Chapter 19

Since the night of the Lantern Festival when he witnessed Aunt Chenxin's abilities, Li Pu no longer worried about not being able to learn powerful skills—Earth's own combat techniques were the most suitable for Earthlings!

Chenxian, after learning about her mother's capabilities, also clamored to learn. She was inherently smart and had inherited Chenxin's talent. After standing in the horse stance a few times with Li Pu, she actually started to look quite the part.

"You're really lucky," Chenxin couldn't help but sigh after teaching her adopted son for a few days. "All the issues related to overuse, such as muscle strain, wrong breathing, and even qi deviation, are all solved by that 'medical system.'"

Thanks to the all-inclusive personal medical system in the "War God Armor," the first portable fitness brand in the Shi Long Great Wall Super Star Cluster, Li Pu didn't need any potions or secret formulas. Whether it was muscle or internal organ damage, as long as it wasn't a catastrophic injury, he could be repaired and even strengthened in a very short time based on the life blueprint's records.

—All physical training is 30% practice and 70% recovery. No matter how hard one trains or how strong one's will is, if the muscles, tendons, or internal organs are damaged, they need careful nurturing to avoid leaving any hidden problems. It's impossible to repair at the cellular level like Li Pu, who has black tech.

The only cost was the substances and energy stored in the body from food absorption.

If Li Pu's original physical talent was at a "pretty good" level, with the assistance of the War God Armor, in terms of physical training, no one on this planet could match his rate of improvement.

However, this did not include technique.

He still had to learn the techniques of force generation from Chenxin, correcting his wild methods. He started with the most basic stances and the three harmonies (large and small). (Force starts from the feet, turns at the waist, and is released from the shoulders, forming the large three harmonies; pushing the shoulders, vibrating the elbows, and clenching the fists form the small three harmonies. The same principle applies to leg movements.) Then, he gradually progressed to more advanced techniques, such as the bursting fist, horizontal fist, cannon punch, whip hand, knee and elbow strikes, and shoulder strikes. Chenxin explained and demonstrated techniques like coiling, grinding, chaotic rings, spirals, and various force generation methods.

Compared to the coiling, grinding, and chaotic rings of Tai Chi, Li Pu found the "zong" force from the Suhè Quan the most intriguing.

"In Suhè Quan, the 'zong' force is a technique that involves a sudden contraction of the muscles to generate a 'spring-like' force," Chenxin explained to Li Pu. "For example, when a dog climbs out of the water, it shakes its body to get rid of the water, which is a powerful spring-like action. This is called 'dog zong.' Similarly, the shrimp's rapid movement from stillness to motion, which is a localized or overall spring-like force, is called 'zong.' In Suhè Quan, this is referred to as 'shrimp spring, dog zong.'"

At this point, she seemed to recall something and smiled gently. "It doesn't sound as grand as the secret techniques of Tai Chi or Xingyi, but if you truly grasp it, it's just as effective."

"That sounds interesting. I want to learn this first," Li Pu was quite interested.

"Alright, you've always been a bit wild, so you're not really suited for internal martial arts," Chenxin flexed her wrist. "I was going to teach you Bajiquan first, but since you like this, it's not a bad choice."

Chenxin, who had no teacher's authority, and having known Li Pu since he was a child, now considered him part of her family, so she taught him without many formalities. Whatever Li Pu wanted to learn, she taught him.

She rolled up her sleeves, revealing a section of her bare arm, and demonstrated. "First, this is the basic technique of 'zong' force, which involves a sudden spring-like action, transitioning from soft to hard, and releasing a direct burst of power."

As she spoke, Chenxin's right palm suddenly shot out, like an eagle spreading its wings or a crane calling! A crisp "snap!" echoed, the air rippling! This was the high realm of "sound following the hand" in martial arts.

No, if there were any true martial artists present, they would probably be shocked to the point of bulging eyes. While martial arts say "a thousand gold can't buy a sound," it usually refers to the deep sounds produced by the movement of air. It would never be a crisp, sharp sound like a whip cracking—such a level of skill is rare even among masters.

Let alone the fact that she could do it casually with a simple gesture. This was already a hard skill that surpassed the "sound following the hand" level.

"Wow~~" Chenxian, who was watching beside them, opened her eyes wide, as if it were a sound effect from a martial arts movie... no, it felt even more powerful! Was that the sound of breaking the sound barrier and instantly splitting the air?

"Mom can be like a Bronze Saint Fighter..." The girl felt a bit indescribable. She vaguely remembered when she was five or six years old, living abroad, and her mother easily fended off a knife-wielding robber on the street. She knew her mother knew some Chinese martial arts, but she never expected her to be so skilled.

The difference was so great, it was like if the actress in "Police Story" suddenly revealed that her real skill was the "Southern Dipper Waterbird Fist"—it was too much.

Li Pu was still praising Aunt Chenxin's prowess, when Chenxian suddenly said softly, "Mom, I want to see your arm."

"Hmm?" Chenxin was slightly taken aback but extended her right arm, the one she had just used, to her daughter.

The girl held her mother's right hand and carefully examined and touched it. This was a familiar arm, one that had held her as a child, tousled her hair affectionately, and washed her body with soap during baths.

As before, it was a beautifully feminine arm, white with a healthy pink hue. But upon closer inspection, it had much less fat than usual, and the skin, smooth like congealed fat, covered resilient tendons and muscles. Both the forearm and the inner elbow were filled with unusual elasticity and vitality.

"Doesn't it hurt to punch like that? Such intense movements must be hard on the bones and tendons," the girl looked up at her mother, her clear eyes filled with concern.

Chenxin, like she was petting a small animal, affectionately rubbed her daughter's cheek. "Don't worry, my bones and tendons aren't as weak as they look. In the world...," she paused, remembering the existence of aliens, and then continued, "on Earth, there are only a few people who can train to my level."

"...So, Mom must have had a tough childhood," Chenxian blinked. "Unlike me, who just read books, daydreamed, and ran around... Did Mom not teach me these things to make my childhood happier?"

"Ah, you're too mature for your age, thinking about this!" Chenxin hugged her daughter and kissed her soft cheek. Her eyes, filled with gentle love, continued after a moment's thought, "It was tough, but not without its fun. When I was your age, I had two childhood friends, just like you and D-boy."

That's why, when I saw the budding friendship between you and Li Pu a few years ago, I didn't stop it and even carefully protected it. Chenxin didn't say this out loud.

"Two friends like me and A-Pu?" Chenxian's attention was immediately diverted. Even though she was smart, she still had a girl's curiosity. She asked curiously, "Boys or girls? Why have you never mentioned them?"

Li Pu's eyes darted, wondering if one of them was Chenxian's father, but he didn't dare ask.

"They're both from over a decade ago. One had a personality similar to D-boy. The other was the opposite..." Chenxin shook her head. "Sigh, talking about these makes me feel old. Let's continue with the force generation techniques."

"Right, teach me the 'shrimp spring, dog zong'!"

Li Pu stood in the horse stance, nodded seriously, and then casually asked, "By the way, Aunt Chenxin, did you like the childhood friend with a personality similar to mine?"

"Bang!" The top of the boy's head was immediately hit with a nut, and Chenxin raised an eyebrow, scolding, "Tsk, what are you thinking, you little brat!"

"Ha ha ha. Mom never punishes, so this must be because you're embarrassed..." Chenxian covered her mouth with her small hands, but her joy was short-lived. She shouted, "Ouch!" as her head also received a small nut.

Amidst the warm atmosphere filled with family, memories, and jokes, Li Pu's training, though it occupied all his time except for eating and sleeping, was not too arduous. In the following days, he initially mastered the basics of "zong" force, especially the movements, which began to have a hint of the agility and flexibility of a "shrimp spring."

The boy increasingly enjoyed this training, feeling himself grow stronger each day, both physically and in technique.

Long before Chenxin started training him, Li Pu was a wild kid who loved roughhousing from kindergarten. In the past half year with the "War God Armor," although his methods were unorthodox, his motor nerves and physical abilities were already quite strong by ordinary standards. Learning martial arts came naturally to him, and he progressed rapidly.

The month-long winter break passed quickly, and the new semester began. Li Pu and Chenxian returned to their simple school and family life. In the first week after school started, Chenxin began teaching Li Pu the next level of skills, now that he had mastered the basics.