Douluo: Martial Soul White Tiger, I am the White Emperor of Heaven

Chapter 628 Zhu Zhuqing's Meticulousness
Zhu Zhuqing did not answer immediately.

“Your breathing is very steady,” she finally spoke after a while, her voice as calm and even as ever, but upon closer listening, it seemed a little lighter than usual.

"His eyes were clear, showing no signs of fatigue."

"A person who has a sleepless night would not be in this state."

Dai Chengfeng raised an eyebrow and his smile deepened: "Excellent observation."

"So, you're unhappy that I'm in good spirits?"

"I'm not unhappy."

Zhu Zhuqing looked away and turned her gaze back to the ironwood dummy. "I'm just reminding you that the key to cultivation is perseverance. Don't let external things easily disturb your mind."

"Foreign object?"

Dai Chengfeng chuckled, straightened up, and placed his hands on the edge of the stone table, half-enveloping her in his shadow. "Zhuqing, the way you're talking makes it sound like I've done something unproductive."

"A morning stroll cultivates one's temperament; surely that's not an external thing?"

Zhu Zhuqing didn't respond; she remained silent.

But in Dai Chengfeng's view, this silence itself was an answer.

She was never a talkative person, and her silence at this moment was more like a wordless, slightly cold scrutiny.

“Okay,” Dai Chengfeng raised his hands in surrender, took a half step back, and created some distance. “I admit, I encountered some… things that made me feel good.”

"However, that shouldn't stop me from being concerned about your cultivation, right?"

He pointed to the fresh marks on the ironwood dummy: "Judging from this, you've been practicing for at least two hours while I was away."

"Did it start as soon as it was light?"

Zhu Zhuqing tacitly agreed.

Her daily routine has always been strict to the point of being rigid; she gets up at 3 AM without fail.

"Overworking yourself may not yield good results."

Dai Chengfeng said seriously, his tone earnest, "Especially since you are currently in a critical period of accumulating soul power and developing your body, blindly cultivating will only damage your origin."

"How about we try a different approach today?"

Zhu Zhuqing looked at him: "What method?"

What's the point of just driving a wooden stake that won't move?

Dai Chengfeng cracked his wrists slightly, his neck bones making a soft popping sound. A smile of eager anticipation appeared on his lips. "I'll spar with you."

"No soul power required, just physical skills, agility, and reflexes. How about that?"

This suggestion made Zhu Zhuqing's usually cold eyes light up slightly.

She was well aware of Dai Chengfeng's strength.

Being able to engage in a pure skill contest with such an opponent is undoubtedly more beneficial to her than practicing against inanimate objects, and it also allows her to better test the results of her training.

"Okay." She agreed readily and decisively, almost without hesitation.

"Then...shall we begin?"

Before Dai Chengfeng could finish speaking, he had already darted out like a cheetah, without any warning.

Instead of launching a direct attack, he swayed his body, leaving a blur, and cut in from the side, delivering a silent chop to Zhu Zhuqing's neck.

Fast, accurate, and with a tricky angle.

However, Zhu Zhuqing reacted even faster. As he moved, she seemed to have foreseen it, bending her slender waist backward and narrowly avoiding the sharp hand strike.

At the same time, his right leg whipped up from below, toes pointed, aiming at the open space under Dai Chengfeng's ribs.

The shift between offense and defense can happen in the blink of an eye.

Dai Chengfeng exclaimed "Eh!" with a flash of admiration in his eyes.

He didn't take the blow head-on. Instead, he used his left hand, which was braced on the ground, to exert force, and his body spun sideways in mid-air. This not only avoided the groin kick, but also, during the spin, his right leg swept across Zhu Zhuqing's supporting left leg. Zhu Zhuqing seemed to have anticipated this. Instead of retracting her right leg, she used it as a pivot, spinning her entire body and lifting her left leg off the ground.

Not only did it cause Dai Chengfeng's sweeping leg to miss, but it also transferred the power to its left arm during the spin, delivering an elbow strike to Dai Chengfeng's shoulder and back as he spun sideways.

boom!
The elbow and arm collided, producing a dull thud.

The two separated immediately upon contact, each sliding back several steps to dissipate the force.

The first round ended in a draw.

The fallen leaves in the courtyard were swept up by the strong wind created by the two people, swirling and fluttering.

Dai Chengfeng shook his slightly numb arm and laughed:

"Not bad, your reaction and anticipation have improved. It seems that practicing against the wooden stake wasn't a waste of time."

Zhu Zhuqing didn't speak, but slightly adjusted her breathing, her gaze sharp as an eagle, fixed on Dai Chengfeng.

All the muscles in her body were in a delicate balance, ready to unleash their strongest power and speed at any moment.

The brief exchange just now had subtly awakened a certain fighting spirit within her. Sparring with Dai Chengfeng brought both pressure and excitement.

"Come again."

She spoke in a low voice, her tone carrying a barely perceptible hint of fighting spirit.

This time, she launched the first attack.

With a sway of its body, it no longer charged in a straight line, but instead moved with a peculiar rhythm, drifting left and right, making it difficult to predict its true attack route.

This is a footwork she created by combining the characteristics of the Netherworld Cat Martial Soul. Although she did not use her soul power, its agility and unpredictability have already begun to take shape.

Dai Chengfeng's eyes narrowed slightly, and he became more serious, focusing intently on the situation.

Zhu Zhuqing's speed and agility are absolutely top-notch among her peers. Even without using her soul power, she is enough to dazzle most people.

The black figure approached like a ghost, its five fingers slightly curled like cat claws, creating a sharp whistling sound as it enveloped several vital points on Dai Chengfeng's upper body.

Every move targets joints and acupoints with ruthlessness and precision, reflecting the style of real combat.

Dai Chengfeng remained calm and composed, his movements swift and agile, his figure like a willow catkin in the wind, dodging attacks at the last possible moment.

His responses may seem risky, but he always manages to find that tiny opening at the most crucial moment.

Occasionally, he would parry or deflect, but he used skillful techniques to deflect the force and never directly confront Zhu Zhuqing.

He knew that Zhu Zhuqing's strength was not her forte, but her speed and penetrating power were extremely strong, and it would not be a wise move to fight her head-on.

In an instant, two figures could be seen leaping and swooping in the courtyard, entangled and separating.

The black color intertwined with the colors of everyday clothes, creating gusts of wind.

The muffled thuds of fists and feet colliding, the sharp whistling of clothes tearing through the air, mixed with the occasional rustling of fallen leaves being crushed underfoot, created a fierce symphony in the courtyard at dawn.

Zhu Zhuqing fought faster and faster, and her moves became increasingly fierce.

She incorporated all the insights she had gained from her solitary training into her attacks. Many of the variations and combos that were initially somewhat awkward when practicing against wooden stakes gradually became smoother and more fluid in her encounters with Dai Chengfeng, a living and skilled opponent.

Pressure is indeed the best catalyst for progress.

Dai Chengfeng naturally noticed her progress as well.

He secretly praised her, saying that this girl's talent and temperament were first-rate, and what was even more rare was her perseverance and hard work.

Practicing with her not only helps her, but it's also a form of training for him.

He completely concealed his soul power and relied solely on physical techniques to deal with the situation, which also required him to concentrate fully and elevate his combat awareness to the extreme.

However, as the fight progressed, Dai Chengfeng's thoughts began to wander involuntarily during the lulls in the fighting.

Especially when two people are extremely close, their limbs inevitably come into contact, collide, or become entangled.

(End of this chapter)