Chapter 77: The Martial Arts World in Xiushan

Jiang Fei was too heavy and out of shape to run ten kilometers without a break. Lou Cheng adjusted the training to allow him to finish the distance. Lou Cheng let Jiang Fei walk when he reached his limit, while Lou Cheng would use the opportunity to practice his Yin-Yang Stance or Condensation Stance, training his physical coordination and mental concentration.

They ran for over an hour, with many stops, to reach People's Park at Sanli Pavilion. Jiang Fei had to wipe the sweat from his forehead constantly to keep it from getting in his eyes. If it weren't for Lou Cheng leading the way, he would have given up. This training is superhuman!

It was dawn when they arrived. People were on their way to work, and breakfast stalls were opening. It was a stark contrast to the cold, quiet darkness they had started in. This is what the world should look like!

Jiang Fei was so exhausted his eyes were bloodshot. It took a while for him to recover after drinking two bottles of water. He looked at Lou Cheng as if he were a monster. "Cheng, you don't need to catch your breath?" I'm dead tired even with all the breaks.

Lou Cheng gave him a contemptuous look. "This distance? I run a maximum of more than twenty kilometers as a morning exercise."

"Why not go for a marathon?" Jiang Fei blurted out.

Lou Cheng joked, "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 froze with regret. After a long silence, he turned to Lou Cheng. "Let's begin our martial arts training!" I have to learn something after being abducted here! I hope I can lose weight and maybe even attract some girls!

Lou Cheng adjusted his suit and pointed to the entrance of the park. "Let's find a quiet place for your meditation."

"Okay!" Jiang Fei instantly recovered from his exhaustion.

They entered the park and saw a lively scene of people doing morning exercises. Old people with white hair were practicing tai chi, some were doing partner exercises, and others were stretching. "Holy cow! There are so many people doing morning exercises in Xiushan!" Jiang Fei was shocked. It was his first time in the park at 7 a.m.

"Let's go inside." Lou Cheng looked for a quiet place.

They walked along the artificial lake, and the surroundings became quieter. The people training there were more professional. Some had coaches, others were with partners, and some practiced alone. The sound 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 many 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 like that. It will start a feud if you watch a fighter's training or movements without permission." Geezer Shi had warned Lou Cheng about this rule. However, fighters didn't mind a few glances from ordinary passersby.

Jiang Fei withdrew his eyes. "It’s said that all martial arts stadiums and gyms are closed for the holiday. I think their members are all here for exercise..."

"The training places can be closed, 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 lake. While Lou Cheng was looking for a quiet place, Jiang Fei pointed at a group of people ahead. "Qin Rui!"

Qin Rui? The amateur rank classmate from senior high? Lou Cheng looked ahead and saw a young man over 1.9 meters tall, with a high-bridged nose and coarse hair, in a white-edged blue suit. It was indeed Qin Rui. Qin Rui had sat in the back row of the classroom because of his height. It was said that he had joined the Gushan Martial Arts School in junior high and gained some fame among his classmates.

Qin Rui noticed them and heard Jiang Fei's voice. He said something to his partners and walked over. "Fatty Jiang... You're fatter!" he joked.

Jiang Fei sighed. "That's why I'm here. 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... I never thought I would meet you here."

"I’ve been training here for over half a year. You two have come here for the first time." Qin Rui was happy to see old classmates.

"There's a fair chance of meeting classmates in different places..." Lou Cheng said. "Especially in the classrooms for 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, but there are no professional martial arts teams. This puts our city at a disadvantage. We have professional fighters, even fighters of the Danqi stage, but they have no interest in teaming up. The older professional fighters can't handle the tryouts year after year, and the younger ones join teams outside Xiushan." Qin Rui talked nonstop.

The older fighters who hadn't reached Physical Invulnerability would rather work as referees, instruct disciples, or join the police force.

Jiang Fei became interested. "Did someone organize it? Did a rich person sponsor it?"

Qin Rui nodded. "Not someone. The government granted a subsidy to set up a martial arts fund, hired experts to manage it, and selected excellent fighters from all the martial arts clubs in Xiushan to form a team for the preliminaries. The government has a decade-long project to get a team from Xiushan into the third tier of the professional martial arts world. The insiders want to play the leading role. The manager of the fund plans to let the team that does best in the first year of preliminaries lead in the following years. Once the leading team is decided, the manager will invite a local fighter of the Professional Ninth Pin or Eighth Pin to be the chief member to get the lost martial arts knowledge rewarded to the winners of the preliminaries as soon as possible."

"You're one of the forces?" Lou Cheng smiled.

Qin Rui gave him a thumbs-up. "You got it! Gushan, Liheng, and Foguang Martial Arts Schools 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.

Lou Cheng glanced at them and then said goodbye to Qin Rui to find a quiet place to train.

"Cheng, what do you think of their martial arts level?" Jiang Fei asked as they got to a grove.

Lou Cheng smiled. "They were just doing moving stances. How can I tell 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're confident they can win the preliminaries." The participants' strength would not be far from the level of the Professional Ninth Pin.

"The Amateur First Pin or Second Pin? They're great!" Jiang Fei said. Qin Rui had reached Amateur Fourth Pin in his senior year. In Jiang Fei's mind, that was awe-inspiring, not to mention a fighter of the Amateur First Pin. He looked at Lou Cheng. "How about you, Cheng?"

"I haven't participated in the Ranking Event. My estimate is about the same as them," Lou Cheng answered modestly, knowing he had defeated a Professional Ninth Pin fighter with both his own strength and a bit of luck.

"About the same?" Jiang Fei was shocked. He knew Lou Cheng was good, but he never expected him to be strong enough to participate in the preliminaries for professional fighters on behalf of Xiushan. You couldn’t beat me half a year ago...

Lou Cheng did some warm-ups. "Let's start!"

Jiang Fei became excited. He stood at attention, chest out, and stomach in. "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 exercised his Yin-Yang Stance and Condensation Stance. After finishing, Lou Cheng started practicing the moving stance, including the skills and divided movements, to build muscles, adapt to force launching techniques, and improve his physical fitness. He preferred exercising his muscles at the gym, but he chose to focus on improving his physique and force launching techniques here.

He looked at Jiang Fei after finishing. He noticed his eyes move. "Can't hold on? Tired and fretful?"

"Yes... The Solemn Silence is boring. I can't see any progress!" Jiang Fei said, opening his eyes.

Lou Cheng listened and shared his own experience. "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 different.

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. A mighty fighter of Physical Invulnerability is said to have spent three years grasping meditation. Now, 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. Teaching benefits both the teacher and the student.

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's eyes were wide with astonishment. Even though he didn't know much about martial arts, he could feel the violence in every move. He knew he couldn't take a single attack. Jiang Fei became more diligent after recovering from the shock.

Finally, Lou Cheng asked Jiang Fei to attempt to meditate again while he thought about how to combine the Power of Blaze with his martial arts. Although the flame was pale, it might play a decisive role in a critical moment.