Talent

"Master, I'll demonstrate it for Junior Brother."

Hearing that Xiao Wang had chosen the Tiger Guard Fist, Cheng Hu became even more excited than Xiao Wang and made to stand up.

"Sit your ass down. Don't you know your own limits? You want to demonstrate it for him?"

As Wei Zhongxing spoke, he set down his teapot and rose to his feet himself.

"Watch closely. I'll demonstrate it for you personally."

As he spoke, Wei Zhongxing walked toward the small training ground in the middle of the courtyard.

Xiao Wang voluntarily stepped aside, clearing some space.

After reaching the center of the grounds, Wei Zhongxing looked at Xiao Wang. "First, remember the form. That's the first step."

"Understood."

With that, Wei Zhongxing immediately assumed a stance and began his demonstration.

Although Wei Zhongxing was rather thin and not especially tall, he forcefully displayed the Tiger Guard Fist with an imposing, iron-hard momentum capable of parting mountains and overturning seas.

At the same time, his movements flowed as smoothly as drifting clouds and running water, without a trace of Cheng Hu's clumsy bearing.

The transitions between movements were incomparably fluid, and the force, speed, points of impact, and timing of every move were all pleasing to the eye.

The saying that looks were combat power made sense in any field. Only a perfect combination could produce perfect combat power.

The complete set of movements for the Tiger Guard Fist was not complicated. Strictly speaking, it consisted of only a dozen or so moves. In less than twenty seconds, Wei Zhongxing had finished the demonstration.

"Did you see it clearly?" Wei Zhongxing asked after he finished.

Although Xiao Wang had watched with complete concentration, he had only remembered the general outline. There were likely still considerable errors in the precision of each movement.

"I remembered the general idea," Xiao Wang answered honestly.

"That's fine. Do it once first, and let me see."

As Wei Zhongxing spoke, he made room for Xiao Wang.

Xiao Wang replayed Wei Zhongxing's movements over and over in his mind as he walked to the center of the grounds.

Then he assumed a stance and began practicing.

He copied the gourd by drawing the ladle.

As Xiao Wang began the sequence, shock gradually appeared in Wei Zhongxing's eyes.

It took Xiao Wang nearly a minute to finish the entire set.

The movements were loose and scattered, with poor continuity, and nearly every point where he exerted force was wrong.

Still, he had managed to run through the entire sequence.

"Hahaha!" Watching Xiao Wang's badly distorted movements from the side, Cheng Hu could not help laughing.

Wei Zhongxing glanced at Cheng Hu. "You have the nerve to laugh? How long did it take you just to remember the whole sequence when you first learned it?"

Cheng Hu immediately stopped smiling and answered somewhat sheepishly, "Three days."

"And you still have the nerve to laugh? He can run through the movements after one try, while you took three days. You're laughing at him?"

The more Wei Zhongxing spoke, the more speechless he became. Then he turned his gaze to Xiao Wang, looking at him with appreciation. "Do it two more times. First get the sequence smooth, then I'll demonstrate it once more. This time, you don't need to remember the moves. Watch the details carefully."

"Understood."

Xiao Wang knew his movements were severely distorted and completely lacking in flow.

What he did not know was that, in Wei Zhongxing's eyes, there was already a hint of fondness.

Back then, Wei Zhongxing himself had needed nearly thirteen tries before he could smoothly perform the whole set. He had not expected Xiao Wang to do it in a single attempt.

His martial arts memory was truly astonishing.

Next, Xiao Wang practiced three more times in a row. Each attempt was better than the last, and both the precision and fluidity of his movements steadily improved.

After watching, Wei Zhongxing smiled and nodded. "Now watch closely. Pay attention to the details in my demonstration."

"Understood."

Wei Zhongxing then began his second demonstration. This time, he deliberately slowed down a little so Xiao Wang could observe the finer details.

Xiao Wang watched with absolute focus. As Wei Zhongxing had instructed, he no longer tried to memorize the overall moves, instead closely observing the details within each movement.

After the demonstration ended, Wei Zhongxing returned to his chair, picked up his teapot, and directed him while drinking tea. "Begin."

Xiao Wang began practicing again.

This time was different from the previous attempts. Aside from smoothly completing the sequence, he deliberately focused on several small details. Once he finished the entire set, he had cut more than ten seconds off his time alone, showing that his fluidity had improved greatly.

Watching Xiao Wang practice, Wei Zhongxing's hand froze halfway to his mouth with the teacup. Every additional practice run brought Xiao Wang enormous improvement, far faster than Wei Zhongxing himself had progressed back then.

This kid will probably master the form of the Tiger Guard Fist within ten days. Wei Zhongxing thought, but he did not openly praise Xiao Wang.

On the path of martial arts, steady progress was best, while arrogance and complacency were most taboo. The slightest carelessness could cause one's movements to become distorted.

After several rounds of practice, the sky had gradually darkened.

"All right, that's enough for today. From now on, you can practice on your own while also finding people to spar with. That'll help you improve faster."

"Thank you for your guidance, Master."

"All right, get lost and go home."

"Master, I still have a few questions I want to stay and ask you."

Wei Zhongxing turned to look at Xiao Wang. "You brat, you want to stay and mooch a meal, don't you?"

"Master, I paid money too."

"That was tuition, not meal money."

Although Wei Zhongxing said that, he did not drive Xiao Wang away.

Xiao Wang went to the kitchen and helped Cheng Hu with the cooking.

Before long, the food was ready.

They sat down to eat in the main hall, arranged in the same seats as last time.

After taking two bites, Xiao Wang looked at Wei Zhongxing, then at his two senior brothers. "Master, Senior Brothers, could I move here and live with you for a few months? That way, if I have any questions, I can ask you promptly. I can also spar with my senior brothers, and that should help me improve much faster."

Cheng Hu and Linghu Ke looked at each other, then both turned their eyes toward Wei Zhongxing.

Wei Zhongxing swallowed his food, took a sip of soup, then looked at Xiao Wang and smiled. "No problem. You'll just have to pay for room and board. By our standards for food and lodging, it should be at least 8,000 Federation coins a month, right? Don't you two agree?"

After saying that, Wei Zhongxing looked at Cheng Hu and Linghu Ke for confirmation.

Master's heart is way too black. The two of them thought almost in unison.

But outwardly, they replied with smiling faces, "Yes, Master is right."

Xiao Wang looked at the three dishes and one soup on the table before him—boiled cabbage, broccoli, stir-fried soybeans, and winter melon soup. There was not even a shred of meat, and barely any oil. Then he looked around the dilapidated house.

"Master, this is your 8,000 Federation coin standard?"

"Is that the point? The point is that while you live here, we'll give you an introduction to martial arts. Knowledge is priceless, understand?"

Fucking hell. Xiao Wang now seriously suspected that he had been ruthlessly overcharged for the 10,000 Federation coin tuition he had paid before.

Seeing Xiao Wang hesitate, Wei Zhongxing added, "You can bargain. Go on, name a price."

Xiao Wang listened. So they were playing the con game? Fine, bring it on.

"I think these conditions are worth at most 380 Federation coins a month."