C23 I will Change My Master!

In under two minutes, Ning Xiaoshu had captivated the qi movement of everyone in the room. The students, lacking any internal energy, found themselves gasping for breath and stumbling around, unable to maintain their balance.

Abruptly, in the midst of his rapid dash, Ning Xiaoshu came to a halt and bellowed, "Stop!" At his command, the students collapsed around him, with the nearest falling over two feet away from where he stood.

Exactly five minutes had elapsed, and not one of the forty-odd students had managed to lay a finger on Ning Xiaoshu. Liu Cunzhi, seated in a chair, narrowed his eyes as he observed the disoriented group. Rising to his feet, he challenged, "Xiaoshu, let's spar for a couple of rounds."

The head was challenging Ning Xiaoshu to a fight? What had happened to Xiaoshu? Had he managed to unlock the Ren and Du meridians after his last injury?

Dazed, everyone watched as Ning Xiaoshu respectfully accepted the challenge with a fist salute, saying, "Head, please be lenient."

Liu Cunzhi burst into laughter and walked confidently to the center of the field. The students hastily made way, watching in astonishment as Ning Xiaoshu and Liu Cunzhi prepared to face off.

The two stood at the heart of the field, bowing to each other. Liu Cunzhi assumed a traditional Taekwondo starting position, with feet shoulder-width apart and arms forming a circle in front. His fists were positioned in front of his abdomen, facing up — a posture embodying the Taekwondo founder General Choi's ideals of peace and unity.

Ning Xiaoshu, on the other hand, adopted a stance from the Twelve Ways of Dharma, reminiscent of crossing a river on a single reed. Liu Cunzhi's brow furrowed, unfamiliar with the fist technique.

As they closed the distance, Ning Xiaoshu launched a punch, which Liu Cunzhi attempted to block. To his astonishment, he found he couldn't withstand Ning Xiaoshu's powerful blow. Their fists met, and Liu Cunzhi, quickly realizing the disparity in their strength, transformed his fist into an open palm, guiding it downward to deftly deflect Ning Xiaoshu's punch.

Liu Cunzhi was taken aback. In just a few short days, how had Ning Xiaoshu's strength grown so immensely? Ning Xiaoshu was equally astonished. The Tendon Change Classic not only refined his marrows but also excelled at discerning the flow of an opponent's strength.

In that moment, Liu Cunzhi's force had shifted from being overwhelmingly firm to supremely yielding, skillfully redirecting the strength of his adversary. Moreover, the technique he had just employed was not found in Taekwondo.

This led to the realization that the move was not Taekwondo at all, but rather, it bore a striking resemblance to Pashiara's Tai Chi.

As they confronted each other once more, Liu Cunzhi was cautious not to clash directly with Ning Xiaoshu. Using Xiaoshu's own momentum, he propelled himself back two steps. His gaze towards Xiaoshu was filled with a spark of recognition; he nodded and assumed a new starting position.

Ning Xiaoshu nearly exclaimed aloud. This was not Taekwondo; it was Tai Chi.

With the initiation of the "lazy shirt" move, Liu Cunzhi stopped holding back. Techniques such as "wild horse parts its mane," "sealing and closing," and "white crane spreads its wings" followed in quick succession.

Yet these were merely the outward forms. Ning Xiaoshu sensed something deeper. The principles of borrowing, striking, exerting, and circulating strength in Tai Chi left him feeling as though he had an abundance of force with no outlet. Either he couldn't release his power, or when he did, it inadvertently aided his opponent.

The discomfort was mutual; Liu Cunzhi was equally frustrated. Tai Chi is about leveraging a small force to move a much larger one, but what if the opponent's force was immense? Could he still borrow it? Could his "four ounces" still move "a thousand pounds"?

Every encounter with Ning Xiaoshu left Liu Cunzhi with a sense of vexation. He struggled with an unyielding force that he couldn't deflect or neutralize, one that continued to build incrementally. Liu Cunzhi knew that if he couldn't resolve this force, it would cause him significant harm. Yet, he had no solution and had to keep enduring. Otherwise, the sheer magnitude of Ning Xiaoshu's power could easily defeat him, especially since he was the head of the dojo.

Unexpectedly, in such a brief encounter, Ning Xiaoshu had mastered the essence of Tai Chi's strength. He wasn't just resisting Liu Cunzhi's attacks anymore; more often, he was channeling his own force with Liu Cunzhi's. This left Liu Cunzhi feeling even more frustrated, as each punch and kick seemed to strike nothing but air, leaving him no opportunity to fully exert his power.

The onlookers, who were students themselves, grew increasingly perplexed as they watched the two combatants. The techniques on display bore no resemblance to the Taekwondo they were familiar with. The fighters moved slower and slower, their movements and the application of force becoming less discernible. Despite the exchange of punches and kicks, each technique was astonishingly unconventional.

As Liu Cunzhi's irritation reached a boiling point, Xiaoshu suddenly accelerated his attack. Liu Cunzhi, already unfamiliar with these techniques, was thrown into disarray by the added elements of Tai Chi's deflection and redirection of force.

In a swift move, Xiaoshu ducked and weaved under Liu Cunzhi's arm to position himself behind him. With a resounding smack, he landed a heavy blow on Liu Cunzhi's back. A sound akin to ripping silk echoed, startling everyone. Even Liu Cunzhi shut his eyes, but despite the forceful strike, his stance remained unshaken.

From Liu Cunzhi's body radiated a visible qi movement, sending a ripple through the air that tossed the mats on the floor, some even lifting a meter high. Liu Cunzhi exhaled deeply, his previous vexation vanishing. He quickly understood the unfolding events; Xiaoshu's increasing speed had stirred up the malevolent energy within him. With that final palm strike, the energy was expelled from his body.

Without Xiaoshu's intervention, Liu Cunzhi's internal organs would have suffered gradual erosion from this malevolent force over the next five years. His muscles and veins could have sustained hidden injuries, potentially leading to paralysis.

Liu Cunzhi folded his arms across his chest, massaging each side thirty times. Then, releasing a long, turbid breath, he burst into hearty laughter: "Excellent, excellent, excellent!"

Watching Ning Xiaoshu, Liu Cunzhi exclaimed "Good!" three times in quick succession.

Once he had praised Xiaoshu, Liu Cunzhi suddenly bellowed, "Line up!" The other students, unsure of what had just occurred, hurriedly ran over from the sidelines and formed a single line.

Liu Cunzhi surveyed the students before him and announced, "As of tomorrow, Ning Xiaoshu will take over as the head of Premier Fitness."