Atlas of Heaven and Earth-Chapter 5: Body Unbound, Mind Unfettered

Mr. Wen sighed slightly and said, "Captain Nian, frankly speaking, your nephew is a bit too old."

Nian Fuli was puzzled, "Too old? He's only sixteen, seventeen by Chinese reckoning, barely old enough to enlist. Is that considered old?"

Mr. Wen said, "Captain Nian, it's clear that your nephew hasn't undergone specialized martial arts training before. Many of the students admitted to the Wuyi Academy have been training since childhood.

Their bodies have been developed from a young age, with a solid foundation, prepared for high-intensity training and skill absorption in the future. Their potential is much higher than those without preparation. With just a little guidance, they can possess certain combat abilities. The purpose of the Wuyi Academy's re-examination is to select such students for further training."

His tone carried a hint of regret, "Your nephew hasn't gone through this phase. Even if he could pass the re-examination, initially, his progress might not be far behind these students, but over time, the gap would widen. This gap would only grow larger, with almost no chance of catching up.

Moreover, the intensity and rigor here are not comparable to what students without early training can handle. Forcing it might lead to disabilities or injuries. Therefore, I suggest not to push it, which might be better for your nephew."

Mr. Wen's tone was sincere, with a hint of persuasion. After hearing this, Nian Fuli felt half of his heart turn cold.

If that's the case, he thought it better not to bother, and let Chen Chuan finish his studies at Wuda[-] honestly. After all, even if he learns until graduation, it's not like there's no way out; he's still a student of Wuda[-]. However, he couldn't make this choice for Chen Chuan, so he remained silent for a moment.

At this moment, a loud voice suddenly rang out in the warehouse, "Nian Datou, is this your nephew? I heard he got into Wuda[-]?"

Nian Fuli's face twitched. Chen Chuan turned around to see a robust figure, wearing a cap askew, resembling a captain, walking over. He glanced at Chen Chuan a few times, "Haha, this kid's physique clearly hasn't been trained. With this, he still wants to make a name for himself at Wuda[-]. Dreaming, isn't he?"

Nian Fuli's face darkened, "Wei Laohu! Don't think your son's success at Wuda[-] makes you special. If your son can make a name for himself, my nephew can too!"Hey, I just don't believe in this nonsense." Wei Laohu, seeing him refute, got excited too, pointing at the mop next to him, and said, "If your nephew can make a name for himself at Wuda[-], I'll eat this mop."

Nian Fuli sneered, "Then you wait, Xiao Chuan, let's go." As he said that, he stepped out, and Chen Chuan immediately followed.

Wei Laohu shouted after him, "Leaving already? Not taking the mop? I'm waiting for you to feed me..."

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After walking out, Nian Fuli, cooled by the night breeze, calmed down a bit, but there was always a feeling in his heart that he couldn't swallow, he turned back and said, "Xiao Chuan, Mr. Wen is the combat instructor hired by our headquarters, you've heard what he said, what do you think?"

Chen Chuan smiled and said, "Uncle, we left in such a hurry just now, we should have taken the mop, otherwise, what if someone tries to back out in the future?" He knew the problems Mr. Wen mentioned existed, but he had a "Second Self," which could turn many impossibilities into possibilities.

Nian Fuli was stunned, then laughed, heavily patted Chen Chuan's shoulder, and said, "Good kid, why didn't I notice this before?"

He understood Chen Chuan's thoughts, he fumbled in his pocket, took out a cigarette box, flicked it, twisted out a cigarette, and lit it, the spark flashed and extinguished in the night as if considering something.

Chen Chuan didn't make a sound, and waited for a while, Nian Fuli threw the remaining half of the cigarette on the ground, stomped it out with his foot, and said in a low voice, "I'll give you an address when we get back, you go find someone, this person has a case, but has great skills, you follow and learn, don't ask too much, and don't get too close, but say nice words when you should, don't be too stiff."

Chen Chuan said, "Okay, uncle, I remember."

Nian Fuli glanced outside, and said, "It's getting late, it's not safe on the road too late, let's go back."

He took Chen Chuan back to get the car, this time not leaving through the front door, but going out from the back door's high wall alley, turning onto the main street, and then back home.

With the sound of two car bells, the two entered the front yard one after the other.

Yu Wan had been waiting for the two, hearing the sound, came out, asking how things went, Nian Fuli waited for Chen Chuan to walk away, returned to the inner room, and told the situation. After hearing this, Yu Wan was worried and complained, "You agreed to Xiao Chan? What if he gets hurt? Husband, why didn't you stop him? The child should be safe and sound than anything else."

Nian Fuli shook his head and said, "This kid has his own mind, you can't stop him. If I could help but didn't, he might hate me for a lifetime."

Yu Wan sighed, "Chan's temper is just like his second sister's."

After washing up, Chen Chuan returned to his room, thought for a while, sat on the edge of the bed, closed his eyes, and tried to observe the outside world with his "Second Self."

At first, he didn't feel anything, but as his concentration increased, he vaguely sensed something, though it was very difficult, and if his attention slightly wandered, he couldn't feel it anymore.

However, he felt there was potential.

It's important to know that those who practice martial arts don't just face one-on-one situations; they might have to fight against multiple opponents, and sometimes they could encounter various ambushes. If he could observe the external world from multiple perspectives, he could avoid many dangers.

Perhaps he couldn't do it now, but in the future, when his connection with the Second Self becomes stronger, it might be possible.

Knowing that the time was not yet ripe, he didn't continue, got up, took a book to read, and then went to sleep at the usual time.

A night passed, and the next day he got up on time. After washing up and walking into the living room, he saw a note pressed under an ashtray on the dining table. Moving it aside, he picked it up and saw that it was an address left by Nian Fuli, with a name noted below.

He went back to his room, checked the map, and roughly confirmed the location.

After having breakfast, he took his usual satchel, changed into an old blue-gray coat, and rode out.

The address given by Nian Fuli was located in the west of the city, about half an hour's ride. From the map, a few miles further out would be close to the suburbs, where some old factory areas were scattered. The locals of Yangzhi City knew it as the territory of the Iron Chain Gang, but the gang members usually wouldn't come out during the day.

The buildings here were old and chaotic, filled with various privately modified sheds, extending to the road. Clothes hung to dry on crooked utility poles everywhere, greatly affecting visibility. The roads were also full of potholes, uneven, and people casually splashed sewage outside, sometimes from above, so he had to ride carefully.

The house numbers in this area were either missing or hard to recognize, so he could only ask for directions as he went, searching for a long time, until he finally found a simple wooden sign on a wooden utility pole at the entrance of an alley, with "Home of Boxing" written on it and an arrow pointing inward. Comparing it with the address, this should be the place. Due to the narrow and crooked path, he had no choice but to get off his bike and push it slowly forward. After exiting this alley, he found himself in a larger open space, resembling a playground. To the right were two dilapidated metal doors, and across from them was a two-story reinforced concrete building. In the distance, he could vaguely see an old water tower, which looked like it belonged to an abandoned small school.

At this moment, he heard the sound of punching a sandbag, which felt powerful and rhythmic. He loudly asked, "Excuse me, is Mr. Yu here?"

The sound of punching the sandbag stopped, and a young man of about eighteen or nineteen, wearing hand wraps and shirtless, ran out from the building. His muscle lines were clear, though he looked very lean. Upon seeing Chen Chuan, he asked, "Are you here to learn boxing?"

Chen Chuan said, "I'm here to see Mr. Yu Gang. Is he here? My uncle Nian Fuli asked me to come find him."

Upon hearing this, the young man ingratiatingly said, "Oh, so you're young Master Chen." He then turned around and shouted, "Master, it's Captain Nian's nephew." A deep and powerful voice came from upstairs, "Let him come up."

The young man stepped aside and said, "Young master Chen, this way." He added, "Young master Chen, you can just park your bike here, no need to lock it. No one dares to steal here."

Chen Chuan said, "I'm not a young master, just call me Chen Chuan. May I know your name, brother?"

The young man said, "My name is Lu Ke, I'm a disciple of Master Yu." He emphasized, "Not a student, but a disciple."

Chen Chuan understood that being a disciple not only meant inheriting skills but also taking care of the master's affairs after his passing, with a level of intimacy that ordinary students couldn't compare to.

After parking his bike, he followed Lu Ke upstairs. Along the way, he chatted with Lu Ke and learned that the latter had been learning combat from Yu Gang for five years.

Chen Chuan followed him to the second floor, walked along the long balcony to the end, and pushed open a pair of wooden doors to enter. Inside the spacious room, a tall and robust middle-aged man was sitting cross-legged on a soft mat. The man looked to be in his forties, wearing a short-sleeved shirt, with a square face, thick eyebrows, a straight nose, and muscles that bulged like rocks.

Chen Chuan said, "Excuse me, are you Mr. Yu Gang? My name is Chen Chuan, my uncle Nian Fuli asked me to come find you."

The burly man said in a deep voice, "I am Yu Gang. What does Captain Nian want me to do?"Chen Chuan said, "I just got admitted to Wuyi Academy this year..."

"Wuda[-], huh." Lu Ke, who was beside him, showed deep envy in his eyes.

Yu Gang understood and asked, "You want to pass the re-examination, so Captain Nian sent you to me?"

Chen Chuan said, "Yes."

Yu Gang straightforwardly said, "Alright, I'll teach you. First, pay up."

Chen Chuan tentatively asked, "Mr. Yu, are you referring to tuition fees?"

Yu Gang said, "I owe Captain Nian a favor, so I won't charge you for teaching. But if you want to train well, first, you need to eat and supplement your nutrition, and there's also the consumption of equipment, hiring sparring partners, and renting venues, all of which cost money. I won't cover these for you."

Chen Chuan inquired, "How much is needed?"

Yu Gang said, "First, pay fifty. If you feel you're training well, you can continue. If you feel you're not training well, you can leave at any time. If there's any left, I'll refund it to you."

Chen Chuan nodded and said, "Very fair."

Although fifty yuan was not a small amount, combat training has always been the most costly. Otherwise, Yangzhi City wouldn't be filled with martial arts clubs and arenas.

From what he knew, the general martial arts clubs charge about one hundred and fifty to two hundred yuan just to get started, and you might not even learn anything. Heard that there are even more expensive private trainers, with a single session costing several hundred yuan, which is beyond the reach of ordinary people.

Yu Gang extended his big hand and said, "Then pay up."

Chen Chuan, just in case, had brought money with him. He counted out fifty from his satchel and handed it to Yu Gang, who took it and directly stuffed it into his pocket.

Chen Chuan asked, "Mr. Yu, I wonder when it would be convenient to start training?"

Yu Gang said, "If you have no inconvenience, we can start now. Before we start, I need to ask you, what is your goal in taking the Wuyi Academy exam?"

Chen Chuan was a bit puzzled, "Is this related to the training?"

Yu Gang gave a definite answer, "Yes, knowing your goal, I can better arrange your training plan."

Chen Chuan thought for a moment and said in a matter-of-fact tone, "Isn't the goal of martial arts combat to be unrestrained and to continuously surpass oneself?"

Getting admitted to Wuyi University[-], apart from his deep yearning and pursuit of martial arts, was also due to the unknown cause of his previous self's death. He didn't know if it was specifically targeted at him or just a coincidence, so he was very eager to make himself strong enough to deal with various external dangers. And now, with the "Second Self", he firmly believed that he could achieve it. Perhaps because of this, there was naturally an unwavering confidence and firmness in his tone, which even seemed to infect Lu Ke beside him.

"Unrestrained in body, unbound in will..." Yu Gang was silent for a while, then said, "Your goal is not an easy one." As he spoke, he slowly stood up from the ground.

……

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