Chapter 5

After Lu Cheng had his fill, he returned home alone. The three brothers, Lu Zhong, wanted to drink, and they had to be on duty at night. By the time they finished drinking, it would probably be close to the hour of the Pig. As soon as Lu Cheng left, Zhao Siyan said, "Brother, Song Ping treated Cheng like that. We need to give him a good lesson."

"Forget it. Cheng is still working under him. Song Ping likes to take small advantages; just give him some benefits," Lu Zhong said. He was now a guard at Song Family Village, eating Song Family's food.

Song Ping used to be the follower of Second Master Song Yiqun. If they angered Song Yiqun, their lives would be difficult. They were all getting older, and if they were expelled from Song Family Village, their lives would be in trouble. Moreover, after living a comfortable life for so long, their original ambitions had long been worn down into worldly and smooth dispositions.

"Brother, we are already humiliated enough as village guards. Now we have to endure the arrogance of a small man like Song Ping. It's really infuriating," Xie Naxin said, slamming the table, his face full of anger.

"You, you still can't change your fiery temper. Since we are village guards, we need to completely change our old habits," Lu Zhong advised.

"Brother, we didn't ask Cheng about his inner strength today. He seemed quite happy," Zhao Siyan changed the subject.

"Yes, with the heavy burden on his heart gone, he naturally looks happy. I'll remind you again, none of you should mention cultivation in front of Cheng, even if he asks, don't respond!" Lu Zhong said solemnly.

Lu Cheng had no idea that his three fathers had once again agreed not to mention anything about cultivating inner strength to him. After he returned home, he lay on the bed and used his sensing ability to check the situation at home.

Today, Lu Cheng felt that his control over his sensing ability had improved. Starting from the things around him, he slowly extended it outward. But to use it freely, he still needed more effort. Lu Cheng suddenly felt that using his sensing ability to "read" books was the best training for it. However, apart from the *Vajra Fist* in Lu Zhong's possession, the only books in the Lu family were those Lu Cheng had read in the private school.

Thinking of the *Vajra Fist*, Lu Cheng suddenly remembered the *Shrinking Technique* that Xie Naxin possessed. Although Lu Cheng had never seen Xie Naxin use the *Shrinking Technique*, he had heard his father talk about it, and it was very magical. Once the *Shrinking Technique* was used, Xie Naxin could shrink to the size of a baby. Lu Cheng thought that if he could do the same, it would be a lot of fun.

Lu Cheng sat on the edge of the bed and, following the instructions in the *Shrinking Technique* manual, leaned forward as if he were about to fall forward. At the same time, he stretched his spine fully. His hands were placed in front of his crotch, his whole body relaxed, his feet naturally apart, slightly wider than his shoulders, and he stabilized himself, looking down at the ground, maintaining a natural posture.

Then, Lu Cheng slowly practiced the breathing and stretching exercises in a seated position, using his hands to grab the front edge of the bed and pull and relax to assist his body in opening and closing exercises. He inhaled when contracting and exhaled and relaxed when extending his body. During the practice, Lu Cheng naturally used his inner strength. When he practiced the *Shrinking Technique* according to the posture and movements, the inner strength in his body flowed along a certain path.

Originally, Lu Cheng found such movements very unfamiliar and strenuous. But after the inner strength flowed, he suddenly felt the inner strength running through other meridians. Although the posture was a bit strange, it no longer felt strenuous. Then he began the second movement, grabbing the front edge of the bed with both hands and pulling up to stretch his elbows horizontally and sink his shoulders.

At the same time, his body followed the pulling of his hands, contracting backward and arching his back. At this moment, he felt a subtle inhalation sensation in his body.

At this time, Lu Cheng's body was very relaxed. His current posture had his chest caved in, which is called "containing the chest," and his back was naturally arched, forming a curve. At this moment, Lu Cheng didn't need to use any force, it was very natural. If someone stood next to Lu Cheng, they would definitely see that the top of his head and the tip of his coccyx were in a straight line.

If Xie Naxin saw this, he would be even more astonished, unable to believe his eyes. Although the *Shrinking Technique* is not a high-level martial skill, it is impossible to master it without guidance. But now, Lu Cheng had only seen the manual with his sensing ability and practiced it at home, and he was already doing it quite well. If this were to be said, no one would believe it.

When the sky was slightly bright, Lu Cheng began to finish his practice and arrived at the courtyard on time. Today, his task was to carry two loads of firewood. At the foot of Datong Mountain, Lu Cheng only took a moment to cut one load of firewood. Now that he had reached the first level of inner strength, although he had not learned any martial skills, using his inner strength on the axe and combining it with his sensing ability, he could cut firewood with half the effort.

After cutting the firewood, he didn't tie it up but climbed a tree, sitting sideways on a branch to practice the *Shrinking Technique*. Three days later, Lu Cheng could already shrink his body by three inches. If Xie Naxin knew this, he would be utterly ashamed. After all, Xie Naxin practiced from childhood and spent five years reaching his current level, only after his inner strength reached the second level.

But Lu Cheng only took three days, and even if Xie Naxin saw it with his own eyes, he wouldn't believe it. After all, Lu Cheng was only at the first level of inner strength, which was simply impossible.

Lu Cheng didn't know that practicing the *Shrinking Technique* would be very difficult. For him, the *Shrinking Technique* wasn't too hard. As for inner strength, it didn't seem to be much of a problem either. Three days ago, he was at the first level of inner strength, but after three days, even though he spent every possible moment practicing the *Shrinking Technique*, he didn't stop cultivating his inner strength. Now, he was at the peak of the first level of inner strength.

Song Kaixuan was the most outstanding disciple of the third generation of Song Family Village. At eighteen, he had already reached the fourth level of inner strength, which was unparalleled in the entire Datong County. But it took him a full year to go from the first level to the peak of the first level. Lu Cheng only took three days, and such speed was not only unprecedented in Datong County but probably unique in the entire Tianhua Kingdom.

Inner strength is the foundation of all martial skills, and the *Shrinking Technique* also requires inner strength. While practicing the *Shrinking Technique*, his inner strength also continuously increased. Of course, although the progress from the early stage to the peak of the first level was fast, breaking through the barrier of the first level was not easy. And the higher the level, the harder it would be to break through. It's like a pyramid, where only a few can reach the top.

Of course, the reason for the rapid growth of Lu Cheng's inner strength was mainly due to his sensing ability. This sensing ability, which he gained from gazing at the stars for ten years, had incredible power. Now, Lu Cheng could use this sensing ability with ease. The sensing ability was different from inner strength; it was intangible but more mysterious than inner strength. After all, Lu Cheng's sensing ability had only appeared a few days ago, and he had yet to discover many of its functions.

Now, he only knew that his sensing ability could significantly speed up the growth of his inner strength. Additionally, this sensing ability could be projected outward, allowing him to perceive things within a ten-foot radius. Although ten feet wasn't far, he was very satisfied with the effect. Now that he could practice the *Shrinking Technique* to this level, he felt a great sense of accomplishment.

Whenever he was cutting firewood in the mountains or alone at home, he continuously made himself shrink and grow. Each time he shrank, it actually consumed a lot of inner strength, but Lu Cheng didn't mind. He enjoyed it every day. Ten days later, Lu Cheng had perfected the *Shrinking Technique*.

PS: Please give me some recommendations. The votes are so few, it really affects my mood.

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