Chapter 149 Sixth Lesson, Mastering Time

"The sixth martial arts lesson is about mastering time," Xu Jingming told his girlfriend.

"Mastering time?" Li Miaomiao asked, puzzled.

"Footwork is used to master space," Xu Jingming said. "But in reality, 'mastering time' is the key to becoming a top expert. In combat, everyone's movements take time, arrows take time to travel through the air, and enemies take time to make their moves. Nerve reactions also take time!"

"We need to instinctively control these moments!" Xu Jingming said. "For example, when an enemy misses a strike, it takes time to launch another. Or when I knock an opponent back with a spear, it takes time for them to regain their balance."

"The passage of time on the battlefield is like flowing water," Xu Jingming said. "There's no need for deliberate calculations because there's no time for that in high-speed combat. But you need to experience these 'changes in time.' With enough practice, you'll naturally learn to control time."

"It's like walking; you don't think about which leg to move first, but you still walk steadily."

"In combat, with enough practice, you'll naturally sense the changes in time on the battlefield. It's like being familiar with water and naturally utilizing its flow. Based on time, you'll decide who to kill first, who to kill later, and how to break a stalemate," Xu Jingming said.

"When I fight, I just concentrate intensely. I don't dare to be distracted," Li Miaomiao said.

"In fierce combat, although it seems like you are excited, your mind will naturally grasp all the information and react swiftly," Xu Jingming said.

"In fierce combat, the mind grasps information faster? Reacts faster?" Li Miaomiao asked, puzzled.

"Practice slowly," Xu Jingming said with a smile. "You just need to know that your goal is to master time! You can train in that direction, and you'll naturally become stronger. After cultivating an evolution method, a person's potential is actually greater, but many people don't know how to tap into it."

Li Miaomiao nodded.

"Mastering all six previous lessons and reaching an extremely high level is enough to reach the second-order limit," Xu Jingming said. "But if you want to reach the third or even fourth order... it involves the mind."

"The mind?" Li Miaomiao listened.

"The will of the mind," Xu Jingming said. "The seventh martial arts lesson is about refining the heart."

"Refining the heart is about making the mind more peaceful. It's like being in the quiet of the night, where you can hear even the slightest sound," Xu Jingming said. "When your heart is calm enough, your body's senses will be much more acute!"

"The purpose of refining the heart is to make the body react more sensitively and faster, and even to mobilize deeper power within the body," Xu Jingming said.

"Is refining the heart really that magical?" Li Miaomiao asked curiously.

"I spend eight hours refining my heart every day; you know that," Xu Jingming said. "Actually, my understanding of refining the heart is just a vague guess; I don't understand it very deeply. But I'm sure that the process of refining the heart can make the body's neural network signals stronger, giving you greater control over your body."

Powerful neural signals greatly improve body control.

"I'm only a fourth-order myself," Xu Jingming said. "So, I can only offer a little guidance on the matter of refining the heart."

"Oh."

Li Miaomiao nodded, still somewhat uncertain.

Refining the heart? Neural signals? Body control?

"The eighth lesson is the shield technique course, and the ninth lesson is the spear technique course," Xu Jingming said with a smile. "The first seven lessons represent the foundation of martial arts, which can be applied to the use of any weapon. But my deepest accumulation is ultimately in shield and spear techniques! So, the last two lessons are about these two weapons."

Li Miaomiao understood. Since she practiced swordsmanship, she didn't pursue questions about shield or spear techniques.

"The Nine Lessons of Martial Arts," Li Miaomiao nodded slightly. "Power of moves, speed of moves, footwork, transfer of power, relative speed, mastering time, refining the heart. Plus shield and spear techniques."

"Why do I feel like martial arts weapon combat has suddenly become much clearer?" Li Miaomiao exclaimed.

"After all, you graduated from university, so it's easy for you to understand," Xu Jingming said with a smile. "But while the theory is easy to understand, my accompanying training methods still require diligent practice. And you need to feel and experience it yourself in training and combat! Only what you experience yourself is truly your own."

Li Miaomiao nodded in admiration and said, "I think you teach better than Master Liu Hai."

"Although Master Liu Hai teaches more simply and directly, that's a fool-proof method. He doesn't explain the fundamental principles, he just makes people practice what he teaches over and over again," Li Miaomiao said. "They know what to do, but they don't know why. Over time, they'll become confused, and they'll also be confused when they encounter bottlenecks."

"Jingming, you teach the principles first, giving people a clear direction in their minds. Then you give the training methods. I think it feels more grounded and gives me more confidence," Li Miaomiao said.

Xu Jingming smiled slightly. "Let's not talk about that. Let's hurry up and edit the lessons!"

"The third and fourth lessons for today are going to start charging fees, right?" Li Miaomiao also felt a sense of urgency.

"Yes, the paid courses are about to begin," Xu Jingming nodded.

The first hour is free!

His first martial arts lesson was 28 minutes long, and the second lesson was 25 minutes long. Only the first part of the third lesson is free, and the rest will be charged.

Of course, no matter how long the entire paid course is, the fee is fixed at 1 Blue Star coin. The fee isn't expensive; it's just a test for people. Do you really like it? If you don't like it, you probably won't pay for it.

At a little after 11 p.m., Xu Jingming and Li Miaomiao finished editing the lessons and uploaded the third martial arts lesson, 'Footwork,' and the fourth martial arts lesson, 'Transfer of Power,' to the Martial Arts Arena.

"The fees are starting," Xu Jingming and Li Miaomiao were both nervous.

Xu Jingming was nervous about whether people would like the detailed Nine Lessons of Martial Arts that he had painstakingly prepared and put so much effort into. What would people think of it?

…

Time passed, and it was already the afternoon of the next day.

At the Life Evolution Bureau, sunlight streamed in through the windows, and the sound of waves lapping against the shore could be faintly heard.

Director Zhou sat at his desk, also watching the various courses in the Martial Arts Arena, all taught by top global experts.

"Although these people are all top experts in the world, most of them fail when it comes to teaching," Director Zhou shook his head as he watched. "But that's to be expected; after all, it's rare to be both strong and good at teaching."

"Liu Hai's paid views have just reached 2 billion, with a rating of 8.7," Director Zhou looked at the data. "Xu Jingming's paid course has been online for less than a day, and it already has 1.2 billion paid views, with a rating of 8.3?"

Director Zhou frowned slightly.

From a personal standpoint, he preferred Xu Jingming's course.

It clearly analyzed the essence of martial arts weapon combat, included practical demonstrations, and had detailed training methods.

"It seems that I overestimated the level of education of people around the world. The level of education in many places, such as African countries and India, is still not high enough. Although the Blue Star Alliance has universal welfare and is working hard to promote education, many people simply refuse to learn even if they are given money," Director Zhou shook his head. "Perhaps Liu Hai's fool-proof teaching, which doesn't talk about the essence but only teaches the simplest training methods, is more appealing to these people?"

"Knock, knock, knock." A knock sounded on the door.

"Come in," Director Zhou said.

The secretary walked in and said, "I just received news that Tiano Xire will be streaming live at 11 p.m. tonight."

"Oh?" Director Zhou raised an eyebrow.

"Judging from the number of paid views, no one else can threaten Xu Jingming and Liu Hai," the secretary said. "But Tiano Xire's influence is no less than that of Liu Hai and Xu Jingming. I guess... in the end, the top three in the overall score ranking will still be these three."

Director Zhou nodded. "Alright, I understand."

The three of them had different live stream times. Xu Jingming was at 9 p.m., Liu Hai was at 10 p.m., and Tiano Xire was at 11 p.m., all spaced apart. The global audience wouldn't need to worry about who to watch.

…

Virtual world.

Pang Ze sat by the window, facing the view of space.

"As expected of Xu Jingming, who I have high hopes for," Pang Ze said as he looked at the course. "He has already begun to analyze martial arts scientifically. With such clear thinking, he can hope to go further in martial arts."

"The people of my hometown will only understand when they truly step into the universe that everything is in accordance with science."

"Martial arts are also in accordance with science," Pang Ze looked at the rating score and shook his head slightly. "He's already explained it so simply, and the rating is only 8.3? There's no way around it; this is ultimately the rating of people around the world, and it's not up to individual will."