Hearing Yu Gang's call, Chen Chuan stepped into the center of the training floor and came to a halt before him.
To the side, Lu Ke, who had been practicing on his own, slowed his pace and glanced in their direction.
Yu Gang stood there expressionless. He did not press him with words, but Chen Chuan could feel an invisible pressure, as if silently urging him to strike as quickly as possible.
Instinctively engaging his breathing technique, Chen Chuan clenched his fist and drove a punch straight at Yu Gang's chest. With a dull thud, it felt as though he had struck a thick, solid tire. A jarring recoil surged back into him, forcing him several steps backward.
Yu Gang offered an unsparing critique. "Your punching form is as amateurish as it gets. You lack power, and your speed is sluggish as a snail. Any student with just one month of training could take you down with ease. There is no way you will pass the entrance exam like this—not even with personal connections."
Watching from the side, the corner of Lu Ke's mouth curled slightly.
Observing Chen Chuan's calm expression, Yu Gang added, "Still, looking at you, you were clearly holding back. Use your full strength. Otherwise, I can't design a proper training regimen based on where you actually stand."
Chen Chuan knew that over the course of his training, he would inevitably reveal the power of his Second Self. This time, he decided not to hold anything back.
Drawing a deep breath, he stepped back to his original position. Letting out a low grunt, he threw another punch. This time, the Second Self standing behind him instantly overlapped with his body. With a loud crack, the same recoil traveled back, sending him stumbling back several paces. Yet anyone watching could tell that this punch carried tremendous weight.
Lu Ke could not help sitting up a bit straighter.
Yu Gang remained motionless where he stood, though a flicker of surprise crossed his eyes. *Talent, is it?* he mused inwardly. Aloud, he remarked, "Now that looks more like it. Once your force generation is corrected and your breathing harmonizes properly, the striking power can increase even further. Hm, in that case..."
He seemed to ponder for a moment. Once his thoughts were organized, he spoke again. "The current combat systems can broadly be divided into old martial arts and new martial arts. Today, academies mainly focus on new martial arts, centered on bare-handed strikes, throws, clinches, and joint locks. The training system of new martial arts is practical and reliable, making it the most widely applied style and the dominant path among martial colleges. So we'll begin with new martial arts."
This was the first time Chen Chuan had heard of the distinction between old and new martial arts. Eager to understand, he asked, "Mr. Yu, are we only learning new martial arts now? What were the old martial arts like?"
"The old martial arts were complex and diverse, but they generally revolved around killing with weapons; fist and foot techniques were merely supplementary," Yu Gang explained. "In the old era, martial arts were developed both to slaughter enemies and to survive.
"Back then, there was good reason for that approach. If you were fighting for your life against another person or hunting wild beasts, would you choose bare hands over a weapon?"
Chen Chuan replied decisively, "Of course not."
"So the direction of old martial arts was very clear," Yu Gang said. "Much of their bare-handed footwork and strikes existed only as supplementary drills for wielding weapons. Judged solely on unarmed combat, many of those movements appear redundant, placing them at a disadvantage against the purely bare-handed focus of new martial arts. Only a few reformed styles of pure unarmed combat hold up decently.
"Naturally, that's not to say new martial arts ignore weapons entirely. But weapon combat is kept distinct from unarmed fighting, unlike the old martial arts where weapons and bare-handed strikes were treated as one.
"Enough wandering off topic, though. For now, I'll teach you a foundational combat style. The common names for it among the public are Lesser Sanshou and Greater Sanshou. The only difference lies in their philosophy—whether they lean more toward attack or defense. There is also an Orthodox Sanshou, which is not taught to outsiders; one is only permitted to use it after earning a certificate from a martial academy. The style I'm teaching you is Greater Sanshou. Watch my movements closely."
He stepped aside and assumed a fighting stance: one foot forward and one back, sinking slightly, light on the front foot and solid on the rear, with one hand probing forward while the other guarded his abdomen.
"This guard is not set in stone," Yu Gang said. "Depending on your opponent and your tactical approach, your posture will change. For instance, against someone skilled in throws and joint locks, you can drop your center of gravity lower. Against someone swift and agile on their feet, you raise your center of gravity to move faster. The leading fist can also shift into a palm or open-fingered strike at any moment. It all depends on how you fight and how well you have mastered the techniques." Having finished his explanation, he straightened up. "Now, try it yourself."
Chen Chuan walked to the middle of the floor and assumed the stance Yu Gang had just demonstrated. Yu Gang walked over and corrected his posture. "Don't tense up your body like that. Don't lift your head so high—tuck your chin. Keep both hands ready to guard..."
Under his guidance, Chen Chuan soon managed a respectable form. Yu Gang then went on to teach him how to clench his fists, hold his palms, generate force through basic punches and kicks, and apply routine advancing and retreating footwork.
Because only a few techniques were introduced at first, Chen Chuan—though far from mastering them after a full morning of practice—at least committed them all to memory.
In the afternoon, aside from continuing to familiarize himself with these techniques, he focused primarily on drilling various fundamentals, all under Yu Gang's strict instruction. There were breaks to rest and replenish nutrients, and the training continued until around five in the evening, at which point he was told to jog back home.
Throughout the day, he did not forget the all-important breathing technique. Beyond utilizing it whenever possible during daytime training, he returned home at night and used his Second Self to practice the basic breathing technique. He kept at it until his Second Self turned almost completely ethereal before finally going to bed.
Over the days that followed, he maintained this training rhythm. In less than ten days, he could perform several of Greater Sanshou's techniques with relative ease.
At the same time, he realized that once the movements became second nature, whenever he engaged his breathing technique, he naturally knew how to align his exertion with each move correctly.
If there was a stumble or an error in a move, his breath would hitch. Conversely, when his breathing flowed freely, his strength gathered smoothly, allowing him to use the flow of breath to guide his movements.
This was unquestionably the true power of the breathing technique. It was no wonder Yu Gang had called it the core of all cores.
Because he could constantly feel his progress, he immersed himself wholeheartedly. The regular daytime training steadily enhanced his physical conditioning, allowing him to sustain the breathing technique for longer periods in his normal state. The breathing technique, in turn, boosted his training efficiency. Such a state was wonderful, and his advancement was remarkably swift.
He also made another discovery: the maximum amount of time he could utilize his Second Self was gradually increasing. This was likely positive feedback generated from his training, driven by the sheer satisfaction of feeling himself grow stronger.
By mid-June, he approached Yu Gang and said, "Mr. Yu, lately whenever I finish practicing the basic breathing technique, my body feels slightly warm. Do you know why that is?"
Yu Gang appeared somewhat surprised. Staring at him, he asked, "Warm? After every breathing session, are you sure?"
Chen Chuan nodded. "I'm very sure. It happens every time after using the breathing technique. At first it was only a faint sensation, but over the past two days, it has become increasingly noticeable."
"How long has this been going on?" Yu Gang asked.
Chen Chuan thought for a moment. "About four or five days."
Yu Gang folded his arms, lost in thought.
Chen Chuan asked, "Mr. Yu, is something wrong?"
"Nothing is wrong," Yu Gang replied. "That is a natural phenomenon that occurs while practicing the breathing technique. It's just that it normally takes quite some time. I didn't expect it to appear so early in you. It seems you can move on to the next phase of training ahead of schedule."
The onset of bodily warmth while practicing the breathing technique meant that the practitioner's body was adapting comprehensively to this breathing rhythm. For an adolescent whose body had fully developed, this heralded a prolonged window of improvement as they matured.
Yet for an ordinary person, this sensation usually took dozens of days, or even six months to a year, to manifest. Some never experienced it in their entire lives. And how long had Chen Chuan been practicing?
Half a month at most.
Yu Gang could not help thinking, *So it really is talent...*
That afternoon, Yu Gang called both Chen Chuan and Lu Ke over. "Chen Chuan, for the next period of time, you can begin sparring drills. Lu Ke, you will serve as Chen Chuan's sparring partner. Your own training can be pushed back for now."
Lu Ke felt a twinge of displeasure, but a smile remained on his face as he replied, "Understood, Master." Turning to Chen Chuan, he added, "Young Master Chen, please don't hesitate to tell me whatever you need."
"You're too polite, Brother Lu," Chen Chuan said.
Starting that day, Chen Chuan's training expanded to include offensive and defensive drills, as well as cooperative reaction training. Lu Ke primarily worked alongside him to help him become more familiar with applying Greater Sanshou in both offense and defense.
After a week of this, Yu Gang had the two of them try live combat sparring. To prevent injury, both naturally wore protective gear and boxing gloves.
At Wuyi College, however, protective gear was never used except during weapon instruction and routine drills. Thus, as time went on, Yu Gang planned to gradually remove these safeguards.
"Today is your first day of live sparring, so you'll fight three rounds," Yu Gang announced. "Each round will have a limit of three minutes, with a five-minute rest in between. I will score the match. Whoever has the lower score will be responsible for packing up the equipment and sweeping the training floor today."
After briefly laying out a few precautions, Yu Gang stepped aside and signaled that they could begin.
Chen Chuan and Lu Ke walked to the center of the floor and cupped their fists in a martial salute. But before Chen Chuan could even lower his hands, Lu Ke abruptly shot a fist straight at his chest and abdomen!
Chapter 9