Talent

Zhou Bingzhong's calm voice spread through the courtyard.

"The Five Elements Fist Technique incorporates the Five Elements Way: metal, water, wood, fire, and earth. It has five forms in total, from the Gold Style, which marks the beginning, to the Earth Style, which marks completion. When you first start learning, there are both benefits and drawbacks."

"First, the drawbacks. The Gold Style is too fierce and powerful. You need to coordinate it with the Breathing Method and pair it with dietary supplements to practice it. Otherwise, you could easily injure yourself."

"As for the benefits, our Five Elements Fist Technique stimulates the body more readily than other martial arts, producing Qi Blood. Its power is also quite impressive, and in fights between people of the same level, it often gives its practitioners the upper hand."

"Next, I'll demonstrate the Gold Style Splitting Fist. Watch closely."

As soon as he finished speaking, Zhou Bingzhong shifted his feet slightly and lowered his body into position. Chen Feng's eyes lit up. He watched every movement intently, afraid he might miss something.

Zhou Bingzhong's fists shot out swiftly, his waist and legs working in concert. Each punch had a solid foundation, its force following a precise path. His moves were sharp, fierce, and powerful, sweeping wide and bold. His aura was clearly restrained, yet he still made those watching feel a chill of fear.

[Watching an Enlightened Martial Artist demonstrate a martial art...experience +1000]

Chen Feng greedily absorbed the knowledge, observing every subtle movement and constantly striving to understand it.

[Experience: 15075]

[Five Elements Fist (Incomplete)]: Initial Glimpse (0/500)

Chen Feng's thoughts stirred. Just five hundred? Fill it up for me!

The panel's numbers climbed rapidly. However, perhaps because Zhou Bingzhong had only demonstrated part of the form, even after it reached "Initial Glimpse (500/500)," it still didn't advance to Minor Success.

After spending the experience, Chen Feng felt as though he'd practiced martial arts for years. His bones and muscles were like steel, and the wisp of Qi Blood inside him surged, growing as thick as a finger.

His martial arts level had raised his own cultivation.

He guessed that, under normal circumstances, he would have needed to become a Martial Artist to fully learn the Gold Style Splitting Fist.

The system had forcibly erased that barrier, allowing Chen Feng to master the technique before he became a Martial Artist. But mastering it and being able to perform it were two different things.

Zhou Bingzhong finished his demonstration and slowly came to a stop. Looking at Chen Feng, he said:

"Do you have any questions? Every new student gets one chance to ask questions after I demonstrate a technique. Go ahead and ask."

The Staff-Wielding Youth beside him furrowed his brows. If someone lacked talent, they could still succeed by putting in ten or a hundred times the effort. But if they didn't even know how to set their attitude straight... Hmph. You couldn't carve rotten wood.

Zhao Shanyue also looked at Chen Feng impatiently. How could someone usually so modest and sensible suddenly become so arrogant?

Zhou Bingzhong's expression remained unchanged, making it impossible to tell what he was thinking.

"Show me the form."

"Yes."

Chen Feng obeyed. He imitated the Hall Master's stance and movements, copying them methodically—he wanted to establish himself as a genius with astonishing comprehension.

Only then could he overcome the disadvantage of his poor Gen Gu and catch the Hall Master's attention, gaining access to more resources and a chance to grow quickly instead of fading into the crowd.

Lin Yan was learning martial arts at the hall too. If he found an opportunity to crush Chen Feng and even drive him out of the martial arts school, who knew how long Chen Feng would have to save up before he could study martial arts again? And there would be countless other uncertainties.

These were Chaotic Times. Chen Feng didn't know what might happen, and he didn't want to delay any longer.

He'd held back before because he was afraid of envy and jealousy. He'd feared that a tree standing above the forest would be struck down by the wind. But now the Hall Master stood right before him. If he could win the support of this towering tree...

Then he'd ride the wind and soar, boundless beneath the vast sky!

"Ha!"

Chen Feng gave a muffled shout and threw one punch after another.

The Qi Blood inside him was like a tiny boat adrift on a surging sea, tossed about without an anchor. At his current level, even though he'd fully grasped the Gold Style Splitting Fist, executing it was still difficult.

But he gritted his teeth, forced down his surging Qi Blood, and kept going.

The Breathing Method ran on its own, a warm current coursing through his muscles and helping him with each punch.

Sometimes, when his punches became too fierce, Chen Feng deftly used the Simplified 24-Form Tai Chi Fist to soften their force.

The students couldn't make out the details. They pointed and whispered among themselves.

They thought Chen Feng was just showing off.

But Zhou Bingzhong and Zhao Shanyue, who knew what they were looking at, grew more and more delighted. They could hardly conceal the joy in their eyes.

Though he stumbled along, Chen Feng finished the form, panting heavily.

At last, he collapsed onto the ground, utterly spent. His muscles ached and felt weak, his chest heaved like a broken bellows, and he panted in rough, "hah, hah" gasps.

His Qi Blood was in disarray, his face pale, and his Tuna Gong had stopped running on its own.

Cold sweat beaded on his forehead, and his hand trembled slightly against his will.

Since learning the Breathing Method, this was the first time he'd ever been in such a sorry state.

If he hadn't had Tai Chi Fist as his foundation, forcing himself through the entire form might have damaged his foundation, with disastrous consequences.

[You have realized the consequences of using a martial art beyond your level...experience +100]

[You have gained some special insights into the Simplified 24-Form Tai Chi Fist...]

"Good! Good! Good!"

Zhou Bingzhong repeated the word three times, not bothering to hide his delight.

"You've truly surprised me. Not only is your temperament excellent, your comprehension is astonishing too. You picked up the essence of the fist after watching me demonstrate it just once!"

"Chen Feng, I'll take you on as a Registered Disciple for now. Are you willing?"

"This disciple is willing!"

Chen Feng answered respectfully.

Everyone who heard him was stunned.

"How did someone with Zhong Xia Gen Gu become a Registered Disciple?"

"His comprehension is outrageously good! Shouldn't he have just remembered the basic 'form,' then waited to ask a Senior Brother and slowly worked through it bit by bit? How did he learn it after watching just once?"

"Wait, I saw him stumbling through the whole form. That counts?"

"What do you know? He already understood it. His level just wasn't high enough to perform it properly. That's different from you flailing around blindly."

"You haven't learned it either, so how would you know?"

"Obviously! If it weren't true, would the Hall Master have taken him on as a disciple?"

[Becoming the center of attention...experience +123]

Chen Feng's ears twitched slightly. Every whispered word from those around him drifted into his ears, clear as day.

"..."

He felt like he might have revealed a little too much.

Who could have guessed that, for an ordinary person, Zhou Bingzhong only expected them to grasp the general bearing and understand that the Gold Style Splitting Fist was a fierce, powerful form?

It was purely a formality, meant to acknowledge that new students were qualified to learn the martial art. The demonstration was mostly for the older students to observe.

The new students' real lessons came later, with Jiao Xi specifically assigned to instruct them.

But Chen Feng had overdone it and turned himself into an unparalleled genius who could learn a technique at a glance.

Forget it. I'll treat this as exposure training. With the system, there's no way I can keep a low profile forever. Chen Feng comforted himself.

"Chen Feng!"

"This disciple is present!"

"From the way you performed the moves, had you learned some fist techniques before?"

"I practiced a Health Cultivation Fist Technique in the past." Chen Feng answered honestly, his gaze clear.

Zhou Bingzhong turned to Zhao Shanyue with a questioning look.

"Reporting to Master, I treated him just like any ordinary disciple. I never taught Chen Feng the Basic Fist Technique."

Everyone sucked in a sharp breath.

[Becoming the center of attention again...experience +66]

Chen Feng: "..."