Opening Training

In the lounge, Chen Chuan was wolfing down the cooked meat slices and Pumpkin Porridge.

After the minced meat had been tempered with medicinal herbs, it carried a faint herbal fragrance, without a trace of its previous gamey odor. Its tender texture held a hint of sweetness, and it went down easily without much chewing. The moment it reached his stomach, warmth spread through his whole body.

Yu Gang said to Chen Chuan, "Beginning the Breathing Method is very damaging to the body. Don't underestimate this Black Rat Meat—it is the most effective thing for repairing bodily injuries. Martial artists in the Old Era often used this medicinal food. It's just that this meat is hard to digest, so it needs to be eaten with pumpkin."

As if remembering something, Chen Chuan set down his bowl and chopsticks. "When I was little, I lived on the outskirts of the city. I once heard the old people there say, 'Pumpkin rice, dried rat, sweet and meaty, a taste to delight.' Is this dried rat referring to this?"

"That's right," Yu Gang said. "It's actually a nursery rhyme. There's a second half: 'Bei Zhang Mountain, Guadi Official, heartless and gutless, leaving only wealth behind.'"

Everyone around Bei Zhang Mountain knew that the mountain rats could be eaten and were also excellent medicinal ingredients, which was why they were so famous. Back in the Old Era, when Great Shun was still an empire, local officials forced commoners to dig three feet into the ground in search of these rats. Later, after the Algae Liquid Revolution and the founding of the republic, major companies adopted entirely new food synthesis technologies. Food became cheap, and fewer people ate this stuff. Nowadays, only elderly people around the outskirts and West City still enjoy it. Young people would probably find it revolting."

Chen Chuan did not feel much about it. As long as the ingredients were clean and normal, he could eat them. Taste meant nothing to him, much less when this was medicinal food that was genuinely useful to him.

As they spoke, Yu Gang kept watching Chen Chuan. He truly had not expected this youth to find the knack in a single day. His subsequent demonstrations of the Breathing Method had all been spot-on as well, showing that he had genuinely mastered it.

That was exceedingly rare.

Even after finding the knack of the Breathing Method, most people could not necessarily become familiar with it immediately. They needed to adapt to it again and again before they could skillfully master the correct pathways. Yet Chen Chuan had adapted so quickly—it had truly been unimaginable beforehand.

Only now did he finally understand what his teacher had meant when he said that some people possessed talents ordinary people did not.

This youth undoubtedly possessed "talent." He might be someone capable of finding the true meaning of Combat Cultivation.

Lu Ke shoveled food into his mouth beside them while putting on an admiring look. "Young Master Chen, you're incredible. If only I could be like you someday."

Chen Chuan said, "I used your medicine this time, Little Brother Lu. I'll find a way to make up for what I owe you. By the way, Mr. Yu, what is this medicine called?"

Yu Gang said, "This stage is called 'Opening Training,' so the medicinal paste is also called Kai Lian Powder. If you're a Wu University Student, it's very cheap to buy internally. When it's convenient, just buy some more to replenish Lu Ke's supply."

Chen Chuan said seriously, "I'll remember that."

Seeing that his bowl was nearly empty, Lu Ke immediately said, "Young Master Chen, shall I get you another serving?"

"I'll do it myself," Chen Chuan said.

He walked to the side and carefully scraped every last bit of the remaining medicinal food into his bowl, leaving nothing behind. Returning to the table, he continued eating. Before long, he had polished off an entire pound of black meat along with the mixed pumpkin rice. His body felt warm all over, and much of his energy had returned.

After waiting for a while, Yu Gang fixed his gaze on him and said, "You've already gained an initial grasp of the Breathing Method. Normally, you would still need to familiarize yourself with it in practice and master it step by step. But we don't have that time. I plan to begin your formal training tomorrow, so you'll need to adapt to it during training as well."

According to his original plan, even if Chen Chuan managed to grasp the Breathing Method, the most optimistic estimate had been around half a month to a month. But now, they had saved a great deal of time. Although the schedule was still tight, it was far more flexible than before, and many plans no longer needed to be squeezed so tightly.

Chen Chuan felt slightly stirred. "Then, Mr. Yu, will the training involve combat sparring?"

"You're still far from that." Yu Gang said, "No matter what kind of training it is, the body is the most important thing. That is the foundation of everything, and combat is no exception. It includes strength, speed, endurance, coordination, flexibility, reaction, and more. Only a sufficiently solid foundation can bear all kinds of techniques. Fortunately, you've already grasped the Breathing Method, so the training will be much less difficult than before."

He stood and walked to the side, opened a drawer, took out a booklet, and tossed it to him. "I have all the training equipment here. The specific methods for running, weight-bearing exercises, jumping, stretching, and so on are recorded here in detail. All exercises are coordinated with the Basic Combat Technique. Read through it first, and ask me if there's anything you don't understand. Some parts require a sparring partner, so you can skip those for now. When the time is right, I'll arrange one for you."

Chen Chuan took it and looked through it. It was an internally printed booklet, published by Wu Yi Academy in Jianzhi Year 79. It was more than ten years old by now, but in the Great Shun Republic, it was perfectly normal for a general textbook to remain in use for over a decade. He remembered that his middle school textbooks had not changed in thirty years.

Yu Gang added, "You rode your bike back and forth here? Don't ride tomorrow. Run here instead, and use it to train your Breathing Method along the way. Other than breakfast, it's best to have the rest of your meals here. Let me first explain the proper running posture and key points..."

Chen Chuan did not underestimate running just because it was ordinary. He carefully memorized the key points, then listened as Yu Gang explained some dietary taboos. Seeing that it was already getting late, he helped wash the dishes before bidding farewell to the master and disciple and riding home.

By the time he got home, it was already past six. Nian Fuli had not returned yet. Chen Chuan told Yu Wan that he had already eaten dinner outside, rinsed himself off in the bathroom, then went to the backyard to wash his clothes. Once everything was tidied up, he returned to sit at his desk and connected his consciousness to the "Second Self."

Since he had already mastered the Breathing Method, there was no need to keep the harm caused by the Medicinal Power.

Although the medicinal food had restorative effects, according to Yu Gang, some injuries might never be fully repaired. They could become hidden dangers in the future.

Otherwise, trainees undergoing normal training would not need to spend several months, a year, or even longer slowly mastering it after their bodies had basically finished growing.

As the Second Self began to blur, it was as if he had removed some burden from his body. He suddenly felt much lighter.

At that moment, he noticed that the signs of blurring lasted only a brief instant before the Second Self solidified once more.

Huh? Had it improved again?

He thought about it. He had not defeated anyone today, so perhaps it was because he had mastered the Breathing Method. When he had grasped the pathways of breath, he had felt heartfelt joy in that moment.

He took out the alarm clock again, closed his eyes, and merged with the Second Self to test it. Sure enough, that was the case. The time he could overlap with the Second Self seemed to have increased by two or three seconds.

Looking at it this way, any positive emotion might push the Second Self closer to reality. His previous thinking had been somewhat narrow.

This made him wonder whether, if this continued, it would eventually become another real "him" visible to other people. Or would there be some other change? He was not sure.

Right now, it was as though he was constantly pushing another self to become stronger. They could even promote and improve each other, so he was even more filled with anticipation for the changes to come.

He got up and went to the door, took out the booklet Yu Gang had given him from his shoulder bag, and began reading it carefully. At the same time, he waited for Nian Fuli to return, intending to tell him about what had happened today.

But even after the clock struck ten, Nian Fuli had not come back. He was probably carrying out official duties through the night, which was a common occurrence. Chen Chuan stopped waiting, washed up, and went to bed. He truly was rather tired today, and soon fell into a deep sleep.

The next day, Chen Chuan rose full of energy. After breakfast, he left home at a run.

Only after Yu Gang told him did he learn that there was another route to Fist Home. He needed to circle around from the north and head south. Although it was a little farther, the road conditions were better and there would be much less trouble.

When he ran along that route, he found that it was indeed far flatter. The residences in the north were more orderly. Though they were also old, they were not nearly as chaotic.

As he ran into a narrow alley more than a hundred meters long, hemmed in by high walls between residential buildings, a sixteen- or seventeen-year-old youth was squatting on a balcony railing, brushing his teeth. His hair was a tangled mess, yet it stubbornly flared outward like a chicken's nest. Freshly tied Fist Wraps were bound around his hands.

At that moment, he heard the rhythmic, light sound of running footsteps in the distance. Glancing sideways, he muttered, "Full of energy, huh..." His toothbrush paused slightly, and he scratched his head. "Feels like I've seen him somewhere before?"

In the blink of an eye, Chen Chuan had run past through the alley below, leaving only his receding back. The youth did not dwell on it. He spat out his mouthwash, performed a backflip off the railing, and landed lightly on the ground. Stretching his chest, he said energetically, "Today's training, Wei Dong—work hard!"

Before long, the sounds of shouting and kicking came from inside.

Although Chen Chuan was only running today, the flat roads meant that he reached Fist Home in just over twenty minutes.

Lu Ke came out of the building and greeted him. "Morning, Young Master Chen. Come with me. Teacher is waiting for you."

"Thank you, Little Brother Lu," Chen Chuan said.

This time, they did not go upstairs, but entered the first floor instead. This was the place for daily training. It looked as if two originally connected classrooms had been knocked through into one, making a space of roughly one hundred and twenty square meters. Sandbags hung not far away, while numerous mats and pieces of equipment had been placed along the walls.

Yu Gang stood by the window with his arms folded, looking at something outside. Chen Chuan walked up and greeted him. "Good morning, Mr. Yu."

Yu Gang turned around and asked, "Did you remember to use the Breathing Method while running here today?"

Chen Chuan nodded.

"How did it feel?"

Chen Chuan thought for a moment, clenched his hand, and said, "It felt as though my body had become a single whole. Exerting force was easy, and I didn't get tired even after a long time."

"The Breathing Method can regulate the circulation of your blood and qi, as well as your rhythm of movement, very effectively," Yu Gang said. "But you've only just started, so you need more adaptation and practice. Before you have fully mastered it, the Breathing Method will cause harm to your body. During the first few days, you cannot use it for more than an hour, because your body needs time to adapt and recover."

Chen Chuan asked, "Mr. Yu, when does the Breathing Method count as fully mastered?"

Yu Gang looked at him. "Breathing Methods also have higher and lower levels. If you can maintain this basic Breathing Method for twenty-four hours straight, then it counts as fully mastered. But that is only theoretical, because the human body has its limits. Due to the burden the Breathing Method places on the body, being able to maintain it continuously for three to five hours a day is already quite good. And for a skilled fighter, that is already enough."

There was actually one more thing he did not say. After entering Wu Yi University, students could learn higher-level Breathing Methods, so no one would waste effort stubbornly grinding away at a basic Breathing Method. But there was no need to explain that to Chen Chuan right now. Otherwise, the latter might lose his enthusiasm for training, so Yu Gang simply skipped over it.

Chen Chuan said seriously, "Mr. Yu, I'll remember that."

He pondered inwardly. The Second Self could help him transfer injuries, so he should be able to train the Breathing Method for far longer each day than ordinary people.

Yu Gang moved to the center of the training area and said, "Before formal instruction begins, let me see what foundation you have. Come, try punching me."