I Studied Abroad in the Modern Times

Chapter 41: Tears

Moments earlier, at the training ground, Zheng Fa stood with his eyes closed, uncertain of how long he had been in the Pine Crane Stance.

While maintaining the stance, the faint flow of energy within him circulated intermittently. It was most noticeable from his thighs to his toes and the area inside his shoulder blades. Each time the energy flowed, it brought a sensation akin to an itch radiating from his bones to his skin.

Zheng Fa remained unmoved, seemingly unaware of the sensations. He continued to recall the postures of birds he had seen in documentaries, especially those resembling the movements described in the Linghe Heart Sutra.

A remarkable phenomenon occurred—whenever he envisioned a similar posture, the flow of energy within him would tremble slightly, producing an invigorating coolness.

“Visualization technique?” A hypothesis formed in his mind, halting the energy’s response.

He calmed himself again, suppressing further thoughts.

The itch in his shoulder blades and pelvis grew increasingly intense, almost maddening, nearly disrupting his stance. Just as the sensation peaked, it abruptly vanished, leaving the area around his shoulder blades feeling as if a completely new organ had formed.

In an instant, Zheng Fa realized he had grown wings—crane-like legs, feathers covering his entire body! Or rather, the birdlike images from his earlier visualizations had merged with him, transforming him into the bizarre bird-man described in the Linghe Heart Sutra.

Though his eyes remained shut, the darkness was replaced by an extraordinary vision:

He was flying! His wings cut through the sky, soaring into the clouds, as if ascending to the heavens.

Boundless white clouds swirled and rolled beneath him. His feathers glowed in the radiant sun, their edges tinged with a golden light.

The trembling energy within him grew increasingly restless, surging through his body until it reached his throat, erupting in a resounding cry.

Clouds broke, the sun dimmed, and Zheng Fa slowly opened his eyes. Before him was the familiar training ground. The earlier vision felt like an ephemeral dream.

The sky had darkened. Chief Instructor Xu, dressed and sitting on a nearby stone bench, was dozing off. Awakened by Zheng Fa’s crane-like cry, he rubbed his eyes and looked over in confusion.

“What was that sound? Huh, are you done training?” His gaze dropped to Zheng Fa’s feet, and his expression turned to shock. “You’ve mastered the Pine Crane Stance?”

Zheng Fa looked down and discovered that the bluestone beneath his feet had fractured into spiderweb-like cracks. This was the hallmark of mastering the Pine Crane Stance.

The manual for the stance stated: “Stand like clouds in the heavens, with roots as firm as ninefold depths.”

When mastered, even a gentle press of the toe could crush stones like the ones beneath Zheng Fa.

Unbeknownst to him, his comprehension of the Linghe Heart Sutra had naturally led to mastery of the Pine Crane Stance, further confirming that the Linghe Heart Sutra was the essence of the Linghe Body martial art.

“How long did I sleep?” Chief Instructor Xu glanced at the dimming sky as if wondering if he had slept for centuries, like a figure from folklore. Once reassured by the familiar surroundings, he turned to Zheng Fa, furrowing his brow deeply.

“No, no… No matter how talented you are, you couldn’t have mastered it this quickly!”

The memory of the earlier crane cry surfaced in his mind, his gaze trembling slightly. Staring at Zheng Fa, he opened his mouth as if to ask something but hesitated.

A thought had clearly occurred to him, but his expression betrayed his disbelief.

Just as Zheng Fa was about to explain, Chief Instructor Xu suddenly leapt up. Moving like a galloping horse, with fists like meteors, he launched an attack directly at Zheng Fa’s face.

There was no time to speak. Zheng Fa instinctively raised his hands to block.

Although they had sparred many times before, Zheng Fa had always been the student, unable to match the lifetime of martial arts mastery held by Chief Instructor Xu. Their exchanges were more instructional than combative, with the instructor holding back most of his strength.

Today, however, was different. Chief Instructor Xu unleashed his full power, his punches like tidal waves.

Zheng Fa’s movements surprised even himself. Despite the energy within him remaining faint and weak, it now flowed continuously, bursting with vitality. It coursed through his body with every motion, granting him exceptional reflexes.

He felt as though he had broken free from a cage, breathing with newfound freedom and exhilaration.

Most astonishing was the peculiar force surrounding him, which moved with his actions. This energy amplified his every gesture, making his techniques far more powerful than ever before.

For the first time, Zheng Fa wasn’t at a disadvantage. Matching Chief Instructor Xu’s speed with his own, their exchange became evenly matched.

Seeing this, Chief Instructor Xu’s eyes gleamed. His movements shifted abruptly, and Zheng Fa instinctively adapted.

After a few more exchanges, realization struck Zheng Fa—he was using Linghe Piercing Cloud Hand, a technique from the fourth volume of the Linghe Body!

It made sense. Chief Instructor Xu, though never mastering the Linghe Body, had studied it for two decades and was intimately familiar with its every move. His attacks had been deliberately guiding Zheng Fa to execute the Piercing Cloud Hand.

“You’ve mastered it!” Chief Instructor Xu exclaimed. Despite Zheng Fa’s somewhat unpolished execution, the overwhelming strength in each move left the instructor flustered and hesitant to counter. Without the Linghe Heart Sutra, this level of power would have been impossible.

Far from discouraged, Chief Instructor Xu burst into laughter, repeatedly shouting, “You’ve mastered it! You’ve mastered it!”

His laughter echoed through the night sky, gradually growing hoarse and mingling with faint sobs.

His grin widened, revealing his teeth in an unrestrained smile. Yet tears streamed down his face.

…

Outside the training ground, Gao Yuan and Chief Instructor Xu’s nephew were walking arm in arm, carrying food containers.

The nephew was still apologizing to Gao Yuan. “I didn’t expect your life to be this tough. Brother, I misjudged you.”

“Brother, you don’t understand. Being around a genius, I’ve learned what it truly feels like to live in their shadow. I thought I was used to it,” Gao Yuan lamented. “But meeting someone as understanding as you, I couldn’t help but vent my frustrations.”

“It’s fine!” The nephew patted Gao Yuan’s shoulder. “Zheng Fa may be talented, but I have a way to ease your burden.”

“Please, teach me!”

“Who am I?” The nephew thumped his chest proudly. “I’m the beloved student of our instructor, his personal disciple, and his only male heir!”

“So what’s the plan?”

“I’ll talk to my uncle. Since Zheng Fa’s a prodigy, we should hold him to higher standards and train him harder. As for us, we’ll stick to encouragement. Most importantly, no more comparisons!”

“Isn’t that a bit… unambitious?” Gao Yuan hesitated. “Shouldn’t we strive to emulate him?”

“No, that’s called being realistic!” The nephew grinned. “Comparing ourselves to him only insults his talent. Do we even deserve to?”

“…” Gao Yuan opened his mouth but couldn’t refute.

“Competing with him only means sleepless nights for us. What’s the point?”

Gao Yuan nodded, evidently agreeing with the sentiment.

“So the problem isn’t us; it’s your young master and my uncle. They’re the ones holding us to Zheng Fa’s standard!” The nephew patted Gao Yuan’s shoulder. “We need to convince them to stop comparing us!”

“We might not have to,” Gao Yuan said suddenly.

“Huh?”

“If Chief Instructor Xu has any sense, he won’t compare us to Zheng Fa anymore.”

The nephew looked at him blankly, confused by the remark.

“He… cried when sparring with Zheng Fa,” Gao Yuan explained, pointing at the training ground. After a pause, he added, “He cried miserably.”

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