Atlas of Heaven and Man

Chen Chuan suddenly felt an extreme danger approaching. His pupils dilated abruptly, and a jolt, like an electric shock, ran down his spine. Everything around him seemed to slow down.

Before his body could truly react, Yu Gang's fist stopped just short of touching his skin.

Yu Gang slowly said, "Remember this feeling. Remember the reaction your body just had. Later, you can try using breathing techniques to mobilize your Qi and blood to reach this level. Once you're familiar with it, you'll be able to deliver a blow that surpasses your usual strength."

Chen Chuan slowly calmed his breathing and heartbeat. He then noticed that his back was slightly clammy, as if he had broken out in a sweat. Even though he knew he could use his second self to transfer the damage, and Yu Gang wouldn't actually hit him, he still instinctively had a stress response. Moreover, Yu Gang's fist was too fast, so fast that even overlapping with his second self wouldn't have allowed him to dodge it.

He slowly exhaled and said, "I'll remember it." Then, he looked up and asked, "Mr. Yu, what's this move called?"

Yu Gang said, "In the old martial arts schools, this move is called 'Spirit Shocking Fist,' shocking both one's own spirit and the spirit of others. In the new martial arts schools, it's called 'Limit-Breaking Strike.' This move isn't limited to a straight punch; it can be delivered in any form. But remember, when practicing, each strike must hit something; there must be a target in front of you, to avoid dislocating your joints. Whether you can master this move depends entirely on the individual. My responsibility is just to tell you the trick. Alright, go practice on your own now, and remember to close the door behind you."

Chen Chuan said, "Yes, sir." As he walked out to close the door, Yu Gang added from inside, "Also, the cost of repairing the sandbag will be charged to your account."

Chen Chuan paused slightly and said, "Understood, Mr. Yu." He didn't feel like he was losing out by exchanging money for a powerful technique; on the contrary, he felt like he had gained.

Because this move was triggered when a person was facing a life-or-death situation, his body was instinctively resisting his attempt to do so now that he wasn't truly in danger.

He couldn't help but remember that night when Mr. Wen had the patrolmen try to stand on one leg. Just like then, he now had to fight against himself.

He decided to try again.

He first stood still in place. After a while, a flush suddenly rose on his face and neck. He moved forward, stomping heavily on the ground, and delivered a palm strike with his forward hand. With a muffled thud, the heavy dummy was actually knocked upward slightly, even startling Lu Ke, who was not far away.

He stepped back and exhaled, feeling that he was still just a little bit short.

However, as long as he became proficient enough in controlling his breath and coordinating it with his will, he would definitely be able to break through that barrier.

Just as he was about to try again, Yu Gang's voice came over: "Don't practice this move too much each day. Not only will it place a burden on your body in various ways, but it may also disrupt your normal strikes. So stop for now. It's better to not be able to master it than to be too hasty."

Chen Chuan couldn't say that he wasn't afraid of injuring himself. But since Yu Gang had said so, he had to put it aside for now, deciding to find a chance to try again after he went back.

Lu Ke, on the other hand, felt that Chen Chuan's strike was more powerful than ever before. He ran over to check the dummy and looked up to say, "It's fine."

Yu Gang said expressionlessly, "If it's broken, make him pay for it."

Lu Ke scratched his head.

Chen Chuan didn't dwell on this either, deciding to resume his normal training. But after only practicing for a while, he felt a faint pain in various parts of his body, and his condition seemed to be worse than usual.

This should be due to muscle strain and damage, as well as the burden on his internal organs.

Even when overlapping with his second self, this type of internal damage caused by himself wouldn't be actively transferred by the second self. This was because his will was unique, and everything internal had to be directed by himself.

Now that he had noticed it, his body quickly recovered its ease with a thought.

After all the afternoon training was over, he tidied up slightly, bid farewell to Yu Gang and Lu Ke, and left the Fist Home.

On the way back, while jogging, he constantly tried to adjust his breathing. In fact, he had been trying repeatedly during breaks in the afternoon's training. Now, after a period of time, as he guided it again, he suddenly seemed to have touched something, feeling that he was only one punch away from delivering that strike.

But at this time, he needed a suitable target. Perhaps he should try a few more times while he was in good condition. Should he turn back now?

That wouldn't be appropriate; Yu Gang wouldn't agree.

At this moment, he suddenly remembered that there was a Show Generals Fist Club not far ahead. Although it wasn't the one where he received the flyer that day, it should be about the same. It wasn't too far away.

As soon as he thought of it, he did it, running quickly towards it.

In just five or six minutes, he found the fist club. It was located in the middle of the only commercial street in the old western district. A huge billboard with the words "Show Generals" hung in front, with neon lights flashing on all sides, making it very eye-catching.

But this was, after all, the old western district. The roads were old, and pedestrians and vehicles were usually crowded together, with the cacophony of bells and horns everywhere.

He entered the fist club through the main entrance. Inside the entrance was an upward staircase. On the second floor, past a light box screen, was an open training hall. Bright industrial lights hung from the ceiling, the walls looked like bare concrete, and the venue was clean, plastered with large posters of various handsome fighting poses. At the moment, a dozen people were doing fitness training, and some people were wearing uniform training suits, holding protective gear and practicing sparring.

A young man in his twenties was sitting on a tire, gnawing on a chicken leg. Seeing a new face, he quickly swallowed the chicken in his mouth, wiped his hands, and looked up to ask, "Hey, bro, learning to box?"

Chen Chuan said, "I saw your Show Generals Fist Club's flyer and heard that I could try it out first, so I came over to take a look."

The young man said, "Sure, you can take a look around first. My name is Liang Fang. Everyone here calls me Little Liang. But if you want to use the equipment, you have to call me. Don't get me wrong, I'm just afraid you'll hurt yourself if you use it on your own. Someone has to watch you."

Chen Chuan looked around, pointed to a sandbag on the side, and said, "Can I use that?"

Little Liang said generously, "You can use that one as you please."

Chen Chuan was about to walk over when he paused and said, "Oh, right, if I accidentally break it, I'll pay for it."

Little Liang looked as if Chen Chuan was joking, staring and saying, "Hey, bro, we're a legitimate fist club, not the kind that swindles people. Let me put it this way, you can hit the sandbag as much as you want. Our fist club is in business to satisfy our customers. As long as you're not deliberately trying to cause trouble, we'll accept it even if you break it."

Chen Chuan nodded, "Then thank you." With that, he walked to a corner and tried a few punches on a spare sandbag.

Little Liang glanced at him a few times but didn't take it seriously. Their Show Generals Fist Club's business was pretty good. Many company employees and students nearby came here to practice boxing, and in the evenings, there were also people who watched the sparring matches inside the venue.

As for people like Chen Chuan, who looked like they were just there to see what it was like and join in the fun, they didn't reject them even if they didn't practice. It could still boost their popularity, and maybe they would become real customers if they came often enough.

Because there would be more customers in a while, he had to fill his stomach first, so he went back to the side to gnaw on his chicken leg.

Chen Chuan stood in front of the sandbag, breathing repeatedly, and experiencing the feeling with his eyes closed. When he felt that state appear again, he suddenly opened his eyes and threw a punch!

Half an hour later.

"Damn it, someone must have poked it with something! Don't let me catch them!" Little Liang was cursing there.

There was a small area of damage on the sandbag in front of him. It didn't look very noticeable from the outside. If someone hadn't seen sand leaking out while punching it later, it would have been hard to notice.

At this time, a coach from the fist club happened to pass by. After hearing it, he glanced over in surprise. He didn't take such a small matter to heart, but when his eyes skimmed over the sand under the sandbag, he suddenly felt that something was wrong and walked over.

Little Liang saw him and quickly greeted him, "Coach Gu."

Coach Gu stepped forward and reached out to pull the other side of the sandbag over, only to see that there was a fist-sized hole in the back of the sandbag, with a shattered shape. The sand was leaking out from there.

"This, I'll be…"

Little Liang was a little shocked. This looked like the force had exploded from the inside, and he immediately realized that it couldn't have been poked with something.

Coach Gu looked at the hole, his expression becoming more serious. Usually, only someone who had developed internal force could deliver such a strike, but why would they do this? It didn't look like a provocation either.

He asked, "Who used this sandbag?"

Little Liang thought for a while, slapped his forehead, and said, "I remember the first one seemed to be a handsome young man who looked like a student. He even asked me if the sandbag would be broken! That's right, it should have been him!"

Coach Gu thought, "A student… could it be from the Martial Arts University?" He said, "If that person comes again next time, remember to let me know." He added, "Be polite to him."

Little Liang agreed with an "Eh" and said, "Coach Gu, don't you know me? I'm polite to everyone, aren't I?"

At this moment, Chen Chuan had already returned home. His mind was still slightly excited because he had finally successfully tried that Limit-Breaking Strike.

He also realized that the reason he had mastered it so quickly was precisely because, in his own mind, he hardly had to pay a price with his second self. This wasn't hypnosis or deception, but a real fact. Coupled with the continuous practice throughout the afternoon, his will had finally been carried out on his body.

Unfortunately, he hadn't been able to break the fist club's sandbag like Yu Gang. It must have been because the sandbag there was of good quality and his strength was insufficient. It seemed that he still needed to strengthen his training.

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