Chapter 9: Time Flies, Rapid Progress Achieved

Almost no one could see how Gu Yang made his move.

They only saw Gu Yang's figure dart forward, instantly appearing in front of Boone, tearing through his defense, and sending him flying.

“Amazing! So that’s how it’s used,” Su Jie thought excitedly. He had already figured it out—Gu Yang had just used the "Digging and Hoeing" move, while his footwork resembled "Carrying the Load." With the power of "Carrying the Load," the "Digging and Hoeing" move gained penetration, enabling him to send his opponent flying.

In fact, both techniques were closely connected.

Boone was left dazed from the hit. It took him five minutes to get up from the ground. All his earlier ferocity was gone, and he didn’t mention compensation anymore. He quietly started carrying loads.

Gu Yang, on the other hand, acted as if nothing had happened and continued carrying his loads back to the school.

“Amazing! That was incredible!”

Back at the school, during dinner, Josh was wolfing down his food while discussing the scene with Su Jie. However, Su Jie, calm and composed, was eating slowly and silently, savoring his meal. This left Josh feeling disheartened.

After a while, Su Jie finished eating, sat down to massage his stomach, and swallowed his saliva. Only after the feeling of fullness completely subsided did he stand up and start speaking.

“Where did you learn this way of eating?” Josh asked curiously.

“It’s an ancient health regimen I found online. Do you want to learn it? It’s said to help fully digest food and boost stamina,” Su Jie replied, strictly adhering to Coach Odell’s advice not to reveal too much.

“Sounds amazing, but it’s too much trouble. My digestion is great—I don’t need all that,” Josh shook his head, uninterested. “Let’s go. After a short break, we’ll train with the sandbag as usual.”

Josh treated Su Jie as his moving sandbag every day, finding it increasingly enjoyable. Lately, he had noticed Su Jie’s speed and strength improving, which made his “sandbag” even more valuable.

Back in the dormitory, Su Jie wrote in his diary as usual:

[July 9: I learned so much today. Besides a set of joint exercises for warm-ups, Coach Odell trained me in horizontal strength, teaching me to control my muscles and skin, alternating between relaxation and tension. Then Gu Yang showed us how to "Carry the Load." This move can even be applied in combat—Boone, that tall guy, had no chance to fight back!

It proves that Chinese martial arts are real, not just exaggerated tales. After all, China has thousands of years of warfare and self-defense techniques passed down through history—they couldn’t all be fake.

Coach Odell’s advice on eating and sleeping habits must be strictly followed without any slack. As the saying goes, success lies in the details. Su Jie, you will definitely become a master! Believe in yourself!]

That evening, Su Jie trained with Josh as usual. During their sparring, Su Jie tried to find opportunities to execute the "Hoeing" move but discovered it was nearly impossible. Several attempts failed, and instead, Josh took advantage of the openings, landing numerous punches on him. Fortunately, with three layers of protective gear on, Su Jie avoided any major injuries.

“This move definitely has combat potential, just like sweeping kicks, straight punches, or hooks. The challenge is seizing the right moment, executing precise bursts of power, and improving speed. I lack in all these areas. After all, it’s only my ninth day practicing martial arts—making this much progress is already a miracle.”

After returning from training, Su Jie diligently recorded his insights in his diary before going to bed. Using the "Corpse Spread" sleeping method, he quickly entered a state of deep calm.

“Gu Yang is an excellent coach.”

July 10.

As usual, Su Jie woke up at 3 a.m., heading to Coach Odell’s small courtyard outside the school. While performing joint exercises similar to Tai Chi, he reported yesterday’s training under Gu Yang to Coach Odell.

Odell nodded repeatedly after hearing this, "Starting with the posture of carrying a pole, this is the most crucial aspect of the martial arts fist techniques. Carrying a pole isn't easy; it requires strength and the coordination of the whole body to initiate the movement. On flat ground, it's manageable, but on rugged mountain paths or muddy terrain, the martial arts skill truly shines. If this technique is applied to combat, it would be terrifying. In traditional martial arts, this is called integrated power; in modern combat, it's referred to as full-body coordination. Whether it's Judo, Muay Thai, mixed martial arts, or free combat, all emphasize this principle. However, Chinese martial arts integrate this into farming tasks, making every movement in daily life an exercise—this is profound philosophy."

Odell continued, "The starting motion of the hoe-and-mattock move is like carrying a pole. You can experience it in detail later. But for now, start with warm-ups and proceed to horizontal conditioning!"

Smack!

A rubber stick struck Su Jie’s back, leaving a burning pain that was almost unbearable. However, Su Jie remained motionless, using his willpower to sense the struck areas, training his muscles to tense and relax alternately.

While striking, Odell explained, "The foundation of horizontal conditioning is developing a sensitivity to your body's muscles, skin, and fascia. Your thoughts must trigger responses from every part of your body simultaneously—this is the sensation of Qi flowing through the entire body. Once you grasp this, you can train on your own. This will greatly enhance your physical abilities," Odell said. "Globally, every form of exercise—whether it's ancient yoga, Chinese martial arts, or even religious prayer and practice—faces this fundamental challenge. In Chinese Daoist martial arts, it’s called opening the small and large circulation paths. Yoga refers to it as chakra alignment. In religious circles, it’s described as the baptism of the Holy Spirit. Modern science simplifies it to the brain's complete control over all body neurons. It may not sound mystical, but the training is exceedingly difficult. Without a superb coach, it's nearly impossible to master on your own."

Su Jie listened quietly, taking mental notes to write in his journal later and research further.

The biggest advantage of learning from Odell was the ability to use modern neuroscience, psychology, kinesiology, and anatomy to clearly explain the seemingly mystical elements of traditional martial arts and Chinese martial arts.

Holding a heavy hoe, Su Jie took a stance while Odell struck various parts of his body with a rubber stick.

Odell’s techniques were ingenious—while the strikes caused excruciating pain, they didn’t inflict severe internal injuries. Instead, they significantly enhanced Su Jie’s vitality and bone strength. Combined with medicinal treatments and a nutritional diet, Su Jie recovered quickly.

In terms of diet, Odell prepared excellent meals for Su Jie.

It seemed Odell was determined to nurture a world-class athlete to prove he could rival artificial intelligence.

The morning passed like this: first theoretical training, then horizontal conditioning, followed by meals and rest, and finally martial arts practice.

Later, Su Jie returned to the academy.

As dawn broke, Coach Gu Yang’s training session began.

Gu Yang’s training was straightforward. For the first seven days, it was digging and turning soil. For the next seven days, it involved carrying loads to the countryside.

This training was monotonous and entirely uninteresting. Without the deeper insights gained from Odell, Su Jie might have felt it was a waste of time and, like Boone, grown complacent. But now, the more he trained, the more intriguing it became.

At night, he continued to serve as Josh's punching bag. Occasionally, he retaliated with a couple of punches, but his combat skills still lagged far behind Josh's.

Su Jie didn’t mind—he was content as long as he steadily improved.

His journal documented his daily progress:

[July 10th: Training continued as usual—no significant changes, but it was tough. Thankfully, Coach Odell’s breakfast was delicious and highly nutritious; I ate a lot. The breakfast was ordered from Nie’s Private Kitchen in town, which is said to be very expensive and inaccessible to most people. According to Coach Odell, this city is full of hidden masters. He came here to learn traditional knowledge from some of them. There’s a thousand-year-old temple in the mountains where many martial arts techniques originated. Even the hoe-and-mattock move I’m learning was created by generations of martial monks through farming work.

July 11th: Besides the usual training, Coach Odell taught me various unarmed combat techniques based on the hoe-and-mattock move. These techniques include launching attacks from different angles, slapping the opponent’s face, grabbing, gouging eyes, and transitioning to elbow strikes, chest punches, and knee strikes to the groin if the initial move misses. These brutal and vicious techniques are unsuitable for combat sports but require extensive real-world experience to master.

July 12th: Today, Coach Odell added a new physical training method called “Crouching Tiger Skill,” which involves crawling on all fours, similar to a plank exercise, and very demanding. Coach Gu Yang still had us carrying loads without introducing anything new. Odell’s meals are getting even better. He genuinely seems committed to mentoring me, and I’m determined to repay his efforts in the future. It’s remarkable that a foreigner is so dedicated to Chinese culture. As a Chinese, I must work even harder. Additionally, under Odell’s strikes, I began to feel a resonance between my flesh and breathing, and the excruciating pain from before seemed to transform into a faintly comfortable sensation. Could this be an illusion?

July 13th: I seem to have grasped a breathing rhythm. During sparring with Josh, my muscles instinctively tightened when he punched me, then immediately relaxed, and the pain dissipated. However, this state is inconsistent, showing I still can’t fully control muscle relaxation and tension. I need more practice. Odell said this inconsistency is called “Qi disruption” in ancient Chinese martial arts texts. When I looked up these old texts online, the language was too arcane for me to understand. I guess I need to improve my classical Chinese skills. At least the “Great Corpse State” for sleeping works wonders—I sleep soundly and feel energetic all day. But I’m using too much medicated oil, nearly a bottle a day.

July 14th: Looking in the mirror, I noticed I’ve grown muscle, gotten taller, and my skin seems smoother. Coach Odell said my excellent mental state and perfectly balanced hormones have revitalized my bodily functions. Occasionally, Coach Gu Yang observes me with a puzzled look. However, he hasn’t given me any special treatment and continues assigning us to carry loads, even on increasingly challenging paths, such as mountain roads. This has given me a new appreciation for the hardships of farmers. Additionally, Odell taught me a massage technique to identify acupuncture points on the body, which has deepened my understanding of physical structure and exercise methods.

July 15th: Coach Gu Yang gave us the day off, so I spent the entire day training with Coach Odell. Josh, the maniac, continues his intense training daily and even secretly spars with people at local martial arts gyms. He told me about a bar in town that hosts nightly boxing matches where winners earn money. The city also has numerous boxing gyms and small competitions. As tempting as it is to test myself, I’ve only been training for half a month, so I’m not ready. Coach Odell will leave next month to visit Tibet and India in search of supernatural powers. I must seize the time to learn as much as possible from him. I still don’t understand what supernatural powers are. How can someone as rigorous and scientific as Odell believe in such things? As for the saying, ‘The end of science is philosophy, and the end of philosophy is theology,’ I don’t buy it. To me, martial arts are just the application of mental and physical strength. Mental strength enhances physical strength, and physical strength reinforces mental strength. That’s all there is to it.”]