Chapter 17: Sanda Fundamentals, Strength Breakthrough

A bright and spacious training hall.

Carrying a cardboard box, Fang Cheng walked past the floor-to-ceiling windows.

Outside was a view of bustling traffic and towering skyscrapers.

Looking back inside, the room was filled with energetic and passionate figures.

Some were lifting weight plates in strength training, while others were vigorously striking punching bags and heavy bags.

Shouts of "Heiya!" and "Huha!" rang out continuously.

Mixed with the scent of sweat permeating the air, it gave one an immediate sense of surging adrenaline.

However, it was currently working hours.

Suppressing his urge to join in, Fang Cheng walked briskly toward a padded area.

A dozen new trainees in blue training uniforms were performing stretching exercises, such as backbends and leg stretches.

"Warm-up is over. We will now begin formal instruction."

Coach Xu's characteristic booming voice rang out as he stood at the front and clapped his hands.

His gaze swept over the group of trainees who had hurriedly lined up, including several women whose faces showed signs of being physically delicate and out of breath.

His otherwise quite serious, square face softened slightly.

"Sanda is a comprehensive unarmed combat sport."

At the start of the class, following tradition, the most basic martial arts theories were explained first.

"It evolved from the *sanshou* of traditional martial arts, but has absorbed and integrated the strengths of combat styles like boxing and Muay Thai. Its techniques are more comprehensive, and its philosophy is more open."

"In actual combat and competition, Sanda emphasizes a versatile approach: using speed to overcome slowness, long-range kicks, close-range strikes, and clinch wrestling. It places extremely high demands on physical conditioning..."

As Xu Maocai spoke eloquently, Fang Cheng was busy working.

He moved the cardboard box in his hands to a side against the wall, stacking it atop another pile of boxes.

Although the contents weren't particularly heavy, running back and forth between the warehouse and the training hall a dozen times was quite exhausting.

Fang Cheng let out a soft breath; he felt fine, and there wasn't even sweat on his forehead.

Compared to his previous experience of carrying gas canisters upstairs at home—where he had to rest after every floor—this was undoubtedly a massive improvement.

Now that his Constitution had reached 12, this amount of exercise was truly a piece of cake.

"Once my Strength also breaks 10, I should be able to lift a gas canister with one hand, no worse than those strong porters, right?"

Thinking of the "great enemy" that had once cost him his masculine dignity, Fang Cheng's eyes flickered as he looked at his panel.

【You have carried heavy objects for 6 minutes, Strength increased by 0.001】 【You have carried heavy objects for 6 minutes, Strength increased by 0.001】 ………………

Several notification messages floated past his eyes in succession.

Looking at the progress bar in the attribute column, his Strength had reached the critical threshold of 99%.

Fang Cheng felt a surge of joy in his heart.

Once all four basic attributes exceeded 10, he should have more than enough physique to work as a sparring partner.

"But there's no rush for now..."

Closing the panel, Fang Cheng turned his gaze toward Xu Maocai, who was lecturing.

As an employee of the logistics department and the coach's actual assistant, he had many diverse tasks to handle.

If it weren't for his ulterior motives, the work in the marketing department would actually be relatively easier and have more development prospects.

But that wasn't what Fang Cheng truly sought...

Xu Maocai was still explaining the key points of the course.

"The basic techniques of Sanda include punching, kicking, wrestling, and grappling."

"In the future, in addition to learning the relevant techniques, we will conduct physical training for half an hour before every class."

"Although these training sessions are tiring, they are very beneficial for developing body coordination and flexibility, and they also meet the needs of you ladies for weight loss and fat burning."

He offered a few words of encouragement to the physically weaker female trainees.

Finally, he paused briefly and said solemnly

"Next, I will demonstrate the most basic punches and kicks. Watch closely."

Fang Cheng had just finished organizing the boxes.

Seeing this, he stood by the side of the floor, his eyes fixed on Xu Maocai as he performed the basic Sanda drills.

Even though it was just a simple demonstration, one could tell his strikes were powerful, his movements clean, crisp, and without any wasted motion.

Straight punches, hammer fists, hook punches, whip punches... Teep kicks, side kicks, roundhouse kicks, whip kicks...

With every punch or kick, his clothes snapped with a sharp, powerful *swish*.

Particularly when the most powerful whip kick was thrown, it even produced a crack like a firecracker.

This display immediately stunned the entire room.

A few young men who had been feeling somewhat lethargic and focusing their attention on the female trainees were instantly revitalized.

It was as if they could see a future version of themselves mastering the same skills to show off and pick up girls.

Fang Cheng's gaze sharpened, and he felt a hint of excitement.

He had heard rumors before that Xu Maocai was the instructor who had introduced Zheng Haokang to Sanda at the club.

Now it seemed the rumors were true.

This was definitely a hidden combat master.

Fang Cheng couldn't help but feel fortunate for his choice.

The afternoon before yesterday, after he had requested to intern in the Sanda department from Xu Maocai, he had also explained the obstacles presented by Manager Li.

Compared to the highest-ranking manager, the head coach was merely a frontline manager and teacher.

However, in reality, they held more influence.

This was because they were not just club employees, but partners who enjoyed certain incentive shares.

Currently, competition between the boxing, Sanda, Jiu-Jitsu, and Karate departments was fierce.

Fang Cheng's joining was equivalent to a capable general from an enemy camp defecting to his side, shifting the balance of power.

Coach Xu naturally went all out and quickly helped settle the personnel relations, smoothly resolving all issues.

As for how Manager Li would view it?

He could only disappoint the good intentions of the man's painstaking cultivation...

After the demonstration, the next part was the breakdown of the movements.

Xu Maocai's teaching style was quite pragmatic.

He first chose the most popular and flashy move—the whip kick—and had the trainees attempt to imitate it based on memory.

Then, he pointed out the problems in each person's form one by one and corrected them.

Finally, he demonstrated it again using slow motion.

Through this method, he explained the basic stance, the coordination of footwork, and how to find the point of impact in great detail.

Fang Cheng watched the scene on the floor with full concentration, constantly simulating the movements in his mind.

He memorized every word and every movement of the coach without error.

"Sanda techniques are not difficult; what matters is physical conditioning and combat intuition."

Having finished breaking down the basic punches and kicks, Xu Maocai looked at the trainees whose movements were still awkward and said matter-of-factly

"When you go back, review today's content several times. In the next class, we will continue with consolidation exercises focusing on the basics."

The entire class lasted about an hour and a half and ended before anyone realized it.

Xu Maocai turned around and nodded to Fang Cheng, who was waiting in the back.

Fang Cheng snapped out of his focused state and immediately understood, walking toward the pile of boxes he had placed by the side earlier.

Opening the seals, he found brand-new, packaged boxing gloves, headgear, mouthguards, chest protectors, shin guards, and other protective gear.

Fang Cheng distributed them to each trainee according to the sizes marked on the list.

These were all included in the expensive tuition fees.

Because long-term use would lead to sweat accumulation, making it easy for bacteria to grow and diseases to spread, trainees needed to carry their own protective gear, change it regularly, and maintain proper hygiene.

The distribution and registration were completed.

Watching several female trainees greet him warmly before leaving, Fang Cheng looked down at the small slip of paper that had once again been tucked into his pocket.

A trace of helplessness appeared on his face.

Most of these trainees were people he had recruited while handing out flyers.

Therefore, his relationship with the clients was quite harmonious.

Since he started working out, Fang Cheng had noticed he was becoming increasingly popular with the opposite sex.

Every time he looked in the mirror, he felt roughly the same.

His facial features hadn't changed significantly, but his temperament was entirely different.

If he used to be a somewhat fragile-looking beautiful youth, leaning toward the "pale, young, and thin" non-mainstream aesthetic, then now, he could be described with words like "heroic" and "dashing."

His excellent natural looks, combined with the unique temperament brought by fitness, had caused his charm to soar.

If he managed to develop a six-pack, his "lethality" would likely be even harder to control.

"Being too handsome actually brings many troubles..."

Fang Cheng shook his head with a slight sigh as he cleaned up the area.

However, his mood was very good.

The day had been busy and fulfilling.

Setting aside the skill experience gained from his morning workout, he had even gotten a Sanda lesson worth thousands of yuan for free during working hours.

With new gains every day, life naturally felt full of motivation for progress.

………………………………

Night fell, and the city lights flickered on through the rain.

After working hours, the clamor gradually faded, and the sweat evaporated.

In the silent training hall, the central air conditioning had long been turned off.

Two or three spotlights illuminated a solitary figure exercising.

Outside, the darkness and the chill grew thicker.

Fang Cheng stood upright, his feet on the cool rubber flooring.

Suddenly, his center of gravity shifted backward; he pushed off with his right foot and lifted his knee.

*Swish!*

With his toes hooked, his entire tensed leg snapped out like a released mechanism in a straight line.

The entire side-kick movement was clean and crisp, without any hesitation or distortion.

Even after the kick was delivered, his body posture remained perfectly stable.

It looked as though even if a bowl of water were placed on his toes, it likely wouldn't spill.

"My side kicks should be considered at an introductory level by now."

Fang Cheng retracted his leg and stood still, muttering to himself

"Next, I'll practice the whip kick..."

He then warmed up his feet and took up a combat stance again.

He had specifically stayed behind last to recapture the feeling of the class and to practically practice what he had learned.

The basic punches of Sanda were largely similar to boxing, with only the names being different.

After a bit of practice, Fang Cheng focused his main energy on the basic kicks.

At this moment, his gaze was calm, and the shadow of Coach Xu demonstrating Sanda techniques in class seemed to appear before his eyes.

Simultaneously, his brain acted like a highly efficient machine, commanding his body to perform precise imitations according to his memory.

His upper body turned left, his right foot pushed off the ground, and his weight shifted to his left foot.

Then, his right quadriceps drove his knee upward.

At the same time, using his waist as an axis, he performed a secondary rotation to generate power, snapping his knee and driving the kick out.

At first, when twisting his waist and hips, Fang Cheng felt a bit awkward, and his center of gravity was slightly unstable.

Thanks to the effects of squats on his core and thighs, he quickly adjusted and adapted.

He repeatedly performed the shadow-kicking movements, striving toward the most perfect standard in his memory.

Step, lift knee, rotate, snap kick, retract. Step, lift knee, rotate, snap kick, retract. ………………

His movements became increasingly skillful, his posture more coordinated, and the speed of his kicks grew faster.

*Crack!*

A whip kick suddenly produced a crisp sound of breaking air quite unexpectedly.

At the same time, a notification appeared before his eyes.

【Congratulations, through unremitting effort, your Strength has increased】

Fang Cheng's eyes brightened with a hint of joy.

His Strength had finally broken through 10 points.

This also caused the power of his kicks to increase significantly in an instant.

Thinking of this, Fang Cheng turned his gaze toward the black leather heavy bag used for training.

His eyes were burning with intensity, as if he were gazing at a long-coveted lover.

*Swish!*

His right foot kicked out again, his lower leg swinging horizontally like a heavy whip, bringing a gust of wind with it.

With a loud *thud*, the top of his foot struck the heavy bag hard!

This kick was extremely powerful.

The 90kg heavy bag hanging in the air shook violently several times.

The sound of the impact was like a muffled explosion, echoing through the hall and lingering for a long time.

(End of Chapter)