The strength was like a drum.
Yan Chuan practiced his boxing, unbothered by others.
When Che Qi arrived at the Iron Wire Martial Arts Hall, he saw a handsome young man in green, tall and slender, practicing boxing, exuding a full aura—
Sometimes like a black tiger pushing a mountain, sometimes like a leopard crashing into the woods, sometimes like a black dragon exploring the water, sometimes like a green snake entering a cave, and sometimes like a white crane spreading its wings.
In a moment of disorientation.
Before him, it wasn’t a person, but a real black tiger, golden leopard, black dragon, green snake, and white crane, leaving a shocking impression, as sounds of whistling, leopard roars, dragon chants, snake hisses, and crane calls echoed in his ears. For a moment, Che Qi felt his scalp numb, his toes stretched, and from head to toe, he trembled.
"This boxing technique!"
"No, it’s this person! Too powerful!"
Che Qi was startled, his feet tingling, and he immediately felt he had come to the right place!
"Master Yan, I can endure hardships!"
"I started working at fourteen, driving and pulling carts, carrying bags and pulling ropes, digging rivers and opening canals. I’ve done all kinds of hard and tiring work. Over the years, learning from different places, I’ve picked up a few tricks, but none were real skills. Only the ’Ghost Foot’ technique I learned from the old man at the docks has been somewhat decent. Everyone gives me face and calls me ’Ghost Foot Seven’."
"Let me show you, Master Yan!"
When Che Qi saw Yan Chuan, he realized the young man who was boxing earlier was the same Master Yan whom his father both pitied and criticized. Before coming, his attitude was humble because he was worried Yan Chuan wouldn’t accept him, so he quickly demonstrated the ’Ghost Foot’ technique he had painstakingly practiced for years at the docks.
Ghost Foot, Ghost Foot!
Though slightly different from orthodox leg techniques, its emphasis is on ’stabbing’.
Like the leg techniques, ’stabbing foot’ also focuses on the lower body. Once Che Qi moved, Yan Chuan immediately knew that this person’s horse stance skills were not shallow. Considering the ’Cheng Family Boxing’, he was at least at the level of ’Horse Stance Pile Skill’ entry, on the same level as Wei Quan from months ago.
For someone around eighteen or nineteen like Che Qi, it was quite impressive.
Che Qi immediately practiced what he preached, his kicks swift and fierce—
Kick, push, swing, point, stomp, twist, step, grind!
His legs fired continuously like cannonballs, transitioning as flexibly as arms and hands!
Che Qi came in showcasing his solid foundation in leg techniques.
These eight leg techniques, through changes in different positions such as forward, backward, left, right, straight, and diagonal, were used in succession, combined with hand techniques, stepping techniques, and movement techniques, displaying a strong aggressiveness.
The ’Ghost Foot’ truly lived up to its name, ferocious and overwhelming, with each move aiming at vital points.
Che Qi clearly captured its essence, exhibiting agility and liveliness.
But it wasn’t just about leg techniques and footwork.
His hand techniques were no less impressive—
Push, lift, gentle, spin, stick, penetrate, twine, unfold!
Using one leg as the main, his hands and feet worked together!
"Expansive, compact, solo reliance, seamless continuity, spread wings, long-lasting, embrace, rotate."
"This leg technique—"
Amateurs watch for fun.
Experts watch for the technique.
Yan Chuan watched closely, his face revealing surprise—
"Eight Skills and Sixteen Word Formula."
"The hand technique is like a drawn bow, the kick is like a spring."
He remarked seeing Che Qi’s compact upper body yet flexible lower body, with entangled hand techniques and vigorous leg techniques.
After a few more glances, Yan Chuan recognized—
"This is clearly the once-renowned ’Guangling’s First Kick’—’Hu’s Stabbing Foot’!"
This was once the absolute skill of Hu Baichuan, known as ’Guangling’s First Kick’ and one of the ’Guangling Ten Tigers’, who had made a name for himself in Guangling City.
’Hu’s Stabbing Foot’ encompasses a complete boxing system primarily focused on medium and low leg techniques, including unique martial arts forms, weapon forms, practical single-leg training, boxing theory, and training in pile skills, leg skills, hand skills, etc. In Guangling City, its reputation and legacy once rivaled that of ’Cheng Family Boxing’.
Its force generation emphasized clear methods with first accumulation and then release; accumulation must be sufficient, release must be forceful, achieving a source for power generation, rooted strength, precise force points, hand release from Yongquan, leg release from Dantian, coordination of hands and feet, and total body power.
The hand technique was like a drawn bow and the kick like a spring.
Each release was quickly retracted, brief yet powerful.
’Hu’s Stabbing Foot’ stood out with its agile movement and highlighted leg techniques, exhibiting relentless strength, not only mastering leg techniques but also having a unique method for refining legs and feet to become ’steel beams and iron plates.’
Thus, Hu Baichuan was also known as ’Iron Foot Hu’.
He was once compared alongside Yan Chuan’s master, ’Tie Qiao Cheng’, and another one of the ’Guangling Ten Tigers’, ’Iron Palm He’ who had joined the Guangling Academy, all called the ’Guangling Three Irons’!
Unlike ’Iron Palm He’,
Hu Baichuan, like Cheng Fengxiao, was a stubborn old-school martial artist, emphasizing tradition and maintaining a conservative stance. However, his ’Hu’s Stabbing Leg’ was even harder to learn and practice than ’Cheng Family Boxing’. After the establishment of Guangling Academy, the ’Hu Family Martial Arts Hall’ he founded rapidly fell into oblivion.
Hu Baichuan, hot-tempered, challenged the Guangling Academy in anger, but was inferior in skills and ended up with a broken leg, which became the opening deterrent of Guangling Academy.
Hu Baichuan disappeared without a trace, never heard from again.
Yet unexpectedly, today the disciple named Che Qi came seeking apprenticeship had mastered this leg technique. It was unknown whether he learned it from a descendant of ’Hu’s Stabbing Foot’ or directly from Hu Baichuan.
Yan Chuan couldn’t be bothered to investigate: "Since you have learned ’Hu’s Stabbing Foot’, it is fate. Pay five taels of silver and first practice the ’Horse Stance Pile Skill’. When you have enough control, we can discuss other matters."
Yan Chuan recognized Che Qi’s background, had previous biases, but upon seeing him perform his skills in person, changed his view, finally easing a bit.
However, whether he could stay and pass the tests would still be determined later.
Horse Stance Pile Skill!
This was Che Qi’s forte, and he felt there was no need to practice it further. As he was about to point that out, he suddenly recalled the awe-inspiring scene of Yan Chuan practicing earlier. With a change of heart, he thought, "Since Master Yan instructed this way, there must be a reason. I’ll just follow his instructions."
Composed his thoughts.
Quickly replied, "Thank you, Master Yan, I will practice diligently!"
he wasted no time, turned around, and joined the horse stance practice group, starting to study and comprehend pile skills.
Every morning, Che Qi practiced the stance, having at least five years of solid horse stance foundation. Transitioning to the ’Horse Stance Pile Skill’ of Cheng Family Boxing, he picked it up extremely quickly—
He soon mastered the basics, becoming proficient.
Mornings spent focusing on stance practice and boxing, afternoons spent working outside to earn money.
Not neglecting either side.
Che Qi gradually integrated in.
Yan Chuan instructed the martial arts disciples every morning in horse stance and boxing, never missing a session. He treated Che Qi with neither coldness nor warmth, like an ordinary person, praising when due and criticizing when necessary, treating everyone equally.
Yet Che Qi felt greatly benefited.
Take the ’Horse Stance Pile Skill’, for example—
Evidently an ordinary stance practice, initially thought to be solid enough, but after receiving guidance from Yan Chuan, he could always find more areas for improvement and gained a deeper understanding of the pile skill.
Within the first few days, he made small progress, gaining considerably.
Che Qi was delighted, feeling he had come to the right place.
As the old saying goes: Gold is easy to obtain, but a good teacher is hard to find.
After roaming for five or six years.
He had finally found a good teacher, bringing joy to Che Qi.
Che Qi wasn’t the only one seeking a good teacher.