Chương 37: Understanding Meaning, Military and Political Course

"By the way! When I was sparring with Ding Heng just now, my dodging and evasion seemed to be faster than during my usual training!"

Cang Lian stood in the center of the cultivation room, her thoughts sinking into an unprecedented state of clarity.

"Under pressure from the outside world, my mind instantly became highly focused, completely absorbed in my eyes, legs, and body, becoming part of every inch of my being! It seemed that the moment the thought arose, my body had already made its most instinctive reaction..."

"With such strong mental power, it seems that one has even greater control over the body?!"

"This is probably what Master Huang meant by cultivating the 'mind'! The highest level of integrated strength is 'the intention, the qi, and the power all arrive'! With a single thought, the power of the whole body bursts forth—this is the guidance of intention!"

His thoughts flowed like a spring, and he thought of "The Opening of Heaven".

"As stated in 'The Opening Heaven Force,' the 'Intent Chapter' transcends 'Qi' and 'Strength,' and is the true threshold distinguishing ordinary people from masters!"

"Put 'intention' first, and use your mind to control your body, so that you can reach the state of 'intention, energy, power, and form all in sync'! The person is the fist, and the fist is the person, so the speed of your punch will always be one step ahead! The moment the thought arises, the fist has already arrived!"

"I see!"

A brilliant light flashed in Cang Lian's eyes.

"I used to only know how to train my muscles and bones, circulate my qi and blood, and mobilize my internal strength, but I forgot to put 'intention' first! Only by using intention to control the body can we achieve true high-efficiency synchronization!"

He instantly understood that all of this training was about cultivating the body's instinctive reactions.

The deeper one's intention is integrated into the body, the more likely one will one day reach the legendary ultimate state of "freedom and mastery"—where the body will dodge attacks on its own without needing to think.

A martial artist's reaction is undoubtedly extremely important!

When masters like Yuan Ye and Chu Zhaoxue clash, a slight delay can make all the difference!

If you're a beat too slow, all you'll see is the afterimage of your opponent, but what you'll feel is the icy chill of your throat being crushed; if you're a beat too slow, all you'll hear is the whistling of the fist, but what you'll experience is the excruciating pain of your heart being shattered by the force!

Life and death are separated by a single thought!

"The true essence of cultivating the 'Heaven-Opening Force' lies in the instinctive reaction of speed, accuracy, and ruthlessness! It is the overall power and sharpness of the spear striking like a dragon!"

"No wonder Ding Heng said my fist had a sharp edge; that's the 'spear tip' that blooms on my fist after all my strength is twisted into a single rope, condensed and unleashed by my will!"

"In the past, when I cultivated, my mental energy existed passively. Perhaps I used it during the cultivation process, but I never actively noticed it. Today, Ding Heng's pressure comes from the killing intent of a real enemy. That feeling is completely different from my usual training! The instantaneous mobilization and concentration of my mind allowed me to truly touch the power of 'intention'!"

"No wonder that when martial arts are cultivated to a high level, they give rise to fist intent, sword intent, spear intent, leg intent... These are not ethereal concepts, but rather the tangible sharpness that emerges when a martial artist perfectly integrates their spirit and will with their martial skills and body!"

Cang Lian opened her eyes, her gaze clear and bright.

An unprecedented realization surged through his mind like a tidal wave.

He assumed a fighting stance once again.

This time, he didn't throw a punch immediately. Instead, he first let his mental energy, like mercury flowing across the ground, slowly permeate every inch of his skin, every muscle, every bone, and every tendon.

He can "see" the flow of his blood, "hear" the beat of his heartbeat, and "feel" the density of his bones.

"I understand!"

A thought flashed through my mind.

"I'm so angry!"

The blood and qi in the dantian instantly boiled, surging along specific meridians like a hot current!

"Go for it!"

"drink!"

He threw a punch!

There was no earth-shattering roar, only an extremely sharp sonic boom, like an invisible steel needle piercing the air!

This punch was more than twice as fast as the previous one!

It is powerful yet incredibly precise, with all the power concentrated on that single point of the fist, leaving no stone unturned!

Just then, the panel in front of him suddenly lit up.

【Opening Heaven Force: 1/100 (Perfect)】

"Is 'The Primordial Force'... complete?"

Cang Lian stared at the words on the panel, momentarily dazed.

"Cang Yao said that the 'Intent Chapter' of the Heaven-Opening Force is the most difficult part to cultivate in the entire technique. I never expected... that I would have a sudden enlightenment in just a moment and directly grasp the basics! Indeed, some things do require a stroke of luck to achieve in a flash of inspiration!"

He exhaled a long breath and a satisfied smile appeared on his face.

"Looks like I really have to thank Ding Heng for putting pressure on me."

He suddenly understood why true martial arts masters loved to challenge the strongest people in the world.

True martial arts can only be mastered through trials of life and death!

What we practice on a regular basis is "technique," it's "martial arts"!

What is forged in the crucible of battle is the "Tao," the "national art"!

He finally understood why modern martial arts lacked a certain charm, and that charm... was perhaps "killing"!

Only by facing death can one truly push their skills to their peak!

He clenched his fist, feeling the powerful force within him perfectly controlled by his will, and a surge of pride welled up in his heart.

"With the moonlight nourishing my spirit, my spiritual power will only grow stronger. Once this spiritual power is fully integrated into every inch of my bones and blood, becoming an instinct of my body, no one of my level will be able to punch faster than me!"

"A flash of cold light arrives first, followed by the spear thrusting out like a dragon! My fist should be just like that!"

……

He practiced all day long until the moon was high in the sky before Cang Lian returned to his dormitory.

The next day was the unwavering military and political class.

This is an ironclad rule of the National Martial Arts Hall: all students within the base, regardless of their status or cultivation level, must be present.

Even those who are arrogant and unruly dare not disobey this military law.

Hundreds of people flooded into a huge tiered classroom and sat down in a dense, dark mass.

The air was filled with various scents: the lingering fragrance of incense from the scions of noble families, the salty tang of sweat from martial artists, and a faint smell of iron and fire.

The lecturer is Major Yan Tang.

She was still dressed in her crisp military uniform, standing on the podium, using her clear and penetrating voice to explain the new army's program and ideology.

She was a highly educated student who had studied in the West. When she lectured, she quoted extensively from classical texts, sometimes using Western political systems as analogies, and sometimes citing ancient sages as examples, which was very persuasive.

Cang Lian has been at the base for two months and had heard about it twice before.

He knew very well that what Yan Tang was talking about was not just knowledge, but also a kind of ideological weapon, subtly infiltrating and transforming the deep-rooted old ideas of these scions of noble families and martial artists.

However, in this era of transition and upheaval, the "New People's Era" was already rife with various ideas and propositions, creating chaos.

What about saving the country through education, saving the country through medicine, saving the country through indirect means, saving the country through guns... and all sorts of ideologies from the West and various trends of thought that evolved from the East, one after another, took the stage.

Most people drift along in this chaotic tide of the times, their thoughts muddled, unable to find a clear faith to truly entrust themselves to.

The emergence of the new army ideology undoubtedly attracted many passionate young people who longed for change and power.

Many people have already taken the New Army's creed as gospel, their eyes gleaming with fanaticism.

But Canglian simply listened quietly.

Because he came from another modern world, those eras and ideas that were clearly listed and repeatedly analyzed in history textbooks were nothing new to him.

He was like an outsider detached from the new era, unable to fully immerse himself in the confusion and fervor that belonged to that time.

But he was still listening, and he listened more attentively than anyone else, because he was a good student.