Chapter 44: Fundamental Skills

Thanks to Zhao Xiangyu's introduction, the few people present treated Jiang Cheng fairly well.

However, what will happen after Zhao Xiangyu leaves is unknown.

Jiang Cheng didn't pay much attention to it and followed Zhao Xiangyu to a secluded spot.

"Junior Brother Jiang, today I'll first teach you the Standing Post; by the way, put the Short Staff aside first."

Jiang Cheng took out two Short Staffs from behind and placed them on the ground a few meters away.

"Senior brother Zhao, it's placed."

"Alright, I'll explain it to you first."

Zhao Xiangyu nodded.

"Standing Post, also called Standing Post, is a practice of standing with both legs; the fist proverb says a hundred drills are not as good as one stand, indicating the importance of the Standing Post."

"The most basic Standing Post is the horse‑stance post, also called the 'Fifth Level Post', where the legs are spread slightly wider than the shoulders, toes forward, and you squat into a horse stance."

Zhao Xiangyu spoke while demonstrating.

"The bend of the legs can be large or small, depending on one's physique; the smaller the angle, the lower the body and the harder it is. When you first start, you can use a platform, but it must not be upright; you must keep a certain angle, head straight, torso centered, shoulders dropped, elbows hanging, chest slightly tucked, waist relaxed, hips lowered, abdomen drawn in, buttocks tightened, as if sitting on a stool, arms wrapped around the chest, like hugging a big tree."

"Then stand still and quiet; the longer you hold, the better. After a certain time, various physical reactions will appear, such as leg swelling, soreness, even trembling. At that point, stop and rest for a while. Now, imitate my posture."

Hearing this, Jiang Cheng copied his movements: legs as wide as the shoulders, knees bent, both hands wrapped in front of the body.

Zhao Xiangyu walked over and corrected Jiang Cheng's posture, "Straighten your back, yes, like that, lift the legs a bit; when you first practice, don't go too low, otherwise it's hard to hold for a few minutes."

"Mm, like that, stay still until you can't hold any longer."

Standing on the side, Zhao Xiangyu watched and said, "After practicing the Standing Post for half an hour, I'll teach you Soft Skill. Like the Standing Post, Soft Skill is also a fundamental skill for martial training; through rotating, winding, pulling motions, it stretches tendons and pulls bones to enhance the body's flexibility, agility, and coordination. Soft Skill practice is usually done before Fist Technique, as a preparation. Once you master both Standing Post and Soft Skill, you can formally learn the Fist Technique. In fact, compared to later routine training, these are the best things."

He sighed.

Jiang Cheng listened attentively.

His gaze occasionally drifted to the Proficient Panel before him.

He couldn't help feeling a bit strange inside.

Logically, he'd been standing the Standing Post for almost two minutes, and his posture should be fairly standard, especially since senior brother Zhao was watching from the side.

Why hasn't the Fifth Level Post unlocked yet? Is the time still insufficient?

Another minute passed, and Jiang Cheng gradually felt the pressure.

From then on, each passing second seemed like a second of torment.

"Can't hold on?"

Seeing this, Zhao Xiangyu laughed, "If you can't hold, rest for a while. For a beginner, lasting three minutes is still acceptable."

Jiang Cheng gritted his teeth and persisted.

He didn't know how long had passed, but finally a few lines of information appeared on the Panel.

Fifth Level Post Experience Value +1.

Fifth Level Post skill has been unlocked.

【Fifth Level Post: Not Yet Entered (0/100)】

It wasn't until then that Jiang Cheng, like a deflated balloon, relaxed his whole body.

"Not bad, you've held for almost five minutes."

Zhao Xiangyu's eyes showed approval.

It seems this Junior Brother Jiang, having become a Senior Member, really wants to come learn something.

In the distance, someone waved toward them.

"Senior brother Zhao."

Zhao Xiangyu nodded at that person.

"Take a two‑minute break first; I'll come find you later."

"Alright."

Jiang Cheng smiled, then his gaze fell on the Panel.

Five minutes only added a little Experience Value.

Those one hundred Experience Points equal 500 minutes—over eight hours without food or drink; over eight hours isn't that long.

But Jiang Cheng hoped it could be even shorter.

"My legs were probably too high; next time I'll lower them a bit, increase the difficulty. Holding for the same five minutes should yield considerably more Experience Value."

After resting two or three minutes and seeing Zhao Xiangyu still demonstrating Fist Technique moves, Jiang Cheng simply began practicing on his own.

After all, he had the Panel; once he knew how to start, the rest would flow naturally.

"This Junior Brother Jiang is indeed quite diligent."

Zhao Xiangyu glanced over here when he had a moment.

"Just don't know if it's just a three‑minute burst of enthusiasm."

In the past there were many people who, when they first became Senior Members, were full of motivation—arriving earlier than anyone in the morning and leaving later than anyone at night.

But after two or three months, they began to be absent.

Later they kept renewing, but people basically stopped coming.

Lowering the height, Jiang Cheng instantly felt much more strain.

But no information appeared on the Panel yet; even if it's more strenuous, he still had to persist.

After a long time, a line finally appeared on the Panel.

Fifth Level Post Experience Value +1.

At that moment, Jiang Cheng could no longer hold on; he relaxed and let out a breath.

After resting for two minutes, Jiang Cheng resumed the Standing Post.

Unconsciously, more than half an hour passed, and the Experience Value of the Boundless Post also rose to 5 points.

Just as Jiang Cheng was about to continue, Zhao Xiangyu's voice sounded, "Alright, the post practice ends here. The time spent on Standing Post isn't better the longer; generally half an hour is enough, preferably not exceeding an hour, the point is to persist daily."

"Senior Brother Zhao is right."

Jiang Cheng hurriedly replied.

For ordinary people, that's the case.

But for oneself, it's not.

However, such matters naturally can't be explained to others.

"Next I'll teach you Soft Skill, which will help you loosen your muscles and bones."

After completing a set of Soft Skill, Jiang Cheng immediately felt his whole body much lighter.

And on the Panel, a new skill was unlocked.

【Soft Skill: Not Yet Entered (1/100)】

The Experience Value gained is also one point, but it's far easier than Standing Post.

Jiang Cheng wondered whether to go back later and max out this skill.

"Alright, Jiang Shidi, the morning practice ends here; you just started the basic training, and training too long is actually harmful," Zhao Xiangyu showed a gentle smile.

"Senior Brother Zhao is right; it's not early yet, I should go back to prepare the stall, by the way, Senior Brother Zhao, can I also come over in the evening to practice?"

"Of course, the evening closing time is ten o'clock; you just need to leave before then, and the Martial Arts Hall also has showers—anyone with a Membership Card can use them for free."

"That's really great."

Jiang Cheng said sincerely.

Having a Martial Arts Hall Membership Card on hand provides security when walking through the Poor District at night.

The Martial Arts Hall is more spacious, and not far away there are all kinds of weapons.

As for taking a hot shower, it is indeed convenient, saving Grandma from having to heat water again.

(End of Chapter)