Afterward, the two continued to spar.
However, the more they fought, the more astonished Cheng Ran became.
Jiang Ning's movements were too agile, and his attacks were unpredictable.
Especially the transitions between motion and stillness his body and fist techniques shifted left and right as if there were no inertia at all, making it extremely difficult for Cheng Ran to handle.
He couldn't predict Jiang Ning's movements at all.
So this is the power of mastering all five forms of the Five Animals Fist? The role of technique is actually this significant?
After being struck in the chest by Jiang Ning again, Cheng Ran couldn't help but think this.
His expression toward Jiang Ning changed repeatedly.
He knew that if he hadn't achieved full circulation of qi and blood throughout his body, withstanding blows far beyond an ordinary person's capacity, those few strikes alone would have been enough to render him unable to fight.
At this point, Jiang Ning also began to understand something after this initial bout of combat.
He realized why Master Wang had repeatedly emphasized to him that the Five Animals Fist should be practiced in all five forms simultaneously.
Mastering all five forms meant that strength, explosive power, footwork, and speed were all exceptional, leaving no weaknesses.
Although Cheng Ran was strong, with a full circulation of qi and blood and a single arm capable of exerting over 500 jin, his every move could easily unleash a force exceeding a thousand jin.
However, if Jiang Ning didn't want to engage in a direct clash, Cheng Ran's full-power strikes would have a hard time landing.
After achieving minor mastery in the Ape Fist, Jiang Ning's footwork had reached a level of precision that allowed him to evade Cheng Ran's attacks by the slimmest of margins, exploiting the moments when Cheng Ran's old force had dissipated and new force hadn't yet been generated.
This was why, even though Cheng Ran's explosive power was on par with his own, Jiang Ning was able to completely dominate the fight.
"Senior Brother Cheng, please go all out!" Jiang Ning said, his expression serious.
Seeing Jiang Ning's earnest look, Cheng Ran nodded slowly. "Alright, Junior Brother Jiang, be careful!"
As soon as he finished speaking, Cheng Ran moved again, but this time, it was like night and day compared to before.
With his qi and blood fully circulating through his body, Cheng Ran's speed suddenly increased by 50%.
In a flash, he closed the distance to within an arm's length of Jiang Ning.
Cheng Ran's arms swung like a whirlwind, bringing immense pressure down on Jiang Ning.
Jiang Ning, with his qi and blood circulating through more than one arm, fought back while retreating.
At this moment, Jiang Ning truly understood what it meant to "overcome ten techniques with sheer strength."
With Cheng Ran's single arm strength exceeding 500 jin more than double his own Jiang Ning realized that even if he could exploit the moments when Cheng Ran's old force had dissipated and new force hadn't yet been generated, he would still have to contend with 60-70% of Cheng Ran's strength.
Even then, the force of Cheng Ran's strikes was still several times greater than his own.
He still couldn't match it head-on.
Every collision left Jiang Ning's arms aching and numb, forcing him to retreat step by step.
Under Cheng Ran's full-power assault, the pressure was overwhelming.
Jiang Ning couldn't unleash his full strength, and the bursts of power he managed to release only caused Cheng Ran's arms to tremble slightly before being completely neutralized.
Forced back to the corner of the courtyard, Jiang Ning leaped up like a nimble white ape, landing on the wall in an instant.
"Senior Brother Cheng is truly impressive. I am no match for you!"
Standing on the wall, Jiang Ning cupped his hands in respect.
Huff
Huff
Cheng Ran stopped his relentless assault, breathing heavily.
Hearing Jiang Ning's words, he couldn't help but inwardly wryly smile.
Having to go all out and rely on brute strength to achieve this result is embarrassing.
On the surface, I won, but in reality, I lost completely.
But at this moment, he also understood that Jiang Ning's martial talent and fist technique aptitude far surpassed his own.
He couldn't help but feel a sense of relief.
"Thankfully, there are only about three months left before the Inspection Bureau opens its recruitment."
"If Junior Brother Jiang had a year or two, both Xiao Peng and I might as well give up now."
"With only three months left, even if Junior Brother Jiang's talent in fist techniques and comprehension are astonishing, achieving major mastery or even perfection in his techniques and mastering internal force..."
"His qi and blood still wouldn't reach full circulation, let alone achieve the initial stage of skin refinement and the integration of skin and membrane."
"These things require time and effort to achieve."
Thinking this, Cheng Ran felt immensely relieved.
He was glad that there were only about three months left before the Inspection Bureau's recruitment.
Competing with Xiao Peng, who was on par with him in terms of qi and blood and fist techniques, was something he still had confidence in.
But after witnessing Jiang Ning's strength today, he had no confidence or certainty in competing against someone of similar qi and blood levels.
After a while, Cheng Ran's breathing gradually steadied.
He looked up at Jiang Ning on the wall, his eyes filled with a strange light.
"Junior Brother Jiang, your stamina is impressive. After such an intense fight, you're not even out of breath."
Jiang Ning smiled and leaped down from the wall, landing in front of Cheng Ran.
"Senior Brother Cheng's relentless assault naturally consumes a lot of stamina. I, on the other hand, focused on evasive tactics, so my stamina consumption was lower."
"That's true," Cheng Ran nodded, agreeing with the explanation.
But in his heart, Jiang Ning knew that the reason he wasn't as exhausted as Cheng Ran was because his Inner Alchemy Nourishment Technique had reached the mastered level.
His internal organs had been tempered, giving him organ functionality far beyond that of an ordinary person.
That was why this level of combat didn't leave him feeling drained.
At this moment, looking at the prompt that had appeared in front of him, Jiang Ning couldn't help but feel a surge of joy.
[Five Animals Fist Experience +1]
[Skill]: Five Animals Fist (Minor Mastery: 50/500)
Just a few minutes of sparring increased my Five Animals Fist experience by two points.
Combat is indeed another way to increase fist technique experience.
However, my qi and blood didn't increase.
Jiang Ning then closed the panel.
By now, Cheng Ran's breathing had also returned to normal.
He looked at Jiang Ning and said, "Junior Brother Jiang's overall fist technique level is even higher than Xiao Peng's. Sparring with you was the right choice. I feel like I've gained a lot!"
"Me too," Jiang Ning smiled and nodded.
A moment later, as he watched Cheng Ran leave, Jiang Ning fell into brief contemplation.
If I were to wield a blade, relying on my footwork and blade technique, could I defeat Senior Brother Cheng?
After recalling the fight, Jiang Ning nodded slightly.
It should be possible.
With a sharp blade in hand, the advantages of footwork and technique outweigh the advantages of raw strength.
No matter how strong someone is, as long as they haven't achieved the rank of a martial artist, they're still made of flesh and blood.
A single slash would still draw blood.
But what if Senior Brother Cheng were replaced by Xu Yunfeng?
Jiang Ning's eyes flickered as he pondered.
Senior Brother Cheng has achieved full circulation of qi and blood, with a single arm strength exceeding 500 jin, and is on the verge of becoming a ranked martial artist.
Xu Yunfeng is also at the level of full qi and blood circulation.
But without a doubt, Xu Yunfeng is stronger than Senior Brother Cheng.
After all, Xu Yunfeng is a constable in Luoshui County and must have experienced numerous life-and-death battles, giving him rich combat experience.
Senior Brother Cheng, on the other hand, is like me a flower raised in a greenhouse. If we were to face Xu Yunfeng in a life-and-death struggle, we would undoubtedly lose.
I could probably defeat Senior Brother Cheng with a blade.
Jiang Ning then thought of the few times he had seen Xu Yunfeng, who always had a blade at his side, his right hand perpetually resting on the hilt.
He shook his head slightly.
I might not be Xu Yunfeng's match right now.
I still need some time.
Jiang Ning murmured to himself.
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