Breathing Method, Excellent Natural Talent

Breathing Method, Excellent Natural Talent

(I changed some of the protagonist's family background and family member settings. There was also an issue with the pacing in the previous chapter, so I made major revisions. Readers who have already read it can go through it again, especially Chapters 15 and 16. Sorry for the trouble.) (Thank you all for the tips, monthly passes, and recommendation votes. This newbie is undeserving and can only repay you by working hard to write more!)...

Sunny City had four major districts: east, south, west, and north. There had always been a saying: "The east is rich, the west is poor; the north is noble, the south is lowly." It roughly described how Sunny City's residents were distributed.

The East District was mostly home to the wealthy. The headquarters of major companies and corporations were basically all located there. Every inch of land was worth its weight in gold. The North District, meanwhile, was home to high-ranking officials and dignitaries, with extremely high security. Land there was not merely expensive—it was something money could not buy.

The West District was where the vast majority of ordinary families lived, and it was also where Xue Jing's home was.

Of course, the saying was not absolute. It did not mean everyone living in the East District was rich, nor that everyone in the West District was poor. It was only a broad classification.

But there was nothing wrong with the saying that the south was lowly.

It was a true slum, the final destination for all the evil in a city. The law did not rule that place—the gangs did. Even the Public Security Bureau could not control it. Many criminals simply vanished after slipping inside, impossible to find. Only the security companies backing the gangs had any say there.

However, Xue Jing had never been to the South District either. Ever since he was young, his parents and other elders had repeatedly warned him never to go near it. He did not know the specifics and had only heard bits and pieces from others.

He truly had not expected Pei Youguang, whom his classmates described as having "powerful connections," to actually live in the South District.

Though it was only on the outer edge of the South District, near the West District, it still brushed against the borders of the "slums."

"Brother Jing, come in."

In front of a rather large-looking house, Pei Youguang took out a key and opened the gate, speaking to Xue Jing.

The house looked quite old. It was square in layout and came with a spacious front yard. The white brick walls were covered in mottled traces of age, badly yellowed from oxidation.

The surroundings were similarly backward and dilapidated. There were piles of trash, bottles, and cans in many places along the street, as if no one had cleaned them up in a long time.

Xue Jing shook his head and followed Pei Youguang inside.

Unexpectedly, in stark contrast to its aged exterior, the interior was decorated quite nicely. There were gray imitation wood-grain floors, a large fluffy carpet spread across the center of the living room, and all kinds of furniture. It was not particularly tasteful at a glance, but at least it all fit together well.

Xue Jing took off his shoes, walked into the living room, hung his backpack on a hook by the wall near the entrance, chose a single sofa, and sat down.

"You live alone?"

Pei Youguang, who was taking drinks from the fridge, paused before nodding. "Yes."

In a casual tone, Xue Jing said, "Why do you live here? Doesn't your dad work for a councilor? Even if he can't get into the North District, he should at least be able to live in the East District, right?"

Pei Youguang tossed a bottle of soda to Xue Jing, opened one for himself, took a huge gulp, and let out a satisfied sigh before speaking. "My dad and I don't have a very good relationship... This house belonged to my mom. She left it to me after she passed away. Two years ago, I had an argument with my dad and moved here."

"There's a Golden Wind Dojo nearby. I heard the dojo master came from the Inner Ring City and is an heir to the Golden Wind White Rainbow Sword. After I moved here, I joined the Golden Wind Dojo because of its reputation and trained martial arts with the old masters there for several months... Later, some things happened, and I left the dojo."

Xue Jing nodded. "I see."

It seemed Pei Youguang had not had it easy either.

But everyone had some sort of story if one dug deeply enough. Xue Jing had no interest in learning more, so he stood and said, "No time to waste. Start teaching me force."

That was the only reason he had come here.

Hearing this, Pei Youguang stood as well, tossed his empty drink bottle into the trash, and said, "Alright. Brother Jing, come with me. Let's go to the training room."

It was a large room of around seventy square meters. The floor was covered in thick padding, and it was packed with various fitness equipment, as well as some machines whose purpose Xue Jing could not understand.

Several striking posts and punching bags stood in the center of the room. They were made of different materials and all showed signs of wear, clearly having been used often.

"If you want to develop force, the most crucial thing is breathing."

In the training room, Pei Youguang began explaining as the old masters at the dojo once had.

"Force is kinetic energy generated by the movement of the body's internal organs. But people have very little control over their own bodies. We can't control the flow of blood, nor can we control our internal organs. Even our muscles can only be made to 'tense' and 'relax' in simple ways. Therefore, we first need to learn how to affect those parts we normally can't control. That requires a Breathing Method."

"Next, I'll teach you a Breathing Method. This is a basic Breathing Method that every dojo disciple knows. Through it, you can influence the inside of your body."

After speaking, Pei Youguang sat cross-legged on the padded floor.

"Come on, Brother Jing. Follow me."

Xue Jing did as he was told, copying Pei Youguang and sitting cross-legged.

Pei Youguang then began explaining the specific steps of the Breathing Method. He demonstrated as he spoke and had Xue Jing follow along.

The Breathing Method was not overly complicated, but it was extremely difficult. Some of its steps required very long intervals between inhaling and exhaling, demanding that one draw in a huge amount of oxygen in a single breath. With so much oxygen flooding into the lungs, anyone with insufficient lung capacity would not even qualify to practice it.

Pei Youguang had assumed that Xue Jing would definitely fail to keep up during his first attempt. When he had practiced it himself, it had taken him a full month before he could barely complete the entire Breathing Method once.

He even held a faintly teasing expectation of seeing Brother Jing cough in embarrassment. But after the full set of breathing exercises, he was stunned.

Xue Jing had actually followed along from start to finish. On his first attempt, he had successfully completed the entire basic Breathing Method! "Is it over?"

Having inhaled so much oxygen, Xue Jing felt unaccustomed to it. His head spun, his heart pounded, and nausea rose in his throat. His vision blurred, and it felt as though flames were burning throughout his body.

The massive amount of oxygen had entered his blood through his alveoli, accelerating his circulation and raising his body temperature.

He was in a miserable state, but he had completed it.

"Brother Jing, that's fucking amazing."

Pei Youguang sincerely admired him and gave him a thumbs-up.

Only someone who had practiced it knew just how difficult the Breathing Method was. Yet Xue Jing had managed it on his very first try.

Maybe this was what the old masters meant by "excellent natural talent"!

Pei Youguang was immensely envious.

"Once you adapt to the Breathing Method and practice it regularly—even turn it into an instinct and use it at all times—you can continuously improve your physical fitness. But I still haven't managed that. Right now, I can't practice the Breathing Method too many times a day either, or my body won't be able to take it."

"Once you get used to it, you'll gradually be able to sense the rhythms inside your body as you breathe. When you learn what kind of breathing can affect them, even control them, force will naturally develop."

Pei Youguang spoke.

Xue Jing closed his eyes, calming the various burdens brought on by his first use of the Breathing Method.

After a long while, he opened his eyes.

"Teach it again."

Pei Youguang said worriedly, "You've only just started learning the Breathing Method. Once today should be enough, right? We can continue tomorrow. Otherwise, I'm worried your body won't be able to handle it."

Xue Jing shook his head. "It's fine. Continue."

He had already memorized most of the Breathing Method's steps, but he needed to go through it once more to reinforce his memory and ensure there were no mistakes.

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