Chapter 9: Will You Become My Final Disciple?

"Base is decent."

Master Zhong Yunlong touched Fang Xinghe's shoulder and arm, his tone indifferent: "You want to be a martial arts movie star?"

"Yes."

Fang Xinghe merely nodded, speaking little and behaving respectfully, demonstrating deference and obedience.

"Hmm, the conditions are indeed good…"

Master Zhong stroked his beard, carefully studying Fang Xinghe, lingering longest on his still youthful but handsome face, then gave a slight nod: "Then work hard at your training."

Fang Xinghe clasped his fists, bowing respectfully: "Yes, Master!"

"You're mistaken. Master-disciple relations are serious matters. Call me 'Master' or 'Director'—either is fine."

Master Zhong waved his hand, but a smile struggled to stay hidden at the corner of his mouth.

"Yes, Director!"

When it came to Yu Xiaoduo, Master Zhong had only one simple sentence: "Your bone structure is excellent. Give it a try."

After Master Zhong left with his hands behind his back, Yu Xiaoduo excitedly punched the air: "Bro, the Director said my bone structure is good!"

Fang Xinghe couldn't help smiling, finding his simplicity amusing.

You only heard him praise you—why didn't you notice the difference in attitude?

But he could never dampen his little brother's spirits; he chuckled: "Come on, let's pay up. From now on, we'll work hard together."

Pay fees, settle in, get familiar with the environment.

Although the short-term martial arts class was open to anyone who paid, these two boys received the best treatment.

They stayed in the least crowded side rooms, ate plentiful meals with meat, and were carefully guided by senior brothers who took meticulous care.

Thus, Fang Xinghe settled into an extremely regular life on Wudang Mountain.

He rose at six a. m. for morning practice.

"Respect nature, follow heaven and earth, love family and country, honor parents, revere teachers, discipline yourself strictly, treat others generously. The highest good is like water—benefiting without contending; bestow grace without expecting return, remember kindness for a thousand years!"

After reciting the morning precepts, Senior Brother Chen Shixing led everyone in standing stake practice.

Seeing celebrities from his past life standing before him felt strange, but Fang Xinghe made no attempt to flatter—he focused solely on his training.

Standing stake practice is the foundation of everything.

Stand correctly and long enough, and your physical attributes will naturally grow, saving vast amounts of Starlight Points.

After morning practice, they went to the cafeteria for meals.

Then the boys studied Zhang Sanfeng's "Discourse on the Great Dao," "Direct Explanation of the Mystical Mechanism," "Mystical Essentials," and classics like the "Dao De Jing."

Afterwards, each practiced according to their individual progress and training focus.

Strength training and weighted exercises were unsuitable for adolescents, so Fang Xinghe could only practice forms: Wudang Taiji Thirteen Postures, Twelve Forms Small Frame, fundamental sword techniques, and Thirty-Six Steps of Springing Legs.

Skill lies in mastery, not quantity—you must clearly define your goal.

If your aim is merely to look impressive, focus on fundamental skills—punching, kicking, and swordwork together are more than enough.

After lunch came nap and free time.

Fang Xinghe was in puberty and had poor endurance, so he needed a short nap, then rose to read.

Now he was self-studying ninth-grade curriculum; his learning efficiency on the mountain was extremely high, his progress rapid, and he even had spare energy to continue developing a long-form novel.

After dinner, the senior brothers each practiced, while the class members could pursue knowledge according to personal interest.

The Sanfeng Sect was rich in talent and taught widely: health preservation, alchemy, traditional Chinese medicine, classical Daoist texts, mental cultivation—all highly practical.

Of course, the knowledge Yu Xiaoduo found most curious and enchanting was orthodox Daoist bedroom arts.

Fang Ge didn't find it curious at all.

Precisely because he remained calm and composed, he learned fastest and most thoroughly.

When Master Zhong had leisure and inclination, he would chat with everyone in the incense-burning side hall, discussing past and present.

Fang Xinghe loved the true-and-false tales of the martial world he heard from him—mostly mystical, yet strangely romantic.

In this fulfilling life, time seemed to accelerate.

Before long, it was New Year's Eve.

This year's New Year's Eve fell on February 15; the day before, everyone went to bed early, then woke to bustling preparations for the holiday.

All short-term class students had gone home; only Fang Xinghe, Yu Xiaoduo, Zhang Xuan, Tang Chao, Wang Chali, and some unmarried senior brothers remained on the mountain.

After offering sacrifices to the ancestral masters and Daoist celestial lords, Master Zhong summoned Fang Xinghe alone to his room.

"After so many days of training, how do you feel?"

Fang Xinghe thought for a moment, then replied unexpectedly: "My body and mind are clear and pure—deeply fulfilling."

"Good."

Master Zhong was exceptionally pleased, showing no restraint.

"Xinghe, you are diligent, grounded, intelligent, and courteous—a fine candidate for the Dao. Will you formally become my disciple?"

For a month, Fang Xinghe had not rested, nor had the Master and senior brothers; they had observed him closely.

Master Zhong had never liked any child so much—he found Fang Xinghe pleasing in every way, and since he was an orphan, the Master even entertained the thought of passing the entire Sanfeng Sect to him.

But Fang Xinghe paused only briefly, then solemnly shook his head: "No."

Master Zhong's hand trembled, snapping several strands of his beard.

"Why?"

Fang Xinghe raised his head, earnestly: "Master Zhong, I am not a person who seeks harmony for harmony's sake. I am determined to stir up storms—my future will plunge me deep into the mire of fame and fortune, where fortune and misfortune clash, praise and blame intertwine. I truly cannot bear to drag down the Daoist pure land or the name of Master Sanfeng."

This answer was candid, yet clever.

Fang Xinghe did not intend to become a Li Lianjie—a humble, well-behaved, relatively simple martial arts star. Li Lianjie wouldn't dare stir up scandals—he would. Li Lianjie wouldn't dare speak truths—he would. Li Lianjie wouldn't dare defy people or events—he would.

In short: I plant golden lotuses in fire—my Dao is that of the reckless youth!

Elder Zhong fell silent for a long time, then sighed: "I knew you weren't the settling-down type, but I didn't expect your heart to be so wild..."

"A youth with your temperament is truly the first I have ever seen in my life."

"Enough, enough. Let's put the matter of becoming a disciple on hold for now. After the New Year begins, I will teach you a few sets of secret techniques that will be useful."

Fang Xinghe bowed respectfully: "Thank you, Master Zhong. Your protective intentions, I, Xinghe, will forever remember."

"Go, foolish child."

The matter passed quietly, unknown to others.

On New Year's Eve, after eating dumplings, with the gala show playing on the television, everyone sat around the table chatting.

As they chatted, Elder Zhong couldn't help but offer guidance to Fang Xinghe again.

"Your bone structure isn't outstanding, but once you finish developing, your physique should be quite good. With such a striking appearance, you are indeed very suited for a career in performance, so never slack off. You must persist in practice and polish your fundamental skills to the peak."

Yu Xiaoduo couldn't help but ask: "Master, what exactly is bone structure?"

Elder Zhong took a sip of tea and said slowly: "To explain it using modern scientific principles, it is the comprehensive sum of all physical qualities, including bone shape, bone density, muscle density, muscle mass, and so on.

Long arms and legs, in ancient times, would mean your movement steps would be larger and your attack range farther than others';

Broad shoulders and thick, solid bones mean you can carry more muscle than others;

High muscle density means greater strength;

A short neck, thick fingers, and a round waist each have their own advantages.

The truly formidable martial artists of ancient times did not have good-looking figures; practicality and aesthetics are always hard to combine, so the fierce generals recorded in history are mostly imposing and majestic."

Yu Xiaoduo checked himself against each point, suddenly becoming very excited: "Then I will definitely be very strong in the future!"

Senior Brother Chen laughed helplessly: "That is why Master praised your bone structure as good."

Fang Xinghe pondered carefully and also raised a question: "Then how does one become good-looking?"

"This involves many different qualities."

Elder Zhong's eyes were full of Fang Xinghe as he patiently gave examples and analyzed them for him.

"First, a good physique is of the highest grade.

Second, one must have 'rhyme' (yun).

I have watched the Martial Hero level practitioners in our country grow up generation by generation. On the actual fighting stage, Li Lianjie wouldn't make the top twenty, but when it comes to fighting beautifully, he is at least in the top three.

Actually, his physique isn't particularly outstanding; his height is a bit lacking, his arms are short, and his form is quite average.

So why does he fight so beautifully?"

"It's the 'rhyme'!" Yu Xiaoduo excitedly interjected.

"Correct. With a sense of rhythm, even though the movements are the same, he can always execute them with a spirit worth savoring."

Elder Zhong nodded and continued to speak in greater depth.

"And where does this 'rhyme' come from?

In my personal opinion, it lies in coordination.

Coordination is the primary element of whether a movement is beautiful, far surpassing all others.

Everyone knows that in martial arts training, explosive power is most emphasized; one cannot train a body of dead strength. But how is supreme explosive power achieved?

It is not that your strength is great and your speed fast, so your explosive power is strong. Rather, only when you are sufficiently coordinated, able to perfectly combine strength and speed, will it become strong.

Once explosive power is strong, a movement that was originally slow suddenly shoots out with a 'whoosh,' so fast it leaves afterimages, yet when the force reaches its limit, the hand remains steady, neither trembling nor shaking. That is what is called a Grandmaster.

We speak of 'not moving, not shaking, just one strike.' That one strike is the internal and external unity of explosive power, control, and balance, with coordination being the fundamental factor.

Actually, I learned this concept from others during an exchange abroad. It instantly resolved my years of confusion. I tell it to you today, hoping you will take it seriously.

If you are to walk the path of a martial arts movie star, you must train your coordination.

However, this is not easy to train; talent is more important. Pay attention to this."

"Thank you, Master Zhong, I understand." Fang Xinghe respectfully thanked him and drew inferences from one instance, "Michael Jordan, the God of Basketball, seems to be the best proof of supreme coordination."

The dojo had a television where many programs could be watched. As soon as Fang Xinghe mentioned it, everyone suddenly understood.

"Yes, yes, yes! That hang time is truly exaggerated, and the landing is especially steady. Isn't that exactly the embodiment of coordination talent?"

"Not just that. Look at the explosiveness of his first step; it is extremely sudden and hidden. He can generate great force with a short burst of power. He must also be a master of the inch punch."

"Black people's talents are too amazing. They all have long arms and legs, yet at two meters tall, they are still so coordinated. Even us American whites feel crazy about it."

"If Shaquille O'Neal wore heavy armor and wielded two large hammers, he might even be able to go up and fight Lu Bu."

"That's impossible. At 2.16 meters plus heavy armor, there would be no horse strong enough to carry him and run!"

"True. That would be infantry fighting cavalry; charging forward, a single spear thrust would shatter him."

Listening to his senior brothers, who usually discussed self-cultivation and calming the mind, suddenly debating how NBA superstars would fare in martial arts, with a real white-skinned American thrown in the mix, gave Fang Xinghe a particularly surreal sense of conflict.

While wanting to laugh, he also felt this scene was real and vivid, full of the flavor of life.

They were all lively and interesting people...

He also actively participated in the discussion, putting forward a viewpoint known to all in later generations: "Actually, it's not that foreigners are strong, but that American blacks are particularly strong. In that special historical environment, the weak could not survive. Top-tier genes were selected generation after generation and then combined, so it is especially easy to produce freaks."

"Unbelievable!" Senior Brother Charlie exclaimed, "Fang, your perspective is truly terrifying, but it does seem to be the case!"

It must be true.

In a few more years, China's post-2010s and post-2020s generations will rank first globally in comprehensive quality. Their bodies may be weaker than American blacks, but their intelligence far surpasses theirs; their height may be slightly inferior to Northern Europeans, but they will win in all other aspects.

Tolerance, anti-allergy capabilities, lifespan, genetic integrity, and even combat talent—all are the strongest of China's Generation Z.

Except for football, which we can't beat, in which other events does our country fail?

If you have the chance to check the international internet, you'll see international friends arguing; beware, voices boasting about Chinese people are everywhere.

This is why, after Fang Xinghe was reborn, he felt so out of place in the entertainment sphere, finding everything displeasing. The pride of Generation Z is truly incompatible with the current era.

Elder Zhong did not interfere with everyone's casual chat and continued to give earnest instructions to Fang Xinghe.

"It seems you truly understand. Then, strive more in this direction in the future. Do not practice forms rigidly. While you are still developing, engage in special training."

"Yes, I remember."

Fang Xinghe was indeed greatly inspired, and joy sprang from his heart.

Starlight points will surely be tight in the early stages, so attribute allocation must be targeted; once the priority order of various attributes is clear, one can seek the horse according to need.

For an actor, voice, recitation, movement, and acting require at least three to be coordinated; it seems this must be ranked second.

Once raised high enough, any subsequent training will yield twice the result with half the effort.

As for the most important attribute...

It is endurance.

Fang Xinghe needs to extend the effective time for study and training; quickly plugging the endurance shortfall is relatively the most cost-effective.

Pity, he still has to continue hoarding Starlight points.

That competition... I wonder how it's going...