Chapter 24

Hearing Zhen Miao's command, Zhen De was initially taken aback, then his mouth curled into a smile, and he stepped forward with large strides: "Yes, Senior Brother Zhen Miao."

The past half year of martial arts training and ample food had made him grow taller, with a lot of dark stubble on his face, making him look more rugged. Looking at Meng Qi, who was two years younger, his eyes were filled with eager anticipation.

Meng Qi bared his teeth, not expecting Zhen Miao to be so serious. However, he was not averse to sparring. At this moment, he was frantically seeking any opportunity to fight, in order to gradually master and integrate techniques like "Iron Shirt," "Eight Steps of the Divine Traveler," "Arhat Fist," and "Five Tigers Interrupting the Gate Saber Technique" in actual combat.

"Please, Senior Brother Zhen De, teach me." Meng Qi followed the Shaolin rules, addressing Zhen De, who was older than him, as Senior Brother. He then stood firmly with his feet apart, in the starting stance of the Arhat Fist.

Zhen De opened his mouth, as if he wanted to say something, but in his excitement, he momentarily forgot his words. He even forgot to fold his hands and chant a Buddhist greeting. Instead, he simply grunted and launched a direct attack, a standard "Arhat Saluting the Buddha."

The moment Zhen De attacked, Meng Qi seemed to immerse himself in water, no longer hearing any other sounds or seeing anything else. Based on his experience sparring with Cheng Yong, he half-turned his body to avoid the frontal attack, one hand blocking Zhen De's fists, and the other striking Zhen De's abdomen with a powerful blow.

He was not only free from the nervousness of his first sparring session but also exceptionally proactive.

After Zhen De's initial attack, he was about to follow up with the next move when he suddenly felt a strong wind rushing at him, as if Meng Qi had pounced on him.

Faced with this fierce offensive and Meng Qi's determined, unyielding face, Zhen De felt a chill in his heart. It was as if he sensed a terrifying killing aura from "Zhen Ding," the kind that only comes from life-and-death battles.

His movements slowed, and with a slap, Meng Qi hit his abdomen. The pain was unbearable, forcing him to curl up and fall to the ground, groaning in agony.

Too weak? Meng Qi was somewhat stunned. He had just started his attack, and Zhen De couldn't handle it? Was he really that weak?

Not only was Meng Qi surprised, but the surrounding monks, including Zhen Yong, were also stunned, looking at Zhen De, who was curled up on the ground, unable to believe that Zhen De, who was usually a standout in sparring, could be defeated so quickly and so thoroughly.

Zhen Miao watched this scene with a stern face, quickly walking to Zhen De, squatting down, and using his internal energy to soothe the pain in his abdomen.

Only then did Zhen Yong and the others come to their senses, looking at Meng Qi with astonished eyes, thinking to themselves, originally, Senior Brother Zhen Yong had asked Zhen De to give Zhen Ding a lesson, to show him the drawbacks of unorthodox techniques. But now, it seemed that the orthodox techniques had been defeated by the unorthodox ones. This...

Meng Qi reflected on the brief sparring session, keenly noticing that Zhen De seemed to freeze for a moment under his fierce attack: "Could it be that imposing one's aura is also a crucial part of sparring?"

Zhen Miao helped Zhen De up and said expressionlessly, "Zhen He, you come and spar with Zhen Ding."

"Yes, Senior Brother Zhen Miao." A burly young monk stepped out from the group, standing like a black iron tower.

Meng Qi had a vague sense of the key to the previous sparring session and was eager to verify it, so he excitedly folded his hands: "Please, Senior Brother Zhen He, teach me."

After Zhen He returned the gesture, Meng Qi took the initiative, attacking like a fierce tiger emerging from its den.

Zhen He, who was naturally strong, did not expect Meng Qi to attack so fiercely. His pre-planned moves were ineffective, and he kept retreating, constantly defending, appearing flustered.

Ha!

Meng Qi, not letting up, exhaled and struck Zhen He's chest with a desperate blow.

Faced with such a fierce attack, Zhen He suddenly felt his legs go weak. His hands, in a defensive position, were directly pushed aside.

Meng Qi took advantage of the situation, pulling back his fist and circling, then leaning into Zhen He's embrace and striking his right chest with an elbow from behind.

Cough, cough, Meng Qi's blow, though controlled, still caused Zhen He to gasp and cough violently.

"Thank you for yielding." Meng Qi stepped back, turned, and bowed with a smile.

This was a truly exhilarating sparring session!

The monks watching, including Zhen Yong and Zhen De, were speechless. Zhen He, who was usually like a bull, was their nightmare in sparring. No matter how skillful their responses, they would always end up with numb hands and legs, unable to defend. But just now, the young Zhen Ding had attacked Zhen He like a mad tiger, leaving him defenseless.

This, this is how it should be! The monks looked at Meng Qi's handsome face, unable to believe what they had just seen.

Zhen He, recovering his breath, scratched his bald head: "Junior Brother Zhen Ding, you are so amazing!"

Zhen Miao snorted, his face growing even more stern. After a long silence, he said, "Junior Brother Zhen Ding seems to have a strong family background, and his internal energy has greatly improved. I fear none of the other junior brothers here can match you. I will spar with you."

He could see the signs of internal energy in Meng Qi's movements, thanks to his opened eye acupoint.

Oh!

So that's it!

The monks, including Zhen Yong, suddenly understood. Junior Brother "Zhen Ding" had already opened his dantian and achieved a small success in internal energy. No wonder Zhen De and Zhen He couldn't beat him!

However, as a teaching monk and a master of the acupoint opening stage, would it be too much for Senior Brother Zhen Miao to spar directly with Zhen Ding?

"Don't worry, I will control my strength to the level of a small success in internal energy." Zhen Miao looked at Meng Qi with a piercing gaze.

Meng Qi took a deep breath. Though he knew the gap was significant, his fighting spirit was still high. If he couldn't even spar, how could he handle real combat?

To be honest, having experienced life-and-death battles, he was not afraid of Zhen Miao. Losing was fine as long as he could find his weaknesses and improve.

Moreover, he wasn't without a chance to win!

"Please, Senior Brother Zhen Miao, teach me." Meng Qi folded his hands, his fighting spirit intense.

The monks gasped. Was he really going to spar with Senior Brother Zhen Miao? The gap between them was as high as a mountain! Even if Zhen Miao controlled his strength to the level of a small success in internal energy, his experience and insight couldn't be changed!

"Good." Seeing Meng Qi's courage, Zhen Miao's expression softened. "You go first."

Meng Qi didn't hesitate, stepping forward into a bow stance and striking Zhen Miao with both fists like hammers.

Zhen Miao also used the "Arhat Fist." Facing Meng Qi's fierce attack, he steadily blocked it, unlike Zhen De and Zhen He, who had been overwhelmed. After deflecting Meng Qi's fists, he immediately counterattacked with a simple but effective "Black Tiger Steals Heart," aiming for Meng Qi's right chest.

Meng Qi's eyes widened, and he suddenly lunged forward, allowing Zhen Miao's fist to hit him while simultaneously striking Zhen Miao with a double ear slap.

Zhen Miao, with extensive combat experience, suddenly sensed something was wrong. But since Meng Qi had lunged forward, he couldn't stop his momentum. He increased the force of his punch, trying to push Meng Qi back.

Puff, his right fist felt like it hit a thick cloth, the force dispersing in all directions. At the same time, Meng Qi's fists were almost touching his temples.

Ha!

Zhen Miao suddenly roared, his ears turning red, his temples bulging, and his head tilting back slightly.

Slap!

Meng Qi's fists grazed his temples and struck his cheeks. However, it felt as if there was a cushion of air, absorbing most of the force.

Even so, Zhen Miao's steps became disordered, his cheeks swollen, and his head dizzy.

"You have mastered the 'Iron Shirt'!" Zhen Miao shouted, both surprised and angry.

Meng Qi smiled slightly, "Family tradition. Did Senior Brother use the strength of the acupoint opening stage just now?"

The "Iron Shirt" had already been exposed last night, so he had no reason to hide it, attributing it to his unknown background.

In the sparring session, Meng Qi had followed the strategies taught by Zhang Yuanshan, Jiang Zhimi, and others. Despite the significant gap in martial arts skills, he had relied on the fact that Zhen Miao didn't know he had the "Iron Shirt" and had controlled his strength. He used speed to counter slowness, trading minor injuries for major ones, successfully forcing Zhen Miao into a desperate situation, making him use all his strength to defend.

Zhen Miao's expression changed several times, and he said coldly, "Form up, continue practicing the Arhat Fist."

Meng Qi knew Zhen Miao had no ill intentions, just disapproved of his unorthodox Arhat Fist. He also knew his techniques were flawed and needed improvement. Zhen Miao's words were not wrong, but the joy of defeating Zhen Miao and seeing him struggle was hard to suppress.

"I am such a narrow-minded person!" Meng Qi secretly "evaluated" himself.

After resuming practice, Meng Qi followed Zhen De and Zhen He, diligently correcting his techniques. Seeing this, Zhen Miao's expression softened again.

After practicing the Arhat Fist and Shaolin Staff Techniques, Zhen Miao gave a serious critique, concluding, "Tomorrow, Zhen Ding will continue to spar with me, and I will still control my strength to the level of a small success in internal energy."

His competitiveness is really strong... Meng Qi thought, feeling a surge of fighting spirit.

I don't want to lose either!

"I need to practice the 'Eight Steps of the Divine Traveler' tonight."

He didn't want to lose!

"Senior Brother Zhen Miao has always had a smooth path, currently practicing the 'Maha Finger' among the 72 special techniques. Naturally, he is proud and arrogant. Today, he was defeated by you, a junior brother who has only achieved a small success in internal energy. How can he swallow this?" Zhen Yong chuckled, coming over. "Junior Brother Zhen Ding, you are really amazing! You've been hiding your skills! You must take care of me in the future."

Meng Qi smiled, "I just caught you off guard. Tomorrow will be tough."

Unless he could master the "Eight Steps of the Divine Traveler" overnight and catch Zhen Miao off guard again, which was unlikely.

But Meng Qi was not afraid. Opportunities to spar with experts were rare, and this was a valuable asset. It might even save his life in the next cycle world!

Meng Qi, Zhen Hui, and Zhen Yong returned to the monk's quarters. At the entrance, they encountered Xuan Chi.

Xuan Chi was accompanied by a monk with lifeless eyes, muttering to himself, "How should I counter this move?"

Xuan Chi did not introduce the absent-minded young monk but 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 foundation of Shaolin's internal energy, rich and yang, with a simple circulation route that was compatible with most special techniques and powers. In the future, it could be directly converted to other internal energy techniques, ranking in the top ten among similar foundation techniques.

Therefore, Meng Qi decided to focus on the "Shaolin Heart Method" in the future, using the crude circulation route of the "Iron Shirt" only when using the "Iron Shirt."

After Xuan Chi left, Zhen Yong whispered, "Did you see the monk next to Uncle Xuan Chi? He is another teaching monk, Senior Brother Zhen Ben, a martial arts fanatic with many interesting stories..."

Amidst the laughter, the three of them had dinner. Meng Qi and Zhen Hui headed to the martial arts hall, while Zhen Yong, with nothing to do, followed, planning to find someone to spar with.

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