249: Chapter 246 Li Jinglin and Yu Chenghui

"Brother Li, why did you only just arrive!"

A familiar voice came from the side; it was unmistakably Zhang Zhao.

At this moment, Zhang Zhao was accompanied by someone, a middle-aged Asian face, who should also be like Lux.

Seeing that Zhang Zhao had been here for a while, Li Changsheng knew this guy definitely hadn't read the contract carefully.

"Come, come, it's really interesting here; it encompasses almost all the various schools of Xia Kingdom fist arts and martial arts."

Zhang Zhao enthusiastically pulled Li Changsheng over.

Immediately, he pointed to a young man not far away holding a sword and smiled: "See that? Master Yu's swordsmanship. I didn't expect to see Master Yu's swordsmanship here."

"Master Yu? Which Master Yu?"

"The Master Yu known as the Sword Saint of the contemporary era, you don't even know Master Yu? But this kid's Mantis Sword technique clearly still lacks seasoning; it's not fast enough, nor fierce enough, and he's too fond of remaining on the surface."

As he spoke, Zhang Zhao shook his head.

Li Changsheng realized who this "Master Yu" was—Yu Chenghui.

Although this old gentleman was known as the Sword Saint, Li Changsheng hadn't sparred with him and couldn't judge, but it was impossible for someone called a modern Sword Saint to have no real ability.

Li Changsheng was more interested in three other people here.

"What style is that?" Li Changsheng pointed to another middle-aged man practicing with a sword nearby.

"Oh, that's Wudang swordsmanship. If you look closely, you should be able to tell; it has some of the flavor of Wudang Taiji. But Brother Li, your eye for this is truly sharp. This person's swordsmanship already has a bit of Li Jinglin's shadow from back in the day."

Zhang Zhao's eyes were shining, too. For people at their level, whether someone was an expert could truly be seen at a glance.

Li Changsheng naturally knew Li Jinglin.

He had many titles: warlord, general, the world's number one sword of the modern era, Wudang Sword Immortal, founder of the Shandong National Martial Arts Institute.

It was rumored that Li Jinglin's sword-drawing speed was faster than pulling a gun; as long as you were within 15 meters of Li Jinglin, he could instantly kill his opponent.

Whether true or false, he could certainly fight, and his mastery of swordsmanship was definitely high enough.

The swordsmanship of the person in front of them was indeed exquisite, without too many flashy, impractical elements.

The so-called sword is a small spear; they are all used to stab and pierce to kill. Wudang swordsmanship often uses breathing to drive movement. Between the intake and output of Qi, the sun and moon are tempered, and the internal organs are constantly strengthened through breathing exercises. The body is like a swimming Dragon, with cold light flickering; in the movements of picking, stabbing, and pointing, it is like holding a short spear, yet more flexible than a spear, making killing as easy as breathing.

This person's footwork seemed to be of the Eight Trigrams Palm style, constantly rotating and shifting like a circle; the steps were small and short, rapid and urgent, and the sword momentum driven by this was swift and fast.

And even more interestingly, this person seemed to have studied Xingyi Fist as well, which was quite similar to Li Jinglin.

The Sword Classic says: "Take Internal Martial Arts as the cornerstone. Once the foundation is established, then practice swordsmanship to achieve twice the result with half the effort."

Using a sword is the same as using a fist; nothing is more important than intent and Qi acting as the sovereign, while eye techniques, hand techniques, footwork, body techniques, and waist techniques act as the ministers. This is why it allows for such nimble and convenient dodging and shifting.

It can be seen that this person's fist arts should also have some ability, with shadows of Xingyi Fist and also shadows of Taiji, likely belonging to those who practice both Taiji and Xingyi.

Precisely because of this, Li Changsheng felt this person was a bit broad but not refined. The opponent's talent shouldn't be bad; if they had only learned one style, they might have already stepped into the level of Dark Force, but currently, it seemed they had excess Integrated Force.

However, they lacked the force that penetrates all joints of the whole body, where intent can change direction and size at will. Because its operation is hidden in the Dantian and does not manifest externally, it means they are still far from Dark Force.

What does Dark Force require? It requires connection of heart and intent, a sense of movement, and using the spirit to mobilize the subtle levels of power throughout the entire body.

The opponent's force integration had already thoroughly understood the power of Taiji and Xingyi, but their spirit had not yet transformed.

"But it's interesting. Although this person is not at the level of Dark Force, their footwork, fist arts, and swordsmanship are all fused into one. No wonder there is the saying: Xingyi power, Eight Trigrams steps, Taiji waist."

Li Changsheng felt this person had a very good foundation—no, it should be said, an extremely good one. Perhaps every item was very balanced, but once they stepped into Dark Force, their depth would be exceptionally profound, with more than enough in both offense and defense.

Even now, if this person were to face an average Dark Force expert who relied on unconventional sword techniques, there was a high probability they would wear the opponent down.

"Brother Zhang, what do you think your winning percentage is if you fight this person?"

Li Changsheng glanced at Zhang Zhao to the side.

"Fifty percent!" Zhang Zhao scratched his head and said truthfully: "If I don't get hit once, I'll definitely win, but if I can't hit him, I'll definitely lose!"

Zhang Zhao's statement was quite fair. His Iron Sand Palm specialized in breaking Internal Martial Arts, and he was at the Dark Force level, so a mere touch would cause injury, and vigorous Dark Force could even cripple the opponent before long.

But at the same time, the person in front of them was not only proficient in Xingyi and Eight Trigrams but also practiced Taiji.

This was a hexagonal warrior.

But because of this, Li Changsheng estimated that this person's results in various tests were not ideal.

Asking Lux, the answer was indeed as expected.

"This gentleman, Mr. Huo Yude, is very average in all tests, but he once participated in the weekly tournament and held his ground for six rounds, ranking third that night."

"Someone like this could only hold for six rounds?" Li Changsheng was a bit surprised.

"Brother Li, don't be surprised. I just asked; those who dare to participate in the tournament here are all top-tier experts."

Zhang Zhao snatched the topic at this moment.

"Not to mention our Traditional Martial Arts side, look at the Japanese Faction next door; those are all experts with fifth-degree black belts or higher. Secondly, look at the Boxing side; they are all top heavyweight professional boxers."

With Zhang Zhao saying this, Li Changsheng understood.

Physical fitness!

Yes, the biggest trouble with defending the ring is not just actual combat ability, but physical fitness.

The stronger the target's strength, the more physical fitness required to resolve the opponent, and this kind of tournament doesn't give you much rest time.

Looking at Mr. Huo again, he was 1.75 meters tall and weighed at most 60 or 70 kilograms.

It is said that although this tournament is unrestricted, weapons are restricted, meaning it must be without equipment.

In this way, Li Changsheng could very well understand why physical fitness was the biggest problem.

"When I first started, before my Health-preserving Qigong and Internal Martial Arts were up to par, physical fitness was indeed a big problem. Every time I exploded with Integrated Force, it consumed quite a bit of stamina."

Recalling the past, Li Changsheng could understand. This Mr. Huo's physique was much worse than his own, and he didn't have Internal Martial Arts and Health-preserving Qigong like his, so six rounds was understandable.

It had to be said that there were still many monsters here. A casual glance at the Boxing area nearby revealed a group of physiques as strong as calves.