Celestial Human Diagram-Chapter 62 - 53: Orthodox Scattering Hand

On the way to the dormitory, the Perry sedan was heading back. Cheng Zitong held the steering wheel, looked ahead, and said, "Although I’d like to try and persuade you a little more, since this is your decision, I will respect it."

Chen Chuan said, "Thank you, Teacher."

Cheng Zitong said, "I told you, there’s no need to be so formal. I’ll guide you on the specific way to practice the force. That said, while this Force Technique is ordinary, very few people ever practice it. I’ve never taught it before, so I’ll need to look it over again. We can figure it out together."

The car soon returned to the dormitory entrance. Cheng Zitong said, "You head back to the dorm first. I’m going to file a report. Any Force Technique studied at the academy must be registered with the school’s records office so it can be looked up and reviewed." 𝘧𝓇𝑒𝑒𝑤ℯ𝑏𝓃𝘰𝑣ℯ𝘭.𝘤ℴ𝘮

Chen Chuan agreed, got out of the car, and headed upstairs.

Cheng Zitong, meanwhile, turned the car toward the administration building. A few minutes later, he arrived, parked, and went straight to the Recruitment and Preparation Department office. At the door, he glanced inside and saw Yue Hong and Bian Feng also waiting there. "Everyone’s here?" he asked.

As he spoke, he walked in, took the filled-out form from his briefcase, and placed it on Master Gao’s desk. "He’s chosen his Force Technique. Time to file it."

Master Gao reached out, took the form, and after a glance, said in a deep voice, "He chose this one?"

"Yes." Cheng Zitong said, "I told you he has a mind of his own. He had no interest at all in the Force Technique you offered and chose this one in the end."

Yue Hong was taken aback. He stood up and asked, "Manager Cheng, Master Gao, what Force Technique did he choose? Wasn’t it Profound Image Force?"

Master Gao pushed the form forward. "See for yourself."

Yue Hong hurried over to pick up the form. After reading it, he looked up, utterly stunned. "Circulation Force? Was there some kind of mistake? Why would he choose this?"

He turned to Cheng Zitong. "Manager Cheng, didn’t you explain it to him clearly? This Force Technique is exceptionally mediocre. Learning it would be a waste of his academic career. Should he reconsider?"

Cheng Zitong said, "There’s nothing to reconsider. As I said, this was Chen Chuan’s own choice."

Yue Hong tried to persuade him. "But, Manager Cheng, look, he’s only a first-year student. His knowledge and experience are limited. His choice isn’t necessarily the right one. As his teachers, shouldn’t we correct his path for him?"

Cheng Zitong had no desire to argue. "That’s the rhetoric of your noble Rationalist Faction. I’ve told you before, my student belongs to the Intuition School. He only needs to trust his own thoughts and instincts. Besides, I am Chen Chuan’s mentor. As long as he is my student, I will respect his choice."

He reached out, snatched the form back from Yue Hong’s hand, and pushed it back in front of Master Gao. "Alright, it’s decided. Senior Brother Gao, stamp it."

Yue Hong said hastily, "Master Gao, perhaps we should wait." Master Gao ignored him, took out the stamp for the Recruitment and Preparation Department, and brought it down firmly. Yue Hong couldn’t help but sigh.

Master Gao stood up, form in hand, and walked directly to the records room. With him gone, Cheng Zitong saw no reason to stay and left right after him.

Yue Hong and Bian Feng had no choice but to leave the office as well. Yue Hong complained, "Old Bian, why didn’t you join in and say a few words to persuade him?"

Bian Feng said in a low voice, "Manager Cheng clearly wants to protect his student. There’s nothing wrong with that. As a teacher, he’s more than qualified. We shouldn’t be so demanding of him."

Yue Hong shook his head. "Old Bian, why are you singing the same tune? Manager Cheng has no ambition for himself, spending all his time dabbling in that mystical mumbo-jumbo. We can’t let him ruin a student, too. We can’t just give up because of one past failure. As long as we learn from last time’s lesson, we can protect our students."

Bian Feng replied, "The student has his own ideas. Are we supposed to force him along? Besides, do you have so little faith in a student’s own choice? That last student... he spent his entire short life living for others, living for the academy. It was exhausting just to watch. We should do some self-reflection."

Yue Hong sighed, lamenting, "Perhaps you’re right. It’s such a shame."

After a few more steps, he remembered something. "Teacher He was close to being persuaded last time. Even though he went through that incident, you can tell he hasn’t given up on the idea. If Chen Chuan had chosen Profound Image Force this time, he definitely would have come back to see. But now... how are we supposed to convince him?"

But Bian Feng said, "That’s not necessarily true."

Yue Hong paused. After a moment of thought, his spirits suddenly lifted. "Right, you’re right! We have to keep calling!"

Master Gao walked all the way to the records room and signed the register at the door. The teacher sitting there greeted him with a smile. "Here to file a record, Master Gao?"

Master Gao said, "For a student."

"Of course, of course. One moment... registered. Shall I open the door for you, Master Gao?"

"I’ll do it myself."

Master Gao walked over, took out his key, and opened the door. Inside, rows of student files were neatly arranged. He walked deeper, passed through two more doors, and arrived at the records room for A-class students.

He located the drawer for Chen Chuan’s file, unlocked it, and pulled it open. He glanced at the form again. He knew this Force Technique hadn’t always gone by this name. It was originally called "Circulation Force" as well, but was written with a different character that later became taboo, so the name was altered by a single character. ’It’s not wrong, though,’ he thought. ’A common Force Technique couldn’t bear the weight of the original name.’

He placed the form inside, pushed the drawer shut, relocked it, and walked out.

Just fifteen minutes after he left, two people approached from the other end of the corridor: a white-haired old man and a young teacher. The teacher at the records room door saw them and immediately stood up, addressing the old man respectfully, "Master Gu."

The white-haired old man nodded. "Open the door. I need to check a file."

"Yes, sir."

The teacher immediately opened the door for the white-haired old man.

The white-haired old man and the young teacher beside him walked inside, heading straight to the spot where Master Gao had just placed the file. The old man also took a key from his waist and had the young teacher go up and open the drawer. The latter retrieved the newly filed form and handed it to him.

The white-haired old man glanced at it and remarked with a sigh, "How can we let a good blade be dulled? That simply won’t do."

The young teacher asked, "Teacher, what should we do?"

The white-haired old man said in a calm voice, "Let the students below make a move first."

"Understood, Teacher."

Meanwhile, Cheng Zitong had returned to Chen Chuan’s dorm. He had Chen Chuan continue practicing while he sat on the sofa and flipped through the Circulation Technique manual. He discovered that perhaps because it was published so long ago, many parts were written in archaic local dialects, making the meaning quite obscure.

Fortunately, this was his area of expertise. After flipping through it for a while, he generally understood it. He thought for a moment, then called Chen Chuan over. "This Cultivation Technique isn’t too complicated. The key lies in the training method.

Boxers of the old era mostly used Fixed Postures. The more popular Force Techniques today have all been improved to use Flowing Postures. This Force Technique, however, has barely been researched or improved by anyone. I originally thought you’d have to practice it using Fixed Postures, which would be very inefficient.

But then I looked through it again and realized that’s not the case. After all, Flowing Postures are just a way to adjust the body’s operational structure by using repetitive, unique movements to stimulate specific Mutated Organizations, causing them to grow and even transform.

And Circulation Force can be trained through various boxing styles and forms. Of course, it’s impossible to learn every boxing style—no one has that kind of energy—but there is one set of forms that can roughly cover all the bases."

At this, he smiled. "And you should be very familiar with it."

Chen Chuan’s heart skipped a beat, and he blurted out, "Great Scattering Hand!"

"Exactly!"

Cheng Zitong held up the manual and gave it a little shake. "The Great Scattering Hand! This most fundamental set of Scattering Hand forms is the culmination of the blood, sweat, and tears of countless predecessors. Though it looks simple, it has been honed to perfection, covering every possible aspect. That’s why this Scattering Hand can serve as the foundational form for any boxing path. But the Great Scattering Hand alone isn’t enough."

His expression turned serious. "Next, I will teach you the Orthodox Scattering Hand, which is only taught and permitted for use at Wuyi Academy! This set of forms is all-encompassing, using fingers, palms, elbows, and knees; it includes throws, grabs, blocks, and grapples. When combined with Compound Medicine and specific breathing techniques, it can be used as a perfect substitute for Flowing Postures!"

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