Insight

"Whoosh—"

Chen Feng caught the instant Zhao Shanyue's attention wandered. His body flickered—and vanished from where he stood!

Like an arrow loosed from its string,

he shot forward!

Killing intent mingled with Blood Qi, nearly solid. His fist whipped up a roaring gale as it hurtled straight for Zhao Shanyue's head, holding nothing back.

"Beautiful!"

Zhao Shanyue's lips curled upward.

With a loud shout, a thick, weighty aura spread out from him. He stood like an ancient pine, its roots sunk deep into the earth.

Even the bluestone slabs seemed to turn into solid bedrock, merging with Zhao Shanyue.

Boom!

Following the flow of Vital Energy, Chen Feng unleashed Cannon Fist. A torrent of power poured from his knuckles.

"Bam!"

Chen Feng felt as though his fist had struck a mountain. A force, fierce and unstoppable, surged up his arm and slammed into his bones and sinews.

Is this just a "little" bit of toughness?

The tremendous recoil cleared Chen Feng's eyes at once, and countermeasures flashed through his mind.

He leaned back, deciding to retreat and break away.

"You think you can hit me and just run? It's not that easy..." Zhao Shanyue flung both arms wide, like a ferocious beast opening its bloody maw to tear into Chen Feng.

In an instant,

a crushing pressure made Chen Feng's movements sluggish.

It was as if he'd sunk into a bog, unable to break free.

"Horizontal Fist Style!"

With no other choice, Chen Feng swiftly switched from attack to defense, bracing himself to withstand Zhao Shanyue's counterattack.

A hint of approval flashed through Zhao Shanyue's eyes.

But admiration did nothing to slow his hands. He kept slamming fist after fist into Chen Feng.

He held his strength to the Bone Forging Realm level,

seemingly hoping to feed Chen Feng some moves.

Once Chen Feng had planted his feet, he stood steady as an ancient pine. The muscles in his arms tensed, faint veins rising beneath the skin, and his reflexes were lightning-fast. He managed to block every punch in time.

But... little by little, he began to struggle against Senior Brother's storm of fists.

Though the force was only at the Bone Forging Realm level, Zhao Shanyue's bones and muscles were far tougher and denser than Chen Feng's.

It was like an egg striking a rock: the harder the egg hit, the more thoroughly it smashed itself.

Every time he blocked a blow, Chen Feng felt as if a thick steel bar had whipped across him.

The pain made him grimace.

Fortunately, the two of them had learned their boxing from the same school. Every move and technique had its patterns.

With his thorough grasp of Five Elements Fist, Chen Feng could still just barely find openings to counterattack between his blocks, but Senior Brother Zhao easily fended off every attempt.

Horizontal Fist was like the roots of an ancient tree, solid and powerful, equally suited to defense and attack.

Gradually, Chen Feng began to find his rhythm in each move.

At first, he focused all his attention on his opponent and could only barely hold his ground. His fists opened and closed according to the forms, and every block, counter, and parry was textbook.

Zhao Shanyue held the upper hand, suppressing him completely.

But as the fists grew faster and faster, Chen Feng's aura began to flow naturally. The sounds around him, the warmth of the sunlight, even the rhythm of his breathing—all gradually faded from his awareness.

Once again, Chen Feng entered a state of complete mental emptiness.

Zhao Shanyue immediately understood that his junior brother had entered a state of enlightenment again. He couldn't keep spoon-feeding him the answers.

That wouldn't do him any good.

"Junior Brother, a fight isn't just about responding to whatever move comes your way. You also need to predict your opponent's moves..."

Before he could finish,

Zhao Shanyue's fist techniques abruptly changed. He broke completely from the standard forms, blocking Chen Feng while attacking from all sorts of tricky angles.

Reflexes alone weren't enough to withstand Zhao Shanyue's assault.

Zhao Shanyue suddenly furrowed his brow. He'd noticed that Chen Feng's footing had grown unsteady.

"If your stance isn't solid, how can you throw a proper punch?"

He scolded Chen Feng as he attacked. Pain would leave a more lasting lesson than words.

The next moment,

Zhao Shanyue stared in astonishment.

Chen Feng lightly tapped the stone with his toes and glided upward. Like a startled swan skimming the water, he drifted more than three feet away in an instant, completely beyond Zhao Shanyue's reach.

Grasshopper Step!

Zhao Shanyue recognized the Lightness Skill at a glance. Then the corners of his mouth lifted. It seemed he'd underestimated Chen Feng.

"Good! Again!"

Zhao Shanyue was delighted. He stamped his foot against the ground and charged toward Chen Feng.

He was determined to drag him back into close combat.

Chen Feng had already forgotten both himself and everything else. Seeing Zhao Shanyue attack, he decisively turned his fists into palms. Mountain Splitting Palm Technique, which he had mastered to perfection, flowed effortlessly from his hands.

No matter how mountain-like Zhao Shanyue's punches were,

Chen Feng could meet each move with a counter.

Time slipped by. The two of them fought through who knew how many exchanges. All they knew was that the sun had climbed from the edge of the mountain to directly overhead.

Chen Feng's progress was astonishingly swift.

At first, Zhao Shanyue had easily handled every attack Chen Feng threw at him. Now, he had to concentrate and expend effort, lest Chen Feng seize an opening.

"Thud!"

With Zhao Shanyue's final punch, Chen Feng had no time to dodge. He raised his arm to block, but the tremendous force sent him tumbling away.

He staggered several steps before regaining his footing.

"That's enough... We'll stop here for today."

Zhao Shanyue lowered his fists and stood still. Even he felt a little tired after fighting for so long.

But...

He looked at Chen Feng and saw that he was still full of energy. He clearly hadn't run low on either stamina or strength.

Yet, by all rights, Chen Feng had been on the defensive throughout their exchange. He should have had to stay fully focused every moment, which would have worn him down even faster.

Zhao Shanyue made no effort to hide his admiration. At last, he said, "Junior Brother truly is extraordinary."

After steadying his breathing, Chen Feng clasped his hands in thanks.

Real combat really was the fastest way to improve. A single session of Senior Brother feeding him moves was worth days of hard training.

And it was fortunate that he had the Tai Chi Profound Origin Technique to provide him with an endless supply of support. Otherwise, he might have collapsed halfway through the fight.

"Thank you for your guidance, Senior Brother."

"No need to be polite. We're family." Zhao Shanyue gave a small, kind smile.

"Junior Brother, do you remember the state you entered just now, when nothing else occupied your mind?"

Chen Feng clasped his hands. "I'd be grateful to hear more."

He could only recall bits and pieces, but there was no doubt that in that state, his reflexes and bodily coordination had been several times sharper than usual.

His fighting ability had soared.

"That state is called Flow State. It means your mind has become completely empty, allowing you to reach the realm of Unity of Heaven and Man."

Zhao Shanyue explained slowly.

"Flow State gives a Martial Artist a tremendous boost. They say only Martial Way Grandmasters can master it, unleashing power beyond the Physical Limit as they please..."

Chen Feng could clearly see the longing in Zhao Shanyue's eyes when he said "Grandmaster."

"Flow State..."

Chen Feng's thoughts drifted. The first time he had entered the realm of Empty and Selfless had been when he maxed out the Tai Chi Profound Origin Technique.

So this was the power even Grandmasters yearned for.

What did it mean to be a Grandmaster?

A towering figure in the Martial Way, standing above even a Great Martial Master—someone Zhou Bingzhong treated with the utmost respect!

Just as Chen Feng's thoughts began to wander,

several familiar mechanical sounds interrupted him—

[Real Combat—Fist Exchange...]

[Experience +500]

[Received Guidance...]

[Experience +500]

[Comprehended "Flow State"...]

[Experience +1000]

Chen Feng's eyes widened as he stared at the panel in disbelief. One sparring session had given him this much!

Then what was all that running around as a Medicine Boy and Jiao Xi for?!

Did it count as being hardworking and capable?

And what's more...

He could earn five hundred Experience just by receiving guidance!

As if spurred by this revelation, Chen Feng looked at Zhao Shanyue and asked to confirm, "Senior Brother Zhao, you're in the Viscera Quenching Realm, right?"

Zhao Shanyue was taken aback. He didn't know why Chen Feng had suddenly asked, but he nodded all the same.

"Yeah. I haven't broken through yet."

Chen Feng had completely forgotten that he already had a master in the Opening Acupoints Realm!

If a Senior Brother in the Viscera Quenching Realm could give him five hundred Experience in one go, then if his master casually offered him a couple of pointers, wouldn't he never have to worry about running short on Experience again?