Many of the things Empress said aligned with traditional Chinese philosophy and Taoist thought.
Empress said, "Traditional martial arts are inseparable from Taoism, Confucianism, and other traditional schools of thought. They are closely connected to China's traditional philosophy."
Wang Yi had gained a great deal from their conversation.
He'd known the theory before, but since the NBA always emphasized strength, much of his strength came from external training. Their conversation had made him realize that he should also work on Hidden Strength and internal power.
As for using his whole body to generate force, he'd done that before, but he hadn't understood it as deeply, and he hadn't done it often.
After their conversation, however, he realized that he should train this more, so that whenever he exerted force, his whole body would naturally be involved, instead of having to consciously think about using his whole body.
During their conversation, Empress also expressed her admiration for Wang Yi:
"Brother Yi, I really admire you. I'm impressed by all the honors you've earned and the things you've done. But what I admire most is that, in the NBA—with all its glitz, glamour, and temptations—you've resisted them and trained hard for over a decade without letting up. Most people couldn't do that."
Wang Yi smiled. "That's only because I love it."
Empress's words made Wang Yi feel a little awkward. To ease the tension, he changed the subject:
"I can see that the martial arts you teach are the real deal. They're practical and can be used in actual combat. Aren't you worried your students might cause trouble after learning these things?"
Empress chuckled softly, and her veil lifted slightly with her laugh.
She said, "Before you learn martial arts, you must first cultivate your mind. It's true that martial arts are