After a quick and easy defeat of Zhao Kuo, Yang Shou reopened the secret realm, preparing to spar with him in the Bamboo Forest.
The two assumed their stances, maintaining a distance between them, staring intently at each other, their eyes blazing with fighting spirit, ready to strike.
"Zhao Kuo, no need to suppress your cultivation level, just go all out," Yang Shou said.
His bluish-gray battle aura emanated outwards, revealing the strength of a Great Battle Master even in Zhao Kuo's shocked gaze.
Zhao Kuo nodded to Yang Shou, roared, and threw a punch at him.
High-level Yellow Rank Battle Technique, Mountain Bear Fist!
A black bear, its battle aura materialized, roared and pounced towards Yang Shou.
Facing the surging energy, Yang Shou remained calm, drawing an arc in front of his chest.
Using softness to overcome hardness is the essence of Tai Chi, but his modified battle technique couldn't withstand the fierce force of Zhao Kuo's punch.
Yang Shou extended his hand, drawing a circle, his wrist following the direction of Zhao Kuo's fist, close to the opponent's arm, and slightly pressing down.
Simultaneously, using the opponent's force against them, he flipped his wrist, deflecting the fist, which was infused with battle qi, back.
This wasn't the first time Zhao Kuo had suffered under Yang Shou's Tai Chi. Now, his own fighting technique was being deflected, and even with prior preparation, he couldn't retract his force in time, being forced back
several steps by the impact of his own battle qi. Similarly, Yang Shou wasn't unscathed. The saying "one force can overcome all techniques" wasn't just a joke; with absolute strength, even if one could deflect the fist's force, they would still be affected.
Fortunately, his battle qi armor withstood the impact, and Yang Shou himself wasn't severely affected.
Zhao Kuo's battle qi armor was also summoned, resisting the power of the rebounding fighting technique.
Sensing the powerful battle aura emanating from Yang Shou, Zhao Kuo's eyes flashed with surprise. He smiled bitterly, "Senior brother, I couldn't beat you even at the Dou Shi level, and now that I'm a Da Dou Shi, how come I'm still outmatched?"
"Your strange fist technique always manages to deflect a significant amount of the force from my fighting techniques, even reflecting my battle aura back. It's too abnormal."
Hearing Zhao Kuo's complaints, Yang Shou chuckled silently. After all, in his previous life, he was a successor of ancient martial arts. After arriving on the Dou Qi Continent, he naturally modified Tai Chi Chuan into a fighting technique suitable for use with battle aura. Unfortunately, his talent was limited, and after more than ten years, he had only simplified his fist technique to a low-level Yellow Rank fighting technique.
This time, being able to block Zhao Kuo's Mountain Bear Fist was extremely difficult, even somewhat due to luck.
Because he wasn't skilled in offensive fighting techniques, Yang Shou focused his energy on improving his defense. Therefore, his most proficient fighting techniques were the Vajra Tortoise Armor and the Swift Thunder Step.
Since breaking through to Da Dou Shi, with the added benefit of his battle aura armor, the Vajra Tortoise Armor wasn't as effective.
Clearing his mind of distractions, Yang Shou looked at Zhao Kuo and asked, "Still fighting?"
Regaining his fighting spirit, Zhao Kuo nodded without hesitation, saying directly, "Senior Brother, this fighting technique was originally reserved for the inner sect selection, but I'm bringing it here to challenge you!"
Zhao Kuo half-squatted, his leg muscles bulging, the veins in his neck expanding, and extremely violent fighting energy emanating from his body.
Yang Shou frowned, his gaze falling on Zhao Kuo, whose physique rapidly expanded, resembling a humanoid brown bear.
A high-level Xuan-rank fighting technique, Savage Bear Transformation!
After using this technique, Zhao Kuo's strength skyrocketed, the power of his aura approaching that of a two-star Grand Master.
"A fighting technique that directly enhances one's own strength, truly enviable," Yang Shou thought to himself.
Of course, the stronger Zhao Kuo became, the more the power of Nine Heavens Thunder Flash would be tested.
Yang Shou focused his mind, concentrating his fighting energy into his legs, fully prepared for battle.
The next second, Zhao Kuo suddenly leaped into the air towards Yang Shou, who was not far away, and plummeted down, the whooshing sound of the wind making one's eardrums ache.
The speed at which the tall, strong figure approached caused Yang Shou's expression to change slightly.
Yang Shou did not intend to sit and wait for death, but instead, he lightly touched the ground with his toes and used the Swift Step to dodge swiftly just as his opponent was about to step down.
In Zhao Kuo's eyes, Yang Shou stood still, seemingly not following his movements.
Image
Zhao Kuo was overjoyed, thinking he would definitely defeat his senior brother this time.
With a deafening crash, Zhao Kuo plummeted to the ground, the force of his battle qi slamming into the spot where Yang Shou had been standing, sending dust and debris flying.
"Huh?"
There was no one beneath him. Zhao Kuo was stunned. He remembered attacking Yang Shou, but where was he?
Suddenly, a
thunderous roar pierced the air.
Zhao Kuo's body instinctively went on high alert. His pupils contracted, and out of the corner of his eye, he caught a glimpse of a ghostly figure. Just as he was about to defend himself, a chilling aura enveloped him.
The figure solidified, and Yang Shou's cold face appeared in Zhao Kuo's vision. Then, a massive fist, imbued with unparalleled battle qi power, slammed into him.
The ear-piercing sonic boom and the unexpected punch left Zhao Kuo stunned, and he was thrown back to the ground by Yang Shou's blow.
After transforming into a savage bear, Zhao Kuo was sent flying like a kite with a broken string, but he wasn't knocked down.
Instead, he caught his breath in mid-air and landed steadily. Yang Shou wasn't surprised. If Zhao Kuo were so easily defeated, it would be a gross underestimation of a Great Dou Master.
Although there was only a half-step difference between a Dou Master and a Great Dou Master, the gap between them was enormous.
Dou Qi armor alone could withstand most of the damage from Dou Techniques.
"Want to fight again?" Yang Shou asked calmly, watching Zhao Kuo.
Zhao Kuo shook his head and simply lay down on the ground, throwing a tantrum: "I'm not fighting anymore! I'm not fighting anymore!" "
I can't even catch up to my senior brother's shadow, and I can't hit him with Dou Techniques, so what's the point of fighting!"
Yang Shou looked at his honest junior brother, his smile fading, and said sternly, "Come back when you want to challenge me. Now, I need to cultivate."
Seeing Yang Shou's tactful dismissal, Zhao Kuo knew he had bothered him for too long and took his leave.
Only when Yang Shou was alone in the secret realm did he turn his attention to the Tai Chi Fist on the panel.
The upgraded Tai Chi Chuan was of unknown power.
After midnight, the upgrade count refreshed again.
[Tai Chi Chuan upgraded to Tai Chi Yin-Yang Fist.]
To Yang Shou's astonishment, the previously low-level Yellow Rank Tai Chi Chuan had been elevated to high-level Profound Rank.
Through the combat demonstration, Yang Shou learned that Tai Chi Yin-Yang Fist consisted of three forms: the first, Yang Fist, focused on power and ferocity; the second, Yin Fist, leaning towards softness; and the third, the Great Perfection, which forged the Tai Chi Instrument Plate, capable of withstanding a full-force attack from a Dou Ling expert and reflecting the attack, thus compensating for the current weaknesses of Tai Chi Chuan.
This perfectly suited his needs.
Under the moonlight, in the tranquil center of the bamboo forest,
Yang Shou unleashed Nine Heavens Thunder Flash, weaving through the bamboo forest while simultaneously practicing the Yang Fist of Tai Chi Yin-Yang Fist.
The so-called Yang Fist involves concealing the opponent's fist form, using one's own fighting spirit to absorb a portion of the opponent's fighting spirit, borrowing its force to strike, achieving a superimposed effect and thus doubling the power.
Of course, now, without a sparring partner, he couldn't unleash the full power of the Yang Fist.
Fortunately, Yang Shou discovered another use for the Yang Fist: by recovering the residual battle energy after releasing a fighting technique, he could reduce his own consumption and reuse it for releasing new techniques.
Thus, his fist, imbued with a breathtakingly powerful force, instantly destroyed a large swathe of bamboo forest in front of him.
Witnessing the power of the Yang Fist, Yang Shou felt much more confident, his chances of being selected for the inner sect greatly increased.
(End of Chapter)