Diary Entries:
[July 25: Today’s daily training shifted from dagger sparring to spear sparring. The intimidation factor of long weapons is indeed much greater than that of short weapons. However, this is incredibly effective for building courage. My body has undergone a transformation, and my courage has reached a qualitative breakthrough and refinement.]
[July 26: During today’s horizontal training and endurance exercises, I noticed that the pain significantly lessened. When the instructor struck me, I could instinctively relax the targeted area just before the impact. At the moment the rubber rod touched my body, that part of me would tense up like porcelain, and I wouldn’t feel any pain. The instructor said my Iron Shirt and Golden Bell Shield martial arts training had reached a small achievement. I could now perform public demonstrations, though it’s still impractical for real combat since you can’t predict your opponent’s moves in a fight, making it impossible to react in time. For now, I can only designate a specific area for the opponent to strike. In ancient times, street performers used this technique to draw crowds and earn money.]
[July 27: Throughout the endurance training, I could feel my physical fitness improving steadily. My spear techniques have also become increasingly proficient. But what stands out most is the sense of courage I’ve developed during weapon sparring. I feel like my entire body exudes bravery! In Romance of the Three Kingdoms, it’s said that Zhao Zilong was courage incarnate—I feel like I’d be just as fearless if I were transported to that era! Calm down, calm down, Su Jie. This is just an illusion. The dopamine from physical activity is overstimulating my brain’s pleasure center. You’re still far from being a master. If you were to fight someone now, you’d likely end up like those so-called Taichi masters who get beaten up miserably. Stay grounded.]
[July 28: During today’s training, I experienced a new sense of clarity. My mind settled completely, and I no longer harbored grand hopes for the future. I only wish for the simplicity of training daily and living a straightforward life.]
[July 29: At night, I continued to use the corpse relaxation method while sleeping. The sensation is completely different from how I used to sleep. It feels like I can perceive everything around me even in my dreams, yet my spirit remains entirely unaffected. The quality of my sleep has significantly improved. Also, my eating habits—chewing thoroughly, staying mindful, and swallowing saliva post-meal—have started showing benefits. My digestion is so robust now that it feels like my stomach could even handle stones.]
[July 30: After today’s training, Coach Odell told me he would teach me something new tomorrow before leaving for the Tibetan region and India to seek supernatural powers. I feel reluctant to see him go but am curious about what he’ll teach me tomorrow.]
[July 31: Today is the last day.]
Coach Odell didn’t have Su Jie train further but instead sat down with him for a heart-to-heart conversation.
Su Jie felt a surge of melancholy in his heart. He was reluctant to part ways. After spending so much time together, all his achievements were thanks to Odell’s training.
Although Odell had only trained him for 22 days, what Su Jie learned in this short time would have taken over a decade to learn elsewhere.
More importantly, Odell opened the door to martial arts for him, showing him the difference between right and wrong. With Su Jie’s eagerness to learn, he would no longer tread the wrong path.
“You Chinese have a saying: ‘All good things must come to an end.’ Such is the nature of life.” Seeing Su Jie’s expression, Odell chuckled. “Today, I will teach you the source of the most ancient wisdom. With this, you will be able to walk much further down the path ahead.”
He took out a book.
Su Jie saw the words The Book of Changes (周易 – Zhou Yi) written on its cover. (G: The book contains a divination system comparable to Western geomancy or the West African Ifá system.)
“Isn’t this a book for fortune-telling?” Su Jie recognized it as one of the Four Books and Five Classics that Confucian scholars had to study in ancient times, with Book of Changes leading the list, also known as the “I Ching”.
“This is not a fortune-telling book; it is a book for changing one’s destiny,” Odell said with a wave of his hand. “The ancient wisdom contained within is far beyond the comprehension of ordinary people. You should know the saying, ‘When observing the mountains, one’s emotions fill with their grandeur; when observing the seas, one’s emotions overflow with their vastness.’ In your language classes, when writing essays, the key is to express your innermost feelings. Without passion, you can’t write well. This principle applies to martial arts as well. The ‘Book of Changes’ teaches us to observe heaven and earth, to understand the ways of the world, and to guide human behavior to align with the workings of the universe.”
As he spoke, Odell flipped open the first chapter of the book and pointed to a line:
“As heaven’s movement is strong, a gentleman must strive ceaselessly to improve.”
“Ancient people observed the heavens. Some concluded that destiny is ruthless, treating all things as sacrificial offerings. Others believed that good deeds are rewarded and evil deeds are punished, showcasing the heavens’ benevolence. The ‘Book of Changes’, however, observes that the heavens are perpetually in motion, embodying relentless self-improvement. Humans must emulate this spirit to constantly strive forward.”
Then he pointed to another line:
“The earth’s condition is receptive devotion. A gentleman must hold vast virtue to bear all things.”
“Observing the earth teaches us to emulate its honesty and resilience—to carry all things and embrace everything.”
Odell then flipped to the middle of the book and pointed to a specific passage.
“Look here, this is the best hexagram in the entire book—the Modesty Hexagram. This hexagram depicts the earth above and the mountain below. It means that a person with mountain-like virtues hides them within the vast earth, making everything auspicious. If someone possesses awe-inspiring abilities yet knows how to conceal them, they will be invincible. Conversely, if the mountain is above and the earth below, it forms the Stripping Hexagram. This means that if someone shows off their mountain-like virtues by standing out conspicuously, they will gradually be worn down by the wind and rain, eventually crumbling.”
Odell did not spend much time explaining the “Book of Changes” to Su Jie. Instead, he closed the book and asked, “Su Jie, what do you think is the most important thing for a person to achieve success?”
Su Jie thought for a moment before replying, “It should be perseverance. Just like practicing martial arts, as long as you persevere, you can achieve something.”
“That’s only part of it,” Odell said. “Courage, determination, wisdom, tolerance, perception, and cleverness are all part of a person’s virtues. For example, you have determination. The training I gave you was intense, yet you managed to endure it. That is one criterion for success. But that’s not enough—you must eventually come to genuinely enjoy the training. Instead of seeing it as a hardship, you must take pleasure in it. That is a higher realm.
“You also fear going astray, so you make careful choices and seek opportunities for yourself. That’s cleverness. But there are many opportunists who pride themselves on cleverness, thinking it alone can lead to success. That is shortsighted. The Book of Changes is a book designed to cultivate virtues, observing the world and forming the most perfect moral character. Martial arts, in fact, mostly stem from the natural life around us. People must learn to draw knowledge from all things.”
“I will study and read it carefully,” Su Jie said, putting the Book of Changes away.
“Alright, I’m leaving today, but I’ve left something for you.” Odell handed him a piece of paper with a website address, along with a login ID and password. “When you have time, log into this website. After entering the credentials, you’ll find some items unavailable on the market that will be very helpful for your martial arts training. You should know that in martial arts practice, nutritional supplements and auxiliary medicines are crucial.”
“I understand.” Su Jie nodded.
“Good. I’m off now.” Odell had already packed his belongings into a large backpack. A car was waiting outside the door. He waved to Su Jie and said, “We’ll meet again someday.”
“Coach!” Su Jie called out as Odell turned away.
“Don’t call me ‘coach.’ I am your trainer. I hope you’ll become the best fighter I’ve ever trained. Remember, you promised me to compete in a few matches for me. When you’re qualified, I’ll come find you.” Odell squinted with a smile and made a farewell gesture.
“Alright, Trainer.” Su Jie nodded firmly. Although he had learned a lot over the past days, making significant progress, he still felt weak. After all, no martial art could turn someone into a master within a month.
From Odell, however, he had mastered the most scientific training methods and the most advanced combat knowledge. Now, he could continue exploring and improving on his own.
He watched as Odell left with a carefree demeanor, heading off to pursue the supernatural power he dreamed of, while Su Jie returned to the martial arts academy to continue his studies and training.
“You’re finally back!” Josh said as he saw Su Jie return to the dormitory. He couldn’t resist punching Su Jie in the chest. Normally, this would have made Su Jie stagger, but now, out of habit, Su Jie tensed and relaxed his chest muscles in coordination with his breathing, neutralizing the force so his body didn’t move an inch.
This was part of Odell’s training.
During Su Jie’s stance practice, Odell had constantly slapped, pinched, and struck various parts of his body with a stick, training him to develop a natural reflex of tensing and relaxing his muscles upon impact, synchronized with his breathing. This was a form of external martial arts practice.
Josh was astonished. “Your physical strength has improved so quickly. You’ve even learned how to take hits! And it seems like you’ve grown taller too?”
“That’s because I’ve been eating well with you every day,” Su Jie replied with a smile. “By the way, while I was home these past days, what did Trainer Gu Yang teach?”
He wasn’t deliberately hiding anything—Odell had strictly forbidden him from sharing any details.
Gu Yang’s training was interesting. During the first week, he made everyone dig trenches, which many people didn’t understand.
In reality, he was teaching the most advanced martial arts.
The second week involved carrying loads, which significantly improved coordination, stability, and core strength. This was also a fundamental part of advanced martial arts.
The third week was spent teaching martial arts routines to enhance flexibility. These routines also helped calm one’s mind, enabling practitioners to remain steady and composed while naturally regulating their breathing. Additionally, the routines improved the aesthetics of martial arts movements, which could be a way to make a living in the future.
Josh didn’t see the value in routines, believing they were impractical.
Su Jie, however, thought highly of Gu Yang and considered him an excellent trainer.
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