Guidance on the Cloud Smoke Step

After parting ways with Wang Hui, Chen Lie immediately headed to the East River Martial Arts Hall.

He had arranged to teach Cloud Smoke Step to his younger sister's classmate, Li Xianyu, at the East River Martial Arts Hall that morning. He had originally planned to collect the exotic beast meat first thing in the morning before heading over, but he had not expected this complication.

By the time he arrived at the East River Martial Arts Hall, it was already past noon. After checking the time, Chen Lie hurried inside.

Li Xianyu was in a terrible mood.

Following her parents' instructions yesterday, she had signed up for Cloud Smoke Step lessons. Yet Chen Lie's astonishing footwork had completely won her over, and he had promised that for one hundred thousand star credits, he could teach her to use the footwork with ease.

They had agreed that he would begin teaching her that morning. Li Xianyu had risen early and arrived at the East River Martial Arts Hall before eight to wait.

By ten, Li Xianyu was not anxious. Their agreement had been for the morning, after all, and they had not specified an exact time. But once noon had passed, she could no longer sit still.

Could Chen Xingyao's brother have stood her up? She did not even know his name.

Could he have scammed her out of one hundred thousand star credits and run off? But a monk could run while the temple remained. It was not as if she did not know where Chen Xingyao lived.

Since she did not have Chen Lie's contact information, Li Xianyu had several times wanted to call Chen Xingyao's communicator and ask what was going on, but each time she held herself back.

Just as Li Xianyu was growing increasingly uneasy, Chen Lie hurried over from the distance.

"Something delayed me. I came late. Sorry."

At the sight of the tardy Chen Lie, Li Xianyu finally breathed a sigh of relief, as if the clouds had parted to reveal the moon. "It's fine. You finally made it, Senior."

"Then let's begin." Chen Lie set the things in his hands aside.

"As the saying goes, if you want to do a good job, you must first sharpen your tools.

"Any footwork depends on coordination between the waist and legs. So before learning the footwork, I've specially prepared a set of flexibility exercises for your legs and waist.

"Follow me. First step: leg presses."

As he spoke, Chen Lie walked over to a set of training equipment and demonstrated the leg presses for Li Xianyu.

Li Xianyu was somewhat confused. When the instructors at the martial arts hall taught students martial arts, they usually started teaching right away. Why was Chen Lie making her do leg presses first?

Though she did not understand, Li Xianyu still nodded, raised one long leg, and copied Chen Lie's movements.

After finishing his demonstration, Chen Lie stood to the side and watched. Whenever he saw Li Xianyu perform a movement incorrectly, he corrected her.

Once Li Xianyu's movements had become more or less standard, Chen Lie nodded. "Very good. Do the leg presses one hundred times first."

"One hundred times?"

Li Xianyu looked at Chen Lie in confusion, but seeing his serious expression, she could only nod. "All right, I'll do it."

More than half an hour passed before Li Xianyu finally completed one hundred leg presses.

Her feet were weak and her legs numb as she walked over to Chen Lie. "Senior, I've finished the one hundred leg presses."

Chen Lie nodded. "Follow me for the next step: back bends."

As he spoke, he went to a suitable piece of training equipment and demonstrated again.

Li Xianyu was puzzled. She was here to learn Cloud Smoke Step. What was the point of all these unnecessary twisting and leg-stretching exercises?

"What are you standing around for? Do it!" Seeing Li Xianyu remain motionless, Chen Lie immediately urged her on.

"Oh, okay!"

Li Xianyu hurriedly put those thoughts aside and followed Chen Lie in performing the back bends.

After Chen Lie corrected her several times, Li Xianyu's back bends gradually became standard as well.

"That's it. Hold it for twenty minutes."

And so, Li Xianyu maintained the back-bend position without moving.

Back bends were normally easy for her. After all, she was in the key class of her first year of high school, and her vitality value was already very close to 1 Cal. But the back-bend posture Chen Lie had designed was exceptionally demanding. In less than two minutes, she felt her waist begin to ache and weaken.

Remembering Chen Lie's requirement of twenty minutes, Li Xianyu could only grit her teeth and endure. She kept watching the time. The instant it was up, she sprang to her feet with a flip, but nearly lost her balance and staggered, almost falling to the ground.

Li Xianyu felt numbness in her legs, soreness in her feet, and utter weakness in her waist, as though she could not exert the slightest bit of strength. She walked up to Chen Lie and said, "Senior, the twenty minutes are up."

"Mm. Next are the ankles."

"Senior!"

Before Chen Lie could finish, Li Xianyu interrupted him. "Let's start learning Cloud Smoke Step."

She did not want to waste any more time. She felt that doing all this was completely useless.

"Can't wait any longer?" Chen Lie remembered that he had important business tomorrow and was short on time himself, so he said, "Fine. Then let's start learning Cloud Smoke Step."

Chen Lie began instructing Li Xianyu. He first had her carefully perform Cloud Smoke Step once, then pointed out several flaws and corrected them.

Chen Lie's understanding of martial arts had reached the realm of a grandmaster. His experiences in the Central Galactic Empire had given him insights far beyond those of Blue Star's local grandmasters. Furthermore, as the keeper of the scripture repository at the Tai'a Star Province Martial Cultivation Academy, he had often watched the academy's instructors teach their disciples.

When it came to teaching students, even a renowned martial arts master from East River Province might not possess even one percent of Chen Lie's ability.

As Li Xianyu practiced Cloud Smoke Step, she felt as though she had divine assistance.

Chen Lie's guidance sounded like pearls of wisdom, every word priceless.

Compared to the martial arts hall's instructors, Li Xianyu felt that the one hundred thousand star credits had been far too well spent.

The martial arts hall instructors' guidance would make her feel that it sounded reasonable, that perhaps it should indeed be done that way, but she would have no idea where to begin improving. Chen Lie's guidance, however, could enlighten her in an instant, allowing her to clearly recognize her own shortcomings and correct them of her own accord.

Just as Li Xianyu was immersed in the joy of practicing Cloud Smoke Step and improving rapidly, Chen Lie's instruction abruptly came to an end.

"That's enough for today. We'll practice again tomorrow."

"Wh... why?"

Her momentum interrupted, Li Xianyu could not help asking.

Chen Lie said, "I have an urgent matter to handle. I'll come guide you again tomorrow."

"Today's over?"

Was that not far too short?

Including the earlier back bends and leg presses, Chen Lie had spent less than two hours actually instructing her.

She admitted that Chen Lie's less-than-two-hours of guidance had been more useful than ten days of lessons from the martial arts hall instructors, but the time really was too short.

"Yes. You can practice on your own at the martial arts hall. Also, I have something to do tomorrow morning, so come wait for me at the martial arts hall in the afternoon," Chen Lie said.

"Tomorrow... afternoon?"

Chen Lie also felt as though he was being somewhat irresponsible. After all, he had accepted Li Xianyu's one hundred thousand star credits only yesterday, yet had taught her for just a few hours. So he said, "I truly have important business to handle tomorrow. If you're worried, you can come with me. I'll guide you whenever I have time."

Upon hearing that, Li Xianyu could only nod. "I'll go with you, Senior."

If Chen Lie's instruction had progressed as slowly as the martial arts hall instructors' lessons, she would certainly have started accusing him of being irresponsible.

But after Chen Lie's two hours of teaching, she understood that she was actually the one getting the better deal. Even if she spent two hundred thousand star credits on Cloud Smoke Step lessons from a martial arts hall instructor, the entire course would absolutely not compare to Chen Lie's guidance over the past two hours.

She was also afraid that a careless remark might offend this senior.

"But Senior, I still don't know your name or how to contact you," Li Xianyu added softly.

"My name is Chen Lie. Turn on your communicator, and I'll send you my contact information."

"Mm!"

Li Xianyu took out her communicator and quickly saved Chen Lie's contact information.

"Then I'll be going."

With that, Chen Lie picked up the Soul-Nurturing Flower and twenty jin of natural exotic beast meat, then left the martial arts hall.