145: Chapter 142 Xingyi and Taiji (Part 2)

Having been in the trade for over half a year, Li Changsheng had come to understand quite a few of the old generation's rules.

For instance, there was a rule for opening a martial arts gym: one must accept sparring for three years, which in reality meant accepting all kinds of challenges.

To put it bluntly, if you don't even have the skills, why open a shop?

The martial arts gyms in Chinatown were even more particular about the old generation's rules.

Therefore, when Master Yang inherited the position of gym master from Old Master Yang, he must have undergone all sorts of challenges.

The challenges were nothing more than the other gyms in Chinatown; because everyone had quite a bit of interaction and close relationships, these challenges naturally wouldn't be to the death, but a proper, honorable fight to exchange a few moves was certainly necessary.

To be able to withstand such tests, how could Master Yang have secured his position as gym master if he didn't have real skills?

If this were during the Republic of China era, opening a gym in a place like Tianjin would require registration at the National Martial Arts Institute.

If the person in charge wanted to test your skills, you would inevitably have to pass that hurdle, and there were some ruthless people in there.

After Elder Zhang finished speaking, Master Yang cupped his hands in a salute.

Seeing this, Li Changsheng, realizing belatedly, hurriedly cupped his hands and bowed.

"Yang Fan, Yang Style Tai Chi, student of Yang Pu!"

Seeing this, Li Changsheng also hurriedly cupped his hands and said, "Li Changsheng, Xingyi Sect, Baji Quan, student of..."

At this point, Li Changsheng froze in embarrassment.

Master Yang was doing things by the book.

In the past, for sparring or challenges, one had to announce their affiliation, especially in sparring; if you didn't announce your affiliation, it meant you hadn't completed your training.

If you go to challenge someone's gym, what's the meaning of that? Did your master agree to it?

Furthermore, if the School you announce is different from the martial arts you use, are you an imposter? And so on...

This was all about the distinction between having a legitimate lineage and being nameless.

If you have no legitimate lineage, why should anyone fight you?

"Ahem! Little Yang, Changsheng is mostly self-taught, but I've taught him a few moves, so count him as my student." Zhang Youdao hurriedly smoothed things over.

After all, in this circle, things still needed to be done formally.

Seeing this, Li Changsheng hurriedly took the hint and said, "Li Changsheng, Xingyi Sect, Baji Quan, student of Zhang Youdao!"

After hearing the School Li Changsheng announced, Yang Fan's eyes narrowed slightly; this was the benefit of announcing one's affiliation.

For experienced practitioners, this meant both sides knew each other's background, and they both began to consider how to fight.

In fact, this match still had some aspects that didn't conform to the rules.

For example, friendly sparring exchanges were supposed to be master against master, student against student.

To challenge a gym, one had to defeat the students first before being qualified to challenge the master; one could not simply challenge the students.

Also, when someone with a known School went to compete, a master could not directly fight someone else's student.

For those without a School who didn't follow the rules, most gyms would beat them out with fists or sticks.

There were many such customs, but times had changed, and for now, everyone tacitly agreed not to dwell on these points.

However, it was certain that this time, Yang Fan would absolutely not hold back too much; if Li Changsheng's strength was weak, he would definitely beat Li Changsheng until he was bedridden for a while.

Zhang Youdao's Face wouldn't be enough to spare him; these were the rules.

The two of them struck their stances, and at the beginning, they both tacitly agreed to test each other with their fists and feet first.

Everyone watched with great interest, but seeing the two circling slowly without starting to fight, they all frowned slightly.

Out of respect for the fact that the gym master was on the stage, nobody said anything.

At this moment, seeing that the Junior Li Changsheng hadn't moved for a long time, Yang Fan made his move.

His movement was like a thunderbolt.

With a grunt from his nose, his whole body acted like a rapidly compressed spring, darting several meters in an instant, arriving right before Li Changsheng, and he lashed out with a backhand whip strike.

This move was called the Tai Chi Single Whip.

As his arm and body rubbed against the air, a loud whistling sound erupted, as if an iron whip had suddenly accelerated and swung over, whipping up waves of air and powerful wind that made the sleeves of those nearby flap loudly.

As the whip strike lashed out, Bang! A crisp, explosive sound was exceptionally clear, as if he were holding a steel cannon detonating in the air.

It was exceptionally fierce and violent, emphasizing an unstoppable force.

Tai Chi is the softest, yet when used in a fight, it is the most fierce!

Softness breeds hardness; the softer one is, the harder the strike becomes.

Why else would they say Tai Chi must be relaxed? When you reach the ultimate level of relaxation, and you tense up, that is the ultimate level of hardness!

The students watching from the side were stunned.

What was going on? Wasn't this just a training match where an elder gives pointers to a Junior?

Why did it have the Aura of someone trying to kill?

With this kind of power, no one doubted that if this whip landed, it could bend steel bars.

Although Yang Fan didn't talk much and didn't look like a particularly clever person, he knew very well that since Elder Zhang had specifically asked him to spar with a Junior, this person must have some real skills, so he didn't hold back in his first move.

If he couldn't even block this move and ended up with broken bones, then the hospitalization would just be a lesson for the kid.

Facing such a fierce strike, Li Changsheng did not dodge or evade.

He sank his waist and planted his feet, stepping out with an explosive surge of strength.

As his foot made contact with the floor, it seemed as if the ground sank in a bit, and a layer of subtle, visible ripples radiated from his feet.

This kind of ring had a certain degree of flexibility, so although this step didn't leave a footprint, everyone could see the screws at the four corners of the ring vibrating incessantly, with many shaking loose.

Li Changsheng clenched his hands into fists, pivoted his hip joint, and lashed out with a Xingyi Five Elements Crossing Fist, matching the whip with a horizontal strike.

The moment the Xingyi Fist Crossing Fist exerted force, it involved the feet stomping, legs pushing, hips rotating, the spine stretching and bowing for support, leading with the shoulder, driving the elbow, and urging the hand, until the power was released.

The power of the Crossing Fist surged horizontally, which was clearly different from the Crushing Fist.

Moreover, the Crossing Fist emphasized the two energies of the Dragon and the Tiger.

Among them, the hip energy was the Tiger, which governed horizontal force, and the spinal energy was the Dragon, which governed vertical force.

The Dragon and Tiger energies converged, like a torrent lashing out sideways, perfectly neutralizing the whip strike.

Bang!

With one strike, he parried the fierce whip strike, and both sides stepped back.

Seeing this, Master Yang was slightly stunned, then nodded in approval.

This was just a test.

Since Li Changsheng truly had real skills, he could now unleash his full potential.

As soon as the two separated, Master Yang's whole body swayed, his feet dug fiercely into the ground, and his legs stepped continuously without a moment's pause.

Knowing that Li Changsheng had the confidence to trade blows with him, he naturally had no more reservations.

He raised both hands, and his arms lashed out continuously like an unending storm.

His Tai Chi Thirteen Whips were incredibly skillful, and his fighting style emphasized a seamless flow; his arms were like steel whips, fierce and violent.

When Master Yang swung his arms, they were still quite a distance from the ground, yet the whistling wind already struck the floor, and from time to time, one could hear the sound of whips cracking against the ground.

It was as if invisible long whips of wind were lashing the ground.

It is said that some Grandmasters of martial arts in the past could practice their strikes several feet away from the ground and still see dust rising from the floor.

This gives a glimpse of how speed, power, and explosiveness were all pushed to the extreme.

Although Master Yang's momentum was not quite there yet, it already carried a hint of that Aura.

Facing this barrage, Li Changsheng was unhurried.

He used the fierce Tiger Form to pounce and leap continuously; amidst the domineering, reckless charge, there was also the subtle power of a plow turning soil.

At the same time, he mixed in horizontal and vertical force, launching a fierce attack that contained hidden killing intent within its subtlety.

In terms of speed, Xingyi was actually slightly superior to Tai Chi.

However, among some experienced Tai Chi practitioners, Tai Chi's speed was not slow at all, especially with experienced combat veterans who could always control the frequency just right, reducing the gaps in their attacks.

Like Master Yang before him, these Tai Chi Thirteen Whips were also known as the Tai Chi Thirteen Forms, and the Yang family had also comprehended a set of Yang Family Thirteen Blades from these thirteen forms.

At this moment, these thirteen whips were like those thirteen blades; every whip strike and attack was like a blade slashing down, and his turning and parrying movements were like a windmill.

Watching the two of them fight, with a scene more intense than any movie, the students and even the instructors were stunned.

The students just thought it was very exciting, like an action blockbuster.

But the instructors who could see the underlying techniques were all looking solemn.

Good heavens, every move they made was aimed at killing!

But who exactly was this Li Changsheng?

Their own gym master had started using lethal skills.

The group of instructors was a bit confused, not understanding what form this competition had taken.

You couldn't call it a training match, and sparring seemed unlikely, not when they were fighting like this.

Could it be a challenge to the gym?

But that didn't seem right either; this Mr. Li was brought by Elder Zhang, and Elder Zhang was considered half of their own, and there was no way one of their own would sabotage them.

So what was really going on?

Then who knew the ins and outs of this now?

Elder Zhang certainly knew, but they definitely couldn't ask the old man...

In an instant, Martin realized that a group of instructors who were already usually serious were now all glaring at him fiercely.