From the depths of his soul, Chen Xuan withdrew and prepared the things as instructed by Lao Li. Lao Li asked him to prepare some sandbags and a small basket, with the basket only allowing eggs to pass through. Chen Xuan knew the sandbags were for adding weight, but what could the small basket be used for?

As the night slowly receded, dawn approached, and Chen Xuan walked towards the training ground with the items Lao Li had requested.

"Lao Li, do you have any Heaven-grade martial arts for me to practice?" Chen Xuan communicated with Lao Li using his spiritual sense while walking.

"Do you think 'Heaven-grade martial arts' are just readily available? They're not as common as cabbage! Even if I gave you one now, could you practice it? Can your meridians handle 'Heaven-grade martial arts'?" Lao Li's voice echoed in Chen Xuan's mind, with a tone of reproach.

Chen Xuan had inspected his own meridians and found them to be thin, soft, and not very resilient. This was probably the reason why his cultivation was slower than others'.

"Lao Li! Do you have any other martial arts, even Earth-grade ones?" Chen Xuan lowered his posture.

"I thought you were in a rush. First, establish a solid foundation. I do have martial arts, but I don't know what kind you want to practice."

"I want the best."

"I have a set of martial arts I obtained in my later years. Will you practice it?"

"What grade is it?"

"There is no grade. I don't even know the grade. I've never practiced it!" Lao Li's voice sounded again.

"Damn!"

Chen Xuan cursed.

"You old man, if you haven't practiced it, why are you asking me to? Are you up to something?" Chen Xuan finished speaking with a sly grin.

"You kid, always causing trouble. Let me tell you the truth. Right now, I'm in the Soul Stone. If you die, my soul will also perish. Do you think I can deceive you? We are now like two grasshoppers on the same string. We rise and fall together." Lao Li urgently explained.

"It will feel weird having you in my soul from now on," Chen Xuan replied.

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"When your strength improves, find a physical body for me to possess, and I'll be reborn. It's been a thousand years. I never thought I'd return to the Spirit Continent!" Lao Li exclaimed with emotion.

"We've arrived at the training ground. What's next?" Chen Xuan asked.

"Attach twenty kilograms of sandbags to your legs, run twenty laps around the training ground without using true energy, and then do one hundred push-ups followed by standing in horse stance for an hour, all without using true energy!"

Chen Xuan calculated that he should be able to endure twenty laps. Just as he was about to figure out how to do it, Lao Li's voice sounded again.

"After running twenty laps, continue with one hundred push-ups, then stand in horse stance for an hour."

Chen Xuan's eyes widened with anger. "Can I complete such high-intensity training?"

"If you want to improve your strength, you need to pay the price. Hurry up and run!" Lao Li shouted.

"Quick, quick, quick!" Lao Li's voice kept urging Chen Xuan in his mind.

This made all the people in the training ground look at Chen Xuan.

After twenty laps, Chen Xuan was already panting heavily.

"Don't stop, continue with the push-ups!" Lao Li's voice sounded again at the critical moment.

"Can I rest for a while?" Chen Xuan weakly asked.

"No! Get up now! If you don't want to be killed again, get up!" Lao Li's voice was stern.

With Lao Li's words, Chen Xuan immediately got up, as if something had stimulated his nerves.

The other disciples gathered around, looking at Chen Xuan.

"What's wrong with this kid? Why is he torturing himself like this?"

"Get back to your training!" the instructor shouted again, dispersing the onlookers.

Seventy...

Seventy-five...

Chen Xuan paused for a moment after each push-up, sweat dripping down his face. His whole body was soaked, but he persisted. "In perseverance, I must become an unparalleled expert."

Phew!

After completing one hundred push-ups, Chen Xuan collapsed to the ground, panting heavily.

"Don't stop, keep going with the push-ups!" Lao Li's voice sounded again.

"Can I take a break?" Chen Xuan weakly asked.

"No! Get up now! If you don't want to be killed again, get up!"

Chen Xuan reluctantly got up from the ground, assuming a horse stance. Time passed slowly as his legs kept trembling. With half an hour remaining, he kept telling himself to persevere. Lao Li nodded in Chen Xuan's soul sea and said, "This youngster is teachable!"

"Time's up, pick up the small basket I asked you to prepare, stand five meters away, and toss the small stones on the ground into it!" Lao Li continued urging when Chen Xuan finished the horse stance.

"Can I really toss them into such a small opening?"

"Whether you can toss them in or not is up to you, hurry up and practice!" Chen Xuan's hands and legs were trembling, and after tossing for a while, he hadn't gotten a single one in.

"You silly boy, you're tossing them like a blind man! Concentrate your mind, achieve unity of spirit, energy, and mind. You need to be precise and focused, so that in the future, you can spot your opponent's weaknesses at a glance!" Lao Li gave Chen Xuan a reminder.

At first, Chen Xuan wasn't used to it, but gradually he grasped some patterns, and more and more stones were tossed in. His whole demeanor was changing, becoming more reserved, like a blade ready to be unsheathed at any moment, delivering a fatal blow to his enemies.

The entire day, Chen Xuan subjected himself to Lao Li's demanding training. Dragging his exhausted body back to his room, he lay down without even eating.

"Kid, don't lie down, get up quickly, and immediately mobilize energy from the soul stone to repair your body!" Chen Xuan immediately complied, sitting cross-legged and channeling energy from the soul stone. Green energy flowed from his brow to his entire body.

Chen Xuan's muscles, like parched earth, suddenly received a refreshing shower of greenish light. It felt as if his muscles, like withered grass, were awakening one by one, and Chen Xuan was completely immersed in this sensation.

An hour passed!

"How do you feel, kid?" Lao Li's voice rang out again.

"So comfortable! My stamina has fully recovered, and it has even increased. The strength of my body has noticeably improved, the energy from the soul stone is truly marvelous!"

"Hehe, now you know the wonders of the soul stone. By channeling its energy, you are expanding your meridians. Let me tell you, kid, this is a hundred times more painful than daytime training. Are you ready?"

"Bring it on! We've both died once, what's there to be afraid of?"