“I wonder if that guy is still bothering my sister.” Su Jie’s thoughts wandered from professional tournaments to Odell, then to artificial intelligence research, and finally to his sister, Su Muchen, as well as the young master who had been harassing her. It was precisely because of this person that Su Jie decided to learn martial arts. Sometimes, personal strength truly makes a difference.

“You’ve been training for so many days now. I’ve taught you digging and carrying loads—these are foundational skills. Then, I introduced you to various martial arts forms. Some of you might think these are just flowery techniques, impractical in real combat. But just watch,” Gu Yang began his lecture. “Frankly speaking, you’re all participants in a short-term summer training camp. In just two months, you can’t truly learn martial arts. Mastery takes at least three to five years, commonly ten to twenty years, or even a lifetime. In these two months, all I can do is teach you the correct training methods so you won’t waste time or go down the wrong path. According to the academy’s schedule, the last half month will focus on teaching you the practical applications of forms—specifically grappling combat.”

“Grappling? Is it the same as sanda? I’ve studied that before,” Boone, a burly man, said with a disappointed look. “Sanda is just a few basic moves: straight, hook, and swing punches, along with front, side, and whip kicks. Combine those, and it’s freestyle at best. It’s not even as effective as Muay Thai with its elbows and knees.”

“Grappling is not sanda,” Gu Yang corrected. “Grappling encompasses numerous techniques from traditional martial arts—moves to subdue the enemy with a single strike or successive attacks. You can use any technique. Boone, come here.”

Boone, who had been knocked down by Gu Yang with one move previously, already had a significant fear of him. Although he was the troublemaker of the group, he didn’t dare disobey Gu Yang’s orders.

“You’ve studied Muay Thai, right? Attack me,” Gu Yang instructed. “Use anything—elbows, knees, kicks, throws—whatever you want.”

“Then here I come.” Boone, a complete pragmatist, never held back. He was even more straightforward than Josh.

Adopting a combat stance, Boone swayed left and right, feinting attacks. This was a deceptive boxing technique. Suddenly, his legs shifted, and he launched a sweeping kick.

‘That’s a good move,’ Su Jie thought, slightly startled as he observed. This was a standard maneuver used in professional matches. Su Jie, no longer a novice, had gone through dozens of matches. While he couldn’t defeat professionals, if he resorted to stalling tactics like evasive running, it would be hard for even a professional opponent to knock him out.

Boone’s feints followed by the sudden leg sweep were already at the level of a provincial professional team.

At that moment, Gu Yang, as if predicting Boone’s kick, sidestepped smoothly like a water serpent and moved into Boone’s blind spot. 

Suddenly, Gu Yang extended his arm.

Pa!

In that instant, Su Jie seemed to see a long-armed ape plucking fruit. The movement was like a whip—swift, precise, and with a crisp sound.

Boone’s armpit was struck, and he immediately fell to the ground, convulsing, foaming at the mouth as though in the throes of withdrawal symptoms.

‘He struck an acupoint,’ Su Jie analyzed silently. ‘This technique resembles Peng Haidong’s long-reaching punches in my previous match—Tongbei Boxing. The strikes are far-reaching and retract instantly, cold and sharp, like the movements of a gibbon. Tongbei Boxing is said to be one of the oldest and most powerful traditional martial arts. Peng Haidong’s strikes weren’t strong enough to break my defense, but this Coach Gu Yang’s mastery is far superior. His strikes penetrate the body like the tip of a whip, and his precision with acupoints and footwork is incredible.’

While Su Jie was pondering, Gu Yang stepped forward and massaged Boone’s body for a few moments, bringing him back to consciousness.

“This is Chinese martial arts?” Boone exclaimed in delight after recovering. “Coach, are you teaching us this today?”

“That’s right. This is a freehand technique in martial arts. Today, I’ll teach you a move called ‘Long-armed Ape Reach.’ From now on, I’ll teach you one move of freehand technique each day. Practice diligently, and you’ll be able to overcome your opponents in the future,” Gu Yang said. “Now, follow my lead. First, face the opponent’s attack. Move in a zigzag pattern like a snake, then suddenly dart forward, extending your arm, using the power from your body’s motion to thrust and retract in one fluid motion.”

At this moment, Gu Yang began teaching the move “Long-armed Ape Reach” in slow motion.

“This move isn’t as simple as it looks. The first step is to find the opponent’s blind spot in combat. This kind of awareness can only be honed through relentless practice and countless battles. Then, the darting motion involves a sharp and crisp force from Tongbei Fist. Without three to five years of hard training, it’s impossible to master. Don’t be fooled by how effortlessly and gracefully Gu Yang executed it—there’s a lot of knowledge embedded in it,” Zhang Manman explained to Su Jie as they practiced the move.

“Exactly,” Su Jie replied. Having already perfected the move “Hoe Strike,” his keen eye immediately recognized the complexity of “Long-armed Ape Reach.” This move incorporated many intricate forces such as dodging, shifting, floating, twisting, rotating, drilling, snapping, and swinging. A seemingly simple body movement was laden with profound techniques, involving numerous muscle groups and skeletal coordination.

Simply mastering the form of this move without understanding its essence would make it difficult to use effectively in real combat.

Most students, unaware of this, would see the coach perform the move impressively and assume it could be directly applied in a fight.

Watching the eager students practicing, Su Jie shook his head. He could tell they hadn’t grasped the essence of the technique or its underlying principles. However, for him, this was a valuable learning opportunity.

He understood the core of the move at a glance.

Of course, this understanding stemmed from his deep mastery of “Hoe Strike,” which had become ingrained in his soul. It had taught him how different forces moved and how muscle groups worked in tandem. Without this foundation, he wouldn’t have been able to discern the intricacies of the move.

Now, after watching Gu Yang demonstrate once and practicing a few slow-motion repetitions on his own, Su Jie could replicate it convincingly.

At this point, he fully understood why “Hoe Strike” was called the mother of all martial arts techniques. Mastering it provided a foundation to easily grasp almost any martial art.

‘Although martial arts techniques are numerous, their core lies in the combined effort of muscle groups and neurons. The human body is simple in structure—limbs and torso—but its variations always adhere to these principles.’  

After about an hour of practice, Su Jie had thoroughly grasped the force technique of the move. The technique involved seamlessly combining different forms of power, such as rising, drilling, relaxing, exploding, and pulling.

When it came to the core of “inner strength,” Su Jie had already reached a level of proficiency. This combination of tension and relaxation across the entire body was the foundation of explosive power.

Pop!

Once he had mastered the core techniques, Su Jie exerted a bit of force. At the moment his arm extended and retracted, it emitted a faint snapping sound.

‘As expected, a genius,’

Gu Yang observed this detail and said, ‘He has quickly grasped the secret of Tongbei Fist’s power. Traditional martial arts may seem mysterious and hard to master, but once you truly have an epiphany, you can learn it in a matter of days. After that, it’s all about hard training. But this kind of epiphany is something many people can never achieve—it’s like Zen Buddhism. Some people drift aimlessly their whole lives, while others have a moment of sudden enlightenment that clears the fog, leading to instant understanding.’

Only two people noticed the snapping sound Su Jie produced—Gu Yang and Zhang Manman.

“Su Jie, let’s spar,” Zhang Manman suggested. “You use this move to attack me, and I’ll attack you. Training like this will help us improve faster.”

“Sure,” Su Jie agreed. After learning that Zhang Manman had been a bounty hunter, he no longer underestimated her. He might even gain valuable experience from her.

The two paired up and began training, attacking and defending in turn.

Su Jie noticed that Zhang Manman was very fast, with extensive experience in finding openings and reacting swiftly. Her only disadvantage was her strength, which was a natural limitation for most women compared to men and often difficult to overcome.

This was why women’s combat techniques often focused on targeting vital points with speed and precision.

Somehow, Su Jie felt that with each passing day, his skills and experience were advancing rapidly. He discovered many new insights, deepening his understanding of martial arts.

‘If I were to fight Zhang Manman in the ring, I’m ninety percent confident I could defeat her. But in real life, she might still have a chance to kill me.’ Su Jie came to this conclusion. He had developed a habit: the moment he met someone, he would analyze their combat abilities and quickly devise strategies to exploit their weaknesses.

This was one of the small techniques taught to him by Odell, and it proved to be very useful. It allowed him to win match after match in the ring and earn a significant amount of money.

As his victories increased, so did his ranking and confidence, making it harder and harder for him to lose.

Sometimes, when Su Jie looked back, he found it unbelievable that he had made so much progress in just a month and a half. It felt like a miracle. But upon deeper reflection, he realized that success didn’t come by chance. The grueling daily training—unbearable for most—was the real reason behind it.

Take Uncle Mang’s massages, for instance. Most people couldn’t endure them. Even the professional coach Zhou Chun couldn’t handle the hellish pain, let alone the subsequent acupuncture treatments or the electric stimulation methods used by top U.S. agents.

Suddenly, during practice, Zhang Manman’s movements changed. She switched to a different technique with incredible speed, twisting her body like a snake. After two quick turns, she maneuvered to Su Jie’s side and launched a fierce punch.

A surprise attack.

An improvised move.

Whoosh!

Su Jie’s hairs stood on end. Instinctively, he ducked, dodged, covered his head, and lunged.

The “Hoe Strike.”

This move had become ingrained in his very bones and soul. No matter what kind of attack he faced, it was always his go-to response. He had practiced it so thoroughly that it had seeped into the deepest parts of his brain, requiring no conscious thought—a pure muscle memory.

Although he had recently learned the “Long-armed Ape Reach,” he had only borrowed certain techniques from it to enhance the power of the “Hoe Strike.”

Originally, the “Hoe Strike” was a short-range, close-combat move—ferocious but not without its flaws. But now, with the incorporation of the “Long-armed Ape Reach,” a technique from Tongbei Boxing, Su Jie could extend his reach dramatically. As he lunged, his arm shot out like lightning, grabbing at Zhang Manman’s face.

In that moment, Su Jie seemed like a tiger with wings or an elephant with an extended trunk—able to attack from a distance.

Su Jie had seamlessly integrated the “Long-armed Ape Reach” technique into the “Hoe Strike.”

Smack!

Just as Su Jie’s hand was about to grab Zhang Manman’s face, Gu Yang intervened and pushed it away.

At the same time, Zhang Manman’s “Groin Kick” nearly hit Su Jie’s lower body. It was a deadly move. Without Gu Yang’s intervention, both might have been seriously injured.  (G: Ouch!)

“You can’t train like this,” Gu Yang scolded. “Your instincts are highly lethal. It’s too easy for something to go wrong if you keep sparring this way.”

“Impressive,” Zhang Manman said, giving Su Jie a thumbs-up. She had thoroughly tested Su Jie’s martial arts skills and confirmed that he was indeed a genius.

“The core of the ‘Hoe Strike’ lies in the upward lunge. While lunging, you can use Tongbei force, short force, or even other forces. Next, I’ll teach you many techniques from various academies and disciplines. If you can integrate them all into this one move, you’ll reach a point where you can learn anything at a glance. Your martial arts will truly be interconnected,” Gu Yang added.

Su Jie hadn’t intentionally executed the move earlier, but under Zhang Manman’s pressure, he had instinctively integrated the “Long-armed Ape Reach” into the “Hoe Strike.” Reflecting on it now, he felt grateful to her for helping him make yet another breakthrough in his martial arts.

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