: The battle in the lecture hall ends, the time to test strength in the schoolhouse begins

After a moment of silence in the hall, Sun Yuangui exhaled, turned to look at Liang Shanbo, his eyes filled with astonishment: "Wow! Brother Liang, you're just too... too..."

He couldn't find the right words for a moment.

Jia Boyang's expression shifted several times, his lips moved as if he wanted to refute Liang Shanbo, but he didn't know how. His eyes were fixed on Liang Shanbo, filled with resentment.

Gu Jun stood up, cupped his hands in greeting to Liang Shanbo, and slowly said, "Brother Liang explained the relationship between self-cultivation and practical application with the concept of 'substance and function,' and between self-cultivation and helping others with the concept of 'poverty and prosperity.' He also used the metaphor of 'lamp and light' to explain the relationship between the two thoroughly and clearly. Compared with Brother Liang, my earlier statement about 'two sides of the same coin' is indeed superficial."

He spoke in a gentle tone and with a calm demeanor, showing no resentment or unwillingness, but simply stating a fact.

After he finished speaking, he sat down.

Wang Shu remained seated throughout. He gazed intently at Liang Shanbo, thinking to himself, "Tomorrow I will inform the master of the outcome of this debate; the master will surely praise Liang Shanbo again!"

He came to his senses and said to everyone, "Today's debate ends here. When Mr. Meng set this topic, he said something to me. He said, 'This topic is not for you to argue about who is right and who is wrong, but for you to understand for yourselves the purpose of learning in the process of debating.' After listening to everyone's speeches today, especially Brother Liang's speech, I think everyone understands what Mr. Meng meant."

He paused, then his gaze fell on Liang Shanbo: "Brother Liang, with your concept of 'substance and function,' you connect self-cultivation with practical application. You neither dwell on the debate of 'root and branch' or 'priority,' nor are you satisfied with reconciling 'two sides of one body.' Instead, you directly point out that the two are fundamentally one. Even my royal strategy is ashamed to admit its inferiority!"

These words shocked everyone in the hall.

Who is Wang Shu? He is universally acknowledged as the top scholar in Jiazhai, and his debating skills are unmatched. Usually, he is the only one who can convince others. Yet, at this moment, in front of all his classmates, he said to Liang Shanbo, a new student who was only attending classes for the first time today, that he was "ashamed of his inferiority."

Jia Boyang remained silent.

Sun Yuan smiled broadly, as if he had won the debate, and then turned around and gave Liang Shanbo a thumbs up.

Zhu Yingtai turned her head to look at Liang Shanbo. His face was calm, neither proud nor humble, just indifferent, as if everything was expected, or as if everything was unimportant.

Zhu Yingtai thought to herself with admiration, "Today is only Brother Liang's first day at the academy, and he has already outshone all the other students in the Jia Zhai school in the debate!"

……

……

After the debate, the students in Jiazhai Lecture Hall gradually dispersed.

Liang Shanbo and Zhu Yingtai walked along the bluestone path toward the schoolhouse in the backyard.

Zhu Yingtai walked lightly beside Liang Shanbo, a smile playing on her lips. Her mind was still replaying the scene from the lecture hall.

When Brother Liang stood up, she thought he was just going to respond to Jia Boyang's questions on her behalf. But as soon as he opened his mouth, he quoted extensively from classical texts, starting with Yan Hui and going all the way to the Book of Changes, talking about "the unity of substance and function, the inseparability of the manifest and the subtle," dissecting the seemingly unsolvable debate so profoundly.

Lost in thought, she had unknowingly arrived at the school gate.

Liang Shanbo pushed open the wooden door, and the two of them went in one after the other.

Silver Heart followed behind and closed the door.

Inside the schoolhouse, the floor between the two wooden beds was empty, about five or six feet wide, and since it wasn't night yet, the water bowl wasn't placed there.

Zhu Yingtai had just sat down on her wooden couch when she suddenly heard Liang Shanbo say, "Brother, I need to take off my outer garment and stretch my muscles."

Zhu Yingtai was taken aback.

Want to stretch your muscles and joints?

She looked Liang Shanbo up and down. He wasn't thin, but he wasn't strong either.

She said, "We're about to be fed; is it time to stretch our muscles?"

Liang Shanbo said, "This is the perfect time. Before eating, it's a good time of day to stretch your muscles and bones. After stretching, the food will taste especially delicious."

Zhu Yingtai asked, "Then... how does Brother Liang plan to stretch his muscles and bones?"

Liang Shanbo laughed and said, "Just do push-ups. No equipment is needed, it doesn't take up much space, and it's the cheapest option."

"Push-ups?" Zhu Yingtai frowned slightly, uttering the three words to herself, but they sounded unfamiliar. "What is this?"

Liang Shanbo laughed and said, "My good brother, you'll see when you see it. Right now, I need to take off my outer garment. You don't need to turn around, my good brother. I'm wearing a summer undershirt underneath."

The two had previously agreed that when undressing, the other person would first inform the other and then turn around.

Zhu Yingtai said, "I... I'd better turn around and wait until you've finished undressing before turning back."

After saying that, he turned around.

Liang Shanbo took off the grayish-white long robe with a cross-collar and right-fastening design he was wearing and placed it at the foot of his couch. Underneath, he wore a plain cloth undershirt.

Since his transmigration, his previously poor physical condition has significantly improved, and his physical strength has increased considerably. Although he doesn't appear particularly strong, his athletic ability surpasses that of ordinary people, a miraculous change brought about by his transmigration.

In his view, it is necessary for him to maintain a certain level of physical activity throughout his life.

"Brother, turn around," Liang Shanbo called out.

Zhu Yingtai turned back around.

Liang Shanbo squatted down, his hands supporting him on the ground. His wrists weren't thick, but they had a lean, muscular feel. His body was taut in a straight line, his toes barely touching the ground, his head slightly raised, his gaze fixed straight ahead.

Then, he bent his arms, lowered his body until his chest was almost touching the ground. He then pushed himself up, straightened his arms, and returned his body to the straight line he had been in before.

And so he began to do push-ups, one after another.

His movements were slow, but very steady.

Zhu Yingtai watched, her eyes widening in surprise. It was the first time she had ever seen someone stretch their muscles like this. She felt that Liang Shanbo's arms, which didn't look particularly strong, were like two wooden stakes, firmly supporting his entire body.

Yin Xin was tidying up in the outer room when she heard the commotion in the inner room. She went inside and saw Liang Shanbo's appearance, and couldn't help but exclaim "Eh!"

"What is Liang Langjun doing?" Yin Xin asked Zhu Yingtai in a low voice.

"Let's stretch our muscles," Zhu Yingtai replied, her gaze never leaving Liang Shanbo.

Zhu Yingtai silently counted in her mind. When Liang Shanbo had done more than a dozen, his speed did not slow down at all. His movements were still steady and accurate. Every time he sank down, he touched the ground. Every time he pushed up, he straightened his arms.

Zhu Yingtai's gaze shifted to his face. His expression was calm, his lips slightly pursed, and his gaze focused and resolute, as if he were doing something extremely important.

After completing twenty, Liang Shanbo stood up, paused for a moment, and let out a long breath.

"This is the first time," he said.

"The first time?" Zhu Yingtai was taken aback. "And the second time?"

Liang Shanbo nodded and then bent down again.

One, two, three... eleven, twelve, thirteen...

He did another twenty push-ups. After finishing, he stood up without changing his expression or panting. He simply took a long breath and said, "Second pass."

Zhu Yingtai thought he was going to stop.

But he didn't; he bent down again.

The third time, there were still twenty.

Next, we need to do the fourth step.

Zhu Yingtai opened her mouth, wanting to say "enough," but swallowed the words back.

Because she saw that his eyes remained focused, unwavering, and without the slightest hesitation.

By the fourth time, his pace had slowed slightly. By the twentieth time, his arms were trembling and beads of sweat had appeared on his forehead.

Yin Xin's mouth was slightly open as she stared intently.

Looking at the slightly bulging veins on his arms and the taut muscles in his shoulders and back, Zhu Yingtai thought to herself, "Brother Liang is much more robust than I thought!"

"This is the fourth time," Liang Shanbo said, standing up. "There's only one more time left."

Zhu Yingtai couldn't help but speak up: "Brother Liang, that's enough. You've had enough."

Liang Shanbo laughed and said, "It's alright, I do it five or a hundred times every day when I'm at home."

As he spoke, he bent down again.

The fifth step was similar to the fourth, but the speed was slightly slower, and my arms trembled a little.

"Five times." He stood up, wiped the sweat from his face, then looked up at Zhu Yingtai, smiled, and said, "One hundred times. Activity complete."

Zhu Yingtai stared at him blankly.

She initially thought he would only do a few push-ups and then stop. After all, he didn't look very strong, and a few would be enough to loosen up his muscles. But he actually did a hundred!

This Brother Liang is not only full of talent, but also has such a robust physique!

A thought suddenly occurred to Zhu Yingtai: "Could it be that push-ups are actually not that difficult? Or are they just scary to look at?"

She hesitated for a moment, then said, "Brother Liang, I...I'd like to give it a try too."

Liang Shanbo was taken aback upon hearing this, then laughed and said, "Brother, if you want to try, then go ahead and try."

Zhu Yingtai followed his example, squatting down and placing her hands on the ground.

She took a deep breath and, mimicking his posture, stretched her legs back, toes touching the ground, her body taut in a straight line. This posture made her feel extremely uncomfortable and awkward.

She bent her arms and slowly lowered herself. Halfway down, her arms ached terribly, as if they were filled with lead. But she gritted her teeth and continued to sink, her arms trembling violently.

Then she tried to push herself up. Pushing herself up was harder than sinking; her arms were limp and she couldn't muster any strength. She gritted her teeth and struggled desperately upwards, her face turning red, before she finally managed to stand up.

First.

She let out a long breath, rested for a few moments, and then sank back down.

This time, halfway down, her arms began to tremble violently. She gritted her teeth and struggled to sink further. When she pushed herself up, her whole body was shaking; her arms, waist, abdomen, and legs were straining desperately, and beads of sweat appeared on her forehead. She forced herself to remain silent.

Finally, she straightened her arms.

the second.

Zhu Yingtai lay on the ground, her arms aching and weak.

She actually went on to do a third one.

This time, halfway down, her arm felt like it was broken, and she could no longer hold on.

She lay flat on the ground, panting.

"Brother, that's good enough." Liang Shanbo's voice came from above, tinged with amusement. "To be able to do two push-ups on your first try is already quite good!"