Chapter 78: Double Stick Mastery
Chapter 78: Double Stick Mastery
As the members from the second floor arrived one after another, they witnessed a sight.
Two individuals, clad in protective gear, were engaged in an intense sparring match.
One of them wielded a wooden sword, launching fierce attacks and relentlessly closing in on their opponent. The other, using a pair of sticks, blocked incessantly, appearing to have no strength to counterattack.
But upon closer observation, it became evident that the latter was effortlessly handling the situation. At times, a single block was enough to force the former to retreat two steps.
"Jiang Shidi is so formidable. Lin Shixiong is no match for him at all."
One of the members exclaimed in awe.
"Absolutely. I suspect Jiang Shidi could handle Lin Shixiong with just one stick, but he's deliberately using double sticks to avoid embarrassing Lin Shixiong."
"Is there even a need to mention it? Jiang Shidi's double stick skills are on par with Zhao Shixiong's."
"Alright, let's not just stand here watching. Let's put on our protective gear and ask Jiang Shidi for guidance after he's rested."
A few minutes passed, and Lin Quan Liang retreated two steps, extending his hand, "Jiang Shidi, let's take a short break, shall we? We've been at it for half an hour, and I'm running out of energy."
"Sure."
Jiang Cheng nodded in response.
"Thank you, Jiang Shidi, for this half-hour of practice. I know that if you were to go all out, I wouldn't last half an hour, not even two or three minutes."
Lin Quan Liang expressed his gratitude.
Although he had greeted Jiang Cheng the day before, he was aware that Jiang Cheng might not hold him in high regard.
But today, when Jiang Shidi arrived and proactively suggested sparring, he continuously showed restraint.
"Lin Shixiong, you're too kind. This sparring session was beneficial to me as well."
"Really?"
Lin Quan Liang's eyes widened, both pleased by Jiang Cheng's words and slightly concerned that Jiang Cheng might be comforting him.
"Of course, it's true. If Lin Shixiong feels better after resting, you can find me anytime, and we can continue the sparring." Jiang Cheng said with a smile.
"Okay, okay."
Hearing this, Lin Quan Liang finally felt slightly relieved.
Jiang Cheng glanced at the proficiency panel. His words were not mere courtesy.
The experience points gained in the last half-hour were three times what he would have earned training alone. That Lin Shixiong was slightly inferior to those small gangsters.
"Jiang Shidi,"
Another voice sounded, and another member approached Jiang Cheng, grinning as he asked, "Jiang Shidi, after you've rested, can you spar with me and give me some pointers?"
Jiang Cheng's peripheral vision caught the gazes of several other members, all looking at him.
"It can be done right now."
He replied with a smile.
"Right now? Really?" The man was both surprised and delighted, but he still hesitated, glancing at Lin Quan Liang, who was exhausted nearby. "Jiang Shidi, why don't you rest for a bit? It's fine, I can wait."
Jiang Cheng shook his head and waved at the man.
The reason he didn't need to rest wasn't because his stamina exceeded Lin Quan Liang's; after all, Lin Quan Liang was superior in both foundation training and martial arts. It was mainly due to the previous combat where Lin Quan Liang kept attacking, and Jiang Cheng only needed to defend, employing some special techniques to conserve energy, using less than a tenth of his opponent's.
"Okay, I'm coming."
The man greeted and charged forward with a wooden sword.
On the second floor, the clashing of weapons echoed continuously.
Zhao Xiangyu and Zeng Zhiting, passing by the second floor, were both surprised by the scene.
"Jiang Shidi is a good person."
Zhao Xiangyu smiled, "With his skills, ending the fight wouldn't take this long. He's clearly guiding them. It's rare."
"Mhm."
Zeng Zhiting nodded, his eyes also showing a hint of approval.
Not long after, Bai Wei arrived and stopped to observe for a while before heading upstairs.
Then, Xiao Yuanqing arrived and witnessed this scene, his eyebrows furrowing slightly.
"Senior Apprentice Brother Xiao!"
"Senior Apprentice Brother Xiao!"
The members on the second floor greeted him one after another.
Sparring with Jiang Cheng was good, but after all, he was just one person, and couldn't be in multiple places at once. With Senior Apprentice Brother Xiao here, he could also practice with them.
"Senior Apprentice Brother Xiao."
Jiang Cheng and his sparring partner stopped their movements and greeted him.
"Are you sparring?" Xiao Yuanqing's gaze fell on Jiang Cheng, and he asked.
"Yes, Senior Apprentice Brother Xiao, but it's not exactly that."
The sparring partner beside them smiled awkwardly and said, "Jiang Cheng's staff technique is very powerful, he's been going easy on me."
"Yes, yes."
The others chimed in agreement.
They also brought up Jiang Cheng's record.
It was a well-intentioned gesture, wanting to let the two become familiar and clear up the previous misunderstanding.
"Oh?"
Xiao Yuanqing listened but responded with a smile that didn't quite reach his eyes, "You can match Senior Apprentice Brother Zhao evenly? In that case, I'd like to see for myself. Jiang Cheng, right? Come, I'll be your opponent."
The crowd was taken aback.
Amidst their surprise, there was also anticipation.
They also wanted to see how Jiang Cheng would fare against Senior Apprentice Brother Xiao.
"Senior Apprentice Brother Xiao, you've misunderstood. It was just that Senior Apprentice Brother Zhao was going easy on me, and I've been sparring for so long that I'm tired."
Jiang Cheng directly refused.
Others couldn't see it, but he was clear in his mind that this guy was definitely not a good person.
If he had agreed, it was unlikely that he would be heavy-handed with him, but there was a high possibility of him being humiliated in public.
"Is Jiang Cheng looking down on me?"
Xiao Yuanqing asked in a playful tone, "Do you think I'm not your match, so you're making up this excuse?"
"Senior Apprentice Brother Xiao, you've misunderstood. I'm just genuinely tired."
Jiang Cheng shook his head and, after speaking, went to rest on the side. After all, if he couldn't handle it, could he at least escape?
"Senior Apprentice Brother Xiao, Jiang Cheng sparred with me as soon as he arrived, and I rested half an hour ago. For Jiang Cheng to last this long is impressive." Lin Quanliang quickly spoke up for Jiang Cheng.
"Yes, yes, Senior Apprentice Brother Xiao, Jiang Cheng isn't that kind of person."
"Senior Apprentice Brother Xiao, I wanted to ask you something."
The others also realized that something was amiss and quickly changed the topic.
Xiao Yuanqing coldly harrumphed in his mind, thinking that this kid had a bit of cunning, knowing that he wanted to show him his capabilities, and directly refused.
However, this wasn't crucial.
As long as, in the future, he didn't let him discover that he was getting close to Senior Sister Bai, that would be fine. Otherwise, he would settle all accounts together.
Time passed.
Seeing that the other party didn't come to harass him again, Jiang Cheng heaved a sigh of relief and wholeheartedly engaged in sparring with the other members.
Finally, when the time reached eleven o'clock, close to twelve, his Double Sticks skill broke through.
Jiang Cheng was stunned for a moment, unaware that his opponent's weapon had landed on his body.
At this moment, his mind was filled with a sense of having practiced Double Sticks for several years.
"Jiang Cheng, are you okay?"
His opponent was startled, as Jiang Cheng should have easily blocked that move.
"I'm fine."
Jiang Cheng snapped out of his daze and smiled bitterly, "Maybe I've been practicing for too long, and my arms are a bit stiff. Let's stop here for today."
While saying this, he thought to himself that skill breakthroughs like this should never happen during a battle. Otherwise, in the time it takes to be dazed, he could die ten times over.
(End of Chapter)
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