Atlas of Heaven and Earth-Chapter 8: The Beginning of Training

In the break room, Chen Chuan was heartily enjoying slices of cooked meat and pumpkin porridge.

The minced meat, neutralized with medicinal herbs, carried a faint medicinal aroma, completely devoid of the previous fishy smell. Its tender texture was interspersed with a hint of sweetness, making it easy to swallow without much chewing. Once it reached the stomach, it immediately warmed the entire body.

Yu Gang said to Chen Chuan, "When starting the breathing exercises, it's quite taxing on the body. Don't underestimate this black rat meat; it's the most effective for repairing bodily injuries. Martial artists of the old era often used this medicinal food. However, this meat is not easy to digest, so it needs to be eaten with pumpkin."

Chen Chuan, as if recalling something, put down his bowl and chopsticks, and said, "When I was very young, I lived in the suburbs. I heard the old folks there say a phrase, "Pumpkin rice, dried rat, sweet and meaty flavors come." Is the dried rat they mentioned the same as this?"

Yu Gang replied, "Exactly, it's actually a nursery rhyme with a second half, "North Zhang Mountain, scraping officials, heartless and only interested in wealth."

The common folks of North Zhang Mountain knew that the meat of the big rats in the mountains was edible and also a good medicinal ingredient, hence it was quite famous. In the old era, when Dashun was still an empire, local officials forced the common people to dig three feet into the ground to find these rats. Later, after the Algal Revolution and the establishment of the Republic, major companies adopted new food synthesis technologies, making food cheaper. Thus, fewer people ate this stuff. Now, only the older generation near the suburbs and west of the city enjoy this taste; young people would probably find it disgusting."

Chen Chuan didn't feel much about it. As long as the ingredients were clean and normal, he could eat them. The taste was not a big deal to him, let alone the fact that this was actually beneficial medicinal food for him.

While speaking, Yu Gang also looked at Chen Chuan. He didn't expect that this young man could find the knack within a day. The subsequent demonstrations of the breathing exercises were also very accurate, indicating that he had truly mastered it.

This was quite rare.

You must know that even if one grasps the knack of the breathing exercises, they might not immediately become familiar with it. It requires repeated adaptation to master the correct path. Chen Chuan adapted quickly, which was hard to imagine beforehand.

Now, he finally understood what his teacher meant when he said that some people possess talents that ordinary people do not have.

This young man undoubtedly has "talent' and is someone who might find the true meaning in martial arts cultivation.

Lu Ke, while eating his meal beside them, put on an admiring expression and said, "Young Master Chen, you're really amazing. I wish I could be like you someday."Chen Chuan said, "I used Lu Ke's medicine this time, and I will find a way to make up for what I owe you. By the way, Mr. Yu, what is the name of this medicine?"

Yu Gang replied, "This step is called "Kai Lian', so the ointment is also called "Kai Lian San'. If you are a Wuda[-] student, this medicine is very cheap to buy internally. When it's convenient for you, you can buy some more to replenish Lu Ke."

Chen Chuan said earnestly, "I have noted it down."

Seeing that Chen Chuan's bowl was almost empty, Lu Ke immediately said, "Young Master Chen, shall I refill your bowl for you?"

Chen Chuan said, "I'll do it myself."

He walked to the side, carefully scraped the remaining medicinal food into his bowl, leaving nothing behind, and returned to the table to continue eating. Before long, he had finished a pound of black meat and the mixed pumpkin rice. He felt warm all over and his spirits had greatly recovered.

Yu Gang waited for a while, then looked at him and said, "You have initially mastered the breathing technique. Generally, it takes practice to become familiar with it and gradually master it. However, we don't have time. I plan to start your formal training tomorrow, so you will need to adapt simultaneously during the training."

Originally, in his plan, even if Chen Chuan could master the breathing technique, the most optimistic estimate was that it would take about half a month to a month. But now, a lot of time has been saved. Although the schedule is still tight, it is much more relaxed compared to before, and many plans do not need to be compressed so tightly.

Chen Chuan felt slightly excited and said, "Mr. Yu, does the training involve combat?"

Yu Gang said, "You are still far from it. No matter what kind of training, the most important thing is the body, which is the premise of everything. The same goes for combat, which includes strength, speed, endurance, coordination, flexibility, reaction, etc. Only with a solid foundation can you carry various techniques. Fortunately, you have already mastered the breathing technique, so the difficulty of training will be much lower than before."

He got up, walked to the side, opened a drawer, took out a booklet from it, and threw it to him, saying, "I have all the training equipment here. The specific methods for running, weight-bearing, jumping, stretching, etc., are all recorded in detail here. All exercises are combined with basic combat techniques. You can read it first, and if there's anything you don't understand, you can ask me. Some parts require a sparring partner, which you can skip for now. When the time is right, I will arrange it for you."

Chen Chuan took it and looked at it. It was an internal printed copy, published by the Wuyi Academy in the 79th year of Jianzhi, more than ten years ago. However, in the Dashun Republic, it is quite normal for a general textbook to be used for more than ten years. He remembered that his middle school textbooks hadn't changed for thirty years. Yu Gang continued, "Are you biking back and forth? Don't bike tomorrow, run over here instead, and practice the breathing technique along the way. Besides breakfast, it's best to have the rest of your meals here with me. I'll first explain the correct posture and key points for running..."

Chen Chuan did not take running lightly just because it was a common activity, and he carefully noted down the key points. After listening to Yu Gang talk about some dietary taboos, and seeing that it was already quite late, he helped wash the dishes before saying goodbye to his master and fellow disciple and rode his bike home.

By the time he got home, it was already past six. Nian Fuli had not returned yet. He told Yu Wan that he had already eaten dinner outside, went to the bathroom to shower, and then washed clothes in the backyard. After tidying up everything, he sat down at his desk and connected his consciousness with his "Second Self".

Since he had already mastered the breathing technique, there was no need to keep the damage caused by the medicinal effects any longer.

Although the medicinal food had a repairing effect, according to Yu Gang, some damages might never be fully repaired, which could potentially lead to hidden troubles in the future.

If it weren't for this, normal training students wouldn't take several months or even a year or more to slowly master it after their bodies had grown.

As the Second Self began to show signs of fading, it seemed as if he had removed some burden from himself, and the whole person suddenly became much more relaxed.

At this moment, he noticed that the signs of fading only appeared for a short while before the Second Self solidified again.

Huh? Another improvement?

He thought about it, he hadn't defeated anyone today, so it might be due to mastering the breathing technique. Because at the moment he grasped the breath's pulse, he genuinely felt joy.

He took out the alarm clock again, closed his eyes, and overlapped with the Second Self to feel it, and found that indeed, the time overlapping with the Second Self seemed to have increased by two or three seconds.

From this perspective, as long as it's a positive emotion, it could potentially push the Second Self closer to reality. His previous thoughts were somewhat narrow.

This made him wonder, if he continues like this, will he eventually become another truly visible "me'? Or will there be some other changes?

He wasn't sure.

At this moment, it was as if he was constantly pushing another version of himself to become stronger, and they could promote and progress together. So, he was full of anticipation for the changes to come.

He got up and went to the door, took the booklet Yu Gang gave him from his bag, and started reading it carefully, while waiting for Nian Fuli to return, planning to tell him about today's events.

However, even after the clock struck ten times, Nian Fuli still hadn't returned, probably working overnight, which was a common occurrence. So, he stopped waiting, washed up, and went to bed. He was indeed quite tired today, so he quickly fell into a deep sleep. The next day, Chen Chuan got up in high spirits, had breakfast, and went out for a run.

After being informed by Yu Gang, he learned that there was another route to "The House of Fists', which involved detouring from the north to the south. Although it was a bit longer, the road conditions were better, and it would save a lot of trouble.

When he ran over, he indeed found this road to be much smoother, mainly because the residential buildings on the north side were more orderly, even though they were also old, they were not as messy.

As he ran into a long alley over a hundred meters, located between residential buildings with high walls, a teenager about sixteen or seventeen years old was squatting on the balcony railing brushing his teeth. His hair was messy, yet stubbornly sticking out, like a bird's nest, and he had just tied the boxing bandage around his hand.

At this moment, he heard the rhythmic and brisk sound of running from afar, glanced over, and muttered, "Very spirited..." His toothbrush paused slightly, and he scratched his head, "Seems like I've seen him somewhere before?"

In just a blink of an eye, Chen Chuan ran past the alley below, leaving only a receding figure. The teenager didn't think much more about it, spat out the mouthwash, did a backflip off the railing, landed lightly, stretched his chest, and said spiritedly, "Today's training, Weidong, give it your all!"

Soon, the sounds of shouting and kicking came from inside.

Although Chen Chuan was only running today, because the road was smooth, it only took him a little over twenty minutes to reach The House of Fists.

Lu Ke came out of the building and greeted, "Good morning, Young Master Chen, follow me, the teacher is waiting for you."

Chen Chuan said, "Thank you, Lu Ke."

This time, they didn't go upstairs but walked onto the ground floor, which was the place for daily training. It was evident that two originally connected classrooms had been merged, covering an area of about one hundred and twenty square meters. Not far away, sandbags were hanging, and along the walls, there were many mats and equipment placed.

Yu Gang was standing by the window, arms crossed, looking at something. Chen Chuan went up to greet him, "Good morning, Mr. Yu."

Yu Gang turned his head and asked, "Did you remember to use the breathing technique when you ran over today?"

Chen Chuan nodded.

"How did it feel?"

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Chen Chuan thought for a moment, clenched his hand, and said, "My body seemed to become a whole, it was easy to exert strength, and I didn't get tired for a long time."

Yu Gang said, "The breathing technique can greatly adjust the circulation of your qi and blood and the rhythm of your movements. However, since you've just started, you need more adaptation and practice. Before you fully master it, the breathing technique can cause damage to you. In the first few days, you should not use it for more than an hour, because your body needs time to adapt and recover."Chen Chuan asked, "Mr. Yu, when can the breathing technique be considered fully mastered?"

Yu Gang looked at him and said, "The breathing technique also has levels. If you can maintain this basic breathing technique for twenty-four hours, then it can be considered fully mastered, but this is only theoretical because the human body has its limits. Due to the burden the breathing technique places on the body, being able to maintain it continuously for three to five hours a day is already quite good, and this is already sufficient for a skilled fighter."

There was one more point he didn't mention. Because one can learn higher-level breathing techniques after entering Wuyi University[-], no one would spend effort to stubbornly stick to the basic breathing technique. However, this doesn't need to be explained to Chen Chuan now, otherwise, the latter might lose enthusiasm for training. He chose to skip over it directly.

Chen Chuan said seriously, "Mr. Yu, I have noted that."

He was pondering in his heart that the Second Self could help him transfer damage, so he should be able to use much more time than usual to practice the breathing technique every day.

Yu Gang then moved to the center of the training area and said, "Before the formal teaching begins, I want to see your foundation first. Try to punch me."

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