Striking the Wooden Dummy

Sunlight streamed through the window, birds chirped softly, and a new day arrived right on time.

It was the weekend. For many university students who often stayed up late, six in the morning was still time to dream. For Jun Wangchen, whose body clock was well regulated, it was the latest he ever got out of bed.

After last night's Marrow-Washing and Hair-Purging, Jun Wangchen's physique had improved dramatically. Eight abdominal muscles were faintly visible, his body was perfectly proportioned, and there was an inexplicable appeal to his appearance.

He quickly washed up, straightened his clothes, and headed toward Jinling University's track and field grounds.

In this modern world of steel and concrete, the growing prevalence of cars, refrigerators, air conditioners, and other appliances meant that their emissions constantly polluted the pure spiritual energy of heaven and earth, making it ever thinner.

In other words, cultivating amid such sparse spiritual energy made advancement exceedingly slow.

Jun Wangchen had only embarked on the path of a Cultivator yesterday and had no good way to gather dense spiritual energy yet. For now, he could only cultivate when pollution levels were low—in the early morning.

He reached Jinling University's track and field grounds at six twenty. Few people were around, and everything was quiet and peaceful. A thin morning mist draped the grounds like gauze, giving the place a warm, tranquil beauty.

"The spiritual energy here is thin, but it's much better than on the Tree-Back Dormitory rooftop. Early morning really is the best time to cultivate on Earth." Jun Wangchen closed his eyes to briefly sense the surrounding spiritual energy, and his eyes lit up. He then looked around, intending to find a quiet place to cultivate.

Before he could move, however, a faint series of striking sounds drifted over from ahead and to his left.

It was the sound of someone striking a wooden dummy, intermittent yet forceful.

Jun Wangchen turned to look. A red wooden dummy stood in a long-jump sandpit a short distance ahead and to his left.

Standing before the red wooden dummy was a young woman wearing loose clothing, her hair tied in a ponytail.

Her slender figure resembled an elegant, languid cat. Ink-black hair fell straight to her waist, her eyes were as cold as a clear spring on a snowy mountain, and her dark brows curved gracefully.

She seemed to possess an ethereal, aloof air. Her lips were naturally crimson, poised in something that was almost a smile. It was impossible to tell where she was looking, as though she were watching you, yet nothing had truly caught her eye.

The instant Jun Wangchen saw her face, he briefly froze.

The young woman was none other than Mo Duoduo, the extraordinary genius who won so many awards her hands practically went numb and studied her way to the top of the entire university!

Mo Duoduo's hands kept striking the wooden dummy. Her movements were simple and direct, fierce and crisp, with frequent foot stamps to release force. Every move was powerful; she had clearly trained for a long time.

Jun Wangchen was somewhat surprised. Wooden dummies were extremely hard, and the pain of striking one was not something an ordinary person's arms could endure. Without several years of martial arts training, nobody could strike one as effortlessly as Mo Duoduo did.

"I never imagined Mo Duoduo practiced martial arts too. If those three animals back in my dorm found out, their jaws would probably hit the floor." Watching Mo Duoduo stand straight as a poplar before the wooden dummy, Jun Wangchen muttered to himself, unable to suppress his surprise.

As far as he knew, Mo Duoduo had always found someone to take her university physical education exams for her. Everyone said her physical fitness was far below average; otherwise, why would she be unable to take even a PE exam herself?

After seeing her today, however, that rumor was clearly false. Her sweeping movements and commanding presence as she struck the dummy were nothing like those of someone in poor physical condition.

After watching Mo Duoduo strike the dummy for several more minutes, Jun Wangchen nodded slightly and commented, "Agile movements and powerful strikes. Overall, not bad. But her control over releasing and withdrawing force is lacking, and her technique with the dummy is a little clumsy. Several strikes went wide or hit the wrong spot. She needs more practice."

He could judge this for two reasons. First, he had Zhang Sanfeng's manual, Tai Chi Fist. As the founding master of Taoist boxing, Zhang Sanfeng's understanding of fist techniques had reached the pinnacle. Second, after undergoing Marrow-Washing and Hair-Purging and becoming a Cultivator, Jun Wangchen's perception had changed beyond recognition. He was now acutely sensitive to spiritual energy, the force within the Dantian, and similar things.

Jun Wangchen had made those comments purely as a spectator. Yet, perhaps because the grounds were so quiet, every word reached Mo Duoduo's ears.

Mo Duoduo abruptly stopped striking the dummy, turned her head, and fixed her gaze on Jun Wangchen.

At a single glance, Mo Duoduo went still. Wasn't this handsome, slender young man Jun Wangchen, who had demonstrated his mastery of the Treatise on Cold Damage and Miscellaneous Diseases in yesterday's medical class?

Silence hung between them for a moment before Jun Wangchen broke it with an apology. "Sorry, Mo Duoduo. I disturbed your training. I'll leave right away."

In his impression, Mo Duoduo was the exceptionally cold and aloof type. Countless brave pioneers had once approached her with burning passion, turning themselves into wolves from the north as they persistently tried to strike up conversations with her.

Unfortunately, faced with Mo Duoduo's icy appearance, icy heart, and icy words, those wolves from the north had ended up frozen into dogs from the south.

He had no desire to invite humiliation like those people. After all, dignity was worth quite a bit. Sometimes, you even had to rely on it to make money!

"Wait!" Before Jun Wangchen could turn to leave, Mo Duoduo suddenly held out a hand and asked coldly, "Did you just say I wasn't doing it well?"

Jun Wangchen's heart sank. Damn it. I spoke so quietly, and she still heard me.

He wanted to deny it, but faced with Mo Duoduo's serious gaze, he ultimately made no attempt to hide it. "That's right. Although you're practiced, you channel your qi too low when you strike, and your explosive output is a little too high. Besides that, your hands are fast, but your movements are too artificial and a little too stiff."

"You..." Mo Duoduo's expression stiffened, and she was clearly irritated.

She had practiced martial arts since childhood, for more than ten years now. Her command of fist techniques had always ranked among the best of her family's younger generation. Someone her own age actually dared to belittle her like this?

Seeing Mo Duoduo grit her teeth, Jun Wangchen hurriedly said, "Don't be angry, Mo Duoduo. That isn't what I meant. How should I put it? The fist technique you use on the wooden dummy is fierce and powerful, but because you channel your qi too low and release too much explosive force, that power lacks cohesion.

"Under those circumstances, the same punch thrown by you and by someone else could be on completely different levels. Anyone with a little skill might send you staggering several meters backward with a single punch."

"Really? With such a discerning eye, you must be an expert, then? Why don't you strike the wooden dummy and let me see just how impressive an expert you are?" Mo Duoduo gave a cold smile. She had not taken his words to heart at all. Instead, she stressed the word "expert," clearly considering Jun Wangchen someone whose standards far exceeded his ability.

The hostility in Mo Duoduo's words made Jun Wangchen frown. After a pause, he still cupped his hands respectfully. "Since you disagree with me, I have nothing more to say. Sorry for interrupting your training."

With that, Jun Wangchen made to leave, unwilling to argue further with Mo Duoduo.

Since she did not believe him, why should he keep offering advice where it was not wanted?

Unfortunately, Mo Duoduo was hardly going to let him leave so easily. She swiftly stepped into his path, putting on an admiring look. "Jun Wangchen, don't leave so soon. I didn't quite understand your earlier comments. Please demonstrate and teach a beginner like me!"

"No, no, no. I was just talking nonsense. Don't take it seriously. I have something to do, so I'll be going." Embarrassed, Jun Wangchen hurriedly waved his hands.

Mo Duoduo's delicate brows rose. "Just try leaving. If you don't strike that wooden dummy today, I'll expose how you deliberately humiliated a fellow student!"

Jun Wangchen: "T...T"

Now I'm done for. Mo Duoduo is genuinely angry.

With Mo Duoduo's enormous following on the university's Weibo, forums, and WeChat public account, if he insisted on leaving today, a single post from her would turn the rest of his university life into an endless series of denunciations and witch hunts.

Taking a deep breath, Jun Wangchen knew he could not escape Mo Duoduo's pestering without striking the dummy. He stopped hesitating and nodded. "All right. Since you insist on a demonstration, I'll show you a move or two."

With that, Jun Wangchen walked straight up to the wooden dummy and loosened his arms and legs. Then he stood naturally upright, feet shoulder-width apart and toes pointing forward, settling into his opening stance.

He certainly looks the part! Mo Duoduo said nothing, but inwardly sneered at the sight.

She had practiced martial arts for over ten years and trained her fists every day. Her abilities had repeatedly earned her a place in the top ten during competitions among her family's younger generation. With such excellent results, how could she possibly be as inept as Jun Wangchen claimed?

If Jun Wangchen showed no real skill when he struck the wooden dummy, she would make this armchair expert pay.

While Mo Duoduo entertained those thoughts, Jun Wangchen had already closed his eyes. His feet were set slightly wider than shoulder-width, and he raised both hands, emptying his mind completely. It was as though he stood upon the Earth amid the boundless universe, with heaven, earth, and humanity united as one.

The next second, Jun Wangchen gathered qi from in front of him with both hands and poured it into his navel. He guided it along Yuzhen, Dazhui, Mingmen, and Weizhong to Yongquan at the soles of his feet, then upward from Yongquan through the Lower Dantian, Middle Dantian, Renzhong, and up to Baihui. He circulated it through the microcosmic orbit in sequence, bringing his body fully into a state of regulated breathing.

As soon as he entered this state, Jun Wangchen felt countless elastic, sticky threads between his ten fingers. Without hesitation, he took a deep, long, fine, slow breath. The elastic threads pressed upward while his hands pressed downward.

As Jun Wangchen suddenly stamped his foot against the ground, an imposing aura seemed to envelop his entire body.

"Is this... tai chi?" Watching from beside him, Mo Duoduo's sneer instantly turned to shock.

Jun Wangchen quietly extended both hands and traced circles in the air, as though touching an invisible ball. His movements seemed to merge with the wind, becoming gentle and soft, yet they gave the impression of limitless power concealed within, ready to surge out at any moment.

There was no mistake. Jun Wangchen was performing Tai Chi Fist.

While Mo Duoduo stood astonished, Jun Wangchen's movements never faltered. His hands became phantoms, striking the wooden dummy with lightning speed.

"Smack, smack, smack!"

Sounds like beans popping in a pan rang out. Jun Wangchen's hands kept punching and changing positions, one rising and one falling, one withdrawing and one extending. Each movement left a trail of afterimages that dazzled Mo Duoduo.

At the same time, an unrestrained, vividly surging aura poured from Jun Wangchen, majestic and unstoppable.

A hidden dragon's grace, a phoenix's splendor, the strength to travel a thousand miles!

Brilliant spirit and heroic bearing, bold and commanding!

Every time Jun Wangchen raised a hand, it was like a pure white sprite, a fluttering butterfly.

Every time Jun Wangchen withdrew a hand, it was like a free bird, a beautiful song.

With sturdy bones and powerful sinews, he resembled an earth-shaking mythical beast enthroned, or a demon-subduing lord descended from heaven.

Mo Duoduo froze. She no longer even felt that Jun Wangchen was striking the wooden dummy. He was playing with it.

Jun Wangchen's movements now swept through everything before them with overwhelming force. Every technique was like wind scattering clouds, like a mat rolling up without resistance. The air he exuded as he struck seemed to transcend the mortal world and approach the realm of a sage.

It was stunning. Incomparably stunning.

She truly could not believe someone could bring striking a wooden dummy to such perfection. His movements possessed the beauty of a little bridge over a flowing stream beside a home, the power of a carved bow drawn taut as the full moon, and the lofty bearing of someone looking down upon all other mountains. He was simply beyond the ordinary.

Naturally, Jun Wangchen knew nothing of the changes in Mo Duoduo's expression. At that moment, he was striking the wooden dummy entirely by feel.

His movements grew faster and faster. To Mo Duoduo, it was as though he had countless hands. Every strike brought innumerable afterimages and a continuous series of impacts, like fireworks and firecrackers exploding.

Sound followed shadow. The shadows never stopped, and neither did the sounds.

Generally speaking, the faster the movements, the more the peaceful, tranquil mood would dissolve into disorder.

But Jun Wangchen was different. No matter how fast he moved, the serene beauty he created remained, utterly unaffected by his speed.

After three minutes, Jun Wangchen stopped.

A faint mist enveloped him, as though draping him in a mysterious veil.

A breeze brushed through Jun Wangchen's tousled hair, seeming to accentuate his effortless grace.

With deep black eyes and an extraordinarily handsome face, he exuded a natural, imperial dominance in every movement. Anyone who looked at him could not resist his untamed charm.

Amid the mortal world's unfamiliar paths, a smile turned forgotten cares into a written tale.

Power over all beneath heaven, the world's farthest edge within a single reach.

That was... a sovereign!