Chapter 26

"Come... come again!" Wang Lishou could hardly believe it. He picked up the thickest log among the wooden boards and sticks he had gathered.

This log had a diameter of about six inches, almost enough to serve as the main beam of a wooden house. Wang Lishou originally intended to use it for demonstration, eager to see Lu Buqi's true strength.

Seeing such a thick log, Lu Buqi was also moved. In his previous life, he had broken logs like this, but that was only after he had achieved great success in hidden strength, or even reached the transformation level.

In fact, Lu Buqi was not very familiar with himself. He only had one night to explore himself and did not know how strong he was now. However, Wang Boyong had nine levels of brute strength, with his maximum strength exceeding 1,500 pounds. Lu Buqi was confident that his strength could at least exceed 2,000 pounds.

With this estimate, Lu Buqi slowly walked to the log, crouched down, and let out a deep roar like a bear, then suddenly exerted force with his right palm.

This time, Lu Buqi not only made all thirteen of his meridians work together, but he also used the whole strength reflexively.

With a loud "bang," the log was snapped in half like a block of tofu. The key was that the part that was hit, about four inches long, was directly shattered by the immense force.

Lu Buqi himself was thoroughly moved. If Wang Boyong were to appear in front of him now, he could break his leg with just one palm. The sense of mastery over his strength made him roar loudly, his voice deep and resonant, shaking the mountains and scaring away all the beasts.

"Is... Is this Bear King Great Strength Technique tailor-made for him?" Wang Lishou was shocked beyond measure. Even if he himself were to deal with this log, he probably wouldn't do much better.

With this level of strength, Lu Buqi's strength had likely already exceeded 4,000 pounds, comparable to Wang Lishou's limit. If it weren't for the lack of bone-ringing sounds when Lu Buqi struck, Wang Lishou would have thought that Lu Buqi had already reached the bone-ringing realm.

What kind of disciple did I take in? Wang Lishou's heart pounded, and he licked his dry lips. "Buqi, how about we spar?"

Still maintaining the majestic posture of the Bear King, Lu Buqi looked at Wang Lishou with intense fighting spirit. He didn't need to answer; his eyes alone were enough to prove everything.

Xitu quickly ran to the side. It was a joke; neither Lu Buqi nor Wang Lishou was something he, an old man with only five levels of brute strength, could withstand. If he got caught in the crossfire, he would have nowhere to cry.

Influenced by Lu Buqi's fighting spirit, Wang Lishou instantly entered the state. Having practiced the Bear King Great Strength Technique for nearly thirty years, he naturally didn't need any time to prepare. He rushed forward like a standing brown bear.

No matter how strong Lu Buqi's eyes were, an expert could tell the difference at a glance. Wang Lishou's seemingly clumsy attack was undoubtedly more intimidating than Wang Boyong's fierce whip kick.

"Good move!" Lu Buqi's heart was on fire, and he also met the attack in the bear style.

The bear style in the Five Animals Play is inherently expansive, with every movement containing immense power. Wang Lishou's habitual fighting style was also to use simple and direct punches and kicks to exert the strongest force and overwhelm the opponent.

The two were like two giant bears fighting for the throne, colliding with a loud bang, and exchanging several blows in an instant.

Although Lu Buqi was two heads shorter than Wang Lishou, his more cunning attack style clearly overpowered Wang Lishou, forcing him to retreat step by step.

Once again, Lu Buqi forced Wang Lishou back with the move "Bear Digging for Ants." Wang Lishou laughed loudly. "Good guy, I have to use some real skills to suppress you!"

As he spoke, Wang Lishou's body trembled, becoming more solid. When Lu Buqi turned and struck with a straight punch, Wang Lishou fiercely met it with a palm. A faint sound like a cow horn buzzed within his body, somewhat like a muffled drum.

When the punch and palm met, Lu Buqi felt Wang Lishou's strength clearly increase. Even after quickly dispersing the force throughout his body, Lu Buqi was still forced back three steps.

"Warriors of the bone-ringing realm are indeed powerful!" Lu Buqi was astonished. He originally thought that with thirteen meridians open and a decade of Five Animals Imitation Fist foundation, he should not be inferior to Wang Lishou. However, when Wang Lishou exerted his full strength, he was still much stronger.

Lu Buqi was not someone who would stubbornly resist. When Wang Lishou buzzed again and struck with a punch like a hammer, Lu Buqi suddenly changed his punch to a grappling hand, pecking Wang Lishou's wrist like a crane's beak.

"Ouch..." Wang Lishou's arm retracted as if pricked by a needle, looking at Lu Buqi in surprise. "What kind of attack is this?"

"I call it the Crane Style Grappling Hand!" Lu Buqi replied. "I thought of it when I saw a black crane pecking at fish and insects in the marsh..."

Lu Buqi unblushingly claimed the martial arts experience of his predecessors as his own. Perhaps this was a common problem for time travelers, reincarnated souls, and cycle travelers, as they really didn't know what reason to give.

Looking at his wrist, although it was only slightly broken due to the protection of brute strength, the piercing pain of that moment was not an illusion. Wang Lishou sighed in admiration. "Although the killing power is not very strong, it can have a surprising effect in breaking and countering moves in battle."

"Indeed, I think it has some use, so I spent some time thinking about it. I hope Master Wang won't laugh at me," Lu Buqi replied calmly.

Wang Lishou shook his head quickly. "How could I laugh? Just from the unique body techniques and combat skills you used in the match with the Sixth Young Master, I wouldn't dare to underestimate you at all."

Lu Buqi's lips curled. "If Master Wang is interested and doesn't think my research is unworthy, I can share these small techniques with you..."

"This..." Wang Lishou was greatly moved, but as a martial artist, he still responded, "That's not right. This is your own martial arts insight. How can you so easily teach it to me?"

Lu Buqi shook his head. "It's just a small trick. Compared to the strength technique Master Wang taught me, it's nothing. Besides, I also plan to teach some things I learned from wild animals to the old man. This way, he can protect the villagers even when I'm not around."

"Is that so..." Wang Lishou, in his forties and with rich experience, could easily see that Lu Buqi was sincerely trying to teach him without making him feel burdened.

Feeling both surprised and grateful at Lu Buqi's transparency, he didn't hesitate. "Then I thank you in advance."

Lu Buqi lightly pinched his nose. "No need to thank me. Let's continue. I also want to try out some combat techniques I've been thinking about, using the strength technique to see what effects they have."

Thinking of Lu Buqi's strange combat style, Wang Lishou's heart burned with enthusiasm. He nodded heavily. "Let's continue!"

In the following, Lu Buqi used less bear fist and instead smoothly and intermittently used tiger fist, crane fist, ape fist, and deer fist in his sparring with Wang Lishou. Although he didn't use all the moves of the Five Animals Imitation Fist, he used a good portion, and many of the ingenious moves undoubtedly broadened Wang Lishou's horizons.

Until both were almost exhausted, they stopped this high-intensity practice, both benefiting greatly. Wang Lishou also truly recognized that Lu Buqi's current combat ability was no less than his, a warrior of the fifth level of bone-ringing.

This was something Wang Lishou absolutely could not believe yesterday, but now he not only saw it with his own eyes but also experienced it firsthand.

A hundred days of solo practice are not as good as one day of sparring. Martial arts practice should avoid isolation. The more you spar and fight with others, the richer your combat experience, and the more proficient your martial skills will become.

Through this battle, Lu Buqi also gained a good understanding of himself. In terms of strength, he was still a bit behind Wang Lishou, probably around 4,000 pounds at full strength, and there was also a gap in stamina. However, in terms of speed and reaction, he was not only on par with Wang Lishou but also had a significant advantage.