143: Chapter 140 Afraid of beating someone to death

"By the way, you still don't know why this martial arts gym is called Zhirou Martial Arts Club, right?"

"Does this name have some special significance?"

Li Changsheng asked suspiciously.

"Naturally, it has significance." Zhang Youdao paused slightly before continuing, "The so-called 'Zhirou', actually refers to the ultimate softness in martial arts. It's about practicing relaxation and control; how much you relax determines how much you sink, and ultimate softness means knowing the degree of relaxation!"

"Furthermore, the mastery of kung fu lies beyond words. Once you reach relaxation, you have attained the practice. Some things change within your gut; it's not just a matter of daily practice, but the passage of time."

"It can be considered a perfect interpretation of Yang Style Tai Chi, hence the name."

"So that's how it is." Li Changsheng nodded. Listening to it like this, it actually made quite a bit of sense.

"By the way, kid, do you want to go down and spar? That Zhang Ahai down there has been practicing Yang Style Tai Chi for eight years. He is considered the Senior Brother among the third-generation Disciples here. His 'Parting the Wild Horses Mane' has reached its essence, and he is at the Visible Power level—he's a perfect match for you.

It just so happens that I, this old man, want to see what you are made of now."

Zhang Youdao looked at Li Changsheng with a smile, anticipating him going down to show his skills.

After all, he had watched Li Changsheng's kung fu grow, so he was quite expectant.

However, Li Changsheng hesitated for a moment and then shook his head.

"What? Do you think you can't win?"

Seeing this, Zhang Youdao was suspicious.

That's not right. Even if this kid lacked practical combat experience before and was a bit lacking compared to Zhang Ahai, his temperament was usually quite bold. Why was he acting cowardly now?

"Don't have any psychological pressure, kid. It's just a friendly spar. With me watching, they won't make things too difficult for you." Zhang Youdao thought Li Changsheng was afraid of losing face.

After all, a student with eight years of foundation trained by veteran Taiji masters, who is also the Senior Brother of the third-generation Disciples here, has undeniable strength. Even some second-generation Disciple instructors here might not necessarily be able to beat Zhang Ahai.

"That's not it!" Li Changsheng shook his head, then lowered his voice, "I'm afraid I'll kill him."

...

Hmm?

Zhang Youdao stood frozen in place. After a long while, he stared blankly at Li Changsheng.

"What nonsense are you spouting, kid? What do you think Taiji is? His force is integrated as one; you really think your amateur skills can kill him?"

Realizing what was said, Zhang Youdao immediately became annoyed. He hadn't seen the kid for a few days, and while he didn't know if his other skills had improved, his arrogance had certainly grown quite a bit.

"Elder Zhang, I'm really not spouting nonsense." Li Changsheng looked helpless and sighed, "If it were other styles of martial arts, I naturally wouldn't worry about killing someone.

But Yang Style Tai Chi is integrated as one. If I want to break his defense, I have to use my real skills. This... I'm truly afraid that if I don't pull back my force, I might kill him."

This was Li Changsheng's honest thought. After all, the characteristics of Yang Style Tai Chi are very similar to Wudang Taiji.

He didn't have this concern when fighting Daoist Priest Chen. After all, at that time, Daoist Priest Chen and he didn't have much difference in technique, and their strength was roughly equal.

As long as the other party could defend in time, and he tried his best to restrain himself, nothing would go wrong.

It was mainly because he felt Daoist Priest Chen had decent strength.

Even so, Daoist Priest Chen almost died because he couldn't fully dissipate the force. As for this guy...

It's not that Li Changsheng is bragging; the gap is indeed quite large. If it were a veteran master with over ten years of experience, it would be fine.

This guy is still a bit lacking in experience.

"You kid, your tone is quite arrogant now. Don't look at Zhang Ahai as being a bit thin and weak; he is a genuine Visible Power expert."

Zhang Youdao shook his head, feeling vaguely that something was wrong.

The Li Changsheng of the past was arrogant too, but never this arrogant. So, which part went wrong?

"That... that! Yang Fan! Come here!" Zhang Youdao suddenly beckoned to a middle-aged man who was standing alone in a corner not far away, pacing back and forth with his hands behind his back.

This middle-aged man looked to be in his forties. He wasn't tall, but his frame was thick, his build was solid, and he was slightly stout. However, his gaze and temperament were very sharp, possessing that spirit of the older generation of martial artists who always stand straight and full of energy.

With just one glance, Li Changsheng felt that this person was likely the type with a rigid personality, very serious about how he lived and did things.

Seeing the old man beckon, the other party nodded. Then, without hurrying, he walked up the stairs with his hands still behind his back, looking straight ahead, his brows constantly furrowed.

It seemed his mind was still occupied with very serious matters.

"Elder Zhang!"

Yang Fan nodded seriously, looking straight ahead, not even glancing at Li Changsheng beside him.

"Little Yang, you, the Senior Brother of the second-generation Disciples, can't just watch the students all the time. You can't let your own skills go to waste!" Elder Zhang spoke with a hint of reprimand.

He certainly had the qualifications to say that here.

After all, this Yang Fan was the youngest son of Old Master Yang and also the master of Martin and these third-generation Disciples.

Old Master Yang had eight sons in total. Three died in the war, and three died in the Gang skirmishes when they first arrived here.

One had passed away due to illness, and this youngest son was the nominal Master Yang here now.

In fact, Old Master Yang still had over twenty first-generation Disciples, but most of these people were in Gangs, and some had died. Now fewer than three remained, and they all held high positions.

These were all things mentioned during the earlier conversation between Old Master Yang, Elder Zhang, and Li Changsheng, so when Li Changsheng heard the name, he knew the person's identity.

"Elder Zhang, this Junior still maintains at least two hours of martial arts practice every day. As the successor to the Master Yang, I dare not slack off in the slightest." Yang Fan, Master Yang, was as serious as ever.

But these words left Elder Zhang somewhat speechless.

"Ahem, but one must also spar..."

"Elder Zhang, this Junior spars with the instructors in the club every day for half an hour, without fail." Master Yang said solemnly, with his hands behind his back and looking straight ahead.

Er...

Elder Zhang coughed lightly again and waved his hand, saying, "Why not practice a bit today? I happen to have a young man here who wants to witness Yang Style Tai Chi. Why don't the two of you spar?"

"Hmm! We can do it now." Master Yang nodded, still very simple and straightforward.

Seeing this, Elder Zhang breathed a sigh of relief. One couldn't beat around the bush with this little Yang; the kid was straightforward.

Li Changsheng was stunned listening from the side; he didn't expect Master Yang to agree so readily.

But thinking about it, it was normal.

If this were other martial arts styles, it certainly wouldn't be this simple. After all, one would have to consider if their strength was comparable. If it were a real, full-force sparring match, killing someone by accident would be a high-probability event.

But with Taiji, there weren't so many concerns. As long as the practitioners of Taiji were confident enough and had enough strength, they had the confidence not to kill anyone.

Conversely, someone like Li Changsheng, who didn't come from a Taiji background, had to be cautious when deciding on every sparring match.