147: Chapter 144 Six Harmonies and the Thirteen Spears of Tai Chi

Both of them chose spears as their weapons, though, of course, they were just wooden staves.

Li Changsheng weighed the stave in his hand and nodded with satisfaction. Although it was just a wooden stave, the flexibility of the wood was far superior to that mop he had used earlier. It was made of hard oak used for forging spears, characterized by its hardness and weight, while also possessing resilience.

"Xingyi and Baji Quan both have spear techniques, and they are spear techniques that evolve into fist arts. Not bad, not bad. It seems I'll have to bring out my real skills today."

Master Yang remained optimistic. As a veteran martial artist, he was well aware of the nature of Xingyi and Baji Quan; their spear techniques were undoubtedly the essence of both styles.

"Master Yang, the Taiji Thirteen Spears of your Yang Style Tai Chi are also a very famous spear technique. I hope you will be lenient with me, Master!"

Li Changsheng smiled faintly. This was the way of the world—you scratch my back, and I'll scratch yours; you flatter me, and I'll flatter you.

The Taiji Thirteen Spears were indeed quite famous and had a long Legacy. It was a spear technique evolved from the battlefield, yet it also incorporated the smoothness of Taiji—combining hardness with softness, hiding needles within cotton, and possessing the characteristics of being continuous, flowing like clouds and water.

As the two pointed their spear tips at each other, they tacitly began to probe with their footwork first.

In weapon clashes, footwork is crucial. By combining footwork, body movement, and a sense of distance, one can gradually unleash the power of the weapon.

How well one uses a weapon depends on the footwork.

Master Yang's footwork involved moving his body in constant semicircles, while his steps remained square and precise. It was somewhat similar to the footwork in Wudang Taiji, but with added variations like the 'brush knee and twist step'. Undoubtedly, his body movement and speed were significantly faster than Chen Shixing, whom Li Changsheng had encountered, and possessed even more variation.

It wasn't that Yang Style Tai Chi was stronger than Wudang Taiji; in fact, there wasn't much difference between the two. What was strong was the person himself.

The Taiji step was as light and agile as a cat's, exuding an ethereal beauty. When slow, it was very slow, but when fast, it was as swift as a thunderbolt.

Just like the moment a cat catches a mouse, movement is the essence. And Yang Luchan, the Grandmaster of Taiji, was someone who placed extreme importance on footwork.

This shows that the essence of Taiji lies in the hands, but even more so in the legs.

The feet are the root, the power is generated from the legs, the waist acts as the Dominator, and it is manifested in the hands—only then does it form Taiji!

However, Li Changsheng was faster than him. He started with a probing spear strike—whoosh!

After missing, he suddenly curled his body, retreated, quickly sidestepped twice, and thrust another spear strike toward Master Yang's wrist as he held his spear.

However, this was just a feint. The spear suddenly shook, and it thrust out from the flank. The thrust of the wooden stave brought up a gust of wind, whistling and dull, unlike the explosive sound of fists and kicks, but it carried more deterrence.

With a whip-like flick and a sudden stomp of his legs, his thighs cracked like firecrackers. The ground was affected by this, causing a violent tremor.

The body movement of the Swallow Form, the footwork of the Tiger Form, the fighting style of Baji Quan and Six Harmonies, and the thrusts of the Middle-Flat Spear—a series of power and Move variations flowed like water as Li Changsheng moved and shifted in just a few seconds, without the slightest hesitation.

The ethereal nature of the Swallow Form, the swiftness and ferocity of the Tiger Form, the ruthlessness and dominance of Baji Quan, and the invincible force of the Middle-Flat Spear. Four layers of changes were stacked on top of each other, forming a seamless whole.

This was Li Changsheng's fighting style with weapons: a wave of probing, followed by the speed of a gale, the intensity of a rainstorm, and the violence of thunder.

Once an opportunity was seized, there would be no more hesitation.

"Oh no!" Just as Master Yang was about to respond with his spear, Li Changsheng's spear had already arrived. This time, it was only an inch from his chest, yet the sharp and fierce wind pressure was overwhelming. A violent sense of crisis made every hair on his body stand on end.

At the same time, Li Changsheng's other hand reached out from the flank.

He extended his five fingers, not to strike, but after reaching the limit, he relaxed his fingers, then suddenly curled and closed them.

His five fingers completed the posture of a fist almost instantly, and strands of Qi were suddenly stirred up.

The next moment, a blast of Qi like a thunderclap exploded, and the explosion of air made Master Yang's ears ring slightly.

This was undoubtedly the Palm Thunder that Jiang Wenqiang had used once before.

For Li Changsheng, he could remember any Move variation after just one look, but to reach their level, one had to practice hard continuously.

He had practiced Palm Thunder in private, but not much; mainly because he felt it was difficult to unleash the kind of effect that would shake the eardrums and mind like Jiang Wenqiang.

It wasn't until his Breakthrough in Dark Jin that Li Changsheng tried again, and this time he could do it easily.

This was because after the Breakthrough in Dark Jin, that subtle control over his body allowed him to discover the mysteries of Palm Thunder.

It wasn't an incredibly amazing Move, but when performed at the right moment, it was enough to decide the outcome.

Fortunately, the Palm Thunder was at a greater distance this time, and Master Yang reacted quickly. Facing such a fierce attack, he dared not be negligent and quickly retreated.

Li Changsheng closed in, using a Baji Quan shaking power—immovable as a mountain, moving like a thunderclap—his figure lunged forward, his spear like a Dragon.

The Liuhe Spear can actually also be called the Six-Road Spear, which are: first, Connect; second, Advance; third, Seize; fourth, Coil; fifth, Block; and sixth, Straight.

Master Yang had just retreated when he quickly pressed forward again, following like a shadow. The spear tip in front of him was extremely sharp. Even though it was just a wooden stave, at this moment it was like a real spear, possessing the power of a crossbow waiting to fire in Li Changsheng's hands, like a Tiger crouching and ready to pounce.

It could be said that every spear strike carried killing intent and dominance; if you dare to retreat, I dare to fight and kill!

"This is not giving me a chance to strike! Why is this kid's fighting style so fierce? No, his spear technique seems to have the shadow of the battlefield!"

Facing Li Changsheng's relentless, leech-like offensive, Master Yang was already starting to feel fearful.

The battlefield shadow he was thinking of didn't mean the spear technique was born from the battlefield, as many spear techniques were.

What he meant was that the sharp momentum of Li Changsheng's attack was clearly a style used by someone who had killed with a spear.

Although he hadn't practiced spear techniques as long as sword techniques, he knew that his own spear techniques lacked that killing intent.

Spear techniques are essentially skills born from the battlefield; if they haven't seen blood, they indeed lack some of the essence.

In reality, Li Changsheng didn't intend to fight so fiercely; after all, he had to leave the other party some Face.

However, a distinct feature of Baji Quan is the love for stomping, also known as "shaking foot," which is the aspect of Baji Quan most likely to leave an impression on others. For a hot-blooded young man, this stomp and shake often leads to a feeling of Qi and blood rushing to the head, naturally resulting in a very fierce fight, with ruthless and dominant use of power.

Coupled with the fact that Li Changsheng had truly seen quite a bit of blood with the Liuhe Spear, it was naturally even harder to restrain himself.

However, Master Yang was still very seasoned. Facing Li Changsheng's sharp spear tip, he suddenly arched and contracted his body. Turning around, he twirled the spear, and the spear shaft somehow wrapped around behind his back, horizontally blocking Li Changsheng's spear tip.

This was a Move from the Taiji Thirteen Spears, called "Upward Lift, Sliding Cart, Turning Body."

With the spear shaft held horizontally behind, his hand gripping the end of the spear, the shaft suddenly bent, swishing out like a long whip, and then he quickly turned around, directly changing the Move to "Black Dragon Swings its Tail, Left and Right Defense."