Genius Martial Arts Trainer

Hardship

Unlike Jegal Muhwan, who felt shock and fear, Hyuncheon, the abbot of Shaolin, wore a satisfied expression.

The Hyuncheon group of Shaolin, all now over seventy years old, didn’t engage closely with the weight training propagated by Mu-jin.

However, as it had spread among the disciples, Hyuncheon had also experienced it a few times for the sake of learning.

It was an experience akin to performing wall-facing meditation while doing prostrations.

Repeating the same movements endlessly was incredibly tedious, and the pain transmitted from the muscles was nothing short of a form of hardship.

Thus, Hyuncheon was delighted.

Seeing the disciples honing themselves and not stopping their hardships even as they headed towards the battlefield.

How beautiful a sight it was.

“Hahaha. Mu-jin, it seems you are also pleased with the changed appearance of Shaolin.”

Mugung, who was weight training nearby, tilted his head as Hyuncheon mumbled, watching Mu-jin lifting weights with a face that seemed delighted to death.

“I think he’s just smiling because he feels stimulated?”

Mugung understood Mu-jin very well.

And after about half an hour of weight training,

“Today’s workout ends here!”

As Mu-jin wrapped up the workout sooner than expected, the Shaolin warriors carefully loaded the weights back onto the cart.

Their movements were cautious as if handling precious gold and jewels, because if the weights broke, it would make exercising inconvenient.

After loading the last piece of weight into the cart, just as they were preparing to move back to Shaanxi Province,

“Everyone, take a handful of this powder from here!”

Suddenly, Mu-jin shouted from the cart positioned at the far end.

All the warriors approached with curious expressions.

That cart contained something Mu-jin had specially requested from Ryu Seol-hwa.

Originally, these were items requested in preparation for the war with Sa-doryeon, but they brought them along thanks to the change in circumstances.

Among the warriors who approached the cart at Mu-jin’s call, three faces noticeably contorted.

They had realized what the items in the cart were.

“Do we really have to eat that?”

“It tastes bad.”

“Ugh!”

To Mu-gyeong and Mu-yul’s defiant words, Mu-jin answered firmly.

“Of course, you have to eat it. Normally it wouldn’t matter, but right now, if you don’t eat it, you’ll lose muscle!”

When Mu-jin mentioned ‘muscle loss’, the warriors swarmed like bees, each grabbing a handful of the pale yellow powder from the sack Mu-jin had opened.

Indeed.

What Mu-jin had asked Ryu Seol-hwa to prepare was none other than the protein supplement made by the Tang Clan.

Made with primitive technology, it was an unflavored, raw protein supplement.

A supplement with a taste so vile it induced dry heaving upon consumption.

Seeing the muscle-obsessed warriors grab handfuls of the white powder without knowing its dreadful taste, the Muja Trio shook their heads.

They knew very well that once they took a bite, they would never take it again.

And their prediction was not wrong.

“Ugh…”

The first disciple, who mixed the powder with water and drank it as Mu-jin instructed, immediately started gagging.

“Sasook! How could you spit out something so precious?”

Despite Mu-jin’s frantic outburst, the sound of gagging echoed simultaneously from various directions.

“If you don’t eat this, all the exercise you did for the past half hour will be for nothing! No, since your muscles have been damaged, even the workouts from a few days ago will be wasted!”

As Mu-jin urgently shouted, the gagging warriors looked at the cloudy water with complicated expressions.

Water mixed with the vile pale yellow powder.

However.

‘All the weight training from today will go to waste?’

‘Even from a few days ago?’

While exercise addicts love the workout and the pain, it’s only because of the anticipated outcome—the increase in muscle mass.

Unless one is a masochist, no one enjoys pain for its own sake.

Ultimately, the gagging warriors made a firm decision, pinched their noses, and gulped down the foul water in one go.

“Ugh…”

Of course, pinching the nose didn’t solve the taste issue.

Despite the ongoing gagging sounds, the sight of warriors forcefully drinking the protein supplement brought a thought to Jegal Muhwan’s mind.

‘It’s like a plague has broken out.’

They looked like patients forced to drink bitter medicine to cure a severe illness.

On the other hand, Hyuncheon smiled even more contentedly.

Seeing them painfully gulp down the liquid, evoking such intense reactions.

Wouldn’t that, too, be fitting for the term ‘hardship’?

As he watched the warriors voluntarily endure hardship, a peculiar idea crossed Hyuncheon’s mind.

“Mu-jin, since we must advance while doing weight training anyway, how about this? Traditionally, there’s a Buddhist practice called ‘three steps, one bow.’ By adapting this, we could do weight training every three steps instead of bowing.”

Jegal Muhwan sighed deeply, thinking.

‘Should I just escape now?’

He naturally assumed that the weight-training addict Mu-jin would accept Hyuncheon’s proposal, but,

“Abbot, that’s not the right way.”

Surprisingly, Mu-jin refused Hyuncheon’s proposal.

‘It seems the Shaolin Dragon has finally come to his senses!’

Jegal Muhwan felt inward joy at Mu-jin’s response, but it was a fleeting thought.

The reason Mu-jin refused Hyuncheon’s proposal was not because it would delay their arrival in Shaanxi Province if they did weight training every three steps.

“If you do both cardio and strength training simultaneously, proper muscle expansion (pumping) can’t occur, which hinders muscle growth.”

Mu-jin was simply a true exercise addict who pursued efficient workouts. Additionally,

“Also, if you don’t rest properly, your muscles will break down.”

Even if it’s a good thing, one must know moderation.

If they did the insane ‘three steps, one weight lift,’ their hamstrings might tear, leaving them crawling before they even reached the battlefield.

Thus, he limited today’s weight training to about half an hour.

Moreover, tomorrow, he planned to train a different body part instead of the hamstrings.

“Then lastly, we will proceed with the Stretching Technique to relax the muscles at the back of the thigh!”

Mu-jin’s purpose during the journey to Shaanxi was to ensure that the warriors maintained their optimal muscle condition when the war began.

* * *

Mount Zhongnan, Shaanxi Province.

Though originally a famous mountain exuding a clear and pure aura and home to the prestigious Zhongnan Sect, its current atmosphere was more fittingly called “Ghost Mountain.”

The sounds of metal clanging and the unsettling slicing noises, as if cutting through meat, resonated everywhere.

This was followed by screams and the unpleasant scent of blood wafting through the mountain.

Midway up Mount Zhongnan, a horrific battlefield unfolded around the gate of the Zhongnan Sect.

Slash.

“Urgh…”

Baekun Zhenren, the head of the Zhongnan Sect, clenched his teeth with bloodshot eyes at the groan of the second disciple, whose side had been pierced by an enemy’s sword.

The disciples who were wounded and dying on the battlefield weren’t meant to perish so futilely.

It wasn’t that their defenses were lax.

They had sensed the signs of war and received warnings from Shaolin, so they were fully prepared.

Instead of making the mistake of attacking Huashan or the Martial Alliance alone, they had stockpiled as many supplies as possible from nearby counties.

They were prepared to hold out in a defensive battle until reinforcements arrived.

However, the problem was that the enemy’s assault far exceeded their expectations.

The Huashan Sect, suffering from internal strife, launched a vicious attack as if to shake off the aftermath of their civil war.

Although Huashan didn’t openly announce it, the civil war ended with Hua Myeong-gyeon’s victory, leaving Plum Blossom Sword Saint Yunsun in a vegetative state, barely alive in the depths of Huashan.

Naturally, their forces were not intact due to the civil war. If Huashan were the only opponent, Zhongnan could easily defeat them.

However, the Martial Alliance’s strength far exceeded their expectations.

Watching his disciples fight fiercely against the Martial Alliance warriors, Baekun Zhenren felt a mix of emotions.

He felt sorrow for the precious disciples dying in vain and pride at seeing how much they had improved in just a few months.

‘If not for the help of the Shaolin Dragon, we might have fallen already.’

The disciples of Zhongnan Sect fought steadfastly.

Utilizing the strong and defensive swordsmanship unique to the Zhongnan Sect, they held their ground against the enemy’s relentless attacks.

Amid the clashing metal, slicing noises, and screams, none of the Zhongnan Sect disciples showed any sign of fear.

“Show them the spirit of the great Zhongnan Sect!”

“Aaah!!!”

Just as they had learned from Mu-jin, they endured with sheer willpower and guts.

What they learned from Mu-jin wasn’t limited to mental fortitude.

Boom!!

The external strength training they had done over the past few months with Mu-jin had definitely made them stronger than before.

Additionally, with reinforcements from the Jegal Family and Wudang, they managed to hold their ground without collapsing.

“Left army, retreat one formation length and form the Iron Wall Formation!”

“Right army, charge in a Snowflake Formation!”

Following the instructions of the military strategists from the Jegal Family, the swordsmen from Zhongnan and Wudang moved in unison. The defensive prowess of the Wudang and Zhongnan swordsmen, following Jegal Family’s strategy, was nearly impregnable.

Boom!!

Nevertheless, a massive explosion erupted from afar.

Baekun Zhenren knew very well who was causing that noise.

‘Please just hold out a little longer…’

In the direction he was looking, the Martial Alliance leader Wi Ji-hak, who had once been regarded as a mere puppet leader, was fiercely swinging his fists.

Without Yunheo Zhenren from Wudang, there was no one here who could face the Martial Alliance leader alone.

Therefore, twelve prominent figures from various sects were engaged in battle against the Martial Alliance leader Wi Ji-hak.

The young master Jegal Jin-hee from the Jegal Family, Cheongsu Dojang from Wudang, and other skilled fighters from different sects had joined forces to stop the leader.

However, the battle wasn’t turning unfavorable simply because several masters were tied up with the leader.

“Hup!”

While anxiously observing the battlefield for his disciples, Baekun Zhenren began fighting against three warriors swinging their weapons at him.

These three were warriors of the Martial Alliance whose presence he hadn’t known before, yet they possessed skills worthy of being called masters.

It wasn’t just these three.

The Martial Alliance had many more masters than the world knew of.

Clang!!

And as Baekun Zhenren fought against these three simultaneously, he could easily infer the cause.

‘They must be the warriors of Shinchun I’ve heard about!’

He had already received ample information about them from allied sects like Shaolin and the Cheonryu Sangdan.

These warriors, who had mostly operated behind the scenes until now, were now actively moving under the name of the Martial Alliance.

This made it difficult for them to push back the enemies even with reinforcements from the Jegal Family and Wudang.

‘How long can we hold out…’

As Baekun Zhenren pondered this while fending off the combined attack of three warriors,

The battlefield began to change.

The relentless momentum of the Martial Alliance and Huashan forces attacking the Zhongnan Sect started to wane.

Although one might wonder if they were deploying a different strategy, the reason soon became clear.

Boom!!

“Argh…”

Explosions and screams echoed from the rear of the Martial Alliance and Huashan forces attacking the Zhongnan Sect.

Then, the military strategists of the Jegal Family, who were overseeing the battlefield from the rear, shouted.

“It’s Shaolin!!”

“Shaolin has come to support us!!”

“Just hold out a little longer!!”

Hearing their shouts, a glimmer of hope appeared on the faces of those who were desperately defending against the attack.

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