Quickly conquer the martial arts world, and let your fists dominate the heavens!

Chapter 246 Unreserved, Master's Demeanor

Xiong Hanshan sinks his body and wraps his arms, his body swaying but his speed is very fast. The bear-style strength sinks all over his body, wrapping the strength and hiding the sharpness. The power is emphasized to rise from the ground, sink to the waist and hips, and wrap to the shoulders and arms, just like an old black bear hunting in the deep mountains.

Bears may appear heavy and clumsy, but they are actually quite the opposite when hunting; they are swift, agile, and their movements are both steady and fierce.

At this moment, Xiong Hanshan pounced like an old bear, about to crash into Gu Ruzhang's chest.

Gu Ruzhang did not take the blow head-on. He took a half step back with his left foot, slightly rotated his waist and hips, and placed his right palm on Xiong Hanshan's left shoulder. Instead of pushing, he gently deflected Xiong Hanshan's force in the direction of his wrapping force.

"Oh!"

There was a muffled sound.

Xiong Hanshan felt as if he had hit a cotton ball, and his previously taut shoulders and arms suddenly relaxed, causing him to stagger forward half a step involuntarily.

He turned around abruptly, his eyes filled with surprise. He had practiced this "bear pounce" move for five years, and an ordinary person would have been knocked back long ago.

Previously, when sparring with Li Guangpu, a master of internal energy, the opponent could only meet him head-on, using the Bagua Great Slamming Hand technique to withstand the attack.

Taking advantage of his youth and physique, he was able to hold his own for dozens of moves.

Unexpectedly, Gu Ruzhang was truly amazing. He actually managed to lead the old bear away from the mountain with the force it had used to crash into it, and it crashed past the designated spot!
"Your wrapping is heavy enough, but too 'rigid'."

Gu Ruzhang withdrew his palm and tapped his waist and hips with his fingertips: "Xingyi Xiongxing says that 'power originates from the ground and sinks to the waist and hips.' You only managed to 'sink,' not 'turn.'"

"When an old bear pounces on its prey, it may appear that it is using its shoulders and arms to exert force, but its waist and hips have already rotated along with it. The power is dynamic, not stiff."

"Your bear-style fighting technique is powerful enough, but it lacks agility. The twisting of your waist and hips needs to be nimble. When an old bear in the deep mountains pounces on its prey, it pounces fiercely, but its eyes are fixed on the prey. No matter which direction the prey runs, it spreads its broad back and strong waist, grabs it with its paws, and crushes it to death."

Xiong Hanshan was shocked to hear this. Chen Zhan had said something similar before, telling him to practice in the form of a monkey. He tried it and it really helped him. His skill increased greatly in half a year.

This passage from Gu Ruzhang also conveys the same meaning, but the difference lies in the refinement of the bear form.

He tried to lower his body and wrap his arms again, and just as he was about to exert force, Gu Ruzhang suddenly stepped forward, placed his right palm on his waist, and twisted his palm slightly: "Feel my strength, the waist and hips turn half a circle, and the wrapping force can flow to the shoulders and arms, like an old bear shaking its body, not forcibly stuffing the force into the arms."

As Xiong Hanshan turned his waist following Gu Ruzhang's palm strike, he felt the force that had been stiff in his shoulders and back slowly flow to his arms along with the rotation of his waist and hips, making his wrapping and embracing movements more flexible.

He tried to lunge again, and this time his shoulders and arms weren't so tense, and his steps were more steady.

But Gu Ruzhang gently dissipated his strength, and it dissipated again.

"There's one more place."

Gu Ruzhang withdrew his hand and pointed to Xiong Hanshan's knees. "Your knees are too stiff. You didn't leave any room when you landed. When the old bear lands, his soles are soft, and his knees can absorb the shock by trembling slightly. Your knees are rock hard. The force comes from your legs and breaks at your knees, without reaching your waist."

As he spoke, Gu Ruzhang bent his knees and lowered his body, adopting the Shaolin bear-like "sitting mountain stance." His knees were slightly bent but not stiff, and his waist and hips swayed gently. When he wrapped his arms around his waist and hips, his arm strength could advance and retreat with the swaying of his waist and hips.

“Look, the power is ‘flowing,’ not ‘blocked.’ What you lacked before was this ‘relaxation and flexibility.’ The power is contained within the contracted power, and only when the flexible power breaks through the last two acupoints can you achieve true mastery.”

Following Gu Ruzhang's example, Xiong Hanshan adjusted his movements, loosening his knees and engaging his waist and hips. When he pounced again, he was truly different. The force in his shoulders and arms was no longer rigid, and he could even turn his waist and change direction as he pounced closer, just like an old bear's agile adaptability when hunting.

This time, Gu Ruzhang did not reduce his strength, but simply used his palm to gently block in front of Xiong Hanshan's shoulder. When their palms and shoulders touched, Xiong Hanshan felt that Gu Ruzhang's palm force seemed light, but it was as if it had a suction force, which drew out his own vitality.

“That’s right, that’s what I mean.” Gu Ruzhang withdrew his hand and nodded. “You already have the true meaning of the bear form. What you’re missing is to loosen the ‘dead force’. When you practice in the future, focus more on feeling the rotation of the waist and hips and the shock absorption of the knees. In less than three months, you will break through the neutralizing force.”

At this moment, Gu Ruzhang is very much like Chen Zhan when he helped Ye Ningzhen practice her internal energy in the rain.

Xiong Hanshan was somewhat flattered. What kind of relationship did Chen Zhan have with Ye Ningzhen? He and Gu Ruzhang had only met once at the China Alliance, yet Gu Ruzhang was so generous in sharing his knowledge, revealing all the key points of Shaolin Xiong Xing kung fu without reservation.

This is the demeanor of a grandmaster!

"Thank you for your guidance, Mr. Gu. My master is right. The Five Forms of Shaolin and the Twelve Forms of Xingyi have much in common. You are proficient in the Five Forms of Shaolin, and I have benefited greatly from your guidance." Xiong Hanshan clasped his hands in a disciple's salute.

Gu Ruzhang smiled and patted his shoulder: "Kung fu is all about practice. I just walked a few extra steps and pointed you in the right direction."

The two were actually about the same age, but Gu Ruzhang didn't mind. He had seen this situation too many times, and in the martial arts world, those who had reached a certain level were considered teachers, so he accepted their respect.

At the foot of Xionghan Mountain, Gu Ruzhang offered guidance, and Xionghan humbly sought instruction, bringing greater harmony to the martial arts world of the North and South.

And that was indeed the case.

The martial arts world of the North and South turned into a competition, with masters of Wing Chun, Hung Kuen, and Pak Mei each making appearances. In the North, masters of the three major internal martial arts styles—Tai Chi, Bagua, and Xingyi—also took to the field.

The two sides exchanged skills and had their share of victories and defeats. Ruan Qishan performed the best. He is the current representative of Foshan Wing Chun, and he is in his best condition in terms of both martial arts skills and age.

He easily defeated Cheng Yougong, but since they were both in Foshan and knew each other, it wasn't a life-or-death battle, and he wasn't injured.

Li Guangpu looked rather grim, because the two Baguazhang practitioners who went up to spar had both been defeated. Li Wenbiao had just lost to Zhou Long, one of the Four Fierce Masters of Hung Kuen.

Although it was supposed to be a friendly sparring match, it was still a bit embarrassing with students from various martial arts schools and ordinary people watching.

Ye Ningzhen whispered a few words to Chen Zhan.

Chen Zhan sighed helplessly, glanced at Gong Ruomei, said nothing, nodded, and let Ye Ningzhen go play by herself.

Ye Ningzhen stepped onto the stage and addressed the martial arts community in the south: "Baguazhang and Wing Chun share commonalities. Both avoid the opponent's strength and attack their weaknesses. Neither advocates for brute force against the opponent, but rather uses techniques to neutralize or guide the opponent's force and attack their weak points. Baguazhang relies on 'walking and turning' to avoid direct confrontation, while Wing Chun relies on 'sticky hands' to sense the opponent's force and then use that force against them. The essence of both is 'using small force to overcome great force.'"

"Master Cheng just lost to Mr. Ruan in their sparring match, and I am a little unconvinced. I would like to ask Master Ye for some guidance."

When Ye Ningzhen first spoke, everyone was a little surprised, thinking that Ye Ningzhen was going to get revenge on Cheng Yougong and challenge Ruan Qishan.

But then the conversation shifted to Ip Man.

Gong Ruomei was also present, her lips twitching. She thought to herself, 'If you're trying to save face, why drag me into this?'

However, after years of fighting with Ye Ningzhen, she has become both an enemy and a friend, and knows that the other party is just playful and has no malicious intent.

Gong Ruomei didn't harbor much hostility towards Ye Ningzhen; on the contrary, she felt a bit envious.

Ye Ningzhen dared to act recklessly not because of Li Guangpu, the head of the Cheng School, but because of Chen Zhan, her powerful backer. Others might not know, but she understood Chen Zhan's strength better than anyone else.

Chen Zhan would always be there for her in case anything happened.

But envy is useless in many things; she can only rely on herself.
Ip Man was a little confused. He wasn't very famous in the martial arts world, but he was alright in Foshan, ranking among the three heroes of Wing Chun. However, he wasn't the type to show off, and despite his wealth, he wasn't very interested in taking on disciples for his martial arts school.

He didn't come to the arena with any intention of fighting to the death, nor did he believe he could compare to Wan Laisheng and Gu Ruzhang.

Being called out by name so suddenly was a bit strange.

However, upon hearing Ye Ningzhen's next words, "I heard from Senior Sister Gong that Master Ye has fought with her. Senior Sister speaks highly of you, so it's a good opportunity for us to spar," she said.

Ip Man knew Ye Ningzhen's identity. She had been by Chen Zhan's side for a long time. From the beginning of the construction of the China Alliance to its completion, she was the one who ran around doing everything. If you weren't from Foshan, you would think that she was brought by Chen Zhan from the north.

Despite being from Foshan, Ip Man knew that Ip Ning-chen was a practitioner of the Cheng School of Baguazhang, and that Ip Ning-chen had already gained some fame in Foshan a few years ago.

I also know that the Cheng School and the Gong family both belong to the Bagua School and have some grudges, but I don't know the specifics.

But Ye Ningzhen had already called out his name, so there was nothing he could do. Chen Zhan and Gu Ruzhang had set up the stage for exchanges between the North and South, and it wasn't a life-or-death struggle, so it was difficult to refuse their invitation to spar.

(End of this chapter)