87: Chapter 87 Introductory Test

Hou Jingsheng took the book, handed it to Cao Xiao, and said, "This is the boxing classic I compiled. Since you claim to have the ability to never forget what you see, memorize it within an hour. This is my first test for you."

After speaking, Hou Jingsheng began to doze off on the sofa. Cao Xiao took the boxing classic and pretended to flip through it page by page. This boxing classic was handwritten, not machine-printed, and the handwriting was somewhat scrawled. But to Cao Xiao, it was all the same; he didn't look at it at all, just going through the motions. At this moment, the boxing classic had already been scanned into information data and stored in his intelligent brain. Resisting the headache, he transmitted the content of the boxing classic into his mind bit by bit. In less than ten minutes, he had finished flipping through the boxing classic in his hand, and the information from the boxing classic had been transmitted. He then placed the boxing classic back on the table, rubbed his throbbing temples, and said, "Master, I have already memorized it."

"Then recite the boxing formula for me." Hou Jingsheng opened his eyes, looking somewhat surprised as he spoke to Cao Xiao.

"Fists like meteors, eyes like lightning; waist like a snake, feet like drills. The tailbone is centered, spirit pierces the crown; hard and soft, round and lively, connected from top to bottom. Body relaxed yet internally solid, spirit restrained; the whole body is light and agile, head suspended. Yin and Yang, emptiness and fullness change rapidly; the source of intention lies in the waist." Cao Xiao recited it immediately.

"What are the Six Great Openings!"

"The Six Great Openings are the ultimate skills of the Eight Extremes Fist, meaning to open the gate first and then advance with moves; whenever fighting an enemy, one cannot deviate from this technique. The Six Great Openings are Thrust, Embrace, Single, Lift, Carry, and Entangle. Practicing the Six Great Openings takes the Three Leans and Three Closings as the key points, and moves must not depart from the hips."

"The secret of body movement!"

"Intention upright, body straight; relax shoulders, sink breath; square on the outside, round on the inside; contain the chest, lift the crown; shake the hips, close the waist; hands and feet must coordinate, energy and strength must flow through, all three levels advance together."

… Hou Jingsheng kept asking Cao Xiao to recite the content of the boxing classic in various ways. Cao Xiao answered fluently. After a long while, he said with satisfaction, "You have passed this stage. The boxing classic is just theory; you must be very confused after reading it, right?"

"This boxing classic contains more than just the content of the Eight Extremes Fist. Although it is based on the Eight Extremes Fist, it also includes moves from Xing Yi Quan, Wing Chun, Tai Chi, Baguazhang, and Arhat Fist, as well as some foreign boxing techniques. Why is that?" Cao Xiao voiced his confusion.

Hou Jingsheng's gaze drifted as he began to talk about his experience: "Our Hou family had no martial arts heritage. When I was in my teens, I accidentally obtained half of a secret Eight Extremes Fist manual. From then on, I explored and practiced boxing on my own. By the time I was in my twenties, I had made some name for myself. In the meantime, I stumbled and took many wrong turns, but I practiced everything I could from that half of the secret Eight Extremes Fist manual. Without a complete boxing classic and without a master's guidance, I barely reached Obvious Power after two years of practice, and after that, I made no progress at all. So, I had the idea of finding a master to learn from and also wanted to find a complete boxing classic. But finding a master was not that easy. I traveled all over the country and visited many famous Eight Extremes Fist masters. Even though I had skills, no one was willing to take me as a student. At that time, I was young and arrogant. Since others wouldn't teach me, I learned secretly on my own, and I swallowed everything whole without discrimination, learning whatever boxing or palm techniques I could. Not knowing the immensity of heaven and earth, I wanted to draw on the strengths of all schools to perfect my own boxing. I spent five years trying to complete the Eight Extremes Fist, but I overestimated myself. Things passed down since ancient times that haven't been eliminated today naturally have their reasons for existing; they are basically unique, and some even conflict with the philosophy of the Eight Extremes Fist. I could only settle for second best, integrating some moves that conformed to the essence of the Eight Extremes Fist, but I was helpless with the rest. Even so, I became a street rat in the martial arts world, beaten by everyone. I could only hide in my hometown and focus on practicing boxing. Without distractions, I reached the perfection of Obvious Power at the age of thirty, and at thirty-two, I became the youngest Dark Power master in the country. Those old seniors saw that I had achieved something and didn't make things difficult for me anymore. After training to Dark Power, I was high-spirited and kept visiting long-established Dark Power masters to spar and exchange ideas. My boxing skills also improved rapidly, and by thirty-eight, I had reached the Great Achievement of Dark Power. At this point, wanting to break through again was harder than ascending to heaven. The few remaining Transformation Power grandmasters in the country were few and far between, and they were already old and decrepit, so they couldn't give me any guidance. So, I went abroad to challenge others. I was in the prime of my life, full of energy and blood, and some Transformation Power grandmasters were not my opponents. But what I didn't expect was that an accident happened when I defeated an opponent who had already touched the threshold of the Transformation realm. That Transformation Power grandmaster couldn't afford to lose, so he brought his disciples and grand-disciples to surround and attack me, even using thermal weapons. I fought my way out with my life, but the bones in one of my lower legs had been shattered by that person's Transformation Power. My body was impaired, my energy and blood began to wither, and let alone breaking through to the Transformation realm, I couldn't even use Dark Power anymore. After I was rescued and brought back to the country, I was disheartened, so I settled down here, got married, and had children, until now. This boxing classic is also what I have devoted myself to compiling over the years. It's not just the moves; even the key points of circulating Qi have been integrated into the Eight Extremes Fist by me. Although it is not yet perfect, it won't cause any problems when practicing, so I didn't name it Eight Extremes Fist, but called it the boxing classic. If you have a future, I hope you can inherit my ideas and continue to perfect it."

After listening, Cao Xiao was speechless for a long time. This was the life story of a martial arts fanatic. The story had no legendary elements, but what it contained gave Cao Xiao a few more points of respect for the lame master in front of him. He had spent his whole life pursuing the martial way, constantly striving for self-improvement, and at the prime of his life, he had touched the Transformation realm that others couldn't even hope to reach until death. But he had encountered an accident, and now he was a hero in his twilight years. Even though he was physically disabled, his spirit remained strong, and he never forgot to explore the martial way.

"Master, if I achieve success in the future, I will also follow the path you have walked." Cao Xiao said heavily.

"Let's talk about these things after you have mastered the basics! Come with me." After saying this, Hou Jingsheng stood up and walked into the yard. After arriving at the lawn in the yard, he said to Cao Xiao: "My second test for you is to learn the boxing stances and standing meditation I teach you before dark today. It's not just about learning the appearance; you must achieve both form and spirit to pass. I will teach you standing meditation first. The standing meditation in the boxing classic is a combination of Taoist standing meditation and Eight Extremes Fist standing meditation. It is divided into nine styles: Guiyuan Style, Wuji Style, Tai Chi Style, Liangyi Style, Sancai Style, Sixiang Style, Bagua Style, Knocking Stance, and Leaning Stance. Watch me demonstrate it once. Pay attention to my breathing and Qi circulation method. When doing standing meditation, you must achieve movement of the body while the mind is still. Watch closely... Guiyuan Style — Stand naturally, feet parallel, shoulder-width apart, hands supporting the Dantian, legs slightly bent; Wuji Style — Stand naturally, feet parallel, shoulder-width apart, spine relaxed and straight. Head slightly lifted, chin tucked in, arms hanging down, palms facing inward... Tuck the buttocks and relax the hips, contain the chest and relax the abdomen, sink the shoulders and drop the elbows, relax the whole body. Tai Chi Style — Raise both hands as if holding a ball, palms facing inward, placed at the Dantian, knees slightly bent. Liangyi Style... Leaning Stance — Divided into back lean, rib and hip lean, chest lean... This is also the basic skill of the Eight Extremes Iron Mountain Lean... Alright! You practice it once."

Standing on the lawn, Hou Jingsheng's aura changed instantly; he no longer looked like a farmer, but like a majestic and terrifying beast. Although one foot was inconvenient to move, his movements were as natural as flowing water, demonstrating and explaining in detail to Cao Xiao. Cao Xiao was not a true genius and could not do the "never forget what you see" feat, but with his intelligent brain and Detection Function, he could completely record what he saw and make it available for him to review at any time. This time was no exception. However, compared to scanning objects, just scanning was not enough; he also had to record the changes inside Hou Jingsheng's body to let the intelligent brain analyze the mysteries within. Then, when Cao Xiao practiced, he just needed to adjust according to the detailed steps provided by the intelligent brain, combined with his own physical condition, to achieve the standard.

Cao Xiao calmed his breathing and moved slowly, constantly adjusting his posture and breathing according to the intelligent brain's reminders. One minute later, the Guiyuan Style met the requirements. Then, he returned to a standing position and practiced the Guiyuan Style again. This time, it succeeded in less than twenty seconds. The third time, without any adjustment, it was successful as soon as he moved. Then came the Wuji Style, which was also completed within five minutes. Tai Chi Style, Liangyi Style, Sancai Style, Sixiang Style, and Bagua Style were fully mastered in less than half an hour. The Knocking Stance and Leaning Stance were a bit troublesome. These were not static stances like the first seven styles, but dynamic stances. Even with the help of the intelligent brain, at the beginning, he couldn't accurately adjust his body shape and breathing while the body was in motion. It took a full forty minutes to fully master them. During this time, Hou Jingsheng watched silently from the side without saying a word.