Jiang Yue's eyelid twitched.
Holding a center of gravity that defied his body's instincts was agonizing enough while standing still. To maintain it during high-speed movement would place an astronomical strain on his coordination and core muscles.
The two supported each other. Neither could be neglected.
"Talk is cheap. Take the All-Rounder Stance. Don't dodge or flinch. Take one punch from me and feel what happens when an outside force strikes your center of gravity."
The moment Shen Qing finished speaking, he drove his right foot against the alloy floor without warning.
With a muffled thud, Shen Qing shot forward like an arrow from a bow. His right fist drove straight toward Jiang Yue's chest, without the slightest flourish.
Jiang Yue's eyes widened. He held the All-Rounder Stance with all his might and watched Shen Qing's fist swell rapidly in his vision.
Thud!
The impact cracked through the Extra Training Room like a blow against thick old hide.
Shen Qing's punch looked devastating, but the instant it touched Jiang Yue's chest, he had already shed most of its force. Only thirty percent of his basic strength remained.
Yet that thirty percent carried the core explosive technique of Ancient Martial Arts—Inch Power!
Jiang Yue felt the muscles in his chest, dense as granite, give way to something like an invisible steel needle the instant the fist landed.
That penetrating Hidden Power bypassed his outer muscles and burrowed along his fascia and blood vessels, deep into his ribs and bone marrow.
"Hiss..."
Agony exploded through his chest. Jiang Yue's face went pale, and a faint tremor ran uncontrollably through his spine.
But he gritted his teeth. Drawing on his formidable core strength and the intent of the All-Rounder Stance, he forced himself to absorb the Inch Power trying to tear apart his center of gravity.
His feet stayed planted on the alloy floor. He did not retreat a single step, though a large, angry purple bruise quickly spread across his chest.
"You've improved quite a bit yourself..."
Jiang Yue slowly let out a breath. Once the worst of the pain passed, he grinned at Shen Qing, who stood with his fist withdrawn.
Jiang Yue knew exactly how tough his body was now.
Day and night, [Tough Skin] had honed him. His skin membrane was thicker and his muscles denser than those of his peers.
An ordinary recruit might not leave a mark on his chest even with a full-strength punch.
Yet Shen Qing had used only thirty percent of his strength to punch through Jiang Yue's defenses with Inch Power and cause pain this deep. His understanding of the Six Harmonies Method and his basic strength had both advanced at a frightening pace.
"Naturally."
Shen Qing relaxed his stance and shook out his wrist, pride and emotion mingling in his voice. "After I enlisted, the military gave me nutritious meals, high-grade flesh extracts, and access to the Gravity Chamber. I could never have touched resources like these in my family."
"With those resources behind me, I'm improving several times faster than before."
Books were for the poor; martial arts were for the rich. In this age of interstellar martial power, that saying had never rung truer.
Shen Qing pushed the thought aside, his expression turning stern again. "Enough chatter. That punch showed you what it feels like when your center of gravity wavers. Now we begin practicing the Living Stance in earnest."
He stepped back three paces and took his stance. "I'll keep using thirty percent of my strength, together with Inch Power.
"You can't stand there and take it like a block of wood anymore. You have to dodge! But as you do, you must never lose the center of gravity or intent of the All-Rounder Stance!"
"Come on." Jiang Yue drew a deep breath, sank his hips again, and fixed his eyes on Shen Qing's shoulders.
Whoosh!
Shen Qing moved. His footwork was ghostlike. One moment he stood three paces away; the next, his fist tore through the air toward Jiang Yue's face.
Jiang Yue reacted instantly, his Military Basic Combat Arts combining with his instinct for survival. His right foot slid half a step back and to the side, and his upper body leaned away.
Whoosh—
Shen Qing's fist missed by a hair, its sharp rush of air brushing Jiang Yue's nose.
He'd dodged it! At thirty percent strength, Shen Qing's speed was not too much for Jiang Yue, whose normal strength was approaching 800 kilograms, to track.
But before Jiang Yue could steady his breathing, Shen Qing's cold voice came from beside him.
"Your step was too wide, and you didn't lock your hips. Your center of gravity rose!"
Jiang Yue's heart tightened as he sensed what had gone wrong. He had avoided the blow perfectly, but the center of gravity he had forced down into his legs had floated upward the instant he stepped, like a ball losing air. The intent of Holding the Origin and Guarding the One, with his arms curved before him, had fallen apart completely.
The Living Stance had failed.
"Again!" Jiang Yue showed no discouragement. He adjusted his breathing and forced his center of gravity down once more.
Bang!
Shen Qing did not pause. His second punch followed immediately, this time aimed at Jiang Yue's right ribs.
With the last exchange fresh in his mind, Jiang Yue focused every bit of his attention on his pelvis and spine as he dodged.
He frantically issued commands in his mind, trying to lock the deep muscles that maintained his center of gravity while moving his feet.
But concentrating so hard on his body's inner workings made his movements fatally stiff.
Click!
Jiang Yue's foot had moved less than ten centimeters when his whole body caught like a rusty gear.
In that instant of hesitation, Shen Qing's fist, carrying thirty percent strength and Inch Power, struck Jiang Yue squarely in the right ribs.
"Ugh..."
Jiang Yue grunted. The bone-deep pain made his facial muscles twitch violently, and the blow sent him stumbling two steps to the left. His All-Rounder Stance collapsed completely once again.
He had maintained its intent for perhaps a tenth of a second, but his stiffness had kept him from dodging. In a real fight, he would have been a sitting duck.
"Stop."
Shen Qing withdrew his fist. Seeing Jiang Yue suck in a pained breath, he frowned and shook his head. "You did try to dodge, but you relied far too much on conscious thought."
"Jiang Yue, you need to understand: when someone faces an attack, the body's instincts are always faster than the mind's reasoning.
"You tried to consciously control your legs as they dodged and your hips as they sank. In the life-or-death instant of a real fight, that simply won't work."
Shen Qing raised two fingers and tapped his temple. "You need to abandon that deliberate control. Movement and stillness must work in harmony!
"Dodging has to become a natural extension of the intent behind your All-Rounder Stance.
"Think of water meeting a rock. It doesn't deliberately dodge. It flows around the rock's shape, yet the water's unbroken flow never changes."
"Movement and stillness in harmony..."
Jiang Yue rubbed his aching ribs with one hand and repeated the words under his breath. A fiercely stubborn gleam flashed in his dark eyes.
"Again!" Jiang Yue shouted, sinking his hips and bracing his legs once more.
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