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.
Capítulo 12: Just Quit It
Amidst his shock, the old and slightly wrinkled face appeared in front of Lou Cheng again.
"Master, why, why are you back again?"
Geezer Shi answered in a light tone, "I forgot to add that since you are now my disciple, from tomorrow on, you shall get up at 5:30 a.m. and be ready here at 5:50 a.m. Our training starts two hours before the special training session."
"5:30 in the morning?" Lou Cheng repeated his master's words in disbelief, thinking, "At that time the sun would not even be out yet, right? Not even the third year in high school was that demanding! If I have to get up at 5:30 a.m. every day, how many hours of sleep would I get? If I practice like that, even with Jindan (the Golden Elixir), I would probably still be so tired that I would pee blood out!"
"What's wrong? You don't want to get up early?" Geezer Shi stroked his short white beard and said, "You have already missed the optimum age to train your physique, yet you want to achieve Professional Ninth Pin in two years. If you don't suffer, but instead take it easy, how are you going to make up for all the time wasted? Only sheer hard work can save you, kid. You will only lose out if you don't listen to advice from your elders!"
Lou Cheng fell silent and thought about all the expectations of martial arts that had slowly deflated within him. Finally, he nodded. "Getting up is not the problem, but the main doors of the dormitories will only open at 6:30 a.m."
"Not an issue at all. I can get someone to pass you the key to the main door of your dormitory." Geezer Shi brushed away Lou Cheng's concerns, "5:30 a.m. is the best time to start, based on ancient practice routines. At the same time, you must get sufficient sleep too. So, it is lights off for you at 10:30 p.m. As your master, I will call you to make sure you do so."
"To be in bed by 10:30 p.m.? But the lights are only turned off at midnight..." Lou Cheng took a deep breath of the cold morning air. This meant almost zero fun time.
Based on the current schedule, except for Thursdays and Saturdays, Lou Cheng had classes from 7 p.m. to 9:35 p.m. every night. By the time he returned to the dormitory and washed up, it would already be 10 p.m. Half an hour is hardly enough for QQ and forums, not to mention playing games. That would be impossible.
Does this mean that the only time to relax is between classes and during lunch break?
Skipping classes is out of the question. Lou Cheng would not be able to do it, at least not now. He could not afford to bring mediocre grades back home to his parents.
"Forget it, it's all about the survival of the fittest, isn't it? No pain no gain. I'll just try for a term and see how much I progress. Just another third year in high school!" he thought.
Lou Cheng obeyed grudgingly, "I, I mean, this disciple will go to sleep on time."
Geezer Shi tilted his head. "Also, do you smoke?"
"Yes," Lou Cheng dare not hide the truth.
"Quit it!" Geezer Shi demanded. "Your body has not completed the training, so alcohol and tobacco are still harmful to it. Just look at Wu Dong of the Martial Arts Club. His body is semi-invalid because he overdosed on them. You must also stop drinking!"
"Yes." These demands were almost nothing to Lou Cheng since he was never a heavy smoker or drinker.
"How about girls? Do you have a girlfriend?" Geezer Shi continued to interrogate him.
"No..." Lou Cheng paused for a while and then he stammered softly. "What if I do have one?"
"End it too," Geezer Shi said sternly.
"What? I cannot have a girlfriend?" Lou Cheng broke out in cold sweat.
Then, Geezer Shi smiled, and mischievously he said, "Alright, alright. What I meant was that, if you have a girlfriend, you will have to properly plan your schedule for martial arts, studies and dating time. Don't neglect your relationship and come to me weeping when you get dumped. That is bad for your body too. And, you need to control your 'inner fire'. I know you are a strong young man, but control sexual activity - whether you do it with your girlfriend or by yourself. OK, that is all for today. 5:50 tomorrow morning, be here on time. I will impart some stances from Shangqing Sect and 'Ice Sect'. We will do some combinations too."
Since the beginnings of martial arts, there had been countless sects and styles. The most famous one was the "Five Sects Unique Skill". Though some skills did not belong to Kung Fu of the Taoist School, they were named after the form of the Five Sects Unique Skill, like the "Ice Sect" and "Water Sect", etc.
Upon hearing his master's plans, any gripe that Lou Cheng had about the early mornings disappeared.
Since his master ordered that their relationship was kept from others for now, he waited till Geezer Shi had walked away before making a detour back to the Martial Arts Club arena. By the time he reached it, he was the last to report attendance.
Compared to yesterday's martial arts class, only a handful turned up: the year four seniors, Chen Changhua and Wu Dong; year three seniors, Sun Jian, Lin Hua and Wu Meng; and year two seniors, Jiang Fusheng, Li Mao and Li Xiaowen. Half of the group was made up by the year ones, like Lin Que, Guo Qing, Yan Zheke, Xu Qiubai and Lou Cheng. One reason why there were fewer seniors was that the students on year two and three had more classes this semester, and the one on year four were already out and about, looking for jobs. Another reason was that Yan Zheke, the extinguished beauty of the Martial Arts Club, had attracted several year-one boys to sign up.
In a quick glance, Lou Cheng could see that the team was had a predominance of men. Besides Yan Zheke, there were only three other ladies, Lin Hua, Li Xiaowen, and Guo Qing. Moreover, Guo Qing could not be considered much a lady with her bushy brows, strong arms and thick thighs. Within the recruits, Guo Qing was only inferior to Lin Que and could be comparable to Cai Zongming - the other Amateur Fifth Pin.
As for the graduate students, expectedly, they would be busy serving their "bosses'" needs, and would have no time to take part in the Martial Arts Club’s activities.
"You are almost late. Go, one round." Since Yan Zheke was the only one he knew, Lou Cheng took a deep breath of courage, elbowed past the rest to reach her and said hi.
Yan Zheke squeezed a tiny smile. "I thought you had given up after I was harsh to you yesterday."
"Why would I? I truly love martial arts," Lou Cheng joked with an exaggerated tone. "Since I didn't rest the whole day yesterday, last night, after washing up, I blacked out the moment I hit the bed."
Thus, that's why he didn't get to chat with Yan Zheke.
Yan Zheke smiled, her dimples dancing. "Me too. Martial Arts in the morning, Advanced Mathematics and Introduction to Philosophy in the afternoon, and English at night. By the time I was back in my bedroom, I was so tempted not to take a bath and just sleep in my filthy clothes."
"Which faculty are you in?" Lou Cheng just remembered that he had never asked what she studied.
"School of Business and Economics..." before Yan Zheke finished her sentence, Geezer Shi entered the room.
The first half of the special training session was the same as martial arts class: stance training, strength training, footwork practice. Lou Cheng was completely engrossed and was progressing extraordinarily smooth with stance training and footwork. He could feel his every step and movement improving as he practiced. Nothing feels better and motivates one more than hard work being rewarded with progress. As for strength training, Lou Cheng depended on the Jindan to replenish his energy and to continue weightlifting. Even then he could feel himself improving.
After three hours of intensive training, at 11 a.m., Geezer Shi called everyone to gather and gleefully announced.
"Next up we will be practicing how to release energy and the thick-thin moves. The last half hour is for pair practice. Pair up based on your high or low martial arts level. We are odd numbered today, so, Lin Que, since your level is much higher than the rest and we will not have someone who you can pair up with and learn from, you, Sun Jian and Xu Qiubai will be one group. Work with each of them and give them pointers after practicing with them. Take this as an opportunity. You can see yourself as a coach, and from there you will also learn a thing or two."
Lin Que nodded silently without any signs of disapproval.
Geezer Shi continued to split the group into pairs. "...Guo Qing, you guide Yan Zheke. Lin Hua, you and Li Xiaowen will work together. Li Mao, you and Lou Cheng are a team..."
Li Mao was a year two senior with a square face, thick brows, broad shoulders and a bright smile. His memory of Lou Cheng was still fresh from that time where the recruits had crab. He walked straight to Lou Cheng and said with a smile. "Junior Lou, looking forward to learning from you."
"That should be my line," Lou Cheng courteously returned the greetings and then attempted to divert the topic. "Senior brother Li, which Pin do you hold?"
"The Third Pin," Li Mao answered with some pride.
"Isn't that just second to Club President Chen, senior brother Wu Dong, and almost the same as senior brother Sun Jian? Oh, uh, and before Lin Que joined." Lou Cheng was only aware of Chen Changhua and Wu Dong's ranks because they were the ones who were recruiting the junior. The former was an Amateur First Pin, with hopes to achieve Professional Ninth Pin, but due to yesterday's injury, he might not be able to recover and be ready for this term's ranking event. The latter was an Amateur Second Pin, a pretty respectable rank for college students.
Just as Lou Cheng finished speaking, someone loudly sneered at his statement. Lou Cheng turned and saw senior brother Wu Dong, who was not that much tall, and the recruit that he was supposed to guide, walking off to a wider area at the side of the arena.
Noticing the cold and unhappy expression of senior brother Wu Dong, Lou Cheng remained silent. After they had walked a reasonable distance away, Li Mao scoffed. "Senior brother Wu Dong, still so sickening."
"Pardon me, what did you just say?" Lou Cheng sought to comprehend what he just heard.
Li Mao checked his surroundings, then said to Lou Cheng softly. "A good half of the responsibility why the Martial Arts Club is how it is today lies with Chen Changhua and Wu Dong. They are narrow-minded and competitive. They cannot accept people who are better than them. So, regardless seniors or juniors, as long as they have a better performance or show more potential, they will join hands to ostracize the person and make it so difficult that the person no longer wants to be part of the Martial Arts Club. We had great members in years two, three and four, but since they wasted a year not getting sufficient practice and with the tighter class schedule, they will not be able to move up the ranks."
He laughed at himself and continued sharing. "If it were not because I had a good relationship with senior brother Sun Jian, I would probably already be out of here, pouring my heart into vocational studies."
"Senior brother Sun Jian has a holdover Chen Changhua and Wu Dong?" Lou Cheng was disturbed and surprised to hear that there were such dynamics and politics within the Martial Arts Club.
"Although Senior brother Sun Jian and I are Amateur Three Pin, his father is a professor in the school. Hence, naturally, Chen Changhua and Wu Dong would not dare to do anything to him. The only thing is that senior brother Sun Jian does not like to meddle too much in other people's business, so he just helps Lin Hua and I. And, yes, Lin Hua is his girlfriend." Li Mao continued to explain.
Which meant that the rest of those who remained, Wu Meng, Jiang Fusheng and Li Xiaowen, were allowed to remain because they were mediocre. Anyone could see that they were only at Amateur Fifth Pin and that obviously did not pose any threat to the positions of Chen Changhua and Wu Dong.
"I see, no wonder Cai Zongming, an Amateur Fifth Pin, would be called up by the Martial Arts Club," Lou Cheng exclaimed in sudden realization. "Fortunately, we have Lin Que in our batch, directly bringing Chen Changhua to the ground."
Li Mao laughed. "That's why you all can focus on training and not have to care about Chen Changhua and Wu Dong. Alright, enough, let me teach you some moves and ways to release energy."
Even though they called them moves, but they were the basic straight punch, elbowing, and kneeing, matched with ways to release energy and strength. The most critical part of this training was how to match them. If the footwork and posture did not match, even with the simplest moves, energy could not be channeled out.
Lou Cheng paid great attention. Due to his Yin-Yang Stance, his ability to coordinate his moves, footwork, and posture was well above a usual beginner. He learned quickly and was getting more and more familiar with the moves and combinations as he practiced repeatedly.
Soon, they only had half an hour left for the special training session. Li Mao asked Lou Cheng to halt his practice. He requested for Geezer Shi to come over to their team and chirped.
"Junior Lou, here, let's pitch our moves against each other. Don't worry, I will be reasonable with my moves."
Lou Cheng's muscles tensed up. He was a little panicky, but at the same time, he was excited, because this would be his first sparring practice!
Regalos
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