Extraordinary Realm from Persuasion System

Seeing her like this, Zhang Beixing didn't bother to hurry her. He just sat on the mat to rest for a while, then climbed back up the tree and, shaky and trembling, started walking again.

But then...

Fall!

Fall!

And fall again!

To the accompaniment of THUMP, THUMP, THUMP, Zhang Beixing's falls continued straight into the evening.

THUMP!

With the last dull thud, Lin Siqi watched the unmoving, human-shaped silhouette lying on the mat, staring up at the sky. She silently drew another dash on the paper. Taking a step back to look, she discovered several tally marks on the paper in her hand! Some of these marks were made by her, and some by Chen Rourou. Their meaning was very straightforward: they represented how many times Zhang Beixing had fallen!

"One, two, three, four... twenty-eight, twenty-nine, thirty."

"Lao Zhang, not bad. You fell thirty times in a single day."

"I'm saying we're about done here, right? Don't end up seriously hurting yourself; that would be a big problem!"

She casually tucked the paper into her pocket. Lin Siqi walked over to the human silhouette on the mat and poked him with her hand.

Only then did the silhouette react. He slowly turned his head, revealing Zhang Beixing's handsome face.

Only now, after falling so many times, Zhang Beixing's expression seemed a bit dazed.

Seeing him like this, Lin Siqi kindly reached out and patted him twice, helping him come to his senses.

Afterward, he seized the opportunity, grabbed Lin Siqi's hand, and struggled to get up from the ground. Simpleton, Lin Siqi inwardly scoffed, but she didn't pull her hand away.

"You've been falling all day. How do you feel?" Lin Siqi asked Zhang Beixing.

Hearing her question, Zhang Beixing patted the dust off himself and then, rubbing his head, admitted honestly, "A bit dazed!"

"No kidding! Who wouldn't be dazed after falling that hard? It's only because you, you simpleton, have a strong constitution. Otherwise, if it were someone else, they wouldn't even need thirty falls—ten could make them lose all sense of direction!"

"Lao Zhang, are you sure you're okay?" Lin Siqi asked, looking at Zhang Beixing.

Hearing her words, Zhang Beixing silently opened the System panel and glanced at the status bar. After confirming there was no new "internal injury" status, he firmly shook his head and said proudly, "Heh, this is nothing!"

Seeing him like this, What a stubborn mule, Lin Siqi thought, and didn't press the issue further. After chatting with Zhang Beixing for a bit, they went to the cafeteria together for dinner.

「In the following days」

Zhang Beixing's schedule remained largely unchanged. From nine in the morning until three in the afternoon, he engaged in sparring practice. This was to complete the System-suggested physical training exercises and earn points. The rest of his time was devoted entirely to practicing his punches and lower body stability.

His Table-Stance and Raft Technique had improved significantly over these few days. They became more fluid, making Zhang Beixing's lower body stance increasingly steady! Now, he no longer needed to stand still for five minutes just to maintain stability, unlike when he first started.

Now, as soon as Zhang Beixing stepped on the steel wire, he could walk! When he was in good form, he could even execute a move or two on the wire.

But then, a problem arose.

Zhang Beixing's progress had hit a plateau! He could manage to perform a move or two while standing on the steel wire, but that was his limit. Beyond that, no matter how hard he practiced, his gains were minimal.

Noticing this, Zhang Beixing tried to adjust and change his approach. For instance, he tried slowing his steps, his movements, and even the force he exerted. But the results were always failures. Either he reined in his strength too slowly and couldn't control the wire, or he managed to stabilize the wire by pulling back his strength, but then he could only maintain his current state and couldn't progress further.

It was like adjusting hot and cold water taps; a slight miscalculation could make it too cold or too hot. This was very frustrating for Zhang Beixing.

He wondered if there was some aspect of his training that wasn't adequate. So, he went online to search.

And it was through this search that the Horse Stance training method once again caught his eye.

Back when Zhang Beixing first received the System's suggestion for "Steel Wire Martial Arts Training," someone had suggested he practice the Horse Stance. However, the requirements they proposed were so absurd that Zhang Beixing took one look, assumed they were trolling, and dismissed the idea.

But now, it seemed that wasn't the case at all! The Horse Stance played a very important role in strengthening one's lower body stability.

In that case, it was time to start training!

Zhang Beixing looked up information on the Horse Stance. He hadn't realized until he checked that this seemingly simple Horse Stance actually involved so much depth.

As a fundamental stance practiced in both internal and external martial arts, the Horse Stance had two major training methods.

The first was called the Fixed Horse Stance. This Horse Stance was also known as the 'Four-Level Grand Horse Stance.' One simply spread their legs and squatted with their thighs parallel to the ground. This was the static training method for the Horse Stance. Anyone could perform it, but doing so correctly was another matter entirely, let alone maintaining it for an extended period! Zhang Beixing researched and found that the standard Four-Level Grand Horse Stance required four points of alignment: a level head, level shoulders, level thighs, and flat feet. Furthermore, after achieving these four alignments, one had to maintain an even distribution of force throughout the body to be considered proficient.

The other type was the Riding Horse Stance. This was a dynamic way to practice the Horse Stance. The overall posture was almost identical to the Fixed Horse Stance. The only difference was that while practicing the Riding Horse Stance, one had to maintain a subtle, rippling tension throughout the entire body. This tension wasn't constant but would alternate between loosening and tightening, like waves rippling through the body repeatedly. It simulated the sensation of riding on a bucking horse.

After understanding the two different methods of practicing the Horse Stance, Zhang Beixing pondered for a moment. After some thought, he decided to start with the relatively simpler Fixed Horse Stance. And right from the start, he challenged himself with its most difficult and demanding variation: the 'Four-Level Grand Horse Stance'!

The reason was simple. My Power and Constitution attributes have both been raised to 79.9. Even though I haven't broken through 80 to reach the 'Robust' tier, merely squatting shouldn't be that hard, right? I should at least be able to hold it for a minute...

"F*ck, f*ck, f*ck! I can't hold it anymore! Damn it, is this Horse Stance really meant for humans? I just can't keep this up!"

"I even settled for the 'Two-Level Grand Horse Stance,' so why is it still so damn hard?"

"Is my physical fitness just for show?"

"Sister Qi? How long did I last this time?"

On the training ground, Zhang Beixing exhaled sharply. His legs gave out, and he flopped onto the mat, gasping for air. He was devoid of the confidence he'd had before starting the Horse Stance.

Lin Siqi glanced at her phone, an eyebrow raised, and said, "You lasted quite a while this time—a full seven minutes! That's longer than yesterday's five minutes and thirty-nine seconds. Not bad, Lao Zhang! You've finally surpassed that five-minute mark!"