39: Chapter 39 Going Astray

Hearing Elder Zhang's request, Li Changsheng felt a bit excited.

So he began to assume the starting stance of the Half-Step Crushing Fist, using the Abdominal Breathing Method of the Taiji Stance to stir up his Liver Fire. His footwork followed the centerline, and he threw a punch with the Six Harmonies Integrated Force, looking like a punch that grinds the hand while moving in Inch-steps, his body like a bowstring and his hand like a piercing arrow.

Bang!

As the punch flew out, the wind followed, and the sonic boom of the air was exceptionally muffled, as if it carried thousands of pounds of force.

After finishing the set, Li Changsheng quickly finished his exercise and regulated his breathing, looking at the old man with a gaze full of hope.

He had thought that this punch he was so satisfied with would, if not shock the old man, at least leave him amazed; after all, he hadn't shown such performance during their last meeting.

However, what he saw was a solemn expression on Elder Zhang's face.

The old man, with a darkened face, stepped forward and shouted, "Who told you to punch like that?"

Hearing this, Li Changsheng was a bit dazed. It didn't seem like he had done anything wrong, did it?

Not only were his movements standard, but he had even stirred up his Liver Fire, combining the Qi circulation techniques of the Taiji Stance and the Eight Brocades to execute the Crushing Power within the Crushing Fist almost perfectly.

The old man understood the Crushing Fist; there was no reason for him to be like this, right?

While Li Changsheng was still confused, the old man, with a grim face, placed a hand on his pulse.

"Well practiced! You've managed to turn the liver-nourishing Crushing Fist into something that damages the liver. Do you think stirring up Liver Fire is some great achievement?"

Uh...

Li Changsheng was now quite dazed and had a faint sense of foreboding.

"Elder Zhang, is there something wrong with stirring up Liver Fire?"

"Is there something wrong? You still dare to ask!" The old man was so angry his beard and eyes were bulging, pointing at Li Changsheng with a look of disappointment.

"The Crushing Fist indeed has a nourishing effect on the liver, but that's during normal practice. Who else but you would stir up Liver Fire for no reason?"

Zhang Youdao felt both gratified and solemn in his heart.

This kid's talent was truly exceptional; he had only practiced the Crushing Fist for a short time, yet he had mastered almost all its various forces, and now he could even stir up Liver Fire.

But...

"Sigh, frequent stirring of Liver Fire leads to irritability and anger at best, and at worst, vomiting blood, coughing blood, madness, or even constant nosebleeds. Your liver was already in bad shape. If you stir it up this frequently, you'll have a severe reaction in one or two months at most, and then even Health-preserving Qigong won't be able to save you!"

Zhang Youdao sighed. The Half-Step Crushing Fist was powerful, but he had never seen any Crushing Fist master play it this way.

Take Elder Guo Yunshen, for example; he lived to be over seventy, which is considered a long life for a Martial Artist.

For the first twenty-some years, he didn't even know this move. Later, he mastered it while in prison, where he practiced his secret techniques diligently. By the time he came out, he no longer needed to stir up any Liver Fire to face his enemies.

His internal force had reached the level of handling heavy weight as if it were light, having seen through to Transformative Power. He defeated many famous masters with just his fists and feet, which is why he lived so long.

If he had frequently stirred up Liver Fire, forget seventy—he would have been coughing up blood by his thirties or forties, and there would be no legendary reputation of the Half-Step Crushing Fist conquering the world.

Hearing the old man's words, Li Changsheng also realized the gravity of the situation.

He hadn't expected that the move he thought was so impressive would have such serious consequences.

"Elder Zhang, if I can't stir up Liver Fire, doesn't that mean I can't perfectly unleash the power of the Half-Step Crushing Fist?"

Li Changsheng said, still somewhat unwilling to let it go.

"Hmph! You think that's the only way to unleash the power of the Crushing Fist?" Zhang Youdao snorted coldly.

"Uh... is it not?"

Li Changsheng scratched his head.

"It's true that you've entered the stage of Visible Power, but it's too superficial. Your internal power is indeed deep and your Foundation solid, but your application of force and use of the body haven't yet been developed to the level of Visible Power."

Hearing the old man say this, Li Changsheng thought about it and realized it was true.

Every time he exerted force, it seemed to follow a fixed pattern, especially relying on various aids: the breathing method of the Taiji Stance, using intent to guide Qi and Qi to guide the body from the Eight Brocades, and the stirring of Liver Fire from the Crushing Fist.

Zhang Youdao shook his head and continued, "You rely too much on other arts now. If the Crushing Fist is practiced properly, it can reach Visible Power on its own and unleash perfect Integrated Force. Yet you need to frequently call upon other powers for support.

It's not that this method is bad, but when your skill isn't up to par, this is actually harmful; it only makes you more dependent.

You can first try to exert force solely with the Crushing Fist. Only when you can produce a sonic boom with the Crushing Fist alone will you have truly entered the level of Visible Power."

Li Changsheng understood, and then Zhang Youdao's voice rang out again.

"And that's just the first step. At the level of Visible Power, just practicing without fighting is still just for show. I've already spoken to Manager Nie at the Hongyi Martial Arts Gym. You should go there to practice lately; they'll arrange sparring partners for you."

Hearing this, Li Changsheng's emotions were complex; the old man was truly too good to him.

Nodding, the two chatted for a while longer, asking about subsequent ways to exert Mixed Force and some health-preserving matters before he took his leave.

Returning home, Li Changsheng sat in front of his computer for a while, thinking, then opened a document and began editing the areas he needed to strengthen. He needed to organize things properly.

"Knocking down that robber with one punch made me too complacent. I still have many shortcomings now."

Li Changsheng muttered. As the saying goes, one must always maintain a student's mindset.

"Besides, I still haven't gotten rid of the liver cancer. I can't put the cart before the horse."

With that in mind, Li Changsheng opened the interface he hadn't checked for several days.

[stamina: 5.7]

[energy: 7]

[Lifespan: 162]

Looking at the panel, Li Changsheng's face immediately darkened.

"It seems the old man was right; frequently stirring up Liver Fire has a huge impact on the liver!"

His Lifespan had actually decreased instead of increased. Logically, after so many days of recuperation, his Lifespan should be over two hundred, but the reality was the exact opposite.

The only thing that kept rising was his stamina, which came from his recent dumbbell weight training and other forms of exercise.

"From previous analysis, Lifespan and stamina are interconnected. If the drop in Lifespan reaches a certain critical point, the stamina attribute will also decline."

The fact that his stamina also dropped when the liver cancer spread before was proof of this.

This was also very logical, as the stamina value reflects the body's average attributes.

"It seems I have to return to the Origin and not go to extremes for the sake of power."

After the old man's reminder, Li Changsheng came to his senses.

A true Martial Artist at the level of Visible Power possesses not just explosive power, but a combination of strength, technique, and many other factors.

Those who only have strength are just fools who can only swing wild punches.

The next day, after his morning run, Li Changsheng went to a nearby electronics mall and bought a large-screen TV.

The large-screen TV was so he could watch videos of Crushing Fist masters in actual combat online while practicing, using them for cross-referencing.

After having a technician help install it, Li Changsheng began searching for relevant videos online.