The Almighty Ring

Old man Hai had not even started on his ‘compensation.’ Kidnapping Jiang Fei was already a reward in itself. On top of that, Jiang Fei had displayed such raw natural talent, further impressing him.

Old man Hai Started correcting Jiang Fei’s movements, quickly noticing that Jiang Fei was a very fast learner. He was not sure if Jiang Fei was naturally gifted at learning martial arts, or if it was some other reason. As it was, Jiang Fei was picking things up at a breakneck pace. By the time the sun was over their heads, Jiang Fei was already capable of recreating the techniques to perfection.

Of course, recreating them on the outside was just as far as he went. He could pose and use them as some demonstration in performance arts. However, they were no good in an actual battle. They did not even have the power of the practical, military techniques that Chen Xi had taught Jiang Fei.

“Alright! Young man, you’re a real fast learner. You’ve got the basics pat down. Next, I will teach you the verbal cues. Only after you have mastered both its form and spirit — would you be able to unleash its true might!” said old man Hai as he laughed. Jiang Fei had already become an unpolished gem in old man Hai’s eyes. If not for Jiang Fei’s insistence that he had a master, old man Hai would have taken him in as his own disciple.

“Alright!”

Jiang Fei had grown very enthusiastic indeed. He could not believe that he had benefited from this misfortune. This sadistic old man was not all that terrifying as he believed. On the contrary, he was very kind and willing to teach the younger generation of disciples.

The old man soon established a chain of verbal cues that Jiang Fei was soon chanting as he went through the steps. It was an easy feat for his memory. Despite being able to recite it all word for word, he could not quite comprehend every single bit.

These verbal cues used ancient Chinese and involved philosophy and concepts like Yin and Yang. For the uninitiated like Jiang Fei, it was like attempting to learn a foreign language!

“Old man, what do these words all mean? You have said a bunch of things, yet I understand nothing…” said Jiang Fei as he laughed apologetically.

“Alright! Let me explain!”

Old man Hai had gotten to know more about Jiang Fei. Therefore, he was not too surprised when Jiang Fei said he could not understand the verbal cues.

As each line was interpreted into laymen terms, Jiang Fei’s grasp of the fist techniques gradually improved. He quickly progressed into a new level of mastery. Jiang Fei now understood when he should exert force, and when he should pull back. He also knew how to use his energy to extend the impact of his fist’s might and how to work on his breath to smoothen the transition of techniques. Without those words, he would have never learned any of this!

“Alright! You know all the words now. Now, go and try it out again!”

Old man Hai was truly treating Jiang Fei like his own disciple.

“Alright!”

Armed with his newfound understanding, Jiang Fei was eager to make another attempt. It was time to put himself to the test!

When he stood at the center of the stone ring, Jiang Fei gently shut his eyes and repeated the verbal cues in his heart. Something clicked inside. His eyes flashed open, producing supernatural light. After crossing one forearm over the other with his fists clenched, he started the cycle. He no moved, with at least ten times the fluidity and grace compared to before.

He was now far more certain of himself. His movements were no longer weighed down by hesitance and self-doubt. As his fists and legs moved, strong gusts of winds were emanated around his person.

“This is interesting! This young man has really good comprehension. And his physical qualities, tsk tsk…”

Old man Hai could not help but nod his head approvingly.

In all honesty, Jiang Fei’s fist techniques were still rather undeveloped. If he squared off against Chen Xi at this moment, she would only make an impression of his face on the ground. However, Jiang Fei had been able to improve significantly in just a few hours. Old man Hai took note of that.

“It’s a shame that this young man’s veins are clogged up. He is also far too old to train Inner Qi!” old man sighed pitifully, while still admiring the show of talent.

“Sigh! There is no perfect person in this world. God has given you extraordinary physical qualities, yet has prevented you from training Inner Qi. I am not sure if heaven was envious of your talents, or if fate made that decision!”

As Jiang Fei progressively improved, old man Hai could not help but sigh in his heart.

Jiang Fei was not aware of old man Hai’s thoughts. He was lost in excitement as he went through the moves again and again. Every single time he threw that same punch, or the same leg sweep, something new dawned upon him. He had never experienced such monumental progress before.

“I am very envious of that master for acquiring such a good disciple. If it were possible, I would as for his permission to share the good fortune!”

Old man Hai was getting fond of Jiang Fei. Although he was an expert in Inner Qi, being an expert in one field meant being an expert in many fields. Therefore, he was also somewhat learned in External Toughness. Since the said master of Jiang Fei was not willing to teach him real battling techniques, he could easily take Jiang Fei in as his half-disciple and teach him fist techniques!

As old man Hai thought about this, he was unaware that Jiang Fei’s master was all made-up and could not possibly appear.

As noon approached, Jiang Fei stopped training. Although sweat was forming on his forehead, his body showed no signs of tiring out!

“What a splendid young fellow!”

Even a master like old man Hai could not help but give him the thumbs up! Jiang Fei had trained for more than four hours from five in the morning, yet he had not taken any time to rest. What kind of energy and endurance did this young man have? Even a horse would be exhausted!

Four hours of continuous fist training was nothing like a slow jog. Fist training involved constant and rigorous physical exertion. Without resting, the intense training was nearly three to four times what an average martial artist could take.

As most people did not have Jiang Fei’s additional physical enhancements, they would never come close to his level of endurance. They would need to rest every few ten minutes and take a sip of water.

However, Jiang Fei did none of that. He trained continuously in such a way that he improved at a godly pace. At the same time, an intense love for martial arts took hold of his heart.

“Hehe, old man, how was my training?” asked Jiang Fei sheepishly. He had taken things too far as always. Every move had taught him something new. Therefore, he had utterly forgotten about old man Hai’s When he finally recalled that old man Hai was standing on the sidelines, he felt somewhat embarrassed.

“You have great natural talent. However, your technique is not without flaws!”

Old man Hai started pointing out his mistakes.

“Ah! I was wondering why I felt something amiss. So, that’s the problem!”

Although old man Hai said very little, each word was straight to the point. Jiang Fei felt that he could address his mistakes with ease.

After another hour of training, old man Hai finally stopped Jiang Fei.

“It’s getting late, it is time to hunt for food!”

“Gulp…”

It would have been better if old man Hai had remained silent. That verbal reminder triggered Jiang Fei’s stomach. He had not eaten anything since the night before. Moreover, he had been exerting himself all day long. His stomach now housed a thundercloud, the hunger almost doubling him over.