Mixed Origin Strength Posture

Mr. Qi's face lit up with delight when he heard this. "Teacher Yu agreed? Half a year? Good! Then half a year it is! We can wait."

He looked at Chen Chuan again and casually extended an invitation. "And this little brother—could he come along then as well?"

Yu Gang said in a deep voice, "After the New Year, I will honor the agreement."

Mr. Qi repeatedly said yes. He cupped his hands toward Yu Gang once more and said, "We truly were presumptuous today. It is only because I could not bear to let a great talent like Teacher Yu slip away. Another day, if the opportunity arises, allow me to prepare a humble meal and wine to apologize. I hope Teacher Yu will honor me with your presence. For today, we shall take our leave first." With that, he gave a signal and led his people away.

The Iron Chain Gang members followed in silence, their advance and retreat orderly.

Ding Shuo wiped away a handful of nosebleed and still refused to accept it. He said to Chen Chuan, "We'll fight again next time!" Then he hurried after Mr. Qi and the others. Yet resentment still smoldered in his heart. Catching up to Mr. Qi, he shouted, "Mr. Qi, I could still have fought just now..."

Mr. Qi was in an excellent mood and showed remarkable patience. "Ding Shuo, I know you can fight. But why did we come here? Was it merely to defeat Yu Gang's student?"

Without thinking, Ding Shuo said, "Of course not. Didn't you say he was talented and that you wanted him to join our Iron Chain Gang?"

Mr. Qi said, "Then wasn't our goal in coming here achieved? What is there for you to be unhappy about?"

But damn it, I got beaten up. Should I be happy? Ding Shuo thought. Mr. Qi continued, his enthusiasm undimmed. "I looked into Yu Gang beforehand. If you respect him a foot, he respects you ten feet. We could have argued it out just now, but I chose to yield first. Yu Gang saw our sincerity, so he was willing to give me face as well. See? Didn't it turn out exactly as we expected?"

As he said this, something seemed to occur to him. He looked at the burly middle-aged man and asked, "You said that young fellow was talented too?"

The burly middle-aged man said, "It is clear that he has not trained any special force yet, but his ability to take hits already rivals Ding Shuo's. His explosive power is strong as well. There is no doubt that he is talented."

Mr. Qi's eyes brightened. "Is that so? It would be best if we could recruit him too. Our Iron Chain Gang needs talents like that. But there is no rush. Yu Gang is the main prize. Half a year—hehe, that will pass quickly."

After Mr. Qi's entire group had left, Chen Chuan came before Yu Gang and said, "Mr. Yu, I acted on my own just now. My apologies."

Yu Gang did not mind in the slightest. Instead, he greatly approved of what Chen Chuan had done.

He said, "You did very well. Those of us who train in fighting should put our thoughts into action. You said before that your goal was to remain unbound and continually surpass yourself. If you had not dared to step forward at a time like this, I would have doubted whether you were merely talking big. Not to mention that you won. Remember this: among Fighters, the victor is often beyond reproach."

Chen Chuan said calmly, "I only won through a trick just now. I knew that if the Iron Chain Gang had not been willing to give you face, then no matter how I performed, it would have been useless. But if my strength and techniques had been a little stronger, enough for me to suppress that man head-on, I would not have needed to resort to such schemes."

Yu Gang said, "Do not belittle yourself. Your strength is already quite good for your current stage. Ding Shuo has not only trained for far longer than you; he has likely specialized in improving his ability to take hits along one of the later paths of the Breathing Method. He must also have used special medicine in conjunction with it. It is not strange that you could not knock him down."

Chen Chuan asked curiously, "Does the Breathing Method branch into many different directions?"

Yu Gang said, "I believe I told you that the Breathing Method you learned is only the most basic kind. Once one's physical condition reaches a certain level, one can combine it with medicine to train Breathing Methods of a higher level, suited to different styles of combat.

"For instance, some, like Ding Shuo, focus on resistance to blows. Others specifically increase the striking force of the extremities, while still others improve agility of movement. All of these require different secrets, different boxing forms, even different breathing methods to support them. But in the end, every technique is built upon physical condition. So if you truly wish to train to a profound level, sometimes you also need a little 'talent.'"

He looked at Chen Chuan. "For example, you may not know it, but you yourself possess 'talent.' Ding Shuo should be one of the same kind as well. Some people are born different from others, able to do things in certain fields that ordinary people cannot."

After a moment's thought, Chen Chuan understood that Yu Gang had probably misunderstood, interpreting his performance as some kind of "talent." In truth, the Second Self and so-called "talent" were not the same thing. But it was fine for Yu Gang to see it that way. Chen Chuan would not need to trouble himself with explanations, and from Yu Gang's tone, people with such talent seemed to be rare.

After thinking for a moment, he asked again, "There is one more thing I would like to ask you, sir. During that clash just now, Ding Shuo easily blasted my hands apart. That kind of force seemed very unusual..."

Yu Gang explained, "That was force. Ding Shuo used Sleeve Shaking Strength, also called Grand Shedding Clothes. The movement resembles someone stretching both hands upward, causing the garment draped over his back to naturally fall to the ground. It carries the meaning of casting off restraint and is a technique specifically used to break holds. At the same time, it is also a method of training force that shakes power loose and scatters it."

Chen Chuan caught the key point. "Force?"

"That's right, force!" Yu Gang said. "The Breathing Method is the necessary foundation and preparation for training force. 'Force' is a higher-level application of strength by Fighters. You are still relatively far from that level, but you can learn a little about it first..."

As he spoke, he stood with his feet apart and held his hands as if embracing a great ball. "Force likewise comes in many varieties. Most can be trained in conjunction with posture exercises. For example, this set begins with the Embracing Qi Stance, followed by the Dividing Sea Stance..." As he spoke, he turned his palms and spread them to either side, then drew them back and pushed them upward. "Then comes the Supporting Heaven Stance... and finally, the Bearing Mountain Stance..."

At this point, he suddenly turned his palms upward as though supporting the heavens. Then his knees bent, and his body sank with them. Chen Chuan immediately felt a tremor beneath his feet, as though some immense weight had truly pressed down from above and been held aloft by Yu Gang.

Yu Gang slowly straightened. "This is a complete Mixed Origin Strength Posture. Many Fighters choose it to train force, and it is also the most widely circulated kind. But that does not mean it is easy to master. It contains many subtle changes. Sleeve Shaking Strength is distilled from it—a Small Force that ordinary boxers can more easily grasp. Its advantages are that it is easy to pick up, consumes little energy, and is quick and simple to unleash.

"Those who have mastered this technique specialize in dealing with grappling. For example, when you stepped in and locked your arms around his neck just now, it was fortunate that you did not secure the hold. Otherwise, once he unleashed his force, he might have blasted your arms out of their sockets."

Chen Chuan nodded unconsciously, then asked, "Mr. Yu, this kind of force cannot be unleashed at will either, can it?"

Yu Gang said, "That is right. Every use of force places a burden on the body. At Ding Shuo's level, using it twice in one match is about his limit. Any more, and his own body would be the first to give out." After a pause, he added, "But if his opponent had also mastered force, that Coiling Palm Thrust just now would have been enough to shatter his jaw."

Chen Chuan was thoughtful. "Is that so..."

Yu Gang said, "You need not dwell on it too much right now. Once you enter Wu University, there will be people to teach you all this. What I want to say is that you did very well today.

"Fighting is not merely a contest of the body. It is also a game of psychological maneuvering, a contest of the mind. In battle, you did not simply charge ahead with brute force. Instead, you accurately seized the key point that determined victory and defeat. That is a fighting instinct few possess. I believe you can go very far on the path of fighting—perhaps even farther than I imagined."

As he spoke, he looked into the distance, as though recalling something.

Chen Chuan said nothing.

Only after a long while did Yu Gang look back at him. A rare smile appeared on his face. "All right. Didn't you say you had a graduation gathering tonight? I'll give you the evening off today. Go back early."

"Okay, Mr. Yu," Chen Chuan said. He glanced toward the building again. "Little Brother Lu is all right, isn't he?"

Yu Gang said steadily, "He trains in fighting. He can take care of himself."

Chen Chuan said, "Then, Mr. Yu, I'll head back first. I'll be here on time tomorrow."