Martial Arts Master

Practice court.

Lou Cheng glanced at the cleaner who was sweeping the floor, and said to the excited students, “Everyone please introduce yourself, or else I will not know who you are. Now begin from the left.”

He had read the student’s roster at Chu Weicai’s office before, but he could not match names to faces and only knew that the lively and talkative girl was Wu Ting.

On the far left, a girl with freshly cropped hair said with a sweet smile, “My name is Zhang Qiufan. I’m twelve years old and I will be a junior middle school student soon.”

She was the youngest one in the VIP class. Lou Cheng nodded slightly and had a few ideas about a training regime which would still allow her body to properly develop .

Since there were too many students here, no coach was able to pay attention to everyone at the same time and provide individualised instructions tailored to the needs of each member. But the VIP class was an exception with a more personalised environment.

“My name is Yao Runwei. I’m 15-year-old. A student in the third year of Middle School. Well, I will be a freshman in high school when the term starts.” Standing about 1.65 meters, a little fatty of probably the same weight introduced himself after him.

The classmate of Feifei after two months… Lou Cheng smiled and took a closer look at Yao Ruiwei’s body shape, finding him deficient internally and exuberant externally. So his training volume must be carefully managed, otherwise, something will go wrong.

Damn it! My master was never so serious when he taught me!

“My name is Li Lei. I’m 18-year-old. A graduate from Tei Middle High School and will be going to Hong Dong University.” The oldest student said with pride.

He was about 1.7 meters high, having a strong body and noticeably messy and thick eyebrows.

In Tei Middle High School, the level of teaching was not very good, but the practical training and fighting was rampant here. If graduates from this school could enter Hu Dong University, it was actually very commendable… Lou Cheng was thinking.

Hu Dong University was merely an average major university.

…

“My name’s Wu Ting. 15 years old. I have passed the entrance examination and have become a freshman at The First Middle School.” After the first five or six students, finally, the wait was over for a girl with fair skin and two ponytails. She deliberately stressed that she got into the university through passing the examination in case that others thought that she paid for this enrollment.

Fresh and energetic, supple and strong, the girl must be training regularly, at least she is exposed to something related to martial arts… Lou Cheng nodded thoughtfully.

After all the students had introduced themselves, he could match almost all their names to their faces and had a basic understanding of their individual physical condition.

“Ok. First I’d like to teach you some meditation techniques to stay calm and to breath properly. Just like warm-up exercises.” Lou Cheng said in his usual voice.

Wu Ting raised her hands immediately and said with excitement, “Coach Lou, are you going to teach us how to enter into meditation?”

That was fundamental to profound martial arts!

“Don’t think about this too much.” Lou Cheng smiled and said, “As you are still young, you haven’t fully developed or matured, and are not as vigorous as adults in terms of Qi and Vitality. Practicing the still stance will tire you and weaken you. It just feels like being hollowed out… I’ll just show you some tricks about how to keep calm and to manage your breathing. This will also help you enter into the training state as quickly as possible.”

Among the students present here, only Li Lei could try the still stance. But it was not necessary to do a little private training for him, since the keeper Chu had told Qin Rui that it was just for physical fitness.

All the students laughed at his humor and felt close to the coach, despite the age and generation gap. They were not very hopeful that they could learn the still stance.

After a short time for practicing staying calm and holding their breath, Lou Cheng followed the schedule and said, “Next, I’ll teach you horse stance and do stance training.”

“Horse stance? Coach Lou, you’re such a high level professional. Why do you just teach us this? I thought you would teach us moves and techniques about how to show our strength.” Wu Ting raised her hand again and said, with a questioning look.

You’re talking so much…  Lou Cheng cursed secretly but said smilingly, “You guys have no basics. Your waist and back are still stiff. Your foundation is weak. If you don’t practice the stance training diligently, even if I teach you these moves and techniques, what you’ll learn is no more than presenting an attractive facade but your punch will be useless, like giving a message.”

Talking about this, he looked serious and continued, “Besides, all profound and strong martial arts come from the basic stance training. How could a high building be built without a solid foundation? Do you have any idea how deep the foundation is? To become who I am today, do you know how long it took me to practice basic stance training?”

Recalling the image of him blowing up a sandbag with a devastating punch, Wu Tingting and others fell silent and nodded immediately.

“… Don’t be too rigid in the horse stance. You should have some flexibility, shift your body’s gravity as if riding a horse… Look closer at my stance. I will demonstrate to you how to generate force from my feet, using the ankles and the knees… ” Lou Cheng was not scripted but explained his own experiences after training himself together with his insights and perceptions from meditation.

As they were new, Zhang Qiufan, Yao Ruiwei and the rest were very enthusiastic and listened, earnest and focused. They followed Lou Cheng’s guidance and went into the horse stance immediately.

Lou Cheng walked around and observed them carefully. If there were mistakes he pointed them out immediately. If they did not generate enough force, he managed to correct them with his feet or hands.

“Remember the feeling you feel now. It is the best stance that fits you.” Lou Cheng stood beside Zhang Qiufang and explained, arms across his chest.

“Yes, Coach Lou!” Zhang Qiufang, the youngest and also the most timid one among them, answered seriously.

Lou Cheng took his mobile phone out of his pocket to check the time. Then he approached Yao Ruiwei and found him trembling with a sweaty brow.

Saying nothing, he watched him for a while and said suddenly, “you can have a rest now.”

What he bore in mind was that these kids came here to improve their bodies and not to learn martial arts.

Yao Ruiwei was gritting his teeth. As he heard the words from Coach Lou, he felt that he was having an auditory hallucination.

He pointed to himself and asked with confusion, “Me?”

Only I can have a break?

“Yes, you can rest for ten minutes.” Lou Cheng replied with a smile.

At this scene, Wu Ting in the behind row grumbled. “Coach Lou, you’re so biased! Why can he rest but we can’t?”

“If you were as big as him, you can rest too.” Lou Cheng said half-jokingly.

Wu Ting, Zhang Qiufang and all laughed and said, partially in unison,

“Forget it!”

Lou Cheng turned and saw the little fatty wearing blue looked humiliated by the joke. He said seriously, “Yao Ruiwei, do you think I’m only looking at your build? As the saying goes, words are not the same as fighting.”

“No, no… ” Yao Ruiwei answered, hanging his head.

Lou Cheng remained serious and said, “I have seen your history and I know that you’re not born fat. You’re here in the martial arts class to lose weight, right?”

“Right.” Yao Ruiwei answered honestly.

“So I will remind you, to inspire you in case you forget why you’re here and become less motivated and slack… Train yourself hard. We’ll see if you are still as fat in two months!”

Yao Ruiwei gritted his teeth and said,

“Yes, Coach!”

Stance training, rest, stance training, rest… Lou Cheng set the tempo, helping these participants master basic skills and increased the intensity of training gradually.

During the break, he took every minute to train himself too and performed “Thunder Roar Zen” in the center of the ground, which moved the air currents, used the effect of the medicine and continued purifying himself.

Hearing the crackle of air currents, Li Lei, Zhang Qiufan and others were excited and eager to have a try.

“So cool… ” Little Fat Yao Ruiwei murmured.

Li Lei took a breath and said, “when will I have such kicks and punches… ”

Wu Ting rolled her eyes to them and said, “That’s ages. My dad said if you could practice martial arts with sound, it would mean a turning point of martial arts. Increased skill in kicks and punches will let you qualify for ranking!”

Two hours later, Lou Cheng after found them becoming bored, he clapped his hands, saying,

“All right. That’s all the basic foundation. Now I’ll teach you some fundamental moves and corresponding force techniques.”

Wu Ting, Zhang Qiufan and others all burst into cheers and became excited, it was a relief for all of them. However, they found that they had just jumped from one fiery pit into another. After repetitive punches and kicks, their feet and hands became sore.

“Coach Lou, could you please let us do pair exercises? I saw other classes do pair exercises!” Wu Ting grumbled during the break.

“That’s nonsense.” Lou Cheng commented sharply, “two rookies doing pair exercises would only develop bad habits and make inaccurate movements. By then, it would be too late to correct.”

When he was performing the special training, he did pair exercises only with senior brothers and sisters of higher ranks.

“So can I do pair exercises with you? If there’s not enough time, we can pay you for private coaching!” Wu Ting proposed hands in the air.

Lou Cheng chuckled and said, “We’ll see if you can master basic moves and force techniques, then I’ll give you some time for pair exercises. You don’t have to pay.”

His training was three times less intense than the special training for martial arts. That’s to say, these big kids wouldn’t exercise in pairs until next week.

After that, he glanced at the clock on the wall and said, “All right. Time’s up. If you feel sore and tired, you can pay for a therapist in the martial art club. If not, just go home and have a rest which will be enough to refresh you.”

Watching Lou Cheng walk out of the practice court, Wu Ting said, dropping his voice lower,

“Coach Lou is so different indeed. I heard from students in other classes. Their coaches are encouraging private lessons, but Coach Lou does the opposite.”

“It shows that Coach Lou is teaching us with all his heart. He doesn’t have to hide the real stuff only for private coaching.” Li Lei wiped off his sweat and said with a serious face.

…

After physical therapy, Wu Ting returned back home and found that her super busy dad was at home!

“A rare visitor!” she said jokingly, with a sense of grievance.

Wu Qinggui took his daughter in his arms, stroked her hair and said, “I’m back home as long as I’m free. What do you think of your new coach?”

Wu Ting knew that her father also practiced martial arts since childhood but he had failed several Ranking Events for Professional Ninth Pin. So he moved into business, became rich and reached the peak of his life. However, as his visions and insights were still there, he remained the idol in her heart.

She chattered with excitement, “Our coach is so amazing. He blew a sandbag up with a punch!”

“Blew up?” Wu Qinggui asked with confusion.

Is that literal or an exaggeration?

Wu Ting said while gesturing with arms waving, “It’s true. Just likes this. Boom!”

With his mouth half-open, Wu Qinggui said to himself in shock,

“Is, is it possible for a Professional Ninth Pin… ”

When did Xiushan have such a strong martial artist? And he is prepared to teach these big kids?

Wu Ting noticed the change of her father’s facial expression, as an idea flashed through her mind:

Coach Lou is much stronger than we thought!

…

After eating lunch and hanging out in the Strength Training Gymnasium, the temporarily single Lou Cheng phoned Qin Rui and told him to come for still stance coaching at the martial art club in the afternoon.

Qin Rui said with a smirk, “You’re free already? Aren’t you dating your girlfriend?”

Lou Cheng answered quickly, “she went to her grandfather’ home.”

Then he realized something. How does Qin Rui know I am meeting with my girlfriend?

He is just asking… I can’t disclose more information…

Qin Rui hung up and texted to Jiang Fei quickly, saying, “Fatty Jiang, Fatty Jiang, now go ask Song Li if Yan Zheke went to her grandfather’s home!”