Chapter 8: Add Some Spirit

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Tongbei Quan primarily focuses on the "hand, eye, movement technique, step" principle, encompassing 108 individual practice methods just for the hand techniques.

Each individual practice method can be trained from three aspects: Posture Method, Power Method, and usage.

Only after skillfully mastering the Posture Method can one be considered a beginner, and then begin to learn the Power Method and usage.

In layman's terms, this means mastering the basic movements first and only then attempting to understand the skill of applying force in each basic move, as well as their practical application in combat.

As for "Eye Skill," it serves as an auxiliary to the hand technique in offense, and may be regarded as a predictive ability or as strategic learning.

Movement technique is the foundation for Power Method and is also part of applying force.

Without the foundation of movement technique, even if one has strength, it's merely "raw strength" and not "cultivated power."

This means applying force from only a single part of the body, without utilizing the body's full strength to maximize one's power.

The Power Method training in individual practices essentially strengthens the movement technique path.

Only after mastering all three can one be deemed to possess basic combat skills. Beyond that, there's training for Combination Technique, which represents true combat ability.

In summary, after looking through all this, Li Ang indeed had some profound realizations about the vastness and depth of Chinese martial arts.

No wonder traditional martial arts are in such decline nowadays.

Setting aside whether there's any practical combat ability, the sheer difficulty of entry alone is enough to make the majority give up before seeing any results.

According to the experience outlined above, even just the basics of entry require month-long commitment.

However, Li Ang wasn't in any hurry. The biggest help from skill solidification was that it ensured all the movements he learned were on the correct path, preventing detours and even self-inflicted injuries.

From the start of learning Tongbei Quan, Li Ang hadn't used any of the Breakthrough Points he received on [Physique] but had been saving them up.

He wanted to test the effects of allocating points to [Spirit] or [Reaction].

After breakfast, his Breakthrough Points had reached 0.24.

He had saved up his points before allocating them, also considering that if the increase was too small, he might not be able to perceive the change.

Li Ang first followed the video on the disc, clumsily going through a complete set of movements.

Although his memory had improved quite a bit, after a night's sleep, some of the movements were slightly forgotten.

After completing the whole set, the movements were not even fluent, let alone graceful.

Having a rough idea in mind, Li Ang allocated all his Breakthrough Points to [Spirit].

Name: Li Ang

Strength: 7.92

Constitution: 10.03

Response: 10.30

Spirit: 13.40

Breakthrough Points: 0

Skills:

[Cycling] 152/200 (Proficient)

(Trait: Increased lower limb strength and endurance by 10%)

[Running] 12/200 (Proficient)

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(Trait: Lung capacity increased by 10%)

The moment the points increased, Li Ang felt his brain enveloped in a coolness akin to inhaling a breath of mint.

However, this sensation came quickly and left just as fast. If he had to say he could immediately feel a difference in his brain, well, he really couldn't quite put his finger on it.

After all, the improvement in [Spirit] this time was only about 2%, nothing to call a breakthrough.

Yet, during the following practice, Li Ang still noticed some differences.

It seemed as if his thoughts had become more active. When practicing a certain movement, not only would he replicate its posture in his mind,

but he would also consider to some extent why one should exert force in this way. Could a slight adjustment to this posture suit his body better? Would breathing at this node make his power flow more smoothly?

Questions like these emerged continuously as he practiced.

His understanding of Pile Skill also became more nuanced than the day before.

He understood that Pile Skill was not just about adopting a "shape," but the "substance" within was more important.

One must first understand why one does Pile Skill and what parts of the body it aims to train to truly begin.

These insights wouldn't be attainable to most people, who simply couldn't multitask to this extent.

Actually, this didn't conflict with the martial requirement of a mind free of distractions, because his current thoughts were not distractions, but rather intellectual involvement in practice, which in traditional martial arts, is known as having good comprehension.

While Li Ang's body moved, his brain pondered alongside, theoretically and practically validating each other.

Although many things remained vague, the sense of achievement they brought him was tangible.

This sense of accomplishment from practice, in turn, became his motivation to continue practicing.

Not until his body signaled strong pangs of emptiness did Li Ang snap back to reality, realizing it was already noon.

According to his usual habit, he would have eaten a meal by ten o'clock, and combined with continuous physical and mental activity, it wasn't an exaggeration to say he felt as hungry as if his front chest was stuck to his back.

Clearly, a strong [Spirit] also meant increased energy consumption by his body.

Li Ang couldn't help but wonder whether his body could have withstood it if, in the beginning, he had poured all his points into [Physique] instead of [Spirit].

Opening the fridge, there wasn't much food left. Li Ang took everything out and cooked it all in one go.

He estimated that his daily food intake was now about the equivalent of what two adults of his size would eat.

This level of food consumption wasn't outrageous, something quite a few fitness enthusiasts could achieve.

However, this also made his already modest savings even tighter.

After a hearty meal, Li Ang rested for an hour, then hopped back onto his shabby little bicycle to make a big purchase at the supermarket.

As soon as he mounted the bike, Li Ang instinctively adjusted every part of his body to the optimal state. His proficiency in [Cycling] had reached a level comparable to amateur riders who cycle regularly.

He completed the roughly 17-kilometer distance in just forty minutes.

This speed, if achieved on a road bike, would be considered quite good, stronger than most.

But on a women's bicycle without even a gear-shift function, anyone who saw it would have exclaimed, "Warder!"

Getting off the bike and wiping off his sweat, he did a quick two-minute stretch. Li Ang checked his panel and saw an improvement in his attributes.

Not only had his proficiency in [Cycling] increased by 34 points, but his Constitution and Strength had also gone up by 0.03 and 0.01, respectively.

With the experience from his previous two shopping trips, this time Li Ang headed straight for the discount section.

It wasn't that he couldn't afford organic food, but discounted items offered better value for money.