“All forms of exercise have one greatest benefit: they can generate dopamine and endorphins in the human body. Dopamine is a substance that excites and stimulates people, giving a sense of fulfilled desire. Endorphins, on the other hand, are painkillers. Among them, dopamine is the most important; it can improve the body’s endocrine system, keeping a person in an extremely pleasant state at all times. It can treat various mental illnesses such as depression and anxiety. That’s why exercise is the best way to relieve stress.” Richard Grant said, “And after studying all kinds of exercise, I found that the slow, continuous, aerobic rhythm of Tai Chi produces the most dopamine of all, so people who practice Tai Chi always feel very comfortable. Over time, this leads to a kind of blind self-confidence in the cerebral cortex, making them believe they are invincible. This is beneficial for the body and mind, but it can also create an illusion. That’s one reason why many Tai Chi masters actually go into real fights and get beaten up. In Zen practice, this kind of mistake is called a delusional state. Only by breaking through this illusion and recognizing your true self can you step into a whole new realm.” Richard Grant was giving James Carter a lesson.

“So that’s how it is.” James Carter suddenly understood. “Ever since I learned that move for digging and hoeing, I’ve been practicing day and night, feeling like I could really fight. But I still got beaten up badly by Scott Miller. Is this the reason? My cerebral cortex produced a lot of dopamine from exercise, making me overexcited and giving me the illusion that I was omnipotent. Is this a good thing or a bad thing?”

“Of course it’s a good thing. The fact that you can get excited and into the state so quickly shows you have a high athletic talent. Many people just get more and more tired as they exercise, leading to laziness, but you get addicted as soon as you start moving. That’s talent and perception.” Richard Grant saw how quickly James Carter was learning this set of joint exercises and became even happier. “This set of joint exercises is something I developed by combining modern combat sports systems with traditional Chinese martial arts, especially the Shaolin Muscle-Tendon Changing Classic, the Five Animal Frolics, Tai Chi, and yoga movements, all calculated and measured.” Richard Grant said, “In fact, according to their movement patterns, traditional Chinese martial arts produce more dopamine than any other form of exercise.”

“Coach, I’m really excited right now.” After a full hour of exercise—just gentle calisthenics, not much different from the old men and women doing Tai Chi in the park—James Carter felt as if he could kill a tiger, his cerebral cortex seemingly fully activated.

“That’s right, that’s what warming up is for.” Richard Grant nodded. “When your brain gets excited from exercise, that’s when the warm-up ends. Next, we’ll begin real martial training and hardening.”

“Martial training? Hardening?” It was the first time James Carter had heard these terms.

“There are three types of martial arts practice: gentle training, martial training, and hardening. Gentle training focuses on nurturing, stretching tendons and bones, such as meditation, mindfulness, yoga, Tai Chi, and various martial arts routines. Gentle training is comfortable, easy to start, and suitable for everyone’s fitness. Martial training is weightlifting, hitting the heavy bag, sprinting, kicking targets, and all kinds of strength training to toughen the tendons and bones. Hardening is the most brutal: first, real combat with others; second, using all sorts of cruel methods, like being struck with sticks or rods, to increase your endurance and strengthen your tendons and bones. But this is only suitable for young people. If you’re over thirty, it can be dangerous. During practice, you must be very careful; even a slight mistake can lead to disability. In addition, nutrition and medicine are essential, or you’ll be left with hidden injuries. Hardening produces results the fastest—like Muay Thai, ancient Japanese karate, traditional Chinese body conditioning, iron sand palm, iron finger technique, hard qigong, and so on. Nowadays, only some top-level combat athletes and special forces soldiers in various countries practice hardening. Of course, I’ve mastered the most scientific hardening methods.”

At this point, Richard Grant paused, a look on his face that only an animal trainer would have. “The next training will be very tough, even cruel. If you can’t take it, you can quit. But after that, I won’t teach you anything else. Think it over.”

“I’m willing to accept.” James Carter agreed without hesitation.

“There’s a hoe over there. Go get it.” Richard Grant pointed to the side.

James Carter quickly picked up the hoe, stood in the stance from yesterday, holding the hoe in the middle, neither raised nor lowered.

Yesterday he stood empty-handed; now, holding the hoe, it was much harder.

But after these days of practice, James Carter had gained some muscle.

After all, he had spent several days digging, then feasting with Scott Miller.

“Stand firm. Imagine someone pulling your hair upward from the top of your head. Sink your hips as if you’re sitting on a piece of red-hot iron—so hot you can’t help but want to move. Plant your feet as if you’re a tree, roots digging deep into the earth—the deeper the roots, the harder it is for the wind to blow you over. Imagine you’re a tiger, prey in front of you, gathering strength, ready to strike at any moment. If you miss, you’ll go hungry…”

After James Carter got into position, Richard Grant kept giving instructions.

Then, he picked up a rubber stick.

Pa!