The next morning, all the martial artists who were participating in the Champs Martial Arts training woke up early and headed to the student cafeteria. The only one missing was Serena.
Breakfast was served from 6:00 AM to 7:30 AM, and after the students finished their meal, they had to be in the practice hall by 7:40 AM sharp.
The practice hall was originally a lecture hall that was used for group meetings, but it had been completely cleared out and transformed into a massive training space for the martial arts program. The old rostrum had been demolished and replaced with a huge arena that was the centerpiece of the room.
In front of the arena, there was a practice field made entirely of solid wood floors. More than a hundred futons had been laid out in neat rows, and students were expected to sit cross-legged on them during class.
Nanako and Aurora were practically bouncing with excitement. They hadn’t slept much the night before, too eager for the chance to finally learn real martial arts.
Every martial artist who practiced external kung fu dreamed of mastering true chi so they could cultivate both internally and externally, and Nanako and Aurora were no exception. But despite their excitement, they were also incredibly nervous. They had never practiced martial arts before, and they didn’t know how to move their chi to their dantian or break through their meridians. They were afraid they wouldn’t be able to figure it out.
Just as they were feeling lost and overwhelmed, Xion appeared before them with a smile. “Miss Ito and Miss Quinton, why do you both look so sad?”
The two girls perked up at the sight of Xion.
“Xion! We’re just worried that we won’t be able to do it. How long did it take you to master true chi?” Aurora exclaimed.
Xion thought for a moment before responding. “It took me over a year to cultivate enough energy to see the existence of my meridians and dantian. It took another year to be able to circulate true energy from my meridians to my dantian.”
“Three years?! But the training is only supposed to last six months at most. We might not even have time to get started…” Aurora exclaimed in disappointment.
Xion smiled reassuringly. “Don’t worry. With your talent, I don’t think that will be a problem.”
Nanako nodded in agreement. “We’re just worried that we won’t have the ability to understand it. It’s a matter of talent, right?”
Xion considered this for a moment before responding. “Understanding… it’s not as mysterious as it sounds. It’s not like you can actually see inside your body. It’s more like a sense. Ordinary people have external senses that allow them to feel things like the wind, sun, cold, and heat. But with true chi, the movement is inside your body. So you have to establish your own internal senses first. Once you find the right way, you might be able to master it in just one day. It’s kind of like the feeling you get when you see someone doing ventriloquism. Have either of you experienced that before?”
Nanako said, “I’ve seen ventriloquism on TV before. It looks like they’re speaking from their abdomen, right?”
Xion nodded. “Almost. It’s actually a special pronunciation skill that involves adjusting your breath through your abdomen. It’s very different from the way ordinary people speak.”
“Without proper instruction, it’s almost impossible to figure out the real mystery of ventriloquism,” Xion continued. “Maybe one person in ten thousand could do it on their own. But for those who really understand the principles behind the sound, ventriloquism becomes easy. It’s like how ordinary people can’t understand how to use their dantian and meridians to circulate true energy. ..”
“Before bicycles were invented, no one could have imagined that you could ride a two-wheeled bike and maintain balance. Learning to ride a bike can be difficult, too. It’s like there’s a layer of window paper in front of you. If you can’t find the way, you’ll never break through it. But once you do find the way, you’ll be enlightened in an instant!”
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