Pansen Martial Arts Gym, training room.
"Junior brother, call me when you're ready."
"Come on, Second Brother, we're ready!"
Alan, shirtless, took a firm stance.
His muscular body, enhanced by magic, took on a metallic texture.
Like a masculine bronze sculpture!
It's been a hundred days since I've cultivated "Bronze Skin and Iron Bones"!
It's time to properly assess the results of my training.
Across from Alan stood Second Brother Taffman, a head taller than him.
Taffman held a large wooden club, as thick as a bowl.
He held the club with both hands, raising it high.
He aimed at Alan's spine and smashed it down!
Whoosh—bang!
The heavy blow echoed throughout the gym.
The moment the club struck his back, Allen bent slightly, then straightened his back, withstanding the immense force.
Steps, motionless!
The club bounced off his back.
Glistening beads of sweat splashed.
Where the club had struck his back, there was no trace of redness or swelling.
His skin was as smooth as polished metal, flawless.
Not even a trace of pores could be seen.
This was the hallmark of successful physical training!
"Junior Brother, I've used half my strength. How do you feel?"
Taffman asked Allen with concern, holding the club in one hand.
"Not bad! But not strong enough!" Allen said truthfully.
"Second Brother, you can add another two points."
"This time, go for my head!"
"Are you sure?" Taffman said with a look of reluctance. "No problem!" Allen grinned. "Don't worry, I won't act rashly!"
"That's true. You never do anything you're not sure of."
Tafman rolled up his sleeves and stretched his muscles.
His thick arms, muscular and knotted, resembled two dragon-carved pillars.
He raised the club high again and struck him down!
Crack!
The club, as thick as a bowl, smashed down hard on Allen's head.
Unable to withstand the force, it broke in two on the spot!
All the while, Allen simply lowered his head slightly.
He immediately straightened his chest and head, his expression unwavering.
"Junior brother, how do you feel this time?"
"No pain, just a little dizzy."
After a moment's rest, the slight dizziness faded.
Picking up the broken stick, Allen looked at the stump, disappointment in his eyes.
"An oak stick isn't strong enough!"
"Second Brother, let's try an iron stick next time."
"Good boy!" Taffman grinned and asked provocatively, "Do you dare try the spear?"
"Sure! I thought so too!"
When it comes to physical training, the most important thing is to train your entire body.
From head to toe, every inch of muscle and skin must be trained to perfection.
There can be no weaknesses, or so-called "weak points."
If someone finds a weak point and breaks it with one strike, all your training would be in vain.
The stick is a blunt weapon, so it's not that difficult to resist.
Now, Taffman picked up a steel gun from the weapon rack.
This is a sharp, piercing weapon!
A sharp blade piercing armor is no match for a club's blow.
Alan was about to face a more difficult test.
He took a deep breath, his magical power coursing through his body.
His skin then took on a cold, metallic sheen.
"Second Brother, come on!"
"Alright! Watch this move!"
Tafman stood across from Alan, five steps away.
He exerted force with both arms and swung his spear, like a dragon emerging from the sea!
Swish!
Accompanied by a sharp sound of breaking wind.
The spear, trailing an afterimage, pierced Alan's heart!
Clang!
The sharp steel spear struck the young man's sturdy chest.
A dazzling shower of sparks erupted!
The clanging sound was like the clashing of metal!
Taffman's arms continued to exert force, their massive muscles throbbing.
The gym's foremost warrior had already exerted eighty percent of his strength.
Even if the opponent was a solid iron plate, he would have pierced it with a single lance.
Alan's flesh and blood, enhanced by his "copper skin and iron bones," was surprisingly stronger than actual iron.
He was pushed back two steps by the spear, but he quickly regained his balance.
Not giving an inch!
Both Taffman and Alan exerted their strength.
The spear, the medium of their wrestling, could no longer withstand the pressure.
The once straight shaft of the spear slowly bent, like a bow.
Snap!
Unable to bear the weight, the spear finally broke in half.
With a clang, the half of the spear fell to the ground.
The once sharp tip had been worn flat. On Allen's chest, where the spear had pierced him, there was only a slightly reddened bruise.
A few rubs loosened the tendons and stimulated blood circulation, and the bruise disappeared.
Over the past six months, Allen had not only achieved breakthroughs in his cultivation.
He had also made significant progress in his martial arts.
His Explosive Palm skill had reached full maturity!
His Copper Skin and Iron Bones skill had also reached minor success.
"Junior Brother, we both started practicing Copper Skin and Iron Bones at the same time."
"At first, our progress was about the same."
"But after three months, your skill has surpassed mine."
Taffman sighed with a mixture of envy and sadness.
Three months ago, he was promoted to a Level 2 Violent Warlock.
Since then, he has practiced "Copper Skin and Iron Bones."
Alan received the awakening agent around the same time and began practicing the same hard skills.
The two brothers started at the same starting line.
As they ran, he, the senior brother, was left behind by his junior.
Alan had been studying at Pansen's martial arts school for just over a year, but he had already broken through two realms in succession, reaching the late stage of the first stage.
Meanwhile, Taffman had finally broken through his bottleneck and advanced to the early stage of the second stage.
After all, before Alan joined, he had already been training at the late stage of the first stage for a full three years!
Seeing his junior brother's rapid progress, Taffman had to admit that in two years at most, Alan would completely overtake him.
In terms of aptitude, talent, and bloodline type, Taffman believed he was no less capable than Alan.
His cultivation speed, while not reaching genius level, was at least above average.
Alan's greater progress than Taffman's was due not only to his wealth and willingness to spend magic stones to aid his cultivation, but also to three other factors that were difficult to explain.
First, he had already expended his potential to purify his bloodline, raising his aptitude from average to superior.
Furthermore, the glutton system was a huge help.
Whenever he encountered a difficult hurdle in his cultivation, the system would automatically deduce and calculate a solution, saving Allen many detours.
Occasionally, he would obtain unique ingredients that would enhance his attributes after consumption, effectively enhancing his innate talent.
Another factor was meditation.
Alan had already completed his third injection and successfully mastered the second-level meditation technique given by Angel.
At a first-level cultivation level, he was already practicing second-level meditation.
It was like someone using a spoon to sip soup, while
Alan simply used a ladle to scoop it up...
As long as he wasn't afraid of choking, meditation was naturally much more efficient.
Tafman didn't possess these qualities, so he certainly couldn't compare to him.
While chatting, Allen was slightly startled.
A system prompt came to his mind:
"Do you want to spend 4 potential points to fuse 'Blade Guard,' 'Shield Technique,' and 'Bronze Skin and Iron Bones' to deduce a new body-refining secret technique?"
Wow!
This time it's a three-in-one!
Alan was secretly excited.
Two defensive spells, plus a hard-working body-refining technique, the resulting fusion is most likely a fourth-tier body-refining secret technique!
The defensive effect will definitely be much stronger than 'Bronze Skin and Iron Bones'.
Maybe it will even have some resistance to magical weapons.
Unfortunately, Alan hasn't gained any more potential in the past six months.
Right now, he only has the two potential points he gained from the Plague God Statue.
Fusing 'Bone-Piercing Explosion' and 'Thunder Wave' wouldn't even be enough.
Not to mention the even more potential-consuming 'Three-in-One'.
"Junior brother, come here! My dad wants to see you!"
Tanya's call from outside the training room interrupted Alan's thoughts.
"Okay, Senior Sister, I'll be right there!"
Alan said goodbye to his second senior brother, put on his coat, and went out.
Tanya stood at the door, casually buttoning his shirt.
"It's windy outside, and you've been sweating. Be careful not to catch a cold or get sick with your shirt uncovered."
The senior sister's natural gentleness and thoughtfulness warmed Alan's heart.
Tanya, now a Level 3 Warlock, still firmly held her position as the "violent genius."
Alan still had to obey the senior sister.
"By the way, there's something you might not know, so I'll just let you know," Tanya sighed.
"What's wrong, Senior Sister?"
"Do you remember that white-haired boy named Duke?"
"Of course I do. What happened to him?"
Alan had a bad feeling.
"He's dead," Tanya said calmly.