“Master, I understand borrowing the strength of the legs, but how does one borrow the power of the air? This disciple does not understand.” Peter Thompson said.

George Grant smiled and said, “This is the secret of the art of leaping. Naturally, you do not understand.”

Peter Thompson scratched his head. Indeed, if the master didn’t explain and he could figure it out himself, that would be far too easy.

“You have now reached the second level. The yin and yang within your body circulate, so you should be able to control your true qi to flow outward. Release your true qi, split it into two streams, with the lower part flat and the upper part arched. The air, influenced by your true qi, will generate lift. Push off with your feet, release your true qi to leap, and when your true qi is exhausted, you will land.”

Upon hearing this, Peter Thompson was stunned on the spot, his mind filled with a string of formulas—Bernoulli’s principle, the very principle behind how airplanes fly.

Bernoulli’s principle: as the speed of a fluid increases, its static pressure decreases; conversely, as the speed decreases, the static pressure increases. The upper surface of an airplane’s wing is curved to accelerate the airflow, thus reducing the pressure above, while the lower surface is flat, causing slower airflow and higher pressure. With lower pressure above and higher pressure below, lift is generated—this is a key reason airplanes can fly. Now, the only difference is that the “wing” is replaced by true qi.

George Grant saw Peter Thompson standing there in a daze and knew that this principle was rather incredible. When he first learned the art of leaping, his father told him that by controlling his true qi to be flat below and arched above, he could fly longer in the air. He, too, could not understand it until he tried it himself and discovered just how marvelous it was.

What George Grant didn’t know was that Peter Thompson had already understood the principle. He just never expected that once the veil was lifted from the art of leaping, it would not be mysterious at all, but instead closely related to science and the laws of nature.

A bolt of lightning flashed brilliantly through Peter Thompson’s mind, as if something was about to emerge. Peter Thompson seemed to have grasped something.

Science—yes, cultivation is also a science. The essence of heaven and earth that he absorbed into his body is a form of energy, one known and mastered by only a select few. They unconsciously utilize this energy, summarize certain rules, and even make perfect use of them, but they do not know its true nature.

It’s like an excellent archer who knows exactly what angle to shoot at under certain wind speeds to hit the target. This has become almost instinctive for them. They make good use of the principles of force and parabolic trajectories, but they do not know the core truth that truly determines their accuracy.

Peter Thompson suddenly saw the light. Although his internal strength had not increased at all, this moment of enlightenment elevated his mental state to an unimaginable level—a so-called state of mind that had reached an extraordinary realm. Because he had vaguely seen through the secrets of the universe, the path of cultivation was no longer mysterious in his eyes.

What is not mysterious is not frightening; what is not frightening can be overcome.

However, at this moment, Peter Thompson did not know that this enlightenment would have an unparalleled impact on his future.

George Grant also did not know that Peter Thompson had connected the secrets of cultivation with science in his mind. Even if he knew, he would only laugh at Peter Thompson for his wild imagination.

After explaining to Peter Thompson how to control the shape of the true qi as it was released, George Grant said, “Go ahead and try it.”

“Yes!” Peter Thompson responded, pushing off hard with his toes. His whole body soared into the air as two streams of true qi shot out from his feet, forming an arched top and flat bottom. He immediately felt two streams of air with different speeds flowing above and below his body, and a force supported him, delaying his landing.

Because Peter Thompson had only just reached the second level, his body weight, strength, abundance of true qi, and ability to control it were all far inferior to George Grant’s. Naturally, he could not be as effortless or graceful, nor could he fly as high or as far. Even so, Peter Thompson’s first attempt at flight made George Grant’s eyes light up, and he could not help but exclaim in admiration.

To leap four meters high and six meters far on the first try at the second level was a miracle in the martial world. Even if George Grant went all out now, he would only be seven or eight times better than Peter Thompson.

Of course, George Grant did not know that his disciple was a top graduate student at a first-class university. Just now, Peter Thompson had quietly designed the optimal pattern in his mind based on Bernoulli’s principle and air resistance. If his control of true qi were more refined, with his current skill, his leap height and distance could certainly be increased by another 20%.

Peter Thompson leapt again and again, his movements becoming smoother and smoother, until he seemed to glide through the air like a bird. He perfectly demonstrated aerodynamics with his own body, which filled Peter Thompson with excitement and wonder.

George Grant closed his eyes slightly, focusing all his senses on feeling the true qi released by Peter Thompson. He was once again amazed that this disciple, just by listening to his verbal explanation, had fully grasped the most profound aspect of the art of leaping and formed the most perfect true qi shield around his body.

In fact, it was not surprising that Peter Thompson could master the essentials of the art of leaping so quickly, because he had seen through its essence and used the most scientific theories to guide his continuous improvement.

Chapter 7: Grandfather and Grandson