Chapter 20

After the weekend evening self-study ended, Li Pu finished — strictly speaking, copied his sister's homework, and as usual, came to a secluded area beside the residential complex to continue today's training.

"Previously, the explosive power you practiced, such as the shaking force, was all about the strength stored in the joints of your limbs and the explosive power when transitioning from soft to hard, mainly for striking and body movement in advancing and retreating," Chen Xin said. "To take it a step further, we start to focus on the subtleties of 'touching the crane like lightning,' where the hardness and softness, the real and the illusory, can be transformed at will."

"Touching the crane like lightning, transforming at will?" Li Pu thought for a moment and asked, "Does it mean that with a single thought, the whole body can generate explosive power?"

"Pretty much, but experiencing it firsthand would be even better~" Chen Xin crossed her hands behind her waist. "I won't move my hands or feet. Try to grab me with all your strength."

Li Pu sized up Chen Xin, who stood gracefully, seemingly unguarded. "If I grab you, I win?"

"Yes, any part of my body. If you hold on for more than a second, you win," Chen Xin said calmly. "If you win, hmm... starting from tomorrow, for three days, I'll cook the pork ribs you like every day?"

"It's a deal!"

Before the words were even out of his mouth, the teenager, standing more than three meters away, suddenly turned into a blur and rushed at his adoptive mother. His hands — actually aimed at Chen Xin's prominent chest!

The ground where he had been standing was left with two not-so-shallow footprints, the hard soil slightly indented from the force of his step. It was clear how much power he had used. Under such force, his speed had been greatly increased, suddenly displaying a fierce momentum like a tiger breaking free from its cage!

But before the move was fully executed, at the moment his hands touched Chen Xin's chest, his shoulders on both sides suddenly shook, one sinking and the other rising. His left hand aimed for her throat, and his right hand for her abdomen!

"Playing psychological games and changing tactics from the start? What a cunning little guy..." Chen Xin's eyes showed a hint of approval, but she remained still — until Li Pu's hands touched her throat and waist.

These two areas were vital points. Although Li Pu wouldn't use full force, Chen Xin didn't dodge or avoid, allowing him to grab her firmly.

With Li Pu's current grip strength, he could crush an apple into pulp. If he grabbed Chen Xin's slender neck, how could he let go?

But in the blink of an eye, Li Pu was flung away, landing a full ten feet away, unable to stand and falling on his buttocks — right where he had just rushed from.

Li Pu clenched his left wrist, feeling as if he had been electrocuted, his tendons and nerves numb and weak, unable to exert any strength.

"Amazing... you can fight like that?" Li Pu panted, his eyes shining as he looked at Chen Xin.

The moment his left hand grabbed her neck, he felt as if he had caught a writhing, slippery snake. Then his wrist was suddenly pecked, and a hidden force invaded, leaving him unable to use any strength. At the same time, his left hand, which had been grabbing her waist, was left empty, and a powerful force pushed him away.

In the briefest of moments, Chen Xin first generated force from her spine, which was transmitted to her neck, causing it to suddenly snap. She used the force from her chin to peck Li Pu's wrist. Simultaneously, as her spine contracted and stored force, it neutralized the force of Li Pu's hand grabbing her waist, and then she released the force from her waist and hips in a short, explosive burst.

"Whether it's the jaw strike from the spine or the short, explosive force from the waist and hips, although it seems difficult to exert force, it actually uses the whole body's integrated force. This is the essence of the higher-level Zongjin, 'touching the crane like lightning.'"

After Chen Xin explained, Li Pu finally understood what had happened. She paused slightly and then smiled, "But your change of tactics wasn't bad. If it were a regular Zongjin practitioner, they might have fallen for it if caught off guard."

To reach the level where every part of the body can generate force, like Chen Xin, one would at least need to be a Hua Jin-level master. Most Mingjin and Anjin-level practitioners still rely on their arms, shoulders, and knees for defense.

"I want to try again!" Li Pu was a bit不服气 (unconvinced).

Chen Xin tilted her head slightly, her lips curling into a charming smile, and asked teasingly, "D-boy, do you still want to grab my chest?"

"Uh, that was just a feint," Li Pu felt a bit overwhelmed. Since childhood, Aunt Xin had always been like a fox, enjoying teasing him.

"Zongjin in the Crane Fist, the Baguazhang emphasizes the explosive shaking force, Tai Chi's force generation focuses on the relaxed, lively, and explosive force, the Qingcheng Secret Hand has the shaking scale posture, and even the rolling wave force in Xingyi incorporates some of the secrets of the explosive shaking force. No matter how the techniques vary, they all share the same principles. Mastering this force will make learning other force generation techniques much easier."

Chen Xin began to teach Li Pu in detail how to use every muscle and bone in his body to generate Zongjin. According to her, since Li Pu had a high-tech medical system, the biggest benefit was that he could train without damaging his body.

But this kind of training was tough on Li Pu. After more than two hours, he sat on the ground, his whole body aching.

"Really hard... I feel like I'm falling apart." Li Pu maintained his breathing rhythm. Training one-on-one with Chen Xin was hundreds of times more challenging than training alone.

— But the gains were also a hundred times greater.

Even with the medical system, Chen Xin still massaged Li Pu's strained tendons, her delicate fingers continuously releasing soft force, making him feel very comfortable. This was probably the most pleasant moment after intense training.

"Any martial art emphasizes form, qi, spirit, and intention."

While massaging Li Pu, Chen Xin said, "The stances and techniques belong to form; the breathing, circulation, blood flow, and the stimulation of tendons and energy during movement belong to qi; mental focus, willpower, and mental cultivation belong to spirit; and the martial experience of determining the angle, timing, and even the emotion to stimulate the qi and generate force belong to intention."

Under the vast starry sky, the breeze rustled the surrounding vegetation. The teenager listened to his adoptive mother and teacher, who was massaging him, explaining various martial arts knowledge in a soft and pleasant voice.

A strange emotion and a sense of happiness mixed together, making the teenager feel a bit anxious and uncertain.

"Teacher, no, Aunt Xin." Li Pu suddenly asked, "Will you and Xiao Xian leave me?"

Chen Xin was slightly taken aback, then she tapped Li Pu's forehead with her finger, "Of course not, D-boy. We are a family now. Are you worried about being abandoned? Oh my, you've become so sensitive. It's a pity Xiao Xian stayed home and didn't come today. She should have seen you like this."

—

Teasing the teenager, who was still half a year away from his fourteenth birthday, Chen Xin looked up at the starry sky. Yes, I have been away from the 'past' for over a decade. Long enough for love and hate to turn into memories, memories into longing, and longing to fade.

Those people, are they still under the same sky as me? Right, if they are on the other side of the ocean, it would be daytime...

"They must be old now..." Chen Xin sighed with a bitter smile, her still charming and beautiful face showing a hint of melancholy, a rare expression for her.

---

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