The Seven Great Limits of the Physical Body?
It was the first time Qin Shi had heard the term.
Thinking it over, Old Liang had started by teaching him Muscle Twisting and Back Stretching, then passed on Eight Sections and Nine Joints, Grasping Qi Sensation, and other training steps.
Huh. They all seemed to fit!
"What's this 'Seven Great Limits of the Physical Body,' Teacher Liang? The textbooks about the 'Martial Artist' profession at New No. 1 Middle School never mentioned it."
Qin Shi put on a suitably curious look.
Right now, he was like a promising young athlete picked from a thousand, someone a former city-team coach had taken an interest in.
That naturally gave him some leverage to bargain!
"Qin Shi, can you tell me how long Eastern Xia has existed?"
Old Liang had suddenly asked a basic question that anyone who hadn't somehow slipped through nine years of compulsory education could answer.
"Since the name 'Eastern Xia' was established and the ancestral planet unified, nine hundred millennia have passed. There have been several periods of upheaval and reform. The ancient feudal system is now a thing of the past, and the rent-seeking nobility has been swept into the dustbin of history.
"Foolish and tyrannical emperors have been hanged, and ambitious rebels executed. If we set aside the vast expanse of ancient history—enough to fill an entire library—and discuss only the current 'Dongxia Republic,' then it's very young, only nine millennia old, still a child that hasn't grown up."
Qin Shi's reply was practically perfect, straight out of the answer key to a history exam.
Old Liang nodded.
"I didn't study for many years, so I don't know the first thing about all this. I asked because the origins of the Seven Great Limits of the Physical Body involve some mysteries from history.
"The first Martial God of Eastern Xia was named Yan Haishan. He's widely recognized as the founder of Old Martial Arts and the one who laid the foundations for the Martial Artist path.
"But few people know that he was also the first human to fully break through the Seven Great Limits of the Physical Body and reach the realm of legend."
Hiss!
Qin Shi couldn't help sucking in a sharp breath.
That important?
It was connected to the First Martial God?
He promptly let his shock and astonishment show, giving Old Liang all the emotional encouragement he needed to keep talking.
"Yan Haishan himself said more than once that he had merely discovered the 'Seven Great Limits of the Physical Body,' not created them. The specifics were never made public.
"Later, the Old Martial Arts era flourished, reaching its peak, and a theory gradually emerged. The ancestors of Eastern Xia were born with mighty bones and sinews and long lives, nearly godlike.
"But as time wore on and eras changed, the once noble and exalted True Dragon Bloodline grew thinner. Their extraordinary talents faded away, and they gradually became frail."
Old Liang told the tale with an earnestness that made it sound like some fantastical nonsense from a street-corner pamphlet. A trace of longing shimmered in his eyes.
"Whether or not there's any truth to that theory, many gifted masters of Old Martial Arts believed that the Seven Great Limits of the Physical Body were shackles binding the mortal form.
"If you could break through them with secret techniques, you could refine the original bloodline of Eastern Xia's ancestors and transform into a Saint Buddha from mythology!"
So the Old Martial Arts Faction was all about superstitious ancestor worship?
They thought the older something was, the more powerful it was? Wouldn't that mean everyone should go digging through ancient ruins?
No wonder it had been replaced by New Martial Arts.
Qin Shi understood.
The Education Commission couldn't exactly have schools organize students to carry shovels and hoes around the world, searching for tombs to raid.
Just imagining it was bizarre!
From the looks of it, Old Martial Arts was destined to be buried in a corner of history.
The rise of New Martial Arts, its promotion and adoption by the whole population, was an unstoppable tide.
"You're an outstanding student educated in New Martial Arts, so I understand what you're thinking. But everything that exists has its reasons. Old Martial Arts may have fallen behind, but it once flourished and even nurtured several beings at the Half-step Martial God level.
"Besides, New Martial Arts isn't without its flaws. Drug use is rampant these days, supplements are everywhere, and oversight is lacking. It's an undeniable fact that big pharmaceutical companies are profiting from it."
Old Liang sighed.
"I'm not asking you to become a devotee of Old Martial Arts. I only hope you'll give this path a try. The expensive training halls and powerful Energy Liquid are beyond the means of any student on Old Factory Street. Old Martial Arts is the only viable option."
Qin Shi didn't rush to decide. After thinking it over for a long while, he asked slowly:
"Teacher Liang, what does it take to break through the limits with Old Martial Arts?"
"Train your body, build up your foundation, fight hard, and have a little luck."
Old Liang held up four fingers.
"You have the talent to train your body. You're fit and sturdy. You're also exceptionally gifted when it comes to fighting techniques, and that's especially rare.
"As for your foundation and luck, I'll find a way to take care of the former. Two out of four is already enough to make you a genius!"
Qin Shi grinned and casually asked:
"Then what do you call someone who has all four?"
Old Liang answered with two crisp, decisive words:
"Heavenly Prodigy!"
I wonder if I can unlock an achievement with the Monument and earn the title of "Heavenly Prodigy," leaving Old Liang completely stunned?
Qin Shi's eyes lit up with anticipation.
"Don't get ahead of yourself. Your foundation is set from birth. Among the First Generation Ten Prodigies, Stone Buddha He Lanzhan was hailed as the most talented, while the Great Demon King Qi Wuxiang achieved the most.
"Why couldn't He Lanzhan beat Qi Wuxiang? The reason's simple. The former grew up in the most remote slums of Yazhou and had to worry about getting enough to eat until he was twelve.
"The latter was the eldest grandson of the Qi family of Haizhou. He'd never gone hungry in his life.
"For his tenth birthday, he received a rare twin treasure tree, an otherworldly wonder that could nurture vitality and prolong life."
Old Liang seemed to idolize Stone Buddha He Lanzhan. He regarded him as a hero, and every time he finished praising him, he couldn't resist taking a jab at Qi Wuxiang.
"If their circumstances had been reversed, would there still have been a four-time champion King Qi? Hard to say.
"But there's no doubt that Eastern Xia would have produced a Martial God He who towered over his entire generation!
"Unless the 'Qin' in your name is the same 'Qin' as that of Marshal Qin of Eastern Xia.
"Otherwise, you'd be better off doing good deeds and building up some good karma. That's more practical."
The Dongxia Republic had only nine marshals in all. Marshal Qin ranked among the top three, perhaps even the top two—a pillar of white jade holding up the heavens, a beam of purple gold spanning the seas, supporting half the sky.
Even if you went back hundreds of generations, Qin Shi might not be related to him.
Qin Shi pouted, unmoved by Old Liang's dampening of his spirits.
"Let's get back to the point, Teacher Liang. Earlier, you said Old Martial Arts harmed the body and shortened one's life, making it easy for chronic ailments to build up and leave lasting damage.
"If I follow you down this path of breaking through the limits of the physical body, does that mean I might die young and not live past twenty-eight? I'm the only male in the Old Qin family. I have to carry on the family line."
Old Liang smiled.
"Quite a few of the First Generation Ten Prodigies who took the Old Martial Arts path are still alive today, though most of them don't like to appear in public.
"Some top Martial Artists have even switched to practicing New Martial Arts, hoping to advance further. The old and new aren't incompatible; they can coexist.
"As for what I said earlier about harming the body and shortening one's life... Have you ever wondered why the shackles of the physical body are called the 'Great Limits'?"
Qin Shi mulled over Old Liang's words and ventured a guess.
"Breaking through the limits can extend your life?"
Old Liang nodded slightly.
"The first Martial God, Yan Haishan, already proved it. Breaking through the Great Limits and knocking on the body's gate can greatly increase your Life Force, rejuvenating you and bringing dead wood back to life.
"As long as you break the shackles, all the potential your body has spent will be replenished in that very moment."
This sounded like betting your life and going all in on a high-risk gamble!
So the Old Martial Arts Faction were all big-time life-burners?
Other people developed their Life Force by spending money, while they just played with their lives?
No wonder the Eastern Xia Education Commission and Martial Arts Association wanted to reform things!
Qin Shi's face twitched, but he no longer hesitated.
"Please teach me, Master Liang!"
Old Martial Arts placed greater importance on the master-disciple bond, sometimes even more than the father-son bond.
Once you called someone Master and they called you Disciple, you were bound together from then on, passing the torch to the next generation.
Now that Qin Shi had finally agreed, Old Liang hesitated instead.
"Aren't you afraid you won't be able to break through the Great Limits, that you'll waste your life and end up a complete failure?"
Qin Shi shook his head. He stood on the bleachers, with sturdy concrete steps stretching down beneath him. The morning breeze swept across the empty field, bending the withered yellow grass.
"Teacher Liang, I heard you're from around Leiyun Electronics Factory and went to Children's No. 5 Middle School. Then you should understand a truth everyone on Old Factory Street knows.
"We've never chosen our own path. Take Brother Yuan and Brother Cheng, for example. Do you think they aren't afraid of joining a gang, getting hacked to death one day, or taking the fall for the boss and ending up in prison?
"On this land beneath our feet, our lives have never been worth much. Opportunity is what matters! We have to fight for opportunity ourselves, and change our fate with our own hands!"
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