"I almost failed several times while I was in the medicinal bath. It was terrifying," Zhou Hanchang said, still looking shaken.

"Hahaha, we’re all in the same boat. I’m amazed I was able to endure it myself," Zhou Hansong added with a sigh.

Cheng Zongyang didn’t know their exact progress, but he could estimate it based on how many days they would need the medicine bath.

Based on the duration of their pummeling session, their progress hadn’t reached twenty points, but it was over ten. His younger uncle, however, was likely only at around ten points.

The three of them should reach Entry Grade in six to ten days.

Next up were his two cousins.

The earnest Zhou Zhenyuan stared at the freshly prepared medicinal bath, his body tense. "I... I’m honestly terrified too," he said.

His father, Zhou Hansong, sighed in resignation. He could sympathize; that first moment in the water was truly excruciating.

"Zhenyuan, even I was scared, but you just have to hold on for that first little bit. You saw it from out here—once you get past that initial shock, it stops scalding you."

Cheng Zongyang didn’t add anything. ’This is something they have to overcome themselves. Anything I say is useless.’

Zhou Zhendong had already stripped off his clothes and was standing before the bamboo basket, breathing heavily. He was clearly just as nervous and fearful.

A moment later, Zhou Zhenyuan also stripped off his clothes. Biting down on a cloth strip, he stepped into the bamboo basket with a determined look on his face.

Cheng Zongyang smiled. "Being nervous is a good thing. It helps you keep your body tense, so you won’t accidentally let go."

Soon, Cheng Zongyang began lowering them one by one into the bath.

’It’s better to be lowered in the basket than to try and step in one foot at a time. Better to get the pain over with quickly, and the result is quite good.’

But clearly, the two younger men’s pain tolerance and willpower couldn’t compare to their elders, who had endured years of hardship.

Although they kept their legs hugged tightly to maintain the posture, their struggles in the medicinal bath were far more violent.

As everyone watched with concern, both of them, thankfully, began to settle down.

They settled down slightly faster than their three elders had.

Cheng Zongyang made a mental note: ’Aptitude affects the speed at which the warm current appears.’

’My two cousins’ aptitude must be slightly better than that of the three elders. Of course, that’s just a guess. I’ll have to see how long their pummeling session lasts.’

’If my guess is correct, it means the better the aptitude, the faster one enters the proper state.’

’As for whether their aptitude is better than mine, that will also depend on their pummeling duration and the number of medicine baths it takes for them to reach Entry Grade.’

’One day, when I have time, I’ll write all this down as a training manual to be passed down through the family.’

After their medicine bath ended, it was time for the pummeling session.

Cheng Zongyang timed them from the side.

In the end, after about half an hour, his two cousins also finished.

Their results were about the same as his own.

Cheng Zongyang knew that, barring any surprises, they should also reach Entry Grade in five days.

"Now that everyone has started the medicine baths, you can also pummel your bodies in your free time using the method I taught. The force doesn’t need to be as strong as it was tonight. Second Uncle, perhaps you could look into making some body-strengthening medicinal wine for everyone to use with their training."

Cheng Guangshan smiled. "I’ll look into the medicinal wine later. I do have a recipe for a medicine bath, but it’s nothing compared to yours, Zongyang. It’s a formula used by Martial Arts Halls, which I got from one years ago. It’s no secret recipe. It can help with recovery after training and prevent physical damage."

"That would be great," Cheng Zongyang said with a smile. "That way, everyone can train daily when they have time, without having to wait for the evening Martial Arts Medicine Bath. Their speed in reaching Entry Grade will also be a little faster."

"Alright. We’ll do as you say," Cheng Guangshan agreed with a nod.

The others naturally had no objections either.

In fact, they were already looking forward to the day they all became Martial Artists!

Everyone dispersed, and Cheng Zongyang returned to his room.

’I’ve gathered a lot of valuable training data tonight. It will be very helpful for guiding others in the future.’

’Once the three elders and my two cousins reach Entry Grade, I can entrust them with the training of others in the future.’