The old man laughed heartily, chanting the second layer of the "Six Void Four Union Divine Skill" under his breath. The sound, however, only reached Li Guanyi’s ears, not a word traveled beyond. Then, without any visible movement, his Inner Qi vibrated, shaking off Li Guanyi’s wrist before thrusting forward with his palm.
Although the elder suppressed his Inner Qi at the second layer, the weight of his force was still terrifying.
Li Guanyi retreated, employing the straightforward Military School stepping skills, backing straight into the wall and nearly toppling a bookshelf.
Li Guanyi countered by clasping the old man’s palm, saying, "Elder, let’s take this fight outside."
"If we collapse this archive, I fear General Gong and I will both end up in the tiny dark room."
Chen Chengbi laughed excitedly:
"Fight outside? Isn’t it more interesting to fight here?!"
"Boy, let’s make a deal: we can’t knock down these walls or books; whoever does loses!"
In just a few moves, Li Guanyi was already at a disadvantage, and the elder said, "This is unsatisfactory, unsatisfactory! How are you the same as those in the Military School, with stepping skills that only go straight forward and back? You should know, this is the movement technique for large-scale battles."
"Surrounded by comrades on either side, one can only advance or retreat directly."
"In a chaotic battlefield like that in the Martial World, leaping about can disrupt the military formation, which would lead to execution by the army supervisor. But one-on-one, this Military School movement technique is truly disgraceful. I know you’ve studied mathematics with Zu Wenyuan, that old man; now watch closely!"
Dismissing Li Guanyi for the moment, the elder strode comfortably around the room.
He began pacing slowly, but his speed gradually increased.
He stepped on the nine squares position, imbued with the principle of Yin Yang and the creation through the Five Elements, speeding up until to the extent that Li Guanyi, a Martial Artist without advanced eye training, began to see after-images, with the elder finally appearing right in front of him, proudly proclaiming:
"This ’Nine Palace Eight Trigrams Step’ requires understanding of formations and mathematics. In his youth, Zu Wenyuan had no martial skills but often used this stepping technique to turn peril into safety."
"He didn’t teach you because you possess Inner Qi, which is different from his situation."
"The old man will pass it on instead. Come, step through the nine squares, envelop the eight trigrams, let your Inner Qi flow freely, advance and battle. Hahaha, I’ve pondered quite a few tricks over the years, just watch closely."
The elder was thoroughly pleased, feeling that the young man had accomplished something he had not.
Realizing his remarkable talent in martial skills, he saw him as a treasure trove, harboring no other extensive scheming thoughts in his heart. All he had was a lively, vibrant spirit of Martial Arts, declaring:
"The Tao of heaven and earth hinges on nothing but Yin Yang; the interplay of Yin Yang is natural. Thus, from utmost stillness comes motion, as Yang follows Yin; from the peak of motion comes stillness, as Yin follows Yang. Yin must transform into Yang, and Yang must transform into Yin, for such is the cycle of creation, allowing endless genesis without halt."
"My stepping skills are unpredictable; the stronger the mathematics and formation path, the stronger the stepping skills!"
"They are inexhaustible!"
He merged his movement techniques and attacked Li Guanyi. The youth, exceedingly quick to learn with a foundation in mathematics and formation strategy taught by Marquis Hou Zhongyu at the potential loss of his life, quickly caught on. Inside the archives room, the elder and the younger swiftly tangled in combat.
Their hands and feet exchanged blows, speeding up without even brushing against a table.
The elder laughed heartily, saying, "With such martial skills, during the Grand Martial Competition, neither the top swordsman of the Eastern Palace from the Crown Prince Mansion, Yuwen Lie’s nephew, nor the young master of the Iron Futu from the Turkic Seven Kings should be a match for you."
"Come on, spar more with the old man."
"Thrilling, truly thrilling! Why aren’t you already sixty or seventy years old, with 60 years of Inner Strength training? Then the fight would be much more enjoyable."
Li Guanyi said, "The number one in the Eastern Palace?"
Chen Chengbi said, "Yes, my grand nephew has really invested this time, not skimping at all, he’s put forth the title of a Founding County Knight. There are two benefits to this title: first, it can be passed on to descendants."
"Countless noble families’ non-firstborn sons are envious to the point of turning red. This represents the chance to branch out from the family and start a new page in the family tree."
"The lure is too great."
"The second benefit is a fief of three hundred households, not just an empty title. The competitors are countless, including Yuwen Lie’s nephew, a prominent youth from the Yuwen aristocratic family; Yuwen Hua; the son of the Commander of the Iron Futu under the Turkic Seven Kings, Geshu Yin."
"And the top swordsman under the Crown Prince from the Eastern Palace, the grandson of a renowned Sword Saint from the Martial Sects."
"Indeed, it has an actual fief, so..."
As the fists of the elder and Li Guanyi crossed, feeling the young man’s strength, he became uncontrollably excited and casually remarked: "Even royal family members are involved, there’s a distant royal relative."
"His father died early, leaving only his mother."
"Having neither a title nor a fief, he still participates."
Li Guanyi’s pupils constricted.