The First Book: Reborn from the Fire Chapter 38: A Fair Chance of Competition (Seeking Recommendations)

  It is said that 'Wen has Taiji to bring peace to the world, Wu has Bajiquan to stabilize the universe'. This is a praise from our predecessors for the beloved Tai Chi and Bajiquan. The creator of Bajiquan was from Meng Village in Cangzhou, which is also known as the "Martial Arts Hometown".

  Cangzhou martial arts originated in the Sui and Tang dynasties, and flourished in the Ming and Qing dynasties. For thousands of years, Cangzhou has been a gathering place for martial arts elites and heroes, forming a strong cultural tradition of practicing and revering martial arts. There are 52 types of martial arts schools and weapons that originated or were passed down in Cangzhou, accounting for 40% of the country's 129 types of martial arts schools and weapons, making it one of the birthplaces of Chinese martial arts.

  In 1992, Cangzhou City was named "Martial Arts Hometown" by the National Sports Commission, becoming the first prefecture-level city in the country to receive this honor.

  Of course, all of the above are someone's words passed down through generations, and we only came to understand them after intentionally learning about them later on.

  It just so happened that those years were the time when Cangzhou Wushu was being heavily promoted by national media, so it wasn't surprising to see troops coming from Mengcun to recruit some active-duty soldiers. What did surprise me greatly at the time was that this person turned out to be our former arch-nemesis 'Qiao Yanwang'?! It seemed like he should still be a hidden and unparalleled master?

  But what's most important is that we heard the legendary martial arts master is so close to us, it's hard not to be excited and thrilled at the same time.

  To know the 70s-born youth, they all have a bloody history of media news. From the initial hype of UFO alien technology to the later emergence of martial arts and qigong, plus Li Lianjie's debut film Shaolin Temple that year, our minds were once filled with high-flying, leaf-picking, snow-stepping, and self-proclaimed masters of the martial arts world. Learning the ultimate martial art, being a hero or a villain, was truly an admirable thing at that time.

  Could it be that we have the opportunity to learn from a master and fulfill our dream of becoming a martial arts expert? At that time, after hearing Guo Lianchang's words, Peng Ze and I looked at each other with eyes full of uncontainable joy and strong desire.

  "What a martial arts master!"

  He sneered at our words and immediately extinguished our enthusiasm. He cursed with a smile, saying:

  "What are you two little rascals thinking? Do you think it's like in Jin Yong's novels, where one palm strike can beat someone to a pulp? Those are just fairy tales written by literati for people to chat about after dinner!"

  "In our army, we emphasize the capture and grappling skills, using force to control force. The Bajiquan has been passed down for hundreds of years, so it must have its unique aspects. And your commander's fighting skills are still being studied by our reconnaissance unit, so they must be excellent."

  Kuang Lianchang looked at us two little brats who had been bombarded by the media to the point of brain damage, shook his head and sighed.

  "I heard that back then, Qiao's skills with his hands were so impressive that even in the military special forces, he had few opponents. For a period of time, even those hand-to-hand combat instructors came to him for guidance. You say this isn't intimidating?"

  "Are you saying we can ask Qiao Feng to be our teacher and have him teach us his unique skills?"

  I was stunned and finally heard some door, and I couldn't help but show a strong hope on my face looking at Kuang Lianchang.

  "I can teach you the unique method of strengthening muscles and bones that Meng Village has, which is the greatest importance I attach to you two. Otherwise, how could your muscle strength and tendon flexibility reach the current level?"

  Kuang Lianliang smiled mysteriously at us and said with a somewhat sinister tone:

  "As for whether he is willing to accept you two as apprentices, that's not something I can know! Today, I didn't say anything at all! Hehe..."

  "I understand now, thank you for your guidance, Master!"

  Hmph, you actually suspect Ping's IQ? I, Kuang Lianglong, represent the Party and the people in despising you. Listen up, if Peng Zuo and I don't understand it, then that would be too stupid, right?

  But then I thought about it again, and having that intimidating King Yan to agree to teach us martial arts is really a bit difficult. In addition to excitement, my brain cells can't help but die a few more, it's really a depressing thing.

  "Being able to enter the military special reconnaissance brigade is not only an honor for you personally, but also an honor for the entire battalion and regiment team, so I hope you can seize this opportunity!"

  Kuang Lianchang finally made a speech like a general review, he looked at us very seriously and said: "I hope you will not disappoint the camp and our XX Hero Regiment!"

  As we watched the figure of Lian Sheng disappear into the distance, Peng Zhuo and I felt a little dazed. Firstly, we suddenly felt that our responsibilities had become much heavier, as going to participate in military training assessment was no longer just related to us personally, but also represented the honor of our team; secondly, we were worried about how to get 'Qiao Wang' to teach us 'martial arts' without getting hurt.

  I don't know why Huang Lian seems to want us to join the military's special reconnaissance unit, but I'm very interested in this path. After all, thinking that I might become one of the elite among the elite, a sense of personal heroism is sprouting and expanding wildly in my heart, stimulating my brain to think rapidly.

  "Qiao Pailang, please rest assured that I will not let the honor of XX Hero League disappear on me. I must achieve excellent results, and in order not to disappoint your expectations of me, I will also defeat you in the 400-meter hurdles! At the same time..."

  When I said the above words, Peng Zhuo and I had already returned to the dormitory building, but I didn't enter the dormitory at that time. Instead, I suddenly sprinted in front of 'Qiao Yanwang', gave him a standard salute and stood at attention, then looked at him with a fierce gaze and loudly said:

  "At the same time, I also want to compete with you in fighting skills, but I hope you can give me a fair chance!"

  When I finished saying the above words, I found that everything around me was eerily quiet. Peng Ze must have been startled by my sudden appearance and was stunned, even a few old soldiers chatting on the side were in a daze, they stared at me with some dull eyes, as if seeing a fool who had just come out of a mental hospital, or perhaps it seemed like a guy who was tired of living came to seek death. Anyway, I felt that they looked at me like a dying man.

  And the person I value most was also stunned, but after all, he was the first to come back to his senses. He should have been stimulated by the strong provocative intention in my eyes. I saw that his eyes, which had always been gloomy, suddenly flashed with a fierce flame like the sun. He finally looked at me deeply, and a cold smile floated on the corner of his mouth, saying:

  "Alright, I'll give you this chance!"