Chapter 22: Rigorous Training! Ramping Up the Intensity

At eight o'clock in the evening, Chen Jie returned to the countryside.

He had deposited one hundred thousand yuan at the hospital, which should be enough to cover expenses for some time. Although Old Chen had not yet awakened, his condition had stabilized and was no longer deteriorating. While the intensive care unit was expensive, it certainly provided peace of mind.

He called Wang Yan and Yang Jun to repay the money he had previously borrowed. In this life, those who reach out to help you when you are at your lowest are your true brothers. Though the money had been returned, the bond of friendship must never be forgotten. That kindness was something to be engraved in his heart forever.

The silver dollars would take a week to be ready. After all, "Old He’s Gold and Silver Jewelry Shop" was only a small establishment; they needed to source materials, melt the silver, and craft the pieces. The efficiency was a bit low, but Chen Jie was not in a hurry—even if he went there now, it would be late at night. He decided to use this time to hone his martial arts.

He had downloaded a wealth of information and treatises on traditional Chinese martial arts from the internet, many of which were paid downloads. He flipped through materials on various styles such as Chuo Jiao (Piercing Feet), Tan Tui (Springy Legs), Shaolin Boxing, Xingyi, and Bagua. He gained some insights into the underlying theories of many of these arts. When he came to the section on the Chuo Jiao school, he studied it meticulously, pondering every word and phrase.

To put it simply, for anyone else, the martial arts content downloaded from the internet would be useless. It was full of ethereal, high-sounding theories that were vague and obscure, leaving readers lost in a fog. Without someone who had truly grasped the mechanics of force generation in the Chuo Jiao style, it would be impossible to comprehend these profound principles.

However, by combining the essence of force generation taught to him by Thirteenth Aunt with his own recent training experiences, Chen Jie found these seemingly ethereal theories to be deeply resonant.

The Chuo Jiao school is divided into two major systems: the "Civil Path" and the "Martial Path." The Martial Path is the core of Chuo Jiao’s force generation; its movements are expansive and wide, designed for long-range strikes, fierce and ruthless, with powerful, explosive kicks. Moreover, the Chuo Jiao school is not limited to leg techniques; it encompasses boxing, elbow strikes, and more. It is comprehensive, emphasizing the integration of hands, eyes, body, heart, and steps into one. Naturally, as a leg-based art, it uses various kicking techniques as its core. Thus, in the parlance of the Chuo Jiao school, the Martial Path is also known as the "Nine-Turn Linked Mandarin Duck Legs"—every step is a kick, every kick a step, interlocking in a sequence as swift as thunder.

The Civil Path serves as an auxiliary to the Martial Path. It is insidious, ruthless, and filled with unpredictable, deceptive maneuvers—essentially "dirty tricks." Its core can be summarized in one word: speed. It relies on catching the opponent off guard. Every kick is deceptive, a mixture of feints and real strikes, attacking from the east while striking in the west, making it impossible to defend against.

These high-level theories, while simple in wording, lacked instructions on practice methods and force generation. In short, these were fragmented records passed down from the past; no one had ever mastered true Chuo Jiao through online downloads. Because these records lacked the genuine transmission of martial force, training methods, and combat applications, even a person with extraordinary talent could never grasp the true essence of Chuo Jiao based solely on these texts.

Chen Jie, however, was completely different. Having received the personal instruction of Thirteenth Aunt, he found that after studying these texts carefully, he benefited immensely.

"Without a scripture, one cannot pass on the Way; without a master, one cannot master the martial arts! Without the word-of-mouth transmission from a master, achieving mastery in traditional martial arts is simply unrealistic," Chen Jie sighed to himself after finishing the texts.

For Buddhist and Taoist traditions, one only needs the sutras to pass on the teachings, leaving the interpretation to the individual. Martial arts, however, are different. Without a master’s guidance, it is difficult to grasp the mysteries hidden within the texts. Of course, many of the documents Chen Jie downloaded were incomplete and missing content. If not for the true essence of force generation taught by Thirteenth Aunt, he would certainly not have been able to understand the underlying principles in these books.

After finishing the materials, Chen Jie felt that his understanding of martial arts had made significant progress. In the hills behind his home, he first stood in a horse stance for an hour before practicing a set of Chuo Jiao fundamentals. With his center of gravity lowered, his footing was rock solid. The transition of power between his leg techniques became much smoother, and with each kick, a trace of "linked force" began to emerge.

"The core of leg technique is the concentration of power in the waist and the balance of the center of gravity," he mused. "If I were to wear roller skates and practice Chuo Jiao on a concrete floor, could I still maintain my balance?"

No sooner did the thought occur than he acted upon it. He went into the house and found a pair of roller skates under his bed—a birthday gift from Old Chen for his eighteenth birthday, just before he graduated high school. All these years, he had never been able to bring himself to throw them away.

Chen Jie put on the skates and cautiously stepped into the courtyard. As expected, the skates were incredibly slippery on the concrete, making it nearly impossible to hold his center. As soon as he dropped into a horse stance and prepared to kick, his balance shifted, and he nearly tumbled to the ground. Fortunately, his waist was flexible, and his recent fundamental training had been solid. Just as he was about to fall, he stepped out with his other leg to stabilize himself, avoiding a crash.

"Excellent! This is challenging! I will definitely reach the threshold of the Pulse-Cleansing stage!" Far from being discouraged, Chen Jie was ecstatic.

In the next moment, he lowered his center of gravity, bent his knees, and planted his legs as if they were nails driven into the ground. Because of the skates, he had to maintain intense, laser-like focus. It must be said that this training method was highly effective for stabilizing one's center of gravity. After training with the skates, Chen Jie quickly mastered the force required to keep his balance. Even when switching legs during a kick, he could maintain his equilibrium.

At the beginning, he wasn't used to it and fell many times. However, after one night, the number of falls decreased, and his technique became increasingly proficient. Three days later, Chen Jie had gradually adapted to the concentration of force; wearing the skates, he could now execute linked kicking sequences. It was almost as if he weren't wearing them at all.

"Could I strap sandbags to my legs to train my kicks?" His obsession with martial arts grew, and he soon raised his own standards.

*Bang, bang, bang!*

He unleashed a kick—the speed was not fast, but the power was substantial. However, once he added five-kilogram sandbags to his legs, he lost control of his balance and instantly slipped, crashing to the ground. It was undeniable that training with skates and sandbags was many times harder than conventional methods. This was a technique he had devised himself, not something Thirteenth Aunt had taught him.

He continued this training for seven days. Each day, he would visit the hospital to check on Old Chen’s condition, and he spent all his remaining time training. Beyond Chuo Jiao, he practiced his stances, boxing, and elbow strikes. Although his movements still appeared somewhat raw, he finally stopped falling over; his center of gravity was exceptionally stable. The strength in every joint and muscle of his body was now concentrated. Once he exerted force, the power flowed through his entire body, exploding in an instant.

"This is a phenomenon that only occurs once the 'Muscle-Strengthening' stage is solidified; the muscles are capable of erupting with peak explosive power in an instant!" he thought. "Although I have only just mastered 'Muscle-Strengthening,' the most important 'Force-Increasing' stage comes next. According to Thirteenth Aunt, before I step into the 'Pulse-Cleansing' entry level, the more I can increase my strength, the more ferocious my explosive power will be when I break through to the peak of 'Copper Skin and Bright Force'!"

"In a few days, I'll find a boxing gym and test just how much 'peak explosive power' I truly have."

"The time is right; it’s time to go see Thirteenth Aunt."