88: Chapter 88 Stance Training and Boxing Forms

After finishing the demonstration of the nine stance forms, he stood up straight, exhaled a mouthful of turbid air, and said to Hou Jingsheng with a smile, "Master, what do you think?"

Hou Jingsheng's gaze dimmed slightly as he sighed to himself, "I prided myself on having good talent, but when I was figuring things out on my own back then, it took me a full month to achieve what you just did. Yet you only watched me practice once, didn't need me to correct you, and fully mastered it in just over an hour! You can be called a peerless genius. If I had met you when you were very young, what would the situation be like now? Hidden Power or even Transforming Power? Alas! We met too late! What a waste of such natural talent!"

"It's not too late now. I will strive to catch up and will definitely achieve Transforming Power in my lifetime," Cao Xiao said firmly. He had the confidence to say such things not just because he had the AI to assist his learning, but because he had sufficient resources. Literature is for the poor, while martial arts are for the rich; by using his endless resources to create the most ideal cultivation conditions, his progress would definitely be faster than anyone else's.

"You don't understand. Do you know why martial arts must be learned from a young age? It's because the body is still developing then, the ligaments haven't closed yet, and the blood and qi are vigorous. Through martial arts training, one can perform many difficult movements that ordinary people cannot, meaning one can learn to use the vast majority of martial arts techniques, and constant practice keeps the body in that state. But your body is already fully formed. Even if you spend a lot of time exercising to reopen your ligaments and activate your blood and qi, you won't compare to peers who have practiced since childhood. Your body is healthy enough, but it's very uncoordinated. It will be incredibly difficult even to develop Obvious Power," Hou Jingsheng said with some regret.

"Opening the ligaments isn't a difficult task; it can be done by spending time on specialized exercises. But my physique isn't bad either, so why do you say it's uncoordinated?" Cao Xiao asked in confusion.

Hou Jingsheng suddenly took off his clothes and said, "Look at my physique. My muscles are firm and full of elasticity, without a trace of excess fat, and the proportions are not out of balance. Furthermore, do you know what Obvious Power is? Before entering the Obvious Power stage, one must constantly temper the body to generate controllable force, exerting one's physical strength to the limit. Obvious Power is allowing the entire body to generate force and fully controlling its use. Tell me, what kind of body can master force the fastest to reach the Obvious Power realm?"

Cao Xiao glanced at Hou Jingsheng, who was as thin as a monkey, and thought to himself that naturally, the smaller the body, the easier it is to control. However, being difficult to control did not mean it was impossible; it just required more time. He wouldn't want to train his physique to look like Hou Jingsheng's anyway. Moreover, the stronger the body, the greater the force generated, and after reaching Obvious Power, he would be more powerful than others. Regardless of the realm, strength was the foundation. Thus, he did not agree with Hou Jingsheng's view, but he wouldn't argue with him either. He hadn't even entered the sect yet, so he wasn't qualified to discuss these conceptual issues and didn't want to humiliate himself. So he spoke up, "I understand, Teacher. But diligence can make up for a lack of talent. I will work harder than anyone else."

"Some techniques can help you open up your body better, like the Shaolin Temple's Muscle Tendon Changing Classic and Marrow Washing Classic. Practicing them diligently over a long period can even improve one's natural talent. There's also Yoga, which has similar effects. But these are all secret traditions, not the heavily modified simplified versions seen on the market, and I haven't seen them myself, so you can only rely on your own slow training. There are some medicinal formulas I've collected in the boxing classic; you can prepare some according to your situation to assist your training and supplement your blood and qi." Hou Jingsheng finished dressing, paused, and then added, "Alright, it's getting late. I'll teach you the Boxing Frame. This frame is also modified based on the Eight Extremes Fist frame, changing from the original twenty-seven forms to thirty-six forms. Each form is an independent technique, and between the forms, they are linked and intertwined with ingenious changes. The [Eight Great Moves] in Eight Extremes Fist also come from the Boxing Frame; the frame is the foundation of the entire boxing classic. Watch carefully. Practice 'Boy Worships Guanyin' individually, swinging the shoulders to drill inward... 'Embrace Tiger and Return to Mountain' to break the waist, 'Immortal Sits Atop the Mountain' to gaze out; 'Part the Clouds to Reveal the Sun' in the 'Crouching Tiger' stance, 'Block, Grab, Silk-Reeling' in the 'Spear-Propping' stance... 'Fierce Tiger Turns Its Head' to strike the groin, standing upright in the 'Correct Stance' with refreshed spirit and qi. Hoo! You try it once."

Hou Jingsheng had difficulty with his legs, so practicing the stances was much more taxing than standing training, but it allowed Cao Xiao to realize the power of this modified Eight Extremes Fist. The stomping, Snorting, and power release of Eight Extremes Fist together formed the three basic elements of its force. When releasing power in Eight Extremes Fist, it is accompanied by Snorting to harmonize qi and strength, uniting the internal and external. Stomping helps the momentum of the fist, stabilizes the foundation, increases power, and attacks the lower plate. During this, the 'Heng' and 'Ha' sounds from Hou Jingsheng's nose and mouth were low like muffled thunder; his body moved like a drawn bow and released like a thunderclap, and when he stomped, it felt as if the entire lawn moved with him. He couldn't help but be a bit out of breath after finishing the whole set. It seemed Hou Jingsheng was telling the truth about his blood and qi being withered; otherwise, how could a Hidden Power master end up panting just from practicing a set of Boxing Frames? At the same time, Cao Xiao was somewhat moved. Although Hou Jingsheng had been somewhat cold when he first entered the door, he was now exerting himself to teach despite his mobility issues.

The range of motion in the Boxing Frame was much larger than in the standing training, and some of the movements were very strenuous for him to perform now. He also found that his body lacked enough flexibility to transition between movements smoothly, so he could only break these 'forms' down into individual actions. After painstakingly performing each action to standard, he then connected them. At the very beginning, he could only proceed very slowly; Hou Jingsheng could finish a set in a few minutes, while he took a full half-hour. He was not discouraged; the first step is always the hardest, not to mention he hadn't opened up his body's muscles and bones yet, so he could only take it slow, otherwise, he would pull a muscle or dislocate a bone. Moving from slow to fast, Cao Xiao continuously increased his speed, practicing set after set. After five times, he finally brought the time down to under ten minutes, but these were just the movements—they had form but no spirit. Techniques like stomping, Snorting, and power release were not integrated. Looking up at the sky, Cao Xiao felt a bit dejected. The three elements were not that easy to master. It was already dusk, and there wasn't much time left before dark; there was no hope left for today to meet Hou Jingsheng's requirements.

However, since it wasn't dark yet, he was unwilling to give up just like that. He simply ignored the time and began practicing again with a focused mind. He wasn't impatient either, first integrating the Snorting. After two sets, he mastered the Snorting technique. Although he couldn't make the 'Heng' and 'Ha' sounds like muffled thunder like Hou Jingsheng, there was at least some momentum. Then came the stomping. At first, as soon as he stomped with force, he would get distracted and his breathing would become erratic. After practicing several times, not only had he not mastered the stomping, but even his breathing and Snorting were no longer mastered well. Unwilling to give up, he continued to practice, not noticing that the sky had turned completely dark.

"Alright, that's enough for today. You've barely passed. Go back and practice more. You need to slowly turn these techniques into bodily instincts to fully master them. Remember, still body and still intent! This 'still body' doesn't mean standing still, but finding stillness within motion, having a rhythm; and 'still intent' means the form and spirit are unconstrained, aligning with nature. Contemplate these carefully yourself when you go back. You may leave now. Take that ginseng with you to prepare your own medicine. Take some when you feel your body cannot hold up. There are also some medicinal bath formulas in the boxing classic; soaking after practicing every day is very beneficial for physical recovery. Come back in a month. By then, I want to see that you have mastered the force, otherwise, don't come back again." Hou Jingsheng had been silently watching Cao Xiao practice for several hours. Seeing that he still hadn't given up after dark, he spoke up. In fact, he was already very satisfied with Cao Xiao. Originally, today's test was only the Stance Training; the Boxing Frame was the foundation, so it had to be taught to him today. Cao Xiao had a good memory and remembered all the key points, but he just hadn't practiced them and his body didn't meet the requirements yet. To be able to do this much had actually shocked him. The Boxing Frame wasn't something to be mastered and then forgotten; one had to practice it diligently every day. It would take others a long time just to learn the movements, but at Cao Xiao's learning speed, he would fully master it in a few days. If Cao Xiao had actually fully mastered it today, that would have been truly supernatural.

"No need, you keep that ginseng to nourish your body. When I went to Changbai Mountain last time, I didn't just pick one; it's enough for me to use for a long time. Then I'll head back first, and I will definitely come back in a month." Hearing Hou Jingsheng's words, he knew he had passed this stage, and the heavy stone in his heart dropped. After practicing for several hours, his whole body was now aching. Looking at the sky, Cao Xiao spoke with a start.