Cangmang Asks the Way 1: Guardian of the Lamp

The ripples caused by the midterm exams had not yet completely subsided on campus, and the heated discussions in front of the honor roll still seemed to linger in our ears. A new, vibrant restlessness began to brew in every corner of Jixian Middle School. The whistles on the playground became more frequent and louder, and during breaks, figures practicing relays and rehearsing the opening ceremony could be seen everywhere.

As autumn deepens and a cool breeze blows, it seems to be clearing the way for this grand gathering of youth. When the last trace of heated discussion about rankings is completely drowned out by the stirring melody of the athletes' march, the day of the county-wide middle school autumn sports meet has officially arrived.

That day, the golden October sun shone brightly on the square in front of the Jixian Sports School. Red flags fluttered in the square, and the air was filled with the roar of voices. The Jixian Middle School Autumn Sports Meet had opened here. The dirt track was clearly marked with lime lines, and thousands of people sat around it, their eyes focused on the cement-built rostrum. The loudspeakers played the stirring athletes' march, and the air was filled with the dry smell of sun-baked earth and the restless energy of youth.

When the host announced, "Athlete representative—Cang Tianci, a student from the Junior Class of Jixian Middle School, will come to the stage to take the oath," all eyes instantly focused on the boy who stepped out from the athletes' ranks. He was wearing a blue tracksuit and stood tall and straight. But when he walked to the microphone and faced the dense crowd below and countless scrutinizing and curious eyes, immense pressure washed over him like a tangible wave.

The microphone amplified his slightly rapid breathing. He opened his mouth, but the oath he had rehearsed countless times stuck in his throat, unable to utter a single sound. A slight commotion and whispers began to rise from the audience.

"Look, it's him, the top scholar in both the civil and military examinations..." "What's wrong? Are you scared stiff?" "Are you nervous? There are so many people..."

Sweat beaded on his forehead. He felt his cheeks burning, his heart pounding so hard it felt like it would burst from his chest. Just as the buzzing was about to turn into a mocking wave, he abruptly closed his eyes.

Focus your mind on your dantian! The hibernating dragon returns to its hiding place!

He forcefully pulled his consciousness back from the chaos of the outside world, sinking into the quiet place within his heart, nurtured by countless nights of hard study and sweat. The clamor of the outside world quickly faded, becoming distant and blurry. In the darkness, he seemed to return to the icy pond in Xiqiao Village, the suffocation and despair he felt when Wang Yaowu pushed him into the water; in an instant, the scene shifted to the foot of Eagle Cliff, where his master Chen Jiren's gaze was as calm as still water as he manipulated silver needles; finally, the image settled on his father, Cang Zhenye, hunched over, slowly raising his mud-covered thumb to him in the scorching sun of the paddy field… All those humility, hardships, kindness, and hopes converged into a quiet yet powerful torrent, breaching the tense dam. When he opened his eyes again, his gaze was calm and clear.

"Teachers..." The first syllable was slightly hesitant, but the rest of the sentence became increasingly fluent and powerful, "Teachers, students, good morning! On behalf of all the athletes, I hereby swear..."

His voice, amplified by the loudspeaker, resonated clearly throughout every corner of the square. When he solemnly uttered "The oath-taker is a gift from heaven," he felt not only the completion of a task, but also a farewell to the past and a response to all expectations.

After a brief silence, the entire audience erupted in enthusiastic and sustained applause. The applause felt like a warm current washing over him. He bowed deeply, turned, and walked off the stage with steady steps.

After the opening ceremony, the competition officially began. When the announcement came over the loudspeaker, "Cang Tianci, please proceed to the 100-meter sprint check-in area," the students all rushed to the side of the track.

Cang Tianci stood on his track, slightly bent over, focusing intently on warming up his ankles and wrists. He then did several high knees and stretching exercises to keep his muscles in optimal condition. His warm-up was fluid and professional, a stark contrast to the few students next to him who were just casually jumping around.

"Tianci, go for it!" the students shouted. Song Wei waved her fist: "Tianci, bring back first place!" Wang Xiuzhu and Lin Wanqing followed him closely, their eyes full of concern.

Hearing his classmates' encouragement, Cang Tianci raised his head and gave them a calm and confident smile.

"On your marks—" the referee commanded. Cang Tianci immediately composed himself, bowed slightly, and crouched down like a predator before its prey. His fingertips touched the rough cinder track, and the Hidden Dragon Technique quietly activated as he felt the solid power from the ground beneath his feet and the surging energy gathering in his muscles.

"Ready—" Bang! The starting gun fired crisply, like a sharp command, instantly severing all distractions. His body was released like a fully drawn bow, the powerful push sending up a slight spray of coal dust beneath his feet. The whistling wind and the strong, rhythmic thumping of his heart filled his ears; he could even clearly perceive every muscle contraction and relaxation, every breath and step perfectly coordinated. This was an unprecedented sense of control, as if his body was no longer a burden, but the most precise instrument. When he overtook his opponent, he felt not the excitement of competition, but a calm certainty of his own strength. In this pure burst of speed, he vaguely touched upon a "principle" different from, yet subtly connected to, martial arts power—abandoning all complex variations, concentrating all will and strength into a single line, charging straight forward, unstoppable.

Amidst cheers and shouts of excitement, he crossed the finish line first without any doubt, easily breaking the county middle school sports meet record.

The same was true in the long jump. The feeling of the wind brushing against his cheek during the run-up, the tremendous rebound force from his feet at the moment of takeoff, the brief feeling of weightlessness in the air, and the soft touch of the sandpit upon landing... every detail was imprinted on his senses with unparalleled clarity. The result was equally predictable; he once again set a new long jump record at the Jixian Middle School Games.

The physical education teachers gathered around the report card, excitedly discussing: "That explosive power! That sense of rhythm!" "With proper training, he could be a star in the National Games!" "I heard he's also the provincial Wushu Sanda champion? His physical attributes are so well-rounded!"

Only Cang Tianci himself knew that this transformation was not innate, but rather stemmed from his master Chen Jiren at the foot of Eagle Cliff, who used silver needles, medicinal stones, and the Hidden Dragon Technique to cleanse his marrow and unleash his potential. It was his master who sculpted this "innately deficient" stubborn rock into a rough gem that was beginning to show its brilliance.

The sports meet was in progress into the afternoon of the second day. The boys' 1500-meter race for the first-year junior high students was about to begin. Cang Tianci and Wang Yaowu from the junior class, along with other athletes, stood attentively on the starting line, waiting for the starting signal.

The sports meet was in progress into the afternoon of the second day. The boys' 1500-meter race for the first year of junior high school was about to begin. The autumn sun was still blazing, its rays scorching the cinder track and sending up a dry, scorching dusty smell.

Cang Tianci, Wang Yaowu, and the other athletes stood bowed on the starting line, intently awaiting the starting signal. Cang Tianci's gaze inadvertently swept over Wang Yaowu beside him, noticing his unusually flushed face, his heavier and more rapid breathing than the others, and the slightly bulging veins on his neck. The keen senses granted by the Hidden Dragon Technique allowed Cang Tianci to detect the restless and disordered "qi" emanating from the other man. He frowned slightly, but the starting gun was about to fire, leaving him no time to think further.

With a bang, the starting gun fired, and Wang Yaowu, as if injected with adrenaline, charged forward with fierce determination, seemingly wanting to establish an advantage from the very beginning and overwhelm Cang Tianci. Cang Tianci, on the other hand, followed at his own pace, leisurely trailing behind the leading group.

However, long-distance running is not just about speed, but also about endurance and rhythm. After one lap, Wang Yaowu's reckless tactics began to backfire. He was drenched in sweat, his breathing became heavy and erratic, his face turned from red to white, and his steps began to falter. By the second lap, he had already been overtaken by several other runners.

Conversely, Cang Tianci ran like a machine at a constant speed, his rhythm perfectly steady, and he even began to gradually increase his speed. By the halfway point of the third lap, he was already almost a lap ahead of Wang Yaowu, and the championship was within reach.

Just then, a sudden change occurred! Wang Yaowu, who was not far ahead of Cang Tianci and almost lapped by him, felt his chest heaving violently like a broken bellows. His vision began to blur and black out, and all he could hear was his own thunderous heartbeat and heavy, desperate breathing. "No... I can't lose... I absolutely can't let him overtake me... Even if I die... I'll die before him..." A crazy and obsessive thought, like the last surge of adrenaline, supported him as he squeezed out the last bit of strength to try to accelerate, but this final struggle completely broke down his body's defenses. He felt a sudden darkness before his eyes, as if all the sounds of the world had been instantly sucked away. Then, the world spun, and he fell straight forward, crashing heavily onto the track! His body convulsed due to inertia, and then he completely lost consciousness.

A boy following closely behind was startled and quickly went around him, continuing to run forward.

"Someone has fainted!"

"Something's happened! Quick, find a teacher!"

Chaos erupted instantly. Cang Tianci's left foot had just crossed the curve mark, and the finish line was gleaming white fifty meters ahead. His body was still propelled forward by inertia, but his eyes were already locked onto the figure lying prone on the ground—Wang Yaowu's limbs were twitching unnaturally, his face buried in coal dust, his expression unreadable.

In that instant, time seemed to stretch out.

He heard his own heavy breathing, his heart pounding in his chest, and Teacher Xu's anxious shouts from the stands. More fragments of memory flooded back: Wang Yaowu's sinister grin as he pushed him into the pond, Zhao Xiaohu's grotesque imitation of his stuttering face, his father's thumbs-up on the edge of the field, his master patting his shoulder and saying, "In this mortal world, it's all about asking your own heart..."

Champion. Record. Proof.

These words flashed through his mind, carrying a burning temptation. Just thirty more seconds, and he would be a triple crown winner, completely shattering the prejudice that "martial arts are not cultured."

But the convulsing body on the ground was getting cold.

Nothing could be more real than this.

His ankle twisted violently, the sole of his shoe scraping against the cinders with a harsh screech. He abruptly stopped, turned, and charged toward the enemy who had once bullied him and nearly killed him.