The Thirteen Invincibles’ Iron Body Technique

Wearing a set of ill-fitting clothes, Chen Jue simply unzipped his jacket, leaving it open for comfort. Underneath, he still had a vest on, so there was no need to worry about exposure. Stepping outside, he flagged down a taxi on the main road and headed for the county town once again. His first stop was a sports brand store, where he bought two sets of properly fitting sportswear and changed into them. His shoes had grown tight, and the sneakers weren't suitable for martial arts practice, so he picked up a pair of seaside flip-flops instead.

All the tourists on the island were clad in beach shorts and flip-flops, the rhythmic slap of their sandals echoing as they walked. Chen Jue decided to join the trend for once. As for proper training shoes, he ordered a pair online, having them delivered to the guesthouse.

After two days of cultivating underwater, his attributes were rising steadily, and Chen Jue felt he would need to stay on the island a while longer. The only concern was the expensive accommodation; he resolved to negotiate with the landlady, hoping for a discount on a long-term stay.

After all, it was already late August. In a few days, summer vacation would end, and the tide of student tourists would ebb. Summer was peak season for seaside tourism, with many families bringing their schoolchildren to play. Even the college students flocking to the beach were mostly there to make the most of their holiday.

Last night's bonfire party, it was said, marked the end of the busy season on the nearby beaches.

“With a face like mine and my current physique, the old lady at the guesthouse ought to give me some leeway,” Chen Jue mused, admiring his reflection in the fitting room of the sports store.

...

With new clothes and flip-flops purchased and paid for, Chen Jue left his old clothes with the store for disposal and briskly headed to the seafood restaurant for lunch.

For his midday meal, he ordered braised lion’s head meatballs, steamed swimming crab, yellow croaker with scallion oil, pan-fried ribbonfish, and salt-baked spicy snails, all accompanied by white rice. He polished off five bowls in quick succession.

Due to the siphoning effect triggered by his recent breakthrough in hardening exercises, his appetite had soared.

He finished the meal with relish, picking out the final morsel of spicy snail meat with a toothpick before finally putting down his chopsticks.

The bill came to just over two hundred—truly economical!

Compared to the prices at seafood restaurants in the big cities, the island’s fare was truly a bargain.

Stepping outside, he caught a ride back to the guesthouse. He paid a visit to the owner’s house in the first villa, mentioning his intention to stay for an extended period.

The middle-aged landlady who ran the guesthouse didn’t say much at first. She went to inspect the villa where Chen Jue was staying and found his room spotless and orderly—nothing like the chaos left by tourists with children. Wear and tear was minimal.

She discussed it with her husband. Knowing that guest numbers would soon dwindle, she readily offered a rock-bottom rate of eight hundred a night, waiving all utility and garbage fees.

There was one condition: Chen Jue had to stay at least half a month and pay the full sum up front, to avoid any change of heart.

Bear in mind, even at the tail end of the tourist season, those detached villas normally went for 2,500 a night. Eight hundred was less than a third of that—a true gesture of goodwill.

Glancing at the 230,000 yuan left in his bank account, Chen Jue saw his savings flowing away like water. Still, considering his training needs, he didn’t haggle and simply paid for half a month in advance.

...

With his room extended, Chen Jue returned to his villa and enjoyed a comfortable afternoon nap.

Outside, the sea breeze blew and sunlight streamed in. Lying in the white-sheeted bed, Chen Jue melted into restful slumber.

Having expended much energy that morning with his breakthrough, he slept soundly until three in the afternoon. Upon waking, feeling refreshed, he began searching online for information about the Shaolin hard qigong known as the Thirteen Guardians’ Iron Body, mentioned in the “Shaolin Bronze Man” texts.

The Thirteen Guardians’ Iron Body was another of Shaolin Temple’s treasured arts. Though not listed among the Seventy-Two Supreme Skills, it was equally profound, divided into “Internal Qigong,” “Internal Explosion Training,” and “Iron Body Training.”

Mastering it was said to make one impervious: “a blade leaves only a pale mark, a spear only a white dot.” Though a hard-style technique, it resembled the Muscle-Tendon Change Classic and Smiting Training in that it cultivated both inside and out—refining energy, spirit, and intent on the inside, sinews, bones, and skin on the outside.

Moreover, the “Thirteen Guardians” referenced in the art’s name were the thirteen sons and adopted sons of Li Keyong, a military governor in the late Tang Dynasty.

Each of these Guardians was famed for great strength and valor in battle, with the eldest, Li Cunxiao, renowned in history as a peer of Xiang Yu, the Conqueror of Western Chu. The saying went: “No general could surpass Li; no king could surpass Xiang.”

Some enthusiasts on martial arts forums speculated that the Thirteen Guardians’ Iron Body was crafted by Li Cunyi and his sworn brothers, later passed to Shaolin through lay disciples. The famous Golden Bell Cover and Iron Shirt techniques are believed to have originated from this art.

Shaolin Temple, battered by wars throughout history, saw its arts preserved by lay disciples and eventually restored through their return.

In the Tang Dynasty, the imperial house had close ties with Buddhism, with tales of the Thirteen Staff Monks saving Prince Li Shimin widely known. In the Zhenguan era, the great general Li Jing wrote in his preface to the Muscle-Tendon Change Classic that three Shaolin monks—Haozong, Haoshen, and Haomeng—served as his vanguard: “With shields and hammers they broke cavalry; their broadswords swept all before them; the Turkic riders and horses were ground to pulp.” Such records reveal the deep-rooted connection.

Chen Jue was no martial arts historian, so he took these online claims with a grain of salt, focusing mainly on the actual training methods.

Fortunately, in this age of internet information, even esoteric Shaolin skills like the Muscle-Tendon Change Classic were widely available, and it didn’t take long for Chen Jue to find instructions for the Thirteen Guardians’ Iron Body.

He practiced in the villa’s living room for over ten minutes, and a new skill appeared on his attribute panel: “Thirteen Guardians’ Iron Body Lv0 (1/100).”

With the “Shaolin Bronze Man” state from his prior Smiting Training as a foundation, his proficiency in this new art increased rapidly.

Though not as swiftly as with Taiji or the Thirteen Stance Piling, by late afternoon he had already reached “Lv0 (80/100).” Another evening’s practice and he would break through to beginner level.

...

After training, Chen Jue wiped the sweat from his body and discovered a message from Commissar Yao on WeChat.

It turned out that their recent challenge had been so spectacular that the soldiers of the XX regiment were all hoping Chen Jue would come teach them traditional martial arts.

But as fate would have it, Chen Jue had secluded himself at Dongdao County’s seaside for closed-door cultivation. He could only send an apologetic reply via WeChat, explaining the situation, and negotiated with Commissar Yao to postpone the instruction until half a month later.