Vajra Dhyana

A sudden fork in his original life path had led him onto a different journey.

He did not know what the future held, but one thing was certain. It would be much more exciting than the path he had left behind.

He now had two tasks at hand: learning true Tai Chi and achieving the goal of a thousand-pound punch.

Fortunately, these tasks were not mandatory, nor did they come with restrictions. He could plan and work on them at his own pace.

After all, life was not just about tasks. Tasks were just a small part of life.

"The Five Animal Forms and Tai Chi are the priorities, followed by brick-walking and Intention Fist."

He jotted them down and made plans in his notebook. He then read books for a while in the evening and then watched some videos. He stumbled upon an old movie that featured scenes of practicing Tai Chi with a water tank.

'I can give this a try.' He could buy a large water tank and place it in his courtyard.

"Not only can I practice Tai Chi with it, but I can also practice walking along the edge of the tank. That's another way to improve lightness skill."

Walking on bricks, walking along the tank's edge, and walking on a winnowing basket – different methods, but the principles were the same.

The next morning, after a hearty breakfast, Wang An went outside and took a walk.

Surprisingly, he did not feel very tired even after covering more than ten miles. He only sweated a little.

He ended up at the swimming pool, but to his surprise, it was closed today. So, he went to the dojo. Since Li Xinzhu had gone to Hecheng, there was no one to practice with, but he could practice on his own.

There were sandbags in the dojo. After some warm-up exercises, he grabbed a sandbag and started practicing. He swung the punching bag, using Tai Chi techniques to deflect, block, or push it away. He continuously sensed the changes in strength.

In the afternoon, he returned home and decided to visit the market to look for a large water tank. After finding a suitable one, he purchased it and placed it in his courtyard. After filling it with water, he could not wait to give it a try.

His arms drew circles in the water as he slowly searched for the right feeling.

Tai Chi emphasized roundness, and he could indeed feel a unique spiral force in the rotating water. However, it was not as mysterious as portrayed in TV shows and movies.

He also noticed another unique sensation. Despite it being winter and the weather growing colder, his body remained warm.

Unlike before, when his hands and feet would get cold in the winter, now he did not feel the cold even when wearing just a light jacket outdoors. This was a sign of vigorous blood circulation.

In novels, it was said that when martial arts were cultivated to a certain level, one could resist both extreme cold and heat. It was because these martial artists had robust bodies and strong self-regulation abilities to withstand severe cold and scorching heat.

[You've tried a special training method and seem to have realized something…]

When practicing Tai Chi with the water tank, a prompt appeared.

During a break, his phone rang.

"Hey, An, do you remember what day it is today?" It was the voice of a kind old woman on the other end.

"Grandma, are you okay?"

"I'm fine, dear. Today is your birthday. Just remember to have something nice to eat and take good care of yourself. You must remember that! Cough, cough, cough…"

"Grandma, why are you coughing? Do you have a cold?" Wang An asked anxiously.

"It's nothing… just a sore throat."

Wang An talked to his two grandparents for a while before hanging up. His eyes were a bit wet.

In this world, the only two people who cared so much about him were his grandparents. If it were not for their call, he would have forgotten that today was his birthday.

Since the age of five, he had not seen his parents. He was raised by his grandparents, who endured hardships to provide for him and send him to school.

He had hoped to establish himself in Hu An City, buy a house, and bring his grandparents over to enjoy their retirement.

"It's been a long time since I visited. The weather is getting cold. I should go back."

That night, he cooked a few dishes, opened a bottle of wine, and had a cake.

He poured wine for himself and celebrated his birthday alone. He felt a bit lonely. Over the past few years, he had grown accustomed to this solitude.

The next morning, Wang An went to the market early and bought some warm clothing for his grandparents. He also bought some tasty treats and cold medicine from the pharmacy.

His grandparents were frugal at home. They were usually reluctant to spend on themselves, and even when they had a headache or cold, they would not go to the clinic. They simply endured it.

Then, he visited Hu An City's antique street to buy two jade pendants for his grandparents. It was said that jade could nourish a person.

After browsing through several shops, he settled on two jade pendants. Each was priced at 5,600-yuan and claimed to be of high-quality Hetian jade.

Wang An did not understand much about jade, but the prices at these shops did not seem to differ too much from other places. Therefore, he chose Sheng Bao Zhai, the most famous store in Hu An City.

After negotiating the price, the two jade pendants cost a total of 10,000-yuan. After paying, he was about to leave but suddenly remembered something else.

"Do you have any ancient martial arts manuals?"

"Ancient martial arts manuals? Yes, sir, please wait a moment."

After a while, another staff member came over with a box and placed it in front of Wang An.

He opened the box and revealed an old and tattered ancient book with the title "Diamond Zen" written in ancient characters on the cover.

The man carefully handed it to Wang An.

"Sir, please take a look at this book. Does it meet your requirements?"

Wang An took the book and flipped through it. There was nothing on the cover, and inside were handwritten scriptures with somewhat unattractive fonts.

The front part of the book contained a Buddhist Diamond Sutra, while the latter half included a set of palm techniques. It was accompanied by text and illustrations, though some illustrations were incomplete.

The Vajra Dhyana Palm was incomplete. It showed only three moves: Vajra Table Slap, Vajra Mountain Push, and Mountain and Seas.

 Each move had both text and illustrated figures, with black threads on the little figures.

"How much is this book?"

"Sir, you have a discerning eye. This is an ancient book from the Song Dynasty and holds great collectible value. The price for this book is 55,000-yuan."

Jade and antiques were not the same, and the salesperson here was a middle-aged man with glasses. He was not the one who sold him the jade pendants.

"55,000-yuan for such a damaged book?"

"While this ancient book is somewhat damaged, it could be unique."

Wang An did not understand jade or antiques, and this book could not be compared to other stores since it was unique.

Suddenly, he recalled a joke he had heard about unfamiliar antiques: "When faced with something you do not understand, you can subtract one zero from the quoted price."

"5,500-yuan," Wang An said after a thought.

"Sir, this price is... Would you consider raising it a bit?" The man laughed.

"5,600-yuan."

"Tsk… Alright, it's a deal. We'll reluctantly sell it to you!" The man acted as if he were parting with a cherished item.

"Hm?" Wang An was taken aback. "Did I make a mistake? Did I miss one more zero?"