Start with push-ups to gain experience

Chapter 374 The Master of Baguazhang

Shen Haoming's thoughts began to drift away, and a magnificent picture slowly unfolded in his mind.

First up is the East City Karate Amateur Competition.

Fang Cheng secured the championship with a textbook-perfect "hand chop to the face," accurately striking his opponent's face and cleanly winning an "ippon."

Next up is the provincial professional championship.

Facing formidable opponents, Fang Cheng's footwork was already highly refined. He used a smooth combination of "stepping forward and then counter-stepping → front kick → spinning kick" to suppress his opponents and win the gold medal once again.

Then came the national finals.

Facing a heavy hitter from Kyokushin-ryu, Fang Cheng advanced instead of retreating, using a brilliant "carved punch" to score before his opponent's heavy blow, winning by a narrow margin and standing at the top of the nation.

From then on, Fang Cheng's name resounded throughout the martial arts world of Xia Kingdom.

But that's not enough!
Shen Haoming's fantasy continued to soar.

The World Karate Federation finals were held at the Dome Martial Arts Hall, where the shouts of tens of thousands of spectators were deafening.

Fang Cheng, representing Xia Country, faces off against the defending champion, a karate prodigy from Japan.

With one second remaining, the score was tied.

Fang Cheng let out a loud shout and delivered a perfect "front kick," striking his opponent squarely in the abdomen.

The referee raised his flag high—"One-ball!"

The whole audience was boiling in an instant!

Fang Cheng won the world championship and became the most dazzling superstar of the Songtao School in recent decades!

But he did not stop there.

Instead, he chose to calm down and work with Shen Haoming to deeply study the "kata" and "disassembly techniques" of karate, honing the skills of the Shotokan school to an unprecedented level.

He is no longer just an athlete, but a true martial artist, a grandmaster!
And what about Shen Haoming?

As the only mentor and coach of this legendary master, his name will also be recorded in history.

With his unparalleled experience in training world champions and his profound understanding of karate techniques.

He easily rose through the ranks to become a fifth-dan, sixth-dan black belt... and eventually became the revered "ninth-dan Hanshi"!
Whenever someone mentions the legendary master Fang Cheng, they will inevitably mention that great name—Shen Haoming, a teacher!

Just thinking about that scene made Shen Haoming's lips curl into a lecherous grin.

"Coach Shen? Coach Shen..."

A few questions drifted into his ears, pulling Shen Haoming back from his dream of soaring to great heights.

He was startled to see Fang Cheng looking at him with a slightly probing gaze.

"Coach Shen, you've already taught us the basic hand chop technique. When can we start practicing its practical applications and combinations?"

"Yeah yeah."

Upon hearing this, the other new trainees immediately echoed his sentiments.

"Cough, cough, cough!"

Shen Haoming blushed and quickly coughed a few times to cover up his embarrassment, then quickly adopted the authoritative posture of a coach.

"You haven't even mastered the basics yet and you're already thinking about combo moves? That's unrealistic!"

He first gave a reprimand as was his habit, then changed the subject.

"However, considering your decent comprehension, I'll make an exception and teach you an advanced technique today—the hand chop parry counterattack."

Shen Haoming cleared his throat, his expression becoming serious and professional.

"Okay."

He took a few steps, lowered his center of gravity, and assumed the classic backbend stance.

His gaze was fixed on the air in front of him, as if an invisible opponent stood there.

"This is the most basic offensive and defensive transition technique. The core is the integration of defense and counter-attack. When the opponent attacks with a mid-section straight punch..."

As he spoke, he simulated a blocking motion, breaking down the movement.

"You should use the outside hand to parry. At the moment of contact, your body should be like wringing a towel, transferring the power from your waist to your arm, and naturally deflecting the opponent's attack."

His movements were fluid and graceful, his palms tracing an arc like the back of a knife.

"The moment the block is completed is the beginning of the counterattack."

"Don't hesitate at this moment! Rotate your hips, thrust your shoulder forward, and use your rear hand to strike directly at the opponent's vital center!"

Before he finished speaking, his other fist struck out like a hammer.

With a flick of his arm, the sleeve of his shirt made a sharp, powerful whooshing sound as it cut through the air.

"Hand techniques and footwork must be synchronized. You must have the momentum to cut through your opponent with a single stroke, and the decisiveness to finish them off with a single blow!"

"Having this feeling is the key to exerting force."

Next, he practiced the second combination move.

"If the opponent steps forward and intends to engage in close combat, you can use a horizontal chop to strike the carotid artery on the side of their neck to disrupt their balance."

His palm moved with lightning speed, striking out and then instantly retracting without any hesitation.

"Note that the chop strike must be quick and decisive, and you must leave immediately after the strike. Never let your opponent grab your arm, or you will immediately be put on the defensive."

"At the moment the enemy loses their balance, simultaneously use a front kick to follow up!"

A front kick, similar to a Sanda front kick, followed closely by a hand chop, came to a steady stop in mid-air.

"These are very useful basic combos in close combat. Don't try to learn too much at once. Master these two moves first."

Shen Haoming slowly retracted his leg and let out a long sigh.

"Later, I will teach you mid-to-long-range combination techniques, as well as how to combine throws and joint locks to subdue your opponents."

"Alright, the focus of this lesson is to build a foundation. Now, everyone practice the standard hand chop strike one hundred times!"

Shen Haoming's gaze swept over everyone, his tone stern.

"When you can generate force decisively and each swing produces a 'whoosh' sound, you've entered the basics and can start trying to hit objects."

"Of course, don't even think about splitting wooden boards. You're still far from that level. Start with soft targets and sandbags."

After giving his instructions, Shen Haoming walked away with his hands behind his back to the other side to instruct the advanced class students who were practicing sparring.

Fang Cheng and several new students bowed in unison to express their gratitude, following the etiquette of karate.

Then, shouts and cheers rang out as everyone began their own practice.

Fang Cheng did not make a move immediately, but closed his eyes and replayed Shen Haoming's every move in his mind over and over again.

From the moment you push off the ground, how does the power transfer through your ankles, knees, and hips, and then through your waist and shoulders?

Ultimately, the energy is concentrated in the arm and unleashed through the "blade" formed by the five fingers together.

Penetrating hand, inside hand knife, outside hand knife, hand knife plus reverse thrust, cross hand knife splitting the neck and adding front kick...

The path of every movement was clearly imprinted in his mind.

He then acted in accordance with the law.

Repeat these basic movements over and over again, feeling the contraction and relaxation of each muscle.

With his terrifying body control and memory, Fang Cheng quickly mastered the knack of exerting force, and his movements became more and more skillful.

To outsiders, every time he swung his hand, it was powerful and imposing.

This is almost equivalent to those elite students who have been practicing for months, or even professional players.

But Fang Cheng knew in his heart that this was still far from true mastery.

At least, there was no flashing light or skill unlock notification appearing before his eyes as he had expected.

All Fang Cheng can do now is repeat these movements over and over again, using thousands of repetitions to completely integrate them into his muscles and make them instinctive.

He wanted to see if he could unlock the new skill of karate through this most direct method.

More than half an hour has passed, and the panel still shows no reaction.

Fang Cheng stopped, rested for a while, and secretly analyzed the reasons.

Based on past experience, learning just a few basic moves is far from enough to unlock a complete skill.

One must master all the core techniques of this skill to a certain level of proficiency and have a thorough understanding of them before the system can recognize them.

Modern karate has evolved to the point where it has absorbed the strengths of many schools, resulting in a wide variety of techniques.

It encompasses a wide range of fighting techniques, including boxing, elbow strikes, hand strikes, kicking techniques, grappling, throwing techniques, ground techniques, locking techniques, chokes, reverse techniques, and grappling. Most of these techniques are essentially the same as those in other fighting styles.

After practicing skills such as boxing, Sanda, Muay Thai, and Jiu-Jitsu.

Fang Cheng's martial arts skills have long reached the level of a grandmaster, and his foundation in jujitsu means that techniques such as throws, locks, and chokes are no problem for him.

The only weakness is the palm-opening technique, represented by the hand chop.

In other words, it's about the skill of the palms and fingers.

Perhaps it's just because the hand-blade technique I've mastered is too basic and simplistic?

Once you've mastered more variations and combinations, you should be pretty much there.

Fang Cheng listened to Shen Haoming's pre-class introduction.

Karate has four traditional schools: Shotokan-ryu, Goju-ryu, Wado-ryu, and Ito-ryu.

Each school emphasizes different techniques.

The Songtaokan style emphasizes expansive and graceful movements, with a greater focus on leg techniques and throwing techniques.

The hand chop technique in their routines is mostly used for defense or control, combined with punches and kicks for counterattacks, rather than as an active means of attack.

The school that is most adept at using hand chop as its main offensive method is the Gangrou-ryu school, known for its hard skills and fierce power.

That is, the school to which the Mashima Goro family belongs.

This school of martial arts practitioners often train their hand-blade skills by chopping hard objects, and are famous for their performances of breaking bricks and stones.

If you want to learn stronger and more comprehensive hand-sword techniques, studying under Shen Haoming of the Shotokan school is not actually the best choice.

Unfortunately, Goro Majima has been missing for almost half a year.

Otherwise, you could ask him for advice.

After a moment's thought, Fang Cheng decided to go to the audio-visual store in Wudatong after returning to Jiuchang Street.

Maybe I can find a few DVDs teaching karate and study them carefully.

He gathered his thoughts and glanced at the few new students slacking off beside him.

They had only practiced for a short while when they were panting heavily, grimacing, and their arm movements were as limp as cotton swabs.

Fang Cheng shook his head and turned his gaze to the other side of the hall.

There was a row of fixed human-shaped targets there, specifically for practicing hitting.

Another group of trainees who had just finished training were leaving the training ground.

Fang Cheng then walked to the empty human-shaped target, stood with his feet apart, and resumed his stance.

This time, he didn't just swing his weapon out of thin air.

Instead, they imagine the targets as real enemies and conduct simulated combat.

Of course, one must control the hidden violent power within one's body to avoid smashing the training equipment with a single blow.

boom! boom! boom!
The dull thuds of impact echoed throughout the training hall.

Fang Cheng used a human-shaped target as his enemy, practicing the combination techniques he had just learned.

He parried with his outside hand, then immediately followed up with a reverse thrust to strike the heart.

He cleaved the neck with a knife, followed immediately by a powerful front kick to the lower body.

Each of his hand strikes was incredibly precise, slashing at vital areas such as the neck, ribs, and heart of the human-shaped target.

Gradually, his offensive techniques began to extend beyond the scope taught by Shen Haoming.

Instead, they constantly adjust their striking posture and footwork based on their own intuition.

As his practice deepened, Fang Cheng gradually developed his own insights.

The essence of hand chop is to simulate the palm of the hand as a bladeless knife for chopping.

Its essence lies not in "splitting", but in "chopping".

Although they seem to differ by only one word, the effects are completely different.

"Chopping" is just an action, a release of power.

The word "slash" also carries an additional meaning, a resolute spirit to cut all obstacles in front of you in two!
Only by having the intention to sever all things and letting one's strength move at will can one concentrate the power of the whole body on the edge of the palm and achieve a true penetrating effect.

That being the case.

The technique of hand chop should not be regarded as a simple muscle exercise, but as a unity of mind and body!

This sudden realization flashed through Fang Cheng's mind like lightning, stirring his emotions.

If he weren't in a club and had to consider the impact, he really wanted to try and see what would happen if he struck with all his might.

After calming down a bit, Fang Cheng immediately settled down and focused on practicing the basic techniques again.

Sunlight streamed through the floor-to-ceiling windows, illuminating a bright area on the PVC floor.

The trainees came and went, their figures constantly shifting with the light and shadow.

Before I knew it, it was almost four o'clock in the afternoon.

The training hall fell silent.

Fang Cheng stopped his movements, intending to end today's practice.

He picked up the mineral water bottle that had been lying on the ground, unscrewed the cap, and tilted his head back to gulp down several large mouthfuls.

With his current physical condition, this amount of training wasn't even enough to make him sweat; he was just a little thirsty.

Just then, the cell phone that was casually placed on the floor next to me suddenly vibrated and started ringing.

Fang Cheng looked down and saw an unfamiliar number displayed on the screen.

So I picked up my phone, pressed the answer button, and put it to my ear.

"Hey?"

"Fang Cheng, it's me, Dong Yunchuan."

An elderly man's voice came from the other end of the phone, loud and clear, seemingly carrying a hint of barely suppressed laughter, making him sound exceptionally familiar.

Fang Cheng raised an eyebrow, somewhat puzzled.

"Dong Yunchuan? Who is that? I don't know him."

The response was flat and indifferent, followed by another question:
Did you dial the wrong number?

"Uh……"

There was a noticeable pause on the other end of the phone, followed by a few seconds of silence, before the explanation was given:
"I am the dean of the Faculty of Law at Dongdu University."

"Uh."

This time, it was Fang Cheng's turn to be surprised.

Why did the dean of the law school want to see me?
He clearly remembered that this person was not on the list of professors he applied to.

Meanwhile, in a quaint office at Dongdu University.

Red brick walls, huge bookshelves crammed with all kinds of legal classics.

An elderly man with a ruddy complexion and vigorous spirit was holding a landline microphone when his smile froze for a moment.

Dong Yunchuan took a deep breath and patiently reminded him:
“We met once last December at a gathering at Brother Ma Jianguo’s house. Do you remember?”

"Oh."

Fang Cheng finally unearthed this person from the corner of his memory.

A scene instantly flashed into my mind.

An old man with a flushed face and covered in sweat used his palm to boil water for everyone from a kettle.

"You are the leader of that Bagua Sect."

"It's Baguazhang!"

Upon hearing this, Dong Yunchuan's face immediately darkened.

Good grief, this kid thinks I'm the head of a gossip magazine's paparazzi!
He forced down his complaints, cleared his throat, and got to the point:
"Are you free now? There's something I'd like to discuss with you in person."

Upon hearing this, Fang Cheng's eyes flickered slightly, and he nodded:

"Row."

(End of this chapter)