In the break room, Chen Chuan was heartily feasting on cooked meat slices and pumpkin congee.
The medicinal herbs had neutralized the gamey smell of the chopped meat, leaving behind a faint herbal aroma. Its texture was soft and tender with a hint of sweetness, so he could swallow it without much chewing. Once it reached his stomach, a pleasant warmth spread throughout his body.
Yu Gang said to Chen Chuan, "Starting the Breathing Technique is very damaging to the body. Don't underestimate this black rat meat; it's the most effective thing for repairing physical damage. Martial Arts Masters of the old era often used this kind of medicinal food. The only thing is, this meat isn't easy to digest, which is why you need to eat it with pumpkin."
Chen Chuan seemed to recall something. He put down his bowl and chopsticks and said, "When I was very young, I lived on the outskirts of the city. I remember the old folks there had a saying: 'Pumpkin rice and dried rat meat, a savory and a sweet treat.' Is this 'dried rat meat' what they were talking about?"
Yu Gang said, "That's right. It's actually a children's rhyme, and it has a second half: 'On Beizhang Mountain, officials scrape the land bare; heartless and cruel, they only care for their share.'"
The common folk of Beizhang Mountain all knew the meat of the great rats in the mountains was edible and a fine medicinal ingredient, which is why it was so famous. In the old days, back when Dashun was still an Empire, local officials would force the people to dig three feet into the ground to find these rats. Later, after the Algae Fluid Revolution and the establishment of the Republic, major corporations began using brand-new food synthesis technologies. Food became cheap, and fewer people ate these rats. Nowadays, only the older generation on the outskirts and in the western part of the city still has a taste for it. Most young people would probably be disgusted."
Chen Chuan didn't really care. As long as the ingredients were clean and edible, he could stomach them. Good taste or bad was irrelevant to him, especially when it came to a medicinal food that was beneficial for his body.
As he spoke, Yu Gang watched Chen Chuan. 'I really didn't expect this boy to find the knack in a single day.' The next few times Chen Chuan demonstrated the Breathing Technique, he was spot-on, proving he had truly mastered it. That was a rare feat.
'Even after finding the knack for the Breathing Technique, a person doesn't necessarily get the hang of it right away. It takes repeated practice to adapt and master the correct pathway. For Chen Chuan to have adapted so quickly... it's simply unimaginable.'
'Now I finally understand what my master meant when he said some people possess talent that ordinary people simply don't.'
'This boy, without a doubt, has "talent." He's the kind of person who might just find the true meaning of martial training.'
Lu Ke, who was shoveling down his own rice nearby, said with an admiring expression, "Young Master Chen, you're incredible. I wish I could be like you one day."
Chen Chuan said, "I used your medicine this time, Brother Lu. I'll find a way to replace what I used. By the way, Mr. Yu, what is this medicine called?"
Yu Gang said, "This step is called 'opening the training,' so the ointment is called 'Training-Opening Powder.' If you were a Wuda student, it's very cheap to purchase internally. When it's convenient for you later, you can just buy some more to resupply Lu Ke."
Chen Chuan said seriously, "I'll remember that."
Seeing that Chen Chuan's bowl was almost empty, Lu Ke immediately offered, "Young Master Chen, can I get you a refill?"
"I can get it myself," Chen Chuan said.
He walked over to the pot and carefully scraped the last of the medicinal food into his bowl, leaving nothing behind. After returning to the table, he continued to eat. Soon, he had devoured the entire pound of black meat and the accompanying pumpkin rice. He felt warm all over, and much of his energy had returned.
Yu Gang waited a while before fixing his gaze on him. "You've grasped the basics of the Breathing Technique. Normally, you would need to familiarize yourself with it through practice and master it gradually, but we don't have time. I plan to start your formal training tomorrow, so you'll have to adapt as you train."
'Originally, my most optimistic estimate was that it would take him half a month to a month to master the Breathing Technique. Now, we've saved a huge amount of time. The schedule is still tight, but it's much more manageable than before. A lot of the plans don't have to be so compressed.'
Chen Chuan felt a surge of excitement. "Then, Mr. Yu, does the training involve sparring?"
Yu Gang said, "You're far from ready for that. In any kind of training, the body is the most important part. It's the prerequisite for everything, and that includes fighting. We're talking about strength, speed, endurance, coordination, flexibility, reflexes, and so on. Only a sufficiently solid foundation can support advanced techniques. Fortunately, you've already mastered the Breathing Technique, which will make the training much less difficult than it would have been otherwise."
He stood up, walked to the side of the room, and opened a drawer. He took out a booklet and tossed it to Chen Chuan. "I have all the necessary training equipment here. This booklet has detailed instructions for running, weight training, jumping, stretching, and so on. All the exercises are designed to complement the basic Fighting Skill. Read through it first and ask me if you don't understand anything. Some sections require a training partner; you can skip those for now. I'll arrange one for you when you reach the appropriate stage."
Chen Chuan caught it and took a look. It was an internal publication from the Wuyi Study Society, printed in the 79th Year of Jianzhi, over a decade ago. But in the Dashun Republic, it was perfectly normal for a standard textbook to be used for more than ten years. 'I remember my middle school textbooks didn't change for thirty years,' he thought.
Yu Gang added, "You ride your bike here, right? Starting tomorrow, don't. Run here instead, and practice your Breathing Technique on the way. Also, aside from breakfast, it's best if you eat all your meals here. First, let me explain the correct posture and key points for running…"
Chen Chuan didn't take the advice lightly just because running was a common activity. He carefully memorized the key points. After that, he listened as Yu Gang went over some dietary restrictions. Seeing it was getting late, Chen Chuan helped wash the dishes, then bid farewell to the master and his student and rode his bike home.
He got home a little after six. Nian Fuli wasn't back yet. Chen Chuan told Yu Wan that he had already eaten, then went to the bathroom to wash up. He washed his clothes in the backyard, and once everything was taken care of, he sat down at his desk and connected his consciousness to his "Second Self."
'Now that I've mastered the Breathing Technique, there's no reason to hold on to the damage caused by the medicine.'
'Even though the medicinal food has restorative properties, Mr. Yu said some of the damage might be permanent. That could become a hidden problem later on.'
'If it weren't for that risk, normal students wouldn't wait until their bodies were fully developed before spending months, a year, or even longer to slowly master the technique.'
As his Second Self began to fade, he felt a burden lift from his own body, and a wave of relief washed over him.
Just then, he noticed that the fading only lasted for a moment before the Second Self solidified once more.
'Huh? Did it improve again?'
He thought for a moment. 'I didn't defeat anyone today, so it must be because I mastered the Breathing Technique. At the moment I grasped the flow of my breath, I felt a genuine sense of joy.'
He took out his alarm clock again, closed his eyes, and merged his senses with his Second Self. He discovered it was true: the duration he could remain merged seemed to have increased by two or three seconds.
'It seems that any positive emotion can push the Second Self closer to reality. My previous thinking was too narrow.'
This made him wonder, 'If this continues, will it eventually become another "me" that other people can actually see? Or will it change into something else entirely?'
He wasn't sure.
For now, it felt as though he was constantly pushing another version of himself to become stronger, and they were mutually reinforcing each other's progress. Because of this, he was filled with anticipation for the changes to come.
He stood and went to the door, taking the booklet from Yu Gang out of his satchel. He began to read it carefully while waiting for Nian Fuli to return, intending to tell him what had happened that day.
However, he waited until the grandfather clock struck ten, and Nian Fuli still hadn't returned. 'He must be working all night on official business,' he figured, which was a common occurrence. So, he stopped waiting, washed up, and went to bed. He was genuinely tired from the day's events and quickly fell into a deep sleep.
「The next day.」
Chen Chuan rose, full of energy. After eating breakfast, he set off on his run.
Yu Gang had told him about another route to Quan's House. It was a detour that ran from the north to the south. Although a little longer, the road was in much better condition and would save him a lot of trouble.
As he ran, he discovered the road was indeed much smoother. The residences to the north were more orderly; though old, they weren't nearly as chaotic as on his usual path.
As he entered a narrow, high-walled alley that stretched for over a hundred meters between residential buildings, he saw a boy of sixteen or seventeen squatting on a balcony railing, brushing his teeth. His hair was a messy, stubborn tuft that stuck out like a bird's nest, and his hands were already bound in freshly tied Boxing Gloves.
From a distance, the boy heard the rhythmic, brisk sound of running. His eyes flicked in that direction. "Full of spirit, aren't we…" he muttered. His toothbrush paused, and he scratched his head. 'Have I seen him somewhere before?'
In the blink of an eye, Chen Chuan had run past through the alley below, leaving only a distant figure. The boy didn't give it another thought. He spat out his mouthwash, did a backflip off the railing, and landed lightly on the ground. He puffed out his chest and said with great vigor, "Alright, Weidong, time to work hard on today's training!"
A moment later, the sounds of sharp calls and powerful kicks echoed from inside his apartment.
Even though he was just running, the smooth road allowed Chen Chuan to reach Quan's House in a little over twenty minutes.
Lu Ke came out of the building to greet him. "Morning, Young Master Chen. Come with me. The master is waiting for you."
"Thank you, Brother Lu," Chen Chuan said.
This time, they didn't go upstairs but entered the ground floor, which served as the daily training area. It looked like two adjoining classrooms had been knocked into one large room of about 120 square meters. A sandbag hung in the distance, and various soft mats and pieces of equipment lined the walls.
Yu Gang was standing by a window with his arms crossed, looking at something outside. Chen Chuan approached and greeted him, "Good morning, Mr. Yu."
Yu Gang turned his head. "Did you remember to use the Breathing Technique on your run here today?"
Chen Chuan nodded.
"How did it feel?"
Chen Chuan thought for a moment, clenching and unclenching his fist. "My body felt like a single, unified whole. Exerting strength was easy, and I didn't get tired for a long time."
Yu Gang said, "The Breathing Technique is excellent for regulating your energy flow and the rhythm of your movements. But you've only just begun; you still need more practice to adapt. Until you've fully mastered it, the Breathing Technique will cause you harm. For the first few days, you mustn't use it for more than one Hour at a time. Your body needs time to adjust and recover."
Chen Chuan asked, "Mr. Yu, when is the Breathing Technique considered fully mastered?"
Yu Gang looked at him. "Breathing Techniques have different levels. For this Basic Breathing Technique, if you could maintain it for twenty-four hours straight, that would be considered complete mastery. But that's purely theoretical. The human body has its limits. Given the strain the technique puts on you, being able to maintain it for three to five Hours a day is already excellent, and that's more than enough for a skilled fighter."
There was something else he didn't mention. Students who entered Wuyi University Hall would learn more advanced Breathing Techniques, so no one would waste their energy trying to perfect the basic one. But there was no need to tell Chen Chuan that now; it might kill his enthusiasm for training. He decided to leave it unsaid.
"I understand, Mr. Yu," Chen Chuan said seriously.
'My Second Self can transfer the damage for me. That means I should be able to spend far more time than the average person practicing the Breathing Technique every day.'
Yu Gang then moved to the center of the room. "Before we begin your formal instruction, I want to see your foundation. Come and throw a punch at me."
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