49: I was born with superhuman strength!

Xiao Chen's eyes were rimmed with red as he stood there, looking at the young man before him.

For the past three years, he had single-handedly supported this teetering martial arts school, carrying his father's expectations and enduring the ridicule of the outside world.

Many nights, he lay on cold wooden planks, staring at the leaky roof above, feeling that the road ahead was completely bleak.

He thought that the sign of the Iron Bone Martial Arts School would sooner or later fall for good.

"Your name is?" Xiao Chen calmed his emotions.

"Hello, School Master, my name is Li Qing!"

Li Qing cupped his fists in a salute to the young man before him.

"School Master, I need you to initiate me into the sect," Li Qing said.

Xiao Chen was stunned.

"What do you mean?" He didn't understand.

They had only exchanged a few words.

Li Qing threw out the question directly,

"I have Innate Divine Strength."

Li Qing gave no further explanation; he walked over to a row of stone blocks.

He stood before the very last large stone block.

It was a massive four-thousand-jin stone block.

With a light tug from Li Qing, the stone block rose directly.

Then he gave it a casual swing.

Under his talent of over a hundred and twenty thousand jin of Great Strength, the stone block before him was light as a feather!

Xiao Chen's breath caught sharply.

Holy crap!

What was he seeing?

This thin-framed youth before him could pick up a massive stone block that even he couldn't lift.

That was something only those in the Late Stage of the Body Refining Realm could move.

But even they couldn't swing it around at will!

This was a true possessor of Innate Divine Strength!

And not just any ordinary Innate Divine Strength.

Although he was young, he had grown up in the martial arts school since childhood and had heard many Jianghu rumors.

Those with Innate Divine Strength were true martial arts geniuses!

Such people were born with physical strength far exceeding ordinary people; they were the perfect raw material for martial arts cultivation.

Some with Innate Divine Strength possessed a thousand jin of Great Strength upon reaching adulthood.

Stronger ones were like Li Qing before him.

Possessing ten thousand jin of Great Strength!

Once such ten thousand jin Great Strength appeared, any martial arts school would fight for them at any cost.

They would pour in all their resources to bring them into their sect and Cultivate them with care.

Because those with Innate Divine Strength were often better fighters than others of the same rank.

Fighting above their level was as simple as drinking water.

Body Refining in the early stages was rapid.

They could Breakthrough to Realms unattainable by ordinary people, becoming local overlords or even founding their own sects.

Xiao Chen's mind was a bit of a mess.

He himself was only at the Middle Stage of the Body Tempering Realm and hadn't even fully inherited his father's legacy.

The Iron Bone Martial Arts School's cornerstone Cultivation Technique, the Iron Body Art, only remained as fragmented pieces in his mind.

How could someone like him initiate a possessor of Innate Divine Strength?

Furthermore, with such talent, why would Li Qing choose his dilapidated Iron Bone Martial Arts School?

In Jinling City, between the Fierce Wind Martial Arts Hall and the Jingtao Martial Arts School, which one wasn't a massive power with experts as numerous as clouds?

Going to any of them would provide the best guidance and the most abundant resources.

Yet Li Qing stood here, before a youth like him who had nothing, saying he wanted him to lead the way.

Xiao Chen's lips moved; he wanted to ask something but felt he couldn't find the words.

He was afraid this was just an illusion, a dream.

"Don't misunderstand."

Li Qing seemed to see Xiao Chen's confusion and explained calmly.

"Although my strength isn't small, I haven't systematically studied martial arts."

"I'm like a wild bull, possessing a body full of strength but not knowing how to use it."

"I need someone to teach me how to build a Foundation, how to exert force, and how to truly transform this strength into martial cultivation."

Xiao Chen was speechless.

You could probably kill me easily with just that brute force.

I'm at the Middle Stage of the Body Refining Realm, and I only have three thousand jin of strength right now.

You could kill me with a casual wave of your hand!

Li Qing ignored Xiao Chen's shock.

He paused, his gaze sweeping over the children in the courtyard and the rusted weapons.

"As for why I chose your place..."

Li Qing said softly.

"I'm used to being idle and don't like rules."

"Those large martial arts schools have too many rules. To join as a Disciple, you have to worry about seniority, follow sect rules, participate in competitions, and... watch people's faces."

He didn't state it too explicitly, but Xiao Chen understood.

Li Qing was talking about those large martial arts schools.

The overt and covert struggles between Disciples to fight for resources and status.

That was something his father had also warned him about when he was still around.

Large martial arts schools seem glamorous, but their internals are complex; navigating human relationships is harder than practicing martial arts itself.

And the Iron Bone Martial Arts School?

Xiao Chen smiled bitterly.

Here, besides him and these few children who knew nothing, what else was there?

There were no rules.

Because there were simply no people who needed to follow rules.

There was no infighting.

Because here, there wasn't even anything worth fighting over.

"Although your place is desolate, it's free," Li Qing concluded.

"This place can provide me with a spot to practice martial arts in peace and some basic martial arts knowledge."

Hearing this.

Xiao Chen roughly knew what Li Qing wanted.

An identity and some basic martial arts knowledge.

He, Xiao Chen, although his martial cultivation wasn't high, the mnemonic for the Iron Body Art technique...

He had recited it since childhood and knew it by heart.

Although the Jingtao Martial Arts School had stolen the Secret Manual, those words and the methods of breathing and meditation were carved into his brain.

Those were all basic body tempering methods.

He could definitely teach them to Li Qing.

He could initiate Li Qing into the sect.

Xiao Chen raised his head and looked at Li Qing again.

This time, there was no doubt in his eyes, only a kind of wild joy.

He saw hope.

Not just his own hope, but the hope of the Iron Bone Martial Arts School and the hope of these children.

Once someone with Innate Divine Strength grew up in the later stages.

Even if they only held the title of a Disciple of the Iron Bone Martial Arts School.

It would be enough to make those who looked down on them re-examine this place.

Moreover, Li Qing wasn't just any ordinary possessor of Innate Divine Strength.

In the future, perhaps he could even avenge his father.

"Good!"

Xiao Chen's voice carried a hint of trembling.

"I will teach you!"

"I will teach you everything I know!"

"Very good." A small smile finally appeared on Li Qing's face.

He took a step forward, coming before Xiao Chen.

Xiao Chen's throat tightened; he took a deep breath through his nose, suppressing all his emotions.

He looked at Li Qing, then at the few curious little heads peeking out from behind him.

"Come, children."

Xiao Chen turned around, his voice filled with unprecedented excitement.

"This is your Senior Brother Li Qing!"

The several children looked timidly at Li Qing, then at Xiao Chen, before shouting in unison.

"Hello, Senior Brother Li Qing!"

Li Qing nodded to them as a greeting.

"Where do you live?" Xiao Chen asked.

"I have a courtyard in the south of the city," Li Qing said.

"I will come over frequently. Usually, just tell me what you need, and I will find a way to get it for you."

"Leave the repairs of the martial arts school and the food and clothing for the children to me."

Xiao Chen's eyes lit up.

"I also have some books here. Although they are all basic, they should be useful for your initiation."

He pointed to a dust-covered wooden chest in the corner of the courtyard.

"Good."

Li Qing walked over, bent down, and moved the wooden chest out.

He placed the chest in the center of the courtyard and opened it.

Inside were several yellowed old books with damaged pages and blurred handwriting.

Basics of Body Tempering, On Martial Artist Blood Qi, Introductory Fist Techniques... If these books were placed in other large martial arts schools, even the sweeping Disciples wouldn't spare them a second glance.

But in Li Qing's eyes, they were treasures.

He needed this knowledge.

This would allow him to systematically study martial arts.

Xiao Chen watched Li Qing holding those old books with a focused gaze, and a warm current surged in his heart.

This youth with Innate Divine Strength was not like those high-and-mighty geniuses; he had a sense of steadiness and sincerity.

He didn't know why Li Qing had Innate Divine Strength yet was still wandering outside.

Generally, such geniuses would be discovered from a young age.

But he knew that from today on, the Iron Bone Martial Arts School was no longer an empty shell.

It had a new hope.

A powerful hope.

"School Master."

Li Qing closed one of the books, Basics of Body Tempering, and looked up at Xiao Chen.

"How is this Body Tempering Realm divided?"

Xiao Chen's spirit rallied; he immediately reined in all his emotions and straightened his back.

"The Body Tempering Realm is divided into four levels: Initial Stage, Middle Stage, High Stage, and Peak..."