Chapter 8: Super Strength Training

  "Let's start!"

  Zhou Wu and others each chose a good place, waved their hands, and the battle began immediately.

  Bang!

  Bang!

  Two hundred water bandits clashed fiercely together, fists flying and kicks vicious.

  Twenty attendants were each in charge of ten people, and ten water bandits were divided into five pairs for single combat, which was quite easy to supervise.

  According to the rules, one side is considered victorious only when the opponent can no longer get up or admits defeat.

  These water bandits are all desperate characters, where will they easily admit defeat, one by one fighting to the point of utter exhaustion, extremely fierce.

  Although there were no weapons, just bare-handed combat, injuries and bleeding were still inevitable.

  Soon, a water bandit's nose was smashed and he fell heavily injured, unable to get up again.

  A glimmer of mercy flashed in the eyes of the victorious pirate, but it was quickly replaced by a fierce and ruthless look.

  Zhou Wu waved his hand and the winning pirate immediately stood aside, waiting for the next round of screening.

  Jiang Qin's face was tense as he watched the brothers of Wangzi desperately fighting each other, although they were all bare-handed, but that fierce and ruthless energy seemed to be facing a mortal enemy, his emotions were very complicated.

  The first round of screening ended quickly, and the hundred victorious pirates stood on one side, their eyes gleaming sharply.

  Zhou Jian waved his hand and the second round of screening began immediately.

  The third round.

  The fourth round.

  Non-stop elimination, by the end of the fourth round, only thirteen people can still stand.

  One of the pirates was lucky enough, in the fourth round, he won a single and got the qualification for the final.

  Thirteen pirates, although they had been killing their way through the rounds, finally made it to the fifth round of the finals. However, at this point, every single one of them was covered in blood and bruises, with some having broken noses and others having split lips - not a single one of them was unscathed.

  As for the eliminated Water Bandits, more than half of them had seen red, and it was extremely tragic.

  Jiang Qin's face twitched violently, and he turned his head away, unable to bear looking at it anymore.

  Thirteen pirates who broke out of the fourth round were not lightly injured, but at this moment they all had a face full of murderous aura, with ferocious expressions and thoroughly stimulated ferocity in their bones, their eyes were so fierce that they could scare a child to death.

  Zhou Jian nodded slightly and said coldly: "Save people."

  Zhou Wu and others drove skillfully, immediately took out tools and medicine bags, and treated the injured pirate.

  Zhou Jian personally treated the injuries of the 13 pirates who participated in the duel. Although they were seriously injured, fortunately, they only suffered from external wounds, and these pirates were all physically strong, making it easy to treat them.

  But it's not just about simply stopping bleeding and bandaging wounds.

  Zhou Jian took the dried and ground medicinal powder, applied it to a water thief's body, and began to pinch and knead the muscles, bones, and skin all over his body. With some additional pounding and beating, the water thief lying on the ground couldn't help but let out comfortable moans.

  The ferocity and savagery in the eyes of all the bandits gradually faded away, replaced by gratitude.

  Jiang Qin's eyes widened in shock and his mouth hung open, unable to utter a word for a long time.

  In the tiger's eyes, a sincere gratitude quietly rose up.

  In this era, the social hierarchy is very strict. Some people are born superior to others, while some are destined to be driven by others. The rigid hierarchical concept has deeply rooted itself in everyone's bones.

  Those who are under others, able to get a sentence of oral concern from their superiors, often repay with their lives.

  As for personally taking care of injuries for subordinates by hand, such a thing is not only something I've never seen, but also something I've never even heard of.

  Whether it's out of sincerity or buying people's hearts, for those who are in power, being able to do this much, taking the initiative to treat the wounds of these thieves who are considered heinous by the world, is absolutely worth risking one's life for.

  Jiang Qin's heart was burning with a fierce passion, and he no longer had any other thoughts.

  Zhou Jian uses a set of massage techniques, assisted by medication, which can improve muscle and bone quality. However, learning this set of massage techniques is very difficult, not only requires grasping the force, but also needs to be familiar with the structure of the human body.

  Zhou Jian kept slapping and pinching, each slap and pinch using a different amount of force.

  The medicine powder is applied to the skin and under the action of force, it gradually penetrates into the muscles and bones.

  Zhou Jian's expression was focused, and he quickly pinched every inch of the Water Bandit's muscles, bones, and skin except for his head and crotch.

  The formula for the medicinal powder was found in an old Chinese medical book, and after several improvements, it was finalized. As long as the required herbs are mixed in proportion, dried, and ground into a powder, there is no difficulty.

  Twenty attendants also used the same technique to grasp the tendons and bones of other water thieves, only their techniques were slightly rougher.

  Physique is innate, and it's hard to improve.

  Some people are born with divine power, and after their efforts in later life, they can become a world-renowned fierce general.

  Some people are born with a weak physique, no matter how hard they train, they can't become top-notch warriors.

  Zhou Jian has been tempering his body and improving his physique since he was eight years old. He doesn't know how much blood and sweat he paid before achieving great success.

  Zhou Wu and others may have started practicing martial arts late, but unfortunately, their resources were limited, making it impossible for them to become top-notch fierce generals.

  Zhōu Jiān uses some large tonics to polish his muscles and bones, such as tiger bone and deer antler, which are hard to find. Even with money, it's difficult to collect much, and only one person can use them, they can't be divided equally.

  Two hundred water bandits' muscles and bones have grown, wanting to improve is even more difficult.

  Even with more supplements, it is necessary to improve physical fitness when muscles and bones start growing in order to be successful.

  But even if you can't become a top-notch warrior, polishing your muscles and bones properly won't hurt.

  After being busy for more than two hours, it's almost dark now.

  Zhou Jian ordered the opening of fire for cooking rice, and after a full meal, they rested for two hours.

  In the middle of the night, the mountains and fields are desolate and empty, silent and still.

  A thunderous roar awakened all two hundred sleeping pirates, who opened their eyes in confusion.

  "Within ten breaths, those who have not joined the ranks will be beaten with twenty military clubs."

  Zhou Jian stood on the empty ground outside the tent, holding his gun upright and shouting coldly, making all the water bandits shiver in unison.

  They didn't dare to dawdle, all the pirates rushed out of their tents at the first time and quickly formed a line under the command of Zhou Wu and others. Some pirates even didn't have time to put on their clothes, standing in the queue with bare backs.

  Zhou's gaze swept coldly, and he immediately shouted, "Halt!"

  Just as they rushed out of the tent, eight pirates immediately froze in place, as if they had been petrified.

  Capital punishment.

  Zhou Jian's eyes were icy cold, his face expressionless as he spoke.

  Eight attendants stepped forward at once and pressed the eight robbers to the ground, beating them with a loud crash.

  A shrill and mournful cry echoed through the night sky, sending chills down the spines of all the bandits, who once again witnessed Zhou Jian's ruthless and merciless nature.

  They mean what they say and have a discipline of iron that is deeply ingrained in every pirate's bones.

  Jiang Qin's eyes were cold and stern, but he didn't have any other ideas.

  Zhou Jian's eyes were cold and stern. These water bandits were all fugitives, each one free and unruly. If iron discipline wasn't carved into their bones, it was impossible for them to become truly elite.

  "Loaded with sandbags, marched twenty miles under heavy load."

  Zhou Jian let out a loud shout, and more than 200 people immediately sprang into action, each carrying a sandbag of roughly the same size.

  The night is deep and dark, with a bright moon and sparse stars.

  More than 200 people carried sandbags and rushed down the mountain road.

  Zhou Jian did not follow, standing upright on a large stone over a meter high waiting.

  It's now the end of the ugly hour, not yet the cock-crow hour, and there is still more than an hour before dawn.

  Half an hour later, after running twenty miles with heavy loads, everyone returned to the big camp.

  More than 200 people stood in line quietly, without making a sound.

  Only nine of them were left, their faces pale and gasping for air.

  "Take a one-minute break, free-for-all duel begins."

  Upon hearing the order, the two hundred pirates immediately dispersed with a clamor and rushed into their tents to rest, and no one spoke again.

  Zhou Jian swept a glance at Zhou Wu and the other twenty followers, saying in a low voice: "When the duel begins later, Zhou Wu will be in charge of one side. The rest of you lead the remaining water bandits to set up a training camp."

  "Yes!"

  Twenty attendants responded in unison.

  Jiang Qin didn't go to rest, and his heart was filled with doubts, wondering what this training camp was about, but he didn't dare ask more questions.

  A minute later, close combat duel began.

  Zhou Wu supervised thirteen pirates in a decisive battle, while the other nineteen followers took the remaining pirates to start logging. On the open ground, they set up a training camp. As the outline of the camp appeared, the pirates became even more confused and didn't understand what all these wooden frames were for.

  The one-on-one close combat duel ended quickly and the ranking was decided.

  These pirates are ruthless, showing no mercy when they strike. Thirteen pirates were injured again, with one of them having several broken ribs and likely to be bedridden for over a fortnight before recovering.

  Zhou Jian treated the wounds of thirteen water bandits, grasped and manipulated their bones, clapped his hands, and instructed: "Take note of their names, and distribute the reward money after training is over. Those who are seriously injured will rest for three days; if they still can't fight after three days, they'll be kicked out of the team."

  Zhou Wu responded loudly: "Yes."

  It was almost afternoon when the simple training camp was finally set up.

  Two six-meter-high wooden ladders stood obliquely on the ground, with a thirty-meter-long log placed on top. Below, three logs were firmly propped up to fix it in place. All the water bandits couldn't figure out what this frame was for.

  Twenty attendants brought two hundred water thieves into formation, each carrying a sandbag on their back, with solemn faces.

  Zhou Jian stood beside the inclined ladder, his cold eyes scanning everyone, and with a fierce wave of his hand, he said calmly: "Up."

  "Yes."

  Zhou Wu let out a loud whoop, and was the first to charge forward. He quickly climbed up the ladder, ran across the horizontal bar, sprinted to the other side, rapidly slid down the ladder, and then stood still on the opposite side.

  "Up!"

  Zhou Jian let out a loud shout.

  One of the pirates steeled himself and charged forward with a hardened scalp.

  However, before climbing up the horizontal bar, he lost his balance and fell directly from the ladder.

  "Follow closely behind."

  Zhou Jian's face was expressionless as he drank, without even looking at the water thief who had fallen down the stairs.

  Two hundred water bandits didn't dare make a sound, gritting their teeth and stiffening their scalps as they carried sandbags up the ladder.

  "Huh?"

  Zhou Jian's face suddenly turned cold, and the iron spear in his hand flashed past like lightning.

  "Ah!"

  A water thief who had just grabbed the ladder with his hands didn't have time to be happy, and was swept down from the ladder, crying out in pain.

  "Nobody is allowed to use their hands to climb!"

  Two hundred water thieves' scalps are numb, and they no longer dare to use their hands to grab the ladder. They puffed out their chests and rushed upwards.

  ;