Chapter 4: Boundary Seeking Collection

  Tang Jie walked through the narrow and dimly lit corridor of the ship, coming to a small door. The beer barrel William beside him pushed open the door and gave him a sinister glance: "Go in!"

  Tang Jie's eyes widened in shock and anger: "This is the place? This is what you call a deluxe cabin?"

  This is a super small room that can't even stand up straight, and can't even squat down. It's like the little black house specially made for punishing offenders in the army.

  It's hard to even turn around inside, the whole room is less than 1.4 meters high, you have to bow your head to get in, and once inside, you can't stand up straight, if you want to stand up straight, you have to crouch down.

  In such a room, a normal person would be in agony and crying out loud after just one hour of being locked up. If they were locked up for a whole day, they would be on the verge of collapse. If it went on for two or even three days...

  Tang Jie could imagine with his toes what kind of torture and suffering it would be to be locked in a room like this.

  It seems that these people have indeed treated him with great hospitality.

  William bared his black and yellow teeth, his large palms intentionally or unintentionally touched the axe hanging from his waist, and sneered: "If you don't want to stay here, I can arrange a better place for you, guaranteed to be spacious enough for you to make as much noise as you want."

  He was accompanied by a thin mast that chuckled and laughed, like an old mouse who had stolen overnight grain: "The sea is wide enough! How about changing to a first-class cabin? This ship only has two first-class cabins, which one do you want?"

  Tang Jie took a deep breath and suppressed his anger.

  When under someone else's roof, one cannot but lower his head.

  He thought he could take down these two guys, but even if he could take down everyone here, what would it accomplish?

  Can he operate this large ship by himself?

  Does he know where to go in this vast ocean?

  Although Tang Jie is gentle and easy-going in his daily life, he has a deep mind and is extremely intelligent. At such an important juncture, he never acts rashly.

  He curled up the corner of his mouth and said with a hint of sarcasm, "It seems that I will have to sing praises about your enthusiastic hospitality in the future."

  William saw him unexpectedly bowing and walking in, haha laughing: "Wait until you have a life to live before talking!"

  With a creak, the old wooden door blocked out the dim light from outside the cabin, leaving only a narrow ventilation window to let in a few strands of light, which shone on Tang Jie's face, casting an uncertain shadow.

  Tang Jie woke up to find himself in a mysterious and treacherous place, where the people were fierce and menacing. He had no idea where he was or what kind of world this was, especially after his intense battle with Nia, which made him witness things he had only seen in movies before.

  Chi Pao?

  Does this thing really exist?

  Tang Jie hunched over and crouched in the room, feeling stifled for a while, and found that his body was in an awkward position, very uncomfortable. He changed several postures, all of which made people feel extremely uncomfortable.

  He was unhappy and helpless in his heart, so he simply stood up in this small black room, one foot on the ground, thinking about things.

  What kind of power generation principle is the aura she emits?

  If this world has aura, will there be magic?

  As soon as he thought of this, Tang Jie felt his heart burning with excitement. The humiliation he had suffered before seemed to have flown away to the ends of the earth. He couldn't wait to learn magic and become a powerful magician who could summon the wind and rain like in the movies.

  Tang Jie's heart had an idea, and his face couldn't help but reveal an expression, a joyful smile, if it weren't for the fact that this room was really cramped, he feared he would have already started dancing with joy.

  As soon as he moved, his head hit the wooden board of the cabin, startling him back to reality. He rubbed his sore head with a bitter smile and muttered to himself: "What's the use of thinking about these useless things? Better think about how to escape now!"

  For the time being, we can only temporarily swallow our humiliation and bear the burden, wait until we reach the shore, then wait for an opportunity to escape. On this ship, on this vast ocean, wanting to escape alone is no different from a fool's dream.

  To protect oneself among these pirates, one must not only be humble but also show their invincible strength when necessary.

  Tang Jie smiled wryly, he had expected this situation, and in the past when he was practicing martial arts, he would put in more effort, now it wasn't to the point of being so pathetic.

  He's been in fights since he was a kid, so you could say he's an old acquaintance of the local police department's blacklist. The teachers at school also see him as a thorn in their side, and it's easy to imagine that a student like him wouldn't be one with very good grades.

  Tang Jie's father gave him a severe beating in his senior year of high school, ordering him not to cause any more trouble outside of school and to get into a good university so he could find a good job later on.

  "That year, my father's loud scolding still seems to be before my eyes: 'I don't care who you learned your kung fu from, but do you think you can fight all your life? Do you think you're living in the old society? You only know a few punches and kicks, what will you rely on to survive in the future? Can fighting be eaten as rice? What if one day you get beaten to death, what will we do?'"

  Every word pierces the heart, one sentence reveals the truth.

  Tang Jie was arrogant and domineering in high school, but his father's severe beating suppressed his unruly personality, and he meekly picked up his books.

  Fortunately, he was originally very smart and actually got into a university after less than a year of hard work day and night. Of course, it was a first-rate plus a second-rate one.

  Tang Jie, who had been fighting since childhood, unexpectedly got into college. His parents at home were overjoyed and hung up firecrackers to celebrate for him. When Tang Jie took the university admission notice with a smile all over his face, he felt that something was buried inside him, as if the crackling firecrackers outside were not celebrating his entry into university, but bidding farewell to his past days.

  After entering university, Tang Jie abandoned his nearly year-long effort and didn't pick it up again. With his strength, he could intimidate any arrogant delinquent in the school, so there was no need to practice anymore.

  Moreover, in today's society and world, there is no need for a good fighter who is arrogant and domineering. Apart from deceiving some foolish girls to increase his chances of success with women, even if he practices martial arts to a high level, it is still useless; it would be better to spend more time learning how to adapt to this busy world.

  Everywhere were men and women with a refined face, so Tang Jie, in order to blend in with society, isolated himself from his past self and sealed himself away.

  Until one day after school, he suddenly encountered a car accident on the road. When he opened his eyes again, he was already in a strange place.

  Fortunately, Tang Jie was originally a naturally optimistic and easy-going person. At this time, when he was in an uncertain danger, the first thing that came to his mind was to pick up the kung fu he had abandoned before.

  Tang Jie clearly remembered that his mysterious master had once told him: In the internal school of boxing, to make further progress in the realm, there are three important links. First, one must be diligent and practice hard, without interruption for many years. Second, one must have a good understanding and natural talent; some people can become a skilled fighter after practicing martial arts for three years, while others may spend their whole lives practicing but still only be a mere ornament. Third, one needs to have the right opportunity.

  Among these three points, Tang Jie meets two of them. His talent is so high that even his most demanding master praises him.

  Unfortunately, his martial arts skills have become somewhat rusty since over a year ago, although he still maintains his level, he has never made any progress again.

  So now he wants to pick up his old kung fu again, which is easier said than done.

  Fortunately, he had been practicing martial arts since childhood and his basic skills were extremely solid. At this time, when he picked it up again, he could follow the diagram to find the key.

  In such a room, if it were an ordinary person, they would have been complaining loudly after being locked in for a while.

  Kanai replaced Tang Jie, but he took advantage of this opportunity to start practicing his skills.

  Tang Jie closed his eyes, gradually letting go of his thoughts and no longer thinking about the things around him. He stood with his feet shoulder-width apart, his body swaying up and down and from side to side in time with the boat's drifting rhythm.

  He has been practicing martial arts for many years, and his horse stance is already well-established, allowing him to maintain it for several hours at a time without feeling the slightest bit of fatigue.

  Zama step is a rigorous training process that every martial artist must go through, as it trains the most basic combat skills of a fighter.

  Balance!

  Tang Jie clearly remembered his teacher telling him that no matter where he was, all fighting skills were based on the foundation of controlling one's own balance and disrupting the opponent's balance.

  Only by controlling one's own body balance can one burst out with the greatest strength to strike the opponent. Similarly, only when the opponent's balance is broken will a fighter reveal his weakness, allowing oneself to take advantage of the opportunity and strike the opponent without worrying about counterattacks.

  And all of this balance comes from two points.

  Left leg and right leg!

  Any martial artist, if the strength of both legs is not developed, is like a tree with root problems. No matter how big it grows or how high it reaches for the sky, it will ultimately be a sickly tree. With just one shovel strike at its roots, it will topple!

  Whether it is Tang Zhenjie's practice of Zhao-style internal boxing or various Chinese martial arts schools, they all believe in one sentence.

  A journey of a thousand miles begins with a single step.

  Tang Jie didn't dare to engage in close combat with these ferocious pirates, firstly because the enemy was numerous and he was unfamiliar with the surroundings; secondly, he was on a sailing ship, and the swaying deck made it impossible for him to stand firm, let alone fight freely.

  Many beginners in martial arts regard Zha Ma Bu as a formidable and terrifying punishment.

  A normal person can hold a horse stance for about one minute before their whole body starts shaking like sieved flour, unable to continue holding on.

  But a martial artist who has practiced for many years can often stand in a horse stance for several hours, or even longer. The length of time they can persist is dozens or even hundreds of times that of ordinary people.

  It is not that the leg strength or endurance of these martial artists is dozens, hundreds of times greater than that of ordinary people, but rather they have grasped a unique method.

  There is often a distinction between dead horses and live horses.

  Beginners die on the horse, their whole body is motionless, muscles tense all over, body trembling, lactic acid secreted at high speed, often only one or two minutes before collapse, and five minutes on the horse is worse than death.

  Tang Jie was standing with his feet shoulder-width apart, his heels slightly raised and his toes gripping the ground like tree roots, while his body remained relaxed, feeling the power transmitted from the waves of the sea beneath his feet.

  At first, he was still a bit unaccustomed, and his body would produce an opposing force to the power of this wave. However, as a warm current slowly began to flow through his body, his muscles seemed to come alive, moving in sync with the surging waves. It was as if the muscles under his skin had also become ocean waves, transmitting the power from the sea to the ship and then to his feet, which in turn transmitted this power to his body.

  He seemed to have merged with this power as a whole, his body warm and comfortable, with an indescribable sense of comfort.

  In this strange environment, Tangie quickly entered a state of meditation.

  This is his usual martial arts practice, and he usually has to cultivate ten times to find this state once.

  He is a born activist, and his mind is very active. If he is stuck in one place for a long time, it will be detrimental to him. However, if he is placed in an environment full of excitement and stimulation, he often surprises people with breakthroughs.

  In a place as fresh and full of ominous signs as this one now, he quickly entered the state of "entering concentration", completely unaware of any external situation.

  More than an hour later, Beer Barrel Bill and Thin Mast Bill walked up to the little black house where Tongue was. "Heh," said Bill in a low voice, "I wonder what that guy's doing now? Is he crying?"

  "Maybe he wet his pants!" Bill laughed.

  "Let me see how our guest is doing now." William sneered.

  Two people looked at each other and smiled for a while, with an expression of waiting to see a good show.

  William bent down, put his eyes to the crack of the door, took a look, and was stunned for a moment, as if he didn't dare believe his eyes. He straightened up, rubbed his eyes hard, and then looked through the crack again.

  Bill looked at him with a strange expression on his face again and straightened up, extremely curious in his heart, pushing hard: "Get out of the way, let me see, let me see!"

  He was a little shorter, but unlike William, he didn't have to bend his body like a shrimp. He just slightly crouched down and could see everything inside clearly.

  He took one look and was stunned, just like William.

  Two people stood outside the door and looked at each other, their voices strange and in unison: "He's actually sleeping?"

  The two of them stood stupidly at the door, scratching their heads, completely bewildered.

  "This is just too strange! I've never seen anyone sleep in a place like this before!" William's mouth was agape, as if he had spotted a sea monster on the ocean.

  "It looks like we've picked up a weirdo..." Bill muttered, getting excited quickly, he pulled at William's arm and said "William, what do you think this guy is?"

  William recalled the strange and mysterious black-haired young man who had just teased him, and couldn't help but hum a sound: "I don't want to know what he is!"

  He glanced at the small black house, sneered and said: "It's just pretending to be mysterious, let's go! Starve him for a few meals, he won't have the mind to play this set."

  After William and Bill left, it was unknown how long it took for Tangie to slowly wake up from his meditation. The blood in his body had circulated several times during his meditation, and his whole body was filled with a sense of fullness, which was the manifestation of abundant blood flow when the horse stance was done perfectly.

  He woke up from his meditation, and unconsciously wanted to stretch his limbs, but as soon as he moved, he found that he couldn't stretch out in this cramped room where he couldn't sit or stand upright. Just as he was getting impatient, his stomach growled with hunger.

  "These bastards, locking me up in this broken place is one thing, do they plan to starve me to death?" Tang Jie's heart seethed with anger, he pushed the door with his hand, but heard a creaking sound of the door bolt.

  He pounded on the door with all his might and shouted loudly: "Is anyone there?"

  The only response was the faint sound of laughter and chatter coming from inside the cabin.

  Lock me up here, while you all revel and indulge in pleasure beside?

  A bunch of bastards!

  Tang Jie's temples twitched slightly as he discovered that although the door was tightly locked, the material of the door panel appeared damp and soft, unlike the hardwood of the ship's hull.

  He put his hands inside the room, with his elbow against the wooden board of the cabin behind him, and his fingertips barely touching the door panel in front of him. He suddenly smiled: "Isn't this what I've been practicing my inch-force for?"

  He took a deep breath, his fingertips lightly touching the door panel, and suddenly his hand clenched into a fist, then the inch of space where his fingertips had curved suddenly burst forth with energy!

  A loud thud was heard as a fist pounded on the door panel, making Tang Jie's heart skip a beat in fright, fearing that the pirates would hear it.

  He perked up his ears and listened carefully, but found nothing out of the ordinary. The sounds coming from the corridor were still as noisy as ever.

  Tang Jie slightly relaxed his mind, he concentrated and held his breath, touching his fingertips on the door panel, and another punch was thrown out.

  The door still shook, but it didn't break.

  "An inch of power is a kind of extremely powerful and highly skilled short-range explosive fist method in boxing, its power does not come from the fist, nor even from the hand, but its root power comes from the foot."

  A journey of a thousand miles begins with a single step!

  Tang Jie took a deep breath, his whole body relaxed, he felt the power transmitted by the waves under his feet, his muscles wriggling as if also dancing with the waves.

  The power of this wave was keenly felt by him, seized and then he borrowed the power to suddenly exert his foot strength, layer by layer pushing it to his thighs, then sending it to his waist, and gathering strong abdominal power sent to his arms, sent to his wrists, and finally sent to his fists, bursting out like an avalanche!

  This is the realm of power release in Zhao's Neijiaquan, Avalanche!

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