"Xiao An, help me to the training ground."
Yang Zuhuan called for his personal maid, Xiao An, after ten minutes—it was time for practice.
He couldn't walk far without someone's support, and as for the hour of punishment, he didn't really care.
Even Xiao An didn't mention it and simply helped him. She was glad to escape that humiliating position.
She supported him as they made their way to the martial arts training ground.
The Yang household was vast. As the young master of the entire Yang family, Yang Zuhuan lacked nothing. Even after falling ill, he had his own courtyard, attended by a dozen maids and servants.
The illness was contagious. However, the Yang family had consulted an expert. Though they couldn't cure Yang Zuhuan's illness, they could prevent it from spreading. Aware of his condition, Yang Zuhuan even wore a makeshift "mask" when he went out, which made him look rather odd.
Soon, as Yang Zuhuan passed by a courtyard, he heard faint shouts and the clash of blades and spears from behind the high walls.
He knew this was the training ground, where the Yang family's guards practiced their martial arts.
The Yang family was no ordinary household. The entire Yang Family Fort was essentially a town. Most of its residents were tenant farmers under the Yang family, and the majority of the fort's industries belonged to them.
A dominant clan!
The Yang family was an example of a powerful local clan. There was no government office in Yang Family Fort—the nearest one was in the county seat. Outside the county, government orders relied on clans like the Yang family to enforce them. In Yang Family Fort, the Yang family was the law.
As a dominant clan, the Yang family naturally maintained its own armed force—these guards. The household had about fifty guards in total, each one robust and skilled in martial arts.
Inside the training ground, around a dozen burly guards were practicing their techniques and building strength. Leading them was a one-eyed middle-aged man.
"Uncle Mo."
Yang Zuhuan entered the training ground and called out to the middle-aged man.
The man was Mo Suhan, head of the Yang family's guards. Rumor had it that he had been saved by Yang Zuhuan's father years ago and had since devoted himself loyally to the Yang household.
Mo Suhan had already made preparations and began teaching Yang Zuhuan the Virgin Martial Arts.
But training was nothing like Yang Zuhuan had imagined. The so-called Virgin Martial Arts was, in essence, about building a foundation.
It involved enduring all sorts of grueling trials—carrying heavy weights, taking blows, and more.
Even a robust, healthy person might not persevere through it.
And once mastered, its sole benefit was enhanced strength, greater endurance, increased flexibility, and faster speed. It served as a foundation for practicing other martial arts, making them easier to learn and more effective.
In other words, Virgin Martial Arts was merely a support technique.
Mo Suhan himself had mastered Virgin Martial Arts before spending twenty years on his Stone Fist Technique, which accounted for his impressive strength.
But Yang Zuhuan didn't care about that. His goal was to strengthen his body, and Virgin Martial Arts's ability to improve all aspects of physical fitness was exactly what he needed.
So, no matter how arduous it was, he gritted his teeth and pressed on.
One day, two days, three days…
Ten days passed in a blink, and even Mo Suhan was astonished. He'd thought Yang Zuhuan might last a day at best. Even with strong willpower, three days would've been his limit.
But against all odds, Yang Zuhuan had endured for a full ten days!
"Such a pity. Zuhuan's illness has left his body too frail. This is his limit…"
Mo Suhan felt a pang of regret. After ten days, Yang Zuhuan had finally achieved the Virgin Martial Arts.
But this was only the most basic level. It was practically useless, something anyone could achieve in just three days.
Yet, because of Yang Zuhuan's severe illness and frail constitution, it had taken him a grueling ten days to succeed!
Yang Zuhuan, however, didn't care how long it had taken. His Virgin Martial Arts had finally been initiated! He'd toiled for so long, enduring ten days of hardship, all for this moment—to achieve initiation!
It was his only hope!
His heart raced with excitement. Locking himself in his room, he slowly calmed his emotions, focusing his mind. Then, activating his ability, a string of data gradually materialized before his eyes.
(End of Chapter)