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...
Capítulo 11: The Current Top Three
Filled with aim and desire, Lou Cheng was not only brimming with anticipation for the next day's martial arts special training, but he also became extremely hard working in class. It was like he was making up for the time wasted, trying to gain as much knowledge as possible. His abnormal behavior set Cai Zongming's tongue wagging. He started to batter Lou Cheng's efforts relentlessly. Cai Zongming mocked that Lou Cheng was doing all these just to woo a girl. He referred to Lou Cheng as the perfect example of how the male gender operated - with natural instinct, controlled by hormones, constantly saying that Lou Cheng had betrayed their revolutionary principles, leaving himself to stand for them alone.
Once the evening session of "Introduction to Calculator" ended, Lou Cheng returned to his bedroom and logged into the school administration website. Just as he had expected, his class schedule was adjusted - completely free in the mornings, totally packed in the afternoons and evenings, except for Thursdays, when he could probably get some rest in the evening.
"Just another Senior Year in high school!" he mumbled under his breath, clenching his fists with determination. Since he had already taken a shower after martial arts class, using water from the thermos flask, he wiped his face briefly, soaked his feet, brushed his teeth, rejected Cai Zongming's and Tang Wen's invitation to an online game, and finally crawled into bed early to prepare for tomorrow.
Lou Cheng's day did not start at 8 a.m., the time for special training, but at 7 a.m., a time that he had set for himself, just like his high school days. He was not satisfied with the Yin-Yang Stance practice today. He hardly got a kick out of it before Geezer Shi asked them to stop. According to Geezer Shi, most beginners wouldn't be able to handle longer sessions. Since the session on the following day would probably be the same, Lou Cheng decided to start practicing 40 minutes earlier.
Lying in bed before falling asleep, out of habit he remained glued to his mobile phone for a while, logging onto QQ and chatting, continually refreshing the forum page of "Longhu Club".
On the forum page, a post decorated with special highlights carried a title that read:
"Dong Baxian: I, one of today's top three!"
"Bullcrap, such arrogance..." Lou Cheng mocked at the title and clicked to read the post. It was an interview with Dong Baxian, chief master of Yanzhao League.
Dong Baxian, a First Pin, had been a powerful force for many years. Before the rise of the Legendary Twins, he received four titles, among which there were two championships. Hence, people called him the "Warrior King." He was infamous for his proud and overbearing character, but because he possessed the abilities that gave him the right to be, the people could not help but had a love-hate relationship with him. They either liked him to the stage of idolization or just disliked him to the core.
In the interview, he haughtily said: "Except the Masters of Restriction, I am among current world's top three!"
Here, at the Longhu Club's forum, the majority were the "Dragon King" Qitao's fans. So, what about the comments that would follow such a post? Lou Cheng could already predict.
As expected, "Pig-Riding Knight", the forum moderator, started the ball rolling, "Yao Ming and I are somewhat 1.9 m on average. Although I dislike Gentleman Qian, I have to say that, after the Master of Restriction, he and Dragon King can be considered to be of the same rank. What Dong Baxian is saying is the same as stealing their positions."
"Sun" sent a laugh-till-drop expression and wrote: "Actually Dong Baxian is not wrong to say that he is top three. Taking away Dragon King and 'fake' Gentleman Qian, even if we add those foreign experts, he does have a chance at being number one. So from this logical angle, he is right about being top three. The only thing is that it's just too funny sounding LOL."
This was coming from a girl with great influence on the forum who was a hugely popular figure and would upload selfies from time to time. Even if it was a half-face photo, there would be almost 100 responses, more than on the posts of the forum moderator, "Pig-Riding Knight".
"Outspoken", the one who recommended that Lou Cheng started jogging to improve his fitness level, commented. "Pfft! Just take a look at yourself in the mirror. From Dragon King's first title till now, how many have Dong Baxian got? Just one! There is only one 'Master' title! And that was only because Dragon King and 'fake' Gentleman had fought so hard, that both sides could no longer fight. He got it easy!"
"No Hooligans" commented, "Dong Baxian - one can never expect him to be humble, never in this life. He is not that much of a master and can only maintain his current position through shameless boasting."
For a response with such character, Lou Cheng sniggered and replied, "Talent with words!"
"Do not do rogue" and "Okamoto's Fan" were both old hands, always plowing around with dirty jokes. Recently they had been busy teasing another high profile member with a feminine sounding ID - "Beautiful World."
"No Hooligans" replied to Lou Cheng almost instantly. "Haha, I am not talented, but "Quit Gambling Bar" and the other old Bros are. These are the words of their spiritual leader, Qie Guevara. I only borrowed them."
"Quit Gambling Bar?" Lou Cheng asked, clueless about what he was referring to.
"No Hooligans" commented, "You haven't seen that video? A thief was caught and when he was interviewed he said: Never expect me to work and do cheap jobs, never in this life. If you asked me why not start a business, I don't know how to run one either. Only with stealing can I maintain my life like that. Going into the lockups is like returning home to me... His reply was so amusing and it went viral. Because it sounded like the revolutionist Che Guevara, so they called him Qie[1] Guevara , and the 'Quit Gambling Bar' old Bros regarded him as their spiritual leader."
"Okamoto's Fan" added on, "Quit Gambling Bar is a place for people to quit gambling, but once a bunch of gambling addicts comes together, the topic will be how to win money. They call themselves old Bros, even when they are in hundreds in debt, they can still be like a sloth at home, posting comments on such forms. When we say hundreds, we mean hundreds of thousands. Even when they are running from creditors, they can still be fooling around, and then, we can only say: Bro, such swag! I often visit that bar, because they are simply too witty, too entertaining."
"I Love Feng Xiaomang" chimed in, "Don't lead Schrodinger’s Tiger astray! He is only a college freshman. Anyway, I adore the Bros in Quit Gambling Bar, their most quote-worthy line is: Since I managed to borrow money with my ability, why should I return it?"
Lou Cheng could not hold back. "Totally reasonable, I cannot argue."
Then, "Dumplings for Sale", a girl, asked Lou Cheng. "How was your first class at the Martial Arts Club, Little Tiger?"
"The new coach was superb. He went straight into teaching us Thunder Sect's Yin-Yang Stance." Lou Cheng answered, somewhat flaunting his achievements. Of course, he did not mention that he successfully mastered Remain in One.
"Who knows! Perhaps, Little Tiger, you'll be our forum's first expert! (pat on the shoulder)!" "Dumplings for sale" jokingly said.
The boastful "Road to the Arena" jeered, "Here we go, a traitor you'll be!"
The discussion topics were changing so rapidly with everyone chipping a little into the chaos with each post. It was rare for Lou Cheng to become the talk of the town, literally the talk of the forum. He should have an interest in the conversations but slowly, his eyelids got heavier and heavier. "Jindan" could replenish his energy and get rid of physical fatigue but it could not soothe his tired mind that had gone through a hectic day.
With great effort, Lou Cheng set his alarm and fell asleep with his fingers still tightly wrapped around his mobile phone.
The next day, at 6:40 a.m., five minutes before the start of Lou Cheng's usual high school day, he stirred awake. He switched off his alarm before it went off, saving his roommates an unnecessary early morning.
After washing up, he quietly put on a fresh set of martial arts suit and stepped out of the dormitory. He dashed past the big gates of the yard and ran to the Weishui Lake. The scent of morning dew was invigorating.
"Ah, the beautiful world! Ah, the amazing morning air! " Throwing out the two poetic lines in good spirit, Lou Cheng ran into the quietness and vastness of nature. Only upon looking closely, we could see flashes of the book-devouring brainiacs in the midst of his shadows.
Upon reaching the lakeside, he looked for a quiet spot. At first, he wanted to just with the standing stance, then he looked at the waters and felt inspired. He faced the lake and bowed three times respectfully, mumbling softly.
"I do not know who was the senior who left the Jindan, but your junior, I, was lucky to receive it. This is our affinity, and I promise you, one day, when I have accomplished something in martial arts, and can cut and go through water, I will look for your remains and give you the grand burial and prayers you deserve!"
Mimicking how the characters in the novels would speak, he made a promise to the original owner of the "Jindan".
After the little ceremony to his benefactor, he positioned himself for the Yin-Yang Stance with his feet steady apart and both arms up for the concealment of spirit and qi. He started to meditate, slowly letting his body follow and absorb the changes that come with the subtle moves of gravity and his core.
As time passed by, he gradually grasped the skill of keeping these changes under control within himself. It was like he could master absolute control of his body through his mind very soon.
Endless mountains, endless waters of the lake!
Completely immersed in his surroundings, Lou Cheng did not know how much time had passed. The only thing that he was waiting for was the second alarm to ring, reminding him that special training was about to start.
Suddenly, his heart skipped a beat and his eyes flew open. In front of him, there was a face, old and wrinkly, with a pair of blurry eyes staring straight at him.
Shocked, Lou Cheng almost threw a fist out, but stopped in time. He recognized this face.
"Cc-co-coach Shi, why are you here?" he asked, stammering in his speech.
Grinning widely, Geezer Shi said, "Why can't I be here? Yesterday I noticed that you entered into the state of meditation without much problem. Hehe, if it were not for your lack of muscles and weakly built, I would have thought that you had learned the highest level tactic - faking. I only learned how to soften my aggressiveness and mastered this skill at the age of 30!"
Lou Cheng could not argue, he laughed dryly and said, "I am also clueless how I managed to do it. I just put my mind to the Dantian and I could enter meditation."
The coach noticed that he managed to enter into meditation! Fortunately, he had not noticed the "Jindan" within Lou's body.
"It shows that you have a natural gift for this." Geezer Shi's suddenly darkened. "Do you want to enter the actual martial arts circle in the future? Do you want to achieve Professional Ninth Pin within one or two years?"
"Everyone has their own path to take, and it is not necessarily the martial arts..." a thought flashed across Lou Cheng's mind. Then, he remembered the crowd's and Yan Zheke's excitement and admiration when Lin Que won the duel. Without any hesitation, Lou Cheng declared his determination.
"Yes!"
"Coach, do you have a way to achieve this?"
"Of course, but you have to be my disciple first." Geezer Shi proudly added. "And, you have to keep this in mind. Practicing martial arts is as good as swimming against the currents. Even if you are gifted, once you lose your momentum and become complacent, it will be impossible for you to get the Professional Ninth Pin within two years. There's no guarantee for anything. I can give you a kickstart as your master, but everything else, including success, lies with you and what you make of it."
Lou Cheng nodded. He understood these sayings very well. Recalling the formalities of the martial arts circle, he said, "Disciple pays his respect to Master!"
"Alright, save those formalities. Today shall count as the first day as my disciple." Then, Geezer Shi's expression changed again. He cheekily smiled, "Don't go around telling people that I am your master."
"Huh? More secrets? Why not?" Lou Cheng blurted out without thinking.
"Also, with this we are considered master and disciple? Isn't it too informal? This doesn't feel real at all!"
"Although you are gifted, you may not succeed. It's embarrassing if people knew that I have a disciple who did not make it!" Geezer Shi cast a contemptuous glance at Lou Cheng.
"Such practicality..." Lou Cheng thought to himself but could not refute.
Like he could read Lou Cheng's mind, Geezer Shi laughed heartily. "Yes, I am such a practical person. Wait till I am satisfied with your level, then you can tell others."
Lou Cheng paused to think before he said, "Master, it doesn't matter to me if I can tell others or not, but, I would still have to know your background and current situation?"
Geezer Shi answered, "There's no need to say things that happened too long ago. But for these recent years, I have been working with the military on a research project. I think you would also know that once martial arts experts enter into the physical invulnerability state, they become abnormal. They will start to possess godly abilities and there are different types. As the days go by and if the experts continue to practice, these abilities will strengthen. A certain percentage of such abilities will be passed down to the next generation and for the generations to come they will continue to possess these godly abilities. Our research was on the relationship between martial arts and godly abilities."
Recalling the purple fire and thunder lightning during the battle between the Dragon King and Warrior Sage event, Lou Cheng nodded solemnly but could not contain his curiosity and probed further.
"Master, so what were you in charge of?"
Geezer Shi gave Lou Cheng a fleeting glance and almost emotionlessly, he said, "Subject of study."
Pffftt... Lou Cheng burst out laughing. In quick and large strides, Geezer Shi walked toward the Martial Arts Club arena.
Lou Cheng tried very hard to control his laughter. Then, suddenly, he stopped. He paused to think. Based on what his master had just said, the research project would need powerful experts that had attained physical invulnerability state.
In other words, his master was one of those powerful experts that had attained physical invulnerability state?
Which meant... he was one of the top three Pin experts?
...
[1] Qie - a similar sounding word that refers to theft.
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