Cangmang Asks the Way 1: Guardian of the Lamp

On the eighteenth day of the first lunar month, the last traces of the festive atmosphere dissipated in the crisp morning breeze. The Jixian Sports School awoke amidst the morning mist and frost. From the distant training hall came the muffled thuds of equipment colliding and the short whistles of coaches.

Cang Tianci returned, stepping to that familiar yet vibrant rhythm. In just over a month, his physique seemed more relaxed, the lines of his shoulders and back more defined than when he left home. The wind, snow, and solitude of the cliff top hadn't left rough marks on his face; rather, it seemed as if it had been carefully polished, shedding the last trace of youthful impetuosity and revealing a restrained tranquility. Even more striking were his eyes, still serene, but no longer the deep stillness of a well, but like a deep autumn pool, clearly reflecting the outside world. This tranquility, the moment he stepped into the sports school gates, seemed to carry an invisible barrier, pushing away the clamor from the surrounding training halls and the heat of the athletes running and shouting. He was like an inkstone sunk to the bottom of water; the more turbulent the surroundings, the clearer and more resolute his form and essence became. He is not just "returning," but more like an "observer" stepping back into the familiar testing ground. What he sees is the coach's expectations, the teammates' restlessness, and the competition and desire in the air, all of which become the "qi" he needs to perceive and evaluate.

This transformation, from the inside out, is rooted in the last and most painful time spent on Eagle Cliff.

Master Chen Jiren's calm announcement that he would pass away in a month was like a thunderbolt from the blue. However, the transcendent detachment with which Master Chen spoke of life and death, as if observing the ever-changing clouds, along with the unwavering dedication with which Master Chen imparted all his knowledge, left a deep imprint on his soul. On that secluded clifftop, he not only hastily memorized the essentials of medicine and martial arts, as well as meridian diagrams, but also, under Master Chen's guidance, began to delve into the profound mysteries of the *Tao Te Ching* for the first time. Phrases like "The highest good is like water," and "Heaven and earth are ruthless," became like bolts of lightning under Master Chen's vivid explanations, drawing upon his own experiences, cleaving through the many chaotic barriers in his heart. He vaguely grasped that the world's workings were not merely black-and-white confrontations, but also possessed a wisdom as encompassing, yielding, and accumulating as water.

The practice of the "Thirteen Postures of Tai Chi" allowed him to personally experience another realm of power application. The slow and smooth movements, containing the principles of yin and yang and using the opponent's force against them, subtly tempered the innate fierceness and ruthlessness in his bones, making his understanding of "power" more three-dimensional and profound.

His master's background, his composure, and his selflessness, along with the scriptures and principles of boxing, together completed a silent and profound baptism in his fourteen-year-old mind, leaving behind the unanswered question about "transcendence" and "protection".

"A gift from heaven!"

A joyful shout interrupted his thoughts.

Senior Brother Chen Gang strode into the dormitory, walked up to him, and carefully examined him: "Hey! Which sacred mountain did you go to cultivate on? Your energy and spirit are like you've been blessed; you seem like a completely different person."

Feeling a warm current flowing through his heart as he listened to his senior brother's sincere care, Tianci smiled and said, "Thank you, senior brother! Has everyone arrived?"

"Everyone's here. Training starts today. Let's go report to Principal Zhou."

The two walked side by side toward the principal's office. Along the way, they encountered other team members, who all greeted them warmly.

Arriving at Zhou Zhenhua's office, Chen Gang knocked on the door: "Coach, Tianci is here."

"Come in," Zhou Zhenhua's steady voice came.

Tianci pushed open the door and entered, calling out, "Principal Zhou, Tianci reporting for duty."

Zhou Zhenhua looked up from the documents, his gaze as sharp as a hawk's as he fixed it on Tianci. He chuckled and scolded, "You brat, you've learned to speak like an official after just one trip back? Why are you calling me 'Principal'? That's too formal."

"Coach, from now on I'll call you Coach in private, but in front of others I'll call you Principal," Cang Tianci replied with a smile.

Zhou Zhenhua looked Cang Tianci up and down, nodded, and said, "Hmm, your stuttering is gone, and you've really grown up. That's not easy."

Upon hearing this, Cang Tianci's nose tingled, and he almost burst into tears. He forced down his surging emotions and quickly said, "Coach, let's go prepare."

"Okay, go and call all the fellow disciples to the training hall. I have something important to announce to you later."

Tianci's heart skipped a beat, and he vaguely guessed that it might be related to the competition, but he didn't ask any further questions. He simply replied with Chen Gang, "Yes, Coach."

Inside the training hall, Zhou Zhenhua stood at the front of the group, his gaze slowly sweeping over each young face, and said loudly, "Students, we have recently received an official notice from the province that the National Youth Wushu Sanda Championship will be held in Beijing, the capital, this October."

"National Championship!"

"Going to Beijing for the competition?"

The team erupted in an uproar. For these students from county-level sports schools, the national competition was a legendary, unattainable dream.

Zhou Zhenhua raised his hands slightly, his voice even louder: "I know what you're thinking! You think those are stars in the sky, visible but unattainable? Let me tell you, this time, we're going to pluck those stars down! Why? Because this isn't an ordinary competition! To encourage and select martial arts talent, the country has just introduced a new policy—athletes who place in the top eight in national sports competitions will receive bonus points on their college entrance exams, up to a maximum of 50 points!"

"50 points!"

The audience erupted in uproar.

"That's not all." Zhou Zhenhua pressed on, his voice even more impassioned. "For top athletes who win medals, the door to the national reserve team will be directly open to you. What does this mean? It means you can be specially recruited into top sports universities like Beijing Sport University and Shanghai University of Sport. It means your lives will have an extra golden path."

He paused deliberately, making each word sound like a heavy hammer blow, striking deep into the hearts of his teammates.

"However," he changed his tone, his voice becoming extremely serious, "the road to the national competition is a narrow bridge, a steep mountain path. The provincial selection competition in June is the first hurdle. Only two people can represent our province in Beijing in each level. From the provincial selection competition to the national finals, we need to spend at least a month and a half in closed training and competition. During this time, it's impossible to balance our studies."

His gaze was fixed on Cang Tianci and Chen Gang: "Tianci, Chen Gang, you are the pride of Jixian County, the sharpest blades of our sports school. For the remaining four months, you must be prepared to endure immense hardship. Double the training volume! Maximize the intensity! Clear everything from your minds except training, sandbags, and opponents!"

"Yes, Coach!" Cang Tianci and Chen Gang replied in unison.

However, beneath that resounding response, Cang Tianci's heart sank, as if plunged into ice water. A month and a half of complete immersion, coupled with double the daily training... this not only meant time was being devoured, but also that the rapidly advancing curriculum of the gifted youth program would suffer an irreparable disruption. Teacher Xu Wenyuan's expectations, the competition from classmates like Lin Ruoxi and Song Wei, the academic confidence he had painstakingly built up... all of these clashed violently with the "golden road" the coach spoke of, almost creating a piercing roar in his mind. His master's teachings on "balance" and "the middle way" seemed so fragile under the pressure of reality. He felt not just simple pressure, but a suffocating sense of being torn in two, as if his body and mind were being ripped apart.