A Thousand Punches, and Divine Truth Reveals Itself

A Thousand Punches, and Divine Truth Reveals Itself

"Chen Zhou, come home for dinner."

"Got it, Mom."

"Hurry up, the food's gone cold. Your dad and I have already finished eating; we're just waiting for you... Honestly, you forget the pain as soon as the scar heals. You only just had your cast removed, and you've already gone back to boxing with your coach. Practicing martial arts shouldn't come at the expense of your health."

Su City, fourth floor of Wanhe Mall, Fit Fighting Gym.

Inside the octagonal cage, the stench of sweat mingled with the smell of feet.

Lu Chenzhou ended his mother's call and gently wiped the sweaty fingerprints from his phone screen with a tissue. Beads of sweat the size of soybeans slid from the tip of his nose and dripped onto the rubber mat.

The bald coach in front of him patted Lu Chenzhou's shoulder and said earnestly, "Chenzhou, you really don't plan to renew for a few more classes? Black Tiger Fist may only be an ordinary martial art, but mastering these thirty-six forms isn't easy. I've planned out 360 lessons for you next. As long as you follow me and train step by step..."

Before the coach could finish, Lu Chenzhou shook his head.

"Thank you, Coach, but forget it."

The bald coach asked unwillingly:

"Bro, if you quit now, you're giving up halfway."

"It's fine. I'll be leaving now. Thank you for your guidance during this time, Coach."

Lu Chenzhou shook off the coach, who still wanted to cling to him like a leech, and left the gym. The bald coach was left behind, somewhat depressed, muttering under his breath, "Hard to deal with..."

The gym was already operating at a loss. The coach had originally planned to squeeze one more round of lesson fees out of Lu Chenzhou before shutting down and making a run for it, closing up shop for good. Who knew this kid would refuse to take the bait no matter what?

Building 3, Shihu Garden, Room 2802.

Famished, Lu Chenzhou returned home. His mother, Li Xianghua, was washing dishes, while two dishes had been left on the table: a plate of braised pork ribs and a plate of stir-fried Chinese lettuce.

After taking a shower, Lu Chenzhou sat at the dining table and said:

"Mom, I won't be going to the fighting gym anymore."

Li Xianghua asked from the kitchen:

"Why did you suddenly stop going? Haven't you only taken ten classes?"

She looked at Lu Chenzhou, who was eating with his head lowered.

Li Xianghua did not understand martial arts. She was just an ordinary person. But she watched television often enough to know that martial arts training was a grinding, water-wears-stone endeavor. Ten lessons were definitely not enough.

But when she thought of the three hundred yuan fee per lesson, Li Xianghua guessed that her son probably found it too expensive and did not want to add to the family's burden.

After thinking for a moment, she said:

"When your father gets back, I'll discuss it with him..."

"Mom, there's really no need."

"Don't you want to take Pingjiang University's martial arts entrance exam?"

"I'm only in my first year of high school. There are still three years to go. Don't worry about it, Mom. I already have a plan." Lu Chenzhou finished his meal, picked up his phone, and returned to his bedroom.

As she washed the dishes, Li Xianghua could not stop herself from sighing.

The poor pursued literature, the rich pursued martial arts. It had always been so.

With Chenzhou's diligence and hard work, if only he'd been born with even medium-grade bone aptitude, he might already have been recommended for admission to Pingjiang Martial University...

Granny Zhang's grandson upstairs was three years older than Chenzhou, but his mind was somewhat immature. Every day, he ran around with a group of street thugs, constantly worrying his family.

Yet because he had medium-grade bone aptitude and was naturally suited to martial arts, he had already reached amateur fourth dan at eighteen and been admitted to Pingjiang Martial University. That was fate.

Martial cultivation depended first on bone aptitude, second on comprehension.

Comprehension was one's ability to understand martial arts. It was elusive, with too many variables to measure. Bone aptitude, on the other hand, was fixed at birth. When martial arts masters of old spoke of "extraordinary bones," this was what they meant.

Bone aptitude was divided into three grades: low, medium, and high.

After every newborn in Great Xia reached one month old, they had one free opportunity to have their bone aptitude tested. In most cases, ordinary people had low-grade bone aptitude.

Low-grade bone aptitude meant unremarkable talent for martial arts.

But that was the vast majority of people.

Great Xia had once founded its nation through martial strength and placed great importance on martial education.

Yet limited resources could only be prioritized for those with better bone aptitude. Those with medium-grade bone aptitude could receive twelve years of state-mandated martial arts knowledge and martial arts education after the age of six, free of tuition. Granny Zhang's grandson had attended Pingjiang Martial University's affiliated primary and secondary schools. As long as he graduated step by step, he could attend a Wuda, with a bright future ahead.

As for high-grade bone aptitude, there was no need to say more.

Such people were one in ten thousand. From birth, they were claimed by Great Xia's top twenty-four martial arts universities. Even Pingjiang Martial University, which Lu Chenzhou dreamed of attending, was not qualified to compete for them.

Those with low-grade bone aptitude could only rely on themselves.

That was why Li Xianghua sometimes felt sorry for Chenzhou.

The child worked so hard, yet she could not provide him with any conditions for martial arts training.

The cramped yet tidy bedroom.

The walls were covered in animated posters, all depicting the same person. At times, he stood atop Cangshan, breathing in and out the clouds; at others, he rode whales and trod waves upon the boundless sea.

When he rose, he was like a crouching dragon soaring to the heavens; when he fell, like thunder striking the earth!

He was the holder of the title "World's Best" from the previous All-Nations Martial Arts Tournament, Azure Dragon King Li Ang. He was a peerless prodigy who had broken through the Seven Limits of the Flesh faster than anyone in history, the idol of countless martial artists and even martial arts masters.

Admiring the strong was only human nature.

A wooden training dummy was also planted in the middle of the floor.

It was Lu Chenzhou's usual target for boxing practice.

His inability to receive compulsory martial arts education had not stopped him from pursuing martial arts. In the information age, free instructional videos for most ordinary martial arts could be found on the Martial Arts Association's official website, including the Black Tiger Fist he practiced.

But relying solely on videos for self-study made it difficult to get started.

Practicing martial arts was not like in novels, where obtaining a secret manual was enough. A teacher's role was very important. That was why he had spent so much to hire a coach.

Still, he had kept his guard up. Seeing how dismal Fit Fighting Gym's business had been recently, he suspected it might shut down and flee at any time, so he had not renewed his lessons. Three hundred yuan per class was not expensive; even ordinary fitness coaches charged two or three hundred. But he had no money.

He had saved it all by living frugally and taking on part-time jobs.

Nor did he want his parents to spend money on him. He knew his mother had always wanted to move to a home in Su City's inner district. The environment there was good, it was closer to Pingjiang Martial University, and quite a few martial artists lived there. If a Void Calamity ever occurred, it would be safer too.

Logging onto the Martial Arts Association's official website, Lu Chenzhou opened the instructional video for Black Tiger Fist. In the footage, an old man in a black training uniform began his introduction:

"Black Tiger Fist belongs to the school of imitative forms. Its fist force is hard, powerful, and savage. To practice this fist art, you must combine footwork, leg techniques, and body movement! If your fists do not flow with your legs, you'll become a dying ghost in your old age..."

Recalling the coach's previous guidance, Lu Chenzhou began to practice.

He switched his phone to recording mode and placed it on the desk.

Within the cramped bedroom, his every move differed slightly from those in the video, yet they were still performed with proper form and rhythm. By the time he completed one set, sweat was already pouring down his body.

Lu Chenzhou wiped away his sweat, opened the recording on his phone, and compared it carefully.

Those 3,000 yuan weren't wasted. I should be close to getting started.

This time, my practice was clearly much smoother, and the completion was pretty good. As the boxing proverb says: Practice a thousand punches, and divine truth reveals itself! The ancients truly did not deceive me.

Even if my bone aptitude is poor, as long as I'm willing to work hard—training through the bitter cold of winter and the scorching heat of summer—perhaps one day I really can break through the first shackle and become a martial artist.

Lu Chenzhou rested for a while, then continued practicing.

Before he knew it, night had fallen.

He practiced five more sets of punches, each smoother than the last.

After finishing, he felt refreshed all over.

But by then, his physical strength had reached its limit.

Suddenly, the sound of gurgling water echoed in his mind.

He also felt a little dizzy.

Did I train too hard?

He instinctively assumed his intense workout had given him low blood sugar and hurriedly ate a Snickers bar packed with fast-acting sugar. Before long, the dizziness faded. Before Lu Chenzhou's eyes, an illusory and mysterious seed appeared, floating in the void. Drops of "rainwater" carrying a salty, damp scent fell onto it and were swiftly absorbed.

The seed sprouted, growing in fast-forward into a lush three-foot sapling. Green branches emerged from the lowest part of its trunk, with two green leaves at their tips.

Lu Chenzhou focused his gaze on it.

Martial Skills

Basic Fist Art: Minor Mastery (100%)

Black Tiger Fist: Beginner (1%)

Lu Chenzhou turned on his phone and checked the time.

"Tuesday, October 1st, 2220."

(P.S. The setting of this book is a modern world of high martial arts. This story is entirely fictional; please do not compare its timeline or historical background with the real world!)

Author's Note:

Hello, everyone! Long time no see. I've missed you all terribly!

Old Tian has rolled back to writing again. This time, it's martial arts progression.

After it goes premium, I'll work hard to write ten thousand words a day!

Lastly, I recommend a fantasy progression novel by a friend of mine.

It has already concluded successfully, with 5.5 million words—no need to suffer the agony of waiting for updates.

"Wizard: Grinding Experience from the Knight Breathing Method."

—July 29, 2024, Tian Li

New book released. Thank you for your support!