Horse Stance

The morning consisted of two long classes, both taught by Instructor Tie Kuang. The first was a theory class, and the second was practical.

Now Xian Wu and the others were taking the practical class at the academy's large Training Ground.

"Boxing without practicing the fundamentals is a lifetime wasted!" Instructor Tie Kuang lectured the students standing in neat formation.

"Does anyone know what 'fundamentals' means here?" Instructor Tie Kuang asked, watching the students dressed in finery.

For the children of prominent aristocratic families, this shouldn't have been a difficult question.

The poor studied literature, while the rich practiced martial arts. These people should have started learning martial arts when they were very young.

Of course, some disdained martial arts and instead pursued the more profound path of Spirit Masters.

"I know! It means martial skills!"

"No, no, it means internal cultivation—in other words, Soul Force."

"You're all wrong. It means practice, as in time spent training!"

The aristocratic students began arguing.

Instructor Tie Kuang narrowed his eyes. It seemed the noble students in his class had spent all their time eating, drinking, and having fun. They couldn't even answer such a simple question. Each generation was worse than the last. What a disappointment.

Xian Wu stared blankly at the wooden dummy behind Instructor Tie Kuang. Did Sacred Orchid Academy teach Wing Chun, too?

As he looked around the Training Ground, he spotted all sorts of specialized equipment: large water vats, sandbags, rows of wooden stakes, sand pits, and more.

Xian Wu's eyes lit up as an idea came to him. He quickly raised his hand and called out, "Instructor, I know! It means stance training—basic training."

"You don't know a damn thing!"

"Shut up and stop talking nonsense. You've never even practiced martial arts. What gives you the right to comment?"

The aristocratic students looked down on Xian Wu, this country bumpkin. They even thought he didn't deserve to be in the same class as them.

"Quiet! All of you, quiet!" Instructor Tie Kuang restored order.

"What that student just said is correct. It means stance training." Tie Kuang turned and pointed at the equipment around the Training Ground. "See all this? For the next two months, you'll train with every piece of equipment here, in addition to your physical conditioning."

"That was a good answer. What's your name?" Instructor Tie Kuang asked, looking back.

"Instructor, you've forgotten? Yesterday, you even took off his cloak to check him."

"Right! He's the famous Pants-Stripping Fiend. He's really popular with the new students."

"That's right. Nobody in our class doesn't know him. Hahaha..."

When someone in the class brought up the name "Pants-Stripping Fiend," Xiao Ning'er, standing at the front of the girls' line, blushed.

Thinking of Xian Wu's miserable state yesterday, she couldn't help giggling.

Without his cloak, Xian Wu looked handsome and sunny, with an honest face. He didn't look like someone who would do anything that perverted.

Yesterday... it must have been a misunderstanding.

Besides, he had answered the question those spoiled brats hadn't been able to.

That alone made Xian Wu a hundred times better than that bunch of useless fools.

"Instructor, some people are showing disrespect for your authority and disrupting class! If you don't punish them, the rest of us might start doing the same."

Xian Wu raised his hand to report them.

If they hadn't been in class, he would've used the Demon Left Hand to show those bastards how the Pants-Stripping Fiend stripped pants.

Instructor Tie Kuang frowned. He hadn't expected Xian Wu to report them in front of everyone.

If he didn't punish the ones who'd just been shouting, his authority as an instructor would be gone, and the students would no longer respect him.

What a clever kid. With one sentence, he'd dealt with the little bastards who'd bullied him.

"You... you, and you! Step out!" Tie Kuang called out several students. "Run a hundred laps around the Training Ground. Now, immediately!"

Under Instructor Tie Kuang's stern roar, the aristocratic students hung their heads and trudged out of formation to run.

Tie Kuang thought to himself, That was a clever move, but by indulging in a moment of satisfaction, he's made enemies of so many aristocratic students. It'll be hard for him in class from now on. And after class, they might corner him and beat him up.

Xian Wu, however, didn't care. The class's pack of toadies already looked down on him, so making enemies of them wouldn't change anything.

If those bastards wanted to wait for him after school, they were welcome to. He'd make sure they all went home with their butts bare.

It'll be a problem if my Demon Left Hand is exposed... Then I'll lure them to the Trial Grounds and kill them all!

If nobody bothered him, he wouldn't bother them. But if anyone messed with him, he'd hit back. The men of his family weren't easy to bully.

After punishing a few troublemakers, Tie Kuang had the students line up and practice horse stance.

As he demonstrated, he explained, "Horse stance is the most basic stance in martial arts. As the old saying goes, 'Before you begin, stand in stance for three years.'"

"Spread your feet a little wider than shoulder-width, and bend your knees halfway. Like me. Your posture should be like riding a horse, and you should be as steady as the Sacred Ancestor Mountain Range."

"Don't underestimate horse stance. Done properly, it strengthens your kidneys and lower back, your muscles and bones, and your energy and blood. It also increases your Soul Force."

"Horse stance also gives you a stable base and improves your balance, making it harder for others to knock you down."

"Remember, unless you've mastered a special martial technique, never let your opponent knock you down. Once you're on the ground, you're not far from defeat—or death."

Xian Wu knew that all too well. Before he'd transmigrated, he'd often watched fighting competitions.

Generally speaking, boxers and Muay Thai fighters who trained in stand-up combat got beaten badly by judoka and wrestlers.

Power came from the ground. Once you fell and your feet left the ground, you couldn't bring even a tenth of your full strength to bear.

When he was in middle school, Xian Wu had learned some martial arts in PE class—Little Eight Extremities and the simplified Twenty-Four Form Tai Chi, among others.

So he knew a thing or two about horse stance.

After finishing his demonstration, Tie Kuang began correcting the students' stances one by one.

What left Xian Wu speechless was that the instructor headed straight for the girls without even thinking. What a shameless old lecher.

Tie Kuang was gentle and patient with the female students, but with the boys he was rough—sometimes downright brutal.

"Why's your butt sticking up so high?" After scolding Lu Piao, Tie Kuang kicked him flat on his face.

"Are you practicing horse stance or taking a shit? Why are you leaning so far forward?" Nie Li was shoved from the front and landed flat on his back.

Du Ze, Wei Nan, Zhang Ming, and Zhu Jun Xiang all got the same brutal treatment.

Finally, it was Xian Wu's turn.

Tie Kuang circled Xian Wu once and saw that his horse stance was firm and steady.

He wasn't quite as good as Tie Kuang himself, but he had the best stance of all the students.

"Have you practiced before?" Tie Kuang asked quietly.

Xian Wu nodded. "I learned a little from a neighbor."

"What kind of worthless crap did you learn?" Tie Kuang suddenly swept a kick toward Xian Wu's chest.

Xian Wu had been expecting a surprise attack from Tie Kuang. He hurriedly used Wing Chun's "double-gate block" to intercept the kick.

With a thud, Tie Kuang's shin made solid contact with Xian Wu's elbows.

Though Xian Wu blocked beautifully, the force of the kick still sent him flying.