The upcoming medicine bath was of the utmost importance. Compared to the gentle Foundation Establishment Medicine Bath for children, this Martial Arts Medicine Bath for adults was far more terrifying.

The freshly boiled medicinal soup couldn’t be left to cool for long before one had to soak in it. Such high temperatures were unbearable for any ordinary person.

He himself had bitten his gums until they bled and had nearly fainted, barely managing to endure it. Therefore, he wasn’t sure if these adults and his cousins could do it.

The first batch consisted of the three elders. To avoid any unnecessary panic, the women and young children were not allowed to come over. The medicine bath was set up in the training ground behind the house, where two large trees had been deliberately left standing.

The two trees had been left mainly for training purposes.

"Are you sure this is okay?" Watching the boiling medicinal soup, Cheng Guanghai walked over to his son, who was adjusting a bamboo basket, and couldn’t help but swallow hard.

Normally, just getting scalded on the hand by boiling water would cause blisters. He could hardly imagine what would happen if his entire body was submerged in it.

Cheng Zongyang thought for a moment before saying, "There will be problems, but it all depends on whether you can endure it. As long as you get through the initial phase, a warm current will generate within your body.

This current will neutralize the pain from the high temperature and repair the damage to the surface of your body. As long as you don’t give in, don’t let go, and just hold on, your body will be fine after the medicine bath is over.

But again, the most important thing is perseverance. You have to endure it even if it feels like you’re dying. If you get in and can’t hold on, all you’ll end up with are burns that are difficult to heal."

The others standing nearby also heard Cheng Zongyang’s words.

For a moment, they all hesitated. What they worried about was whether they could actually endure it.

Cheng Zongyang felt helpless as well, because this was the only way to achieve the fastest Cultivation results.

With other methods, the elders were too old to be able to cultivate. Even if they could, it would take a very long time, and they might not even reach Entry Grade.

Besides, that went against his plans.

Before they had obtained a method for cultivating Martial Arts, had they been an ordinary family, they could have just lived a simple life of farming and weaving, working from sunrise to sunset. It wouldn’t have mattered if they lived in seclusion here.

But now that they had a path in Martial Arts, they could never go back to their old lives.

The family was weak. Only by quickly adding a few more Martial Artists could they ensure the family’s safety.

In the future, when he went out on business, there would be Martial Artists at home to protect them. This was the most important point.

Cheng Zongyang looked at them and spoke again:

"If you feel you can’t endure it, you don’t have to go through with the medicine bath. You can train the normal way, but there’s no telling how long that will take. So you need to decide soon. Otherwise, if you get in and then give up, you will only harm your body with no benefit whatsoever."

"I’ll go first!" Watching his son pour the medicinal soup into the tub, Cheng Guanghai gritted his teeth, his gaze resolute.

The fact that he, as a father, couldn’t help his son was something he found unacceptable.

He was still young, not seventy or eighty, and certainly not at an age to be enjoying a quiet retirement. ’If my son has to handle everything for the family, what’s the use of me as a father?

Moreover, this concerns the long-term development of the family. As a father, I have to be able to help my son!’

Hearing their brother-in-law’s words, Zhou Hansong and Zhou Hanchang, who were standing to the side, glanced at their own nervous sons, then gritted their teeth and stepped forward. "We’ll go too!"

They also wanted to set an example for their sons. Only by becoming Martial Artists would they have the Ability to help their family!

Cheng Zongyang said no more. Everything that needed to be said had been said.

’Since they’ve made their decision, so be it. If something unexpected does happen, I have a backup plan to pull them out quickly and prevent greater harm.’

"Alright then, sit in your respective baskets and do as I say."

As the three of them stripped and sat in the bamboo baskets, Cheng Zongyang took a few clean cloths and began to demonstrate. He also adjusted their posture and explained the timing for holding their breath and exhaling. When everything was finally in order, he said sternly:

"Dad, Uncle Hansong, Uncle Hanchang, once you bite down on this cloth, don’t open your mouths again. Hold your breath and maintain the posture I just showed you. This will help you enter the proper state quickly! Remember, no matter how hot it gets, don’t let go of your grip! The moment you let go, you’ve failed!"

"Alright!"

The three men nodded with solemn expressions. They then bit down on the strips of cloth, wrapped their arms around their knees, pressed their foreheads against their kneecaps, and tensed their entire bodies, becoming completely still.

Seeing this, Cheng Zongyang said, "I’m starting now! The moment your feet touch the medicinal soup, take a deep breath! You can’t let that breath go, hold it in! Even if you feel like you’re suffocating, don’t exhale that breath!"

He then lifted the first bamboo basket, which was his father’s. Moving it over the tub, Cheng Zongyang slowly lowered him, letting his feet touch the intense heat first to get a feel for it.

He immediately saw his father’s whole body tense up and tremble, his toes curling.

Seeing this, Cheng Zongyang knew his father now understood what to expect, and so he lowered him the rest of the way.

Instantly, he saw his father’s body shaking and strained taut, clearly enduring the agony. At that moment, Cheng Zongyang breathed a sigh of relief. ’As long as he doesn’t jump out, it’s fine!’

Next were his two uncles. Their condition and reaction were almost identical to his father’s.

Although the searing, scalding sensation caused them immense pain, they still kept Cheng Zongyang’s instructions firmly in mind and did not jump out.

Inside the tub, Cheng Guanghai felt his consciousness begin to fade.

The sensation of the intense, scalding heat made him want to leap out multiple times, but he desperately gritted his teeth and endured. Blood seeped from his gums without him even noticing. His body was tensed like a rock, his mind a complete blank!