Within the borders of Grains City, there were three major dojos and the Mayor’s Manor.
These were the only sacred grounds that taught the martial path to mortals.
Among them, the Mayor’s Manor was by far the most tyrannical force.
However, their gates were incredibly strict; they only recruited promising youths between the ages of twelve and sixteen, as that was the absolute golden period for forging a martial foundation.
Below the Mayor’s Manor, the three dojos possessed roughly equal power.
Rumors stated that their respective Dojo Masters had all broken through Skin Tempering and stepped into the profound realm above it.
Yet, due to minor differences in heritage and martial prowess, the Mountain Shaking Fist Dojo sat firmly at the head, followed closely by the Earth Shield Dojo.
and lastly, sitting dead last at the bottom was the Swift Leg Dojo.
Due to its lowest ranking, the Swift Leg Dojo had always been suffering a severe drought of talent, with Fewer and fewer disciples willing to join them, they can only remain float by accepting any and all.
Now, with the sudden emergence of this so-called ‘Iron Core Gym’ in a subsidiary village, the dojo was feeling an immense, suffocating pressure.
Inside the main hall of the Swift Leg Dojo.
Master Shifti sat upon the master’s throne, his face dark and sinking like stagnant water making The atmosphere in the hall tense and oppressive, freezing the blood of the surrounding disciples.
“This Iron Core Gym…” Shifti muttered, his eyes flashing with killing intent.
“Taking the title of a ‘Gym’ but doing the work of a Dojo…
Stealing my disciples right from under my nose!
Who gave a mere mortal the courage to swallow a leopard’s heart?!” He slammed his hand against the armrest.
“Reo!
I want you to travel to Big Wheat Village and investigate this so-called Gym.” “Yes, Master!” Reo, one of Shifti’s direct disciples, respectfully cupped his fists and turned to leave.
But before Reo could even reach the grand doors, a junior disciple barged into the hall with pale face.
“Master!
A messenger has arrived from the Mayor’s Manor!” This sudden intrusion irked Shifti but Before he could express his rage at the disciple’s behavior, a sly-looking man strolled casually into the hall holding a scroll bound with the official seal of the Grains City Mayor.
Seeing that seal, Shifti was forced to swallow his anger he can only stand up respectfully to accept the edict.
While opening the seal on scroll, Shifti glared at the messenger.
“Is this the etiquette the Mayor teaches his errand runners?
Bursting into my hall without announcement?
Does the Mayor no longer place the three dojos in his eyes?” The sly-looking man merely offered a crooked, mocking smile.
“Do not misunderstand, Dojo Master Shifti.
I was simply in a hurry to deliver the Mayor’s decree, and It is for your own good, as I would hate to see you unintentionally offending the Mayor.” “What do you mean by this?” Shifti growled in annoyance.
But, The messenger has already turned his back, waving a hand dismissively as he walked out.
“You will understand once you read it.” Watching the arrogant dog leave, Shifti’s face twisted into an unsightly scowl.
But, he can do nothing except unfurling the scroll.
But As his eyes swept over the text, his aura exploded, violently rattling the teacups in the hall.
“This is utterly absurd!” The edict was crystal clear.
The Mayor of Grains City decreed that he greatly admired the ‘innovative business model’ of the Iron Core Gym.
Therefore, he was issuing two commands: First, the Mayor’s Manor would politically and financially support any citizen who wished to open a similar establishment.
Second, since the master of the Iron Core Gym was fundamentally a mortal, he fell strictly under imperial protection and any martial artist caught harming him, would face the full wrath of the Mayor’s army.
To the common citizens, this announcement might sounded like the benevolence of a wise and kind Mayor protecting local businesses.
But to those in power, it was a ruthless, dirty knife in the back.
The Mayor was using this mortal as a weapon to completely suppress the monopoly and influence of the three dojos!
Days continued to pass…
It was during a late-night drinking session with Chief Sythe that Zani finally learned of the Mayor’s grand decree.
However, this news did not bring a smile to Zani’s face.
Instead, a heavy stone settled in his heart.
In this dog-eat-dog martial world, being used as a political pawn by a powerhouse like the Mayor meant that he was now standing on the edge of a very sharp blade.
It had been forty-five days since the establishment of the Iron Core Gym.
Today, a new youth walked through the iron gates to register.
The arrival itself wasn’t a grand spectacle, but to Zani, it represented a monumental milestone: he finally had twenty active disciples under his banner at the exact same time.
It had not been easy.
From the peak of fifteen disciples a few weeks prior, two had left after their monthly subscription expired and seeing the numbers decrease had severely pained his heart.
But now, the threshold was crossed.
[Ding] [Quest: Recruit 20 Disciples] [Status: Completed] [Rewards: 10 EXP and ‘Skin Tempering Introduction Manual’] [EXP: 10/100] With a mere thought, the manual materialized.
[Skin Tempering Introduction Manual] [Summary: Skin Tempering is the 1st Stage of the Body Tempering Realm.
Training is achieved through external destruction and internal mending.
The flesh must be repeatedly struck: first with a Wooden Staff, then an Iron Rod, and finally with a Sack filled with jagged river stones.
During the beating, the practitioner must absorb the kinetic force using strict breathing techniques.
Beware: Low-grade manuals forge an unstable foundation, making it incredibly difficult to break through to the 2nd Stage.
High-grade manuals temper the skin so thoroughly that a 1st Stage expert can rival those of the 2nd Stage.
However, advancing becomes more harder.
Only cultivate such flawless foundation if you are talented or rich.
After every tempering session, if the practitioner soaks in a medicinal cauldron the tempering speed will increase.
Extremely rare, expensive spiritual medicines can even help skip the Skin Tempering Stage.] [Click to retrieve the full manual content.] Holding the heavy, ancient-looking book in his hands, Zani was deeply shaken.
“To think that tempering the skin requires such brutal, self-inflicted torture,” Zani muttered aloud.
“No wonder I heard only a select few possess the willpower to walk the martial path.” He was just about to retreat to his master quarters to study the rest of the manual when the system chimed again.
[Ding] [New Quest Triggered] [Quest: Recruit an Instructor] [Reward: 10 EXP and a full set of non-electronic gym equipment (excluding dumbbells)] “Wow,” Zani whispered, his modern mind spinning.
Bench presses?
Squat racks?
Cable machines?
How in the heavens am I going to explain the appearance of those to the Chief?
Another fifteen days passed in the blink of an eye.
A few more disciples reached their limits and left, but the Gym’s booming reputation ensured that many more came to take their place.
Currently, Zani was considered a wildly successful merchant, earning the fiery envy of every peasant in Big Wheat Village.
Meanwhile, His personal strength was advancing at a monstrous pace.
He could now casually lift 165 kg (330 catties), officially crossing the threshold required to begin Skin Tempering.
As for his gym: [Disciples: 32/40] His strongest disciple could currently lift 120 kg.
Meanwhile, Elisi had firmly established herself as the unshakeable Eldest Senior Sister.
Despite not being the absolute strongest, her demonic work ethic hadn’t decreased a single bit.
She could now lift 90 kg.
Damn, Zani thought, watching her train.
If a fourteen-year-old girl on Earth could casually deadlift 90 kilos, it would make international news.
What was even more bizarre was that the spiritual herbs in this world could heal the body in such a mysterious way that one gained strength without building excessive muscle.
Despite being so strong, Elisi still retained a petite frame.
As for him, even his muscle growth had slowed to a crawl after it developed to an optimal aesthetic state.
Currently, in terms of looks, he was almost too handsome to be true.
Moreover, it was because of this that, only after two full months had passed, he noticed a very serious problem.
They had only been training their arms and upper bodies with dumbbells.
If he had started developing thick arms and thin legs, he might have noticed it sooner, but it wasn’t too late to fix it.
Starting tomorrow, he was going to introduce exercises both that can be done with bodyweight and those that can be done with dumbbells.
Push-ups, squats and many more.
“Especially squats,” Zani muttered, looking down at his legs.
Despite the Gym’s massive success and his own physical gains, Zani was stuck in a bottleneck.
He still hadn’t found a single youth who triggered the ‘Talented’ requirement.
Furthermore, the Instructor quest was driving him mad.
At first, he had been selective, offering the instructor position to the strongest village hunters.
But, The System rejected them all.
Desperate, he tried offering the position to anyone who walked through the door.
Still, the System gave no response.
It seemed the laws governing the Sect System required someone with true, undeniable qualifications to bear the title of an Instructor.
Now, he could only wait and hope the heavens would soon drop a blessing into his lap.
___________________________________ [Author Note: hope you are enjoying so far.
It will remain same no matter how many chapters I upload in future.]