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Chapter 113: Talented
Chapter 113: Talented
Chapter 113: Talented
Afterward, Mei Ling elaborated more on the Fierce Tiger Piercing Spear technique she used.
“Basically, all the Eight Trigram Palms start and end with True Stance. Thus, one who enters the Eight Trigram Palms learns True Stance as the foundation, focusing on ‘Direct Thrust,’ a piercing technique among the Diamond Eight Forms. It generally takes three years to master Direct Thrust. After solidifying these basics, there are three stages of training. Only after completing all these can one learn the secret techniques called the ‘Eight Great Initial Techniques’, and the Fierce Tiger Piercing Spear I used is originally one of the eight techniques known as the ‘Fierce Tiger Descends the Mountain’.”
It was a complex explanation, and though I didn’t understand everything she said, I grasped the gist of it.
“So, does that mean it will take an incredibly long time for me to learn the Fierce Tiger Piercing Spear?”
“It’s possible, but also not certain. Nobody knows how long it will take you to learn True Stance.”
Mei Ling said this and shrugged her shoulders.
Feeling a strange sense of helplessness, I rubbed my temples.
According to her explanation, it usually takes an average person three years to learn True Stance, the most basic technique.
And even with a talented body, it seemed unlikely that I could perfectly replicate a martial art I was learning for the first time right from the start.
Moreover, even after mastering the basics, weren’t there three more stages of training?It seemed impossible to learn it in just a few days.
Seeing me like this, Mei Ling gave a somewhat hopeful yet torturous remark.
“Even so, I’m not asking you to become a master of the Eight Trigram Palms right now. However, it’s true that True Stance is the minimum technique required to learn the Fierce Tiger Piercing Spear. Without the weight shifting of True Stance, you can’t bring out instantaneous destructive power.”
I understood what she was trying to say.
“So, first, I should master the technique called True Stance?”
“Yes, if you want to learn the Fierce Tiger Piercing Spear from me.”
It would be good if I could learn it, and it would be a pity if I couldn’t.
Knowing I had nothing to lose, I decided to give it a shot.
“Let’s just give it a try.”
If a man draws a sword, must he not at least cut something?
Hearing my answer, Mei Ling nodded with satisfaction and then demonstrated True Stance herself.
“True Stance fundamentally uses weight shifting to create explosive physical force at the point of impact. It’s a technique commonly used not only in the Eight Trigram Palm but also in northern school martial arts.”
With that, Mei Ling lightly clenched her fist above her navel and lifted her right foot.
And at the moment when her rhythmic breathing stopped…
Bang!!
She stomped on the ground hard and simultaneously thrust her right fist forward.
It happened in an instant, but I could physically feel how impressive the technique she demonstrated was.
To call it a mere piercing strike would be an understatement, given the momentum behind her fist.
“This is precisely Direct Thrust.”
Usually, the True Stance of Chinese martial arts depicted in mass media involves just stomping the ground hard.
However, the True Stance she demonstrated right in front of me made less noise than I expected, and the subsequent movements were very smooth.
It was as if True Stance and Direct Thrust were connected from the start; the transition between them was natural.
And I realized that this technique, Direct Thrust, was not much different from the preparatory stance of the Fierce Tiger Piercing Spear that she had shown in yesterday’s sparring.
“So, this is why True Stance is essential.”
As I muttered with an understanding expression, Mei Ling laughed and said,
“Even if it’s a secret technique, in the end, it’s based on existing techniques. That’s why every martial arts school emphasizes the importance of the basics.”
I nodded, recalling the movement demonstration she had just shown.
I gathered both my hands above my navel, and slightly lifted the leg that was in the same direction as my punching arm.
Then, moving forward, the slight bending of my leg transferred weight from my lower body to my upper body.
Bang!
But perhaps I put too much strength into my legs, as only dust flew up from where my foot collided with the ground.
Watching and doing it myself definitely felt different.
Seeing me like that, Mei Ling spoke as if to comfort me.
“You can’t be good at it from the start. Just practice whenever you have time, and if you have any questions, feel free to ask.”
“Yes. I’ll keep that in mind.”
Still, I roughly understood what Direct Thrust was.
In essence, it was about instantly transferring the weight, divided between the upper and lower bodies, onto the fist.
I already knew a technique similar to this.
The straight punch in boxing.
The movement and posture were different, but the basic principle was quite similar.
The slight bending of the leg when delivering a straight punch ultimately serves to transfer the weight onto the fist.
But what I needed to learn right now was True Stance, not Direct Thrust.
She said that by repeatedly practicing the basic Direct Thrust, I would naturally become proficient in True Stance. However, being a person of science, I tend to approach it theoretically.
I lost track of time practicing Direct Thrust in the park, recalling many martial arts I had seen before.
From the Russian imperial martial arts used by Ivan, to Boris’s Combat Sambo, Sasha’s Systema, and even the Jujutsu I saw yesterday at Yaguchi’s dojo, to the boxing of delinquents.
Each had different forms and methods, but all included a movement to transfer weight onto the fist to maximize striking power.
I concentrated on melding all these experiences into my fists.
“Sigh…”
I exhale and then inhale again.
In a split second, I held my breath and moved forward.
Bang!!
With a sound like breaking pavement blocks, I extended my right fist straight out.
“……”
It felt better than the first time, but something still seemed lacking.
I thought it was due to a lack of harmony.
My mind understood, but my body couldn’t follow.
This was the first time I had felt this way since possessing this body.
It made it all the more…
“Interesting.”
I immersed myself in this newfound joy.
Kim Yu-seong’s training, which started even before dawn, continued well after the sun was high in the sky.
Initially, Mei Ling thought of just spending some time and then going home, but she couldn’t bring herself to interrupt him, seeing his terrifying concentration during True Stance practice.
And he was actually growing rapidly.
At first, his clumsy imitation of True Stance, which seemed like it would ruin his knee cartilage, gradually changed in sound with each repetition.
And Direct Thrust, which felt somewhat unnatural because he hadn’t properly learned the Eight Trigram Palms’ unique breathing method, was suddenly moving in the right direction.
It was a monstrous talent.
To think he could self-learn a technique shown only once and improve it to this level in half a day.
Even to her, who had been called a prodigy since childhood, Kim Yu-seong was an enormous bundle of talent.
It was even more surprising that such a person had remained unknown until he defeated Ivan all by himself.
Eventually…
“Ah.”
In the scorching summer heat, he continued the same motion silently and then seemed to have an epiphany.
Then, he said to Mei Ling, who was resting in the shade,
“I think I’ve gotten the hang of using True Stance. Could you take a look?”
Mei Ling gladly accepted his request.
After all, she had been watching his training process all along, so one more failure wouldn’t matter.
However…
This time was different.
With both fists over his dantian, he steadied his scattered breath and lightly lifted his right foot.
Due to practicing True Stance countless times over most of the day, there were footprints all around him in the dirt.
Over those countless footprints, his leg stamped down hard again.
Bang!!
“Huh?”
The first time, a crisp sound, like air bursting, rang out.
With perfect timing, stride, and execution of a straight punch, he looked at Mei Ling with a joyful expression.
“I did it, right?”
Unbelievable.
How could he master True Stance, a technique that would take ordinary people three years, in just half a day?
Mei Ling could only stare at his happy face, astonished.
After all that hard work, it turned out that the technique of using True Stance was actually very easy.
Who would have thought the timing of exerting force in a deadlift was so similar to this?
This was why men should go to the gym, it seemed.