Sparring with Wang Qinghe

Grandpa Wang saw the two of them staring at each other without speaking, cleared his throat, and introduced them with a hint of pride, "Ahem, this is my granddaughter, Wang Qinghe."

"Hello, my name is Wang Qinghe."

The young woman generously extended her hand. Her tan skin glowed healthily under the streetlights, her eyes bright and direct. "I'm a third-year student at Ning City No. 1 High School, I train in free combat, and my goal is to compete in the professional league."

"Little Yun, don't let her young age fool you," Grandpa Wang immediately chimed in, his voice full of energy. "She was the champion of our city's youth free combat division last year! She's amazing!"

"Hello, Ling Yun."

Ling Yun returned her smile and gently shook her hand, feeling the thin calluses on her palm and knuckles. "I'm also from Ning City No. 1 High School, a first-year."

"Ah?!" Wang Qinghe's eyes widened instantly. She scrutinized him carefully. "You're that... Junior schoolmate Ling Yun who picked up a first-year sports prodigy with one hand and threw him several meters away not long after school started?"

Her tone was filled with curious verification.

Ling Yun touched his nose and chuckled helplessly. "Uh... if no one else has done that, then it must have been me."

He hadn't expected the story to spread so widely.

"It really is you!" Wang Qinghe's face broke into a smile, tinged with the excitement of "finding a legendary figure." "The rumors weren't exaggerated at all; you're indeed... convincingly handsome!"

She praised him openly.

"Senior schoolmate, you flatter me. I'm just a little handsome, that's all."

Ling Yun was outwardly modest, but a little bit of pride bubbled up inside him.

Being praised to his face, especially by a beautiful senior schoolmate, felt pretty good.

Seeing the two young people chatting so well on their first meeting, Grandpa Wang was overjoyed.

"Oh, right, Grandpa," Wang Qinghe finally remembered the main point and turned to Grandpa Wang. "What are you and junior schoolmate Ling Yun doing here? Why aren't you home so late?"

Mentioning this, Grandpa Wang's spirits immediately lifted. He straightened his back a bit and vividly, with flying spittle, recounted how Ling Yun had miraculously controlled falling leaves to form a Tai Chi diagram and how he had pinpointed the essence of his boxing stance. His words were full of admiration for Ling Yun.

After listening, Wang Qinghe's delicate eyebrows furrowed, her face clearly showing "Are you kidding me?"

Controlling falling leaves to form a Tai Chi diagram? That sounded more fantastical than a wuxia novel!

She trained in free combat, which emphasized direct confrontation, and had always scoffed at the mystical claims of traditional Chinese martial arts.

If it were really that powerful, why wasn't it seen in professional competitions?

However, when her gaze swept across the ground and she saw the clear Tai Chi pattern, outlined by leaves of varying shades, that hadn't yet been completely scattered by the wind, her doubts wavered significantly. The traces on the ground couldn't lie.

A bold idea sparked in her mind.

"Junior schoolmate Ling Yun," she took a deep breath, her eyes igniting with a challenging flame. She turned to Ling Yun, her tone serious. "Could you... spar with me using your Tai Chi?"

As a fighter who pursued practical combat and strength, there was nothing more convincing than experiencing it firsthand.

"It's possible, it's possible," Ling Yun's lips curved into a playful arc. His gaze swept over her firm muscle lines. "But senior schoolmate, let's be clear, if you lose later, don't secretly cry, okay?"

He wanted to see the reaction of this confident champion senior schoolmate after being "crushed."

"Hmph! Don't underestimate me!"

Wang Qinghe's competitive spirit was indeed ignited. Her eyebrows rose slightly. "I'm a genuine champion! Just show me your true skills and let me see what a gap in ability looks like!"

She struck a standard combat ready stance, lowering her center of gravity, her eyes sharp as a hawk's.

"Alright, as you wish." Ling Yun's playful demeanor faded, his expression becoming a little more serious.

"Be careful, you two," Grandpa Wang quickly interjected, his face full of worry. "Go easy on her! Please go easy! My granddaughter is delicate..."

"Don't worry, Grandpa Wang, I know my limits."

Ling Yun gave him a reassuring look, then added, "And Grandpa, you can just call me Little Yun from now on. 'Master' sounds a bit embarrassing."

He showed a hint of shyness on his face, while inwardly muttering, "If it weren't for your granddaughter being so cool and pretty, that 'Master' title would sound quite nice..."

Grandpa Wang took it as Ling Yun's modesty and felt even closer to him, his eyes crinkling into a smile.

Seeing that even her grandfather didn't have much confidence in her, Wang Qinghe's inner fire burned brighter. Her eyes locked onto Ling Yun, like a coiled leopard ready to pounce.

The two stood about ten meters apart.

"Begin!" Grandpa Wang shouted nervously.

Before he finished speaking, Wang Qinghe exerted force from her feet, charging at Ling Yun like an arrow loosed from a bow!

Her speed was incredible, her steps swift and elastic. Her right fist was loaded, whistling through the air as it aimed straight for Ling Yun's center. This was a standard combat rush, intending to suppress him with speed and power.

However, Ling Yun's reaction was even faster!

He lowered his center of gravity slightly, his feet planted firmly. His hands slowly formed a circle in front of his chest, his movements seemingly slow but containing a peculiar rhythm.

Just as Wang Qinghe's fist was about to hit him, he twisted his waist. His hands drew a soft yet powerfully attractive arc – it was the Tai Chi move "Crane Spreads Wings"!

There were no dazzling lights, no exaggerated sound effects.

But Wang Qinghe was horrified to feel as if the air in front of her fist had suddenly become incredibly viscous. An immense, irresistible, yet seamless force suddenly ensnared her arm and her entire forward momentum!

It wasn't a head-on block, but a subversive pull and a stripping of her balance!

She felt as if she had charged into the center of a rapidly spinning vortex. All her strength, even her footing, was instantly "neutralized" by this strange force!

She desperately tried to regain her balance, mobilizing her core strength to resist, but was shocked to find that all her efforts were like a clay ox entering the sea. Her body completely refused to obey, being pulled forward and sideways by that soft yet irresistible force!

"Ngh!" Wang Qinghe only had time to let out a short gasp before she completely lost her balance. As if pulled by invisible threads, she stumbled, falling uncontrollably into Ling Yun's arms!

Everything happened in the blink of an eye!

A soft thud.

Wang Qinghe crashed squarely into Ling Yun's chest and was gently held by his arms, which had instinctively moved to catch her.

Their bodies pressed together, the distance between them instantly vanishing.

Time seemed to freeze.

Still shaken, Wang Qinghe looked up and met Ling Yun's lowered gaze.

The distance between their noses was less than ten centimeters. She could clearly see his long, delicate eyelashes and feel his steady, deep breaths brushing against her hair.

A faint, fresh scent, like grass after rain, filled her nostrils.

Facing such a flawlessly handsome face at such close range, Wang Qinghe's heart suddenly raced uncontrollably, pounding like a drum in her chest. Her cheeks flushed a burning crimson, even the roots of her ears turning red.

Her mind went blank, with only one thought screaming in her head: God! How can someone be this handsome! And so... strong!

"Tsk, tsk, tsk..." Grandpa Wang's ill-timed teasing broke the subtle and awkward silence. He grinned so wide his eyes disappeared. "What did I say? Talented man, beautiful woman, a match made in heaven!

I've never seen this kind of sparring before!"

"Grandpa!!" Wang Qinghe snapped back to reality, so embarrassed she wished she could disappear into the ground.

Like being shocked, she jerked backward, her face red, and leaped out of Ling Yun's embrace, lowering her head, not daring to look at him again.

"Ahem... Senior schoolmate, I'm truly sorry. Just now... I lost control a bit." Ling Yun also withdrew his hands, looking slightly embarrassed, his tone carrying sincere apology. He truly hadn't expected the gravitational effect of "Crane Spreads Wings" amplified by spiritual energy to be so overbearing and direct.

"It... It's fine!"

Wang Qinghe took a deep breath, trying to calm her racing heart and the heat on her face. She looked at Ling Yun with unprecedented eagerness. "Junior schoolmate, what was that just now? I... I had absolutely no chance to resist!"

She couldn't even describe the feeling using combat terms.

"That's a way of using force that can only be mastered when Tai Chi reaches the 'thorough understanding' realm."

Ling Yun didn't hide his realm but cleverly avoided mentioning the core of spiritual energy.

"It requires an ultimate grasp of power, timing, and spatial awareness."

He was telling the truth, just omitting the crucial prerequisite.

"'Thorough understanding'..."

Wang Qinghe murmured the words, her eyes full of curiosity. "Is this realm... difficult? What kind of talent does it require?"

"Extremely difficult."

Ling Yun said seriously, "This isn't something that can be achieved just by practicing moves diligently. It requires a profound understanding of the principles of the fist, exquisite control over every ounce of strength and every joint in the body. More importantly... it requires an innate, top-tier comprehension of 'force' and 'momentum'.

Throughout history, those who have reached this realm are exceedingly rare. Zhang Sanfeng is the ultimate master among them."

"Zhang... Zhang Sanfeng?!"

Wang Qinghe gasped, her eyes widening. Rare in a hundred years... no, a thousand years?! The weight of that assessment was immense!

Amidst her shock, a strange sense of relief washed over her.

So, it wasn't that traditional martial arts were ineffective, but rather that people who could reach such a realm had already surpassed the scope of ordinary competition!

Thinking this, her tense shoulders relaxed, and a relieved smile appeared on her face.