Su Jie had very deep feelings for Josh. If it weren’t for Josh, he wouldn’t have realized that tilling the land and the hammering of tires during combat practice had similar principles, perhaps even surpassing them. His rapid progress was largely due to the enjoyment he found in daily sparring with Josh, which built his confidence to continue training under Odell later on. However, after Josh signed on to become a target for Feng Hengyi, the two lost contact. It wasn’t that Su Jie didn’t want to reach out to Josh; rather, all means of communication seemed to have been severed. Now, returning to the Martial Arts Academy and unexpectedly encountering Josh again filled Su Jie with joy.

“Hey!” Su Jie quickly greeted Josh, “What are you doing here?”

Josh walked over to Su Jie, but his expression showed little excitement; instead, he appeared somewhat indifferent. He stopped five steps away from Su Jie and said, “Su Jie, I want to challenge you. I specifically came to find you after seeing your performance in the small Arena Competition at Minglun Martial Arts Academy on the livestream. I wanted to have another match.”

“Sure!” Su Jie understood that Josh had likely been influenced by Feng Hengyi’s training; both his physique and temperament, even his aura, had changed significantly. Josh’s body had become as solid as steel, and he walked with a steadiness akin to a nail driven into stone, almost unshakeable. He had found the centerline of his body, and in all his movements—whether standing, walking, or sitting—his body’s central axis showed no deviation whatsoever. This was a frightening level of cultivation.

The Confucian principle of “standing upright and centered” and the Daoist saying “too many words lead to exhaustion; it’s better to maintain the center” both emphasize this concept. Traditional martial arts also stress the importance of the body’s central axis; during punching practice, one must firmly protect this axis and avoid swaying. In Judo, this is known as the theory of “roots.” The goal of any Judo technique is to destabilize the opponent’s “foundation” while maintaining one’s own.

Su Jie only grasped this principle after achieving some success in martial arts. Through gradual practice, he had long found his own “root,” and over time, he had cultivated it to an astonishing level. In fact, one could assess a person’s martial arts proficiency by examining whether they had a “root” and the solidity of that root.

For instance, now that Josh stood before him, an ordinary person might not notice anything unusual, but Su Jie, who was well-versed in Physiognomy and could observe auras, understood the profound principles of martial arts. He could “see” that within Josh, from the soles of his feet to the crown of his head, there seemed to be a “pillar” supporting him. This “pillar” represented his “root.”

Of course, this did not mean that Josh had a literal pillar inside him; rather, it referred to his mental and physical qualities, which provided stability and support in every action. A person embodies the universe, and the pillar that supports the heavens is what martial arts refers to as the “root.”

Chinese traditional martial arts first emphasize standing postures. There are many methods and theories for standing postures, but in Su Jie’s view, the ultimate goal of all standing practices is to find a certain physical and mental support and then cultivate and strengthen it. The “root” is the internal strength, as well as Qi. Su Jie had previously only had a vague understanding of this, but after discussing the martial arts theory of Japan’s top Judo practitioner, Daben Xianghua, with his senior brother Song Qiong, he began to comprehend the concept of “roots.” 

Since then, he had been pondering this idea, and upon seeing Josh today, he was finally able to discern a person’s martial arts level by observing their “root” in conjunction with the internal observation of aura from Feng Shui and Physiognomy. Some people only begin to grasp their martial arts when they find their “root.” In Su Jie’s eyes, his own “root” felt like a thin thread that could snap at any moment.

Of course, most people lack “roots,” which manifests in their erratic movements and an inherent lack of support; simply put, they lack Essence and spirit. Josh’s “roots,” on the other hand, were like an iron rod running through the axis of his body, making him fundamentally unshakeable. If Josh were a house, then his flesh and blood would be the concrete, while the “roots” would be the steel reinforcement within. The thicker the steel, the sturdier the house, making it harder to collapse. 

Su Jie recalled the Josh of the past; although he had “roots,” they were as flimsy as a wooden chopstick, easily destroyed by others. A year had passed, and Josh was now more than ten times stronger than he had been a year ago. 

“Haha, Josh, you truly are my lucky star! Seeing you has made me understand the crucial principles of martial arts,” Su Jie said as he stepped forward to pat Josh on the shoulder, but Josh slipped away, evading Su Jie’s grasp. 

“Follow me,” Josh said, turning and walking away, his demeanor now completely different from the “overly dramatic” aura he once had; he had become taciturn. He exited the Minglun Martial Arts Academy and entered a small alley outside. 

“Do you remember? Last year, in this very alley, you defeated me,” Josh remarked. “That had a significant impact on me. Back then, you were a novice in Martial Arts; even with three layers of protective gear, you couldn’t withstand a single punch from me. Yet, in just over a month, you managed to defeat me. I had been training in combat for seven or eight years, having fought countless battles. At that moment, I realized there was something wrong with my pursuit. So, I signed a contract with Feng Hengyi and finally found the best training method in the world. Compared to my previous training, this was real training. I had thought of myself as a martial arts master who had practiced Tai Chi for decades, believing my skills were profound, but when I faced a beginner who had only trained for a month, I ended up with a bruised face. Today, I want to spar with you to see how far I’ve come.”

“Sure,” Su Jie replied, knowing that Josh had signed with Feng Hengyi, feeling a deep sense of regret inside. As a good friend, he actually wanted to advise him to reconsider, but he had never found the opportunity.

Boom! Josh crossed his feet, his fists arriving with explosive force, targeting Su Jie from all angles as if attacking from above, middle, and below. The impact was like cannon fire, shaking the ground violently, and his punches struck deep, instilling fear and awe. 

Each of the three attacks was real, yet each could also be feigned; whichever route Su Jie chose to block could easily turn from real to fake, leaving him vulnerable. This style of punching was different from boxing and traditional martial arts; it was a brand new technique. Speed, power, and timing were all executed perfectly, making it nearly flawless. Even national-level athletes would find it hard to replicate such a technique.

Su Jie felt the pressure as he focused intently. But at the same time, he made his move. 

Crack! He raised his arm from below, still using the “Hoe Strike” technique, but this time the intent behind the move was entirely different, becoming heavy and solid, like a great iron shield that blocked all attacks. 

When Josh’s punches made contact with Su Jie’s arm, a dull thud echoed, like a hammer striking a large shield, unable to penetrate. Then, Su Jie retaliated. 

This was a basic variation of the “Hoe Strike” technique: raising his hand to block the upper, middle, and lower attacks, then flipping his hand down to deliver a strike to Josh’s face. 

It was simple yet practical; poorly trained individuals would look like brawling cats, while those who trained well would strike like thunder from the earth, soaring to the heavens, delivering fierce blows that swept away evil and restored peace to the world. Su Jie was among those who trained well. 

He could be said to have reached the pinnacle of his craft; while he might not be “unmatched in the world,” he was certainly a rare talent. Even Odell could not compare to him, as he had repeatedly practiced this one punch.

Especially after last month’s farming work, his understanding of this punch had deepened significantly. This punch, when applied to farming tasks, felt incredibly effortless, allowing him to take on ten opponents without any problem. He did not hold back against Josh. He wanted to wake Josh up.

Boom! His palm came crashing down, and all Josh could see was a hand that seemed to cover the sky and earth, compressing everything around him before pressing down on him. The world was grasped in one hand, and the mountains and rivers bore down on him. Su Jie’s current “hoe” had reached such a grand level. Only a master could feel this way when facing this punch; a novice wouldn’t even see it coming before getting slapped down to the ground.

As Su Jie unleashed this punch, it was as if he had seized the very essence of the world, then slammed it down, compressing the mountains and rivers within the universe. What kind of artistic conception could anyone possibly withstand? In “Journey to the West,” when the Monkey King faced the Silver-Horned King who wielded Mount Sumeru, he could still use his skills to carry the mountain, but when Mount Tai came crashing down, he was left with “blood spurting from seven orifices.” If the Monkey King couldn’t withstand it, neither could Josh. Even if he retreated rapidly, Su Jie’s feet could always keep pace with him. He could only watch helplessly as the palm came crashing toward his face.

Then, the palm covered his face, pressing down. His knees creaked, unable to support him any longer, and he was struck down to his knees on the ground. Eventually, he couldn’t hold on and collapsed flat on the ground. He wanted to get back up, but his whole body ached, and his head buzzed. This was a temporary shock; on the arena, it meant he had been knocked out, unable to rise for ten seconds.

Su Jie looked at Josh, who was knocked down, and did not help him up, allowing him to regain his senses on his own. After a full minute, Josh came to his senses but did not stand to fight again; instead, he sat down heavily on the ground. “Why? Why is the gap between us getting wider? Have I been pursuing the wrong path? How can I become a master of Martial Arts?”

His tone was filled with desolation, like someone who had toiled for a lifetime only to discover they had taken the wrong path. “No, Josh, your Martial Arts are already quite high; you are definitely a master,” Su Jie said. “But you have indeed taken the wrong path; you have not treated Martial Arts as Martial Arts.”

“Not treating Martial Arts as Martial Arts?” Josh asked, puzzled. 

“You want to become stronger, to be able to fight,” Su Jie replied, sitting down beside Josh. “But the mindset of becoming stronger and being able to fight is just a small part of Martial Arts.”

“Then what do you practice Martial Arts for?” Josh inquired.

Source: Webnovel.com, updated by NovelKeep