Wizard: I have ten trillion nanomachines

So-called martial arts techniques are actually nothing magical, and this is the same in both the first and second lives.

They can be categorized by region (Southern Fist, Northern Leg), by function (Health Preservation Fist, Combat Fist), or by weapon (Unarmed Fist, Weapon Fist), etc.

But what best reflects the cultivation of martial arts is the distinction between internal and external aspects.

"Internal" refers to internal martial arts, while "external" refers to external martial arts.

External martial arts emphasize physical strength, speed, and techniques, with complete routines passed down through generations. They balance the aesthetic appeal and practicality of the moves, and some schools also incorporate traditional health preservation concepts.

While removing the ornamental and performative moves, external martial arts retained only the core techniques. After integrating modern competitive rules and scientific training, it was given a new name: Sanda (Chinese kickboxing).

As for internal martial arts, they are not difficult to understand once explained clearly.

The human body is inherently wondrous, with countless intricate tissues and organs interlocking and working in concert. It is the dwelling place of consciousness in the material world and the primary tool for humankind to accomplish all its activities.

As long as human consciousness cannot exist independently of this physical body, how to maintain and efficiently use this body will be the primary issue throughout human survival and life.

Internal martial arts, in essence, is a set of "disciplines" for exploring human potential and optimizing the efficiency of bodily use.

After in-depth research, it was found that the various principles and training methods are not unspeakable metaphysics, but can be thoroughly explained with clear physiological and medical knowledge. Their effects on strengthening the body and improving athletic ability can withstand the most objective tests.

Humans evolved from ancient apes, and there is no fundamental difference between this generation of humans and the previous two generations.

Luo Kunlun sometimes wondered if, in a time so distant as to be untraceable, the ancestors of the people of this world might have also been covered in fur, crawling on all fours, hunting and raiding in the forests and grasslands.

The body back then must have had a completely different state of movement than it does now.

Tigers and leopards, which walk on all fours, have a skeletal structure that resembles a natural arch bridge.

The spine acts as a sturdy bridge structure, while the four strong legs on the ground are like four stable piers. The internal organs in the abdominal cavity are cleverly suspended above the spine by a fine and tough fascial network, which is both stable and can cushion impacts.

When tigers and leopards run to hunt, their entire body moves around the spine, especially the lumbar spine, which twists and turns like a fully drawn bow, releasing an astonishing burst of power in an instant. The limbs then coordinate with the movement, and almost all the large muscle groups in the torso participate, maximizing the transmission of power. Every pounce is precise and swift.

In contrast, the humanoid form, from the perspective of its movement structure, was also adapted to a crawling mode with all four legs on the ground.

Just like gorillas, which are closely related to humans, they are in no way inferior to tigers and leopards in terms of fighting power, and have an innate advantage over humans in terms of strength and load-bearing capacity.

But everything changed when our ancestors began to walk upright.

The suspension structure based on the thoracic spine has gradually replaced the arch-bridge structure based on the lumbar spine. This is an inevitable evolution and a choice made after weighing the pros and cons.

In order to use tools more effectively, humans also gained greater endurance and intelligence. From this perspective, human evolution is correct.

The spine, which was originally a stable beam parallel to the ground with four supports, has become an isolated pillar perpendicular to the ground, relying solely on the sacrum as a fulcrum, greatly reducing its stability.

The weight of the rib cage and pelvis has changed from being a balanced burden on the entire spine to localized pressure on the cervical and lumbar vertebrae. To adapt to this new stress pattern, the spine has gradually evolved an "S"-shaped physiological curve.

In order to prevent this unstable new structure from collapsing while standing and moving, humans have gradually developed a set of self-reinforcing methods over hundreds of thousands of years of evolution.

Firstly, by tightening the joints and muscles near the Dazhui acupoint, the entire torso is "suspended" upwards, as if being pulled by an invisible thread, so that the person does not fall down again when walking.

However, this raises the body's center of gravity significantly, concentrating it mostly in the chest and throat area, making it easy to lean forward, backward, or sideways.

To maintain balance, the muscles and ligaments in the shoulder joint area have to be constantly tense. Over time, neck and shoulder pain has become a common problem for adults.

At the same time, the breathing pattern also changes.

Primarily relying on chest breathing restricts the amount of air entering the lungs, making it impossible to fully exchange gases.

When the body cavity changes from being parallel to the ground to being perpendicular to the ground, the weight of the internal organs is concentrated downwards, and the internal pressure borne by the abdominal cavity increases significantly.

This is also one of the main reasons why many adults can easily develop a large belly without paying attention.

Secondly, there are the muscle fibers and ligaments around the pelvis, including the muscles in the waist, abdomen, and buttocks.

To provide more stable support for the spine, these muscles and ligaments remain in a contracted state for a long time, and over time, they become short, thick, and strong.

Like a sturdy support, it firmly supports the abdominal and pelvic cavities below the diaphragm of the torso, sharing the weight-bearing pressure in the Dazhui area.

However, this "reinforcement" also brought side effects.

The ligaments of the major joints of the lower limbs and trunk, especially the hip joint, become short, thick and stiff due to long-term contraction. This makes the pelvis and thigh bone seem to be locked together, making them inflexible and restricting the range of motion of the limbs.

Thirdly, there is the functional change of the spine itself, which has transformed from an engine into a load-bearing column, reducing its flexibility and vitality, and becoming the weakest link in the human musculoskeletal system most prone to problems.

These three reinforcement methods, through hundreds of thousands of years of natural selection and strengthening, have made human movement patterns increasingly focused on the power of the limbs, while the spine and waist and abdomen are more often just tightened into a stable base to provide support for the movement of the limbs.

This leads to a significant reduction in the amount of movement in the human torso.

Insufficient trunk activity means that the organs inside and outside the body cavity do not receive adequate exercise and massage, which slows down the efficiency of metabolism. As a result, many metabolic wastes and "garbage" tend to accumulate in the muscles, blood vessels and organs of the body cavity, making the trunk more prone to aging.

To change this trend, the human skeletal structure should be restored as close as possible to that of animals, which is known as internal martial arts.

It is not about returning people to a primitive state of walking on all fours, but about restoring the original movement abilities that the human body should have, in terms of flexibility and power transmission efficiency, based on upright walking.

It involves training the major joints of the human body, such as the wrist, elbow, shoulder, neck, chest, waist, hip, knee, and ankle, which are the "pivots" of movement.

In the postnatal movement pattern, each joint acts like a lock, "sealing" a part of the body's movement ability.

Internal martial arts have developed a method to "unlock" these joints and release their corresponding mobility in response to this situation.

Related exercises include wrist rotation, elbow rolling, shoulder shaking, arm washing, waist rinsing, waist rotation, hip opening, hip shifting, groin lifting, knee rubbing, ankle twisting, toe tugging, etc.

With proper training, a series of changes will occur in the biomechanical structure of the major joints in the human body.

The new human joint system is called "Nine Curves in a Row" in Tai Chi and "Nine Palaces Return to One" in Baguazhang.

To quote a great man, "Civilize the mind, toughen the body."

"It's a pity that no matter how much you practice, you'll end up like those masters who have honed their skills to the bone, making them as free as tigers hunting their prey, capable of killing with a single bullet."

"No, we don't even need guns. Two or three ordinary people with sharpened wooden spears will suffice."

Ultimately, the evolutionary arms race ended once ancient apes learned to throw stones!

In his memory, this is what the guide said to Luo Kunlun.

However, these things become useful in this world.

Because of the existence of knights, these more subtle physical training techniques can come in handy.

According to calculations, while a novice knight could be easily killed by a spear or impaled by a barrage of spears, ordinary sword and blade strikes could only cause minor injuries.

A medium-sized knight has a flesh density of 1.3 grams per cubic centimeter, with muscle texture as clear as steel cables, a firm feel, and a subcutaneous structure similar to a buffer layer.

Its bone density is close to that of ivory, and the interior of the skeleton has a dense, honeycomb-like structure.

A handgun bullet only causes minor injuries like cuts and bruises; a rifle bullet must hit a vital organ to kill.

These conclusions are drawn from data. In terms of physical strength, a strong enough knight is not afraid of melee weapons and pistols.

Moreover, this is just a matter of taking the hits and enduring them; the Cavaliers also have a speed advantage.

A mid-level knight can sprint 100 meters in about 6 seconds. When moving, he can create a blurry afterimage. No matter how powerful the gun is, it is useless if you can't hit it.

There is also an advantage in reaction speed, although the improvement is small, it is still an improvement nonetheless.

Above that, there are even faster and stronger high-ranking knights.

Lokunlun estimated that if the High Knights were fully armed and faced off against lightly armed troops, they could easily withstand half a World War II-era infantry battalion head-on.

Guerrilla warfare and decapitation strikes are even more ruthless, potentially disrupting even a small country.

All of the above, combined with the functions of nanomachines, form the training system of a boxer and a knight.

Bone sinking and gathering Qi into the bones increases bone density.

Strengthen and train joints, and realign bone joints.

That is, the connection between the two bones should be as stable as the "mortise and tenon" structure in traditional woodworking.

Then there's the term "tendon," which is the collective name for all the ligaments, tendons, and fascia in the body.

Although the names are different, the nature is the same.

Muscles and bones together form the basic physical framework of a martial artist.

When the myofascia is strong, it can connect multiple muscles located in different parts of the body, forming an elastic chain.

Bones rely on tendons to maintain posture, and tendons rely on bones for support.

With bones as beams and pillars, and tendons as connectors... the final structure forms a frame, which is the framework that supports the body.

Among them, the triangular structure of the pile frame is the most typical because it is the most stable and has strong impact resistance.

This makes Luo Kunlun's body structure more robust and stronger, and his ability to withstand pressure is greater.

The internal joints move with the precision of gears in a clock, down to the millimeter, resulting in a stable and strong overall body structure.

Simply put, Lokunlun's flesh and bones were trained to be stronger and tougher than those of other knights of the same level!

All of this requires Luo Kunlun to perform a kind of polishing and lubrication process while adjusting and strengthening the nanomachines.

One is a body forged through hardship and sculpting, while the other relies on sophisticated machinery to become stronger and faster.