Chapter 17: Breathing Method, Genius

Qingcheng has four major urban areas; the east, south, west, and north. There has always been a saying in the city that "the East is rich and the West is poor, the North is noble and the South is humble," which roughly explains the division of residents in Qingcheng.

Most of the residents in Dongcheng District are wealthy, and the headquarters of large companies and enterprises are basically located there.

It can be said that every inch of land is worth a lot of money. The North City District is full of dignitaries and has extremely high security. The location here is not just a matter of every inch of land being extremely costly but it is also a matter of money not being able to buy it. (TN: You have to have a certain status in society to live there)

Xicheng District is where most ordinary people live, and it is also where Xue Jing's family is.

Of course, the statement is not absolute, nor does it mean that those who live in Dongcheng District are definitely rich and those who live in Xicheng District are definitely poor. After all, it is just a rough division.

But there is nothing wrong with the saying that "the south is humble" in Nancheng District.

It is a real slum and the final destination of all the crimes in a city. It is not the law but the gangs that control it. Even the Public Security Bureau cannot control it. Many criminals disappear as soon as they get in. They cannot be found at all. Only the security companies behind the gangs can have a say here.

However, Xue Jing has never been to Nancheng District. Since he was a child, his parents and other elders have repeatedly warned him not to get close to it, so he doesn't know the specific situation. He just heard about it from others.

He really didn't expect Pei Youguang, who was called "very influential" by his classmates, to actually live in the Nancheng District.

Although it is only on the outskirts of Nancheng, close to the West City area, it is more or less on the edge of the "slums."

In front of a house that looks quite large, Pei Youguang took out the key and opened the door, saying to Xue Jing, "Brother Jing, come in."

The appearance of the house is quite old, with a square floor plan and a large front yard. The surface of the white brick wall is full of mottled traces of time and is seriously oxidized and yellowed.

The surroundings of the house were also backward and dilapidated. There were many bottles and cans of garbage on the street. It looked like no one had cleaned it for a long time.

Xue Jing shook his head and followed Pei Youguang into the house.

Unexpectedly, in contrast to the old exterior appearance of the house, the interior decoration was quite good, with gray imitation wood grain floors, a large plush carpet in the middle of the living room, and all kinds of furniture. At first glance, it was not very tasteful, but quite harmonious.

Xue Jing took off his shoes, walked into the living room, hung his schoolbag on a hook on the wall by the door, chose a single sofa, sat down, and asked, "Do you live alone?"

Pei Youguang, who was taking a drink out of the refrigerator, paused and nodded, "Yes."

Xue Jing asked in a casual tone, "Why do you live here? Isn't your father working for a councilor? Even if you can't go to North City, you can at least live in East City, right?"

Pei Youguang threw a bottle of soda to Xue Jing, opened one for himself, took a big sip, sighed happily, and then said, "My relationship with my father is not very good... This house belongs to my mother. She left it to me after she died. I moved here two years ago after I had a fight with my father."

"There is a Dojo nearby called the Jinfeng Dojo. It is said that the owner of the dojo came from the inner ring city and is the successor of the 'Golden Wind White Rainbow Sword.' After I moved here, I entered the Jinfeng Dojo because of its reputation. I practiced martial arts with the master there for a few months... Later, something happened, and I left the dojo."

Xue Jing nodded. "Is that so."

It seems that Pei Youguang's life is not easy.

However, if you look closely, everyone has some stories. He was not interested in knowing them, so he stood up and said, "Without further delay, start teaching me 'strength'."

This is his only purpose for coming here.

Pei Youguang stood up and threw the empty drink bottle in his hand into the trash can, saying, "Okay, Brother Jing, come with me, let's go to the practice room."

...

This is a large room of about 70 square meters. The room is covered with a thick cushion, filled with various fitness equipment, and some machines that Xue Jing could not understand the purpose of.

In the center of the room were several punching poles and sandbags made of different materials. They all looked worn out, obviously they were often used.

"If you want to develop strength, the most important thing is breathing." In the training room, Pei Youguang began to explain as he had seen his old master done in the dojo.

"Strength is the kinetic energy generated by the movement of the internal organs of the human body, but we humans have very little control over our own bodies. We cannot control the flow of blood, nor can we control the internal organs. Even the muscles can only be simply 'tightened' or 'relaxed'. Therefore, we must first learn how to affect these parts that we cannot control at ordinary times, and this requires the use of 'breathing methods'."

"Next, I will teach you a set of 'breathing methods'. This is the basic breathing method that every disciple in the dojo knows. Through this set of breathing methods, you can exert influence on the inside of your body."

Pei Youguang finished speaking and sat cross-legged on the cushion.

"Come on, Brother Jing, follow me."

Xue Jing followed his instructions and sat down with his legs crossed like Pei Youguang.

Then Pei Youguang began to explain the specific steps of the breathing method, demonstrating while letting Xue Jing learn.

The breathing method is not too complicated, but it is very difficult. In some steps, the interval between inhalation and exhalation is extremely long, and a large amount of oxygen needs to be inhaled in one breath. Such a large amount of oxygen rushes into the lungs. People who do not have good lung capacity would not even be qualified to practice such a thing.

Pei Youguang thought that Xue Jing would definitely not be able to keep up with the first breathing method practice. When he practiced it himself, it took him a full month to barely complete a set breathing practice.

Therefore, he still had expectations, wanting to see how embarrassed Xue Jing was going to be while coughing his lungs out after doing a whole set of the breathing method

But he was shocked.

Xue Jing actually followed the whole process and successfully completed a whole set of basic breathing on the first try!

"It's over?"

Xue Jing, who was not used to inhaling a large amount of oxygen, felt dizzy, his heart was beating very fast, he felt nauseous and wanted to vomit, his vision was blurred, and there seemed to be a flame burning all over his body.

This is a large amount of oxygen entering the blood through the alveoli, causing the blood in his body to circulate at an accelerated pace, which raised his body temperature.

It was very embarrassing, but he finished it.

"Brother Jing, you're awesome." Pei Youguang was really impressed and gave him a thumbs up.

Only people like him who have practiced know how difficult it is to practice breathing techniques, but Xue Jing actually did on his first try.

Maybe this is what the master calls a 'Genius'!

Pei Youguang was envious.

"As long as you get used to the breathing techniques, practice them often, and even turn them into your own instincts and use them all the time, you can continuously improve your physical fitness. However, I haven't done this yet. At present, I can't practice breathing techniques too many times a day, otherwise my body won't be able to bear it."

"Once you get used to it, you can gradually feel the 'Rhythm' inside your body when you breathe. When you learn what kind of breathing can affect it, or even let you control it, your 'strength' will naturally be developed," Pei Youguang said.

Xue Jing closed his eyes and calmed down the various burdens that he had after practicing breathing techniques for the first time were gradually disappearing.

After a long time, he opened his eyes and said, "Teach me again."

Pei Youguang said worriedly, "You have just started breathing. Just practice once today and continue tomorrow. Otherwise, I am afraid your body will not be able to bear it."

Xue Jing shook his head. "It's okay, continue."

He has memorized most of the steps of the breathing method, but he needs to practice it again to consolidate his memory and ensure there are no mistakes.

...

You can read '20' additional chapters on my Patreon page at -

patreon.com/InkDemon