The Way of Restraint

Chapter 101: Golden Bell Training – Study, Study, and Study Again

“Impact resistance training consists of three levels: first, muscle hardness; second, bone density and toughness; third, the shock resistance of internal organs and the brain. Only when both the external and internal are trained as one can you achieve the indestructible body.”

“In addition, there are various techniques involving agility and reflexes, which allow you to dodge the moment the strike lands, or to use relaxed breathing to prevent the impact point from concentrating on a single area—thus neutralizing 99% of the shock and penetration.”

“Moreover, the highest-level skill is the cultivation of a sixth sense—an ability to foresee danger before it arrives. With this sense, one can avoid harm before it strikes, achieving a perfect fusion of mind and body, and remain undefeated forever.”

In the training room, under the supervision of Professors Luo and Ma, Su Jie began intensive training in a complete regimen of external hardening techniques: Thirteen Protectors External Training Golden Bell Cover Iron Shirt Dragon-Tiger Vajra Hard Qi Gong.

Odell had named this system the “Thirteen Protectors External Training Golden Bell Cover Iron Shirt Dragon-Tiger Vajra Hard Qi Gong,” which made sense. It included fierce roars like dragon cries and tiger howls and drew on the secret techniques of Shaolin’s Vajra Hard Qi Gong, among other traditions.

Su Jie stripped off all his clothes, leaving not a stitch.

Standing firm, his stance was as steady as a mountain. He imagined himself being struck by ocean waves, scoured by waterfalls, even charged by thousands of soldiers—and yet he remained unmoved.

He pictured himself calm and composed even as Mount Tai crumbled before him.

His muscles swelled across his entire body. His skin was covered with tiny bumps, like steel beads, giving him an intimidating, almost inhuman appearance.

“Now channel your breath and energy throughout your body. Imagine being slashed and stabbed by blades and spears across every inch of your flesh. Imagine yourself as an indestructible iron man. In external hardening, psychological suggestion is critical. It strengthens your defenses and stability. For Golden Bell, the suggestion is that you are encased in an impenetrable bell, fearless and invulnerable. For Iron Shirt, imagine yourself clad in iron armor, charging through all obstacles. The Thirteen Protectors’ approach is to envision yourself as a mighty general, armored and fearless on the battlefield. The deeper the suggestion, the deeper the mastery.”

Master Luo added, “Alright, time to begin the impact routines—self-striking. No one knows your body better than yourself, so once your training reaches a certain depth, it’s best to perform the massage and impact routines solo. This particular sequence was developed by AI at the Typhon Training Camp. While it differs slightly from Odell’s method, it is more scientifically refined.”

Smack smack smack…

On screen, a foreign man, also completely bare, moved with whip-like arms, striking his body in rapid succession—like a storm beating down.

Ordinary people can’t even reach their own back with ease, but high-level yoga practitioners are different; their bodies are as flexible as snakes. Some can even bend their heads through their legs and back around.

Su Jie had already surpassed that kind of flexibility. His arms were more limber than any yogi’s.

Boom!

He inhaled deeply and suddenly exploded into motion—slapping, pressing, ramming, and pounding his body with both arms. Simultaneously, he let out roars and chants: sometimes a tiger’s growl, sometimes a dragon’s cry, sometimes a sharp “Yah!”, and at other times deep sounds like “Om,” “Ma,” “Mi”—similar to esoteric mantras from Tibetan practices.

If anyone else had been present, they might have been scared witless. It looked like a man violently self-harming, as though trying to shatter himself.

“Vocal training helps stabilize the internal organs and ignite energy,” Master Ma explained. “The Golden Bell is also called the Tiger Howl Golden Bell, and Iron Shirt is sometimes referred to as Dragon Roar Iron Shirt. These sounds, released during strikes, help push your power and tension to their limits. Traditional yoga and esoteric Tibetan practices also involve mantras and mudras. The sound vibrations strengthen the organs and deepen psychological immersion. If you imagine yourself as a wolf, then naturally, howling brings the image to life.”

Through relentless self-striking, Su Jie pushed his external training to a new level.

He had previously studied hardening methods with Odell and had understood the principles of sound generation.

However, all of that had focused only on skin, muscle, and bone—it had not penetrated to the internal organs.

Against high-level opponents, a well-placed penetrative strike could cause internal bleeding or brain trauma.

Now his training focused on stabilizing the internal organs, integrating the internal with the external. In particular, his brain’s resilience was significantly enhanced.

This was not just martial arts—it was a complete fitness and conditioning system.

Master Luo had somehow obtained research from the Typhon Training Camp. Combined with his own knowledge, and further developed in collaboration with Master Ma, the system was tested and refined on Su Jie.

Aside from fetal posture sleep training, Su Jie had spent these days immersed in impact conditioning.

In the mornings, Master Ma dragged him to class for studies in psychology and Mayan physiognomy. In the afternoons, Master Luo taught him architecture and feng shui.

Ma was skilled in feng shui but excelled in reading people. Luo also read people, but his true strength lay in geomancy and architectural feng shui. Both had some medical knowledge as well.

One focused on individuals; the other on the environment.

Together, their teachings gave Su Jie broader insights.

But their teaching style was pure force-feeding—rote memorization crammed down his throat.

The material was hard to grasp in a short time, so the only option was to memorize now and digest later.

Zhang Manman studied alongside him, but she started falling behind. She simply couldn’t keep pace with Su Jie.

The winter break soon ended.

Training with Master Ma and Master Luo also wrapped up.

That morning, during class, Ma summarized:

“Mayan physiognomy is the distillation of centuries of observation—it’s really just big data analysis in ancient clothes. When assessing someone, the first thing to observe is their presence. Powerful people carry themselves upright and composed, exuding a natural aura. Ordinary people lack that—they slouch, scatter their energy. Then you look at their face, head, limbs, posture, and physical lines to infer their occupation. It’s no different from how algorithms today track browsing habits to target ads more accurately. Honestly, AI will surpass all fortune-tellers in the future. China’s current supercomputers already lead globally. One hour of their computing equals billions of people calculating for millennia. In martial arts fiction, you have legendary masters creating peerless techniques—soon, AI will outclass them. As for fortune-telling? Algorithms will make ancient seers like Yuan Tiangang, Li Chunfeng, and Liu Bowen look like amateurs.”

Zhang Manman nodded. “Yeah, sometimes I casually mention something to a friend—without ever searching for it online—and next thing I know, I’m getting ads for that exact thing. Especially from Haoyu Group’s platforms. It’s spooky. That’s big data prediction for you.”

“Exactly,” Master Luo added. “Feng shui and architecture are the same—they’re rooted in magnetic fields, psychology, airflow, color, and environment. Heaven, Earth, and Man are one. The harmony between human beings and nature—that’s feng shui. Nature holds countless mysteries we can learn from. That’s the essence of this field. It’s an endless science. I’ve made instructional videos and case studies. Take them and study at your own pace.”

Master Ma also gave Su Jie a hard drive containing his teaching materials.

“Whether it’s physiognomy or feng shui, it all contributes to martial cultivation and personal growth. Curiosity is everything—discovering the unknown and pursuing truth is fun and refreshing. Like they say, ‘If I can understand the Way in the morning, I can die in the evening.’ But that journey must be rooted in physical strength. Without a strong body, all of it is useless,” Master Ma said. “Even great leaders have said that the body is the foundation of revolution, and health is the source of happiness. So whether you study physiognomy or feng shui, always keep your martial training and physical health as your focus. Don’t get lost in the weeds—extract what’s useful and move on.”

“I understand,” Su Jie replied, recognizing Master Ma’s warning not to get obsessed with these disciplines at the expense of martial practice.

All knowledge serves the purpose of sharpening the mind and strengthening the body.

This winter break had been incredibly rewarding. First, he incorporated fetal curling into his “sprawl-sleeping” method, allowing for deeper rest and even evoking a sense of life, death, and rebirth.

Second, he pushed his external training further—beginning internal and neurological shock conditioning. He absorbed and synthesized the core elements of Golden Bell, Iron Shirt, Thirteen Protectors, Dragon-Tiger Vajra, and the Typhon Training Camp’s research on traditional martial arts.

Of course, others couldn’t replicate this training—it required a baseline level of fitness that most lacked.

Had Odell taught him this from day one, Su Jie would’ve died within the hour.

It’s like teaching calculus to a first grader—you start with addition and subtraction.

Back at Minglun Martial Arts Academy, Su Jie had learned the basics—elementary school.

His independent training at Starshine Combat Fitness Club was middle school.

Learning softness from Ma’s crystal ball and tai chi from Old Chen? High school.

This winter break’s training? University-level.

He had finally systematized all his prior skills.

He hadn’t yet broken through to the “Living Dead” stage, but his foundation had deepened, his skills had advanced, and his physical condition had significantly improved.

While other students spent winter break relaxing, gaming, or taking tutoring classes, Su Jie was in a special tutoring class of his own—one taught by Professors Luo and Ma, whose instruction no one else could rival.