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After exiting, Duan Tianxing and the others followed Zong Sheng forward. None of them had their Pokémon out, including Jiang Shangrong.
Li Xiang didn't feel awkward and quickly caught up.
The Zhenxing Ryu Dojo.
It was strikingly spacious and tidy.
Inside the room paved with reddish-brown wooden floors, dozens of people wearing navy-blue martial arts uniforms knelt at the edges.
At the very front, Yan Hu sat upright on a soft cushion, her posture ramrod straight, exuding an domineering aura, a faint smile on her pretty face.
Above her head was a white plaque with black borders, with four characters inscribed on it:
—[Upright and Incorruptible].
'Wow. The presence is intense. But wasn't the successor Zong Sheng? Why was Yan Hu sitting in the main seat?'
Li Xiang tried his best not to look around, as doing so in such a setting would be impolite.
"Grandmaster, please."
Yan Hu stood up, gesturing toward another main seat beside her.
This should have been Zong Sheng's seat.
"Mm."
Duan Tianxing nodded, sitting down lightly beside her, adjusting his large coat.
Li Xiang and the others were led by Zong Sheng to the other side.
As they took their seats, the disciples at the edge of the dojo suddenly stood up and shouted in unison, "Greetings, Grandmaster, Great-Grandmaster! Greetings, Senior Sisters and Brothers!"
Their voices were uniform and powerful, echoing through the dojo, shaking one's heart and mind.
If an ordinary person were present, they would likely show signs of being startled. However, every member of Zhenxing Dojo was unaffected by such trivial matters.
Yan Hu, in the main seat, waved her hand. The surrounding disciples sat back down.
Then, a man in his twenties standing at the front shouted, "First team! Second team, step forward!"
A total of ten people walked to the center of the dojo.
A demonstration.
Li Xiang held Riolu in his arms, silently watching these people drill Beng Quan in perfect unison. They executed each move precisely, with shouts accompanying their punches and knee lifts, looking quite impressive.
But that was about it.
He somewhat doubted how Yan Hu had chosen these people—none of them seemed to have mastered the basics!
With Senior Uncle having been on the island for so many years, Li Xiang refused to believe there weren't any students who had mastered Beng Quan.
However, the fist technique's content hadn't been altered at all, no wonder Master said it was orthodox.
After the ten finished, everyone clapped enthusiastically.
Another ten replaced them. These ten engaged in one-on-one sparring drills, all using Beng Quan techniques.
Compared to the previous uniformity, it was slightly messy, indicating this was practical combat rather than mere performance.
After winners were decided, the ten left, replaced by ten carrying large spears. They brandished them with great force and speed.
Senior Sister's spear... now that he thought about it, Li Xiang had never seen Bai Ji wield a spear.
He couldn't help but glance sideways at Bai Ji beside him, finding a polite smile on her face. An expression that seemed to say, "Ah, not bad, acceptable, acceptable."
She was practically spelling out "trash" on her face.
When it came to the ten sparring with spears, Bai Ji couldn't hold back anymore. She quietly grabbed Li Xiang's hand, her grip gradually tightening.
Li Xiang: "???"
'No wonder Duan Yu and the others didn't want to sit next to Senior Sister—was this why?'
Li Xiang forced himself to maintain a straight face, enduring the pain of his hand being crushed.
'If you think they're bad, go fight them yourself! Don't take it out on your junior brother!'
Fortunately, the spear sparring didn't last long. After it ended, both Li Xiang and Bai Ji breathed a sigh of relief, clapping vigorously.
If it had continued, it would have been torture for everyone, mentally and physically.
But then, Zong Sheng, standing beside Yan Hu, suddenly shouted:
"Please, Grandmaster, offer your critique!"
The seated disciples all shouted in unison, "Please, Grandmaster, offer your critique!"
Critique!?
'Trouble is coming!'
The expressions of Bai Ji and the other six instantly stiffened.
At a time like this, they definitely wanted to hear some praise, or at least some tactful encouragement. But given Duan Tianxing's personality, he would never sugarcoat things.
One was one, two was two. If he was asked to critique, he would be serious about it.
Sure enough, Duan Tianxing didn't even bother standing up. His gaze swept over all the panting people present, and he said coldly, "A complete mess! Disorganized! Devoid of any merit!"
'Damn! Three idioms in a row! Each harsher than the last!'
Li Xiang's twitched. He wondered if they were about to be kicked out.
Who showed absolutely no consideration for the host's face?
The disciples around them were naturally full of indignation, their faces filled with anger. He instinctively looked at Zong Sheng and Yan Hu.
Unexpectedly, these two had surprisingly little reaction, as if they had long known Duan Tianxing would say this.
The former said loudly, "Did you all hear Grandmaster's evaluation?"
"We heard!" came the roar.
"What do you intend to do?"
"Train harder and strive for improvement!" an even louder roar.
"I can't hear you!"
"TRAIN HARDER AND STRIVE FOR IMPROVEMENT!" voices cracking.
"Good!" Zong Sheng looked around at the disciples with red faces or red eyes. "Aren't you going to thank the Grandmaster?"
"Thank you for your guidance, Grandmaster/Great-Grandmaster!" voices cracking again.
"Good, you may leave now."
"We take our leave!"
Over forty people stood up, bowed, and then left the dojo with a series of pat pat footsteps.
Li Xiang and the others wore peculiar expressions. By now, it was clear what this meant.
Probably these people had too much arrogance, and they wanted to use Duan Tianxing to humble them.
But words alone weren't enough, right? The main event was likely yet to come.
Sure enough, after these people left, another ten walked in. Their ages varied greatly. The oldest was over thirty, the youngest around Li Xiang's age. There were both men and women.
The aura they exuded was completely different from the previous forty-plus people.
Li Xiang also sensed a familiar vibe from them.
'Huh? Why is that?'
Li Xiang was stunned.
After entering, the ten first paid their respects to Duan Tianxing with a deep bow, then bowed to Li Xiang and the others as peers, each introducing themselves.
Without a doubt, they were all from the island.
"Grandmaster, these are the ten most outstanding disciples of our Zhenxing Ryu Branch. They are very eager to engage in friendly sparring with your disciples. We hope you will grant permission."
Zong Sheng spoke.
He had been the one doing all the talking, while Yan Hu sat in the main seat.
Li Xiang didn't quite understand the reason. Perhaps it was some custom? Or some hidden circumstance?
However, the immediate priority was to handle the matter at hand.
"Very well." Duan Tianxing responded indifferently. He would naturally not refuse such a thing.
The oldest among them bowed to him again, then looked at the seven people nearby.
"I've heard Senior Sister Bai's spear technique is exceptional. I have some small understanding of the Zhenxing Spear myself. I hope you will not hesitate to teach me!"
The oldest challenging the oldest?
The numbers didn't match up.
Li Xiang watched as Bai Ji beside him stood up and clasped her fist at the man.
"You flatter me, Senior Brother. It would be my honor. Please."
The two moved to the center, each taking a long spear from the weapon rack.
The spear Bai Ji chose was extremely long, over five meters, oddly mismatched with her stature.
Her opponent's spear was slightly shorter, three meters long, harmonizing much better with his build.
Just like how Blade was divided into large blades and long blades, Spear also had large spears and long spears.
Bai Ji used a large spear (approx. 3.3m). If fitted with a metal spearhead, it would weigh around 5 kg.
Her opponent used a long spear, slightly lighter.
Of course, real spears weren't used for sparring. These were wooden with rounded tips, coated in white chalk.
'Who says you can't stab someone to death without a sharp tip?'
The scene flashed through his mind, and Li Xiang felt strangely worried... for the opponent.
Although he had never seen Senior Sister wield a spear, he had seen her throw punches more than once. And as the second strongest after Duan Tianxing, even Jiang Shangrong admired her spear technique.
She couldn't possibly be weak.
Of course, perhaps the opponent was also strong. Duan Tianxing had once said that Senior Uncle's spear technique was divine, worthy of the title 'Spear Absolute'. His disciples definitely wouldn't be weak.
There were many heroes under heaven; there was no need to look down on others. That would truly make one a frog at the bottom of a well.
Thinking this, Li Xiang relaxed his mindset. He had confidence in Senior Sister anyway.
In the arena, the spar began.
Li Xiang focused intently, determined not to miss any details—
Thud!
A dull sound.
His vision blurred. The burly man in front of Bai Ji disappeared, replaced by a long, straight large spear.
Shifting his gaze, he saw the spear-wielding burly man at the edge of the hall!
Ins-Instant kill!
"Green Dragon Seizes Prey. My apologies."
Bai Ji slowly retracted her spear, watching the struggling burly man in the distance, her gaze sharp.
An indescribably terrifying aura emanated from her!
In that instant, the usually gentle and charming Bai Ji resembled a ferocious beast ready to devour its prey!
The members of the Zhenxing Ryu Branch stared dumbfounded at Bai Ji. Yan Hu on the main seat also frowned. Zong Sheng looked astonished.
Duan Tianxing silently drank his tea.
[Green Dragon Seizes Prey], also known as the Spear Absolute's first encounter kill, emphasized speed, precision, and ruthlessness.
Anyone who couldn't react in time would fall to this move, no matter how many times they faced it.
"Ex-Excellent move!"
The burly man in the distance struggled to his feet, his face unnaturally flushed, clutching his chest. He bowed. "I admit defeat."
He conceded cleanly, without any hesitation.
"I concede."
Bai Ji clasped her fist in return.
The burly man then put down his spear, took his leave from the three in the main seats, and left.
Probably to find a doctor.
'Did she crack his ribs?'
...Probably not.
Li Xiang thought to himself. Bai Ji wouldn't do something like that.
'But Senior Sister's spear was really that strong!'
Li Xiang understood the principle of 'an inch longer, an inch stronger,' but such speed and force... if she hadn't held back, it might have pierced right through.
After the eager vanguard left, the second person stepped up.
He also challenged Bai Ji, who was still in the arena.
This person also used a large spear. Upon entering, he twirled his spear, seemingly to boost his own morale.
"Senior Sister Bai, please!"
"Please!"
They exchanged greetings, each assuming the Zhenxing Spear's starting stance.
Then, the spears suddenly thrust toward each other!
Both sides were incredibly fast. In the blink of an eye, the two spears had already clashed and bounced apart with loud bang bang sounds.
Simultaneously, their positions had changed, each shifting direction.
'He survived the first thrust!'
Li Xiang could see the members sigh in relief, probably also fearing this Green Dragon Seizes Prey.
However, Bai Ji wasn't just strong with that skill alone.
After exchanging a few more moves with her opponent, seemingly gauging his strength, she actually charged straight toward his incoming spear tip without dodging!
Seeing this, the opponent's face changed dramatically, as if foreseeing something terrible, and he hurriedly changed his spear technique.
But changing stance mid-action was definitely too late. As the spear tip was about to hit her, Bai Ji slightly turned her body and twisted her large spear!
The heavy large spear seemed to transform into a flexible long snake, bending into an exaggerated arc. The spear tip struck the opponent's chest, then swept him away violently!
The opponent's dozens of kilograms body was lifted off the ground and landed with a thud not far away.
Even the spear in his hand fell.
"Beauty Threads the Needle. My apologies."
Bai Ji said softly, slowly retracting her spear.
Li Xiang silently watched his usually gentle and refined senior sister, thinking: 'Senior Sister is so cool, and also such a show-off.'
Damn.