Atlas of Heaven and Earth-Chapter 14: The Mixed Yuan Force Stance

Upon hearing this, Mr. Qi's face lit up with joy and surprise, saying, "Teacher Yu agreed? Six months? Great! Then six months it is! We can wait."

He then looked at Chen Chuan, throwing in a cordial remark, "And this young brother, he can join us then too, right?"

Yu Gang said in a deep voice, "After the New Year, I will fulfill my promise."

Mr. Qi repeatedly said good, then he cupped his hands towards Yu Gang, saying, "Today was indeed presumptuous of me, but I couldn't bear to part with such a talent as Teacher Yu. Another day, allow me to prepare a modest meal to apologize, and I hope Teacher Yu will honor us with your presence. For now, we shall take our leave." After saying this, he signaled and turned to leave with his people.

The members of the Iron Chain Gang followed silently, showing considerable order in their movements.

Ding Shuo wiped the blood from his nose, still unconvinced, and said to Chen Chuan, "Next time, we'll compete again!" With that, he quickly followed Mr. Qi and the others, though he still felt aggrieved. Running up to Mr. Qi, he exclaimed, "Mr. Qi, actually, I could still fight..."

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Mr. Qi, in a good mood, showed patience and said, "Ding Shuo, I know you can fight, but why did we come here? Just to beat Teacher Yu's student?"

Ding Shuo answered without thinking, "Of course not, didn't Mr. Qi say he's a talent and wanted him to join our Iron Chain Gang?"

Mr. Qi said, "Then isn't that enough? Haven't we achieved our purpose here? What is there for you to be unhappy about?"

Ding Shuo thought to himself, but damn it, I got beaten up, should I be happy?

Mr. Qi, still enthusiastic, said, "As for Yu Gang, I've looked into him beforehand. If you respect him a foot, he respects you a yard. We could have argued earlier, but I took the initiative to make a concession. Yu Gang saw our sincerity, so he was willing to give me face. See, didn't the result turn out as we expected?"

At this point, as if remembering something, he looked towards the middle-aged strongman and asked, "You said that young man also has talent?"

The middle-aged strongman said, "It's clear he hasn't practiced any special forces yet, but his resistance to blows is already comparable to Ding Shuo's, and his explosive strength is also very strong. Without a doubt, he has talent."

Mr. Qi's eyes lit up, saying, "Is that so? It would be great if we could recruit him too. Our Iron Chain Gang needs talents like this, but there's no rush. Yu Gang is the main target. Six months, heh, it will pass quickly."After Mr. Qi and his group had all left, Chen Chuan approached Yu Gang and said, "Mr. Yu, I took the liberty earlier, I apologize."

Yu Gang, however, did not mind at all and instead approved of his actions.

He said, "You did the right thing. For those of us who practice combat, if we have an idea in our hearts, we should act on it. You previously said your goal is to be unrestrained and to continuously surpass yourself. If at this moment you didn't dare to step forward, I would doubt whether you were just talking without meaning it. Moreover, you also won. Remember, among combatants, the victor is often not blamed."

Chen Chuan candidly said, "Earlier, I just took advantage of the situation. Actually, I know if the Iron Chain Gang wasn't willing to give you face, no matter how I performed, it wouldn't have mattered. But if my strength and skills were a bit stronger, to be able to suppress that person head-on, then I wouldn't have needed to use such tactics."

Yu Gang said, "Don't belittle yourself. Your strength is already quite good at this stage. Ding Shuo has not only practiced longer than you, but he has also specifically chosen to enhance his resistance to blows in the subsequent directions of the breathing method, and he must have used special drugs to assist. It's not strange that you couldn't knock him down."

Chen Chuan curiously asked, "Are there many directions in the breathing method?"

Yu Gang said, "I should have told you that the breathing method you've learned is just the most basic. After reaching a certain level of physical fitness, you can use drugs to train higher levels of breathing methods to match different combat styles.

For example, like Ding Shuo, who leans towards resistance to blows, there are also those who specifically increase the striking power of the limbs, and those who enhance the flexibility of movements, etc. These all require different secrets, different boxing paths, and even different breathing methods to match; but ultimately, all techniques are based on physical fitness. So, to truly train profoundly, sometimes you need a bit of "talent."

He looked at Chen Chuan and said, "For example, you, you might not know it, but you yourself have "talent," and Ding Shuo, he should also be such a person. Some people are born different, able to do things in certain fields that ordinary people cannot."

Chen Chuan thought for a moment and realized that Yu Gang might have misunderstood, interpreting his performance as some kind of "talent." In fact, Second Self and the so-called "talent' are not the same thing, but if Yu Gang is willing to understand it this way, it's fine, and he doesn't need to bother explaining. Moreover, from the tone, it seems that people with such talent are not many.He thought for a moment, then asked, "I have another question I'd like to ask you, sir. During the confrontation earlier, Ding Shuo easily forced my hands apart. That kind of strength seemed quite unusual..."

Yu Gang explained, "That's called "Jin Li'. Ding Shuo used the "Swaying Clothes Jin', also known as "Big Swaying Clothes'. Its movement is like a person stretching both hands upward, causing the cloak behind to naturally fall to the ground, symbolizing the intention to free oneself from restraints. It's a technique specifically designed to break holds and also serves as a method to practice dispersing Jin Li."

Chen Chuan grasped the key point, "Jin Li?"

Yu Gang said, "Yes, Jin Li! The breathing method is the necessary premise and foundation for practicing Jin Li. "Jin Li' is a higher-level application of strength by combatants. You're still relatively far from this level, but you can start to understand it..."

As he spoke, he stood with his feet apart, his hands as if holding a large ball, and said, "There are many types of Jin Li, most of which can be practiced in conjunction with stance training. For example, this one starts with the "Holding Qi Stance', followed by the "Parting the Sea Stance'..." As he said this, he turned his palms outward to both sides, then brought them back and lifted them upward, "Then comes the "Supporting the Sky Stance'... and finally, the "Carrying the Mountain Stance'..."

At this point, he suddenly turned his palms upward as if supporting the sky, then bent his knees, and his body sank accordingly. Chen Chuan immediately felt a vibration under his feet, as if something heavy was pressing down from above and he was supporting it.

Yu Gang slowly straightened up and said, "This is a complete set of Mixed Yuan Jin Stances, chosen by many combatants to practice Jin Li, and it's also the most widely spread. However, this doesn't mean it's easy to master. It contains many subtle variations, and the "Swaying Clothes Jin' is a simplified version extracted from it, easier for general boxers to grasp. The advantage is that it's easy to get started, consumes little energy, and allows for quick and simple force application.

Those who master this technique specialize in dealing with grapples. For example, when you approached earlier for a neck hold, luckily you didn't lock it firmly, otherwise, once he released his Jin Li, it could have dislocated your arm."

Chen Chuan nodded unconsciously and asked, "Mr. Yu, such Jin Li can't be used freely, can it?"

Yu Gang said, "No, each use of Jin Li is a burden on the body. At Ding Shuo's level, using it twice in a match is about the limit. Any more, and his own body would not be able to withstand it." After a pause, he added, "But if the opponent also masters Jin Li, that earlier Coiling Palm would have been enough to shatter his jaw."Chen Chuan was deep in thought: "Is that so..."

Yu Gang said, "You don't need to ponder too much now. Once you're at Wuda[-], all these will be taught to you. What I want to say is, you did very well today.

Combat is not just a physical competition; it's also a psychological game and a battle of wits. During the fight, you didn't just rely on brute force but accurately grasped the key points of victory. This is a rare combat instinct that few possess. I believe you can go far in the path of combat, perhaps even further than I imagined."

As he spoke, he looked into the distance, his eyes seemingly recalling something.

Chen Chuan remained silent.

After a while, Yu Gang looked back at him, a rare smile appearing on his face, and said, "Alright, didn't you say there's a graduation gathering tonight? I'll give you a day off today, go back early."

Chen Chuan said, "Okay, Mr. Yu." He then glanced towards the building and asked, "Is Lu Ke okay?"

Yu Gang calmly replied, "He's a combat practitioner; he can take care of himself."

Chen Chuan said, "Then, Mr. Yu, I'll head back first. I'll be here on time tomorrow."

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