But Lin Chen didn’t offer much explanation, simply walking silently.
The reason each step was slow and difficult was because beneath his clothes, he concealed a set of shackles.
His legs, arms, and entire back were shackled with locks forged from Profound Iron Essence Stone, weighing a terrifying fifty thousand jin.
Lin Chen had a clear assessnt of his own strength; it definitely exceeded twenty thousand jin, but arm strength didn’t equate to full-body strength. More importantly, these Profound Iron Essence Stones were infused with Cold Marrow, so cold that when pressed against Lin Chen’s skin, he could feel the blood in that area freezing.
Under such circumstances, let alone moving forward, just maintaining his posture was quite comndable.
"Too slow, pick up the pace. Even at this speed, you’re not half as fast as I was in my younger days."
An elder with a full head of white hair appeared before Lin Chen, watching his struggle with furrowed brows. "Use the force of the Dragon Spine to drive your entire body... At this rate, you won’t reach the Second Layer even after a year of cultivation."
Lin Chen didn’t reply because he didn’t even have the strength to speak; his entire Essence, Qi, and Spirit were focused on holding up under the full-body pressure and resisting the Cold Force.
One step, two steps, three steps...
After Lin Chen’s figure disappeared, Jia Nanzhu appeared in front of the elder.
"Elder Li, were you truly faster than Lin Chen back then?"
Jia Nanzhu was sowhat curious. He had invited Elder Lord Li, who had practiced the Mountain Suppressing Chart, although Jia himself had not. Elder Li even went to the Military Affairs Hall to argue on behalf of Lin Chen, indicating a good ntor-student relationship. Having Elder Li guide Lin Chen in practicing the Mountain Suppressing Chart was the most appropriate choice.
"Is Lord Jia doubting the truth of my words?"
Li Yueshan gave a soft snort, to which Jia Nanzhu shook his head. "I would never doubt Elder Lord Li’s words. It’s just, is Lin Chen’s progress really that slow?"
"Compared to , naturally it’s slower, but considering he’s at the Opening Acupoints Realm, it’s not too bad."
Li Yueshan added another line, naturally not telling Jia Nanzhu that when he practiced the Mountain Suppressing Chart, he was already in the Grade-Entering Realm. His formidable physique was not sothing Lin Chen could compare to.
But what Li Yueshan didn’t expect was that Jia Nanzhu had already guessed as much.
Four hours later.
As he reached the top of the mountain, Lin Chen was breathing heavily, the surroundings appearing imnsely blurry due to his body reaching its limit.
"It’s not ti to rest yet. After swallowing this dicinal liquid, continue training."
Li Yueshan’s voice echoed, and he handed over a potion bottle to Lin Chen, who received it with a trembling hand and drank it all in one go.
The mont the liquid entered his body, his exhaustion dimd slightly.
At the mountain top was a human-sized pit, and Lin Chen did not hesitate, jumping directly into it.
Li Yueshan retrieved an iron plate from sowhere, threading it through a hole to hold Lin Chen’s shoulders down beneath it. His gaze then fell on Lin Chen. "The first ti I did the earth scorching shock, I lasted half an hour. I’m not expecting you to match , but hold on for at least a quarter of an hour."
Lin Chen didn’t reply, but the resolve on his face spoke volus of his attitude.
In the next mont, around him, four deep pits lay at a distance of ten feet, connected to the pit Lin Chen occupied.
Min Huanbo and five others appeared, with four standing in separate pits, pushing baskets of scorching hot mountain stones into the pit.
In the central pit, Lin Chen, with only his head visible, felt his pupils contract slightly.
As the four smaller pits were filled, Min Huanbo and the others exchanged glances, and together, they thrust their palms down.
The strength of Grade-Entering Martial Artists caused the stones in the pit to crush inward madly.
"Poof!"
A mouthful of fresh blood sprayed from Lin Chen’s lips.
"Use your Qi, circulate the Mountain Suppressing Chart, or after three tis, your internal organs will be displaced. Feel the ground beneath your feet and redirect the force to your legs..."
Li Yueshan’s voice echoed, and Lin Chen’s veins bulged as he bit down, his whole body’s Qi Blood surging wildly, beginning to circulate the Heart thod of the Mountain Suppressing Chart.
...
...
Two hours later, Min Huanbo carried Lin Chen back to the bamboo forest, where Jia Nanzhu had already prepared hot water. Watching Lin Chen, whose skin was red and swollen with multiple burns, Jia Nanzhu sighed softly.
Imrsed in a bathing barrel, it took Lin Chen a full quarter hour to regain consciousness.
"How do you feel after a day’s training?" Jia Nanzhu asked warmly, pouring fresh dicinal liquid into the bath.
"I was too naive to think that the Mountain Suppressing Chart was easy to cultivate." Lin Chen forced a wry smile.
"Don’t be discouraged; Elder Li was even worse off than you back then."
Seeing Lin Chen’s puzzled look, Jia Nanzhu explained, "Elder Li only started practicing after entering the Grade, and even then, he was slightly faster than you. However, the gap between the Opening Acupoints Realm and Entering the Grade is vast. Were it at the Opening Acupoints Realm, Elder Li wouldn’t have been your match."
"Martial Arts Cultivation is to be pursued step by step."
In guiding Lin Chen, Jia Nanzhu had his own considerations.
In Jiangnan Dao, every instructor favored a strict approach, but he believed in adapting to the individual.
For those elite, proud, and unruly students, strict teaching was necessary, but Lin Chen’s circumstances were different. From his observations over the days, he was very pleased with Lin Chen.
Hardworking without arrogance.
Such a student didn’t need harsh words for motivation; encouragent was better to let Lin Chen realize his progress.
Young people need stimulation, but even more, they need recognition.
"Thank you, Instructor, for your guidance. I will not give up."
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