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

The setting sun cast long shadows of the wooden stakes in the boxing gym. The noise of the disciples had long since dissipated, leaving only the master and disciple standing in the center of the empty gym.

[Introduction to Tongbei Quan (116/500)]

Chen Feng took a deep breath, focused his energy in his dantian, and slowly assumed the starting stance of Tongbei Quan.

This is a boxing style personally taught by Yan Tieqiao. He first practiced it slowly, with the shoulder, elbow, wrist, waist, and hip all connected, generating power layer by layer. The movements were smooth but not hasty, and every move was firmly based on the principles of boxing. When he started the second round, the speed of the punch suddenly increased. The chopping, striking, drilling, cannoning, and horizontal movements were all done in one go. The punches were powerful and explosive as they flew, and the wind howled.

Yan Tieqiao stood to one side, leaning on his cane, his gaze sharp as a hawk, his words like golden hammers, pointing out the subtle flaws in Chen Feng's moves.

"Sink your waist an inch more; the power comes from the root, not from your arms!"

"This move ended too hastily, revealing a weakness!"

After a while.

Chen Feng withdrew his fist and stood still, his whole body steaming with sweat, and his breath surging in his chest and abdomen.

He reached into his robes and pulled out the Qi and Blood Powder he had taken from Scarface. The powder inside had a strong, pungent medicinal aroma and was the most precious cultivation resource in this chaotic world.

He tilted his head back, picked up a wisp of medicinal powder, and swallowed it. The slightly spicy medicinal power instantly dissolved, and a stream of heat flowed straight down to his dantian, surging wildly through his meridians to his limbs and bones. The energy he had exhausted from practicing his fist technique returned at a speed visible to the naked eye.

"despair--"

Yan Tieqiao remained silent, taking a light step. His entire being was like a pine tree rooted to the earth; though he did not move, his imposing aura was already overwhelming.

"Concentrate, receive the punch!"

With a low shout, the true essence of Tongbei Quan was revealed without reservation.

First move: Mountain-Splitting and Cloud-Cleaving Palm!

"Hey--"

Yan Tieqiao's right shoulder relaxed and sprang, his entire arm lashing out like an iron whip. He didn't use ordinary arm strength, but rather a combined force of back, waist, and spine power—the Tongbei Jin—as his palm slashed diagonally toward Chen Feng's Jianjing acupoint.

This palm strike is fast but not fierce, heavy but not vicious. The force is precisely positioned at the boundary of "pain without injury, shock without damage," which can just open up the blood and qi and strengthen the muscles and bones, but will never damage the root cause.

Chen Feng followed the principles of boxing, sinking his waist and turning his hips to use the "blocking the gate and building the bridge" technique to deflect the force. Just as his palm touched his master's wrist, a sudden whooshing sound rang out.

"Snap—"

Yan Tieqiao's left fist was already like a poisoned arrow leaving the bowstring, it was exactly - the Central Hall Drilling Fist.

The fist tip precisely aimed at the gap under Chen Feng's ribs, the penetrating force was soft and the short-range force suddenly burst forth, and it was withdrawn just before touching the body. It only used the wind of the fist to shake the pulse, without making any ruthless killing. It was all the painstaking effort of training the move.

"Relax your shoulders! Sink your hips! The power should come from your spine, not from stubbornly resisting!"

Before Yan Tieqiao's shout had even faded, his fist technique changed again, transforming into a series of collapsing punches. His two fists alternated like cannonballs firing from the barrel, with collapsing, drilling, horizontal, chopping, and wrapping—five energies linked together in a continuous flow. He perfectly demonstrated the true meaning of Tongbei Quan's "long-range attacks and close-range strikes."

Palm strikes, fist punches, elbow strikes, hip strikes—every blow landed on Chen Feng's chest, abdomen, arms, and legs, the key points of hard qigong. A little too much force would break bones, a little too little would be ineffective; the force was controlled as if measured with a ruler.

[Introduction to Hard Qigong (249/500)]

Yan Tieqiao's move revealed decades of experience in martial arts.

His strength was used to forge his bones;

His gentle strength is used to cultivate his inner energy;

His sharp, inch-like strength was used to open the meridians;

His shaking motion was used to clear his back.

A palm strike, delivered with a cloud-like motion, landed on Chen Feng's chest. The force penetrated through his clothes, causing his blood and qi to surge, but the medicinal properties dissipated from his blood and qi steadily supported him.

An elbow strike landed close to his shoulder blade, forcing him to use Tongbei Fist to deflect the force, and he instantly grasped the key to "using the back to control force".

A feinting palm strike to the groin appeared dangerous, but it was merely a ploy to lure him into a defensive stance, allowing him to analyze every flaw in the opponent's punches in a split-second reaction.

[Introduction to Hard Qigong (331/500)]

Chen Feng gritted his teeth and endured the blows. Each strike was not just a simple act of being hit, but a way to understand the art of boxing through pain and to reveal the power of force through fighting.

Every move Yan Tieqiao made was a counter-move, a lesson in technique, and a tip for him:

The Pi Quan (劈拳) taught him to move with wide, sweeping motions and channel power into both arms;

The drilling fist taught him to strike directly at the center and break through defenses with inch-force;

The wrapping fist technique taught him to wrap around and deflect force, using softness to overcome hardness;

The horizontal fist taught him to break through straight attacks horizontally and strike open spaces from the side.

Yan Tieqiao's steps were as steady as a bell, and he always left himself some room for maneuver in his attacks. However, his eyes were as sharp as an eagle, keeping a close eye on Chen Feng's reactions. His strength fluctuated slightly with Chen Feng's ability to withstand the pressure, not a bit more or less. It was as if his fingertips were pinching the threshold of Chen Feng's martial arts, and with a gentle push, he helped Chen Feng take a big step forward.

In excruciating pain.

The principles of Tongbei Quan in Chen Feng's mind exploded, and everything about the power generation route, the secrets of energy transfer, the openings in actual combat, and the key to deflecting force became completely clear in this precise strike.

Under the dual catalysis of the drug's effects and the heavy blows, the internal hard qigong surged wildly.

[Introduction to Hard Qigong (367/500)]

[Introduction to Tongbei Quan (199/500)]

The numbers jumped rapidly, and Chen Feng was drenched in sweat, but he felt completely relaxed, as if every inch of his body was growing and thriving.

Chen Feng was secretly shocked to find that his progress was several times faster than before. He realized that cultivation resources were so important to martial artists.

During a break in the match.

Chen Feng inadvertently noticed that his master's right foot limped slightly when he exerted his strength, each step carrying a restrained stiffness, and a chilling aura seemed to emanate from his very bones, causing his face to turn slightly pale.

Chen Feng's heart clenched, and he asked with great concern, "Master, your foot...?"

Yan Tieqiao waved his hand, trying to appear calm: "It's nothing, just an old ailment!"

Chen Feng then whispered that he was to attend the ten-day "Beast Cage" event in three days. He thought his master would object, but unexpectedly, Yan Tieqiao's eyes suddenly lit up with a sharp light, and his voice was firm and powerful: "Go! Why not go! A person must both conceal their sharpness and dare to be reckless!"

Night slowly fell.

Chen Feng ate at the boxing gym. On the table was only a large bowl of plain water and vegetables, with little oil and no salt. It was so bland that it was far inferior to the lunch he had eaten at noon. There was hardly a drop of oil in the food.

He knew in his heart that his master's family was already struggling financially, and they could only afford simple meals on ordinary days. They could barely afford meat once a year during festivals, and they always saved their best meal for noon.

Chen Feng silently ate his rice, his heart heavy, and said nothing...

After the meal, Yan Xiaomei carried the medicine pot to the stove and lit a fire to brew the medicine—the poison in her master's legs was exceptionally fierce, and he had to take expensive virility medicine every day to suppress the excruciating pain. This expense had already put immense pressure on this already impoverished family.

Chen Feng clenched his fists, secretly vowing in his heart: "In this 'Beast Cage' battle, I must earn as much money as possible. Not only will I hire the divine physician Hu Sanzhen from Hu Qing Yu Tang to cure my master's leg injury, but with the end of the year approaching, both families should also buy some rice, noodles, and meat so that my family can have a peaceful New Year!"

Night was falling.

Chen Feng dragged his tired body back to his home in Yanziwo.

The room was completely dark.

"Mother and Xiao Aqiao should have already rested!"

He dared not light a lamp to disturb his family, and tiptoed towards his bed. But as soon as he slipped under the covers, his fingertips touched something warm, soft, and silky. From the corner of the blanket he lifted, a faint, delicate fragrance of a young woman wafted out...