Living to a Hundred Years Old, Effortlessly

The scene was deathly silent.

Chen Zhang's eyes widened as he stared intently at the scene in the distance.

"No... no, Old Ye, is your wooden dummy made of brittle skin?" His throat bobbed, and his lips were a little dry.

"Made of high-quality hardwood, it won't crack or warp, it's even harder than a tree stump!" Director Ye stretched out his hands, trembling slightly. "This is the power to kill an ox with a single slap! So, the ultimate level of traditional martial arts can reach such a realm? The ancients were right!"

He even doubted whether the legends passed down by martial arts masters recorded hundreds of years ago were true.

Isn't this a living example right before our eyes?

In reality, Zhang Yang didn't know whether traditional martial arts could achieve such an effect. He only knew that the effect of his punch was a combination of his own formidable strength and ultimate power generation technique.

The ten traditional martial arts techniques allowed him to understand the secrets of human muscle power generation and then unleash the full power of his body at a single point.

In this way, the wooden dummy, whose strength far surpasses that of a tree stump, would crumble and explode like fibers under his punches.

"Terrifying... terrifying indeed." Chen Zhang stammered for a long time before finally uttering a well-known four-character phrase.

If before, he was merely interested in Zhang Yang because he found him agreeable and simply wanted to make friends, now, even with his pride, he couldn't help but feel admiration, respect, and even reverence for him.

This has nothing to do with family background, but is purely a heartfelt respect for the strong as a human being.

As for wealth and status, they all seem to vanish like fleeting clouds, as if they were no longer that important.

"Mr. Zhang's martial arts skills are truly astonishing; he is definitely a grandmaster of our time," Ye Yunkai suddenly blurted out. "The accomplished come first; Mr. Zhang should be considered a senior... Mr. Zhang, Mr. Zhang!"

As he spoke, he hurriedly ran over.

Chen Zhang stood still, took a deep breath, and greeted them with a smile.

In the distance, beside the wooden dummy that had crumbled into fibrous material, a group of trainees squatted on the ground, trembling as they touched the dummy while looking up at Zhang Yang as if on a pilgrimage.

They were very familiar with this wooden dummy.

It is a product of countless hammer blows, with a smooth and shiny surface, resembling ironwood, and it produces a crisp, metallic sound when tapped.

But now, every single fiber is clearly visible.

What caused all of this was not heavy machinery, but merely Zhang Yang's punch.

This is simply... simply...

"Traditional martial arts are truly divine! There really is still a path ahead!" one student exclaimed excitedly.

They certainly wouldn't even dare to dream of Zhang Yang's level of achievement.

But this moment is a hundred times better than the previous days of practicing traditional martial arts without seeing any hope!

Because they finally saw the light.

Zhang Yang's eyes flickered, but after thinking for a moment, he said nothing.

Forget it, let's give them some hope.

Ordinary people, no matter how much they train, can never reach his level, because human muscles have limits, and bones have limits; these are the barriers and upper limits of a species.

However, if any of them were truly gifted and could master the essence of traditional martial arts and its power generation techniques, they could far surpass ordinary people and easily win in the fighting arena.

"Thank you for the demonstration, Mr. Zhang!"

"Thank you, Mr. Zhang."

One by one, their eyes practically lit up with fervor.

When someone ignites hope in their hearts, they will naturally pour all their passion and admiration into that person.

"Mr. Zhang, Mr. Zhang!" Director Ye jogged over, "My apologies for not respecting a Grandmaster in person."

Zhang Yang wasn't used to his flowery way of speaking.

Do all these traditional, old-fashioned people like to talk like this?

"Director Ye, what kind of grandmaster am I?" Zhang Yang said with amusement.

"How can you not count?" Director Ye exclaimed excitedly. "Your martial arts skills have reached a level beyond comprehension, a level that transcends even the most advanced. If you are not a grandmaster, then who in the world is?"

The phrase "his achievements rival those of nature" that he used was obviously an absurd and exaggerated claim.

But for ordinary people, suddenly seeing someone who has mastered traditional martial arts to the point where they can smash a wooden dummy with a single punch is just as shocking as seeing something supernatural.

"Zhang Yang..." Chen Zhang walked over, his eyes filled with complex emotions.

"Brother Chen." Zhang Yang nodded.

"No... I feel a bit unworthy of you calling me that now, just call me by my name," Chen Zhang quickly waved his hand. "I underestimated you before. If I had known your martial arts had reached this level, I wouldn't have invited you to participate in that comprehensive competition!"

Previously, if Zhang Yang was merely a skilled fighter, it would have been reasonable for him to help out by participating in this mixed martial arts competition. However, now, having a grandmaster participate in this kind of commercial competition seems... disrespectful.

"You don't need to say anything more. Since I promised, I'll definitely go." Zhang Yang shook his head.

What a joke! I haven't even received the system's rewards of 100 million in cash and 50 experience points yet, how could I possibly quit halfway through?

Moreover, this tournament can also serve as a chance to replicate some of the world's martial arts techniques.

Although traditional Chinese martial arts have a long history, we should not underestimate people from all over the world. Perhaps the martial arts of other countries also have their merits.

"Great! I'm glad you have no objections." Chen Zhang was overjoyed. "By the way, I'm going back to the Beijing tomorrow. Do you want to come with me?"

"Okay, I'll go with you." Zhang Yang nodded.

There's still a week until the competition, plenty of time. Besides, he's stirred up quite a storm in Tianjin's martial arts world; it's time for him to step away and let the hype cool down a bit.

A moment later, Zhang Yang and Chen Zhang left side by side, heading straight for the hotel.

Inside the martial arts school, as soon as the person left, a commotion erupted. Many things that were inconvenient to say in front of the grandmaster were now spoken out.

"Director Ye, Mr. Zhang's martial arts skills are truly miraculous, unbelievable!"

"Mr. Zhang is so young, only about twenty-five or twenty-six years old. It's impossible for him to reach this level of martial arts even if he practiced martial arts from the womb, right?"

"I thought those things in novels and movies were all fake. I thought that if you could train traditional martial arts to the point of having real combat ability, that would be quite good. I never imagined there was such a vast and boundless world to explore! If that punch lands on someone, what's the difference between that and being hit by a cannonball?"

Everyone chimed in with their own opinions, offering a variety of perspectives.

"Master, will Mr. Zhang come back after the competition? Could you please ask Mr. Zhang to teach us?" Lu Yao tugged at Ye Yunkai's sleeve, her face full of hope.

"Saying such things in front of your master is ridiculous. I might as well expel you from the sect and let you find your own way out," Ye Yunkai, glaring at him with feigned anger.

"Ah? If Mr. Zhang is willing to take me in, then it's not... not impossible," Lu Yao muttered softly.

Ye Yunkai was so angry that he blew his beard and glared at his opponent.

Lu Yao smiled and stepped forward, saying, "I was just kidding. A master is for life. I simply admire Mr. Zhang's level of attainment. There's a saying... 'A heart devoted to martial arts.'"

"Don't think I don't know what you're thinking." Ye Yunkai looked at Lu Yao for a while, then shook his head. "Mr. Zhang is an unrestrained and capricious person. How could I possibly have the face to ask him to come and teach? Don't you know how precious his time is?"

"Huh?" Lu Yao's expression immediately turned sullen, and her disappointment was almost overflowing.

Ye Yunkai saw it all, but said nothing.

Indeed, it's best not to encounter someone too amazing when you're young. Meeting a young master like Zhang Yang will probably influence Lu Yao for the rest of her life.

··

The hotel was a large suite at the Ritz-Carlton Tianjin, which Chen Zhang had booked for Zhang Yang in advance.

Zhang Yang got out of the car with a flourish in front of the hotel.

See you tomorrow morning.

He waved and walked straight to the hotel lobby.

Inside the Brabus, Chen Zhang watched Zhang Yang's departing figure for a long time, his eyes filled with mixed emotions.

"Huh?"

The phone rang nearby.

Chen Zhang glanced at it and quickly answered the call.

"Dad?"

"Hmm, where are you?" A middle-aged man's voice came from the phone, his tone calm and authoritative.

"I'm in Tianjin. I've been working with the Tianjin Martial Arts Hall and Chairman Ye of the Tianjin Martial Arts Association on event planning recently," Chen Zhang quickly replied.

"I trust you. Here's the thing, I happen to be at your grandfather's place tonight. He wants to know how you're doing. Could you give him a briefing over the phone?" the middle-aged man on the other end of the line said.

A moment later, there was a sound on the phone.

"Chen Zhang?" The voice on the other end was old but loud.

Chen Zhang immediately sat up straight, respectfully taking the phone, "Grandpa, how are you feeling?"

"I'm in good health. Your father told me that your career has been going well lately, which makes me very happy, so I'd like to hear it from you yourself," the person on the other end said.

Chen Zhang was overjoyed and quickly reported the recent situation in detail.

"By the way, Grandpa, I recently met a remarkable person."

"Oh? What kind of extraordinary person? Not some kind of supernatural ability or qigong, right?" The voice on the other end became more serious.

In the 1980s and 90s, qigong was very popular in China, and the elderly were very sensitive about this.

"No, no, he's a legendary martial arts master, a true grandmaster," Chen Zhang quickly and carefully explained, describing the details in detail.

"My friend's martial arts skills are truly extraordinary, almost unbelievable. He is proficient in various traditional martial arts styles, making him a martial arts prodigy. If I hadn't personally witnessed him smash a wooden dummy to pieces with a single punch, I wouldn't have believed it."

"Is there really such a person?" the other person exclaimed in surprise. "Make arrangements; I'd like to meet him."

Chen Zhang was greatly alarmed.

Why would someone as important as his grandfather want to see Zhang Yang? But at this moment, he dared not utter a single other word.

"Okay, Grandpa," he readily agreed.

··

The next morning, Zhang Yang woke up early in his suite at the Ritz-Carlton.

He drew back the curtains and, by the French windows, facing the sunlight, practiced a set of Tai Chi.

Since mastering the essence of Tai Chi, he has increasingly felt that Tai Chi is unfathomable and can no longer be encompassed by a martial art. Rather, it is more like a secret to the perfect unity of body, mind and spirit, and self-cultivation.

Practice Tai Chi with a focused mind and a spirit.

When practicing Tai Chi, one feels completely unaware of the entire body, as if all limbs and bones have vanished, resulting in a state of ethereal emptiness and selflessness.

"Call!"

A breath of stale air shot out from Zhang Yang's mouth like a sharp sword. Every pore on his body was slightly sweaty, and his blood and qi seemed to be surging endlessly.

"If you practice Tai Chi well, no other health regimen is worth mentioning," Zhang Yang remarked.

He had a feeling that if he continued to cultivate himself in this way for a long time, living past a hundred years old would be a piece of cake, and even living longer would not be impossible. Moreover, he was afraid that even when he was eighty or ninety years old, his physical condition would still be sharp and agile, no worse than that of young people in their twenties or thirties who were in their prime.

After finishing his Tai Chi practice, Zhang Yang went straight into the bathroom to wash up and take a shower.

After showering, he walked out of the bathroom shirtless, revealing his incredibly perfect physique, and glanced at his ringing phone.

It was Chen Zhang calling.

"Hey bro, are you awake yet?"

"I'm up, I'll be downstairs in about half an hour," Zhang Yang replied casually, glancing at the time.

"Okay, see you in half an hour."

Half an hour later, in the lobby downstairs, Zhang Yang met Chen Zhang, who had been waiting for him.

"How did you sleep?" Chen Zhang asked with a smile as he came up to us.

"I slept very well without any dreams all night," Zhang Yang nodded.

With his current control over himself, controlling his breathing and heart rate is effortless. If he wanted, even in a bustling city with noisy gongs and drums all around, he could fall into a deep sleep in a second.

"Alright, let's go out for breakfast. I have something I'd like to talk to you about," Chen Zhang said with a smile.

A moment later, inside an authentic breakfast shop in Tianjin.

On the table were fried dough rings, millet porridge, fried cakes, and sesame seed cakes with beef, among other things.

Given Chen Zhang's physique, he naturally needs to eat a lot every day.

As for Zhang Yang, his energy consumption is even more terrifying. His appetite is simply astonishing. No wonder people say that scholars are poor while warriors are rich.

"How's this restaurant?" Chen Zhang asked, stuffing buns one after another—it was terrifying.

"Everyone around here is a local, so the food must be authentic. Hmm... it really does taste delicious." Zhang Yang nodded in approval. "By the way, you said you wanted to see me about something. What is it?"

"It's like this," Chen Zhang put down his chopsticks, "I was chatting with my grandfather yesterday, and we talked about you. He's very interested and wants to meet you."

"Your grandfather." Zhang Yang was slightly taken aback.

Chen Zhang's grandfather, wouldn't that be...?

"Don't feel pressured. My grandfather is actually very kind in private and cares a lot about the growth of us younger generation. Most importantly, he has always been very interested in traditional martial arts and loves to practice Tai Chi in his spare time," Chen Zhang explained with a smile.

"Go ahead, it will only bring good things."

"Okay, when?" Zhang Yang nodded and readily agreed.

Although his kung fu is powerful, he is not the type of person who is sincere in his martial arts and whose spiritual realm is so high that he is detached from worldly affairs.

Despite being in this bustling world, his mind was actually quite clear.

"How about today? We'll head back to Beijing after breakfast, and then visit my grandfather later," Chen Zhang said.

Zhang Yang nodded and continued eating breakfast.

Chen Zhang then walked to the side and made a phone call.

Later, he took Chen Zhang's car to pick up his Ghost, which had been parked there for some time.

The two then drove back to Beijing, one after the other.