Traditional Martial Arts vs. Modern Martial Arts

"Oh?" Xiao He asked curiously, "A new Mutant? Sister Man, are you going back?"

"Sigh, I really don't want to go back..." Cui Man sighed and complained in a muffled voice, but still grabbed her coat and put it on. Then she turned to Xiao He and said, "They specifically asked to see you, so you have to go back with them."

"See me?" Xiao He was somewhat surprised: Could it be another of my fans?

"Then this..." Ye Wanqing asked, looking at the house behind her with a hint of reluctance.

"It's okay, we can come another day. It's always fine." Xiao He kissed Ye Wanqing on the head.

"Alright..." Ye Wanqing glanced back and sighed.

Next, everyone dressed and returned to the arena. Then, Xiao He took Cui Man alone to the Special Response Department to meet the man who wanted to cooperate with the Special Response Department.

On the way, when they passed the Research Department, Cui Man and Wu Changchun bumped into each other.

"Oh no, could it be..." Xiao He thought to himself, glancing at Cui Man beside him.

But Cui Man smiled slightly and stepped forward to greet Wu Changchun: "Old Wu, we've just found a way to build Perfect Cube mold. We'll get you a model to study in a few days."

"Oh? A mold for Perfect Cube?" Wu Changchun asked, somewhat surprised.

"Not bad, it's almost perfect." Cui Man nodded with a smile. "Although the size is fixed, its effect, from a physical point of view, should be the same as a real Perfect Cube."

"That's wonderful!" Wu Changchun exclaimed excitedly. "If we can do it, we can build enough temporary survival equipment to survive on Mars! I believe we can officially begin exploring Mars soon!"

As he spoke, Wu Changchun turned to Xiao He and smiled, "Then we'll have to trouble Yinglong to pick us up and drop us off again."

"It's a trivial matter," Xiao He said dismissively.

Wu Changchun then added, "There's also good news: we've already selected the materials for the ring. After we complete the safety checks, we'll officially begin making it. If all goes well, it should be finished in about two weeks. This will be the world's first ring made with gemstones from Mars, and White Marsh will definitely love it."

"I hope so, actually I'm a little nervous..." Xiao He swallowed and said.

"I wish you both well," Wu Changchun said with a smile, then bowed slightly. "Then, I'll take my leave."

After the two groups separated, Xiao He whispered to Cui Man, "I thought you and he would have a really bad falling out..."

"How could that be? The adult world is very sophisticated." Cui Man patted Xiao He's head and said, "But don't become like your sister. Just be the 'Yinglong' you want to be. You don't have to be perfect. A little imperfection now and then will make people feel that you are more real."

"Yes." Xiao He nodded in response, and then went into the office with Cui Man.

Inside the office, a middle-aged man was already waiting.

Xiao He glanced at the man, who looked to be in his thirties or forties. He appeared very weathered, with a somewhat withered complexion and many patches on his clothes, clearly indicating that he had been living a life of hardship for a long time.

In terms of appearance, he has a square face, thick eyebrows, and big eyes. His build is not thin, but not strong either.

However, the moment Xiao He saw the man's eyes, he knew that the man was no ordinary person. Although he looked down on his luck, his eyes were piercing and sharp. This was the look of a warrior, not someone who would compromise with life.

"My name is Li Zhengliang." The other man stood up, extended his hand to Xiao He, and said, "I've long admired your name."

"Hello," Xiao He replied, shaking hands with the other person.

Cui Man asked bluntly, "What about your Superpower? What is it?"

"It's a bit complicated to describe, how about we demonstrate it?" Li Zhengliang said, turning to Xiao He, "A practical demonstration."

"Me?" Xiao He raised an eyebrow, then looked somewhat amused and exasperated. "Alright then, how about... we'll stop here?"

"That's enough." Li Zhengliang nodded.

So Cui Man led the two of them to the training ground of the Special Response Department. The two of them did some warm-up exercises and then went to the fighting mat and got into position.

"Fists and kicks have no eyes, brother, be careful," Li Zhengliang said, clasping his hands in a fist salute.

This person... Xiao He immediately raised an eyebrow: he exuded a kind of chivalrous air.

"Drink!" Li Zhengliang struck a pose.

Actually, I was a little disappointed when I saw Xiao He: it was traditional martial arts.

It wasn't that Xiao He looked down on traditional Dragon Country martial arts; it was just that in recent years, while foreign countries have been frantically pursuing practical combat skills, traditional martial arts have clung to mere showmanship, to the point that so-called traditional martial arts have become a skill that can only be used for performance, and has almost no meaning in actual combat.

Moreover, even in the movie, those actions were full of loopholes.

He could have just slashed straight at you and finished the job, but instead he turned around and slashed again. In real combat, the opponent would have already taken advantage of your turn and slashed you down. This kind of scene only exists in movies.

Therefore, when his opponent started showing off his fancy moves in traditional martial arts, Xiao He lost interest.

However, since the purpose was to see the other party display their Superpower, Xiao He was too embarrassed to attack first and could only wait for the other party to attack.

"Tiger Claw!" Li Zhengliang adjusted his posture, and at that moment, the silhouette of a fierce tiger appeared behind him.

This was not an illusion; the shadow of a fierce tiger had truly appeared, enveloping Li Zhengliang.

"Drink!" Li Zhengliang stepped forward and grabbed Xiao He's shoulders with both hands.

Xiao He felt a weight on his shoulder and exclaimed in surprise, "Good heavens, that's quite strong! Is that level 4?!"

But Xiao He wouldn't just take the beating like that. He swung his arms to deflect the opponent's Tiger Claw, and then threw a jab.

Li Zhengliang slightly turned his body, and his right hand coiled around Xiao He like a snake. The shadow of a snake actually appeared on his arm, dodging Xiao He's fist and biting Xiao He's shoulder. Xiao He felt a sharp pain in his shoulder.

I lifted my suit jacket to take a look, and saw two black spots on my shoulder from being bitten. It looked like it was really poisonous.

"It is indeed poisonous, but I heard you have the 'Miracle Factor' so you won't be poisoned, right?" Li Zhengliang said, getting into position again.

This time, the stance is "Mantis Fist," with the silhouette of a giant mantis appearing behind him.

"Indeed, there's no risk of poisoning..." Xiao He looked at Li Zhengliang with interest and smiled, "Xingyi Boxing?"

"I wouldn't call it that, it's really just Superpower. I haven't personally studied Xingyi Boxing," Li Zhengliang replied. "However, demonstrating its charm shouldn't be a problem..."

As he spoke, Li Zhengliang bowed down, and the mantis-like shadow behind him pushed off the spot, and in the next moment he rushed to Xiao He like an arrow, with astonishing speed.

Xiao He assumed a fighting stance and unleashed a Russian Swing Punch. Li Zhengliang flailed his arms, while the mantis behind him swiftly swung its pincers, slicing past Xiao He.

Xiao He felt dizzy and the next moment he fell onto the boxing mat, his opponent's movements were too fast for him to see.

"Oh? The Mantis Fist of using minimal force to overcome great strength..." Cui Man muttered to herself with interest.

Xiao He immediately stood up, regrouped, and began to take things seriously: He had seen the opponent's attack methods before, so now he would examine their defense.

Thinking this, Xiao He began to perform the Butterfly Step: this was a battle between traditional martial arts and modern martial arts.

But Xiao He is, after all, a monster who has experienced the baptism of the Mutant Competition. In terms of practical experience, he is stronger than any other Mutant. Because so far, he is the Mutant with the most appearances. No other Mutant has fought against so many LV5 Mutant like him.

"You're going in? Watch out." Xiao He warned, then quickly closed the distance with a forward step and a slide, followed by a lightning-fast jab.

Li Zhengliang changed his stance, and the shadow of a crane appeared behind him.

"Crane Fist?! It's changed again!" Xiao He thought to himself, but he still threw the punch.

Li Zhengliang's right hand formed a beak, pecking at Xiao He's elbow. Meanwhile, the crane in his back also pecked down with its beak, deflecting Xiao He's attack. Immediately afterward, Li Zhengliang spread his arms and kicked out. The crane behind him also spread its wings, its sharp claws striking Xiao He's face, creating a powerful gust of air.

Xiao He raised his left hand to parry Li Zhengliang's punch, and at the same time, his right hand Russian Swing Punch to Li Zhengliang's ribs.

"Twin-Blade Style..." Cui Man nodded in satisfaction. "My Darling's skills have reached a high level. I think there are very few Mutant can defeat my Darling through physical combat."

The punch caught Li Zhengliang off guard, and he immediately felt the pain after being hit. Xiao He immediately followed up with a jab and a hook, knocking Li Zhengliang backward. Then, he adjusted his posture and swept a large swing punch toward Li Zhengliang's face.

This combination of punches was a new style that Xiao He had recently learned, and it was more threatening than before.

"Iron Shirt!" Li Zhengliang shouted, taking a deep breath. A circle of golden light appeared around his body, helping him withstand Xiao He's punch. However, he was still forced back four or five steps by the powerful force of the punch. He then immediately steadied himself in a horse stance and began to move his hands.

"What the hell!?" Xiao He was stunned: This situation looks so damn familiar...

"Dragon Subduing Eighteen Palms!" Li Zhengliang performed several stances and suddenly thrust both palms towards Xiao He, causing a golden dragon to rush towards him.

Xiao He suddenly became playful, raised his right hand and pushed it onto the dragon's head, then used Kinetic Energy Absorption to devour the dragon and blasted it out from his left hand. "Hey! Star-Shifting! Didn't expect that, did you!?"

After hitting himself, Xiao He slapped himself and scolded, "Pah! Why did I imitate Murong Fu? That guy's ending was miserable enough, ptooey ptooey ptooey... bad luck!"

"Golden Bell Shield!" Li Zhengliang shouted angrily as he assumed a fighting stance. A circle of golden bells appeared around him, blocking the impact of Xiao He's attack, and a strong airflow spread out.

Cui Man, standing nearby, quickly pressed down on her skirt and complained, "Alright, alright! Let's stop here! We already have a general idea of your abilities!"

Upon hearing this, Xiao He ceased his attack.

"You flatter me," Li Zhengliang said, bowing deeply to Xiao He with his fist raised, displaying considerable humility.

Although Xiao He didn't use his full strength in the fight, there's no doubt that this man is powerful, and definitely not weak.

Because this is a very comprehensive Superpower: it has melee skills and combines strength and flexibility; the Golden Bell Shield can defend against ranged attacks, the Iron Shirt can defend against melee attacks, and it also has considerable ranged attack capabilities.

If Xiao He's guess was correct, since he could unleash the Eighteen Dragon-Subduing Palms, he must also be able to use the Six Meridian Divine Sword. Having ranged attack methods would prevent him from being kited by the enemy. Moreover, he must also possess light-footed skills such as Wave-Treading Steps and Cloud Ladder Step.

This Superpower... is quite interesting. It's somewhat similar to Faust's, both using "performance" to unleash their Superpower. However, Faust plays a movie character, while Li Zhengliang performs a martial arts technique.

However, Li Zhengliang also has a weakness: a lack of practical combat experience, which can be compensated for in the arena.

"Your Superpower is that you can use martial arts techniques from various movies and TV shows, right?" Cui Man stepped forward and asked Li Zhengliang. Li Zhengliang nodded. "Basically, yes, but I myself have practiced martial arts for many years and used to be a stunt double. Those faceless fight scenes you see on camera are performed by people like us."

"Yes, I know," Cui Man said, then turned to Xiao He and asked, "What LV do you think he is?"

"Judging from individual stats like offense and defense, LV4 is the lowest. But considering overall performance, it's definitely LV5," Xiao He replied. "His abilities are so well-rounded; once he can skillfully apply them in actual combat, he's incredibly powerful..."

"Hmm..." Cui Man nodded in satisfaction, then asked Li Zhengliang, "So, what are your conditions for cooperating with us?"

"There are no conditions," Li Zhengliang replied. "I just saw many foreigners showcasing their national martial arts in the competition, but no one was able to demonstrate our country's traditional martial arts, which I think is a pity. So I wanted to participate in the competition and promote our Dragon Country's traditional martial arts to everyone, even if it has declined now."

"But what you..." Xiao He hesitated: In fact, Li Zhengliang's offense and defense relied entirely on his Superpower, and were not true traditional Dragon Country arts. They only relied on some fancy moves and the "special effects" of his Superpower to create the illusion of traditional martial arts.

But then he thought: for ordinary people, isn't this just traditional martial arts?

To be precise, this is the true martial arts of the Dragon Country as understood by everyone.

So after thinking it over, Xiao He decided not to say the second half of his sentence. Besides, his opponent was quite formidable and a chivalrous person; as long as he could win, who cared about anything else?

"Is that so? I understand." Cui Man nodded. "But just in case, I still need to do some evaluation for you, is that alright? It's just some simple questions. Of course, we'll also give you some financial reward..."

"No need," Li Zhengliang said calmly. "I have the ability to survive on my own."

"Why bother? It's not like I'm going to poison you with a life of luxury." Cui Man frowned. "Besides, having money means having more ways to do good deeds, right?"

Li Zhengliang thought about it and felt that it seemed to make sense.

Cui Man whispered to Xiao He with a smile, "This person's timing is perfect. The second round of the competition is about to start, and you're about to use up all your matches. We're short-handed right now..."