To dig into the human body's treasures and improve physical strength—this was exactly what Shano needed at the moment. Hesitating for even a second would be disrespecting his body, so he immediately added it to his shopping cart.
As for the last item...
[Peter Griffin's Jeans]
Type: Equipment
Price: 500 Points
Description: Wearing these jeans will slightly reduce intelligence and may increase the hatred value in others' eyes towards you.
Seller's Note: Great for big eaters.
This item had an interesting effect, but the cost-to-benefit ratio was not high. After a brief thought, Shano shook his head and decided it wasn't worth spending points on such a trivial thing.
He finalized his shopping cart, checking out.
The items that had refreshed this time were quite appealing, and he had selected four in total, spending 3500 points. His remaining points were still a healthy 39,525, which left him with plenty of room.
After closing the marketplace, Shano opened his backpack and pulled out the black training suit that could adjust its weight.
The default setting was 1KG, similar to regular training gear. The fit was perfect, with excellent elasticity and breathability, making it quite comfortable.
After moving around a little, he started adjusting the weight. "I'll take it slow at first—let's try 250KG..."
Boom!
A muffled thud, and the pressure on him increased dramatically. His body sank slightly but he quickly regained his balance without any issue.
He performed a set of handstand push-ups, then jogged around the yard before practicing "Shave" a few times between wooden posts. His accuracy remained spot on, though his speed had slowed just a bit.
"Not enough, not nearly enough," Shano muttered.
The 250KG weight was still light compared to his current strength. It wouldn't challenge him for long, so he continued increasing it—300, 350... up to 500KG.
Finally, Shano felt the resistance he was looking for, as if moving through thick liquid. The muscles in his body were working hard, but they could still handle the load.
"Let's stick with this for now," Shano decided, satisfied with the result.
After getting used to this weight, he could push himself further.
Next, he opened the "Copper Head" manual.
After skimming through, he decided to study both "Copper Head" and "Iron Block" together. Both were physical training techniques that complemented each other well, and practicing them together would not cause any conflicts.
While the "Copper Head" method was more focused on inner cultivation and required understanding and insight, the "Iron Block" technique was all about external power, using high-intensity physical training to harden the body. The key to "Iron Block" was anti-strike training, where one would repeatedly endure blows to the body to enhance resilience.
Shano knew he couldn't practice "Iron Block" alone. He needed someone to help him. Fortunately, there were plenty of people around to assist him.
Since the workshop wouldn't open until next year and the refugees only had the orange grove to manage, they were relatively free. Shano decided to enlist a few of the younger, stronger ones to help with his training.
He didn't like procrastinating, so once he made up his mind, he immediately set the plan in motion.
In the afternoon, after a morning of training "Copper Head," Shano dragged Manba and the "Fat Mountain Bandit" (known as "Fat Bull") to the training field. Each held a sturdy wooden stick and nervously stared at Shano.
"Sir, just to confirm, I heard you right, didn't I?" Manba asked, swallowing nervously as he stared at the wooden stick. "You really want me to hit you five hundred times with all my strength?"
"Yes," Shano answered nonchalantly, stretching his back muscles. "But don't stop at five hundred—that's just the first round. I'm worried you might get tired and lose strength, so we'll start small."
Fat Bull, the "Fat Mountain Bandit," had a somewhat silly personality, but once he heard Shano, he eagerly nodded. "Got it! No problem, boss!"
Manba, however, hesitated, unsure about hitting Shano with all his strength. But Shano gave him a sharp look, and Manba, trembling, finally gripped the stick tightly and swung it toward Shano's back.
Shano had already braced himself, focusing on increasing blood flow to his back muscles, as suggested by the "Iron Block" technique. He was ready for the blow.
Thud!
The sound echoed through the field. Manba was startled, feeling his palms go numb. Was he too hard? But Shano didn't flinch.
"What's wrong? Didn't I tell you to hit with all your strength? What, are you tickling me?" Shano's eyes narrowed, his tone impatient.
Manba gritted his teeth, giving it his all. The stick hit Shano's back with a loud crack, followed by another, then another...
Thud! Thud! Thud!
The rhythmic sound of strikes continued until, after 20 or so hits, the wooden stick cracked and broke into several pieces.
"Huh?" Manba stared blankly at the shattered stick.
That stick had come from the Kolbo Mountains, the hardest wood available there, but it had barely lasted through 20 hits.
Shano sighed. His current muscle strength had increased so much that even this sturdy stick couldn't do much. "Throw the stick away," he ordered.
He turned to Fat Bull, who was still holding a massive spiked club. "Let's try using that instead."
"Huh?" Even Fat Bull, who was usually a bit slow-witted, froze in surprise.
"Yeah," Shano grinned. "I want to get used to the Thunderous Eight Trigrams in advance."
Manba hesitated. "Boss, Fat Bull's spiked club weighs 60-70 kilograms. It's a real weapon."
"No problem, I like it," Shano said, staring at the massive club. "Let's do this."
"Alright, but... should we blunt the spikes a little first?" Manba suggested hesitantly. After all, if the spikes weren't dulled, Shano would be covered in holes after hundreds of hits.
Shano nodded. That was a reasonable suggestion.
A short while later, the spikes were filed down, and the two of them began taking turns striking Shano's back with the club.
Shano stood firm, his face expressionless as he stared ahead, enduring the blows. Occasionally, he gritted his teeth or bared his teeth in pain, but he always quickly suppressed it.
Was it painful? Of course. But if he couldn't endure this pain, how could he expect to become stronger?
There was a certain kind of madness in his eyes, a desperate yearning for strength.
Every day, he would continue enduring these intense training sessions, until his "Iron Block" and "Copper Head" techniques were perfected. How strong would his body become by then?