Lu Mingfei, why are you slaying dragons if you're not involved!

Chapter 130 One Shot Decides the Fate! (4.2K)

[Through diligent practice, your Tai Chi skills have improved, gaining 10 proficiency points.]

【go through……】

Lu Mingfei's Tai Chi has reached the LV2 level.

With each level up, not only does the total proficiency required for leveling up increase, but the difficulty of gaining proficiency also increases.

It's like climbing a mountain; with each section, the path becomes more rugged and longer!
Despite this, under the personal guidance of the Tai Chi master, Lu Mingfei's Tai Chi proficiency still improved remarkably. Each jump added ten points, making it the most efficient of all his scheduled activities.

The only problem is that wielding the Overlord Spear without activating the "enemy is stronger than me" alchemical domain is a bit too much for Lu Mingfei.

A small horse pulling a large cart is naturally much more strenuous than normal.

The Overlord Spear is so heavy that Lu Mingfei could basically exhaust himself after just standing there and swinging it dozens of times!

This is just the simplest wave.

He was learning the Tai Chi Spear, a style that emphasizes technique over simple application. This meant that while Lu Mingfei was working on a heavy task, he also had to perform tasks similar to "using an excavator bucket to peel eggs from the ground."

The fatigue from high energy expenditure and the discouragement caused by the lack of progress will naturally come knocking in this situation.

But this had dominated Lu Mingfei's feelings and emotions for countless years of his life, and now it was all just a passing cloud.

Tired? Yes, but you're only just reaching your limit. The feeling of wanting to rest is just beginning to emerge. With the double boost of [Stamina Recovery] and [Stamina Boost], your depleted "fuel tank" will be filled, quickly eliminating fatigue!

Lu Mingfei even grew to like this cycle—the transition from being completely exhausted to having plenty of energy when he reached his limit and then recovered was extremely comfortable.

Discouraged? Putting aside the fact that he has a proficiency panel where he can clearly see every step of his progress, Lu Mingfei wouldn't feel that way at all. Even if he did… is the [Warning, Electric Shock Countdown] just for show?
So he persisted, even having the energy to spout nonsense during "breaks between groups".

Zhang Shanfeng: "..."

It's practically impossible to train arm strength and technique simultaneously. Ideally, a gradual approach is the correct way to learn. Trying to do both at the same time will severely slow down the latter's progress.

As a teacher, Zhang Shanfeng was well aware of this. He made this request to Lu Mingfei first, simply out of habit, intending to "flatten his arrogance."

He mostly teaches mixed-race people, whose thinking, learning abilities, and even physical qualities are stronger than those of ordinary people. This makes them mostly "geniuses," and geniuses are always proud.

If they don't feel how difficult the things they need to learn are, they are likely to become lax and have an unprofessional attitude!

Not to mention that for a peerless genius like Lu Mingfei, it is even more necessary.

But what he didn't expect was that Lu Mingfei actually persisted in doing something that he thought was impossible, and even made significant progress that was visible to the naked eye!
"Even geniuses need to progress step by step... but that's just ordinary geniuses."

Zhang Shanfeng reflected on his own views and made adjustments.

"Geniuses of this caliber should be subjected to all sorts of methods; they might actually grow even faster!"

He looked at Lu Mingfei with some emotion. Under close observation, he naturally noticed Lu Mingfei's recovery ability, which was far more terrifying than that of a hybrid, and naturally understood it as a special physique.

S-class? That's normal!
With a good mindset, a resilient physique, and an exceptional talent for learning... this is a truly exceptional piece of steel. With proper training and shaping, he is destined for greatness!

After this thought surfaced in my mind, doubts arose as well.

The learning ability of hybrids is not affected by whether their bloodline awakens or not; they are born with it.

How come there was no word about a genius of this caliber before?
Thinking to himself, he decided to investigate later... well, he'd have Ye Sheng investigate later.

Right now? Of course, we continue teaching!

"Again! Treat the gun as an extension of your body, a bone that cannot be deformed or destroyed! But the rest of your body can move. When the force is transmitted, use your body to transform it! Use the body to apply the principles of listening to force, sticking, adhering, following, and borrowing force to strike..."

This requirement, for a novice who has only learned Tai Chi for a few hours, is not only unreasonable, but also wishful thinking... But Zhang Shanfeng deliberately ignored this point.

He wanted to see for himself just how much Lu Mingfei could learn!
Thus, after two hours of Tai Chi training—

"take a break."

Just after nine o'clock, Zhang Shanfeng announced.

"The practical part will begin later."

"Huh...huh..."

Lu Mingfei didn't say anything. He slumped to the ground, panting heavily, and pulled a towel to wipe his sweat. Finally, he had the energy to glance at the proficiency panel.

[Tai Chi LV2 - Proficiency 60/400]

The symptoms of his blurred vision were immediately relieved, and he felt refreshed, as if all his hard work had not been in vain.

In two hours, it rose a full sixty points. There's more trading to come, and it'll likely rise further!

This was achieved solely through learning and mastering Tai Chi without using any technical terms; it's like skipping supplementary materials and just studying the textbook.

"It seems my talent for Tai Chi isn't so bad after all?"

This thought flashed through Lu Mingfei's mind.

Zhang Shanfeng walked over to Ye Sheng and Chu Zihang, and it was unclear what they were talking about; it was probably an "inspection of work."

In a dozen or so breaths, his strength returned to a level sufficient to move. Lu Mingfei stood up, and while taking a break to drink water, walked to the window and looked out.

The elevated highway meanders like blood vessels through the forest of steel and concrete, with the endless stream of car headlights flowing like the blood coursing through these vessels. They flow, gather, and separate, until they reach each exit and merge into different nodes.

The city skyline piles up in the distance, forming a towering silhouette, while endless neon lights dispel the darkness nearby.

Lu Mingfei remembered seeing a satellite aerial photograph of nighttime scenes around the world, where lights and roads formed a spiderweb, each bright spot representing a city. At the very center of this network, the brightest part was the CBD, resembling a giant, blazing candle in the night.

He used to look out over the CBD from the rooftop. His aunt lived in an affordable housing complex, which was some distance from the CBD.

My uncle's biggest dream is the nightlife in the CBD. In his description, every inch of the CBD floor is covered with marble, so smooth that it can be used as a mirror, and everything is shiny.

Successful people are everywhere here, standing tall and proud. Everyone is energetic and dressed in designer brands. The aroma of coffee fills the air, and from the large screens between buildings to the glass curtain walls of the international business center, there is an atmosphere of "upper class." Life is fulfilling and meaningful.

Lu Mingfei once longed for this too. He envied the "elite" feeling his uncle described. No one wanted to be an ordinary, invisible NPC, lost in the unknown world of the Earth Online game.

But only now, standing here in the very heart of the CBD, does he realize that what his uncle said was nothing but a beautiful fantasy—

Most of those so-called "elites" are just struggling working people. They dress smartly and act energetic every day because otherwise they will be scolded by their bosses or even have their wages docked. Drinking coffee like water is just a way to tough it out.

At most, they can be considered slightly more advanced NPCs.

But to what extent does one have to reach to be considered a "player"?

Lu Mingfei looked up at the sky. During this process, the synonyms for "financial freedom" and "immense power" flashed through his mind, but he quickly rejected them.

Because they are still bound by rules, even the US president has to get approval from both houses of Congress before he can do anything. Therefore, they are at most high-level NPCs.

"The strongest and most awesome man..." He thought of his already-anchored goal, scratched his head, and muttered to himself.

"Won't I have to work until I become the president of the Earth?"

"looking at what?"

Zhang Shanfeng's voice came from very close. Lu Mingfei turned his head and was startled to find that Zhang Shanfeng was already standing next to him.

"Teacher Zhang, you're so scary!"

Lu Mingfei clutched his wildly pounding heart and casually blurted out, "I was looking at pretty girls..."

"You little rascal, you're trying to have your cake and eat it too, aren't you?"

Zhang Shanfeng shook his head. "Have you rested enough?"

"All right."

"Then come!"

The two returned to the unarmed training area, where Ye Sheng was already waiting in the center. With Chu Zihang's help, today's tasks were finally completed ahead of schedule, allowing him to focus on being a "sparring partner."

"There are many things to teach in actual combat, but the most important, absolutely core, thing is combat distance and combat style."

Zhang Shanfeng emphasized,
"The Overlord Spear belongs to the category of long weapons. Its advantage lies in controlling the mid-to-long range, keeping the enemy outside the attack range, and trying to prevent the enemy from getting close."

At the same time, it is a heavy weapon and cannot be used for prolonged combat. Therefore, offense must be the primary means of defense, and once a strike is made, it must be swift, accurate, and ruthless! The goal is to resolve the battle in the shortest possible time!

Okay, once you're ready, just let me know, and I'll say "start."

"what?"

Lu Mingfei was taken aback. "Wait, wait, why are we starting already? Didn't you say you were going to teach a lot of things?"

Why do you think real combat is called real combat?

Zhang Shanfeng smiled and said, "Teaching too much is a waste of time. A unit that has been trained for a year is not as good as a soldier who has been thrown into the battlefield for a month and survives! So you can just start fighting."

Don't worry, I'll keep an eye on things and make sure none of you suffer fatal injuries.

"You mean it won't be a fatal wound, but just a regular injury is fine?"

Lu Mingfei looked at Ye Sheng with a long face, "Senior Brother Ye Sheng, you have to let me have a turn! I'm a complete newbie!"

"Sorry, junior brother, Teacher Zhang just told me to go all out and not hold back."

Ye Sheng smiled apologetically, holding a barbell.

"But you don't need to worry, Teacher Zhang is very strong. Even if I really make a mistake, he will definitely be able to stop it in time."

Now, all avenues for retreat are blocked.

However, Lu Mingfei hadn't really intended for Ye Sheng to hold back. He understood the principle that one should learn from experience, so he just habitually begged for mercy verbally.

So he adjusted his breathing, gripped the Overlord Spear with both hands, and prepared himself—

[High-Speed ​​Calculation] [Force Analysis] Activated!
The world filled with the beauty of mechanics unfolds before our eyes. The term "force analysis" describes the analysis of "simple motion." This simplicity is not the kind of simplicity found in "a single pulley," but rather it refers to "individuals," with a quantity of two or less.

At this moment, Lu Mingfei has chosen Ye Sheng as the subject, along with the barbell in Ye Sheng's hand!

That's enough, more than enough.

Force analysis represents the prediction of motion, while supersonic calculation represents the calculation of motion. In an instant, Lu Mingfei's "listening to force" and "understanding force," which he had not been able to master in Tai Chi alone, directly reached a state of perfection, and even far exceeded it!
Because, in a normal state, listening to the opponent's strength requires physical contact to perceive, explore, and interpret their power, but Lu Mingfei...?

He can see it directly.

Remotely!

In this situation, there was no need for any further probing; he simply raised his hand and delivered a stabbing blow!
This thrust "just happened" to target the spot where Ye Sheng was least able to generate power to block.

But Ye Sheng, with his B-grade bloodline, had a reason for becoming an elite member of the new generation of the Executive Department. Faced with this frustrating jabbing, he simply shifted to the side and swung the barbell in his hand, striking the gun barrel.

He felt a slight sense of relief as the two were about to make contact.

Ye Sheng had observed and assessed Lu Mingfei's strength.

In his view, Lu Mingfei's skill in Tai Chi spear technique had clearly not yet reached the level of Zhang Shanfeng's "using four ounces to deflect a thousand pounds".

Not to mention, the weapon used was the Overlord Spear, which was completely unsuitable for Tai Chi! Only a Tai Chi master like Zhang Shanfeng could ignore the influence of the weapon and simply use "grass, trees, bamboo, and stones as swords".

Moreover, Ye Sheng also possesses even faster reaction speed and strength.

Therefore, with just this one tap, the force is transferred and Lu Mingfei can drop his weapon... In actual combat, dropping a weapon actually means crushing the opponent!
In his prediction, the two would connect.

However, the expected clanging sound of metal colliding did not occur.

In an instant, the Overlord Spear in Lu Mingfei's hand became "sticky".

He used his legs to generate power and his waist to support himself, unleashing the full power of every muscle in his body at this moment!
Shift your stance and move your spear, redirecting the force into your body, and lead the opponent to miss!

Previously, Lu Mingfei perfectly "replicated" Zhang Shanfeng's movements when dealing with the downward strike of the Overlord Spear. This replication did not mean a one-to-one complete copy, but rather a skillful application of the principles of Tai Chi!

The barbell that Ye Sheng knocked down was guided off course, causing his body to lose its balance. Normally, with his physical abilities, he could have quickly recovered, but his previous relaxation had now created the worst possible outcome—there was a tiny window of time between realizing something was wrong and exerting force.

In a very short time, Lu Mingfei coordinated his entire body, like a fully drawn bow being released in an instant, or a compressed spring suddenly popping out, as he exerted all his strength!

The combined power of the entire body is transmitted through the Overlord Spear, landing at a perfectly vertical angle on that "point" of the barbell, generating maximum torque.

Given Ye Sheng's lever arm when gripping the barbell, he would need to ignite his Golden Eyes and exert all his strength to unleash such immense power to counteract it!

But time is clearly running out.

Therefore, when that immense force reached his palm, Ye Sheng almost instinctively made the wisest decision—he had to let go.

The barbell flew out diagonally and crashed to the ground with a heavy thud.

The entire gym fell into an even heavier, deathly silence.

Chu Zihang, Ye Sheng, and even Zhang Shanfeng all turned their gazes to Lu Mingfei.

Lu Mingfei was stunned.

Why are you all looking at me?

(End of this chapter)