Chapter 100: Light
Chapter 100: Light
He Xiaoxing's eyes shone intensely as he fixed his gaze upon Chen Chuan. After a long moment, his powerful voice finally emerged from his broad chest:
"Confronting challenges requires force, and force is violence. This is the fundamental logic that drives the world, true for corporations and nations alike, and the same principle applies when scaled down to an individual fighter.
However, to gain strength, one must first understand their opponent, but more importantly, they must understand themselves. The Academy sent me back to teach you, and they mentioned preparing you for the cultivation of Mystic Form Technique. But if you choose this path, you'll merely become another Shen Zheng. Even with change, it won't be significant."
As he spoke, his voice lowered, "Retracing your past steps is meaningless. But I heard you chose the Zhouyuan Technique, and you even resisted the interference from the Heartened Society. This shows you know exactly what you want. In this regard, if you persist, you'll go further than most."
He extended his large palm, fingers spread wide, aiming the palm directly at Chen Chuan, and said, "Give it your all."
Cheng Zitong, seeing this, took a couple of steps back, signaling for Chen Chuan to strike boldly.
Chen Chuan nodded. He took a step forward, raised his hand, and clenched his fist. Taking a deep breath, his second self merged with him, and simultaneously, all the altered tissue throughout his body contracted under the influence of his consciousness, filling to the brim with power. With a shout, the ground beneath him suddenly caved in, and his fist landed squarely on the palm!
In that fleeting moment of impact, a clear and focused sound reverberated, and a layer of green lines appeared on He Xiaoxing's palm. These lines extended backward with the force, reaching almost to his elbow, where they seemed unable to progress further.
After delivering the punch, Chen Chuan had prepared for the recoil, but to his slight surprise, all the power seemed to sink into He Xiaoxing's palm, leaving not a trace.
He had no doubt that if He Xiaoxing were to release his palm, he would surely fall forward. But at that moment, he was at the precise limit of his strength, with not a hint of excess force. This delicate balance was undoubtedly a masterful display.
He Xiaoxing observed the lines extending from his elbow and remarked, "Hmm, interesting. Your power is incredibly close to the theoretical limit of the first stage. Your talent is indeed as high as Old Cheng described."
Cheng Zitong, matter-of-factly, said, "I've always said that I'm not ordinary, and my talent is exceptional."
Chen Chuan asked, curious, asked, "The limit of the first stage?"
He Xiaoxing explained slowly, "The reason this stage is called the 'Essence True Stage' or the 'First Stage' is not merely about the degree of altered tissue transformation. It also signifies that a person's power has its limits.
As long as you remain human, no matter how powerful your altered tissue is, within the first stage, it can only reach a certain threshold. This is the First Stage.
However, since individuals vary, there's a wide range of potential. In theory, only a nearly perfect individual in all aspects can reach the upper limit. Even so, you are already very close to this level."
Chen Chuan glanced at He Xiaoxing's arm, realizing that with that single strike, He Xiaoxing had accurately gauged his strength and technique, and perhaps something more, though Chen Chuan didn't fully comprehend it yet. He wasn't overly disappointed that he hadn't surpassed this limit, as every time he improved, his second self would advance alongside him. Even now, he hadn't reached the pinnacle of this stage.
According to this theory, he could even challenge or surpass his past self.
Cheng Zitong interjected, "That follower of Tan Wang, I think he's already touched the second stage, but from what I gathered about the conflict that day, he lost to Chuan in a pure test of strength. That's the difference in talent."
He Xiaoxing agreed, "That's entirely possible. The upper limit of the first stage can surpass the lower limit of the second stage, but the upper limit of the second stage is unreachable from the first stage. The key lies in the depth and completeness of altered tissue transformation. Old Cheng, did you only teach him a breathing technique?"
Cheng Zitong replied, "Yes, besides the basic breathing method he already knew, I taught him the 'Qi Point Breathing Technique' and a set of correct fist techniques, nothing more. I was cautious not to overwhelm him with advanced training methods too soon, lest I misguide him."
He Xiaoxing nodded, "Your prudence has spared us much trouble. As for you, Chuan, you're like a blank canvas to me, with ample room for improvement. Don't rush into the second stage; building a solid foundation is crucial. I'll teach you a breathing technique and a training method to further strengthen your altered tissue."
He observed Chen Chuan's punch, "When you strike, many parts of your body's power remain untapped, indicating that the altered tissue hasn't fully engaged or is not yet integrated. For others, this is normal, as they focus on enhancing specific altered tissues. But with the Zhouyuan Technique, which emphasizes omnipresence, those areas must be addressed."
"Otherwise, in the future, these small details might hinder your progress, making advancement increasingly challenging. By then, rectifying these oversights would require tenfold the effort."
Chen Chuan couldn't help but nod, taking in what he heard and committing it to memory.
He Xiaoxing continued, "Your overall force exertion is also not vigorous enough, which is actually two sides of the same problem. The lack of vigor is because many of the altered tissues' power hasn't been mobilized. Although I don't know the specifics of your internal altered tissues, I can tell from your movements that they are unevenly distributed and scattered."
"This isn't due to a lack of effort. The more you train, the deeper the power goes. It was like this when you first entered this stage, but you must understand that others only train a portion of their altered tissues, expanding from a single point to the whole. They have the time and energy to make adjustments, and they have the benefit of past experiences and summaries to refer to, ensuring they don't stray too far and can constantly correct themselves."
"But Zhou Yuan's technique doesn't have these advantages. You have to explore it on your own, which undoubtedly increases the difficulty many times over."
"However, you must be aware of your own situation. If this were building a skyscraper, and a foundational block had a defect, leading to a weak point, then in the future, you'd be destined to reach only a very limited height."
"My suggestion is to use the breath control method to observe your internal state while simultaneously performing force techniques to stimulate and guide the areas that need strengthening. This way, your altered tissues will get as much exercise as possible. Fortunately, you've only been training for two months and are still in the initial stages. The gap between the altered tissues hasn't widened yet, so there's still time to correct and compensate."
Cheng Zitong spoke up, "Old He, why don't you stay a couple more days and provide some more guidance?"
Cheng Zitong acknowledged that his teaching skills were far inferior to He Xiaoxing's. If he could stay and guide Chen Chuan, even for a few days, it would be immensely beneficial.
He Xiaoxing said, "Since I've decided to leave tonight, I won't stay until tomorrow. I'll write down the key points and send them to you later. But cultivation is a resource-intensive endeavor, especially for someone like him. To reach his goal, he'll need a lot of medicine, and the required amount will only increase over time. In the old era, it was almost impossible to achieve this level of cultivation."
"However, the world is always progressing, and as it advances, it propels us forward, allowing us to harness various convenient forces to create a brand new future."
He turned to Chen Chuan, "I'm also curious to see how high you'll reach in your cultivation."
Cheng Zitong solemnly said, "Leave the matter of medicine to me. Chen Chuan is my student, and I can find whatever he needs, even if it's from Central City."
He Xiaoxing trusted Cheng Zitong's capabilities. Facing Chen Chuan, he spoke in a low voice, "I'll demonstrate, and you take notes. Focus on the key points. You don't have to master everything I teach, but as long as it fills the gaps in your training and exercises the areas you've neglected, then the purpose will be achieved. You can discard it afterward."
Chen Chuan nodded seriously.
Without further ado, He Xiaoxing began the demonstration. He typically performed the technique himself first, then had Chen Chuan follow along. However, unlike other teachers, his observations were incredibly precise. As Chen Chuan practiced, he immediately pointed out the shortcomings and instructed him on how to correct them.
After just two or three demonstrations, Chen Chuan not only memorized the technique but also fundamentally corrected his flaws. The feeling was incredibly smooth, like riding the wind or crossing a river in a boat, with a force pushing him forward.
Time always passed quickly. As the night wind blew on the mountaintop, the hour approached midnight, and He Xiaoxing spoke up, "That's enough for now."
Chen Chuan stopped his movements, understanding that the guidance session was over. Even Cheng Zitong, who had been observing from the side, felt a sense of unfinished business.
He Xiaoxing stood there, his loose hair swaying in the wind, "I've already told you the areas to focus on, how to correct them, and how to strengthen them. From now on, it's up to your personal cultivation. But don't be dogmatic; what I say isn't necessarily right. You must adjust based on your own situation. Our learning process is about constantly correcting mistakes and errors."
He paused, lifting his head to gaze at the full moon in the night sky, "Alright, I should be going now."
Chen Chuan bowed sincerely, expressing his gratitude, "Thank you, Teacher He, for your guidance."
He Xiaoxing nodded.
Cheng Zitong said, "Old He, we're also heading down the mountain. Let me see you off."
He Xiaoxing didn't refuse, "Alright."
The three of them got into the car and descended from the mountaintop. They drove to the dormitory building's entrance, where Chen Chuan got out. He bid farewell to his two teachers with a respectful fist salute and watched as their car drove away under the streetlights, gradually disappearing into the darkness. But he knew that soon, a brand new day would dawn.
He turned and walked towards the brightly lit dormitory building.
This time, he had gained a lot. It was as if all the unclear points had been clarified. The issues were identified, and solutions were provided. He now had a more detailed and clear direction.
He climbed the steps one by one, his footsteps echoing in the quiet midnight. With his back to the dark night, he walked towards the gathering light.
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(End of Chapter)
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