54: Chapter 53 Wild Horses Galloping, Chasing the Wind and the Moon

"Alright, the demonstration is about done. I'm old, and I can't handle these big movements as well as I used to."

Hearing this, Li Changsheng looked at the old man, who was still breathing evenly and showing no signs of fatigue, and was left speechless.

"Old man, you promised not to use Baji Quan routines against me."

Li Changsheng assumed the starting stance of the Crushing Fist and added hurriedly.

"Hehe, don't worry. Since the goal is for you to understand leg techniques, I will only use leg techniques."

As he spoke, the old man simply clasped his hands behind his back.

"By the way, old man, if you don't mind me asking, what level have you reached? Is it Dark Jin or Hua Jin?"

Li Changsheng asked again.

"Dark Jin, I suppose. I spent a lot of time teaching students during the war, and by the time I picked it back up, I had fallen behind quite a bit."

Zhang Youdao shook his head and sighed.

Hearing this, Li Changsheng breathed a sigh of relief, though he was still somewhat nervous.

"Um, old man, you can't use Dark Jin, okay?"

"Stop the nonsense. If I wanted to use Dark Jin, I couldn't even afford to. Do you think triggering Dark Jin is that simple? Are you trying to attend my funeral so early?"

Zhang Youdao fumed, his beard bristling at the remark.

This brat really thought Dark Jin was like cheap cabbage, something you could just whip out whenever.

He used to show it off occasionally in his youth.

If he used it now, it would be like an old man hanging himself—suicide.

Li Changsheng gave an awkward smile.

He didn't understand much about Dark Jin, but judging by the old man's tone, it seemed that even if one had cultivated Dark Jin, it wasn't something that could be used casually.

Li Changsheng made a mental note of this.

"Kid, watch out!"

The words had barely left his lips when Zhang Youdao took a few leaps, crossing several wooden stakes to side-kick at Li Changsheng.

The speed was so fast that Li Changsheng hadn't even noticed, and by the time he reacted, he was flustered.

After all, just maintaining his balance here was mentally taxing. Unsurprisingly, he was kicked into the water.

"Get back up, continue!"

Once he became serious, Zhang Youdao was the image of a strict teacher; he was indeed worthy of having been an instructor at the National Martial Arts Institute.

Helpless, Li Changsheng had to climb back onto the stakes.

A light drizzle had been falling, making the stakes slippery, which made the test of balance even more critical.

Fortunately, after being kicked off dozens of times, Li Changsheng could now attack freely even while facing assaults on the stakes, without the panic he felt at the start.

Seeing this, Zhang Youdao remained stern on the surface, but inwardly, he couldn't help but marvel.

He had long felt that Li Changsheng was extraordinary, but he hadn't expected him to be so quick to grasp martial arts.

Many problems only needed to be encountered once for him to avoid making the same mistake again, unless forced by circumstances.

This allowed the teaching to enter an orderly process, and the two began to spar officially.

Originally, Zhang Youdao thought this high-pressure, high-difficulty training method was too much for someone like Li Changsheng, who had never encountered plum blossom stakes.

He had considered switching to sparring on flat ground if it didn't work out, but the current situation was exactly what he had hoped and wished to see.

—

"Wrong, wrong! Again!"

Kicking Li Changsheng into the lake once more, Zhang Youdao couldn't help but shout, "Is that how you deal with leg techniques? Just stupidly trading blows with me?"

"The Crushing Fist has techniques to counter legs with crushing force, emphasizing the clever use of the crushing force to protect oneself, sinking the elbows to intercept and neutralize."

"You must hit the center line and advance with your body. Watch closely, like this!"

As he spoke, Zhang Youdao began to demonstrate the previous Move on the wooden stakes.

Li Changsheng naturally watched carefully.

He had been completely dazed just moments ago, kicked off time and time again until his brain felt like mush.

With his mind in Chaos, he hadn't thought much while fighting, just following the rigid, foolish routines of his daily practice.

After finishing the demonstration, Zhang Youdao looked at Li Changsheng.

Seeing the confusion still on his face, he sighed inwardly.

Perhaps he had set his expectations too high.

Expecting someone to counter the Mo Family Fist, which had been practiced for decades, with only a month or two of Crushing Fist training was truly a fantasy.

Ever since Li Changsheng had repeatedly shown abilities beyond the ordinary, Zhang Youdao had unconsciously raised his assessment of Li Changsheng several notches.

But thinking about it now, he realized he had been too presumptuous.

Zhang Youdao pondered slightly, realizing he had been too rash.

After thinking for a moment, he said, "Just practice this Move for the next two days."

"You only need to remember: in Crushing Fist techniques, one Move can be applied to everything. Once the fist is mastered, it naturally neutralizes; that is when the skill is truly home."

"The best way to deal with leg techniques is this 'Wild Horse Galloping' double-fist attack, 'Chasing the Wind and Moon' with a cross-intersection."

"Strike and advance to defend and protect yourself, letting the opponent feel your explosive ferocity."

"Just like when you fought that Tom; as long as you display this most fierce and rapid Move from the start, the Mo family's leg defense and footwork won't be able to drag you into a stalemate."

"Don't let yourself enter his rhythm; you must ensure the opponent is controlled by your rhythm from the start. One Move decides the outcome!"

Manager Nie had specifically mentioned that fight to Zhang Youdao, and Li Changsheng understood what Zhang Youdao meant.

It meant speed: strike with the fastest, most fierce, and most domineering blow to end the duel immediately.

Otherwise, since the opponent had practiced his footwork, rhythm, and leg techniques for so many years, dragging out the fight would be effortless for him.

By then, controlling the pace of the duel would be entirely up to him.

Li Changsheng took a deep breath and nodded.

By then, Zhang Youdao had already jumped off the stakes, hands behind his back, and walked away leisurely.

Seeing this, Li Changsheng began to recall every one of Zhang Youdao's movements, combining them with his own Crushing Fist Moves, and started practicing bit by bit.

Time flew, and the next day arrived.

When he woke up again, Zhang Youdao checked the time; it was already eight in the morning.

"Hmm? This kid didn't come back to sleep last night?"

Suddenly, he turned his head and saw that everything on the bed next to him was folded neatly, exactly as it had been yesterday.

"Heh, has this kid been practicing boxing all night? That's just absurd!"

Thinking of this, Zhang Youdao felt a bit annoyed.

The way of martial arts is about balance—tension and relaxation.

There is no such thing as this; not only would he fail to achieve success in martial arts, he would ruin his body.

After washing up briefly, Zhang Youdao hurried to the lake from yesterday and saw from afar a young man practicing boxing in the glow of the sunrise.

"You've been here all night?"

Looking at Li Changsheng, who was still full of energy, Zhang Youdao said with a complex expression.

"Not exactly. I meditated in the pavilion nearby for a few hours."

Li Changsheng had practiced boxing until late at night.

He had wanted to go back to sleep, but with his mind full of sparring techniques, he couldn't fall asleep, so he simply continued practicing.

When he got tired, he would meditate to Cultivate Internal Alchemy Meditation.

It had to be said that Internal Alchemy was indeed very good for this.

Although sleep is indispensable to the human body, when one cannot fall asleep, Internal Alchemy is far better for body recovery than lying there with one's mind racing.

Although he hadn't slept, his energy and spirit were no different than if he had.

"So diligent. How is that Move coming along?"

Zhang Youdao still had some anger bottled up.

He decided that if Li Changsheng replied that he hadn't mastered it, he would give him a good scolding.

Hearing this, Li Changsheng's originally smiling expression quickly faded, his face turned serious, and he clasped his hands in a salute, saying solemnly: "I have achieved some small success. Please, old man, favor me with your guidance!"

"Hmm???"