Chapter 24: Paired Practice

Upon hearing Zhen Miao’s order, Zhen De was first taken aback, then his mouth stretched into a grin as he stepped forward energetically. “Yes, Senior Brother Zhen Miao,” he said joyfully.

The past half year of martial arts training and sufficient food had caused Zhen De to shoot up in height, sprouting dark stubble on his chin, and his physique had become much more robust. Looking at Meng Qi, who was two years younger, his eyes sparkled with eager delight.

Meng Qi bared his teeth in surprise, not expecting Zhen Miao to be so serious. However, he didn’t mind sparring at all. Currently, he was desperately seeking every opportunity to fight so he could gradually master and integrate skills like “Iron Shirt,” “Divine Steps,” “Arhat Fist,” and “Five Tigers Severing the Gate Sword Technique” into practical application.

“Please, Senior Brother Zhen De, grant me your guidance,” Meng Qi followed the Shaolin tradition by addressing Zhen De as senior brother, despite being older, while positioning his feet apart and standing firm according to the starting posture of the Arhat Fist.

Zhen De opened his mouth, seemingly wanting to say something, but excitement robbed him of his prepared words. He even forgot to clasp his palms together and chant a Buddhist phrase, merely uttering a standard “Hey Ha” sound like during regular practice before launching directly into the “Arhat Paying Homage.”

At the moment Zhen De attacked, Meng Qi felt as though he had plunged into water, unable to hear anything else or see anything else. Drawing from his experience fighting Cheng Yong, Meng Qi half-turned his body to avoid the frontal assault, blocking Zhen De’s punches with one hand while the other, radiating fierce might, struck at Zhen De’s lower abdomen.

He showed no awkwardness or fear typical of a first-time sparring match, instead being exceptionally proactive and aggressive.

As Zhen De launched his attack, he was about to continue into the next move when suddenly he felt a gust of wind strike him, as if Meng Qi had charged forth entirely.

Confronted with this fierce assault and seeing Meng Qi’s face filled with unwavering combativeness, Zhen De inexplicably felt a chill in his heart. He sensed a terrifying killing intent from “Zhen Ding,” an aura that could only come from having truly engaged in life-or-death battles.

His footwork instantly slowed, and with a “slap,” he was struck in the abdomen by Meng Qi. The pain was unbearable, forcing him to curl up and fall to the ground, groaning in agony.

Too weak? Meng Qi, having landed the first successful strike, was momentarily stunned. He had just begun his assault, and his opponent was already unable to withstand it? Was he really that weak?

Not only was Meng Qi surprised, but the surrounding martial monks like Zhen Yong also stared in astonishment at Zhen De curled up on the ground, unable to believe that Zhen De, usually a standout in sparring practice, had been defeated so quickly and decisively.

Zhen Miao’s face darkened as he watched this unfold. He quickly approached Zhen De, squatting down to use his internal energy to soothe the blood flow in Zhen De’s abdomen, alleviating his pain.

Only at this point did Zhen Yong and the others snap out of their shock, directing astonished gazes toward Meng Qi. They silently thought that originally, Senior Brother Zhen Miao had sent Zhen De to teach Zhen Ding a lesson, showing him the drawbacks of unorthodox techniques. Yet now, it seemed as though conventional techniques had been defeated by unconventional ones. This…

Reflecting on the brief exchange, Meng Qi keenly noticed that Zhen De had seemed momentarily stunned under his fierce assault: “Could it be that suppressing the opponent’s momentum is also a crucial aspect of combat?”

Supporting Zhen De to his feet, Zhen Miao expressionlessly said, “Zhen He, come and spar with Zhen Ding.”

“Yes, Senior Brother Zhen Miao.” From among the martial monks, a tall and muscular youth stepped forward, standing there like an iron tower.

Meng Qi vaguely sensed the key to his previous fight and eagerly awaited someone to test it against. Thus, he excitedly clasped his palms together: “Please, Senior Brother Zhen He, grant me your guidance.”

As Zhen He returned the salute, Meng Qi launched the attack first, like a tiger charging out of its den.

Zhen He, naturally strong, hadn’t anticipated Meng Qi’s ferocious assault. His prearranged techniques became difficult to execute effectively. Forced to retreat and endure the blows, he appeared increasingly flustered and overwhelmed.

Ha!

Taking advantage of his momentum, Meng Qi exhaled forcefully and struck a deadly blow straight at Zhen He’s chest.

Faced with such a fierce assault from Meng Qi, Zhen He suddenly felt his legs weaken. His defensive posture was directly broken through.

Seizing the moment, Meng Qi retracted his punch, spun around, and drove his elbow into Zhen He’s right chest from behind.

Cough, cough! Because Meng Qi was confident in his victory, he held back some of his strength on this strike. Nevertheless, it disrupted Zhen He’s breath, causing him to cough violently.

“My respects.” Meng Qi pushed off with his feet, turned and retreated, clasped his palms together, and smiled in greeting.

This kind of sparring was truly exhilarating!

The watching martial monks, including Zhen Yong and Zhen De, were left speechless. Normally, Zhen He, strong like an ox, was their sparring nightmare. No matter how refined their responses, they would end up with numb hands and legs, struggling to resist. Yet just now, Zhen Ding, still of a childlike build, had fought like a crazed tiger, leaving Zhen He utterly unable to counterattack.

This, this should be the other way around! The monks stared at Meng Qi’s handsome face, unable to believe what they had just witnessed.

After catching his breath, Zhen He scratched his bald head sheepishly: “Junior Brother Zhen Ding, you’re amazing!”

Zhen Miao gave a slight, disdainful snort, his expression growing even darker. After a long silence, he said, “It seems Junior Brother Zhen Ding has a distinguished martial background. His cultivation of Qi has greatly improved. Among the junior brothers present, none might be your match. I suppose I, as your senior brother, will have to spar with you myself.”

He had opened his eye apertures (qiào), so he could naturally perceive the signs of internal energy assisting Meng Qi’s movements.

Oh!

So that’s how it is!

Zhen Yong and the other martial monks suddenly understood. It turned out that Junior Brother “Zhen Ding” had already opened his dantian and made significant progress in cultivating Qi. No wonder Zhen De and Zhen He couldn’t beat him!

However, wouldn’t it be too unfair for Senior Brother Zhen Miao, as an instructor monk and an expert at the Qi-opening stage, to directly spar with Zhen Ding?

“Don’t worry, I will control my strength to the level of a beginner who has just started cultivating Qi,” Zhen Miao said, his gaze sharp as he looked at Meng Qi.

Meng Qi took a light breath. Although he knew the gap was significant, his fighting spirit still surged. If he couldn’t even spar with a stronger opponent, how could he face real combat?

Frankly speaking, having experienced life-and-death battles, he wasn’t afraid of Zhen Miao. Losing wouldn’t matter as long as he could identify his weaknesses and find areas needing improvement. Even a loss could be valuable if it helped him grow.

Moreover, he wasn’t entirely without a chance to win!

“Please, Senior Brother Zhen Miao, grant me your guidance.” Meng Qi clasped his palms together, his fighting spirit evident.

The other martial monks inhaled sharply. He actually dared to spar with Senior Brother Zhen Miao? The gap between them was like a mountain! Even if Senior Brother Zhen Miao restrained his strength to the level of a beginner cultivating Qi, his insight, experience, and vision couldn’t be changed!

“Good.” Seeing that Meng Qi wasn’t timid, Zhen Miao’s expression softened considerably. “You strike first.”

Without hesitation, Meng Qi didn’t yield. He stepped forward with his right leg in a bow stance and thrust both fists like battering rams at Zhen Miao.

Zhen Miao also used the “Arhat Fist.” Facing Meng Qi’s fierce assault, he blocked steadily, unlike Zhen De and Zhen He, who had been overwhelmed by Meng Qi’s momentum. In fact, after deflecting Meng Qi’s punches, he directly launched a counterattack. The simple yet effective “Black Tiger Stealing the Heart” struck precisely at Meng Qi’s right chest at just the right moment.

Eyes wide, Meng Qi suddenly lunged forward, allowing Zhen Miao’s fist to hit him while simultaneously delivering a “Double Peak Piercing Ears” strike to Zhen Miao’s temples.

Experienced in real combat, Zhen Miao suddenly sensed something amiss, but since Meng Qi had charged forward on his own, Zhen Miao couldn’t stop his momentum and could only add more force to his punch, attempting to repel Meng Qi.

Puff! His right fist felt as though it had struck thick cloth, the force dispersing in all directions. At this moment, Meng Qi’s fists were almost touching his temples.

Ha!

With a sudden loud shout, Zhen Miao’s ears turned red, his temples bulged, and he slightly leaned backward.

Pap!

Meng Qi’s fists grazed past Zhen Miao’s temples, striking his cheeks squarely. However, it felt as though there was an invisible cushion there, dissipating most of the force.

Even so, Zhen Miao staggered backward repeatedly, his cheeks swollen and his head spinning.

“You’ve mastered the ‘Iron Shirt’!” Zhen Miao exclaimed in shock and anger.

Meng Qi smiled faintly. “It’s a family secret technique. Senior Brother, did you just exert the full strength of your Aperture-opening stage?”

Since the “Iron Shirt” had already been exposed the previous night, Meng Qi naturally didn’t need to hide it anymore, attributing it all to his unknown family background.

In the previous exchange, Meng Qi had fought entirely according to the strategies advised by Zhang Yuanshan, Jiang Zhiwei, and others. Despite his martial arts being significantly inferior to Zhen Miao’s, he had taken advantage of Zhen Miao’s unawareness of his “Iron Shirt” skill and the strength restraint, using speed to counter slowness and trading minor injuries for major ones, successfully forcing Zhen Miao into a desperate situation where he had to use his full strength to protect himself.

Zhen Miao’s face darkened and lightened a few times, and then he coldly said, “Return to formation and continue practicing the Arhat Fist.”

Meng Qi knew that Zhen Miao didn’t have any personal vendetta against him. He was merely dissatisfied with Meng Qi’s unorthodox Arhat Fist. Meng Qi also knew that his version of the Arhat Fist was incorrect and needed to be corrected one by one. There was nothing wrong with what Zhen Miao said. However, having successfully defeated Zhen Miao and seeing him in such a predicament, Meng Qi couldn’t help but feel an inner joy and was unusually happy.

“I’m just such a petty person!” Meng Qi secretly “commented” on himself.

After resuming practice, Meng Qi followed Zhen De, Zhen He, and others, diligently correcting his own boxing techniques. Seeing this, Zhen Miao’s face softened again slightly.

After finishing the Arhat Fist and Shaolin staff techniques, Zhen Miao seriously gave individual critiques. Finally, while turning around, he said, “Tomorrow, Zhen Ding will continue to spar with me, and I will still restrain my strength to the level of a beginner cultivating Qi.”

He sure has an exceptionally strong competitive spirit… Meng Qi secretly sighed, feeling a slight tremble in himself as his fighting spirit surged again.

Tonight, he needed to seize the time to practice the “Divine Steps” diligently.

He didn’t want to lose either!

“Senior Brother Zhen Miao has always had smooth sailing. He’s currently practicing the ‘Mahakasyapa Finger,’ one of the seventy-two supreme skills, so naturally, he’s proud and arrogant. But today, he was defeated by you, a junior brother who has only just started cultivating Qi. How could he swallow this humiliation?” Zhen Yong approached with a grin. “Junior Brother Zhen Ding, I didn’t expect you to be so amazing! You’ve been hiding your abilities well! In the future, please give your senior brothers more consideration.”

Meng Qi smiled. “I only won through unexpected tactics. Tomorrow will likely be difficult.”

Unless he could suddenly master the “Divine Steps” overnight and pull off another surprise victory, which was highly unlikely.

However, Meng Qi wasn’t afraid. How often did one get the opportunity to spar with experts? This was truly a valuable treasure. Perhaps in the next cycle of the world, this experience might even save his life!

Meng Qi, Zhen Hui, and Zhen Yong returned to the martial monks’ quarters. Upon reaching the entrance, they directly encountered Xuan Chi.

Beside Xuan Chi was a dull monk with lifeless eyes. He was muttering to himself, “How should I counter this move when used like this?”

Without introducing the absent-minded young monk beside him, Xuan Chi directly said to Meng Qi and Zhen Hui, “After dinner, come to the Martial Arts Hall. I will teach you the ‘Shaolin Heart Method.'”

Meng Qi had heard from Xuan Xin that the “Shaolin Heart Method” was the fundamental internal skill of Shaolin Temple—rich, pure, and masculine. Due to its simple circulation routes, it was compatible with most supreme skills and martial arts. It could directly transition to other internal skills in the future and ranked within the top ten among similar foundational techniques.

Therefore, Meng Qi secretly decided that in the future, he would primarily cultivate the “Shaolin Heart Method,” while only using the “Iron Shirt’s” rudimentary circulation path when employing the “Iron Shirt” technique.

After watching Xuan Chi leave, Zhen Yong whispered with a smile, “Did you see the senior brother next to Master Xuan Chi? He is another instructor monk, Senior Brother Zhen Ben. He’s a martial arts fanatic with many amusing stories…”

Chatting and laughing, the three of them had dinner. Meng Qi and Zhen Hui hurried to the Martial Arts Hall, while Zhen Yong, with nothing pressing to do, followed along, planning to find someone to spar with.