"Grandpa, what are you all practicing here with so many people?"
Wang Longhu walked up to the white-haired elder and asked cautiously.
The elder slowly opened his eyes and, seeing Wang Longhu covered in sweat, was momentarily stunned: "Young man, can you see us?"
Initially filled with anticipation, Wang Longhu was instantly chilled by this remark, goosebumps covered his body, and his hair stood on end. He suddenly became extremely alert, feeling as if he had never been this clear-headed in his life.
"Just kidding with you." The white-haired elder laughed, stood upright, raising his hands above his head, then slowly pressed them down, reminiscent of the ending movements in martial arts films.
"Haha..." Wang Longhu chuckled awkwardly. Not bad, considering his age, he still had quite a sense of humor.
"I'm practicing Infinite Posture, it's for health and longevity. Are you interested in learning, young man?" The white-haired elder asked.
"Yes, yes! That breath-like-an-arrow technique you just showed, it was so cool. I want to learn it from you." Wang Longhu quickly praised, thinking that if he could learn this skill, it might help with his condition.
"Hahaha, I've practiced Infinite Posture for half my life. It won't be easy for you to reach my level. You young people are impatient, wanting results without the process. This Infinite Posture is tedious, and I bet you won't last three months.
Seeing you drenched in sweat, you must have been jogging on this dyke for quite some time. It's rare to see such self-discipline among young people willing to get up early for morning exercise these days.
How about this, I'll teach you the Three-Body Pose. If you have the patience and perseverance to stick with it, the results will come faster than with Infinite Posture.
But remember, in practicing Pile Skill you start with the horse stance, and in practicing the horse stance you first open the hips. You have no background in this, so I can't help much. I can only teach you the basics, and you'll have to figure it out on your own when you get home."
The white-haired elder slightly spread his legs, placing one foot in front and one foot behind, bending his knees slightly into a squat.
Simultaneously, his right palm lowered parallel to and flat against his abdomen, with his left arm extended horizontally with the palm facing the shoulder.
"Watch carefully, memorize this, the stance in Pile Skill must be correct. If it's even slightly off, even a lifetime of practice would be futile," the white-haired elder said sternly.
Wang Longhu looked serious, quickly moving to the elder's side to mimick his pose and struck the Three-Body Pose.
Seeing this, the white-haired elder adjusted the parts of Wang Longhu's posture that were not quite right. After several corrections, Wang Longhu finally achieved a perfect Three-Body Pose stance.
"This position is correct. You're a beginner, just get a feel for it. Don't overexert yourself the first time. Rest if you feel fatigued," the white-haired elder advised, as he returned to his previous Infinite Posture stance beside Wang Longhu.
Trying Pile Skill for the first time, Wang Longhu was quite curious, wondering how much his physical condition would improve after learning the Three-Body Pose.
Three minutes later...
Wang Longhu gritted his teeth and tightened his jaw while gazing into the distance, hoping to divert some of his attention.
Although the Three-Body Pose wasn't as exhausting as holding a horse stance, maintaining a position for long was painful.
Especially since he had just run for an hour, making Wang Longhu concerned about whether he could walk home on his two legs.
[Name: Wang Longhu]
[Strength: 0.83]
[Constitution: 0.79]
[Spirit: 0.88]
[Skills: Basic Fitness Lv2 (0/200), Three-Body Pose Lv1 (1/100)]
[Potential Points: 0]
"A new skill has appeared." Wang Longhu was secretly delighted upon seeing the new skill on the panel.
Now, even without the professional guidance of the white-haired old man, he could practice on his own at home.
After intense prisoner-style fitness training, standing in the Three-Body Pose for a while wasn't too bad after all.
"Grandpa, that's enough for today. I'll head off first. Thank you for your guidance."
After holding on for another minute and finally unable to keep at it, Wang Longhu stood up straight, thanked the white-haired elder, then turned to leave with a slightly wobbly gait.
Watching his back, an elderly woman standing nearby sighed enviously, "What a diligent young fellow. My grandson is probably still in bed sleeping at this time."
Another elderly woman asked, "Master Chen, isn't the Three-Body Pose a Pile Skill of Xingyi Boxing? What if teaching it to this kid causes any trouble?"
The white-haired elder chuckled with his eyes closed, "It's just Pile Skill, good for building strength and physique in young people. It doesn't include the Five Elements Fist or the Twelve Forms Fist, so what trouble could there be?"
...
As the saying goes: Have a good breakfast, a full lunch, and a light dinner.
Perhaps it was due to the amount of exercise during his morning practice, but by the time lunch at the restaurant came around, Wang Longhu was particularly hungry. Using five pounds of beef he bought yesterday, he made beef with green peppers and consumed a pound and a half with two bowls of rice.
This was a meal size Wang Longhu had never envisioned for himself.
Taking advantage of the time after the meal to help with digestion, Wang Longhu didn't remain idle. He started practicing the Three-Body Pose right in his living room.
Originally planning to do prisoner-style fitness, Wang Longhu reconsidered, thinking that the movements were too intense. Having lived for 25 years with his appendix intact,
he didn't want to be forced to part with his cherished appendix due to strenuous post-meal exercise.
Ven though it might be a false perception, doing the Three-Body Pose gave Wang Longhu a sensation of feeling his spine slightly shifting inside his body.
The adult spine is composed of 26 vertebrae, linked together by ligaments, joints, and intervertebral discs. It supports the skull above, attaches to the ribs in the middle, and connects to the pelvis below,
and serves as the back wall of the thorax, abdomen, and pelvic cavity, supporting the torso while protecting internal organs and the spinal cord.
These 26 vertebrae can be further subdivided into seven cervical vertebrae, twelve thoracic vertebrae, five lumbar vertebrae, one sacral bone, and one coccyx.
By nature, the spine is as intricate as the most advanced, high-precision machinery, making it impossible for a person to sense bone movement.
Yet while doing the Three-Body Pose, Wang Longhu had this false perception, which perplexed him greatly.
After standing in the Three-Body Pose for ten minutes, Wang Longhu finished his exercise, picked up his phone, and began searching for information about the Three-Body Pose on Douyin, hoping to resolve his confusion.
What a revelation it was.
The Three-Body Pose is actually a basic Pile Skill and Inner Power training method of Xingyi Boxing, one of the three major Internal Boxing systems, and is dubbed 'The Source of All Skills.'
"Xingyi Boxing? Is true martial arts still in existence?" Wang Longhu wondered.
From childhood to adulthood, his entire understanding of martial arts comes from the works of Jin Yong, Gu Long, Liang Yusheng, Wen Ruian, and Huang Yi.
Growing up, his perception changed to 'Master Ma of Xingyi and Tai Chi Sect,' and 'Master Lei who slipped and fell, narrowly losing a match,'
both famous figures with martial skills as deep as the ocean, previously promoting an abstract and magical style online.
Moreover, in today's world, when spoken of internationally, East Asia is renowned for taekwondo from Korea, karate from Japan, and Muay Thai from neighboring Thailand.
As for influence from the flowering country, that can be traced back to Bruce Lee's adaptation of Inch Fist from Wing Chun, giving it international recognition.
"Xingyi Boxing..." Wang Longhu posed in the Three-Body Pose, pacing around the living room.
Whether true or false, as long as mastery leads to level-up and yields potential points, it's a good martial art.
As for the sensation of spinal movement, perhaps it really is just a false perception.
Wang Longhu, filled with enthusiasm and feeling no fatigue, continued practicing the Three-Body Pose, aiming to upgrade to Lv2 as soon as possible.