Capítulo 54: Be water
Three months had passed since the duel between Nel and Felix. Rui had already mostly transitioned into basic Martial Art practice from physical and performative training. The Martial Path could be likened to building a big tower. A tall tower required extremely strong foundations, otherwise it would crumble. In this case, the tower had not one, but two layers of foundations. The first was the physical foundation, this was honing and tempering the body so that it became fit to perform Martial Art optimally. This was the training that Rui had undergone since the Academy began.
The second was the Martial Foundation, every Martial Artist had to learn the basics of all fields. Even a pure striker Martial Artist had to learn the basics of grappling and wrestling, even a pure wrestler had to learn striking. This was to give them basic experience in all forms of conventional combat. After all, you never get to choose your opponent when you're in the field completing a Martial mission. The Martial Foundation allowed Martial Artists to gain bare basic proficiency in all fields.
Only after mastering these two fields could the process of constructing and building one's own Martial Art begin.
Normally, reaching this stage would take years, just the physical training alone would take a year. But recently, rumors and tales of a boy who was already into the Martial Foundation stage had spread through the Academy. It was said that the boy was a demon. He would train for many, many days continuously with only shortest of mandatory breaks halting his training.
This absurd training schedule allowed him to soar through what would otherwise be a long arduous process. Allowing him to accomplish progress at close to record-breaking speeds.
The reasons for Rui completing the physical training stage were numerous, but the two largest contributing factors was the foundation he had already built. He had begun honing his body from an extremely young age although with severely lowered intensity. He had already formed a lot of the physical foundation needed, furthermore his growth speed spiked astronomically thanks to rejuvenation and healing potions, putting his productivity at levels he never even imagined possible.
He had also decided to take the leeway in training in the most efficient way possible in his extra time as much as he could.
Rui breathed in deeply, taking a stance. He nodded at his opponent, a student he was paired up against. Sparring sessions were a regular for students who had reached the Martial Foundation stage. It was the best way to hone what they had learnt, and know how to apply it. The sparring training system was rather simple, half of the students in the sparring training would enter a ring and would be challenged be assigned to fight other students, they would remain on the mat and constantly fight until they lost, when they would then be replaved by the student who just defeated them.
The boy took a simple guarded stance, shifting about before launching himself at Rui, before throwing a kick from mid-range. The kick was rather quick and sharp, which made it harder to exploit. However, to his surprise; Rui closed the distance, and caught his thigh in an arm lock, before driving forward and pushing the boy off-balance, throwing him off his one leg.
BAM
Rui mercilessly threw a full-powered kick to the boy's chin while he was down, knocking him out.
In his previous life, this would be dangerous and unacceptable for a spar. However, his instructors encouraged them to go all-out; the presence of healing potions eliminated all risks. The Martial Academy wanted its students to experience real, full-on unrestricted combat. Not some highly safe and restricted exchange. The Martial Academy was grooming its students to one day fight with their lives on the line, with a real possibility of death, when they became Martial Squires. In order to shape up, competent Martial Artists, they would need to get used to the feeling of pain, battering, exhaustion. Only after experiencing things like these that they would regularly experience in the field, would they not falter in the field due to inexperience.
Rui exhaled as the paramedics of a medical team quickly moved the unconscious boy off the platform, preparing himself for the next match.
The girl who succeeded him, kept her distance from him warily. Rui had already defeated several students quickly.
('Not coming? Well, something needs to happen.') He mused as he started shifting, slowly closing the distance.
When he reached CQC range; close-quarters-combat range. She threw a jab at his face, it was quick but light. She was hoping to startle him before launching a full-powered punch. But Rui had ducked even as she began the jab, throwing a straight punch to her abdomen, impacting her diaphragm.
She hunched down, gasping for air, but Rui had already launched his knee to her face.
BAM
She fell back flat on the ground, rolling as she cradled her bleeding nose. The supervisor signalled the end of the match.
Rui closed his eyes focusing on his breathing, ignoring the attention of his peers.
Rui had only recently joined the Martial Foundation Stage, how could he be so good.
The key was in applying some of the research in his past.
In the later half of his life, Rui had already begun dedicating himself into creating the most optimal fighting style possible. Although many of the popular styles were all tried and tested, things that had withstood competition and proved they were viable, Rui was a bit of an idealist at heart.
"Be Water, My Friend.
Empty your mind.
Be formless, shapeless, like water.
You put water into a cup, it becomes the cup.
You put water into a bottle, it becomes the bottle.
You put it into a teapot, it becomes the teapot.
Now water can flow or it can crash.
Be water, my friend."
These words he'd heard in his childhood from his greatest idol, Bruce Lee, were once merely awe-inspiring words, yet feeding upon years of successful research, they had grown and molded into his life's ambition. Was it possible to develop a viable fighting style that could adapt to all fighting styles? Was it possible to train someone to use this style? And most importantly, even if creating such a fictious hypothetical martial art was possible, would it, in practice, in the cold real world, succeed? Would it surpass the existing mixed martial arts foundation?
('I have to try, I want to.') John Falken had thought to himself. He had already begun the process of gathering a research team and acquiring research funds. He was going to go all-out. It would take a long time to develop such a fighting style.
But alas, come age fifty-seven, his asthama had escalated, he was forced into permanent medical supervision and near bed-ridden restrictions. He could not push his lungs any further. He didn't give up. In the age of 2022, communication technology made it possible for him to engage in research by coordinating with his staff from afar. He pushed himself as much as he could, but that only hastened the inevitable.
At age fifty-nine he passed away, failing to fulfill his ambition, he was close, there was only one final hurdle left, but fate would not allow it.
Rui exhaled solemnly as he tapped off, walking out of the arena in exhaustion.
The final obstacle he had left in his previous life was making the Martial Art viable and practical in real life. Developing a training program that allowed human beings to learn this incredibly difficult fighting style.
Rui had only applied a handful of principles of the fighting style he'd developed. He had only applied the very foundations of it.
It was possible to predict what a person would do based on evaluating several parameters, the earliest prototype algorithm he had developed involved reading an opponent's center of gravity and range to predict what they would do.
There were several rules that constrained human fighting;
Firstly, humans subconsciously maintained balance at all time. Their weight had to be equally divided otherwise they would fall. It was like removing a card from the bottom of a house of cards, the entire thing would crumble due to unsupported and unbalanced weight.
Secondly, for an attack to land, it had to be within range. No one ever launched an attack out of range, this was common sense, thus range could be used to judge their intentions.
This, in combination with the fact that humans had four limbs meant it was possible to predict what they would probably do to some degree.
Against his earlier opponent; the boy that Rui had knocked out, the boy had rushed in immediately, he had paused at kicking range from Rui. This already told Rui that he was not going to punch, punches were too short to hit him from kicking distance, that left a kick from one of the legs. Secondly, the boy had shifted his weight onto his left leg before the attack. Meaning that leg could not be moved because otherwise balance would blatantly be destroyed and he would fall, violating the first rule.
This implied he was going to launch a kick with his right leg. Of course, Rui didn't know whether the kick would be high, mid, low. Or whether it would be a roundhouse or a straight. But that didn't matter all too much. Knowing that the boy would be launching a right kick was enough. He immediately close the distance as the kick was being launched.
Kicks were only dangerous past the knee, they grew much weaker above the knee. Once Rui reached the thigh, the match was already over.
Against the girl whose nose he'd broken, Rui had noticed that her weight was evenly distributed as he approached her, meaning the likelihood of a kick was low, she would lose balance. Thus that only left her arms. In this regard, she could only really throw a straight punch with her right fist, which was behind or with her left fist which was the closest. However, in order to throw a punch with her distant right fist she would need to close the distance, by shifting her weight, which she wasn't doing.
This left her left fist. But he had no idea what she would do with it. However, statistically, in his previous life, that fighter rarely threw an upper-cut with their guarding forearm, thus he immediately crouched to waist level and dashed while preparing a straight punch to her gut, which ended up allowing him to win easily after. Thus, by evaluating range and balance, he could act in a way that was remarkably optimal.
However, this was not a flawless method. In fact, it was quite flawed and limited. This model could not account for more complicated maneuvering, furthermore there were several ways to launch attacks with an unbalanced frame. The model had a hard time accounting for higher level fakes and feints. Ultimately it would fail in the long run. It was too flawed.
"But it did serve as a foundation for things that came after." Rui muttered after consuming a physical rejuvenation potion.
He didn't know what his Martial Art would end up looking like, but he intended to make use of every ounce of research he had engaged in, in his previous life. Using bits and pieces from his previous life gave him an advantage over other Martial Artists.
('I can't wait to discover my Martial Path.') He thought for the umpteenth time.
PENSAMENTOS DOS CRIADORES 
Lord_Streak
Lord_Streak Thanks for reading, hope you liked the chaper, because I sure as hell enjoyed writing it. Getting into the nitty gritty of more grounded martial arts without Qi/ki nonsense is what this novel aims to do. I've read a lot of martial art novels, mangas, movies(obviously). But I want to do with this novel what none of them did too well(imo): To truly build a sophisticated system of martial arts, combat and a world deeply built around them.
Reaching word limit: pls power stones, join our discord :)
Check out my new novel!
Titled 'Magicapita' on R0yal R0ad!
Capítulo 55: Squire
Master Aronian went flipped through a document with keen interest, as a retired veteran Martial Master, there was very little he hadn't seen. It wasn't easy to genuinely gather his interest these days. The freshmen every year often brought him a few intriguing cases, but ultimately it wasn't too new.
Recently though, he'd found something that genuinely elicited surprise from him. How was it possible for a freshman thirteen-year-old novice to consume many mental rejuvenation potions days on end without any adverse effects altogether? He carefully poured through the data on the documents. Rui's psychological constitution was unreal, he had simply never seen anything quite like it.
He was truly curious to see how Rui would grow in the future.
Three months had passed by since Rui and Kane had joined the Academy. Both of them had now turned fourteen-years-old. The former had only just completed the Foundation Stage in its entirety. Normally, it would take six months, but thanks to the lifelong targeted training he had engaged in, in combination with his exception tolerance of the mental rejuvenation potions, he was able to speed past his peers significantly.
Rui concentrated on the scene before him, seated in the Apprentice sparring center. There multiple students among the gathered on a ring, and at the center was an older woman who looked to be in her forties. Just gazing at her exerted a heavy presence on him.
He glanced around at those who had surrounded her. Among them were familiar faces; Kane, Fae, Milliana and Felix.
The Martial Apprentices were engaged in some training with a Martial Squire instructor. She had instructed all of them to attack simultaneously.
The air was tense, yet the woman was entirely calm and composed. The other students were stiff, in comparison.
"Come." She calmly instructed.
For a heavy moment nothing happened, yet the very next, the Apprentices lashed at her. Fae was the closest to her, she quickly closed the distance, before launching a barrage of palm attacks. Each palm was incredibly swift and heavy, such that blasts of air accompanied her every movement.
Rui gaped at the sight. Each attack reminded Rui of the wall breach explosives that SWAT teams used in his previous life to enter targeted building and facilities.
"She really was holding back immensely against me." Rui murmured. If she had used this against him in the third round, he would have long broken his arms before he ever had a chance to counter her.
Yet even before the explosive might of her barrage, the Martial Squire was wholly unperturbed. She raised her hands, and cleanly redirected and blocked all of Fae' attacks with an almost lethargic expression. Before Fae could even muster a reaction, the Martial Squire swiftly threw a light but incredibly fast leg sweep, which cleanly knocked Fae off her feet, and onto her knees.
Suddenly the Martial Squire was surrounded by three more Apprentices. One of them seemed to have a kicking Martial Art, while the other two seemed to be grapplers. The two grapplers, locked her limbs in order to allow the third one to launch his strongest attack onto her. But she merely lifted the two holding her and used them as a shield to block the kick, before swiftly kicking him in turn, sending him bouncing away like a beach ball.
Suddenly, a figure swiftly dashed towards her from her blind spot, hoping to slip past her awareness.
('Kane!') Rui observed.
Yet she turned to meet eyes with him just as he got within striking range, sending a shiver down his spine.
"Agile, aren't you?" She murmured, almost bored.
What happened next was so fast that even Kane was almost unable to process it. She grabbed him and flipped him over her shoulder so fast he saw nothing but the world blur, before hitting the ground.
This made Rui truly gasp.
('Kane got outsped? Kane of all people???')
She dealt with all their attacks individually and simultaneously with relative ease. An hour later every single Apprentice was flat on the ground. They were all exhausted and bruised. Yet the Martial Squire only looked like she had done some light exercise.
This sight made Rui feel small. Even a single one of those Martial Apprentices would be able to bully him with ease, yet so many of them together got bullied by a Martial Squire. He had begun to feel just a bit confident in the power that he had accrued, but that had already deflated entirely.
Rui sighed.
('How long will it take before I reach that level?') He wondered pensively.
He had taken the time to take a break to observe the group sparring session between the Apprentices and the Martial Squire that Kane told him was scheduled to take place. Normally, instructors would not permit novices to take unscheduled breaks, but every instructor knew that Rui was not a slacker. The absurd, hellish schedule that Rui put him through left even the strictest and harshest of instructors absolutely dumbfounded. When Rui told them the reason, they immediately permitted it. He had already earned the respect of his instructors; they were confident that someone of his work ethic would not slack off.
"Hey man, are you okay?" Rui asked Kane after the Squire left the facility, having finished instructing the students on their shortcomings and flaws.
Kane sighed, stretching his arms. "Yeah, I'm fine." It's not that he hadn't sparred with Martial Squire before. It's just that they were usually gentle and respectful out of consideration of his status as the son of a Martial Sage. The Squire instructors in the Academy didn't care, the Academy was extremely strict on no blatant partiality. The Martial Academies were not institutions that could be bullied by a Martial Sage, after all, they were extensions of the entire Martial Union, and the Grandmaster of all Martial Academies was a position that was currently occupied by a renowned Martial Sage.
"I'm not used to having the shit kicked out of me all that much, especially with my fellow peers." Kane muttered.
PENSAMENTOS DOS CRIADORES
Lord_Streak
Lord_Streak
Was sick yesterday, will post a double chapter one of these days. Thanks for reading, and hope you enjoy.
Check out my new novel!
Titled 'Magicapita' on R0yal R0ad!
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