Master of Chinese Martial Arts: I Can Steal the Skills of a Grandmaster from the Republic of China E

Chapter 92 I haven't broken through for several days.

At that moment, Xuan Chengzi's light palm landed on Zhou Xing's leg.

Their legs struck each other silently.

Zhou Xing felt as if his right leg was being sucked in, a warm and mellow force seeping into his body.

This force is also an internal force, but its nature is completely different.

Warm, soft, and resilient. Like ginseng soup melting, it seeps into the gaps between muscles and flows over the places that were just torn apart by the yin energy.

Strangely enough, the yin energy that had been wreaking havoc and causing destruction within his body melted away instantly upon encountering this warm current, like snow meeting the warm sun.

The intense pain and numbness receded like a tide, and the turbulent blood and qi were smoothed out by this gentle force.

In just a few breaths, most of the discomfort in my body subsided, leaving only a slight soreness from exertion.

Xuan Chengzi withdrew his hand and floated away again, still with his back to him, as if the dangerous battle just now was just a passing mountain breeze.

Zhou Xing stood up, his chest heaving, and looked at the gray-robed figure from behind.

Is this Taoist priest a master of internal energy transformation?

Silence fell once more on the cliffside. Only the mountain wind howled.

After a long while, the gray-robed Taoist slowly turned around.

His beard and hair were all white, but his cheeks were round and his eyes were bright and clear, without any cloudiness. At this moment, he looked around with a bit of interest in finding something new.

He showed none of the detachment of a hermit, but rather resembled a mischievous old man who had just finished playing with crickets.

"Miss Yunqing, is this what you meant by liking quiet?"

Zhou Xing harbored resentment.

"Kid,"

Xuan Chengzi spoke, his voice full of energy, "Your martial arts are quite impressive. Where did you learn them?"

Suppressing the turmoil in his mind, Zhou Xing clasped his hands in a fist salute again: "Junior Zhou Xing, by chance, was taught the basics of Wing Chun by Master Ip Man, and later received guidance from several seniors, and has a rudimentary understanding of Xingyi and Bagua."

"Southern Fist?"

Xuan Chengzi raised an eyebrow, seemingly knowing Ip Man. "Wing Chun is a good style, with its short, precise strikes. Xingyi is also good, powerful and fierce. Bagua footwork is slippery."

He gave a few comments, then changed the subject: "But you practiced it wrong."

Zhou Xing's heart skipped a beat: "Please enlighten me, Daoist Master."

Xuan Chengzi stroked his beard and said, "You've been stuck at the threshold of internal strength for quite some time now, haven't you?"

Zhou Xing nodded upon hearing this, saying, "It has been several days."

Xuan Chengzi plucked a tuft of his beard, glared at Zhou Xing, and shook his head, thinking he must have misheard. "Hidden strength isn't just about being tough, penetrating, or exploding."

He walked to the blue stone chessboard, picked up a black pebble, and held it in his palm.

Without any apparent effort, a soft "poof" sound was heard.

The hard pebble turned into a small pinch of fine, even stone powder in his palm, which fell softly from between his fingers.

"This is Dark Steel."

He opened his palm, and the stone dust was scattered by the mountain wind.

Then, he picked up a withered yellow leaf and placed it in the palm of his other hand.

The skin on the palm undulates slightly, as if water ripples beneath the skin.

In a short while, the withered leaf became soft and moist at a speed visible to the naked eye, the veins were replenished, and it even regained a bit of the resilience of a fresh leaf.

"This is Dark Soft."

He flicked the leaf gently, letting it drift down the cliff.

Zhou Xing was captivated by what he saw!

He could turn solid stone into dust with his full power, but he knew he was far inferior to him in such effortless and meticulous control.

And this subtle and gentle method of bringing withered leaves back to life is something never heard of before.

"Ming Jin has both hardness and softness. Straightforward force from muscles and bones is Ming Gang, while shaking and trembling to transform force is Ming Rou."

Xuan Chengzi glanced at Zhou Xing's expression and continued, "Hidden strength also has both hardness and softness. Hidden hardness is striking through the body and shattering internal organs. Hidden softness is penetrating the meridians, moving around to injure the enemy, or, as I just did, clearing the blood and qi and healing hidden injuries."

He looked at Zhou Xing with lightning speed: "The suppleness you possess is due to some other opportunity. You've trained your fascia and form, not the substance of your strength."

Your internal strength has reached your waist and abdomen, which means you've touched the threshold of internal strength, but your internal softness—you haven't even touched it.

These words were blunt and merciless, yet every word was precious and struck Zhou Xing's heart.

He had previously practiced shooting underwater, and with the help of water pressure and the "River Spirit Appearance," he gained a deep understanding of the subtle and gentle aspects of the technique. However, he had never truly grasped the application of subtle and gentle techniques.

Today, this old Taoist priest forced me, disciplined me, and gave me some pointers. It was as if I had pushed open a door that I had never noticed before and glimpsed a brand new world!

"The true path to mastering the power of transformation lies in the balance of strength and gentleness, and the mutual support of yin and yang."

Xuan Chengzi's voice sounded somewhat distant in the mountain wind, "What is neutralizing force? It is the combination of hardness and softness, the unity of yin and yang. It is to cultivate these two forces of hardness and softness to a state of perfect harmony, so that every part of the body is a hand, and there is no place where force can not be generated, nor can force be neutralized."

At that time, one's qi and blood will be condensed and flow throughout the body, so that not even a feather can be added, nor a fly can land.

He paused, looking at Zhou Xing's seemingly enlightened yet eager eyes, his interest intensified, but then quickly turned into a complex expression, a mixture of reminiscence and self-mockery: "When I was young, my temper was ten times more explosive than yours is now. I thought boxing was all about hitting people, that strength was all about raw power, and I believed in the power of brute force overcoming all techniques. I honed my hidden strength to its extreme, and could defeat anyone—"

Alas, my love of bravery and violence has caused me to injure countless people and make countless enemies. Only later did I realize that rigidity cannot last, and gentleness cannot be maintained.

Having suffered a great loss, almost losing his life, he finally escaped back to the mountains, forcing himself to calm down, hone his subtle and gentle skills, and comprehend the principle of yin and yang in harmony.

He sighed, his tone gaining a touch of worldly relevance: "After decades, I've finally gained some experience. Seeing you, young man, with a solid foundation in internal strength at such a young age, yet clearly unbalanced, following in my footsteps, I suddenly—hey, got a little itchy. Did I scare you?"

Zhou Xing shook his head and said sincerely, "I am extremely grateful! Your guidance and instruction are more valuable than my own years of hard practice."

"Several years?"

Xuan Chengzi chuckled: "I've been looking at these clouds, this mist, these stones for over a decade, and working with them for over a decade, before I slowly began to savor their flavor. You think you can reach the heavens in one step?"

Let's savor it for a moment, and strike while the iron is hot.

Zhou Xing remained silent. Gazing at the clouds and mist in the mountains, he repeatedly analyzed every moment of their recent exchange in his mind.

Especially when listening to the force, one can feel the soft force flowing through the body at the end.

The penetration and flow of force. The body's feedback, the tremor.

He subconsciously adjusted his posture slightly.

Try to activate the internal energy, no longer pursuing explosive bursts, but letting it flow slowly, evenly, and continuously between the fascia and acupoints like a stream.

"Gurgle—Gurgle—"

The breathing rhythm of the fisherman subtly coordinates with the inhalation and exhalation, and the hidden force of the water flow ripples slightly with each breath.

Listen to your inner energy and observe your surroundings to capture the most subtle changes within your body.

At first, it was somewhat sluggish, and the flow of energy was not smooth.

But he remained calm and composed, subtly adjusting his thoughts, recalling the undercurrents at the bottom of the river, and the silent rotation in Xuan Chengzi's palm.

Gradually, the flow of the hidden energy within his body became smoother.

It was extremely faint, but the gentle, nourishing texture was completely different from the fierce and powerful force it used to exert.

He could even feel that wherever this faint, gentle force passed, the areas that had just been aching felt a comfortable warmth, as if they were recovering faster.

The change was so subtle that he could hardly have noticed it if he hadn't been listening very carefully.

But on the other side, Gensei, who had been holding a rough pottery teacup, suddenly paused.