Chapter 43: Teaching Martial Arts (Revised)

Page 1 of 3

“Transforming into a flood dragon, this boxing art has been passed down from my ancestor, Ling Wei. You must remember this name well, and never forget it,” Ling Chi said, mentioning the name of the old martial master. But in his heart, he silently apologized: Forgive me, Elder Wu, I have no other choice—if the surname didn’t match, it would have given me away.

Ling Chi led Cao Bianjiao to pay respects to the founder, and then began the stance training.

Before learning the forms, one must first practice the stances; the great stance enhances strength.

Here, stance training referred to the Two Poles Stance, a static method.

Its essentials were:

Head held up to the sky, feet planted on both rivers, cradling an infant at the chest, both elbows propping up mountains.

Force flows throughout the body, power radiates in all directions.

Spiraling like a pagoda piercing the heavens, releasing like an arrow shot from a bow.

The Eight Extremities Fist placed great emphasis on stance work—there was even a saying in its tradition: “Begin training with three years of stance alone.” But Cao Bianjiao was different; his foundation, honed from youth in the army, was already rock solid.

Teaching him the stance now was to help him understand the way this boxing art generated force and was passed down, which would be crucial for future combat. The stance must be integrated into every movement.

The stances also required specific postures:

Chest drawn in, not protruding; the scapulae slightly tensed.

Shoulder joints relaxed, elbows hanging down.

Head upright, not slanted or retracted; waist rising upward with borrowed force.

Breath filling the dantian at the base of the abdomen; all ten toes gripping the ground.

Ling Chi held a stick in hand: with every instruction, he’d give Cao Bianjiao a tap, making the boy’s mouth twitch. At some point, his father had arrived, watching from the side in great amusement.

“Bianjiao, never underestimate the importance of this stance. It’s invaluable for channeling energy, generating force, and killing enemies on the battlefield. You must practice diligently.”

Page 2 of 3

Teach the hands, but not the steps; teach the steps and you surpass the master.

The stepping techniques of Eight Extremities Fist were far simpler than its hand techniques. In fact, one could even incorporate footwork from other styles, so long as one truly mastered them.

Ling Chi led him through the Six-Four Step and the Bow Step, finding him agile and adept, and even passed on to him the Double Palms of Eight Trigrams.

The Eight Extremities referred to eight actions: Push, Hold, Coil, Seize, Chop, Smash, Sweep, and Uplift.

Ling Chi had Cao Bianjiao act as his own punching bag, breaking down each movement and striking himself with every form. From the practice yard rang his cries of agony.

Cao Hupao had already cleared the area to prevent onlookers—after all, this was their family’s secret art, and his son was reaping great benefit.

Once Bianjiao had mastered the breakdown of movements, Ling Chi immediately began teaching him the true essence. His approach was nothing short of force-feeding.

The true essence of the Eight Extremities lay in its techniques, divided into Six Major Openings and the Small Frame.

The Six Major Openings were Ling Chi’s most frequently used techniques: Rising Sun Hand (Fist), Single Lifting Hand (Fist), Rear Reins Break, Tyrant’s Reins Break, Fierce Tiger Climbing the Mountain, Half-Step Hip Strike, Heavenward Palm, Sweeping Elbow, King Yama’s Three-Point Hand, and Mountain-Pressing Lean.

The intercepting techniques included: Dragon-Slaying Hand, Outer Tower Elbow, Rapid Kick, Gate-Opening Cannon, Diagonal Temple Strike, Rear Elbow, Groin-Kick, Rear Groin-Kick, Groin-Smashing Fist, Point-Chop-Smash, Face-Thrust Fist, Glancing Palm, Guarding Strike, Pressing Strike, Flat Strike, Twisting Leg, Door-Meeting Kick, Floating Leg, Outer Hooking Leg.

The small frame was essentially advanced basics: Comprehending Space and Path, Heart-Piercing Elbow (also called Opening Elbow), Erlang Binding, Elbow Draw in Succession, Phoenix Spreads Its Wings, Pressed Yin Palm (also called Arhat or Tiger-Slaying Style), Face-On Palm (also called Foreign Cannon or Single Raised Palm).

Linking Hand (also called Sweeping Hand Guard), Double Hand Intercept (also called Six Harmonies Hand), Top Elbow Groin Strike (also called Double Coiling Smash), Gun-Lifting Style (also called Advancing Step), Kneeling, Turning Press (also called Embracing Push), Rolling Hand (Small Coil) Strike, Left Strike Fist, Left Rolling Hand, Left Strike Fist, Sleeve-Piercing, Central Level Palm (also called Oblique Body Step), Double Spreading Wings, Groin-Wrist Strike, Left Central Level Palm, Retreat-Inserting Palm (also called Hanging Support), Groin-Searching Coil Elbow, Closing Form.

Ling Chi broke down each technique and taught them to Cao Bianjiao. In just two hours, this hot-blooded youth had been crammed full of so much information, his mind was a muddled paste, and he let Ling Chi manipulate him like a puppet.

Learning the movements was not difficult—the real challenge lay in achieving mastery. In his previous life, Ling Chi knew this as “opening the aperture.”

To achieve this, diligence was everything: daily practice, month after month, year after year.

Ling Chi grinned at Cao Bianjiao, who was already dazed. Best to let him rest for now!

“No one can master a fist art in a single afternoon, let alone one so profound. Just watching makes my head ache. Bianjiao, why not go back with Ling Chi to Willow Town? Work and train each day, and you’ll surely succeed,” Cao Hupao suggested.

Ling Chi didn’t mind—it was just training together, nothing more.

At the martial training grounds of the Jing’an Bureau in Fuzhou...

Page 3 of 3

Cao Bianjiao was still trying to process the avalanche of techniques Ling Chi had poured into him, while Ling Chi practiced the Bagua Stepping Stance nearby. This moving stance, also called the Bagua Stance, saw Ling Chi’s figure gliding swiftly around the training field, each step shaking the ground.

This footwork was excellent for dodging and weaving, somewhat similar to Ling Chi’s Nine Palaces Wandering Dragon Step.

His movements were as graceful as a startled swan, as fluid as a roaming dragon—perfect for maneuvering through crowds and facing many opponents at once.

Especially after infusing his body with spiritual energy, the thunder pearl spun within him and his energy sea boiled.

Ling Chi now split his focus, beginning to cultivate the Sun Thunder Undying Body, forging his form with the power of the sun’s thunder. Possessing the force of extreme yang, he relished—again and again—the burning sensation within.

He suffered yet delighted in it. To master this body-tempering method, one had to endure hardship; in truth, there was no easy path in body refinement—one simply had to bear it.

On the training ground, Ling Chi’s figure became a blur, yet it seemed his thunder-lit image was everywhere at once.

After completing a circuit of the Bagua stance, he began the Mud-Stepping Stance, a fundamental requirement in Xingyi Boxing.

Before practicing Mud-Stepping, one must train in the Spherical Stance—rooted firmly to the ground, much like the static stance of Eight Extremities Fist, it served to strengthen the lower body, though Ling Chi’s foundation was already solid.

While walking, he imagined himself wading through mud or waist-deep water, moving slowly to feel the resistance.

He stepped as if treading water, drilling and weaving forward.

Without pause, Ling Chi walked slowly, his upper body never swaying. Gradually, he gained speed, and the hardened ground of the training field was gouged into deep trenches by his feet.

He intended to walk through every stance he had mastered, hoping to reach even greater heights of integration.

When Cao Bianjiao called him to eat, he paid no heed.

Even late into the night, as starlight bathed the earth, the fifteen-year-old boy persisted, relentlessly pursuing his martial path. This was his cultivation, his journey.

Even though he’d trained late into the night, Ling Chi still rose early—it wasn’t about competing with anyone else; the process of becoming stronger was simply too captivating.

When his colleagues at the Jing’an Bureau arrived for duty, they were dumbfounded. Had a disaster struck the training ground? Before them, the field was pitted and scarred, crisscrossed with trenches, weapon racks toppled haphazardly, and even the main gate half-collapsed.