Martial Arts: Starting from a Seemingly Real System

Qiao Rui wanted to ask the old monk to be his master, but the old monk said seriously: "I don't know martial arts, and I don't care about the secular affairs of Shaolin. You have ambitions, but I can't help you at all. Do you understand?"

"Disciple understands that in the art of martial arts, I will study hard and practice diligently. I only hope to always listen to Master's teachings to prevent my mind from being obscured by dust and falling into confusion!" Qiao Rui said earnestly.

"Amitabha, good, good!" The old monk nodded and smiled, then waved to Qiao Rui, "Qiao Rui, come here!"

"Yes, Master!" Qiao Rui knelt down and took a few steps forward, lying on the edge of the earthen kang.

The old monk put his skinny hand on Qiao Rui's head and said, "Since you have become my disciple, there are a few things you must understand."

"Master, please speak."

"My disciples have loose disciplines. You are a lay disciple, so you don't need to observe the disciplines too much. However, there are three things you must do."

"Disciple will definitely obey!"

"First, you must not be bloodthirsty. It is inevitable that swords and knives will be used in the martial arts world, but you must not be cruel and bloodthirsty."

"Yes, Master!"

"Second, do not commit adultery. Lovers can stay together, but do not have evil thoughts about others."

"Yes, Master."

"Third, you must not associate with people with the surname Gu or Murong."

"Hmm? Yes, Master!"

Qiao Rui was a little surprised, but still agreed.

"You can get up!" The old monk patted Qiao Rui's head with satisfaction and said with a smile: "My Buddhist name is Dingyi. According to the seniority of Ding, Wu, Bu, Kong, Yuan, Ling, Wu, Fa, the second generation of Shaolin monks with no names should call me uncle. In this way, you can be regarded as their junior brother."

Ah, this...

Qiao Rui was a little stunned. "Master, are you so senior? Then I can walk sideways in Shaolin in the future, right?"

What the heck, you're the number one monastic disciple of three generations, you're the number one lay disciple, you're all trash in front of me, you dirty little bald donkey, from now on when you see me, you have to call me uncle master!

The old monk seemed to have seen through Qiao Rui's thoughts and scolded him with a smile: "Don't be too ostentatious. If it's not necessary, don't easily reveal our relationship. Not many people in Shaolin know me. If you get caught again, I won't go out to save you."

"Oh!" Qiao Rui grinned, but then he thought about going back to the front mountain of Shaolin. He didn't know when he would be able to finish sweeping the 2,500-plus-foot-long bluestone road. He asked with a worried look on his face, "Master, do you really have no way to fight against the Sun and Moon Rings?"

Dingyi shook his head and laughed, took out a stack of straw paper from the bedside and handed it to Qiao Rui, "Take it, and practice according to the diagram."

"Ah, what is this?" Qiao Rui took the straw paper and looked at it impatiently. There were human figures doing various actions drawn on the paper, and the routes and tips of the internal force were provided. It looked like a method of practicing internal strength, or perhaps a secret book of moves.

"Practice some methods of strengthening your muscles and bones one by one. Don't be too greedy for quick results and rush into things. They may be of some help to you!" He advised, noting that Qiao Rui's eyes were shining.

There were ten paintings in total, with fresh ink stains, obviously they were just painted in the past two days. Qiao Rui took a quick look at a few of them, all of which were profound and mysterious. He had a sense of awe. He raised his head in surprise, "Master, you still said you don't know martial arts?"

“If you don’t know martial arts, can’t you read a few martial arts manuals?” Ding Yi smiled, looking mysterious, and waved his hand to chase Qiao Rui away, “Go away, don’t bother me anymore!”

Seeing that his master seemed tired, Qiao Rui quickly bowed to him, then left holding the stack of straw paper like a treasure.

After returning to the room and closing the door, Qiao Rui carefully put away the straw paper and took out the first picture to study it carefully. With his extraordinary comprehension, he gained something after a while. He assumed the same posture as in the picture, and then slowly guided his internal force according to the key points.

Nothing happened during the night. In the morning, Qiao Rui got up in high spirits. After breakfast and morning classes, he couldn't wait to ask his master to put the sun and moon rings on him.

He felt full of energy today, and his body was very relaxed, as if a hidden shackle had been unlocked, which made him very excited. "Today I will definitely be able to break through the stagnant speed of the past few days."

Lift your legs, take a step, lift your legs again, take a step, swing the broom, I sweep...

Sure enough, Qiao Rui felt that his body's coordination and cooperation were much stronger today, and his perception and control of the internal energy were also sharper. At the end of the day, he actually swept thirty meters of bluestone road.

This result surprised and delighted him. He was surprised that his master, who knew no martial arts, could provide him with such miraculous skills. He was delighted that he had a chance to graduate earlier. You know, he had only practiced the first picture, and he had achieved such results. If he practiced all the remaining nine pictures, he would not know how much his speed would increase.

The second day, thirty-five feet.

On the third day, forty-two feet.

……

On the eighth day, one hundred and twenty feet.

……

On the fifteenth day, two hundred and fifty-eight feet.

"Master, what kind of magical skills did you give me? It's amazing." During the evening meal, Qiao Rui asked the old monk with great enthusiasm.

"What kind of magical skill is this? It's just a simple method to strengthen your muscles and bones. There's no need to make a fuss about it." Dingyi rolled his drowsy old eyes and said nonchalantly.

"But don't show it to others easily!" the old monk added.

“Hehe,” Qiao Rui chuckled twice. His master was quite good at pretending, so he didn’t expose him. He smiled and said, “Since I finished practicing these ten pictures, I feel that my muscles, bones, physique, and meridians have become much stronger. Even my internal energy training has become faster than before. My fine control over my internal energy is so fast that I can move my energy at will and send and receive it at will. It’s just that…”

At this point, Qiao Rui paused and glanced at his master secretly, "It's a pity that there are only ten pictures. I finished practicing them in a short time."

"You rascal, be careful not to bite off more than you can chew!" The old monk knew his apprentice's little tricks. He tapped Qiao Rui's forehead lightly with his chopsticks, scolded him with a smile, and then said seriously:

"If you want to achieve something in anything, hard work is essential. This is especially true for martial arts. It is more important to study hard and practice hard to lay a solid foundation than to blindly pursue some magical skill or unique art."

"You were able to finish learning those ten pictures so quickly because you have extraordinary comprehension, but your physique is a little weak, so the results of your practice are unsatisfactory. After you leave the back mountain, you must not slack off. You still need to practice repeatedly, and you will naturally benefit."

"Disciple, remember this!" Qiao Rui put away his playful smile and said reluctantly, "Disciple will be able to finish sweeping the bluestone road in two days at most. When I leave the back mountain, Master, you must take good care of yourself here alone."

"Just go ahead. I've lived in this mountain for decades. Don't worry about me." The old monk smiled, with kindness in his eyes.

"Yes, Master!" Qiao Rui also smiled.

The dim and flickering candlelight shone on the faces of the master and disciple, making them look particularly bright.

......

In the west wing of the third courtyard of Shaolin, in the martial arts arena, Bian Xiaoying was practicing boxing listlessly. Ever since Qiao Rui was punished to do hard labor in the back mountain, he has not had a good meal and is becoming increasingly haggard.

Of course, it’s not that he missed her so much, it’s just that no one helped him get the food.

I’m so hungry and miss Brother Qiao so much. The food was so delicious when he was here.

"Come on, have you not eaten enough?" The new on-duty instructor on the stage was about 26 or 27 years old, and he looked gentle and fair-skinned, but at this moment, he had a sullen face and pointed at Bian Xiaoying and scolded, "If you are so weak, when will you be able to enter the fourth courtyard?"

Bian Xiaoying curled her lips secretly, not daring to say anything more, and she increased the strength of her hands and feet a little.

"Coach, I want to apply for the fourth-level entrance examination!"

A sudden voice sounded, and Bian Xiaoying felt like she had seen it before. She turned her head and was immediately overjoyed.