At the foot of Qingxu Temple's mountain, where wasteland once stood, a brand-new complex of buildings now stood. On the training grounds paved with blue stone, over a hundred robust men were practicing horse-stance squats under the scorching sun, sweat dripping down their bronze-colored skin and splashing onto the stone slabs like scattered flowers.
"Lower your waists! Relax your shoulders! With your weak and limp forms, you are not even as good as women!" Zhao Tiezhu's loud voice echoed across the training grounds. This Golden Core Body Cultivation giant, now the Principal of the Tiezhu Body Cultivation Academy, was personally supervising the basic training of the first batch of students.
A young student whose legs were trembling could not help but complain: "Principal, we have been doing horse-stances for three hours already..."
"Hmm?" Zhao Tiezhu's copper-bell-like eyes bulged, and the student immediately fell silent. Then Zhao Tiezhu casually took a thousand-jin black iron hammer from the weapon rack and swung it skillfully with one hand: "Look clearly! This is what a real man should look like!"
The students watched in amazement. That black iron hammer was specially made for testing strength; ordinarily, even Foundation Establishment cultivators needed both hands to barely lift it, yet in Zhao Tiezhu's hands it was as light as nothing.
"The path of body cultivation places the greatest emphasis on foundation." Zhao Tiezhu put down the hammer, his voice steady and powerful. "Do you think body cultivation is just about being big and crude? Wrong! Every movement must engage all the body's muscles, every ounce of strength must be applied precisely."
He walked to a student and placed his hand on the student's lower back: "Here, the force application is wrong. The waist is the pivot of strength. If waist strength does not flow, the whole body is disjointed."
The student adjusted as instructed and immediately felt that his previously sore legs became much lighter.
"Principal is truly amazing!" The students exclaimed sincerely.
Zhao Tiezhu grinned: "This is all experience I gained from being repeatedly whacked with a frying pan by the Sect Master in the back mountain of Qingxu Temple."
This remark caused everyone to burst into laughter. Who could have imagined that the prestigious Sect Master Tang, who now commanded respect throughout the cultivation world, had taught his disciples this way in the past.
The afternoon training was even more grueling. Students paired up for combat practice. Zhao Tiezhu's requirements were simple and brutal: "No spiritual energy allowed, rely purely on physical strength. Whoever falls first tonight is responsible for washing everyone's socks!"
To avoid washing that mountain of stinking socks, the students gave their all. The dull thuds of fist and foot meeting flesh never ceased, and people were frequently knocked senseless, only to quickly get up and continue fighting.
"Stop!" Zhao Tiezhu suddenly called a halt to the sparring, pointing at one of the students. "Why did you pull your punch when attacking?"
The student stammered: "I was afraid of hurting him..."
"Nonsense!" Zhao Tiezhu roared. "The path of body cultivation is about pressing forward without hesitation! When you hold back, your momentum scatters! Again!"
Under his scolding, the student finally let go of his reservations, punching his opponent and sending him flying three zhang away.
"Now that is more like it!" Zhao Tiezhu nodded with satisfaction. "Remember, being merciful to enemies is being cruel to yourself. Of course, for fellow disciples, you should heal them after sparring."
This rough-yet-subtle teaching earned the students' heartfelt respect.
During training breaks, Zhao Tiezhu would lead the students to hunt in the back mountain. Not using magic, but purely relying on physical strength to battle beasts. This most primitive form of survival gave the students a deeper understanding of the application of strength.
"Principal, there is a black bear over there!" A student shouted excitedly.
Zhao Tiezhu squinted to look: "All of you attack together. Remember the coordinated attack techniques I taught you."
Six students cooperated with each other, some engaged frontally, some harassed from the sides, and others specialized in tripping. Although the process was messy, they ultimately succeeded in subduing that robust black bear.
"Not bad, not bad." Zhao Tiezhu rarely praised. "Body cultivators are not fools. You need to use your brains."
As evening fell, the exhausted students returned to the academy, only to find that Zhao Tiezhu had already prepared medicinal baths. The rich medicinal fragrance permeated the entire bathing area, these were all specially requested tempering formulas from the Pill Hall.
"All of you soak for the full duration!" Zhao Tiezhu inspected the bath concentrations one by one. "Short by one moment, tomorrow's training doubles!"
The students complained endlessly, yet they all knew it was for their own good. These medicinal baths could not only relieve fatigue but also strengthen the physical body, an indispensable part of body cultivation training.
What moved the students most was that during every medicinal bath, Zhao Tiezhu personally stood guard beside them, ready to rescue any student who might have an accident. This seemingly rough man was actually more attentive than anyone.
One month later, the academy held its first assessment. Surprisingly, this batch of students' progress exceeded all expectations. Students who could not lift a thousand-jin boulder before could now hoist the black iron hammer with one hand; students who were once clumsy could now dodge attacks with agility.
"The Principal's teaching methods are excellent!" An elder from Qingxu Temple who came to observe exclaimed.
Zhao Tiezhu scratched his head modestly: "The students worked hard themselves."
But his teaching methods quickly spread throughout the cultivation world. Many body cultivation families sent people to learn, and some magical cultivators even came seeking to strengthen their physical bodies.
"A Body Cultivation Academy? Interesting." Xiao Qi stood atop the mountain, overlooking the bustling training scene below. "It seems Tiezhu has found his own path."
Senior Brother Mu Qingfeng smiled: "The foot of the mountain is quite lively now. Even overseas body cultivators want to come for exchange and study."
As they spoke, Zhao Tiezhu led several proud disciples up the mountain. Seeing Xiao Qi, he excitedly reported: "Sect Master, these seedlings are really good! A few have already touched the threshold of Foundation Establishment!"
Xiao Qi examined those robust young men, sensing the surging blood and qi energy within their bodies. Although their cultivation was still shallow, their foundations were extremely solid.
"Excellent." Xiao Qi nodded with satisfaction. "The path of body cultivation places the greatest emphasis on foundation. Having a teacher like you is their fortune."
Zhao Tiezhu was somewhat embarrassed by the praise: "I am just a rough guy who knows only foolish methods."
"The greatest Dao is simplest." Xiao Qi said meaningfully. "Sometimes the most seemingly foolish methods are actually the most effective."
As the sun set, the training at the Body Cultivation Academy continued. Zhao Tiezhu's loud commands echoed through the valley, accompanied by the students' synchronized shouts, composing a vibrant scene.
This seemingly simple Body Cultivation Academy was cultivating a special force for Qingxu Temple. And Zhao Tiezhu, in this process, had found his own life value.
As night deepened, the academy's lights still burned brightly. Zhao Tiezhu was still preparing for tomorrow's training, this honest man was contributing to the sect in his own unique way.