“When you shift your center of gravity onto the coccyx in the Three-Body stance, you have to be like a cat whose tail has just been stepped on—fur bristling all over. Only then will you get results. Without this effect, even if you stand for a hundred years, it’s all for nothing.”

Charles Warren had just been pushed by Catherine Turner, vertebra by vertebra, down to the base of his spine. At first, he felt as if he was stumbling out of a steamy bath, dazed and lightheaded, but then a blast of cold air hit him, and he became exceptionally clear-headed.

Charles Warren described this feeling to Catherine Turner, who nodded. “Not bad. It’s the same principle as taking a hot bath. When you soak in hot water for a long time, all your pores open up from the heat, and your vital energy gradually dissipates through them, which is why you sweat all over. If too much vital energy is lost, you’ll feel unwell. People with weaker constitutions will get dizzy and short of breath if they bathe too long. That’s because too much vital energy has been lost. At that moment, when you suddenly step out of the bathroom and get hit by a blast of cold air, your whole body jolts, your skin contracts from the cold, goosebumps rise, and you instantly feel refreshed and clear-headed. That’s because the pores have been stimulated to close tightly, preventing further loss of vital energy.”

“This principle was figured out by the masters long ago, and they even made a mnemonic for it: ‘Refining essence into qi is like bathing; nourishing qi returns to the elixir when the cold wind blows.’”

“The spine is the body’s central axis. The sensations along the spine are the Ren and Du meridians. When you move your spine, your whole body is engaged. When your whole body heats up, reaching the point of sweating or just about to sweat, you must let your entire center of gravity sink onto the coccyx. It’s like acupuncture, except acupuncture uses needles, while the Three-Body stance uses your whole body’s weight to stimulate. One works from the inside, the other from the outside.”

“A true master doesn’t sweat during practice—only at the instant of striking someone.”

After talking for a while, Catherine Turner took a heavy metal card out of her pocket. “That’s all there is to this Three-Body stance. I’ve explained the principles, and helped you get the feel for pushing the vertebrae. From now on, practice pushing them yourself every day. When winter break is over and you have time, come find me at Building 18, Tianxing Lake, in the provincial capital.”

“Your sister has things to take care of lately, so I can’t come teach you.”

“Take this—you’ll need it to get in.” She handed the card to Charles Warren. Catherine Turner said, “The password is XXXXXXXXXX. You need this card to get through the main gate.”

“When you’ve achieved results with your stance, come find me and I’ll teach you something new. If you can’t get results from the Three-Body stance, just throw the card away and don’t bother coming to your sister.”

Catherine Turner said sternly.

“Sister Chen, what exactly counts as achieving results?” Charles Warren asked anxiously. After spending so much time together, Charles Warren truly saw Catherine Turner as his big sister. Now, hearing this, he couldn’t help but get nervous.

“When your temples bulge, that’s when. Once you’ve trained your temples to bulge, you can come find me.”

Chapter 4: Striking with Refined Force Is Like Hanging a Painting; Mastery in the Bones Fears No Gun

Tianxing Lake in S Province has clear water and a vast surface, covering nearly a dozen square kilometers. To the north, it connects to the Yan River; to the west is Baihe Mountain. The lakeshore is covered with lush grass, and groves of peach, willow, and crabapple trees, interspersed with camphor, nanmu, ironwood, and ginkgo. The environment is tranquil, making it the most famous scenic spot in S Province.

On the southern side of Tianxing Lake, a circle of red walls, taller than four people, encloses a wooded area. Inside the red walls are rows of luxurious villas.

Tianxing Lake Community is the largest luxury residential area in all of S Province, consisting entirely of standalone villas. The perimeter is secured with electronic gates, alarm systems, and surveillance cameras, with security personnel on patrol 24 hours a day. Inside, there’s a dedicated community hospital, supermarket, and even a branch of the Bank of China established specifically to serve the residents.

Legend has it that this community was developed by a large overseas real estate company, which invested billions in its construction. The villas are spacious, all modeled after Dutch garden architecture.

With such houses and such a location, naturally only the wealthy and powerful live here.

Catherine Turner drove a silver-gray sports car into the community. The electronic gate opened automatically, and four guards stood at attention.

The sports car cruised down the wide, tree-lined avenue. Although it had snowed heavily a few days ago, there was not a trace of snow or water on the road, not even the slightest sign of mud or dust.

After a few minutes, she stopped in front of Villa 18. There were three buildings in total: the middle one was four stories high, the ones on either side two stories, clearly serving as garages and servants’ quarters.

A large lawn stretched in front and behind the three buildings, all enclosed by a white-painted wooden fence, giving it the style of a classic European country estate.

Catherine Turner pressed a remote, and the garage’s electronic door opened automatically. After driving in, she suddenly noticed the garage was pitch black, as if the lights were broken.

“Hm?” Catherine Turner twitched her ears. “There are three people. Come out.”

Clap! Clap! Clap! Suddenly, applause rang out, and then, with a swish, all the lights in the garage turned on, illuminating the more than one-hundred-square-meter space as bright as day.

Not far in front of Catherine Turner’s sports car stood a young man in a black trench coat. He had a prominent nose, black hair, but his eyes were tinged with blue—clearly a mixed-race individual.