Second-Stage Breathing Method

Even Chen Chong, slow as he could be, could tell that Yu Feng was going to give him special one-on-one instruction. Besides, he had always been sharp.

His eyes flickered, and he straightened up.

"Thank you, Coach Yu."

Yu Feng shook his head.

"It's my job."

He first made a round of the Training Room, opening all the windows and locking the door. Then he returned to the center of the room and said simply:

"Watch me."

Yu Feng began the demonstration.

His breath came out like a white dragon, roaring like a gale. The sounds in the Training Room hardly seemed human!

Chen Chong felt as if he had returned to the time when he'd first arrived at the Park.

Back then, they had just started learning the Breathing Method, and the four of them had practiced here under Yu Feng's instruction.

Li Xiaoguang had still been there then.

A trace of nostalgia appeared in Chen Chong's eyes. It had only been a short time ago, yet it already felt like the distant past.

He quickly came back to himself and watched Yu Feng's demonstration intently.

The length and duration of the white breath revealed its force, while the volume and pauses in the sound revealed its rhythm. Chen Chong soon became completely absorbed.

After about ten minutes, Yu Feng finished the first demonstration.

"Did you get a good look?"

Chen Chong frowned.

"This is a little complicated."

A hint of relief unconsciously showed in Yu Feng's eyes.

The Second-Stage Breathing Method was more than twice as complicated as the basic Breathing Method. If Chen Chong had understood it after just one demonstration, then...

"But it still changes every nine cycles, so there's something in common with the basic Breathing Method. There are also a lot of completely new steps."

Chen Chong nodded again.

In fact, its nine-cycle pattern was harder to spot than the one in the basic Breathing Method. The rhythm changed faster and more often; before he could make sense of one change, several more might have passed in the blink of an eye.

But with his experience practicing the basic Breathing Method, he could match the patterns up and quickly grasp the general rules. It was a bit of a shortcut.

Yu Feng fell silent for a moment, then said:

"You're right. Once you've grasped the pattern, it's easier to remember. Let's do it again. Put your hands here and watch carefully."

He led Chen Chong to his side, placed one of his hands against his abdomen and the other on his back, then demonstrated again.

This time, Chen Chong didn't just watch the white breath and listen to the breathing. He could also feel Yu Feng's chest vibrations through his hands, sense the rhythm and force of his breathing, and even faintly feel the breath circulating inside him.

It was much more vivid this way. It was also the second demonstration, and Chen Chong was watching for the pattern of changes every nine cycles, so he felt he could see everything clearly.

Was this what it meant to teach by word and example?

When Yu Feng finished, he said only, "Again," and immediately began another demonstration.

This time, Chen Chong tried to memorize the pattern, even consciously imitating it as he watched.

By the end, he had remembered the general outline and framework, but Yu Feng still didn't stop. He kept demonstrating.

Half an hour passed.

When Yu Feng slowly finished the Breathing Method, Chen Chong said:

"Coach Yu, let me give it a try."

"Go ahead."

Chen Chong took a deep breath.

Then he exhaled like a dragon.

Yu Feng, standing to the side with his hands behind his back, suddenly had a sharp gleam in his eyes.

His hands clenched tightly behind him, his dark face turning solemn.

After Chen Chong finished one cycle, the iron-tower-like coach slowly said:

"You made thirteen mistakes that time."

Chen Chong frowned.

"I thought there were only nine."

Yu Feng explained them to him.

After a while, Chen Chong nodded.

"I understand. I'll try again."

About fifteen minutes later, Yu Feng spoke.

"Eight."

"I only remembered seven..."

Another fifteen minutes passed.

"Five."

"It was five. There are still five left. The Second-Stage Breathing Method really is difficult."

Chen Chong exhaled and wiped the sweat from his forehead.

Yu Feng said nothing.

From Chen Chong's very first attempt, neither of them had doubted that he could perform the Breathing Method in full.

Besides, Yu Feng had called them mistakes, not errors.

By now, Chen Chong knew exactly where each mistake was.

That was enough.

More than enough.

But when Yu Feng saw that Chen Chong still looked dissatisfied, his brow twitched.

"That's already very... good progress. As long as you know how to do it correctly, you can practice on your own. Are you sure you've memorized everything?"

"I think so. The relationship between the Second-Stage Breathing Method and the basic Breathing Method is like the relationship between the Combat Technique and the Combat Drill, but also not quite. Although it's called the second stage, it isn't just an advanced variation of the basic version. It has a lot of new steps and changes. I could compare the earlier parts with the basic version to remember them. I focused on understanding the later parts just now, so I remember those too."

Chen Chong said:

"I'll try one more time. Please check it for me, Coach Yu."

He still made three mistakes that time, and he pointed them out himself after he finished. Yu Feng understood that Chen Chong at least knew exactly what the correct movements were.

Yu Feng nodded, his voice solemn.

"Very good. You have a real knack for learning, especially when it comes to theory. The methods you came up with to summarize it are useful, and there's nothing I need to correct."

"Thank you, Coach Yu."

Chen Chong looked thoughtful.

"Are the parts added to the basic Breathing Method what you use to train the second stage?"

"They're the main focus of training in the second stage, which is Tendon Training."

Yu Feng explained:

"But the basic Breathing Method can train the tendons and muscles, and even the blood and organs, too. It's just less effective and slower. Modern cultivation methods are different from ancient martial arts. Physical tempering is actually done across the whole body, but each stage has a different focus. When you tempered your bones, your tendons, membranes, and muscles were definitely trained as well. After all, tendons and bones go together; the effect just wasn't as pronounced as it was on your bones.

"After you enter the first stage, the focus is on Tendon Training, also called Bridge Building, meaning the building of a tendon bridge. Ancient martial arts often say, 'Stretch your tendons an inch, and your strength increases tenfold.' That's no exaggeration. Once the tendons and muscles throughout your body have fully extended, your explosive power will be several times greater than before."

After the Bone Beam came the Tendon Bridge. Did the later hurdles involve the blood vessels and internal organs?

Chen Chong nodded thoughtfully.

After explaining the focus of training in the first stage, Yu Feng added casually:

"You understand the Second-Stage Breathing Method now. It's much more complicated, and not everyone can learn it. One complete cycle of the standard version takes ten minutes, which makes it hard to get the hang of. So I teach everyone else the simpler seven-minute version. You have better aptitude, so I'll teach you this one."

He paused, then continued:

"Actually, there's more after this version, but... we'll talk about that later."

Chen Chong understood what he meant.

"Seven minutes, fewer changes. I've got it memorized."

That was too straightforward, but it was reassuring... Yu Feng coughed. He had originally wanted to warn Chen Chong not to train too much at first, since the Second-Stage Breathing Method put more strain on the body.

But then he remembered that Chen Chong had excellent physical adaptability and had reached the stage through his own training. There was no need to worry too much.

He was the kind of good student who often surprised you but never gave you much cause for concern.

His only shortcoming was that he had turned up in entirely the wrong place.

Yu Feng was silent for a moment, then said:

"Since you've entered the stage, Zhou Hu will definitely sign you. Your treatment will improve greatly after you sign, which is a good thing. But the company's busy right now, as you know. I'll bring it up with him when I see him in the next few days. Just wait for now."

"No rush. Thank you, Coach Yu."

Chen Chong spoke sincerely.

After seeing Yu Feng off, Chen Chong checked the time. It was only nine, still too early to sleep.

He first chewed on some Nutrient Paste to replenish his energy, then, as usual, took advantage of the Main Training Hall and continued practicing there.

Though he had only just started, he could feel that the Second-Stage Breathing Method was much more effective than the previous one.

By his rough estimate, it improved training efficiency by at least thirty percent.

And he had only just started. Once he became more proficient, its power would be on a completely different level from the basic version, whether for training or for actual combat. It would also give him an edge over the shortened version other fighters used.

But reaching that point would take plenty of practice.

He first needed to eliminate his mistakes. That was the entry level.

Once he had the basics down and became proficient, the third level wouldn't be far off. He had already experienced taking the Breathing Method to Great Mastery, so the second time would be easier.

All he needed to do was practice the new Breathing Method more and master it as soon as possible. Simple.

The cold wind howled outside the window as Chen Chong practiced in the room.

The Training Room lights stayed on until midnight.

The next day, Combat Masterclass continued as usual.

Yu Feng arrived at the Fighter Dormitory a little before class and called Chen Chong over to check his progress.

Then, for a full half hour, neither of them said a word.

Chen Chong didn't make a single mistake.

Yu Feng exhaled and nodded.

"That'll do. Make sure you practice your Combat Technique too. If you master both, you won't be at a disadvantage even among the Contracted Fighters. I already spoke to Zhou Hu last night. Wait for him to bring you the contract.

"The first contract will definitely be a basic one. If you want better terms, you'll have to earn them yourself."

Chen Chong's heart stirred. After thanking Yu Feng, he asked:

"Are there a lot of different levels for Contracted Fighters?"

"Of course. Just as there are Warm-up Fighters and Official Fighters before you enter a stage, Contracted Fighters aren't all the same either. Even the terms of each person's contract differ. Contracted Fighters don't just fight at Thunder Dragon Bar; sometimes they represent Thunder Dragon at other fight venues, too. Their eligibility, strength, and compensation are divided into fairly specific tiers, and there's even an internal ranking.

"Broadly speaking, there are three tiers: Level 2, Level 1, and Special. You'll start with a Level 2 Contract."

Chen Chong nodded to show that he understood.

He hadn't met any of the other Contracted Fighters yet, so he was curious where his punching power of around seven hundred kilograms would rank. Surely he wouldn't be at the bottom of Level 2.

With class about to start, Chen Chong was preparing to keep assisting Yu Feng when the coach said:

"You're wasting your time here. Go train on your own."

Chen Chong could learn quite a bit by sparring with Yu Feng, but at this stage, the priority really was the Second-Stage Breathing Method. After feeling the new method's training efficiency last night, he was quite captivated by it.

So Chen Chong didn't bother with formalities. He knew Yu Feng was aloof and taciturn outside of training and didn't need any of that. He bowed and left.

Yu Feng watched Chen Chong's retreating figure. After a while, some nervous-looking students began to arrive one after another. Looking at their cowering faces, his expression turned cold.

"Get in and line up. You can't even form a line properly?"

Chen Chong spent two days immersed in the Second-Stage Breathing Method, without anyone or anything disturbing him.

As he made rapid progress with the Breathing Method, he also followed Yu Feng's instructions and practiced his Combat Technique whenever he had spare time, adapting it to his current strength.

With the new Breathing Method and Yu Feng's earlier pointers, his skills improved quickly, and his stage advanced steadily. His punching power surpassed seven hundred kilograms in just two days.

A new method, new strength, and constant progress.

The feeling hooked him, drawing him completely into this world.

It wasn't until a company employee arrived that he snapped out of it.

"Chen Chong, the boss wants to see you."

Chen Chong received the message at the entrance to the Training Room. He was taken aback before he understood.

Was he finally going to sign a contract?

"Okay. Should I go to the bar?"

"The bar?"

The man looked at him strangely.

"What would you go to the bar for? The General Manager is waiting for you in the office."