"Tired? If you're tired, go to sleep." Galon was tired too, but seeing that his sister had no intention of sleeping, and given the rare moment Ying'er seemed to be in a bad mood needing consolation, he decided to just keep her company.
"Not tired at all, I'll sleep when I feel like it. Are you tired?" Ying'er moved closer to Galon without making it obvious. Her arm touched Galon's bulging bicep, immediately feeling a sense of security.
It was rare for them to sit together and chat for so long.
"Since you're not going tomorrow, do you have any plans?" Galon asked casually.
"Stay at home, maybe? Or maybe I could go see your martial arts training with you. Would that be welcome?" Ying'er suggested.
"Not welcome." Galon replied immediately without thinking.
"You jerk...!!!" Ying'er started to get agitated again.
"Stop hitting! It's not something I can decide. You know, martial arts secrets are not to be shown to others. It's the rule." Knowing teasing her would only lead to more fuss, Galon quickly explained.
"That makes sense. Then, what about after your practice? I've been to the martial arts school. I heard there's a beautiful sister who specifically comes to pick you up, right?" Ying'er's smile had a hint of stiffness.
"That..." Galon hadn't expected his sister to actually visit Baiyun Martial Arts School and inquire about him, even knowing about Gorey's existence, which made him somewhat troubled. He had noticed Ying'er's special attachment and complex towards him, which wasn't just sibling affection but contained something more.
"Alright, I'm tired. I'm going to sleep." Ying'er stood up suddenly and headed to her bedroom.
Galon didn't know how to explain. The matter with Gorey was related to a series of covert activities, and once brought to light, it would be troublesome. Ying'er, being a regular person, getting involved would not end well.
"It's also very normal. You're at that age where you have such needs. I've been too controlling over you before." Ying'er suddenly turned around at her bedroom door and said.
After speaking, she closed the door with a bang.
Galon, speechless, moved his neck around. Helplessly, he also went to wash up and then headed to his room to rest.
"Position your fist correctly! If your posture is off, your balance will be too, and practicing like this for a long time will cause significant wear on your knees and leave irrecoverable hidden injuries," Farak, the second senior brother, stood next to Galon, hands behind his back, correcting his basic stance. Standing together, they looked like an adult and a child.
Though Galon had grown stronger and taller, he was still far from matching Farak.
Bare-chested Farak, his skin a bronze color, muscles like cast concrete, and the skin surface faintly showing blue veins. Like the big sister, he also had a white tiger tattoo, but on his chest. The big sister's spread to her arms.
His grey-white long hair casually draped over his shoulders, wearing white trousers and a belt, exuding a blend of savage and civilized formidable aura.
"Martial arts, aside from many basic offensive and defensive moves, are mostly about these foundational practices. I remember telling you, these practices are the culmination of long-term summaries by predecessors. They include what kind of exertion won't harm your muscles, ligaments, bones, etc., what techniques can achieve the maximum combat effect while minimizing self-injury. These are all summarized and concluded by countless predecessors through personal experience, the fundamental secrets of exercising the human body."
Farak patted Galon's back, who was standing correctly in the Baiyun combat technique posture.
"Remember, there can't be any deviation in this stance, the balance of the body, the stability of the stance, all must be considered. Every single detail of the movement can't be wrong. The most important thing is that you must stand with the aura of being as immovable as a mountain. Feel very heavy, very heavy!"
"If there's any mistake, in the long run, your knees, shoulders, will have issues."
Galon nodded firmly.
"Got it! Second Senior Brother!"
Farak looked satisfied at Galon's stance, resembling a charging elephant.
"Many people who start martial arts without a foundation think that as long as they understand the theoretical core, they can freely create moves and techniques, and their creations are much stronger than routines. They believe these routines, passed down through tradition, are just to restrict people's thinking. Useless and just for show, such views are only one-sided."
"It's a pity they only see one side. From a real combat perspective, free fighting is indeed strong, but that's based on completely ignoring bodily harm. It's a path of hurting others and oneself, a path to death. Generally, martial artists who follow this path don't live long, even though they are indeed strong in actual combat."
Farak then demonstrated the elephant stance.
"The stance will change with the development of martial arts over time. Our Giant Elephant Sect's stance wasn't like this in the past; this stance has been revised and improved by the master. So, this stance must convey your own feeling, the feeling of being the most stable and unshakable for you, then it's correct."
He crossed his arms, held them in front of his chest, slightly bowed his back, bent his knees, and stood firm with one foot in front and the other behind. The stance immediately gave a feeling of being solid and immovable.
"Everyone's body is slightly different, you must find your own comfort point to stand in the correct stance for yourself."
Galon nodded, closed his eyes, imagining himself as a charging giant elephant but couldn't feel the most stable sensation of his body.
Farak's voice sounded again beside him.
"Don't just blindly imitate others; even if you mimic perfectly, it's wrong for yourself because that's someone else's stance, suitable for their body, not yours."
"Yes!" Galon began adjusting his stance again.
"The so-called stance is something every long-standing school or sect has."
"Besides exercising the body structure and achieving the best combat state, today's reason for teaching you is that the stance has another core function, which is combat!"
"Combat?"
"Indeed, the initial purpose of the stance was created for one goal, which is to use killing techniques as quickly and conveniently as possible." Farak explained.
"Each school or sect's combat techniques are different, leading to different stances. The function of a combat stance is generally twofold: one is to facilitate attacking, and the other is to make it difficult for the opponent to predict your attacking pattern. So the stance must accommodate a lot of changes and variations to achieve subsequent diverse effects."
"Alright, let's try the function of the stance."
Farak patted Galon's shoulder.
"You've also practiced the four major forms quite well. You should be quite proficient now, come here."
Galon nodded, opened his eyes, and followed Farak to a wider area.
"Now you attack me, any way you like." Farak posed in the Giant Elephant stance and calmly told Galon.
"Yes."
Galon warmed up, looking at Farak across him, his gaze gradually calming down.
Whoosh!!
He threw a punch.
Snap!
Farak's left hand diverted it effortlessly, leading his punch to the side. The punch originally aimed at Farak's side waist was deflected, completely missing its target.
Galon then kicked forward with about one-third of his strength. His right foot accurately kicked between Farak's arms. Just as he was about to continue forward, he suddenly felt a pain in his ankle, which was clamped between Farak's arms from above and below.
Crack!
Farak performed an arm-twisting motion and mimicked the sound of breaking bones, with a hint of cruelty.
"This way, your foot would be directly broken into two."
After releasing Galon's leg, he posed in the Giant Elephant stance again.
"This stance can handle attacks from the front, sides, above, and below. Only attacks from the back are difficult to cover. And this is a problem most martial artists must face, so remember, never turn your back to an enemy!"
"A good martial artist, no matter the situation, will never expose their back to an enemy!"
"Got it."
Galon nodded heavily, knowing these were Farak's experienced insights.
"Many times, you understand a principle, an experience, but if you haven't personally experienced its effects, you won't have much feeling for it, let alone apply it practically. So, here's a suggestion, go out and practice it. In a safe and secure situation, experience it personally. Only then can you truly remember it with your body." Farak smiled and put away his stance.
"What practice are you referring to?" Galon was puzzled.
"Go and take the amateur ranking test. In amateur ranking competitions, you can truly see various styles. Practice what you've learned and understood, so you can believe without doubt. Besides, your Explosive Fist has reached a defensive stage that's not bad, right?" Farak winked at Galon.
Galon was startled.
"You... knew?"
"Alright, alright, we've all seen the changes in you, or why do you think the master has been so lenient with you? Your talent is the best among us. It depends on how far you can go in the future." Farak smiled, patting Galon's shoulder.
For the incredibly talented junior brother, he, the big sister, and the third junior brother all looked at Galon's growth with satisfaction, generously passing on their experiences and skills.
Because Galon's strength was the strength of the entire Giant Elephant Sect, it was the strength of the whole. Although he and the big sister didn't get along very well, more competing than cooperating, and conflicts often arose during sparring, it wouldn't lead to real conflict. Because conflicts between them were actually internal consumption of the overall strength, detrimental to both.