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Jiang Fei was too fat and weak to run ten kilometers without any break for the first training. Lou Cheng had adjusted the training method for him to run the same distance.
Lou Cheng allowed Jiang Fei to take a break by walking slowly when he had reached his limit, while he himself took the opportunity to practice the Yin-Yang stance or the Condensation stance in order to train on his physical coordination and boost his mental concentration.
They ran for more than an hour with halts from time to time to reach the People’s Park of Sanli Pavilion. Jiang Fei had to wipe the pouring sweat from his forehead now and then to keep his eyes from being covered. If it weren’t for Lou Cheng setting an example for him to follow, he would have given up.
The training is superhuman!
It was dawn when they arrived. People were on their way to work, and the breakfast stalls near the Park were stirring. Quite a contrary scene to the dark, cold and quiet one that Lou Cheng had experienced. It was what the world should look like!
Jiang Fei was so exhausted that his eyes were bloodshot. It took a while for him to recover after gulping down the two bottles of water that he bought from a small shop nearby. He looked at Lou Cheng as if looking at a monster.
Cheng, you don’t need to catch your breath?
I was dead tired even though we took breaks.
This distance?
— Lou Cheng gave Jiang Fei a contemptuous gaze —
I run a maximum distance of more than twenty kilometers as morning exercise.
Why not go for a marathon?
Jiang Fei blurted out.
Lou Cheng responded in a joking tone.
I don’t mean to brag, but I can make them all call me dad. My endurance talent has awakened since I started martial arts training. You can call me a freak in this regard.
No wonder… I follow a freak example…
Jiang Fei seemed to freeze with deep regret, and he kept silent for a long while before he turned around to Lou Cheng.
Let’s begin our martial arts training!
I have to learn something as being abducted here!
Hope I can lose my weight through the training!
Hope I can learn a thing or two to attract girls!
Lou Cheng positioned his suit and pointed at the entrance of the Park.
Let’s look for a quiet place for your meditation.
OK!
Jiang Fei had instantly recovered from exhaustion.
They entered the Park and saw a lively scene of people doing their morning exercise in the shade, beside the lawn or by the riverside. Elderly people with white hair were practicing tai chi, some vigorous people were doing pair exercise, and others were stretching their bodies to practice martial arts moves.
Holy cow! There are so many people doing morning exercise in Xiushan!
Jiang Fei was shocked in the early morning sunlight. It was the first time for him to come to People’s Park at 7 a.m.
Let’s go inside.
Lou Cheng looked around for a quiet place.
Walking down the path along the artificial lake, they found the environment became quieter and quieter. People doing training here were obviously more professional in martial arts. Some had coaches to instruct, some were exercising with partners, and others were practicing alone. The rattle of exploding force could be heard from time to time.
I didn’t know there were so many warriors in Xiushan until we came here,
Lou Cheng observed.
It was just one of the parks suitable for training.
Yes, they seem really something!
Jiang Fei craned his neck to look.
Lou Cheng patted Jiang Fei’s shoulder.
Don’t look at them in this way. It will start a feud if you watch the fighters’ training or movement without permission in the martial arts world.
Geezer Shi had specifically warned Lou Cheng about this rule in the martial arts world to keep him from causing trouble from a young man’s burning curiosity. Yet fighters would not care about a few glimpses from ordinary people just passing by.
Jiang Fei withdrew his eyes and said with a tinge of emotion.
It’s said that all martial arts stadiums and gyms are closed for the break. I think their members are all coming here for exercise…
The training places can be closed for business, but personal practice must continue. ‘The used key is always bright.'
Lou Cheng said in Geezer Shi’s tone,
They must be disciples of masters from martial arts schools or clubs.
As they talked, they arrived at the other side of the artificial lake. While he was looking for a quiet place, Jiang Fei suddenly pointed at a group of people before them.
Qin Rui!
Qin Rui? The classmate of the amateur rank at senior high school? Lou Cheng looked ahead following the direction of Jiang Fei’s finger. Among the exercisers in white-edged blue suits was a young man, over 1.9 meters tall, with eyebrow slits, a high-bridged nose, and coarse hair. It was indeed Qin Rui.
Qin Riu was always sitting in the last row of the classroom because of his height. It was said that he joined the Gushan Martial Arts School as a third-year student at junior high school and gained some fame across the grade after integrating with a group of similar students from other classes. He expected nothing less than a certificate of graduation from junior high school even as his academic performance got worse and worse.
Qin Rui noticed someone pointing in their direction and heard the voice of Jiang Fei. He said something to his partners and came up.
Fatty Jiang… You’re fatter!
Qin Rui was surprised for a second and then made fun of Jiang Fei in a friendly manner.
Jiang Fei sighed with his palms facing up.
That’s why I’m here now. Do you remember him?
How can I forget him? Lou Cheng! I used to copy his homework.
Qin Rui smiled at Lou Cheng.
I heard you went to Songcheng University. Well done! You look more vigorous now!
Lou Cheng smiled.
It sounds as if I was dispirited… Never thought I would meet you here.
I’ve done morning training here for over half a year. You two have come here for the first time.
Qin Rui was pretty happy to see old classmates.
There is a fair chance meeting some classmates in different places…
Lou Cheng seemed to just come to a realization.
Especially in the classrooms for the returning students at No.1 senior high school!
For over half a year?
Lou Cheng asked without thinking.
Qin Rui casually said,
It’s extra training. I do my regular training at night because I have to study during the day.
Why do you have extra training? For the Ranking Event after the Spring Festival?
Jiang Fei asked out of curiosity.
Qin Rui seemed excited.
For the preliminaries, rather than the Ranking Event!
Preliminaries?
Both Lou Cheng and Jiang Fei knew what that meant.
It was the entrance to the professional martial arts world!
Yes! Preliminaries! Xiushan is well-known in the Province. Yet there are no forces or teams of professional martial arts. It puts our city in an unfavorable situation in some cases. Actually, we have professional fighters, even fighters of Danqi stage, but they have no interest in teaming up. The status quo is that the professional fighters in Xiushan are either walking into their sunset of life or joining other teams outside Xiushan.
Qin Rui talked unceasingly.
For the older professional fighters not reaching physical invulnerability, they could bear to take part in matches occasionally, but not the tryouts year in year out. Apparently, it was a better choice for them to work as referees, instruct some disciples, be guests for some events, or join the police force.
Jiang Fei became interested and asked,
Someone organized it? The moneybags sponsored it?
Qin Rui nodded his head.
Not someone. The government granted a subsidy to set up a martial arts fund, employed experts to manage and organize it, and selected excellent fighters from all martial arts clubs and family sects in Xiushan to team up for preliminaries. The government made a decade-project for the force of Xiushan to enter the third tier of the professional martial arts world.
He laughed to himself and continued sharing.
Wherever there are human beings, there is intrigue and calculation. The insiders all want to play the leading role in advancing the project. The manager of the fund plans to let the force which does best in the first-year preliminaries exercise leadership in the following years. When the leading force is decided, the manager will invite back a local fighter of the Professional Ninth Pin or Eighth Pin to act as the chief member in order to get the lost knowledge of the martial arts rewarded for the winners of the preliminaries as soon as possible.
You’re one of the forces?
Lou Cheng smiled.
Qin Rui made a thumbs-up sign.
You got it! Gushan, Liheng and Foguang Martial Arts School are in the same boat, so are Mingwei and Shifeng Martial Arts School as well as some family sects. These are my great senior brothers and sisters!
He pointed at the fighters in white-edged blue suits who were doing routine exercise in a slow manner.
Lou Cheng had a look at them and continued chatting for a while before saying goodbye to Qin Rui and looking for a quiet place to train.
Cheng, what do you think of their level of martial arts?
Jiang Fei asked out of curiosity when they got to a grove far away from the training fighters.
Lou Cheng smiled.
They were just exercising moving stances. How can I see their level? I don’t have piercing eyes! But I guess they must have at least reached the Amateur First Pin or Second Pin since they have confidence in winning the preliminaries.
It was the entrance of the professional martial arts world. The participants’ strength would not be far away from the level of the Professional Ninth Pin. Otherwise, they were just inviting humiliation.
The Amateur First Pin or Second Pin? They’re great!
Jiang Fei said.
Qin Rui reached the Amateur Fourth Pin in the second half of the semester as a third-year student at senior high school. In Jiang Fei’s memory, he was awe-inspiring in the martial arts circle of schools then, not to mention the fighters of the Amateur First Pin or Second Pin.
Jiang Fei looked at Lou Cheng and asked out of curiosity,
How about you, Cheng?
I haven’t participated in the Ranking Event. My estimate is about the same as them.
Lou Cheng answered with modesty, knowing he defeated the fighter of the Professional Ninth Pin by both self-strength and good luck.
About the same?
Jiang Fei was shocked. He came to know Lou Cheng was good at martial arts yesterday, but he never expected so much of his pal. Lou Cheng had the strength to take part in the preliminaries for professional fighters on behalf of Xiushan!
You couldn’t beat me half a year ago…
Lou Cheng did some warming-up.
Let’s start!
Jiang Fei became excited at the thought of his superb friend. He immediately stood at attention with stomach-in and chest-out posture.
Yes!
Lou Cheng taught Jiang Fei how to meditate and explained the essence of the concealment of spirit and qi. He then let Jiang Fei practice by himself while he exercising Yin-Yang Stance and Condensation Stance.
After finishing the Solemn Silence, Lou Cheng opened his eyes and started to practice the moving stance, including the skills and divided movements. The exercise would help him build up muscles and adapt to force launching techniques as well as improve his physical fitness.
Lou Cheng preferred exercising his muscles in the Strength Training Gymnasium of the Martial Arts Club which was equipped with professional fitness facilities. As for the skills and divided movements, he chose to focus on improving physique and force launching techniques.
He looked at Jiang Fei after finishing the moving stance. He noticed his eyes move and laughed.
Can’t hold on? Tired and fretful?
Yes… The Solemn Silence is rather boring. I can’t see any progress!
Jiang Fei immediately opened his eyes.
Lou Cheng listened to him telling his feelings and shared some experience of his own.
It takes at least half a year to cross the threshold of meditation, except for the real geniuses. You don’t need to be anxious. Everything is going fine.
It just takes half a year?
Jiang Fei’s focus was obviously different from Lou Cheng’s.
Lou Cheng’s lips twitched.
Most people lose their confidence after half a year of fruitless practice. Of course, there are people with more perseverance who can keep it up. A mighty fighter of physical invulnerability, for example, is said to spend three years grasping the meditation. Well, follow me for the moving stance.
Lou Cheng taught Jiang Fei what he had just practiced. He had a better understanding when explaining the difficulties to Jiang Fei. Teaching benefits teacher and student alike.
When Jiang Fei was barely able to practice the moving stance, Lou Cheng started to exercise martial arts moves: single whip, blast punch, thump and leg attack, tearing the air and starting the wind. Jiang Fei was clearly astonished with his eyes opened wide.
Even though he did not know much about the martial arts, he could feel the violence and craziness of every move. He was unable to bear even a single attack!
Jiang Fei became more diligent in the move stance training after recovering from the shock.
At last, Lou Cheng asked Jiang Fei to attempt to meditate again while he was thinking about how to combine the Power of Blaze with martial arts.
Although the flame was pretty pale, it might play a deciding role at a critical moment!
