After playing with the White Cat for a while, Zhao Yuan officially began teaching the Four Saints Technique.
Although this Body Refining Technique worked best when paired with Soul-Stabilizing Incense, Bone Refining Pills, and Blood Circulation Soup, Zhao Yuan didn't take out the latter two. He only lit a stick of Soul-Stabilizing Incense.
The reason was simple. Liu Zhu, Wang Rongfeng, and Wu Yan were all new to the technique and hadn't seen any results. If he brought out medicine for them to take and soak in at this stage, they would almost certainly be hesitant and resistant. 'Who takes medicine when they're not sick?' So, Zhao Yuan planned to wait until their cultivation of the Four Saints Technique yielded some results before bringing out the Bone Refining Pills and Blood Circulation Soup. By then, not only would the three of them have no objections, they'd probably be thrilled.
The subtle, refreshing fragrance of the Soul-Stabilizing Incense filled the dorm, instantly calming their minds and allowing them to focus with heightened concentration.
Zhao Yuan stood in the center of the dorm and said, "I'm going to demonstrate the movements of the Four Saints Technique for you. Watch closely, and make sure you remember the key points I mention for each movement."
Liu Zhu, Wang Rongfeng, and Wu Yan nodded in unison, their eyes wide as they stared at Zhao Yuan, trying to commit his every movement and every word to memory.
Meanwhile, the White Cat had darted over to the Soul-Stabilizing Incense. It stared at the slowly burning stick, a clear glint of surprise flashing in its eyes. It took a deep whiff of the fragrance, its expression one of pure, intoxicated bliss. After that, it simply curled up beside the incense, lazily watching Zhao Yuan instruct the other three.
Within a few minutes, Zhao Yuan had finished demonstrating the movements of the Four Saints Technique, explaining all the key points clearly.
"Got it?" he asked.
"Got it!" Liu Zhu nodded.
"It's just a few simple moves. I remember them perfectly," said Wang Rongfeng.
"Third Brother, are these simple moves really going to be a good workout?" Wu Yan asked doubtfully.
"Simple or not, effective or not—you'll know once you try." Zhao Yuan knew actions were more persuasive than words. At his instruction, the three of them spaced themselves out and began to practice the Cyan Dragon Form of the Four Saints Technique.
The three planted their feet, engaged their cores, and began to twist.
A student from a neighboring dorm happened to walk past Room 301 at that moment. He glanced through the open door, saw what they were doing, and was completely taken aback. "What the fuck? Have the guys in 301 lost their minds? What kind of dance is that? Why does it look so... provocative? It's burning my eyes!"
Liu Zhu and the other two had clearly failed to grasp the key points, twisting the movements out of shape. What should have been the elegant motion of a dragon soaring through clouds had been turned into the provocative mating dance of a Snake Spirit...
Zhao Yuan closed the dorm door to keep other students from disturbing them. He then turned around, picked up the feather duster used for cleaning, and began correcting their movements.
"Grip the floor with the soles of your feet! Are you even using them?"
"The twist comes from your core, it has nothing to do with your feet!"
"That's not right. It needs to be a little higher!"
With each correction, his feather duster would lash out with a sharp smack, making the three of them grimace in pain. But you couldn't argue with the results. Under this 'motivational' teaching method, Liu Zhu and the others improved rapidly. Before long, they had mastered the correct way to perform the Cyan Dragon Form.
And with that, the sensation changed completely!
When they were performing the Cyan Dragon Form incorrectly, they hadn't felt tired at all; in fact, they'd found it fun and interesting. But the moment they did it right, they suddenly felt as if their bodies had been filled with lead, impossibly heavy.
A simple twist of the torso now required every ounce of their strength to complete. Sweat poured off them, soaking their clothes and even forming small puddles at their feet.
It was only then that they realized these seemingly simple movements were far more profound than they appeared. No wonder Zhao Yuan had collapsed in exhaustion after practicing them. At the time, they had all assumed it was because he was physically weak. Now they understood—it wasn't that Zhao Yuan was weak, it was that this Cultivation Technique was brutally difficult!
After holding out for just over four minutes, Wang Rongfeng was the first to give out, collapsing to the floor in exhaustion. Wu Yan was right behind him. Liu Zhu lasted the longest, but even he only made it to six minutes.
"So," Zhao Yuan asked with a smile, "do you still think this Cultivation Technique is simple?"
All three shook their heads. They were too exhausted to even speak.
After they had rested for a while, Zhao Yuan hauled them back to their feet and made them practice the White Tiger Form...
That night, it took the three a full two hours to learn all the movements of the Four Saints Technique.
During this process, Zhao Yuan wasn't the only one correcting their movements. The White Cat, which had been observing from the sidelines and had memorized the Four Saints Technique, would also help him. If anyone dared to slack off or perform a move that wasn't up to standard, it would leap forward with a "MEOW" and land a harsh swat of its paw across their face—enough to make a person see stars!
After finally mastering the movements of the Four Saints Technique, Liu Zhu and the other two were completely spent. They collapsed on the floor, not wanting to move a single inch.
"Get up. Go take a shower, then get into bed. You'll get sick if you lie on the floor drenched in sweat like this." Zhao Yuan pulled them to their feet one by one. The White Cat jumped over to help, waving its fluffy little paws in a threatening manner.
With no other choice, the three had to submit to the tyranny of the man and his cat. They used the last dregs of their strength to crawl up from the floor and take a shower. Afterward, they collapsed onto their beds and were fast asleep within seconds, letting out snores that shook the room.