Xu Wuyi looked at the crowd. "Next."
A girl stepped forward this time. She was about twenty years old, tall and slender, with her hair tied back in a neat, short ponytail.
"Senior Xu, my name is Su Ya. My Life Energy Level is 28, and I specialize in Whip Technique," the girl said, a long whip of flame materializing in her hand.
Xu Wuyi nodded. "Proceed."
Su Ya didn’t attack immediately. Instead, she circled Xu Wuyi slowly, dragging the long whip behind her, its tip tapping lightly on the ground.
She was looking for an opening.
Ten seconds later, Su Ya suddenly moved.
The long whip shot out like a venomous snake, cracking sharply through the air as it lashed toward Xu Wuyi’s back. The strike was incredibly fast and came from a tricky angle, a clear sign of long practice.
But it was as if Xu Wuyi had eyes in the back of his head. The instant the whip’s tip was about to connect, he sidestepped and strode forward, the whip grazing the corner of his clothes as it passed.
With a flick of her wrist, Su Ya retracted the long whip, its body coiling like a living creature around Xu Wuyi’s arm.
This was the "Wrap" technique of the Whip Technique. Once bound, the "Strangle" and "Pull" techniques would follow in quick succession.
Xu Wuyi didn’t dodge, allowing the whip to wrap around his right arm.
A flicker of joy appeared in Su Ya’s eyes. She immediately yanked back on the whip while dashing forward, striking at Xu Wuyi’s chest with her left palm.
It was a clever strategy: first use the whip to restrict the opponent’s movement, then follow up with a close-range strike.
However, Xu Wuyi merely gave his arm a gentle shake.
The whip coiled around his arm suddenly came loose.
It wasn’t shaken off. Rather, it slipped away on its own at a bizarre angle, as if the whip had suddenly lost all control.
Su Ya froze for a moment, her forward momentum faltering.
In that brief hesitation, Xu Wuyi’s left hand was already resting on her shoulder.
"You’ve lost."
Su Ya stood stunned. It took her a few seconds to react before she dispelled the long whip and bowed respectfully. "Please enlighten me, Senior."
"Your Whip Technique is fluid and versatile, and your fundamentals are solid," Xu Wuyi said. "The problem is, you rely too much on the whip."
Su Ya looked up, her eyes filled with confusion.
"The whip is a weapon, an extension of yourself, but it is not you," Xu Wuyi explained slowly. "Your combination just now was designed quite exquisitely. But the moment the whip slipped from your grasp, you panicked."
He pointed at Su Ya’s hand. "When you master the Whip Technique, you must achieve a state of ’whip in hand, but no whip in mind.’ Right now, you are at ’whip in hand, and only whip in mind.’ That’s why your rhythm fell into chaos the moment you lost control of the whip."
Su Ya fell into contemplative silence.
"Go back and practice the bare-handed Silk Binding Force," Xu Wuyi said. "Only when you can simulate the movements of a whip with your bare hands will your Whip Technique be considered at the Entry Level."
Although Xu Wuyi himself had never practiced Whip Technique, once one’s Martial Arts reached his Realm, understanding one art meant understanding them all. In principle, all paths led to the same destination.
"Thank you, Senior!" Su Ya’s eyes lit up as she bowed respectfully and withdrew.
Next, one young Martial Artist after another came forward to challenge him.
There were those who practiced saber arts, some who practiced sword arts, others who specialized in Leg Technique, and even some who focused on defense.
Xu Wuyi kept his Life Energy Level suppressed at Level 10, using only the Basic Body Refining Technique to counter them. But no matter what Martial Arts or tactics his opponents used, he could always neutralize them with the simplest methods and win in a single strike.
Over thirty matches, all victories.
Not a single one lasted more than a minute.
Tana also went up. She suppressed her Life Energy Level to 25 and fought a match with Xu Wuyi.
The result was no different. Thirty-seven seconds later, Xu Wuyi tapped her between the eyebrows with a single finger.
"You still have the same old problem," Xu Wuyi said to Tana. "Your Hammer Technique has an excess of rigid power, but not enough Soft Force. Only when you can make a Heavy Hammer feel like a light one will your Divine Elephant Demon Suppression have a chance at reaching Great Success."
Tana pouted but didn’t argue. She knew Xu Wuyi was right.
When the last challenger withdrew, the Training Ground fell so quiet you could hear a pin drop.
The gazes of the thirty-odd young Martial Artists of the Royal Family had completely transformed as they looked at Xu Wuyi.
Their initial doubt and curiosity had turned into sincere admiration.
To win over thirty consecutive matches using only the most basic Body Refining Technique at a Life Energy Level of 10—including a victory against a power-suppressed Tana—was a level of strength beyond their comprehension.
Xu Wuyi walked to the center of the Training Ground and surveyed the crowd.
"Does anyone else want to try?"
No one spoke.
A few seconds later, Ufei timidly raised her hand. "C-Can I?"
All eyes turned to her.
Tana gave her younger sister an encouraging nod.
Ufei walked up to Xu Wuyi and said in a small voice, "I’m only Level 17. I probably can’t even take one hit from you, Senior..."
"That’s alright." Xu Wuyi’s tone softened. "Just do your best."
Ufei took a deep breath and assumed a stance. She was using the Basic Flame Fist, the most Basic Level Fire Attribute Fist Technique prepared by the Royal Family for its younger disciples.
Xu Wuyi could see that her fundamentals were solid. Every movement was standard, and there were no issues with her Qi and Blood circulation. But like most student Martial Artists, she lacked the spiritual spark of actual combat.
"Here I come," Ufei said, then stepped forward and threw a punch.
It was a standard forward-lunge straight punch, a faint red glow appearing on her fist.
Xu Wuyi didn’t counter-attack immediately. Instead, he sidestepped, allowing her to complete her entire Fist Technique form.
Thirty seconds later, Ufei finished the final move and stopped, panting heavily. A continuous flurry of full-power punches was quite draining for someone at her level.
"Are you finished?" Xu Wuyi asked.
Ufei nodded, looking at him with some trepidation.
"Your Fist Technique is very standard, but it’s *too* standard," Xu Wuyi said. "Every punch is thrown exactly as it’s shown in the textbook, without any of your own understanding."
He walked over to Ufei. "Throw another punch. Any move you like."
Ufei thought for a moment and then executed the third move of the Basic Flame Fist: "Fire Snake Spitting." It was a piercing punch that emphasized speed and precision.
Halfway through the punch, Xu Wuyi suddenly reached out and lightly tapped her elbow joint.
Ufei felt her arm go numb, and her Fist Momentum immediately dissipated.
"If I were your enemy, that single tap could have crippled your arm," Xu Wuyi said, retracting his hand. "Your problem is that you’ve only practiced the ’form,’ but you haven’t developed the ’Intention’."
Seeing the confusion in Ufei’s eyes, he explained, "Why is every move in the Basic Flame Fist designed the way it is? Why does ’Fire Snake Spitting’ use a piercing punch? Because the core of this move is ’speed’ and ’deception,’ striking unexpectedly like a viper spitting venom."
"But when you threw that punch, your shoulder moved first, then your waist turned, and finally your arm extended. An experienced opponent would see your shoulder move and know you were about to throw a piercing punch."
Ufei looked thoughtful.
"When you go back to practice your Fist Technique, don’t just focus on making the movements standard," Xu Wuyi said. "Think about why the move was designed this way, in what situations to use it, and how to use it to make it impossible for an opponent to defend against."
He paused for a moment before adding, "If I’m not mistaken, you probably haven’t had much practical combat experience."
"That’s right..." Ufei said, her expression dimming slightly.
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