#224 - Chapter 224 Henglian Hall

As the dawn broke, sunlight filtered through the sparse clouds, dappling the Hongmen training grounds.

Cheng Feng stood on the high platform, surrounded by an indescribable air of composure and determination, a new edge honed deep within him since his return from the gentle embrace.

His eyes gleamed with conviction, the various encounters of the past two years culminating last night in a complete transformation of Cheng Feng, from the depths of his heart, into the Cheng Feng of Great Zhou.

Below the platform stood thirty robust Hongmen disciples, full of vigor, handpicked by Wang Hu at Cheng Feng's request for their unwavering loyalty to Hongmen.

After two days of research, Cheng Feng had nearly mastered the Bronze Statue Skill.

The Bronze Statue Skill allows one to train the body to be as hard as a bronze man, especially the head and limbs, which possess extremely high hardness and formidable defensive capabilities.

Techniques like Bronze Fist, Bronze Foot, and Bronze Head possess astonishing power. The Bronze Fist, for example, has a recorded instance of killing a ferocious giant bear with a single blow, while the Bronze Foot can leave deep footprints on solid steel plates.

The Bronze Statue Skill not only tempers the surface skin and flesh but also emphasizes the training of internal organs such as the heart, liver, spleen, stomach, and kidneys, tempering the muscles and bones from the inside out, removing impurities, and nurturing pure blood energy.

It has a unique meridian circulation method, combined with medicinal bath formulas, to help practitioners better master and improve their martial arts.

It allows practitioners to possess powerful defensive and offensive capabilities and unleash astonishing power in actual combat.

This Bronze Statue Skill that Cheng Feng possessed was a martial art capable of reaching the perfection of organ refinement, and even had a certain chance of directly breaking into the True Qi realm.

It was the most top-tier secret manual Cheng Feng had ever seen on his path of martial arts, but correspondingly, the cost of practicing it was also extremely high.

The cost of medicinal soups was enormous, invariably involving precious medicinal materials, and the auxiliary equipment used were pure copper cauldrons and pure copper rods. Ordinary martial artists simply couldn't afford the expense of just these two items.

Cheng Feng hadn't seen any traces of pure copper rods or copper cauldrons in Black Wind Stronghold, suggesting that Wu Jiang must have learned martial arts elsewhere before ending up at Black Wind Stronghold.

Hongmen directly spent one thousand two hundred taels of silver to forge four sets of pure copper cauldrons and rods, each set costing three hundred taels.

Cheng Feng had already tested Wu Jiang's horizontal training effect, and his frontal impact resistance was very strong, comparable to a demonic weapon. When Cheng Feng faced Wu Jiang, he didn't dare to directly confront the bronze fists, and could only look for opportunities to dodge, which infuriated Wu Jiang before Cheng Feng found the opportunity to chop off Wu Jiang's arm.

And the potential of the Bronze Statue Skill was extraordinary, so instead of keeping it to himself, it was better to directly unleash it on the Hongmen members.

However, this cultivation method consumed too much individually, and was simply not something an individual could afford. In order to cultivate combat power, Cheng Feng had no choice but to let Hongmen pay for the cultivation, and set up a separate hall called the Horizontal Training Hall.

Everyone who could join the Horizontal Training Hall was outstanding in their contribution to Hongmen, their loyalty, and their own talent and perseverance. All three were indispensable.

And his eldest brother Cheng Shu, third brother Cheng Lei, and brother-in-law Xu Le, were also among them, a decision Cheng Feng had made after repeated consideration.

Horizontal training is different from ordinary cultivation methods, and the ability to endure hardship is essential. Being unable to withstand pain is not an option.

But as his own relatives, having this cultivation method meant that they wouldn't be afraid of ordinary knives and guns even if something happened, which was already the best protection for them.

"Do you know why you're here?" Cheng Feng said indifferently.

The crowd below shouted in unison: "We don't know!"

Cheng Feng smiled and said: "Perhaps some of you have already heard. Those who can come here are disciples carefully selected by Hongmen. Now the sect intends to cultivate disciples, and has taken out a high-level cultivation method for the disciples to practice.

But this is a horizontal training method, extremely difficult, extremely bitter to cultivate, and requires a great deal of resources. If the disciples were to bear it individually, I'm afraid they wouldn't even be able to afford the cost of the medicinal soup.

Therefore, the sect plans to set up a Horizontal Training Hall separately, using this secret manual that can be cultivated to the True Qi realm as a foundation to create a Hongmen special operations team. You don't need to contribute a single copper coin, you only need to work hard to cultivate and solve problems for the sect. Are you willing?"

The crowd said in unison: "We are willing!"

"Good, you are all good! Then next, Instructor Baibai will supervise your cultivation. You know how strict he is. I hope you will achieve success as soon as possible.

From today onwards, each of you in the Horizontal Training Hall will receive twice the monthly salary of other disciples, and the daily meat supply will be unlimited for each individual. The medicinal soup will be served three times a day. I have already ordered the Earth Gate tokens to be made, and it depends on who can get them."

As Cheng Feng's words fell, the entire training ground seemed to be swept by an invisible heat wave, and the eyes of the disciples gleamed with unprecedented light.

The crowd below was in an uproar. Who wouldn't love such good conditions? Instructor Baibai, the iron-blooded instructor known for his strictness, stood on the high platform at this moment, his eyes stern.

"Since everyone is willing, then the training of the Horizontal Training Hall will begin immediately!" Instructor Baibai's voice resounded throughout the audience like thunder, his words full of unquestionable power.

Immediately, he turned to the attendant beside him and gave a few instructions, and several disciples quickly took action, some carrying heavy stone locks, some laying out a thorny track, and others busy preparing various special training equipment.

"Remember, the path of horizontal training is not achieved in a day. It requires you to temper your physical body in the most difficult environment until your mortal body can be comparable to metal and stone. But please remember that a true strong person lies not only in the strength of their power but also in the resilience and unyielding nature of their heart."

Baibai's words were like morning bells and evening drums, sounding the alarm in everyone's heart.

Cheng Feng had also discussed with Baibai for a long time before deciding on this strict atmosphere and wording.

The main thing was to build the importance of the Horizontal Training Hall, planned by Cheng Feng and executed by Baibai, otherwise, it might be really difficult for a robot to do something.

The days of training began, each day filled with challenges and sweat. Under Cheng Feng's strict planning, the disciples were undergoing various unimaginable physical training, from weighted long-distance running and climbing cliffs to impact resistance training, each of which tested their limits.

At the same time, a large number of supplement soups were sent to the Hongmen backyard training ground, which caused a lot of discussion among the other Hongmen disciples, but Cheng Feng didn't intend to pay attention to it.

Time will sculpt them into what they should be.

Time flew by like a white horse passing through a crack, and in the blink of an eye, two months had passed. The disciples of the Horizontal Training Hall had undergone earth-shattering changes in countless tempering sessions.

Their muscles were more solid, and their skin seemed to contain the power of steel. More importantly, their eyes had a touch of determination.

Hongmen's investment in them could be said to be visible to the naked eye. Stone lock weights and the like were nothing, but when three copper cauldrons as tall as a person appeared, everyone was frightened.

This was money! Using a large cauldron made of copper as their training equipment made everyone realize how much Hongmen valued the horizontal training method they were currently practicing.

If they couldn't train into something presentable, they probably wouldn't be able to get past their own hurdle.