The Way of Restraint

Chapter 31: A Single Core, All Moves as No Move

“Your low blow kick is rather ruthless.”  

Watching Gu Yang guide others, Su Jie recalled the earlier scene and felt a slight chill in his lower body. “Why are all your moves aimed at kicking the crotch or poking the eyes?”  

Zhang Manman blushed slightly. “We girls are weaker, so we can only aim for the vital spots with quick strikes.”  

Just as Su Jie was about to say something, a commotion erupted at the academy gate. A convoy of luxury cars drove in, with many people carrying cameras following a central vehicle. Security personnel were maintaining order, making it clear that someone significant had arrived.  

Many students who had been training gathered around, and the entire field was filled with a buzz of excitement.  

“Who is it? Which leader?” Su Jie asked hastily.  

“It’s Liu Zihao,” Zhang Manman replied. “That international action superstar.”  

“Liu Zihao?” Su Jie recognized the name. 

Liu Zihao was a household name and the most famous international action star of the moment. Many blockbuster movies featured him as the lead. His action scenes were clean and precise, and he performed many high-difficulty stunts himself without using a double. Combined with his handsome face and perfectly sculpted physique, every movie he starred in became a massive hit.  

The principal of Minglun Martial Arts Academy was Liu Guanglie, a legendary figure. He was not only an experienced traditional Chinese medicine doctor but also mastered various martial arts and excelled in business operations. Within just a few decades, he had turned Minglun Martial Arts Academy into the largest martial arts academy in the country. He also managed pharmaceutical and health product conglomerates. 

Among his children, the most famous was Liu Zihao, who had been learning martial arts since childhood. He entered the entertainment industry and became famous at just 12 or 13 years old with a martial arts film. Every film he starred in since then had been a hit, quickly catapulting him to stardom.  

In addition to acting, Liu Zihao also competed professionally, winning championships in numerous international free-fighting tournaments and even defeating several world-renowned champions. These accomplishments boosted his fame even further.  

On top of all this, Liu Zihao was also a business prodigy. He founded his own film and investment companies, amassing immense wealth and becoming a prominent figure in the business world.  

If life were a novel, Liu Zihao would undoubtedly be the overpowered CEO protagonist.  

“He’s preparing to shoot a large-scale martial arts film, and the location is his alma mater, Minglun Martial Arts Academy,” Josh said as he walked over, his eyes filled with admiration as though he were gazing at a deity. “I checked the academy website yesterday, and they’re recruiting extras. I’ve got to go. If I get selected and can act alongside Liu Zihao, that would be nice.” (G: here he actually says 奈 斯 which sound like 奈 – nài and 斯- sī = Nice.)

“Nice (奈 斯)” was the phonetic translation of the English word “nice,” which had become a popular internet slang for something enjoyable or great.  

Su Jie had also seen Liu Zihao’s action movies. His skills were indeed sharp, and his acting was impressive. He could be fierce and wild like a beast when playing tough roles or tender and affectionate when portraying soft-spoken characters. Unsurprisingly, he had a massive female fan base.  

“Alright, since Liu Zihao is here and the production crew is casting extras, you can all sign up if you’re interested,” Gu Yang clapped his hands. “If you’re selected, it could be a good opportunity.”  

Instantly, the training class dispersed, with everyone rushing off like birds scattering.  

“Su Jie, are you going?” Zhang Manman and Josh asked.  

“I’m not interested in the hype,” Su Jie shook his head. He wasn’t particularly excited about this and preferred to use the remaining days before the semester began to learn as much as he could. Gu Yang’s techniques were proving to be very useful, giving him deeper insights into traditional martial arts and improving his combat skills. He also felt a greater understanding of the “Hoe Strike” technique.  

“How about we practice together again?” Su Jie suggested to Zhang Manman.  

“Forget it. I’m going to check it out,” Zhang Manman waved her hand. “My family has business dealings with Liu Zihao. If I can make a connection here, it’ll help with a lot of things.”  

“Then I’ll practice on my own,” Su Jie nodded. He followed a strict training schedule every day.  

Once everyone had left, Gu Yang smiled. “You’re not one to follow the crowd, are you? It seems you’ve mastered the ‘Long-armed Ape Reach’ technique. Do you want to learn something new?” 

“You’re willing to teach me? Didn’t you say we should only learn one move a day?” Su Jie asked, somewhat surprised.

“That’s for the other students. You’re different. Since you learn quickly, it doesn’t matter. The saying ‘don’t bite off more than you can chew’ refers to people who, without fully mastering one thing, rush off to learn something else. You’ve already absorbed the Hoe Strike move into your bones, so the more moves you learn in the future, the more they’ll blend into this one, and the more variations will emerge.” Gu Yang asked with interest, “Do you now understand the essence of the Hoe Strike move?”

“The essence of this move isn’t the drill, nor raising the hand, and certainly not the pounce, fall, flip, or strike. The real internal training lies in that sudden burst of reaction. It’s about mastering the moment of explosive response when startled. With any move, you can capture that shock and burst of energy. Every animal, and human too, has an amazing reaction when startled. Our training core is to enhance this reaction, and enhance it again,” Su Jie explained his view.

“You’ve already reached the point of ‘getting the meaning, not the form’.” Gu Yang sighed, “That’s right. The true essence of Hoe Strike is to train this response. Whether it’s a person or an animal, in a relaxed state, the mental state is calm, but when startled, the mind becomes extremely tense, and the burst of power is astonishing. However, the body often can’t withstand this explosive power and might get injured, or even suffer from exhaustion. Through training, we aim to normalize this explosive power, so that the body can handle it and gradually strengthen it. The more we increase both the explosive power and physical condition, the more this move will improve. Once that’s achieved, the technique itself doesn’t matter much. I’ve never seen a genius like you.”

“Coach, I’m not a genius.” Su Jie said, somewhat speechless. “Actually, I find martial arts much easier than studying. If you ask me, a single math course is far more difficult to learn than martial arts. Also, subjects like physics, chemistry, and biology are much more profound than martial arts.”

“Uh…” Hearing Su Jie’s comment, Gu Yang was at a loss for words.

He realized that Su Jie had a point. Natural sciences like mathematics, physics, chemistry, and biology were all profound, the foundation of human civilization. People could live without learning martial arts, but not without studying these sciences.

Even someone who had immersed their whole life in martial arts, like Gu Yang, felt that martial arts could never surpass any of the subjects in natural science.

“I originally prepared eighteen moves, representing the essence of various martial arts academys. Since you learn quickly, I’ll teach you all of them today,” Gu Yang said. “The first move is ‘Long-armed Ape Reach from the Monkey style. Next is ‘Tiger’s Roar and Crane’s Call’ from Hong Quan. Then there’s ‘Mandarin Duck Chain Kick’ from Spring Leg, ‘Breaking Bones’ from Eagle Claw, ‘Cannon Fist’ from Shaolin, ‘Little Ghost Grinding the Mill’ from Bagua Palm, ‘Hard and Soft Horizontal Cut’ from Karate, and ‘Body Throw’ from Judo…”

“Wait, Karate and Judo too?” Su Jie interrupted.

“All martial arts and combat techniques in the world have their own core signature move,” Gu Yang replied. “Each has its own unique force-generation techniques and core philosophies. For example, Muay Thai’s essence is a sweeping kick. I also have boxing’s slipping and weaving drills. Alright, I won’t go on introducing. Once you’ve learned the moves, you can think them over and look them up online. Of course, the internet is full of mixed information that can lead you astray, but our academy’s official website has videos, lessons, and explanations, so it’s quite reliable.”

Su Jie nodded. In the past, he couldn’t understand any martial arts manuals, but now after watching some videos online or reading classic old manuals, every word felt profound, and he could grasp the meaning deeply. Additionally, watching training and competition videos from world champions allowed him to intuitively learn, gaining practical knowledge.

Martial arts were simple, Su Jie thought to himself. At least it was simpler than studying. The key was to endure the initial painful and confused period.

After several hours of training with Gu Yang, he had learned all eighteen moves before lunch. The moves were simple, but they contained deep techniques from various martial arts academies, which weren’t easy to fully comprehend in a short time.

Su Jie thought he needed to reflect on how to integrate all of these into the “Hoe Strike” move.

After lunch, Su Jie waited for his food to digest, set an alarm, and took a one-hour nap in his dorm. He used the “Great Corpse State,” then began his physical strength training.

This training method was still guided by Odell, with strict rules about the order of exercises and which body parts to train. There could be no mistakes.

Once his training was almost complete, he began using a large hoe to dig outside, then returned to smash flies on the glass with a large hammer.

Once his body was exhausted, he rested, and it was already evening. After dinner, he continued with combat practice.

To his surprise, he was placed in a position for the small arena competition.

Because Liu Zihao had set up a crew at the academy, recruiting extra actors, many students went to watch the event.

Su Jie felt quite at ease. He won ten matches in a row, finally losing to a provincial-level professional sanda athlete. However, he wasn’t knocked out; he lost due to the score and passive fighting.

In the fight, Su Jie was as clever as a ghost. When he found someone stronger, he immediately ran around the ring, passive in his approach, making the opponent furious but unable to land a single hit.

He discovered a trick: in every competition, there were many rule loopholes that could be exploited, often allowing one to win a breather. Unlike street brawls where there were no rules and anything went. So as long as one knew how to use the rules in a match, victory was relatively easy.

“Did this student really win ten matches in a row? Is he a professional?” 

The small arena competition had quite a few spectators, including some big shots.

Su Jie’s impressive performance immediately caught people’s attention.

“He’s a temporary entrant,” someone quickly got a hold of Su Jie’s information.

After the match, Su Jie noticed that his account had an extra 20,000 yuan. He felt relaxed and happy. This meant his college tuition and living expenses were taken care of.

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