Chapter 633: Chapter 634: Actual Combat Refinement
Song Xiaodong let out a roar and his right fist fiercely struck out, directly meeting Su Zhentianâs palm.
With his strength greatly increased, Song Xiaodong had yet to spar with a true expert, and at that moment, he was eager to test just how strong he was.
"Thump!"
Song Xiaodongâs fist collided solidly with Su Zhentianâs palm, emitting a sound like the clash of metal and drums.
Su Zhentian stood in his place, unmoving, while Song Xiaodong was jolted backward three steps. He couldnât help but feel shockedâSu Zhentianâs strength was truly too powerful, and he was no match for him.
What was most important was that the force from Su Zhentianâs palm was somewhat strange, carrying with it a vibrating power. When his fist struck Su Zhentianâs palm, it was like smashing into a barrel of explosives, completely dispersing his Vigor.
At that moment, Sun One chuckled lightly and said, "Hehe, the Su Family has always specialized in External Skills. This young man actually tries to compete in strength with the other party, truly overestimating himself."
"Good lad, no wonder you dare to challenge our Su Family; you do have some skills." Su Zhentian praised him and then shouted, "Now try taking two more of my palms."
Knowing that he couldnât surpass Su Zhentian in strength, Song Xiaodong would not engage in a contest of power with him. He shifted his footing, dodging Su Zhentianâs palm, and aimed a punch directly at Su Zhentianâs waist.
With his momentum unabated, Su Zhentian merely turned his palm slightly, redirecting it in another direction, still aiming for Song Xiaodongâs chest.
Song Xiaodong switched up several clever moves, but Su Zhentianâs response was usually just a palm or a punch, forcing Song Xiaodong to interrupt his move midway, and he was unable to execute a coherent sequence of techniques.
Sun One watched with keen interest and said, "Old Su, I never realized it, but your martial power has improved. This Zhentian Palm of yours has quite the flavor of great ingenuity without effort."
Su Zhentian laughed heartily and replied, "You really have some insight to see the essence of my Kung Fu."
Listening to their conversation, Song Xiaodongâs heart was struck by a realization. The heavy sword has no edge, great ingenuity without effortâthis must be a very profound martial arts principle. Although his Kung Fu had grown strong over the years, he had not delved deeply into martial arts theory or, to put it another way, he hadnât truly discussed such matters with such high-level martial arts experts.
The few conversations he had with Elder Fang had been enlightening, but in comparison to the insights of these two, Elder Fangâs knowledge was clearly lacking.
But now, what troubled Song Xiaodong the most was how to deal with Su Zhentian. He felt somewhat hampered, having thought that with his greatly increased strength, he would be able to match Sun Yiyi.
Yet, after just one exchange with Su Zhentian, he suddenly realized that he was still out of their league.
"Old Su, do you think I have a way to break through your Zhentian Palm?" Sun One asked at that moment.
"Letâs hear your thoughts," Su Zhentian replied casually to Sun One. His attack, however, was entirely unaffected, and he pressed Song Xiaodong back step by step.
Sun One said, "Although thereâs a flavor of great ingenuity without effort in your technique, it has not truly reached that state of mind. Itâs merely superficially similar but lacking in spirit. In the world of martial arts, speed is unparalleled. If your Zhentian Palm is fierce but canât hit me, itâs naturally useless."
Su Zhentian laughed heartily and said, "The girl has quite the eye, your movement technique may be fast, but my Palm Force is strong, and you still canât get close to me."
Sun One said, "So, we can only end up in a stalemate, neither winning nor losing."
To Su Zhentianâs surprise, he actually called Sun One a "little girl," but Song Xiaodong was fully focused on thinking up ways to deal with Su Zhentian, completely missing this detail.
Song Xiaodong was well aware that if he couldnât even beat Su Zhentian, the consequences today would surely be very serious, but he couldnât afford to think about that now, as it would only make him more anxious.
With his spirit concentrated and demeanor calm, Song Xiaodong faced the situation steadily. Although he was continuously at a disadvantage, it wasnât easy for Su Zhentian to defeat him quickly.
Now, he had a reliance, which was his silver needles. A surprise attack might succeed, just as it had with Sun Two last time.
Suddenly, Sun One said with a grin, "Iâm telling you, Old Su, donât blame me for not warning you, this kidâs flying needle is quite tricky. Donât fall for it, or youâll capsize in the gutter."
Song Xiaodongâs face darkened instantly; his last reliance had been exposed by Sun One, and it seemed his trump card was now useless.
Su Zhentian laughed loudly again and said, "How could I not be aware of this? But if he thinks he can pierce through my Protective True Qi with his tiny silver needles, Iâm afraid it wonât be so easy."
"Damn it, he even has Protective True Qi. That stuff is the stuff of legends, right? Is this old guy for real?" Song Xiaodong cursed inwardly, thinking the old man was truly a freak.
Sun One immediately scoffed and said, "Pah, what Protective True Qi? Youâre just scaring those who donât know any better. Youâre just relying on your thick skin and flesh."
Su Zhentian once again laughed heartily, "No matter what, itâs more than enough to deal with this brat."
Sun One was simply enjoying the spectacle, helping Song Xiaodong one moment and exposing Su Zhentian the next. It seemed like he wasnât siding with anyone, but since Song Xiaodong was already at a disadvantage with his trump card gone, he naturally suffered more.
Every palm and punch from Su Zhentian exerted great pressure on Song Xiaodong. If he made even a slight mistake, he could be severely injured, so he exerted his utmost spirit, squeezing every cell and every bit of True Qi in his body to meet the assault as fierce as a tempest and to resist that bomb-like formidable power.
In the beginning, Song Xiaodong felt he might collapse at any moment under the pressure, but after a dozen moves, he started to feel the pressure from the opponent lessening, as if Su Zhentianâs strength was fading.
"Eh!" Su Zhentian also sensed something odd. He had expected Song Xiaodong to last at most five or six moves, but after more than ten, Song Xiaodong was still standing, and it seemed even easier for him. Surprised, he said, "Kid, youâve got some skills."
Sun One also expressed his surprise, "Seems like this kid improves whenever he fights with you, how strange."
At that moment, Song Xiaodong realized that the True Qi he had gained from the medicine, although it had merged with his own True Qi, hadnât truly integrated due to his own True Qi being weak. It was more a mixture than a true fusion.
But now, as he fought with Su Zhentian, Suâs Zhentian Palm, like a heavy hammer, was tempering his True Qi. In just a short while, it had become much more refined.
This greatly boosted Song Xiaodongâs confidence. If he could hold on a bit longer, perhaps he would have the strength to fight Su Zhentian today.