Capítulo 9: Unique Skill of the Thunder Sect
A tree taller than the rest of the forest would be the first destroyed by the wind. Within a few seconds, Lou Cheng reached a much deeper understanding of the saying. As soon as he cried out his interest in joining the special training, eyes turned to him like a shower of arrows from all directions, shocked, puzzled or simply curious, making him horrified and nervous. It reminded him of his attempt to give a public speech to the entire school on the stage in the past. Staring at a dark mass of countless peers and teaching staff, Lou Cheng came up with an uneasiness from his heart and could barely talk. He felt fortunate that he wasn't the protagonist.
Geezer Shi seemed pleased.
"Terrific. You must be a true enthusiast in martial arts. What's your name?"
"Lou Cheng," Lou Cheng took a deep breath.
Geezer Shi looked through the registry to search Lou Cheng's name and asked casually.
"In which year? Of which amateur pin? Seventh or eighth?"
Dead silence in the gym. Lin Que kept his eyes down, appearing unconcerned. Chen Changhua, taller than most of his peers, glanced at Lou Cheng from a distance, wondering who this strange fellow was. The rest of the Martial Arts Club members were waiting eagerly for the answer except for Lou Cheng's acquaintances Cai Zongming, Qiu Zhigao and Yan Zheke who seemed terribly in shock.
Lou Cheng replied calmly and frankly. "A freshman of no rank."
"Of no freaking rank and you want to join the training," words slipped out of Geezer Shi's mouth. It was the first time that he spoke inappropriately since he had entered the gym.
The crowd in the gym burst into laughter. The venue was instantly filled with a cheerful atmosphere.
Lou Cheng couldn't help feeling embarrassed. His face was on fire.
"Good," Geezer Shi lowered his right hand as a signal for the gym to quiet down and continued. "A newborn calf is not afraid of tigers. Very much like me in my youth. I'll see you tomorrow here. Quit when you can take no more. Don't push yourself too hard. I can't assume responsibility for your life."
"Are you praising me? Or boasting yourself?" Lou Cheng thought to himself and then replied. "Yes, Coach Shi."
He subconsciously looked up to Yan Zheke, who happened to meet his eyes with joy and made a gesture of encouragement.
Geezer Shi ignored whispers from Martial Arts Club members and carried on. "So Lou Cheng was the first to apply for the special training. The first mover. Anyone else?"
"Coach, me." A sweet, familiar female voice came to Lou Cheng's ear. He turned around and realized it was Yan Zheke.
"She... She also wants to join?"
"Is she simply a big fan of martial arts or?"
"One illusion in life: she is doing this for me," Cai Zongming brutally broke Lou Cheng's fantasy.
"Couldn't you allow my happiness to last a few seconds longer?" Lou Cheng stared at Cai.
Cai Zongming grinned. "Not feeling too good about oneself is an essential prerequisite for chasing girls. However, Cheng, I'm impressed that you are willing to get up four hours earlier every morning to attend this special training just for a girl. I have to admit you have beaten me in perseverance and courage. Nothing is impossible to a willing heart! God won't let down a determined heart!"
Listening to Little Ming's nonsense, Lou Cheng didn't know what to say. He couldn't speak of the Jindan as there was a saying "He who loses his secret will lose himself." So he just admitted that it was for a girl.
"Anyway, have a try. You can always quit."
"Makes sense," Cai Zongming nodded and put one thumb up. "You are worthy to be taught!"
Yan Zheke's participation tempted many boys. They raised hands to apply for the training, and it took Geezer Shi a good while to have every name written down. Geezer Shi straightened his face. "Everybody, attention. Get ready for class."
"Your ranks vary from nothing to Professional Ninth Pin, but in front of me you are all the same, unprofessional martial arts enthusiasts, or in other words, babies on a feeding bottle. So we shall start our first martial arts lesson with the foundation. Remember, the journey of a thousand miles starts with a single step."
Geezer Shi kept his hands together behind his back and paced back and forth in front of the team. His voice was not that loud but clear enough to be heard by everyone, "The entry-level of martial arts begins with stance training supplemented by footwork practice and current strength training such as bench press, deep squat, pull-up and back muscle stretch. Only when you have grasped these to a certain extent, you can move on to the practice of actual martial movements to grasp novel force launching techniques of each move..."
...
"... Your Principal put in a lot of effort to bring me here with sincere respect. I'm not a man with an unearned reputation. The stance training of our first lesson will be Yin-Yang Stance, the lost knowledge of the Taoist Thunder Sect!"
Bang! The crowd burst into a passionate discussion. Martial Arts Club members whispered in each other's ear with excitement or shock.
The lost knowledge of the Taoist Thunder Sect had long been well known all over the world. Its basic stance training was a hot topic within the martial arts circle but frequently skipped from knowledge by the amateurs. Those crude and straightforward stance training were nothing like it.
Just as excited, Lou Cheng turned to Cai Zongming. "Shangqing Sect's lost technique of the Thunder Sect?"
"Must be," said Cai Zongming, thrilled.
The Taoist martial arts had a comparably short history, not part of the genuine origin of martial arts. However, it inherited from pre-Qin eras, organized The Old Gods and Old Ghosts System, and laid a foundation for the next blossom of martial arts, making up a significant fraction of the martial arts circle. The core of its martial arts was known as the Five Sects Unique Skills with the Restriction Sect topping the Thunder, Fire, Fighting and Plague Sects.
Two major forces, Shangqing Sect and Longhu Club, were respectively the heirs of the unique skills of the Thunder Sect and the Fire Sect. Another mighty force, Shushan Study, carried forward the entire system of the Fighting Sect while skills of the Plague Sect had been scattered in wars and partly passed on by many forces.
The basic training of such unique skills would bring a thrill to those martial arts members who had long soaked in the news regarding the martial arts circle.
Considering Coach Shi was invited by the Principal in person, he must have some real skills other than ostentation.
Sadly, not Longhu Club's stance training of the Fire Sect... Lou Cheng seemed slightly disappointed.
Geezer Shi kept some space between his feet and suddenly became overwhelming like a towering mountain or a roaring sea. He lifted both of his hands, forming a closed ring in front of his chest, and began to ramble:
"Physical poses of still stance are usually simple. However, the key lies in the stillness. As a saying of the Thunder Sect stated, concealment of spirit and Qi can ward off trouble. It's pretty much telling us only the dead can keep the mind void. Think about one item and completely focus on it. Remain concentrated to bring peace..."
"You may think about anything, a man or a woman, a cat or a dog, a holy statue or a tableware as long as it arouses no desire. I usually think about a one-hundred bill, suppressing my mind with the founding father of the country without waking up my greed. This refers to treating money like dirt..."
Mocking Geezer Shi's pose while listening to his interesting description, Lou Cheng prepared himself for meditation, but threads of thought led him from one thing to another. Focusing on one item to achieve peace seemed impossible. When his mind fell on Yan Zheke, distractions flooded in and he couldn't help dreaming about future.
At this moment, his attention suddenly turned to the Jindan inside his Dantian.
Focusing on his lower stomach, Lou Cheng slowly gathered all his thoughts and restrained them all inside the Jindan. He imagined a fantastic ice ball of nebula pattern and small flames.
As his thoughts gathered, the scene in Lou Cheng's vision abruptly changed. He could see the inside of his Dantian, where the dreamy Jindan set.
The Jindan rotated slowly. Small ice crystals transformed into stars around those tiny flames, creating a vast universe, profound and grand.
"This... Can I look inside to see the Jindan already?" As an experienced martial arts fan, academic terms were no strange for Lou Cheng. Soon enough, he figured out in what status he was.
That was the advanced level of Solemn Silence!
Before, he could only sense the Jindan after a long and weary run. Now he could see it within his body by merely remaining in silence. He started to enjoy his gradual control over it and no longer felt terrified and helpless like yesterday. Conclusions were being drawn on his mind:
"Practicing martial arts indeed can help me gain control over the Jindan. Furthermore, it can also speed up my martial arts training just like it helped with my meditation! Participating in this special training is the right decision!"
Lou Cheng focused on his Dantian and achieved peace through concentration. Random thoughts appeared and vanished and then reappeared but could no longer affect his meditation.
His surroundings became void. Everything flew up to the sky. Geezer Shi's voice rang into his ear from a distance.
"Once you achieve peace, slowly move your weight to the left, to keep the left foot heavier and the right foot lighter, and then do the opposite. Feel the strength changing in every muscle during your weight shifting. This is Yin-Yang Stance. Your body appears still, yet movements and changes never stop inside."
"This stance training firstly helps you with meditation and secondly allows you to feel the subtle changes and cooperation within your body while pulling strength to exert better control of your muscles and make use of your whole body. At the ultimate level of the training, your strength, muscles, and mind will become one, like a human elixir. Once the elixir is formed, Qi will begin to grow and you are stepping into the Danqi stage, the real martial arts entry level. At this stage, even the worst of you can reach the rank of Professional Eighth Pin.
"Ha-hah, just saying. Don't think too much about it, as most of you will never reach this stage. Lin Que is probably the only one among you with such potential. The rest of you don't need to take it too seriously."
"Damn it! He's probably stating the fact but this old man indeed has a bitter tongue..." The thought flashed across Lou Cheng's mind but didn't disturb his concentration. Meanwhile, he began to move his weight to his left foot slowly.
As the weight moved slowly, he could feel changes in his leg muscles, feet and waist. With those subtle changes reflected in his mind, he could barely recognize his own body.
"While running with arms waving, my mind manipulates my body and physical moves take place smoothly but who could have noticed such continuous changes at every inch of the body? No wonder a wrong pose can significantly slow me down and consume more of my energy! The order of changes of strength pulling was wrong!"
Perceive as you see, believe not what you perceive!
It didn't take Lou Cheng long to immerse himself in that new feeling. He continued to slowly move his weight while feeling the changes in his body between falsehood and reality, movement and stillness, and lightness and heaviness as if a gate to a new world had just been opened. Especially when a warm stream of the Jindan reached every corner of his body, some kind of mystery was gently touched.
Upon teaching the Yin-Yang Stance, Geezer Shi started to patrol around reviewing his students. First timers of still stance training had almost no chance of actually remaining in one. He merely wanted these young fellows to adapt themselves.
Lin Que was doing pretty well. From a family with a long history in martial arts, he had already been familiar with Solemn Silence. Geezer Shi stepped past him and nodded with a slight smile.
"Chen Changhua is disturbed by too many thoughts to calm down... Wu Dong's health condition doesn't allow him to stay calm... Yan Zheke is doing alright. With a few more tries she might be able to achieve peace... What the heck is this? What is he thinking about? Is he dribbling?" As he walked past one member after another, Geezer Shi gave silent comments within his mind, "This must be Cai Zongming. Has some talent but more useless thoughts. He needs to organize his mind or it will take him quite some long time to master Yin-Yang Stance. Hmm?"
Geezer Shi paused by Lou Cheng, carrying surprise and confusion in his eyes.
Capítulo 10: Everyone Has Their Future
With his eyebrows shooting upward, Geezer Shi squinted and then slowly opened his eyes up. In a flash his dull eyes turned into silver, cold but luminous. Deep in his eyes was a reflection of Lou Cheng.
After a moment of hesitation with a frown, the odd color faded from his eyes. He kept his hands together behind his back and moved away from Lou Cheng. He turned around a few steps later to take another look at him and then continued with his inspection as if nothing special had happened and nothing was strange to him.
The first still stance experience could be extremely boring which usually resulted in physical weariness and sourness after a short while. Geezer Shi stared at his watch and cleared his throat when the clock hit one hour and a half.
"Stop. The first still stance training is over."
In Lou Cheng's perception, Geezer's Shi's voice seemed to be coming from heaven, almost to the point Lou couldn't tell if it was real, but in the end he quit the "remaining in one" state. All hustle and bustle, as well as men and women in reality, came back at once, filling up all his senses, which felt like another brand new world.
"How goddamn tiring Yin-Yang Stance is," Cai Zongming complained to Lou Cheng while relaxing his legs in turn.
"Yeah, but also quite interesting," Lou Cheng went with the flow instead of confessing that he could stand to the end of time in it.
After, Geezer Shi ordered Chen Changhua to show and explain a moving stance of their Martial Arts Club, including the skills and the divided movements. He gave them one hour to practice, which could help stretch and temper their body, naturally infusing coordination into their instinct.
During the entire practice, he was chilling in the ring with a cigarette. His total relaxation was quite annoying.
"Ok. Split the group into two. Those on my right-hand side now follow Chen Changhua to the Strength Training Gymnasium for some muscle training and the rest on my left stay to practice footwork under Lin Que's supervision. Swap in 40 minutes," Geezer Shi jumped out of the ring after checking his watch and shouted while holding his arm straight ahead of him, pointing at the middle of the group to split them.
Lou Cheng and Cai Zongming, both standing on the right-hand side of Geezer Shi, headed toward the weight room among half of their peers.
Lou Cheng's right foot stumbled as he walked past Geezer Shi. His body staggered forward.
A cold sweat overspread him upon the sudden accident. His falling onto the ground face down seemed unstoppable.
However, Lou Cheng felt all the subtle changes in his muscles while in the air. Similar to the earlier meditation, he wiggled his muscles little by little almost out of instinct to adjust his weight rapidly.
As soon as one of his feet landed, he straightened his back a bit to drive his entire body forward. A few strides forth and he finally came to a stop on his feet without raising much a laugh.
He looked back but couldn't find a clue among all the strange faces of what he had just stumbled over.
"Cheng, are you alright?" asked Cai Zongming with fright on his face.
"I'm OK. I don't know what just happened," answered Lou Cheng while shaking his head. He let go of the thoughts and resumed his pace.
Among the crowd, Geezer Shi still held a cigarette in his right hand while he nodded thoughtfully at Lou Cheng's back.
In the Strength Training Gymnasium, Lou Cheng felt frustrated. Even with the aid from the Jindan he was still far from being able to push the barbell.
"It seems the Jindan can only help me get over fatigue and soreness and open up my senses to subtle changes within my body during meditation thus improving coordination and footwork training. It doesn't quite enhance my performance in strength, speed or agility..." Lou Cheng recalled how he had almost fallen earlier and quietly summarized the benefits of the Jindan. He then doubled his effort in strength training on all his muscles to make use of the instant recovery and little weariness advantages from the Elixir, attempting to improve his strength in a short period. Cai Zongming was dearly stunned by Cheng.
...
At the end of the weight and footwork training, Lou Cheng, although strengthened and recovered by the Jindan, was sweating all over. He planned to catch up with Yan Zheke before hitting the shower with Cai Zongming. Chen Changhua, the club manager, stepped out of the troop before Geezer Shi called the end of the martial arts lesson.
"Coach Shi, the Ranking Event is coming soon but I didn't have enough practical exercise." Chen Changhua smiled after a glance at Lin Que, "I'd like to challenge Lin Que. Please be our referee to avoid possible injuries."
Hearing his words, many members of the Martial Arts Club took several indrawn breaths. Chen Changhua's dissatisfaction with Lin Que was apparent during the orientation as the club couldn't accommodate two champions. However, no one expected such an open challenge to take place so quickly in the very first session.
"Why is he this confident?"
"Has he already overcome the rank difference and reached the level of Professional Ninth Pin?"
Lou Cheng didn't see this coming either. He looked at Cai Zongming and then attempted to exchange a glance with Yan Zheke through the mass.
Cai Zongming clicked his tongue. "This ape is not that stupid. At least he knows he should issue the challenge as early as possible."
"What?" Lou Cheng withdrew his eyes and turned to Cai Zongming for an explanation.
"Before reaching the Danqi stage, height and strength play a major role in martial arts, with proper use of which, an amateur of the second or third Pin does have a chance to pass the Professional Ranking Event and be qualified to receive a Professional Ninth Pin certificate. Regarding overall strength, he can level himself as Professional Ninth Pin." With a few years of formal martial arts training, Cai Zongming explained plausibly, "Lin Que is a genius who reached the Professional Ninth Pin at the age of 18. Give him two more months or half a year and he will become even stronger. OK, he might not reach the Danqi stage yet, but for sure his progress will be much greater than that ape!"
"So Chen Changhua challenges Lin Que now, before the gap between them enlarges. He wants to defeat Lin and leave him a mental block so he can maintain his superior position till the graduation," said Lou Cheng with a sudden realization.
"Mental block? Too many novels you must have read," Cai Zongming glanced at Lou Cheng, "If Chen Changhua does score a victory here, the rising force may connect his willpower and physical strength to push him to a higher level. Hmm, he is probably confident that he has reached the Professional Ninth Pin level or he wouldn't fling down the gauntlet now."
When the pair were in a hot discussion, Geezer Shi turned to Lin Que with a grin, "Will you accept the challenge?"
"Sure," answered Lin Que coldly, showing no emotion.
Chen Changhua turned around with a courtesy smile and strode into the ring. His bearings changed completely, like a tiger with sharpened claws or a buffalo ready to hunt.
"The manager of the Martial Arts Club is undoubtedly capable," thought Lou Cheng, and then his eyes moved to Lin Que.
Lin wiped the sweat off his face and casually stepped toward the ring. His handsomeness and cool disposition were dazzling in the white suit, drawing all the attention.
When he stood in the ring, Lin Que maintained the same bearing. His feet resumed a T-step position with his toes slightly pointing inwards and his face showed no expression toward Chen Changhua.
After Geezer Shi slowly made his way over to be the referee position, Chen Changhua bowed with clasped hands, "Brother Lin, please grant instructions."
Of one level lower in rank, Chen made the first move and threw himself at Lin Que like a snake.
"The ape's footwork is not bad," commented Cai Zongming to Lou Cheng. Known for his strength and physique, Chen Changhua's agile footwork apparently amazed many. No wonder he dared to challenge Lin Que.
Lin Que moved his left foot to the side to dodge Chen Changhua's attack but as soon as his left foot landed, Chen abruptly changed his style, pushing his right leg and dashing into Lin with his shoulder and arm like a wild bull.
Low screams rose from the crowd. Everyone was worried about Lin Que. Such a ferocious move made the audience tremble with fear. Lou Cheng doubted he could handle this strike without breaking an arm and a few ribs if he was in Lin Que's position.
That was a move of the Professional Ninth Pin level!
And it was Chen Changhua's strength but Lin Que's weak point!
At this very moment, Lin Que hacked his back and moved his spine like a snake, pulling his left foot before it completely touched the ground to shift his weight back to the right foot. Using his right foot as the shaft, he spun to the back of Chen Changhua and launched a blow with his left elbow.
His previous move was a trap!
Chen Changhua missed his target and felt a strike coming from behind. Chen was left with no choice but to dive forward and roll over to avoid the elbow hit.
As Chen attempted to use his core to spring up while rolling, Lin Que slid over and pulled his right foot as if cracking a whip. A crispy sound burst in the air.
Pong!
Chen Changhua closed his palms in front of his body to confront this whip kick. He pulled back half a meter and blood streamed out from the split between his thumb and index finger.
Lin pushed his advantage and threw one whip kick after another at Chen's lower legs, with his legs repeatedly hitting Chen's palms with a crack.
Pong!
Chen Changhua got pushed out of the ring and his hands were battered to blood and pulp.
Lying on the ground, he appeared puzzled with disbelief in this cushy defeat. He didn't even have a chance to use his well-mastered throwing skills.
Seconds of dead silence was followed by a fierce hurrah for the true capable in the hall.
Lou Cheng turned around, seeing Yan Zheke cheering with excitement on her face and both of her arms in the air.
"Awesome! You've earned my respect. A Professional Ninth Pin martial artist is amazing," Little Ming murmured to himself.
Lou Cheng withdrew his eyes with all sorts of feelings twisted inside. Recalling the fight, he became enlightened suddenly.
The trick move Lin Que made to win this fight was a practical use of Yin-Yang Stance!
The key of Yin-Yang Stance, he had experienced himself clearly, was to coordinate the entire body and use strength at will. The ultimate of the Yin-Yang Stance training will be the Danqi stage.
Lin Que had apparently mastered it to some extent. His coordination and control of his body were terrifying. Didn't anybody else notice that?
He should be very close to the Danqi stage, the Professional Eighth Pin level...
Lin Que walked down from the ring after a nod at Geezer Shi. Without a single glance at Chen Changhua, he made his way to the locker room. Wu Dong, another amateur master and a close friend of Chen, stepped out of the troop to raise Chen from the ground.
...
At lunchtime, Lou Cheng had a good appetite, wolfing down more than twice as much as his usual portion. Cai Zongming and Qiu Zhigao were in the same shoe. An intense training consumed plenty of energy and their body was crying for a refill though they did take a long rest until one pm to shake off the tiredness.
Waiting for his two friends to finish their meal, Lou Cheng logged on his QQ account and started chatting with Yan Zheke. The conversation they had would stay vivid even until the afternoon classes.
"Lin Que is brilliant," Lou Cheng started.
"Very! I knew he would win but I didn't see it coming so easily!" Yan Zheke sent an emoji of a chick nodding as if picking grains.
Lou Cheng felt jealous, "When can I fight like him..."
Yan Zheke sent an emoji of gleaming white teeth, "Do you want to hear the truth or a lie?"
"What is the truth, and what is the lie?" asked Lou Cheng full of curiosity.
Yan Zheke sent a cute face. "The lie is you have great potential to get your Professional Ninth Pin certificate and reach Lin Que's current level by graduation if you train hard under Coach Shi's supervision every day, in all weathers."
"Ha, you speak highly of me," Lou Cheng sent a shy face. "What about the truth?"
Yan Zheke sent a laughing emoji, "The truth? The truth is you can't stick to martial arts training for four years because more and more classes and employment pressure will suck up all your time. Also, a university graduate of Professional Ninth Pin will be a bit too old to enter the martial arts world. Everyone has their future. It doesn't have to be martial arts."
"Everyone has their future. It doesn't have to be martial arts..." These words replayed in Lou Cheng's mind over and over again when he was staring blankly at the class slides.
If he hadn't taken the risk to get the Jindan, these words would have been his best annotation...
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