Time flowed unnoticed,like water—silent, yet always moving,indifferent to those who watched it.
The days passedamid training and a simple life.
One quiet morning,Li Yuan sat alone beneath the large tree behind his house.His body was drenched in sweat from training,but his spirit felt at peace.
He gazed at the gentle stream nearby,watching the water flow slowly,touching stones,and continuing on its journey.
"Water... calm, yet capable of breaking stone.Soft, yet unstoppable..."
In silence,he began to understand.
Training wasn't just strengthening his body—it was opening a deeper understanding within his heart.He began to see that martial arts were not merely movements—not just punches or kicks.
Martial arts could be a sword,but also a shield.A means to kill—or a way to protect.
In one of the old books he had read in the library,a line now echoed with clarity:
"Martial arts is not about defeating others.It's about knowing yourself.About facing your fears, your pride,and the weakness in your heart."
Those words took root in his mind.
Mu Yi might train for freedom.Fan Tu, to protect.As for himself…Li Yuan began to realize that he wished to journey and understand the world.
And for that,he needed to be strong enough not to fall when life grew harsh.
That afternoon, during training,Li Yuan moved more lightly than usual.His feet followed the wind,his strikes no longer stiff.
Something had shifted in his movement—not power,but awareness.
From a distance,Li Haoming observed and nodded quietly.
"He's beginning to feel it…"he whispered to himself.
That day marked the beginning of something new.Not a rise in strength,but a deeper understanding—that martial arts was not about becoming the strongest,but about becoming whole.
After more than a year of training,Li Yuan's body had become familiar with the basic movements of martial arts—strikes, kicks, stances, and agility.
But without realizing it,it wasn't just his body that had changed…it was also his breath.
One evening after training,Li Yuan sat cross-legged on a sun-warmed stone.
A soft breeze blew down from the mountains,carrying the scent of grass and damp earth.
And there,he noticed something he had long overlooked:
Breath.Not just the act of inhaling air,but the rhythm of life itself.
He tried something he had once read in an old book—about breathing and stillness.
Inhale slowly for four seconds...Hold it in for eight...Exhale through the mouth for six...
At first, it felt awkward.His lungs tightened.But Li Yuan repeated it.Once.Twice.Ten times.
And then...silence.
Something within him grew calm.His heartbeat seemed to merge with the whisper of the wind.His thoughts, usually quick and scattered,slowed—like leaves drifting gently on the surface of a stream.
"Is this... the stillness within martial arts?Not about defeating...but about becoming one with yourself?"
That meditation became his habit.Not a duty,but a need.
In that silence,he found a vast space within himself—a place the outside world could not touch.
Mu Yi practiced more freely—often falling asleep mid-meditation.Fan Tu was more rigid, counting breaths like counting steps.
But Li Yuan found his own quiet.
Everyone… had their own way.But Li Yuan knew—
this breath was a hidden foundation.And maybe—one day—it would carry him beyond the edge of a world no one had ever touched.