Chương 11: Stretching and pulling out bones

Night fell like a giant black velvet curtain, slowly enveloping the entire Cang family mansion.

Cang Lian returned to her room, gently closed the door, shutting out the pretense and noise of the day.

Once he was in this space that belonged only to him, he no longer needed to hide his talents.

He didn't turn on the light, letting the cool moonlight filter through the window and cast dappled silver light on the floor.

He stood in that halo of light, closed his eyes, and his entire aura instantly changed.

The slightly immature and tired boy from the daytime has disappeared, replaced by a cultivator who is focused and single-minded.

He began practicing opening his shoulders and rotating his hips.

This time, he was no longer the "clumsy" man he was during the day.

Combining the millimeter-precise feedback on the panel with his own extraordinary comprehension, he began practicing with all his might.

"Opening the shoulders aims for 'relaxation' and 'penetration'."

With a thought, his intention, like an invisible needle, precisely pierced the gap between his shoulder blade and ribs.

He no longer pushed it forcefully, but guided it with his mind, making the bone "melt" and become as flexible as cartilage.

With each rotation, he could clearly feel the fascia at his shoulder joint being stretched and relaxed little by little, and those small muscle groups that were usually hidden were also awakened one by one, participating in this exquisite linkage.

[Shoulder opening: 5/100 (beginner)] [Shoulder opening: 8/100 (beginner)]

"The purpose of hip rotation is to achieve 'sinking' and 'roundness'."

His legs were slightly bent, like the roots of an old tree, firmly gripping the ground.

His hips, the core hub connecting the upper and lower body, began to slowly draw circles under his control.

It wasn't a swaying of the body, but a pure, inward rotation.

He could feel the ligaments in his groin being gently stretched, and every inch of his pelvis was adapting to this new mode of movement.

The power originates from the soles of the feet, flows through the ankles and knees, and merges into the hips without hindrance, then is evenly transmitted to the waist and spine through this "millstone".

Hip rotation: 3/100 (Beginner) Hip rotation: 6/100 (Beginner) This kind of practice is about opening up the body's "softness," and it doesn't consume as much energy as practicing boxing in the "manifest strength" stage, nor does it make too much noise.

Cang Lian's physical condition has improved considerably these past few days thanks to the nourishment of the sun's essence.

Even if he practices at this intensity all night long, he doesn't feel much physical fatigue.

In addition, the bright moonlight flowed in like mercury, and the Heaven and Earth Pearl in the center of his brow continuously absorbed it, transforming it into pure moonlight that nourished his sea of consciousness.

His mental clarity and fullness prevented him from feeling tired at all.

He practiced until 2 a. m.

When he stopped what he was doing and focused his mind on the panel, he was surprised by his own actions.

[Shoulder opening: 48/100 (beginner)] Hip rotation: 41/100 (Beginner) In just one night, my proficiency improved dramatically!

"So fast..." Cang Lian felt a surge of joy.

"Sure enough, with the panel's assistance, I always know how to train correctly. Every angle of force application, every stretch of tendons and bones, is just right. It's like having a 24/7, omniscient grandmaster personally instructing me! This rate of progress is simply too fast!"

He looked out the window; the night was deep.

Seeing that it was getting late, and with his body finally feeling genuinely tired due to the lack of sun essence for repair, he stopped pushing himself, neatly finished his practice, turned around, went to bed, and fell into a deep sleep.

……

The next day, as dawn broke, Canglian got up.

Last night's training left him feeling refreshed and energetic, which made him even more excited for the day's training.

When he found Old Huang, Old Huang was chatting and laughing with the rickshaw drivers in the front yard.

"Young Master, you've arrived." Old Master Huang greeted Cang Lian with a smile as he approached.

"Good morning, Elder Huang. Yesterday you gave me pointers on opening my shoulders and rotating my hips. I spent the whole night thinking about it and I feel much more refreshed. I wonder what I should practice today?" Cang Lian replied with a smile.

A hint of surprise flashed across Old Huang's eyes.

He had assumed that the young master had gone home and rested last night, but he hadn't expected him to practice in private. His diligence was truly beyond his expectations.

"Young Master, please come with me!" He led Canglian to a wide open meadow.

"Young Master, yesterday we practiced shoulder opening and hip rotation; these are the core techniques!"

"The feet and legs are the engine, the source of power. The waist and hips are the drive shaft, responsible for converting and outputting the engine's power. The shoulders are the universal joint, responsible for distributing the drive shaft's power to the 'tools' of the upper limbs—fists and palms. The hands and elbows are the final actuators, the hammer and the drill."

"Opening the shoulders is to completely repair this rusty 'universal joint' so that it can rotate smoothly 360 degrees without any dead angles, and when the power is transmitted from the waist and back to the hands, there is no loss or stagnation at all."

"Rotating the hips is about polishing the 'drive shaft' until it's smooth and slippery, and learning how to control it precisely. Only when the hips are flexible can the power of the feet pushing off the ground be amplified several times over and transmitted to the upper body instantly, like cracking a whip, through the twisting of the waist and hips."

"Therefore, opening the shoulders and rotating the hips are the key points for connecting power from the feet to the hands. If you can't do these two things, the punches you throw will only be the power of your arm, the 'tip power', not the 'whole power'."

Old Huang said in a deep voice, "Yesterday was about 'relaxing the shoulders' and 'opening the hips,' building a channel for strength. Today, we'll learn how to make this river surge with torrents. But before that, the channel needs to be widened and reinforced."

"The first step is to strengthen the tendons and bones and build the river channel."

After saying that, he personally demonstrated.

He started by stretching his legs, placing one leg straight on the stone bench next to him. His body, like a fully drawn bow, slowly leaned forward, his entire upper body almost touching his thigh, the stretching of his muscles and bones producing a faint "crackling" sound.

Next came his kicks. He didn't kick high, but each kick carried a heavy gust of wind, his toes drawing a powerful straight line in the air.

"This is called 'Stretching Tendons and Bone'!" Old Huang said solemnly, retracting his leg.

"The Hunyuan stance connects your internal organs, but if your tendons and bones are not open, the channels are narrow, and no matter how great your power is, it cannot be transmitted, and you may even injure yourself. You see, this leg press stretches the 'major tendons' in the legs; this kick makes the hamstrings more flexible and resilient in motion. Next is waist swishing, arm loosening..."

Master Huang demonstrated each movement one by one; the movements seemed simple, but they contained a profound understanding of the human body's muscles and bones.

Cang Lian observed carefully and learned everything.

He was nourished by the essence of the sun, and his physical fitness surpassed that of ordinary people, but only when he actually started training did he realize the pain and danger involved.

The stretching of each tendon is accompanied by a tearing, aching pain.

[Stretching and pulling out bones: 1/100 (entry level)] But he gritted his teeth and persevered, because he knew that this was the only way to become powerful.

His proficiency with the control panel is his biggest motivation to keep going.

[Stretching and pulling out bones: 5/100 (entry level)] [Stretching and pulling out bones: 8/100 (entry level)]