THUD! THUD!
He Xiaotian’s disciples struck the bronze cauldrons before them, their expressions unchanging.
Each strike was filled with immense force, heavy and powerful.
"Stop!" He Xiaotian scanned the group and nodded in satisfaction. They now obeyed his commands without question; their discipline was excellent. "To see your Copper Fists have reached this level of proficiency... as your master, I am very pleased."
As soon as he finished speaking, the hearts of the fifty disciples sank. They all had a bad feeling about this.
The last time he’d said that, they had all ended up with broken arms.
Every punch drew blood!
Sure enough, He Xiaotian’s next words plunged them all into despair.
’We just got used to this hellish training, so why are you suddenly adding something new?’
"The hardest part of the human body is, without a doubt, the skull. So this time, we will be training our heads. Compared to your limbs, the head can be used for a more unexpected attack. It could even save your life at a critical moment.
Of course, to master a truly formidable killing move, the process will be excruciatingly painful. It will be at least a hundred times more painful than when you were training your Copper Fists. But once you succeed, the benefits will be endless."
The group stared at He Xiaotian with calm eyes. They had already built up a bit of an immunity to their so-called master’s words.
Even if he suddenly pulled out a copy of the Sunflower Manual tomorrow, they wouldn’t be surprised.
’It’s just castration, right?’
’What’s there to be afraid of?’
’Huh?’
’What is this Sunflower Manual? And why does it require castration?’
"Master, to what level do we need to train this so-called ’Copper Head’?" asked the most muscular man in the group, taking a step forward.
"Level? I suppose I can give you a little demonstration." He Xiaotian smiled. This was the most talented of the fifty disciples, so he had some privileges. Then, to everyone’s astonishment, he smashed his head directly against the bronze cauldron beside him.
"BOOM!!"
The massive, sturdy cauldron, weighing thousands of pounds, had been cast using modern techniques.
Under the impact of He Xiaotian’s head, it was as fragile as a piece of paper.
Tiny fragments of bronze shot out in all directions.
With a single blow, the bronze cauldron shattered.
"GULP!"
Everyone on the training ground swallowed hard. No matter how many astonishing feats He Xiaotian had performed before, every time they witnessed a new one, they couldn’t help but call him a beast in their hearts.
’And you have to be kidding us, Master!’
’There’s no way we can train to that level, right?’
’We’re just normal people, not some monster in human skin!’
"See? Once you master the Copper Head, anyone of flesh and blood you ram will suffer ruptured organs and shattered bones! But before you begin training, you’ll undergo a three-day medicinal bath. You don’t have to do anything, just enjoy a nice, comfortable soak." If this had been in the past, He Xiaotian’s disciples would have been secretly delighted.
But after being tricked so many times, the group remained expressionless.
’For all we know, this medicinal bath will be even more painful than soaking our arms was.’
After two weeks of training, the physical conditioning of the fifty disciples had undergone a qualitative improvement.
He hadn’t used the medicinal bath earlier precisely because he was afraid they wouldn’t be able to withstand it.
The medicinal bath recorded in the Copper Statue Skill was the most potent and intense.
If an ordinary person were to bathe in it directly, it would likely be fatal.
But now, everyone’s overall conditioning had improved by a notch, allowing He Xiaotian to ’squeeze’ out their potential to his heart’s content.
As long as they endured, they would make a great leap forward.
The process would be a bit more painful, at most, but nothing fatal would happen.
Soon, under the despairing gazes of the disciples, soldiers lit fires to heat the bronze cauldrons and began pouring fresh water into them.
After a short while, BUBBLE... BUBBLE...
The water inside the cauldrons reached a boiling point, and a pungent, stimulating aroma wafted out.
"GULP!"
For some reason, the bronze cauldrons in front of them seemed to be glowing red, their shapes even distorting in the heat.
"Strip and get in."
He Xiaotian’s words were like an imperial edict; no one dared to disobey.
With his three menacing lackeys watching like hawks, no one hesitated. They all stripped off their clothes and jumped into the boiling cauldrons.
Privacy curtains had already been drawn around the cauldrons for the female disciples.
They might be covered in muscle, but they were still girls, after all!
He, He Xiaotian, wasn’t a monster completely devoid of human decency.
"AHHH—"
In an instant, the training ground, which had been quiet for days, finally echoed with bloodcurdling screams.
The trainees from Tang En’s group, who were lifting stone locks by another building, showed expressions that said, ’Now *this* is more like that muscle-bound freak’s perverted methods’.
Then, they trained with even more vigor.
Intense heat, stinging pain, tearing, and reforming.
This was what He Xiaotian’s disciples were experiencing.
Every second was an unbearable torment for them.
But when they saw Feng Yu holding a ghost-head saber and the Magician with an eight-faceted Han sword, both looking ready to cut down anyone who dared to climb out, the disciples immediately gave up the idea.
’Just bear with it!’
’One day, I’ll make those two bastards pay.’
’The Knife-Creditor?’
He was ignored once again.
Five minutes later, someone couldn’t take it anymore. The moment his head broke the surface, the hairs all over his body stood on end.
It was as if a terrifying beast had locked its eyes on him.
If he dared to climb out, he would suffer a thunderous blow.
The man turned his head and saw that the person staring at him was none other than He Xiaotian.
His tiger-like gaze was enough to make one’s blood run cold.
’You’re the boss. I’ll endure it.’
It had to be said, the deterrent effect of his [Devourer of Men] special attribute was incredibly powerful.
Half an hour later, the group gradually grew numb.
Don’t get the wrong idea—it wasn’t their Spirit that grew numb, but their bodies.
The medicinal bath of the Copper Statue Skill was just too potent.
The second day was another ’soak’.
But the fifty disciples found themselves feeling nostalgic for the hellish training of before.
At least training in the Twelve Tendon-Changing Forms of Dharma under the blazing sun was far more comfortable than this medicinal bath.
The pain was still intense, forcing them to howl uncontrollably.
Then, after an hour, their bodies went numb to the pain once again.
On the third day, had their spirits begun to fray?
The trainees in Tang En’s group noticed that the disciples of the muscle-bound freak had become like puppets.
Once the potent medicinal baths were over, training returned to normal.
At the same time, they began ramming their heads against the cauldrons, drawing blood with every impact.
This seemed to be a way of venting, and watching them made the three lackeys’ hearts tremble with fear.
They were terrified that someone would get carried away and smash their own head open!
But it didn’t matter; the Cleaners had equipped them with Hua Country’s best medical teams.
After the young nurses applied the special ointment from the Copper Statue Skill to the disciples’ heads, they wrapped them in gauze, creating a somewhat comical sight.
「One week later, in the Medical University cafeteria.」
"Yo! Look what we have here, the Mummy squad has arrived."
"Hahaha!!!"
The trainees from Tang En’s group teased the disciples as usual.
However, this time was different. Before, they simply hadn’t recovered. You could tease and joke all you wanted, but no one had the physical strength or mental energy to bother with you.
But now, they were once again full of vigor and ferocity.
’You dare mock me?’
’I’ll fucking kill you, believe it or not!’