From Under One Person: Sincere Journey Through the Heavens

He bid farewell to Wang Baozhi and Wang Baoling with Lu Jin and headed towards Yue Wang Temple.

Yue Wang Temple is not far from Cultural Street and the Ghost Hand Wang Opera Troupe, only about six or seven miles away. It was from the front of Yue Wang Temple that He Anxia saw the opera troupe and then turned around.

Backed by Qixia Ridge and facing West Lake, Yue Wang Temple sits on the north side and faces south. The main gate is a double-eaved hip-roofed building with a vertical plaque bearing the three characters "Yue Wang Temple" hanging in the center. The couplet on the stone pillars reads: "Thirty years of fame and glory are but dust and dirt, eight thousand miles of road are but clouds and moon."

From "Man Jiang Hong".

Behind the mountain gate is a courtyard with a bluestone path in the middle, flanked by ancient trees, leading directly to the main hall of the Martyrs' Shrine.

Jiang Liu and Lu Jin walked through the passageway guarded by towering ancient trees and arrived at the courtyard. Most of the pilgrims that Wang Baoling had mentioned had already dispersed, leaving only three or five people surrounding a pale-faced Taoist priest.

The Taoist priest didn't care whether the worshippers were touching his robes and cheeks to "seek a child" or "pray for blessings," he just swept the fallen leaves around him with a broom.

Upon seeing Jiang Liu and Lu Jin, he stopped sweeping, broke free from the pilgrims' "touching," and said to the two, "Shall we go to the courtyard for a chat?"

"It is my wish, and I dare not refuse."

Jiang Liu and Lu Jin then left Yue Wang Temple with the Taoist priest and went to a nearby square courtyard. The courtyard was square, with the main house to the north, the side rooms to the east, the kitchen and warehouse to the west, and the main gate to the south where they had entered.

The central courtyard is not large, but it is exceptionally refreshing. It is paved with bluestone bricks, with two round spheres of different sizes in the middle. There is a lotus pond on the left and wisteria planted on the right. The vines are winding around the stone frame, lush and green, forming a small pavilion.

There is a stone table and four stone benches under the pavilion.

The Taoist priest invited the two to sit down, and then went to the kitchen to boil a pot of tea and bring out some snacks, which he placed on the stone table.

"please!"

The Taoist priest was very ritualistic.

Jiang Liu and Lu Jin followed the host's lead.

After tea, the Taoist priest spoke first: "What brings you two laymen to this humble Taoist priest?

"We are magicians from the Ghost Hand Wang Cai opera troupe, and we are close friends with the theater owner, Mr. Cha. We heard that he got into a fight with you in public this morning. We wonder what happened?"

Jiang Liu was not surprised that the Taoist priests did not recognize them. After all, some people who cultivate in seclusion do not like the hustle and bustle of the world, and some have never come down the mountain after going up there.

It seems that this Taoist priest has not paid attention to the changes in the neighborhood since he became the sweeping monk of Yue Fei Temple.

Therefore, after putting down his teacup, Jiang Liu went straight to the point—

These Qi-cultivating ascetics also dislike wasting time on pleasantries.

Did you come for this?

The Taoist priest focused his attention on Lu Jin, and after observing him for a while, he asked, "Have you practiced Tai Chi, sir?"

He couldn't see through Jiang Liu's true nature.

"To be honest, senior, I've also practiced Bajiquan."

Over the past year, since Zhao Xinchuan joined the Ghost Hand Wang Cai Opera Troupe as a Tai Chi instructor, Lu Jin has often sought his advice, which has greatly improved his own Tai Chi and Bajiquan skills. He is now able to make judgments about other masters of internal martial arts.

For example, this Taoist priest in front of us looks thin and weak, but when he walks, his legs move with the might of a dragon and a tiger, and his feet step on the posture of yin and yang. He is obviously practicing Tai Chi, and it is Peng Zu Tai Chi!

# Chapter 251 The Competition

"Shall we practice?"

The Taoist priest got up and walked to the center of the courtyard, where there were two spheres, one large and one small, both made of polished granite. The large one was two meters in diameter, and the small one was only half a meter in diameter.

Seeing that the Taoist was interested in exchanging skills, Lu Jin glanced at Jiang Liu, who nodded, and then stepped forward. As he looked down, he noticed a yin-yang symbol below the two spheres.

The small ball was inside the circular groove surrounding the yin-yang symbol, while the large ball was located at the eye of the yang fish on the left side directly in front of him.

"Since you are in such a good mood, I will gladly oblige. But may I ask your name and where you are from?"

Lu Jin clasped his hands in a fist salute, wanting to ask for clarification first.

This Yue Wang Temple is neither Quanzhen nor Zhengyi. What sect or school does this Taoist priest who is serving as a "handyman" here belong to?

The Taoist priest returned the greeting and said, "I am Zhou Xiyu, neither a Zhengyi nor a Quanzhen Taoist. I only practiced Tai Chi for a few years. Because of a certain incident, I escaped from a martial arts school and wandered around for a while before finally returning to Yuhang. I was taken in by the temple keeper of Yue Wang Temple and became a handyman to make a living."

Tai Chi Chuan, whether it is Wudang Tai Chi, Peng Zu Tai Chi, or Tai Chi of other surnames, has more or less some connection with Taoism.

Therefore, I also dressed up as a Taoist priest.

I also have a heart that yearns for Taoism and Buddhism, but the Taoists say I am of bad nature and will not accept me; the monks say I am still entangled in worldly affairs and will not accept me either.

"The senior does look like he has experienced many hardships."

Lu Jin activated his profound skill, white qi swirling around him, ethereal like a celestial being. He stood on a round stance, raised his right arm, and pressed down with his left arm, as if embracing a semicircle. His chest rose and fell, his breath long and deep, and he had already mustered his strength.

"Is this... not Tai Chi?"

Zhou Xiyu was taken aback when he saw the ribbon formed from Lu Jin's Qi.

Aside from that stance resembling a white crane spreading its wings, how could someone with that white aura flowing around their body like ribbons possibly be a practitioner of Tai Chi?

"I hope you know, senior, that I practice Tai Chi and Bajiquan only to supplement my close combat techniques, not as my fundamental methods."

Lu Jin explained, then asked, "But please rest assured, senior, I have also cultivated some Tai Chi strength, and with my life-saving skills, I will not disappoint you. So, how do you intend to compete? And how will the outcome be determined?"

After learning that Lu Jin mainly cultivated other methods, Zhou Xiyu lost interest, certain that the other party was the type who used "life" to pressure people, which was the case for most Taoist masters.

But since he had proposed the sparring, it couldn't end there. So he said, "There are two spheres, one large and one small, in this Tai Chi arena. You and I will each choose one, stand on it, and compete in strength. However, we cannot directly attack each other with our strength; we must control the spheres to compete. Whoever falls first loses, or whose sphere deviates from the Tai Chi track in the arena also loses."

"So, if you choose the bigger ball, it can't roll?" Lu Jin wondered if the competition was fair.

The large ball is located at the eye of the Yang fish, so its orbit is the eye of that Yang fish. Wouldn't it be enough to just push the large ball to win?

However, the small ball is located on the circular track outside the Tai Chi field. Stepping on it, with its smaller surface area compared to the large ball, requires more attention to balance.

"That's not the case."

Zhou Xiyu took a step and leaped onto the large sphere. With a stomp of his left foot and a rise and fall of his right foot, the two-meter-diameter sphere began to rotate.

Tai Chi power is generally generated from the arms, but Zhou Xiyu's power is extraordinary, reaching the level of Qi circulating throughout the body!

Using his foot to generate force, he caused the large ball to fly up, spin, and land in the eye of the Yin Fish, making only a very small "thump" sound.

It was the air compression caused by the large ball spinning as it fell into the groove of the Yin Fish's eye, not the vibration from the stone ball hitting the ground.

His strength has reached an extraordinary level!

"In this way, as long as the sphere does not touch other sides of the Tai Chi symbol, it can move within the eyes of the Yang fish and the Yin fish, as well as the outer orbit."

Zhou Xiyu's skill was truly exquisite.

"it is good."

Lu Jin found it amusing.

"In that case, layman, you may choose first."

Zhou Xiyu jumped down from the large ball and reached out his hand to Lu Jin.

After thinking for a while, Lu Jin chose the smaller ball.

Without him.

The small size of the ball makes it more flexible to control.

However, in Jiang Liu's opinion, Lu Jin should have chosen the larger ball. Although the smaller ball is more flexible to control, relying solely on strength without using the "Reversal of Eight Directions" technique to stabilize the body requires extremely high levels of coordination.

If it's just for practice, choosing a smaller ball doesn't matter. But if it's a competition with someone, and the rules for winning and losing are who lands first and whose ball goes off track, choosing a smaller ball is certainly more flexible. But for Lu Jin, it puts him at a disadvantage.

"please!"

Zhou Xiyu reached out his hand.

Lu Jin jumped onto the ball, slipped, and quickly held her breath, exclaiming in surprise, "It looks a bit rough, but I didn't expect it to be so smooth."

Whether it's the method of reversing the eight directions or the method of reversing life, both emphasize lower body strength. However, if we only consider the stability of the lower body, internal martial arts are still superior.

Compared to Wudang Tai Chi, Peng Zu Tai Chi seems to place more emphasis on physical strength.

Without him.

Wudang Tai Chi emphasizes the skill of beginners and those with a balanced approach of softness and hardness in generating countless kinds of force, while Peng Zu Tai Chi's force is more closely integrated with the body, allowing the force to spread throughout the entire body so that every movement can generate force, rather than evolving into thousands of different kinds of force. It also places more emphasis on training the spine, the "dragon" of the body.

Zhou Xiyu jumped onto the large ball again and said to Lu Jin, "You are a guest, please go first."

"Then I won't stand on ceremony."

Lu Jin was a little unaccustomed to the small ball that looked like it had been coated with oil, but fortunately, she had practiced how to exert force, and with the Ninefold Reversal of Life making her light and agile, she was able to stand firmly.

Then, he stepped forward, causing the small ball to spin and move along the circular track outside the Tai Chi field, searching for Zhou Xiyu's weakness.

But Zhou Xiyu simply stood quietly on the large sphere, unmoved.

After circling twice, Lu Jin arrived at the side of Yin Yu and threw a punch, which only caused the air to explode.

You can't attack people directly, but there's no rule against attacking spheres, right?

Just as the fist was about to strike the large ball, Zhou Xiyu took a step, and the large ball began to spin rapidly, generating a layer of Qi around it, which deflected Lu Jin's fist.

Because the ball was smooth, when Lu Jin's fist was bounced away, his body also spun along with it, and he almost fell off the ball.

Fortunately, he instinctively used his magnetic field to stabilize himself, and with each step, he made the small ball under his feet rotate, circling to the side of Yangyu, and creating distance between it and the large ball under Zhou Xiyu's feet.

It's really not my style to spar on such a smooth surface!

Lu Jin thought to himself.

But after creating some distance, Zhou Xiyu took the initiative, taking small, quick steps as if running on the sphere, causing it to rotate clockwise.

immediately--

Bang!

As it spun at high speed, the large sphere and the groove in the eye of the Yin Fish produced an air explosion, causing the entire sphere to rise into the air and press down on Lu Jin's location!

# Chapter 252 Jiang Liu VS Zhou Xiyu

As the massive sphere, over two meters in diameter, crashed down upon him, Lu Jin burst into laughter: "Perfect timing!"

Using his Dragon Tiger Power, Lu Jin threw a straight punch at the large ball!

As if sensing the friction between the opponent's fist and the space, Zhou Xiyu's expression changed, and he paused to the left, causing the clockwise spinning ball to tilt to the left.