Inside the lounge, Chen Chuan feasted heartily on sliced boiled meat and pumpkin congee.
Having been neutralized by medicinal herbs, the shredded meat carried a faint, herbal fragrance and lacked even a hint of its earlier gaminess. Its tender texture held a thread of sweetness, allowing it to slide down his throat with barely any chewing. The moment it reached his stomach, a soothing warmth spread through his entire body.
"Starting the practice of a breathing technique takes a terrible toll on the body," Yu Gang said to Chen Chuan. "Don't look down on this black rat meat. It's the most effective thing there is for repairing physical damage. Martial artists of the old era relied on this medicated food all the time. But this meat is tough to digest, so it has to be paired with pumpkin."
Chen Chuan seemed to remember something. Setting down his bowl and chopsticks, he asked, "When I was little, I lived on the outskirts of the city. I heard an old saying from the elders there: 'Pumpkin rice, dried rat meat, sweet and savory, what a treat.' Was that dried rat meat referring to this?"
"That's right," Yu Gang replied. "It's actually an old nursery rhyme. There's a second line to it: 'Mount Beizhang, officials scrape the ground bare; heartless and gutless, only riches they spare.'
"The common folk of Mount Beizhang all knew the mountain's giant rats were edible and made top-notch medicine, so they became quite famous. In the old era, back when Great Shun was an empire, local officials forced the populace to dig three feet into the earth hunting for them. Later came the Algae Solution Revolution and the founding of the Republic. Major corporations adopted brand-new synthesized food technology, driving food prices down, and fewer people ate this stuff. Nowadays, only the older generations near the outskirts and the west side still have a taste for it. Young people would probably find it revolting."
Chen Chuan felt nothing of the sort. As long as it was clean, proper food, he could stomach it. Flavor mattered little to him, to say nothing of the fact that this was medicated food beneficial to his body.
As they spoke, Yu Gang kept his eyes on Chen Chuan. He truly had not expected this youth to grasp the knack within a single day. The subsequent demonstrations of the breathing technique had all been executed spot-on, proving he had genuinely mastered it.
That was extraordinarily rare.
Even after feeling out the knack of a breathing technique, one did not necessarily become familiar with it right away; it normally took repeated adjustments before the correct internal pathways could be navigated with ease. Yet Chen Chuan had adapted almost immediately, something unimaginable beforehand.
Only now did Yu Gang truly understand what his old master had meant when saying that certain individuals possessed a talent beyond ordinary folk.
Without question, this young man possessed "talent." He was someone who might truly reach the essence of martial cultivation.
Beside them, Lu Ke shoveled food into his mouth while putting on an admiring expression. "Young Master Chen, you're amazing! If only I could be like you someday."
"I used your medicine this time, Brother Lu," Chen Chuan said. "I'll find a way to make it up to you. By the way, Mr. Yu, what is that medicine called?"
"This stage is called 'initiating training,' so the ointment is named 'Initiation Powder,'" Yu Gang said. "If you're a student at the martial college, buying it internally is very cheap. When the time comes and it's convenient, just buy some to pay Lu Ke back."
"I'll keep that in mind," Chen Chuan said earnestly.
Seeing that Chen Chuan's bowl was nearly empty, Lu Ke offered immediately, "Young Master Chen, let me get you another bowl?"
"I can get it myself."
Chen Chuan stepped over to the pot, meticulously scraping every remaining scrap of the medicated food into his bowl without leaving a trace, then returned to the table to continue eating. Before long, he had devoured an entire jin of black meat mixed with pumpkin rice. A cozy warmth enveloped him, and his energy felt largely restored.
Yu Gang waited a moment before looking intently at him. "You have an initial grasp of the breathing technique. Normally, one would need to gradually master it through continuous practice. But we don't have that kind of time. I plan to begin your formal training tomorrow, so you'll have to adapt to it on the fly during training."
In his original plan, even if Chen Chuan could learn the breathing technique, the most optimistic estimate had been two weeks to a month. Now, a massive amount of time had been saved. Though the schedule remained tight, it was far more generous than before, meaning many steps would not need to be compressed so drastically.
Chen Chuan felt a spark of excitement. "Mr. Yu, does training mean combat sparring?"
"You're nowhere near that level yet," Yu Gang said. "No matter what kind of training you do, the body is the absolute foundation; it's the prerequisite for everything, and combat is no exception. That includes strength, speed, endurance, coordination, flexibility, reaction time, and so forth. Only a solid foundation can support proper techniques. Fortunately, now that you've grasped the breathing technique, the difficulty of your training will be significantly lower than before."
He stood, walked over to a desk, pulled open a drawer, and tossed a booklet to Chen Chuan. "I have all the training equipment here. The detailed methods for running, weight training, jumping, stretching, and the like are all recorded inside. Every exercise coordinates with basic combat arts. Look through it first, and ask me if there's anything you don't understand. Some exercises require a sparring partner; you can skip those for now, and I'll arrange them when you reach the appropriate stage."
Chen Chuan caught it and glanced down. It was an internal printing published by the Wuyi Society in the seventy-ninth year of Jianzhi—over a decade ago. But in the Republic of Great Shun, using a standard textbook for a dozen years was perfectly normal. He recalled that his middle school textbooks hadn't changed in thirty years.
Yu Gang added, "You came by bicycle? Don't ride tomorrow. Run here instead, and practice your breathing technique on the way. Aside from breakfast, you'd better take all your meals here. First, let me explain the proper running posture and key points..."
Chen Chuan did not look down on running just because it was ordinary; he memorized every point carefully. Afterward, he listened as Yu Gang laid out several dietary restrictions. Seeing that it was getting late, he helped wash the dishes, bade farewell to the master and disciple, and rode his bicycle home.
By the time he arrived, it was past six in the evening. Nian Fuli had not yet returned. Chen Chuan told Yu Wan that he had already eaten dinner, took a quick rinse in the bathroom, washed his clothes in the backyard, and tidied everything up. Returning to his desk, he focused his consciousness to connect with his Second Self.
Now that he had mastered the breathing technique, there was no need to keep the damage wrought by the medicine.
Although the medicated food helped repair the body, according to Yu Gang, some damage might never fully heal, potentially leaving hidden vulnerabilities for the future.
Were it not for this risk, regular students would not wait until their bodies were mostly developed, spending months or even years to slowly master the technique.
As blurring began to appear across the Second Self, Chen Chuan felt as though a heavy burden had been lifted from his body, leaving him instantly relaxed.
Then he noticed that the blurring lasted for only a brief moment before the Second Self solidified once again.
*Hm? Another improvement?*
He pondered it. He hadn't defeated anyone today, so it was likely due to mastering the breathing technique. When he had caught hold of the rhythm of his breath, he had felt genuine, heartfelt joy.
Taking out his alarm clock, he closed his eyes and merged with the Second Self to test it. Indeed, the duration of their overlap seemed to have extended by two or three seconds.
From the looks of it, any positive emotion could push the Second Self closer to reality; his previous assumptions had been too narrow.
This made him wonder: if this continued, would it eventually become another tangible, visible "me"? Or would some other transformation take place?
He could not say for sure.
Right now, it felt as though he were constantly driving another version of himself to grow stronger, each spurring the other forward. Because of that, he was filled with anticipation for the changes to come.
Standing up, he walked to the door, took the booklet Yu Gang had given him from his satchel, and began reading it intently while waiting for Nian Fuli, intending to share the day's events with him.
Yet he waited until the clock chimed ten times without seeing his uncle return. He had likely been called out for overnight official duties, which was a common occurrence. Deciding not to wait any longer, Chen Chuan washed up and went to bed. Truly exhausted from the day's exertion, he quickly sank into a deep sleep.
The next morning, Chen Chuan rose feeling refreshed. After eating breakfast, he set off on foot.
Thanks to Yu Gang's directions, he now knew of another route to the House of Fists that looped from the north down toward the south. Though slightly longer, the road conditions were far better, saving him plenty of trouble.
As he ran, he found the path considerably smoother. The residential buildings to the north were laid out in a much tidier fashion; though old, they were nowhere near as chaotic.
As he entered a narrow alley flanked by high walls between residential buildings, stretching over a hundred meters long, a youth of sixteen or seventeen was squatting on a balcony railing brushing his teeth. His hair was messy, stubbornly flaring outward like a bird's nest, and hand wraps were already freshly tied around his knuckles.
Hearing a rhythmic, brisk patter of running footsteps from a distance, the youth glanced down and muttered, "Full of energy, huh..." His toothbrush paused, and he scratched his head. "Haven't I seen him somewhere?"
In the blink of an eye, Chen Chuan ran past the alley below, leaving only a receding silhouette. The youth thought no more of it. Spitting out the mouthwash, he flipped backward off the railing, landed lightly on his feet, stretched his chest, and declared with vigor, "For today's training—Wei Dong, give it your all!"
Before long, the sounds of shouts, punches, and kicks echoed from inside the room.
Even though Chen Chuan was only running today, the smooth road allowed him to reach the House of Fists in just over twenty minutes.
Lu Ke walked out of the building and greeted him, "Morning, Young Master Chen! Follow me, the master is waiting for you."
"Thank you, Brother Lu," Chen Chuan replied.
This time, they didn't head upstairs, turning instead into the ground floor. This was the daily training hall, clearly created by knocking down the wall between two adjacent classrooms. Covering roughly a hundred and twenty square meters, sandbags hung nearby, with plenty of mats and conditioning equipment lining the walls.
Yu Gang stood by a window with his arms crossed, gazing out at something. Chen Chuan stepped forward to greet him. "Good morning, Mr. Yu."
Yu Gang turned his head. "Did you remember to use the breathing technique while running over?"
Chen Chuan nodded.
"How did it feel?"
Chen Chuan thought for a moment, clenching and unclenching his fists. "It felt like my body became a unified whole. Exerting force was effortless, and I didn't feel tired for a long time."
"The breathing technique coordinates the circulation of your qi and blood with the rhythm of your movement," Yu Gang explained. "However, you've only just stepped through the door. You still need more practice to adapt. Until you've fully mastered it, the technique will cause wear and tear on your body. For the first few days, you mustn't use it for more than an hour at a time, because your body needs time to adapt and recover."
Chen Chuan inquired, "Mr. Yu, when is the breathing technique considered fully mastered?"
Yu Gang looked at him. "Breathing techniques have different levels. For this basic breathing technique, if you can maintain it twenty-four hours a day, you'll have achieved complete mastery. But that is only theoretical. The human body has its limits. Given the burden it places on the body, sustaining it for three to five hours a day is already quite remarkable—and more than enough for a skilled fighter."
There was another detail Yu Gang left unsaid: once enrolled in Wuyi College, one could learn higher-tier breathing techniques, so no one wasted effort obsessing over a basic technique around the clock. But there was no need to explain that to Chen Chuan right now, lest it dampen the boy's enthusiasm, so he glossed over it entirely.
Chen Chuan said earnestly, "I understand, Mr. Yu."
Inwardly, he was already calculating. Since his Second Self could absorb and transfer his injuries, he should be able to practice the breathing technique for far longer each day than an ordinary person.
Yu Gang stepped into the center of the training area. "Before formal instruction begins, I want to see your foundation. Come and throw a punch at me."
Chapter 8