That's not how you do exercise. (2)

"Hey, you ignorant fools who don't even know how to exercise!"

The moment Mu-jin shouted,

"...."

A chilling silence descended upon the training ground.

"Mu-Mu-jin? Wh-why are you..."

Through the silence, the worried voice of the novice monk who had woken Mu-jin in the morning pierced his ears.

But Mu-jin couldn't calm the child's worries.

The young monks, who had been observing the novices' training, the senior disciples of Shaolinsa, wore expressions not fitting for monks and shouted at Mu-jin.

"You!! How dare you disgrace yourself during training!"

"You dare to make excuses because training is hard! Are you truly a disciple of Shaolin?!"

"Can't you even get your posture right?!"

Even ordinary people tend to shrink under collective shouting. Moreover, as the senior disciples of Shaolinsa were young martial artists, there was an underlying power in their shouts.

It was a situation that could make even the weakest person wet themselves.

"Is it a sin to speak out against what is wrong?"

Mu-jin was not a man to succumb to such intimidation. He had spent seven years in a special forces unit. For ten years, he had dealt with difficult clients as a fitness trainer.

To cower under the shouts of these young men, his life had been too eventful for that.

With his confident demeanor, the senior disciples who had been shouting found themselves looking at Mu-jin with bewildered expressions.

"As a disciple of Shaolin now, are you saying that the training of Shaolin is wrong?"

As one of the senior disciples stepped forward and asked, Mu-jin couldn't help but burst into laughter.

'Wow, this dream is so realistic.'

From the tone of the young man to his attitude, everything was reminiscent of something straight out of a martial arts novel.

'Should I speak in a dignified manner befitting of a martial arts novel?'

Thinking that to himself, Mu-jin spoke.

"If you continue to exercise in this manner, you will suffer severe knee cartilage damage in your old age."

"That is nothing but an excuse for the weak."

"Isn't martial arts something weak people learn to discipline their minds? Yet, if the weak cannot learn it, then it is truly a contradiction."

The senior disciple who had stepped forward to reprimand Mu-jin was momentarily silenced by his retort. However, fortunately, another senior disciple stepped in to assist him.

"Our Shaolin's martial arts are different from the martial arts you mentioned. The reason we practice martial arts is to refine ourselves and reach enlightenment."

"Then, does that mean the weak-bodied cannot reach enlightenment?"

"N-No, that's not it! It means accumulating mental discipline through ascetic practices!"

Though momentarily bewildered, the senior disciple shouted a rebuttal. Yet, a smile crept onto Mu-jin's lips.

"Why must one reach enlightenment through ascetic practices?"

"The human spirit is weak. When faced with hardship, it tends to seek convenience and harbor evil thoughts. Training to endure such situations cultivates the mind."

"Does that lead to enlightenment?"

"Yes."

"And this enlightenment, is it something achievable in just a day or two?"

"Why are you suddenly spouting nonsense?"

"Isn't that what the master is saying? That one doesn't need ascetic practices even if the knees are damaged, implying that ascetic practices are unnecessary in old age. Then, ultimately, it means one can reach enlightenment before old age. So, why hasn't that master reached enlightenment yet, if it's so easy to attain it before old age?"

Mu-jin pointed towards the middle-aged monk overseeing the training. When he directed his question at the senior disciple Hyu Jong, the other disciples fell silent.

Some were swayed by Mu-jin's logic.

"W-What is that lunatic rambling about now!?"

Being singled out and criticized by a novice who was a prospective third-degree disciple and a junior disciple in training brought on an anxiety attack to the current senior disciple.

Mu-jin, who had shut the mouths of the senior disciples in one fell swoop, wore a satisfied smile alone.

This was the logical reasoning and eloquence he had honed over ten years of managing clients. Yes, customer service was no easy job.

It was regrettable to only use his outstanding eloquence in a mere dreamlike situation.

"Halt!"

At that moment, the senior disciple Hyu Jong, who had been criticized by the prospective third-degree disciple, raised his lion's roar and approached Mu-jin with firm steps.

"I heard your words. Generally, martial arts learned in ascetic practices are merely tools to reach enlightenment. However, our Shaolin's martial arts are different."

"What makes it different?"

"Our practice of martial arts is not solely for personal cultivation. The reason we practice martial arts is to save sentient beings. This means protecting them from the evil and demonic forces that torment them."

"To protect sentient beings, you're saying we should engage in exercises that damage our knees?"

"Yes."

Senior disciple Hyu Jong looked at Mu-jin with sharp eyes. Despite being a monk, he was also a practitioner of martial arts and tasked with training novice disciples.

For him, such quibbling was unacceptable, especially since allowing this novice to continue could pose a danger not only to himself but also to the other novice disciples around him.

Yet, directly reprimanding a prospective third-degree disciple or displaying an attitude befitting an unenlightened disciple was not appropriate for a senior disciple.

Using his experience, Hyu Jong quickly devised a plan.

"If you truly believe that Shaolin's training methods are flawed, then prove it."

"How do I prove it?"

"If you believe you know the correct training methods, then defeat someone who has mastered Shaolin's training methods with your own hands."

Hyu Jong's words made Mu-jin burst into laughter again.

"Oh boy, what a mess."

Mu-jin instinctively sensed it. The middle-aged monk standing before him was a typical old-school type. If logic failed, he'd resort to force.

Although it was taboo to say it aloud, Mu-jin wasn't one to yield to force. Having been through thick and thin, he knew that constantly being passive would lead others to underestimate him.

"Who do I have to defeat? Surely you don't mean I should fight against a monk and win?"

"Hehehe. Even if I wanted to, I can't physically fight a child like you directly. Naturally, it wouldn't be fair unless you fought against another novice disciple. Mu Gung will come forward!"

Though Hyu Jong's laughter seemed carefree, the Mu Gung he called was far from a fair opponent.

Mu-jin had barely entered Shaolin Temple for a week, and Mu Gung was the longest-standing novice among those present. Not only that, but he also boasted a larger physique compared to other novice disciples who hadn't even begun their second-stage training.

"Wow... Can a monk really be this petty?"

As he looked at Mu Gung stepping forward, Mu-jin burst into laughter once again.

But laughter was just laughter. It wasn't in his nature to back down after coming this far.

"Are we supposed to spar right now?"

Hyu Jong tilted his head as he looked at Mu-jin, who didn't even flinch despite facing a boy much larger than himself.

"I am aware that it wouldn't be fair. Didn't I tell you to prove what you said to be true? You claimed that Shaolin's training methods are flawed. So, train for seven days using the method you believe is correct, then challenge Mu Gung to a match."

It was truly a typical orthodox approach. While it sounded considerate towards the opponent, it meant crushing any grounds for excuses, leaving no room for rebuttal a week later.

Furthermore, it served as a warning to the young disciple. It was meant to instill a bit of fear and encourage an apology, but it was also a means of delivering a warning.

"I will do as you say."

From Mu-jin's perspective, who considered this situation a dream, it was a good outcome. 'Choosing persuasion over force. Amitabha.'

Hyu Jong, briefly observing Mu-jin's confident face, turned back to the dais.

Perhaps due to Mu-jin's unexpected behavior, not only Hyu Jong and the senior disciples but also the novice disciples training alongside him looked at Mu-jin with displeasure.

"Resume training!"

"Yes!"

As Hyu Jong gave the order, the senior disciples assisting in the training each cast a glance at Mu-jin before returning to their positions.

"Mu-jin. Why did you... Maybe it's time to apologize to Senior Hyu Jong. Okay?"

In an atmosphere where everyone seemed hostile towards Mu-jin, the boy who had woken him up in the morning was the only one worrying about him.

"Focus!"

"Yes!"

However, when the senior disciple pointed out the boy, Mu-yul could only respond with a surprised voice and focus on the training.

"Assume the ma-bu stance again!"

Naturally, training resumed in a state of awkward tension.

Amidst this awkward atmosphere, Mu-jin, like the other children, bent his knees while spreading his legs shoulder-width apart, lowering his buttocks.

It was the ma-bu stance they had all been doing until now.

Naturally, a slight smirk appeared on the lips of everyone watching Mu-jin, wondering what mischief he would cause.

Only Hyu Jong, who had deep cultivation, maintained a neutral expression while thinking 'as expected'.

Even when Mu-jin took the ma-bu stance and then straightened his knees in a matter of seconds, some novice disciples couldn't help but laugh.

"Kick."

They thought he was using the excuse of training being hard as a reason not to do it.

"Hey, who dares to laugh during training?"

Still, as a disciple of the Buddha, Hyu Jong warned the disciples who laughed at others.

"Sigh."

But when Mu-jin heard the laughter, he calmly adjusted his breathing and bent his knees, showing no sign of being affected.

"Phew."

Once again, he straightened his knees, stood up, and exhaled the breath he had held. What Mu-jin was doing was not the ma-bu stance; it was squats. Mu-jin made an effort to concentrate as much as possible, slowly repeating squats to feel and stimulate the muscle fibers of the glutes, quadriceps, and additionally the erector spinae and hamstring muscles.

"Phew."

After completing fifteen repetitions, he took a moment to catch his breath, slightly turning his knees and relaxing them.

"???"

Finally, Hyu Jong and the other disciples noticed that something was off.

"Sigh."

Well, whether or not, Mu-jin entered the second set with an attitude to do his job.

"You! What are you doing during sacred training time?"

When Mu-jin once again bent and straightened his knees fifteen times, repeating the strange breathing pattern, the impatient senior disciple yelled.

However, upon hearing the senior disciple's shout, Mu-jin simply gave a blank look and pointed at Hyu Jong.

"You told me to prove it, didn't you? Master Hyu Jong told me to exercise my way for seven days. Surely, the master has higher authority than Senior Hyu Jong, doesn't he?"

"..."

Confused by Mu-jin's logically sound response, the senior disciple looked at Hyu Jong with a bewildered expression.

Hyu Jong inwardly sighed once and allowed Mu-jin's individual action.

"A promise is a promise. Just let it be."

"Understood, Master."

In the end, having received immunity, Mu-jin could comfortably engage in proper training afterward.

Amidst the situation where other children had already endured more than half an hour of maintaining the ma-bu stance, enduring the pain in their legs and knees.

"Sigh."

"Phew."

"Sigh."

"Phew."

The rhythm coming from Mu-jin's peculiar breathing pattern was enough to distract the children's minds.

"Hey! Don't turn your head!"

As the children's gaze kept turning to Mu-jin, the senior disciples couldn't help but shout.

"Sigh."

"Phew."

Regardless, Mu-jin remained focused on his exercise.

After completing fifteen repetitions for five sets, Mu-jin released the squat position, regulated his breathing, and then bent his right knee while stretching his left leg backward.

It was a lunge position.

Once again, he slowly corrected his posture with concentrated focus.

Simply bending and straightening the knees without focusing on the muscles is not exercise; it's just abusing the knees.

"Heh."

Of course, amidst everyone enduring the ma-bu stance and struggling, Mu-jin's peculiar behavior of doing something strange alone couldn't help but stand out.

"I should act like I didn't see anything."

Already in a situation where she had promised to give seven days, Hyu Jong had no choice but to overlook Mu-jin's actions.

"Let's see after seven days!"

Whether Mu-jin knew Hyu Jong's thoughts or not, after completing each set, Mu-jin would mutter quietly in a low voice.

"Tsk. That's not how you do exercises."

"Oh my, if you keep doing that, your knees will give out."

"Who will take responsibility for the damaged knees in your youth?"

Naturally, those muttered remarks sounded like thunder in Hyu Jong's ears, who had already reached a high level of enlightenment.

"Namu Ami... Tabul."

From some point on, Hyu Jong's suppressed frustrations began to spill out of her mouth along with the discordant voices.