On the Martial Arts Grounds.
Zhang Teng cast aside his distracting thoughts and threw himself wholeheartedly into the fight!
They continued exchanging moves.
Almost every time they clashed, Lin Bei could strike him from any angle.
Sometimes he lightly tapped his shoulder, sometimes he touched his forehead, and sometimes he lightly chopped at his neck.
Although Zhang Teng lost every exchange,
he was not discouraged in the slightest.
Why?
Because this was his master!
Even if his master was so powerful that he defeated him instantly, was that anything to be surprised about?
Not in the least!
On the contrary, facing him with equal strength was the greatest recognition he could receive!
This time, free of that mental burden, he instead focused on how to improve his fighting.
His combat prowess was improving at a tremendous pace.
As the saying went, insiders watched the fine points, while outsiders watched the spectacle.
At that moment, Zhang Teng's attacks looked fierce and swift!
Meanwhile, Lin Bei counterattacked as he dodged.
To those who knew nothing about fighting, Lin Bei seemed to be trading blows evenly with Zhang Teng.
Just then, Xiao Liuzi from the Martial Arts Grounds could not help asking, "Tieniu, is Senior Brother Zhang really that good?"
"Good?"
Tieniu looked at Xiao Liuzi in bewilderment.
"What do you mean, good?"
"Look at Senior Brother Zhang! He's trading blows evenly with Master. He's amazing!"
Tieniu nearly stumbled and fell flat on the ground.
What the hell?
Trading blows evenly made someone good?
Tieniu could see it perfectly clearly.
Zhang Teng lost every exchange!
The only difference was the way he lost.
Tieniu could not help scolding them.
"Xiao Liuzi, and the rest of you, don't spout nonsense if you don't understand. You're embarrassing yourselves!"
"What do you mean?"
"It looks like quite a fight to us. Senior Brother Zhang's attacks seem to be getting fiercer!"
Many people on the Martial Arts Grounds looked puzzled.
Tieniu sighed.
"You really don't understand anything! Why does it look like they're trading blows evenly?"
"Because Master is fucking feeding him moves!"
Tieniu's expression grew serious.
"But you're right. Senior Brother Zhang's attacks are getting stronger! At first, Master could defeat him with a counterattack every time, but now, he occasionally needs two moves before his counterattack can defeat Senior Brother Zhang."
Everyone exchanged looks.
Xiao Liuzi could not help asking, "Doesn't that still mean he loses really quickly?"
"No!" Tieniu said earnestly. "You have no idea how powerful Master is... Being able to get this far in such a short time is enough to show how astonishing Senior Brother Zhang's talent is."
Everyone exchanged looks.
Indeed, they could not make sense of it.
Both Zhang Teng and Lin Bei heard Tieniu's words.
Lin Bei, in particular, had already reached a conclusion.
Tieniu... was definitely a genius! He probably had exceptional talent for combat.
Time passed.
Another hundred moves went by.
Using Tai Chi footwork, Zhang Teng thrust out a palm.
Lin Bei closed in and struck his wrist with one hand, preparing to attack his heart with the next move.
Suddenly, Zhang Teng shook his body, dissipating the force as he thrust his other palm forward to meet him!
Their palms collided.
Each retreated half a step.
Tieniu was astounded at the sight.
"Amazing! So this is Senior Brother Zhang? His talent for combat is incredible!"
"What happened?" many apprentices on the Martial Arts Grounds asked.
"For the first time, Senior Brother Zhang withstood Master's attack. It's also the first time Master failed to defeat him in a single strike," Tieniu said in shock.
Everyone exchanged looks.
He had merely avoided being defeated by a single strike. Did that count as amazing?
At that moment,
Lin Bei also looked surprised.
This kid Zhang Teng was incredible! I'd worked through countless simulations, yet after I fed him just a hundred moves in a spar, he'd improved this much!
At that thought, Lin Bei knew it was about time!
At that moment,
Zhang Teng was about to charge forward again when Lin Bei raised one hand to signal him to stop.
"That's enough. You've grasped the fundamentals. There's no point in continuing."
Hearing this, Zhang Teng froze, then hurriedly halted his attack.
At the same time, excitement surged through him!
He understood that he had earned Lin Bei's recognition.
"Thank you for your guidance, Master!"
Lin Bei smiled faintly.
"Guard against pride and impatience. Cultivate diligently."
"Your disciple will obey!"
After leaving,
the hand Lin Bei had used to exchange blows with Zhang Teng trembled slightly.
That kid really didn't pull his punches!
He knew perfectly well that if they kept fighting, he would probably lose!
That was why he had hurried to call a halt!
Zhang Teng's talent truly defied the heavens. This brief exchange had convinced him.
At that moment, Lin Bei could not help thinking of Zhang Teng's martial arts.
Although impressive, they did not seem all that heaven-defying.
This fellow must be an Immortal Cultivator held back by martial arts.
Lin Bei grew increasingly certain...
Just then,
a voice suddenly sounded in his mind.
[Your disciple Zhang Teng's understanding of Tai Chi has deepened, reaching the limit-breaking level. Your Tai Chi has undergone its second limit break!]
What was going on?
Tai Chi had become Limit-Breaking?
Lin Bei was stunned at first, then abruptly realized something.
During that final strike, when he and Zhang Teng had each retreated a step, Zhang Teng had used a Tai Chi move.
Clearly, the moves he had fed Zhang Teng earlier had made him realize the vast depth of Tai Chi, and that it was far more than a simple fist art.
He really was my wonderful disciple!
Lin Bei secretly rejoiced.
After its second Limit-Breaking, Tai Chi seemed to have become even more profound...
Not only that, as Lin Bei practiced, he actually felt that his Tai Chi seemed capable of drawing upon Heaven-and-Earth Spiritual Power.
This discovery shocked Lin Bei!
If his Tai Chi could draw upon Heaven-and-Earth Spiritual Power, wouldn't... its power soar?
Meanwhile,
on the Martial Arts Grounds,
Zhang Teng continued practicing Tai Chi, carefully savoring its mysteries.
When Zhang Teng stopped, Tieniu could not help approaching to congratulate him.
"Congratulations, Senior Brother Zhang! Your Tai Chi has broken through again. I seem to see a shadow of Master in you! Your Tai Chi has become Limit-Breaking!"
Zhang Teng could not help beaming with delight.
"Master was right after all. Diligence can make up for shortcomings, and success lies in human effort! According to Master's original assessment, my aptitude wasn't enough to let my Tai Chi become Limit-Breaking, but now I've done it!"
Tieniu seemed to understand something, and his gaze grew resolute.
He murmured a few words.
"Diligence can make up for shortcomings, and success lies in human effort..."
After murmuring this, he suddenly looked at Zhang Teng.
"Senior Brother, I really struggle to grasp the subtleties of Tai Chi. Perhaps it simply doesn't suit me. Do you think I could comprehend the Breath-Absorbing Art through some other method besides Tai Chi?"
The question caught Zhang Teng off guard.
"Well... I don't know either."
Zhang Teng answered honestly.
"You'd better ask Master about this. Perhaps he can give you an answer."
Tieniu hesitated a little.
"But... I'm worried Master will scold me for reaching beyond my grasp."
Zhang Teng smiled, walked over to Tieniu, and patted him on the shoulder.
"What's there to fear? At worst, you'll get a scolding! He's our master, after all."
Before you continue