Chapter 8: Eight Sections Nine Joints, Grasping Qi Sensation

Lao Liang felt his pocket, pulled out a dry and withered cigarette pack, shook it twice, and discovered it was empty.

He shook his head, took out a few loose bills, and handed them to Qin Shi:

"Run an errand for me, buy a pack of Li Min, the soft kind."

Qin Shi was also very sharp; he took the money and sprinted off.

In his past life when getting his driver's license, he often bought water and cigarettes for his coach, accumulating rich experience.

"Liang Laoshi, your cigarettes."

"Huh? You kid have quite a lot of schemes."

Looking at the soft-pack Huanhua Qin Shi delivered, Lao Liang raised an eyebrow.

A pack of Li Min costs fifteen yuan a pop, Huanhua costs at least seventy.

He really knows how to handle things, far more clever than those rabbit cubs I teach myself!

"Yesterday I didn't hold back on the meridian opening, wanting you to suffer enough and retreat knowing the difficulty.

Didn't expect you to be tough enough; not only did you endure it, you even have a good physique that can take training."

Lao Liang didn't decline, took the "Huazi" most favored by old smokers, unwrapped it right there, stuck one in his mouth, and puffed clouds and mist:

"If you have time in the future, come over once a day, train then do meridian opening. The more the large tendons are opened, the tighter they become, and your strength and physical ability will also increase."

Qin Shi secretly let out a breath of relief; he was finally accepted by Lao Liang.

This Physical Education Teacher of Zidi No. 9 Middle School has real skills hidden in his hands.

If he looks favorably on you, it's absolutely more useful than spending high prices at a gym in the Taian Urban Circle!

"Where did we leave off just now?"

"Xu Shi."

Lao Liang had the other students run laps to warm up, and led Qin Shi into a teaching building.

Walking along, he said:

"The so-called 'Xu', is that strand of Qi inside your body; it grows between flesh and blood, nurtured in the bone marrow.

In Old Martial Arts, meridian opening and back pulling are methods to transform the human body; placed in the even earlier Old Era, they were secret recipes never passed on to outsiders.

Nowadays almost everyone practices martial arts, those particulars are gone. To truly start training, the first step is called 'Grasping Qi Sensation'.

You must grasp that strand of Qi steadily, guide it, make it operate according to a set route; only then does it count as entry level."

Lao Liang stubbed out the cigarette butt, took out a key, and opened the training room.

A vacant room of about a hundred square meters was covered in soft mats; several redwood stakes as tall as a person were placed in the corner, and a human anatomy chart hung on the wall, marked with dense red dots and text.

"Xu is Qi. Then let me test you, what is Shi?"

Qin Shi heard this and thought carefully; his gaze swept over the extraordinarily detailed human body chart, and he blurted out:

"It is the trunk, it is the limbs!"

Lao Liang couldn't help but sigh with emotion; no wonder the Zidi School on Old Factory Street couldn't recruit good seedlings.

Anyone slightly outstanding all went to the Taian Urban Circle.

Those left behind rarely have good material.

Qin Shi is exactly like this.

Placed in No. 9 Middle School he would be a solid top student, top ten in the whole grade.

But thrown into Xin Yi High School, how could he compete against rich kids with abundant resources.

He would only be buried in obscurity, wasting his talent.

"Correct. Grasping Qi Sensation, opening joints, naturally forming a cycle; in the past martial arts world, this was called 'Small Heavenly Circuit'.

If you can complete twenty full Small Heavenly Circuits, your Qi Life Force will definitely break through ten points, enough to let you pass the Ranking Examination."

Lao Liang crossed his arms, a scrutinizing look in his eyes.

Meridian opening and back pulling, Grasping Qi Sensation, opening joints, naturally forming a circuit.

He has run a tutoring class for several years; students who smoothly pass these four stages are very few.

The first and second steps have an elimination rate as high as eighty percent.

Meridian opening and back pulling are too painful; Grasping Qi Sensation is even more ethereal and hard to comprehend.

Furthermore, in this era workers' children live hard lives, have many worries, and their hearts follow with restlessness.

Seeing not half a bit of effect in ten days or half a month, they naturally can't be bothered to persist, slack off and give up.

Qin Shi said in a deep voice:

"Liang Laoshi, I want to try."

This Old Martial Arts method may have already been eliminated by the times.

But right now, this is the only Life Force Development path he can access!

He must firmly grasp the opportunity!

"Good."

Lao Liang nodded in agreement; since he opened a class to teach, he wouldn't hide things and put on airs.

It's long past the Old Era time of opening a martial hall to teach disciples, keeping a hand back in everything.

Now it's nothing more than four words: take money, do the job.

"Same as yesterday, spread your horse stance, stand firm. I'll teach you how to open the limbs.

The human body has Eight Sections, Nine Joints. The former are the lower leg, thigh, forearm, upper arm, waist, back, shoulder, and palm.

When you operate force, its root is in the feet, passes through the legs, is governed by the waist, manifests in the five fingers. Eight Sections unite as one, momentum great and force heavy!"

Lao Liang demonstrated on the spot, suddenly raising his hand; his arm whipped out like a whip, connecting into a single line, exploding with a crisp "crackling" sound.

The speed was so fast it almost brought up afterimages!

"Gasp, so fast!"

Qin Shi only felt his face tighten, a fierce wind rushing at him, as if struck by electricity, numbness spreading.

His eyelids twitched wildly; in a trance, he had the illusion his head was about to be blown apart!

"This punch carries roughly twenty years of cultivation. Anyone with Qi Life Force below fifteen points, struck at a vital point, dies instantly!

Old Martial Arts are like this — strike to draw blood, injure and kill, nothing more ordinary."

Lao Liang withdrew his stance, continuing:

"The Nine Joints are divided into 'Three Gates of the Hand', 'Three Gates of the Foot', 'Three Gates of the Back'. In order: first wrist, then elbow, then shoulder; first hip, then knee, then ankle……"

Qin Shi listened to the lesson seriously; fortunately his learning ability was decent, he remembered after hearing it once.

"Everything that needed saying has been told to you. From now on, this training room belongs to you; everything inside is school property, don't break anything, otherwise you'll pay full compensation."

Lao Liang walked away with hands behind his back, limping.

This kid's physique can take training, he can endure Meridian Opening; wonder how his Comprehension is.

If he can't grasp Qi Sensation within five days, he'll be like the students outside, doing physical training to raise Qi Life Force.

"Heh, Old Martial Arts — one art feeds a hundred people, yet may not produce two or three Good Seedlings. Deserves to die out!"

Lao Liang left the corridor, lowered his head in self-mockery, a trace of melancholy rising in his heart.

Imagine those years — the First Generation Ten Greats dominating in their Glory days, each Martial Artist like a blazing Sun shining on the era, making people look up in Admiration, Longing and yearning.

"A practice method passed down for hundreds of generations, cut off in my hands — too much of a Pity."

……

……

"Grasping Qi Sensation, Amateur Eighth Rank Nine Joints. Compared to the basic content taught in the school Fighting Class, these Old Martial Arts are indeed obscure, not easy to understand."

Qin Shi faced the wall, standing in a horse stance, eyes fixed tightly on that human anatomy chart spread across his sight.

"What exactly is Qi Sensation? Lao Liang said, tendons must be tight, breath must be loose, use the mind to guide Qi, use Qi to move the body……"

He seriously chewed over the meaning; the reason for Meridian Opening is to make the body no longer stiff, to become Flexible.

Only when the body 'comes alive' can that strand of Qi float to the surface.

"Yesterday I replicated the Meridian Opening technique through Muscle Memory — that feeling of heat converging, surging like a spring — could that be Qi Sensation?"

Qin Shi pondered for a long time; although relying on his barely eight points of Qi Life Force, he quickly caught strand after strand of faint, barely-there fluctuating breath.

But it was always intermittent, unable to connect, like a trickling stream — fundamentally impossible to hold onto.

"Originally wanted to rely on my own effort and talent, why force me!"

Qin Shi sighed helplessly.

Since that's the case, he simply stopped pretending.

Lay it all out — I'm a cheater!

Stele, Activate!

Exhale!

Inhale!

In an instant, with Muscle Memory precisely replicating, Qin Shi's flesh seemed awakened.

Tendon after tendon, bone after bone, bundle after bundle of muscle, as if alive, began to stretch and contract!

They tightly intertwined, incomparably harmonious, perfectly as one Whole!

Fine, dense streams of heat flowed from all directions, converging at two spots in the chest and abdomen, rising and falling in sync with the Breathing Rhythm.

One minute, two minutes, three minutes……

"Done!"

Nearly twenty minutes passed, just as Qin Shi's physical ability was about to be exhausted.

His eyes brightened, the veins at his temples throbbed violently.

Exhale!

As if a Spiritual Light flashed, that weak strand of breath context was finally grasped!

Like fingers pinching a silk thread, passing through one tiny needle eye after another.

The process winding and twisting, tedious and laborious.

Requires extremely keen Perception and astonishing patience to achieve!

"Can't rush! Remember this feeling! Use your heart to remember!"

Qin Shi calmed his mind, breathing steady, body stable, feet like rooted, not the slightest sway.

That single strand of breath context grew increasingly clear, from the initial burning sting, sour itchy numbness, gradually turning gentle.

Like water moistening tightened large tendons, swollen muscles.

Comfortable!

Never expected cultivation could feel this good!

"So Qi Sensation has this function — Qi can cultivate the body, relieve fatigue from excessive training, similar to the state of Deep Sleep."

Qin Shi suddenly realized; the Stele Panel on his retina flashed information——

【Completed one set of Exhaustion Training】

【Growth Degree Plus 50】

"Exhaustion?"

Qin Shi hadn't reacted yet when both legs trembled violently, posture instantly collapsing, falling backward onto his back.

Simultaneously, Lao Liang pushed the door in, looking at the disheveled youth drenched in sweat, skin flushed red.

His brows arched — clearly he had discovered a change in Qin Shi's Breathing Rhythm.

After a few seconds of slight stupor, this Physical Education Teacher revealed an expression of shock and disbelief.

"You, you've grasped Qi Sense?"

"Mm."

Lao Liang's throat bobbed, and he asked hesitantly once more:

"What does it feel like?"

Qin Shi braced his hands on the floor:

"Hungry, very hungry, extremely hungry!"

Lao Liang stood frozen in the doorway, limping on one leg.

He gazed at Qin Shi for a moment, then suddenly burst into hearty laughter:

"Down on my luck for half a lifetime, and I actually lucked out this once! What's your name again?"

"Qin Shi."

"Qin Shi... good name!"

With a Huazi cigarette clamped in his mouth, Lao Liang's originally somewhat hunched waist, bent from his limp, seemed to straighten a few degrees.

"Haha, come with me, Teacher will treat you to a meal!"

(Chapter End)