“No, no, no, it’s precisely because you’re weak that I can control myself. You’re a moving target. If I were facing an opponent of similar strength, and we both went all out, it’s very likely we’d get injured. You must remember, you absolutely cannot get injured during training, because many times, even professional fighters can get hurt during practice. Once you’re injured, it’s hard to recover, and you’ll have to retire—your career will be over. In contrast, in real matches, there are professional referees and strict rules, so everyone is very careful to avoid fouls, and injuries are actually rare.” Scott Miller earnestly warned James Carter, “So, every training session, you must take seriously. Never force yourself to train through pain—enduring pain is a form of self-harm.”

“Understood.” James Carter gained more experience and silently committed it to memory.

“These chopsticks are so troublesome.” Scott Miller gripped the chopsticks, but just couldn’t pick up the food, fumbling awkwardly. He managed to grab a piece of chicken, but just as he was about to bring it to his mouth, somehow he lost control of his strength. Plop! The chicken fell to the floor, and in frustration, he threw the chopsticks down.

“There’s a knife and fork here.” James Carter quickly pushed the utensils over.

“You Chinese are amazing, using such difficult utensils as chopsticks.” Scott Miller was helpless. He wanted to deliberately use chopsticks to eat, but just couldn’t master them.

He was very strong and physically fit, but using chopsticks required finesse—no matter how strong you were, it didn’t help.

“We’ve been used to chopsticks since childhood, so of course it comes naturally.” James Carter said, then suddenly fell silent, as if something had occurred to him.

“Why did you stop talking?” Scott Miller asked, mouth full, swallowing large bites.

“I was thinking, you Westerners are naturally strong and use knives and forks, while we Easterners are generally slimmer, so we have to make up for it with skill. You can see cultural habits just from the utensils. Maybe there’s some martial arts principle in this too…” James Carter showed a way of thinking different from his peers.

After finishing their meal, the two returned to their dorm to rest. It was a double room, but there was no private bathroom—just a communal bathhouse. Overall, the conditions weren’t great, but not terrible either.

In James Carter’s view, the accommodation didn’t live up to the tuition fees.

Scott Miller lay on the bed, while James Carter sat at the desk to write in his diary, summarizing the day, reflecting on what he hadn’t done well, what he’d learned, and any insights he’d gained.

This was his habit, ever since elementary school, for many years.

“July 2nd. I’ve learned some digging and turning techniques. Turns out farm work is so hard, and there are so many skills and ways to use strength. According to Scott Miller, this is a very important part of traditional martial arts training. I think that’s possible, because in ancient China, farmers had it tough, had to do a lot of physical labor, and resources were scarce in the countryside. Fights often broke out—history books have many examples of two villages fighting over water resources, and when digging canals, there would be large-scale brawls with heavy casualties. The old preference for sons over daughters was actually because if a family had no sons, or not enough, and couldn’t fight, they’d be bullied to death by neighbors, villagers, or local bullies. In ancient times, a chicken, a tree, even a few kilos of rice were valuable assets. If there were no men in the family, not only could you not work, but your things would be stolen or taken. If you had many men and knew martial arts, you could survive well. It was a matter of survival—there was no other way.”

“Scott Miller says that only through lots of real combat and actual fighting can you develop courage. I agree. It’s just like studying: no matter how good you are at solving problems, if you haven’t experienced the pressure of big exams many times, you’ll lose your composure, and even forget how to solve problems you usually know. I’ve experienced this. Exams and fighting are similar.”

“My next step is to practice digging well, then learn how to apply this move in real combat, fight more, be careful not to get hurt, protect myself, overcome fear, and build courage. James Carter, you can do it!”

After writing today’s reflections and summary, James Carter closed his eyes, took a deep breath, and felt full of energy again.

He was very young, only sixteen or seventeen, and recovered quickly.

However, afterward, he added another note at the end of his diary: “I need to practice English conversation more with Scott Miller to improve my speaking skills.”

Chapter 3: Blocking a Downward Strike—True Meaning in Real Combat

“Minglun Martial Arts School” has many decent training venues. As long as you pay, you can rent them for practice, much like a gym.

After dinner and an hour’s rest in the dorm, James Carter and Scott Miller went to a spacious ring to start training.

It was James Carter’s first time in the ring, and he was a bit nervous. Scott Miller kept reassuring him, “Don’t worry, this is just training. You’re wearing three layers of protective gear now—you’re perfectly safe.”

James Carter was wrapped tightly in protective gear from head to toe: a helmet, chest armor, thigh and shin guards, all made of leather with sponge padding inside to absorb most of the impact. More importantly, James Carter was wearing three layers—medium, large, and extra-large—one on top of the other, bundled up like a zongzi or a mummy.