Cultivating through increasing my stats in America-Chapter 28 - Practical Training

Chapter 28: Chapter 28 Practical Training

Chapter 28: Chapter 28 Practical Training

When the two left the reception room, laughing and joking, Yan Tianqi’s face instantly fell.

Among Hua Tianming’s disciples, he was the youngest and also the least accomplished.

The other senior brothers had basically made a name for themselves, either starting their own schools or becoming businessmen.

As for his son, it was better not to mention him, for they had severed ties years ago due to conflicting philosophies.

So saying that he was now the only successor of Hua Tianming wasn’t really a problem.

But the sudden appearance of Li Ang had immediately filled him with a sense of crisis.

His master, who hadn’t taken a disciple in twenty years, now suddenly seemed interested in taking one on.

And from his behavior, it was clear that he quite admired this young man.

He had long regarded the martial arts school’s properties as his own; how could he allow someone else to interfere?

He only hoped the young man would be smart enough to know his place, otherwise Yan wouldn’t mind playing a few tricks.

On the other hand, Hua Tianming was surprised at Li Ang’s remarkable progress over just a few days.

With his martial arts talent, none of the disciples he had taken could compare.

Not to speak of those far off, even Yan Tianqi, it took him until nearly thirty to reach the level Li Ang had attained now.

Even if Li Ang had started practicing at age six, that would only be about eleven or twelve years, and he must have extraordinary talent to have reached his current level.

On Li Ang’s side, however, the sensation was entirely different.

The last time he had exchanged knowledge with Old Master Hua through words alone, he had gained a lot from it.

This time, by directly applying techniques in practice, he realized that Old Master Hua’s level must be a big step higher than his own.

He was now at the beginner stage of mastery of [Tongbei Fist], while Old Master Hua must have already attained the mid-to-late stage of master level.

Indeed, being able to keep a martial arts school overseas open and unshaken for so many years, one could not do it without true skill.

“Alright, alright, the old man’s getting on in years, and the body can’t keep up anymore. Let’s call it a day; that’ll be enough for you to work on for a while,” said Hua Tianming, ending the session and gesturing for Li Ang to stop.

There’s a saying, ‘nothing compares to the vigor of the young’, and it couldn’t be more true; the kid seemed like he never gets tired, his stamina far surpassing his own.

“Your main shortcoming right now isn’t in skill, but in the physical robustness of the body. You could hit the gym more, and you’re ready to start working with the wooden dummy…”

Hearing Old Master Hua’s advice, Li Ang nodded and memorized it silently.

Including Old Master Hua’s force application and movements during sparring, he only had to watch once to remember everything firmly, with no risk of forgetting.

This was the all-around enhancement brought to him by a [Spirit] that was strong.

Li Ang stealthily brought up his attribute panel and discovered that his proficiency in [Tongbei Fist] had increased from 62/400 (Mastery) to 104/400 (Mastery).

On average, he gained 14 points of proficiency per hour, which was double the 7 points he could achieve on his own.

When mealtime approached, Li Ang was planning to go out and find a restaurant, but Wu Song called out to him.

“Coach Li, we have a cafeteria here. Would you like to give it a try?”

He nodded in agreement, thinking there was no reason not to eat if it was provided as a work meal.

The meals here were mainly for the students and coaches of the martial arts school, so the overall flavor tended to be light with less oil and salt.

However, the nutrition seemed to be quite well balanced from the look of the ingredients.

There were meat dishes like pan-seared beef, stir-fried chicken with chili peppers, and curry beef, as well as vegetarian options like tomato and scrambled eggs, boiled broccoli, and stir-fried cabbage.

The main dish was buckwheat noodles and whole wheat bread, even complemented with fruit after the meal.

Just by looking at these dishes, one could tell that the tuition fees for studying here must be quite expensive.

Li Ang didn’t hold back, heaping his plate with food as soon as he got it.

His appetite for a single meal was now almost double that of an average adult.

The other students beside him were astounded. Could it be that appetite and strength are directly proportional?

Encouraged by Li Ang, many of them also took more food today.

In fact, appetite isn’t entirely dependent on one’s physique; eating large amounts of food systematically over a long period can also increase the capacity of one’s stomach.

However, for the average person, this is not advisable.

In the afternoon, Li Ang tried out all kinds of equipment in the martial arts hall, and also sparred with several coaches.

After various comparisons, he found that boxing skills improved the fastest in actual combat.

Similarly, he believed that the ability to fight in real combat was the most solid criterion to measure the level of a martial art.

Why is it that today’s traditional Chinese martial arts are mocked as mere flowery moves, incapable of real combat?

The root cause is the lack of practical fighting.

The main issue is that martial arts are not assessed by actual combat, but by various performances of martial arts sets, where the focus is on who has more graceful movements, who strikes more accurate poses.

But whether it’s Sanda, boxing, or mixed martial arts, which one doesn’t determine strength and weakness through actual fighting?

Talking too much is useless, whoever wins in the ring is strong.

Different learning goals lead to different outcomes, which is quite logical.

Throughout the day, Li Ang learned a lot, but the bad news was that it took a toll on his body.

He didn’t feel it while fighting in the ring, but as soon as he started resting, his whole body was in pain.

Old Master Hua recommended that he should practice on the wooden dummy more, using repeated strikes to train his body’s resistance to hits; that was fine.

But Li Ang had a different idea, “Why can’t I train in a type of hard qi gong or something similar?”

It was quite normal for Hua Tianming not to recommend this option because everyone’s energy is limited.

Often it’s quite an achievement just to do one thing well in a lifetime.

Therefore, in this precious time, he didn’t really want Li Ang to be distracted by learning other martial arts.

Similarly, the time it takes to become a beginner in hard styles can be several times longer than for fists like Tongbei Quan, and they are notoriously slow to progress.

Moreover, in Old Master Hua’s view, there was no need for such a strong body if one does not pursue actual combat; being adequately fit was sufficient.

Li Ang, well-versed in martial arts knowledge, was also aware of these factors, but he knew all too well that he was not like others.

For others, practicing multiple disciplines is a waste of energy, but for him, focusing on just one was a waste of talent.

The martial arts hall didn’t provide dinner, but sticking to the principle of never wasting any resources, Li Ang still managed to get a bottle of medicinal wine from Old Master Hua.

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Back at home, Li Ang looked at the red marks on his arm from broken capillaries, and then glanced at his bank account balance.

He decisively picked up the medicinal wine and walked outside.

“If I bring my own bottle of medicinal wine, might she give me a discount on the fee?”

Standing at Sheila’s doorstep, ringing the doorbell, Li Ang pondered.