Because his first day of school had been so eventful, Chen Chuan prepared to turn in early.
According to the class schedule, public lectures would begin the next day. Since he hadn’t settled on an advisor yet, he figured he might as well go check them out. He took a quick shower and went to bed.
At six the next morning, just as he finished washing up and was about to head out to exercise, there was a sudden knock on the door.
’Who could it be this early?’
He walked over and opened the door to find a middle-aged man of average build standing outside, dressed in a white shirt and a diagonally striped tie. His jacket was draped over his forearm, and a briefcase was tucked under his arm. He looked to be in his forties or fifties, with thick eyebrows and large eyes. Although his face was a little round now, you could tell he had been a handso young man.
He was also holding a pair of decorative sunglasses and a Na Card. He gave a little wave. "Chen? Hello." Then, he smiled and said, "I’m your advisor, Cheng Zitong. You can call Teacher Cheng, or Old Cheng is fine too."
Chen Chuan glanced at the Na Card and imdiately replied politely, "Hello, Teacher Cheng." He recalled, however, that there didn’t seem to be any teacher with the surna Cheng in the files the dorm manager had given him.
"A bit sudden, isn’t it?" Teacher Cheng said with a smile. "It’s not just students who choose their teachers; teachers can also choose their students. I saw your file. It’s impressive. You’re a promising sapling, so I ca to find you."
Chen Chuan stepped aside and said, "Teacher Cheng, please, co in."
Cheng Zitong grunted in acknowledgnt, walked in, and sat right down on the sofa. Leaning back, he looked around and sighed, "These dorm rooms haven’t changed in so many years..." Seeing Chen Chuan pouring water, he waved a hand at him. "Don’t trouble yourself. Co sit. There are so things I need to tell you."
Chen Chuan poured him a glass of water anyway and placed it on the coffee table. "My apologies, Teacher Cheng. I only have plain water."
"Hah, no need to be so formal. Fine, you’re a very polite student."
Cheng Zitong picked up the glass, waited for him to be seated, and then said, "Chen, others think you started practicing the Breathing Technique too early, that you’ve overdrawn too much of your potential. I, however, think you are an exceptionally talented student. But... I believe you currently have a problem that urgently needs to be solved. It will be very troubleso otherwise. Right, let show you sothing first."
He picked up the briefcase beside him, took out a stack of papers, and handed it over. "These are the records for so forr Wuyi University students, data from when they were seventeen all the way to thirty-seven. Don’t bother with the first few pages, focus on the end. Yes, keep flipping."
Chen Chuan flipped the docunts to the later sections and quickly discovered that almost every Wuyi Student listed had records of dical treatnt and surgery, starting from their twenties or thirties, and with great frequency. In a few individual cases, such problems appeared before they were even twenty.
"See it now?" Cheng Zitong asked.
Chen Chuan looked up and asked, "Teacher Cheng, what’s the cause? Is it from bodily injuries sustained from excessive training during their studies?"
Cheng Zitong shook his head. "If only it were that simple. This requires a bit of a longer explanation."
"Please enlighten , Teacher," said Chen Chuan.
"Don’t be so formal." Though he said that, Cheng Zitong was quite satisfied with his attitude. He went on, "You’ve already started practicing the Breathing Technique and can feel its benefits, but you may not yet understand what truly lies hidden beneath it."
Chen Chuan couldn’t help but ask, "What is it?"
Cheng Zitong said, "Spurred on by the Breathing Technique, your body’s resistance, the strength of your internal organs, the load-bearing capacity of your bones, and indeed every aspect of your body undergoes a qualitative leap. You should be able to feel it. After starting the Breathing Technique, you’ve pulled far ahead of ordinary people who haven’t trained, and you’re improving every day."
Chen Chuan nodded. "Yes, that’s right."
"But this also brings about another effect," Cheng Zitong said slowly. "Your body will start to grow tissues and organs that didn’t originally exist. We call these Mutated Organizations. For example..."
He pointed at Chen Chuan. "Driven by the Breathing Technique, your body will first grow so additional tendon and ligant tissues. The very reason that fighting experts are able to exert Power far beyond an ordinary person is precisely thanks to the existence of these tissues.
"And when such tissues appear in your body and continue to grow, you will at first feel your body beco itchy or hot. At that ti, you’ll clearly feel that all aspects of your physique are growing rapidly."
Chen Chuan’s heart jolted. He couldn’t help but think about the feeling of his body heating up not long after he’d started the Breathing Technique. He had even asked Yu Gang about it. As for the enhancent of his physical condition, it was probably because he had maintained his Breathing Technique exercises for so long, without stopping even to this day.
Seeing his reaction, Cheng Zitong said, "It seems you’ve already experienced it. But don’t be nervous. That just ans your body is excellent and very suitable for practicing fighting. You should know, so people are even born with a few Mutated Organizations. Such people are said to possess innate ’talent.’
"But this situation can’t be left unchecked, especially after undergoing Fighting Skill training. Prolonged, conscious, external stimulation will cause these organizations to grow rapidly. Without proper guidance, if these tissues and organs are allowed to grow unchecked, at best, they might encroach on the normal functions of so of your body’s tissues, causing all sorts of illnesses. At that point, you’d have no choice but to have a portion of the tissue surgically removed. At worst, you could develop deformities or simply lose your life."
Chen Chuan thought for a mont, then asked, "Teacher Cheng, how long does it take for these problems to arise?"
Teacher Cheng tapped his knee with the decorative sunglasses in his hand. "It varies from person to person. Everything in this world has its pros and cons. The more talented a person is, the faster their Mutated Organizations grow, and the higher their upper limit is as well."
He jutted his chin toward the docunts. "The shortest ti recorded in there is less than a year. That’s right, less than a year. Eleven months, to be exact. Let ask you, how long has it been since you started to master the Breathing Technique?"
Chen Chuan answered, "Three months."
Cheng Zitong said grimly, "Three months already..."
Chen Chuan thought it over and realized his Second Self probably couldn’t solve this issue.
As far as he could tell, the Second Self could only absorb direct, physical damage. The prerequisite for removing harm was to first have an integral "self," and these organizations were considered a part of that "self." It was the sa principle that prevented him from simply removing his own blood and internal organs out of thin air.
He didn’t know how the Second Self might change in the future, but for now, at least, it couldn’t do sothing like that.
So he asked, "Then, Teacher Cheng, how can sothing like this be avoided?"
"You shouldn’t view this as sothing terrifying," Cheng Zitong said, waving his hand dismissively before his expression turned serious. "You should face it directly. I even think of it as a gift from the heavens. Without this kind of Mutated Organization, the original human body can’t surpass its limits. But if we can make it serve us, then it can beco the very ladder we use to ascend.
"As it happens, Fighting Skill is exactly such a thod.
"That’s right. Although Fighting Skill stimulates the tissues, if you provide orderly guidance, it’s possible to turn this drawback into a benefit. But that’s only on the condition that the thod of guidance is correct."
Chen Chuan asked earnestly, "May I ask, Teacher Cheng, what qualifies as an orderly and correct thod?"
"Sit still and don’t move," Cheng Zitong instructed.
He stood up, reached out, and pressed and kneaded several spots on Chen Chuan’s shoulders, the joints of his hands and feet, his neck, and his spine. Chen Chuan could feel a faint, tingling ache radiate from the points of contact.
Cheng Zitong frowned. "Such rapid progress... have you really only been training for three months? So people might not reach this stage even after three years. This has to be innate talent..."
He sat back down, his expression turning serious. "It looks like I’ll have to accelerate your progress. If you continue on this path, I’m afraid it won’t end well."
Chen Chuan, however, seed relatively calm. He asked, "According to what you’re saying, Teacher Cheng, how long will it be before that situation arises for ?"
"Hmm..." Cheng Zitong said in a deep voice. "It’s hard to say. The most optimistic estimate would be half a year. If things progress quickly, it could be within two or three months. Your Mutated Organizations will beco difficult to restrain, and at that point, we might have to consider the most undesirable thods to preserve your health, and even your life."
Chen Chuan didn’t ask what those thods were, but he could roughly guess.
Cheng Zitong said gravely, "You must be cultivating the Basic Breathing Technique. Starting tomorrow, I will begin teaching you a higher-level Breathing Technique. And you must master Power as soon as possible. As soon as possible! Even mastering Small Force will suffice. This will ensure your Mutated Tendons and Ligants no longer grow randomly, but instead grow in the direction you require.
"If after ten days, you don’t feel any stabbing pain, tingling aches, or sensations of blockage and swelling in your body, it ans your direction is temporarily correct, and we can continue training. If not, we’ll need to make adjustnts until you master complete Power. That would an you’ve overco the first major hurdle.
"But that doesn’t an it’s over. If your Mutated Organizations are still continuing to grow at that point, then you will have to find a way to enter the next stage. You must keep this up until the first rapid growth period slows down. Only then can you breathe a sigh of relief."
He looked at Chen Chuan and said very seriously, "Since I’ve decided to be your advisor, I will help you overco this hurdle, no matter how difficult it is. But this requires your own determination. Otherwise, it doesn’t matter how hard I work; it will be useless. I wonder, what is your answer?"
Chen Chuan thought for a mont, then said, "Teacher Cheng, thank you for telling all of this. You know, my first reaction upon hearing what you said was actually joy."
"Joy?"
Chen Chuan nodded. He looked out the window, his eyes filled with longing. "Only powers that transcend common sense can allow a person to break free from their original shackles and reach a higher place, to appreciate the scenery there." He turned his head back to look at Cheng Zitong and said with the utmost sincerity, "Teacher Cheng, I will do everything in my power. Because this is exactly what I’ve been pursuing and hoping for."
...
...
User Comments
0 comments from readers