Chinese martial arts: From human punching bags to martial arts mastery

"Chen Feng!"

Yan Tieqiao tapped his cane heavily on the bluestone slab and said in a deep voice, "The Tongbei Fist stance, called 'Three-Body Stance,' is the foundation for beginners and the key to developing internal strength. Watch closely!"

Before he finished speaking, he stood firmly on the ground like a pine tree—his legs were shoulder-width apart, his knees were slightly bent and did not go beyond his toes, his center of gravity was lowered as if a thousand pounds were falling, his upper body was upright like a pine tree, his arms were wrapped around his chest, his palms facing each other but not touching, with a distance of three inches between them.

"See that? This is the 'Embracing the Ball Stance,' which aims to embrace the circle and guard the unity, allowing the Qi to sink to the Dantian, and then flow from the Dantian to the limbs and the entire body!"

"Standing meditation emphasizes the 'three points in alignment': the tip of the nose aligns with the fingertips, the fingertips align with the toes, and these three points form a straight line, allowing for smooth flow of Qi and unobstructed meridians!"

Yan Tieqiao's voice was extremely penetrating, each word striking Chen Feng's ears.

"Your heels must be firm, as if driven into the ground; this is your 'root'."

"The waist and hips should be relaxed, like a willow swaying in the wind; this is 'strength'."

"The mind should be calm, like a still, deep well; this is 'intention'."

"If the foundation is unstable, the body will sway; if the strength is not relaxed, the energy will be blocked; if the mind is not calm, the spirit will be scattered. None of the three can be lacking!"

As he spoke, he suddenly raised his hand and slapped the outside of his right leg: "This is the 'Huantiao' acupoint. When practicing stance training, you need to focus your mind downwards, gather your Qi in your Dantian, and then follow the meridians to the Yongquan point on the sole of your foot. It originates from the heel, rises up the spine, and runs through both arms. This is the true essence of Tongbei Quan: 'Power originates from the root and is transmitted to the tip!'"

At this moment, not only Chen Feng listened very carefully, but all the disciples around him also craned their necks and watched intently.

Everyone subconsciously imitated the posture, but they always felt that their waist and hips were difficult to relax.

Qian Hu straightened his chest and tucked in his stomach, deliberately striking a standard pose, but his eyes were glancing at Yan Tieqiao's expression.

Yan Tieqiao's gaze swept over the crowd, finally settling on Chen Feng.

"Standing meditation may seem simple, but it actually tests one's physical constitution and comprehension the most!"

"Those with good physical constitution have flexible muscles and bones, unobstructed meridians, and unimpeded flow of Qi!"

Those with high comprehension can quickly grasp the profound meaning of "relaxation" and "stillness," achieving twice the result with half the effort in a moment of tranquility!

"Those with mediocre talent, no matter how diligently they practice, will find it difficult to even grasp the basics!"

As soon as he said that, everyone's eyes turned to Chen Feng.

Zhao Shanhe scratched his head and smiled sheepishly: "It took me five whole days to find the 'relaxed' feeling in stance training back then. My master said I was only of above-average aptitude!"

Qian Hu immediately straightened his chest, his face full of pride: "I found the feeling of sinking qi to the dantian in just three days, and now my stance training is vaguely approaching the threshold of internal strength!"

He glanced at Chen Feng, his tone tinged with pride: "But if we're talking about the most skilled one in our gym, it has to be our junior sister, Yan Xiaomei. She mastered the basics in just two days back then. Her natural talent and comprehension are top-notch, and she also received personal instruction from our master. We can't even come close to her!"

The surrounding disciples echoed each other, some saying it took them ten days, others sighing that it took them a month to even grasp the basics. The way they looked at Chen Feng was a mixture of curiosity and scrutiny—to receive personal guidance from their master, his talent must be extraordinary!

Chen Feng stood still and began to try according to Yan Tieqiao's instructions.

But as soon as he assumed a horse stance, his legs began to tremble uncontrollably, his toes could not stay turned inward, and his heels were unsteady, as if he were walking on cotton.

He gritted his teeth and adjusted, finally managing to stabilize his lower body, but his upper body began to stiffen again. His shoulders were as tense as iron blocks, and when he reached forward, his fingertips could not align with the tip of his nose. His waist and hips were twisted painfully, and his breathing was disordered, making his chest feel stuffy.

"The three points are aligned... Qi sinks to the dantian..."

He silently recited the key points in his mind, but his body seemed to be out of his control, failing to do one thing at a time. Just as he straightened his posture, his lower body started to wobble again.

"puff--!"

The surrounding disciples watched for a while, but seeing that Chen Feng was still stumbling and his posture was as stiff as a puppet, they gradually lost interest.

"I thought he was something special, but he's just a show-off!" someone chuckled under their breath.

"Perhaps he's a distant relative of Master!" someone mused.

"That's right!" Qian Hu stood to the side with his arms crossed, a mocking smile playing on his lips. "I bet he's just riding on his relatives' coattails. In terms of actual talent, he's probably not even as good as an ordinary disciple!"

Zhao Shanhe wanted to say a few words in defense of Chen Feng, but seeing his clumsy appearance, he swallowed his words back.

After a few words of discussion, everyone dispersed to practice their boxing, leaving only Chen Feng in place, repeatedly adjusting his stance. His legs trembled more and more violently, and sweat dripped down his face, soaking his clothes.

He focused his attention, adjusting his posture little by little, feeling the power points of his waist and hips, and trying to let his breath sink smoothly.

Around noon.

A delicious aroma of food wafted from the backyard.

Chen Feng touched his stomach, and a violent spasm and convulsions came over him, making his throat feel dry and tight.

"Everyone, take a break!"

A girl in a pale yellow cloth dress pushed open the crescent-shaped door and came out. She had two black braids and bright, lively eyes. She was Yan Tieqiao's daughter, Yan Xiaomei.

"We'll eat in half an hour!"

Her clear voice rang out, and her gaze unconsciously fell on Chen Feng, who was standing alone in his stance.

When Yan Xiaomei saw his stiff, contorted, and trembling posture, she couldn't help but burst out laughing: "You're the disciple my father personally instructed today? You're quite handsome, but your comprehension is terrible! Your stance training looks like a scarecrow!"

Zhao Shanhe quickly stepped forward, smiling as he tried to smooth things over: "Junior sister, all beginners are like this, just take it slow!"

"Good junior sister!" Qian Hu seized the opportunity to sidle up, feigning regret, and said, "Alas, senior brother is just too kind! Stance training is the foundation, and to perform so poorly on the first day shows that your aptitude is indeed average. Back then, I mastered the basics in three days, and now I'm about to pass the second stage of stance training, with potential for internal strength. This is all thanks to talent and hard work!"

He raised his voice meaningfully, making sure all the disciples around could hear: "This martial arts gym isn't a place to slack off. Without real skills, even with a master's guidance, it's hard to achieve great things!"

Seeing this, many disciples chimed in.

Most of them felt that Qian Hu was exceptionally talented and knew how to get things done, and that he would definitely become their disciple in the future, so they were naturally willing to support him.

Chen Feng ignored the mockery and sarcasm around him, silently wiping away his sweat and continuing to adjust his posture.

He could feel that with each attempt, his body seemed to gradually find a subtle sensation, and the path of his breath sinking down became clearer.

"Ninth Junior Brother! Why don't you take a break? It's freezing cold, practicing martial arts is very tiring, you can't force yourself to practice on an empty stomach!"

Zhao Shanhe walked over and casually pointed to a table made of several large blue stones in the courtyard: "The inn provides some food every day at noon, sometimes it's multigrain pancakes, sometimes it's sweet potatoes and corn, and it's all included in the tuition!"

Chen Feng knew that many of the disciples in the boxing gym came from poor backgrounds like his. Many of them probably only had a few sips of bland, watery porridge before leaving home in the morning, and were already starving. Yan Tieqiao's actions were probably not about those few silver dollars, but about giving these people a way to survive and a hope!

He couldn't help but mutter under his breath, "That old geezer is really something!"

......

in the afternoon.

Despite the intense, aching pain throughout his body, Chen Feng once again slumped into a standing meditation posture.

Half an hour later, his coarse cloth clothes were already soaked with sweat, sticking stickily to his body.

Just then, a familiar voice suddenly rang in my mind.

Heaven rewards diligence; success is inevitable.

[Tongbei Quan, Stance Training: Proficiency +1 (1/100)]

Chen Feng wiped the sweat from his chin as he worked on the thread, thinking to himself, "Others need innate talent and comprehension to practice martial arts, but I'm born with the destiny of 'Heaven rewards diligence, and success is inevitable.' As long as I work hard, I'm sure I'll succeed!"

"Ninth Junior Brother!"

After practicing his boxing for a while, Zhao Shanhe noticed that he was covered in sweat, so he offered him a coarse cloth towel.

"Junior brother, take a break. There's no need to rush! Stance training requires gradual progress; it can't be rushed!"

"The foundation of martial arts training begins with cultivating one's essence and blood. When essence is abundant, qi is strong; when qi is strong, blood is vigorous. Standing meditation to hone body techniques and practicing fist techniques to strengthen muscles and bones are all methods to enhance essence and blood. Only when essence and blood are at their peak can one attempt to break through barriers!"

He paused, then added in a low voice, "When Tongbei Quan is cultivated to its perfect state, one can undergo three stages of breakthroughs: Ming Jin (manifest strength), An Jin (hidden strength), and Hua Jin (transformative strength)!"

"If you want to improve faster, you can buy some medicinal food supplements, especially strong kidney tonics! Secondly, stewing chicken with astragalus and angelica, or making soup with beef tendon and pig's trotters, can strengthen muscles and bones, improve lower body strength, and are very helpful for stance training!"

Chen Feng took the towel and gratefully said, "Thank you, Senior Brother!"

He knew that Zhao Shanhe was genuinely looking out for him, but he was currently short of money and had no extra funds to buy these medicinal meals.

Qian Hu, who was not far away, saw this scene and a hint of contempt flashed in his eyes.

"Do people from the lowest social classes even deserve to learn Tongbei Quan?"

He sneered inwardly, "Trying to rely on medicinal cuisine for nourishment? I doubt they'll even be able to scrape together next quarter's tuition! But it's fine, having this stepping stone only highlights my excellence!"

He already considered Chen Feng as a potential "competitor in the fierce competition," and even though the other party seemed vulnerable now, he would never allow anyone to threaten his position.

sunset.

The afterglow of the setting sun shone on the bluestone slabs of the boxing gym, and the disciples packed up their things and left one after another.

Chen Feng also felt unbearable soreness in his legs and was about to stop when Yan Tieqiao walked out from the backyard, a pipe dangling from his lips. He glanced at Chen Feng and said irritably, "Go away, why aren't you leaving yet? My boxing gym doesn't serve dinner, hurry home!"

Chen Feng gave a wry smile and was about to take a step when he suddenly felt a jolt.

He felt a warm current surging in his dantian, flowing rapidly down his meridians to the Yongquan acupoint on the sole of his foot, instantly making his heels as stable as a rock. The stiffness in his waist and hips disappeared, replaced by a supple feeling of exertion. His breath circulated smoothly in his body, his shoulders relaxed, his arms stretched naturally, and his fingertips, nose, and toes were precisely aligned in a straight line. He felt like a pine tree rooted in the earth, stable but not stiff, relaxed but not scattered.

"Crackling sound—"

A faint cracking sound rang out inside my body, followed by another notification in my mind.

Heaven rewards diligence; success is inevitable.

[Tongbei Quan, Stance Training: Proficiency +1 (100/100)]

[Tongbeiquan Stance Training (Advanced) → Tongbeiquan Stance Training (Beginner)]

[Tongbei Quan - Stance Training for Beginners: 0/500]

【Characteristics: Comprehends the true essence of stance training, achieves smooth flow of Qi, and has a solid foundation】

Tongbei Zhuang Gong is divided into five levels: proficiency, beginner, minor success, major success, and perfection, corresponding to the five levels of hard qigong proficiency, beginner, minor success, major success, and perfection.

The minor, major, and complete stages of Tongbei Quan stance training correspond to the three realms of Ming Jin (manifest strength), An Jin (hidden strength), and Hua Jin (transformation strength), respectively.

"Um!?"

Yan Tieqiao, who was about to turn and leave, turned around sharply upon hearing the crisp sound, his eyes instantly becoming as sharp as an eagle's.

"Good lad!"

Yan Tieqiao strode up to Chen Feng, put his hand on Chen Feng's shoulder, felt the smooth flow of Qi in Chen Feng's body, and looked at Chen Feng's standard and stable stance. A rare smile appeared on his face.

"Not bad! Not bad! I didn't expect you to be such a wolf in sheep's clothing!"

Yan Tieqiao patted him on the back, his tone full of surprise: "Are you a virgin, kid?"

Before Chen Feng could respond.

"Come on, let's eat here tonight. I'll have some good stuff to help you recover!"

He excitedly raised his voice and shouted into the backyard, "Old woman, stew the pig's trotters that Qian Hu gave us a couple of days ago, and add plenty of angelica, eucommia, and goji berries..."