his skin as he attacked again, spear speed suddenly doubling.
A cold gleam sparked at the spear tip, followed by a three-inch-long spear aura shooting forth, roaring as it stabbed at the big man’s throat’s vital point.
The giant became serious.
He no longer dared allow the spear wrapped in Yuan Gang spear aura to pierce his throat, instead quickly slamming his heavy fist at the spear shaft.
‘Clang clang clang’—dozens of sharp metallic clashes rang out.
The giant’s fist collided repeatedly with Lu Qian’s spearhead.
His punches were heavier, but Lu Qian’s thrusts came faster.
On average, for every one punch the giant threw, Lu Qian sent out seven or eight spear thrusts.
The dense spear flashes continuously struck the giant’s fists, the immense force shaking the spear shaft.
It bent, rebounded like a wounded massive python, emitting unbearable buzzing sounds.
Suddenly, a loud crack!
Lu Qian’s spear couldn’t withstand the continuous blows.
From his hands to the spear tip, the eight-foot-long spear splintered bit by bit.
The shattered spear shaft sprayed fragments in all directions.
Lu Qian gasped softly and hurriedly retreated backward.
He wouldn’t dare catch those flying shards with his body.
The giant chuckled monstrously, casually guarding his eyes with his hands.
Like a raging bull, he smashed a path through the flying fragments, reaching Lu Qian in just two steps.
“Die!” he roared deeply.
His huge body lunged forward, punching, turning, and striking with a horizontal right elbow.
The strike shattered the air with a ‘crack’ as it slammed violently toward Lu Qian’s vital chest.
An iron elbow hit like a heavy cannonball, unimaginably brutal.
Lu Qian covered his hands in a faint blue glow.
The surging waves technique summoned low, muffled waves sound as he met the iron elbow with his palms.
The moment they clashed, Lu Qian’s face turned grim.
Despite exerting his full strength and channeling Yuan Gang into the surging waves secret technique, he still couldn’t withstand the terrifying power on the giant’s iron elbow.
Lu Qian judged instantly after contact—this giant’s cross-training cultivation was frighteningly high.
His power was at least ten times Lu Qian’s full strength!
Just how strong was this giant’s body?
His skin was probably tempered like five or six layers of heavy armor.
Meeting the iron elbow, Lu Qian flicked his hands back.
Using the force, his body swayed, spiritual light flashing in his mind, his eyes flowing with a blue gleam.
A silent gust of wind arose beneath his feet, making his body surprisingly lighter and doubling his speed again.
Whoosh!
The giant’s vision blurred for a moment as Lu Qian’s figure streaked past him like a shadow.
As he sped by, Lu Qian’s left hand flicked, a blue gust streaming from his fingertips.
He almost reached out to seize the giant’s neck but hesitated, forcing his hand back.
The giant’s iron elbow suddenly lost its target.
Its terrifying power staggered, causing the brute to lose footing and take a large step forward.
Lu Qian accelerated behind him, summoning all his Yuan Gang and launching the surging waves technique.
His hands rolled with the muffled sound of water crashing, delivering 108 consecutive palm strikes to the giant’s back.
The giant’s elbow missed wildly.
He stepped forward, body leaning, unable to turn in time.
In a flash, the giant took a deep breath.
The muscles on his back ballooned three inches high, his dark skin shining with a dull metallic luster.
Lu Qian’s 108 palm strikes fell on the giant’s back with continuous booming sounds.
The surging waves sent hidden force like ocean currents crashing against the giant’s body—trying to break through the skin and robe, penetrate the vital organs.
This technique excels at building momentum; once begun, wave after wave of hidden power converge continuously, eroding the opponent’s body until flesh, throat bone, and insides shatter as if crushed by a flood.
Yet Lu Qian’s cultivation was too far below the giant’s.
Palm after palm hit the giant’s back, only muffled thuds sounded.
The hidden force failed to break through the giant’s skin, colliding like huge waves against sturdy rocks, shattering without any penetration.
What’s worse, some of the frightful hidden force rebounded, striking back at Lu Qian’s palms, wrists, and arms again and again.
After 108 strikes, Lu Qian’s Yuan Gang was drained by seventy or eighty percent.
Panting, he staggered back six or seven zhang, staring with shock at the giant who calmly turned around.
The giant appeared unharmed, having spent only some effort.
But Lu Qian’s hands, wrists, and elbows were aching unbearably, especially fingertips swollen red.
His knuckles were nearly dislocated.
"You said you wanted to spar with a cross-training expert?" The giant sneered, shaking his head at Lu Qian.
"I told you, it’s just for fun—playing with your life."
The giant shook his head forcefully, laughing darkly.
"Alright, Lu, let's be honest. At your age, to already be a skilled Meridian Expander, that’s not easy—really not easy."
"But it’s useless. You offended the wrong person and you have to die here."
"Remember my name. I’m ‘Eight-Armed Bear Demon’ Xiong Dingtian, head of the Xiong family martial hall in Haojing. Tch, dying by my hand hardly counts as a loss. Two years ago, a first stage Classic Opener head constable at the Skou Platform was nearly beaten to death by a single punch from me. What chance do you have?"
Xiong Dingtian grinned broadly at Lu Qian.
"Why don’t you cooperate? Stop resisting and I’ll leave you intact."
"It’s not even the fifteenth day of the first lunar month yet. Blood everywhere during the New Year wouldn’t be a good omen, would it?"
Lu Qian trembled, massaging his arms as Yuan Gang surged through his meridians, easing the pain.
He looked at Xiong Dingtian and forced a dry laugh, "I really can’t beat you. Hmph, next time I’ll find you a worthy opponent… Xiong Dingtian, right? Got it. Long days ahead. Xiong Martial Hall, huh? We’ll be seeing a lot of each other!"
Xiong Dingtian's expression shifted instantly.
The black-clad man who had brought Lu Qian here whistled sharply, waving his hands twice.
Three iron cores about the size of fists dashed through the air, howling toward Lu Qian’s back.
(End of Chapter)