Chapter 106: The Old Naughty Boy, Zhou Botong

This news was like a stone that caused a thousand ripples, immediately sparking countless discussions.

Although Xuan Cheng is not well-known in the outside world, since he is of the Xuan generation, his status must be not low.

In the larger martial arts schools in the world, it is not uncommon for people to bring their skills with them to seek out a disciple, and it does not affect the inheritance of the martial arts.

For example, the largest martial arts hall in the capital is famous for its external hard skills. In the past, many disciples from major sects joined it, learned a lot and then left, which did not affect their affiliation with the sect.

But the four words "Shaolin monk" are still very popular.

As one of the few transcendent places in this martial arts world, Shaolin prides itself on being the leader in martial arts in the world and will not seek martial arts from outside.

Now, a monk of the same generation as the Shaolin abbot has actually become a disciple of Qianming Martial Arts School. Isn't this a slap in his own face?

No matter how you look at it, this matter is funny and a bit absurd, and it has become a hot topic.

However, many people, in their hearts, have a higher opinion of Qianming Martial Arts School because of this incident.

They all guessed that there must be some special attraction in the martial arts school that made the Shaolin monks willing to join.

This seemingly absurd behavior is actually a recognition of the strength of Qianming Martial Arts School.

Not long after, Xuan Cheng, who still had a scar on his bald head, changed out of his cassock and put on the martial arts school's uniform silver-white clothing, and appeared in everyone's sight.

This news has been completely confirmed.

The high-ranking Shaolin monk who had visited before has now become a disciple of a martial arts school, which makes everyone feel ridiculous.

However, Xuan Cheng appeared to be very calm.

He was originally a bit of a martial arts fanatic, and didn't care much about fame other than martial arts. If he couldn't let go of this, he wouldn't have been able to become enlightened and become a great monk after his skills were completely wasted.

Xuan Cheng is just excited now!
After finally convincing Senior Brother Xuan Ji to leave, Xuan Cheng could not help but get ready to experience the mysteries of the martial arts taught in the martial arts school.

"I must learn all of their Shaolin martial arts!" Xuan Cheng thought secretly.

Taking into account his special status as the first grandmaster disciple in the martial arts school, Li Ming asked him to practice martial arts with many core disciples first, and the treatment was equal.

The first time he stood in the martial arts arena, before he had the chance to learn any martial arts techniques, Xuan Cheng's eyes flashed, and he was attracted by the disciples in the martial arts hall practicing the Tiangang Big Dipper Formation!

Xuan Cheng hid nearby with his hands in his pockets and watched for a long time, but he couldn't figure out what was going on.

With his vision, he immediately saw the domineering nature of this formation. Once the formation was formed, the Qi of many disciples would blend together, and they would not only be able to cooperate with each other and take care of each other, but each attack they launched would far exceed their own levels.

Xuan Cheng asked himself, if he were surrounded by this formation, he could certainly break it violently with his brute force, but as long as the people setting up the formation were replaced by seven Xiantian realm masters, he would find it difficult to resist. And if there were one or two more Grandmasters...

Xuan Cheng broke out in a cold sweat when he thought about it.

This formation is extremely powerful. Its mystery is no less than Shaolin's Eighteen Bronze Men Formation... No, it may be even more mysterious.

Xuan Cheng thought about it and looked away to watch the training of other groups of disciples.

Then, another group of disciples were seen practicing the art of cooperation.

Their hard power cannot be improved rapidly in a short period of time, but they can rely on coordination and enemy tactics to improve their combat effectiveness.

The training of this group of disciples was mixed with some combat formations that Li Ming had extracted from the Four Directions Tiger and Wolf Fist.

It is far less mysterious than the Tiangang Big Dipper Formation, but what stands out is that it is efficient, simple and effective.

The disciples were divided into groups of four or five, standing in front and back in staggered patterns according to the different styles of martial arts they had practiced, and fighting against each other in groups.

After the disciple at the front launched the attack, disciples with weapons from the flanks immediately rushed up to attack. Before they were exhausted, the disciples behind them rushed up, and they advanced one after another, supporting each other.

At the same time, each person is equipped with hidden weapons such as sleeve archers and crossbows that have been newly developed by the martial arts hall's weapon hall in recent days, so that they can cooperate with their companions in close range at any time and combine long-range and short-range attacks.

Although they were sparring with each other and simulating a real battle, they had already initially developed strong tactical qualities, and their advance and retreat were very strict and in harmony with each other.

This approach, which was similar to the combination of military battle formations and martial arts, was very different from the usual fights between warriors, and Xuan Cheng was stunned.

Generally, martial artists practice different martial arts and are not from the same master, so it is difficult for them to cooperate with each other. Most of them prefer to perform freely while dodging and moving around, and it is difficult for them to achieve such close coordination.

Xuan Cheng just looked around the martial arts hall, his brows furrowed tighter and tighter.

Why does it feel a little different from what you imagined?
The other disciples practiced various martial arts, and some of them were quite skilled in them.

Even with Xuan Cheng's critical eyes, this group of core disciples in the martial arts school are no weaker than the core forces of most sects in the world. What they lack is only practical experience and fame.

The variety of martial arts taught was far beyond Xuan Cheng's expectations, and there were even many martial arts that he had never heard of.

The disciples’ ways of practicing are even more varied, and are very different from Xuan Cheng’s understanding.

The core disciples in the martial arts school, who can reach the post-natal realm, basically all master multiple different martial arts, and they have integrated them very well under the guidance of Li Ming.

This made Xuan Cheng, who grew up following the Shaolin ascetic path, a little stunned.

When he turned around, he saw Yang Guo looking down, thinking about something.

Xuan Cheng leaned over to take a look and found that it was actually a sheet of music.

Yang Guo moved his hand up and down, as if trying to comprehend the rhythm.

"Brother Yang...are you still interested in music theory?"

Xuan Cheng asked with a hint of surprise.

At his age, it was still a bit awkward for him to call Yang Guo "senior brother", but that was the rule of the martial arts school. Everyone else called Li Ming's direct disciples "senior brothers and sisters", so he just followed the local customs.

"Yes, of course." Yang Guo nodded confidently.

Xuan Cheng didn't understand even more.

"If the museum owner saw this, wouldn't he scold you?"

"Ah? Why? It's because Master asked me to learn more about different fields."

Yang Guo felt quite surprised when he heard what he said.

"Ah? Is this possible?" Xuan Cheng expressed his incomprehension again.

The philosophy he accepted in Shaolin has always been to concentrate on practicing martial arts without distractions, and that quality is more important than quantity.

The path of martial arts is all about hard training. Only after years of hard training and accumulation can one reap the rewards.

Even though Xuan Cheng was a man of extraordinary talent and was hailed as the best Shaolin master in the past 200 years, he still adhered to this philosophy.

Anything that may consume your energy and time should be abandoned.

However, the style of the martial arts school was obviously in great conflict with his own understanding.

Especially Yang Guo, who was so young, didn't practice diligently, but was distracted by other areas. This...

While Xuan Cheng was thinking, Lin Pingzhi, who had just finished his internal energy training, came out and passed by Xuan Cheng with a stern face.

Just like before, he used the cold jade bed to practice the Jade Girl Heart Sutra, and Li Ming assisted him with his free and easy internal force.

After this period of hard work, I have finally gotten through the most difficult middle period, and I will be able to make smooth progress in my subsequent practice.

But Xuan Cheng habitually used Shaolin secret techniques to explore Lin Pingzhi's internal strength, and was stunned again.

During this short period of time, Lin Pingzhi's internal strength has improved again! Now his internal strength is even deeper and more solid.

How could it be so fast?

If Xuan Cheng hadn't seen it with his own eyes, he would never have believed it.

If he were to practice Shaolin internal skills at Lin Pingzhi's level, it would take at least one or two months of hard work to achieve this level of improvement. But how did he do it?

For a moment, Xuan Cheng began to doubt his martial arts concepts over the years.

In fact, he didn't know that Lin Pingzhi's Jade Girl Heart Sutra was designed to be quick to learn, and he had various resources to assist him as well as Qi-Boosting Powder to expand the scale of his internal strength.

In addition, with the help of the cold jade bed and Li Ming's free and easy internal force, the improvement speed is indeed faster than usual.

Lin Pingzhi himself didn't even think there was anything wrong, but in Xuan Cheng's eyes, the speed of increase was abnormal!

Finally, in this series of shocks and self-doubts, Xuan Cheng began his apprenticeship career at Qianming Martial Arts School in a daze.

Li Mingteng freed his hands and taught him the Great Compassion Fist first.

Although this boxing technique is a Buddhist martial art, it has long been lost in this world and is not included in the Shaolin martial arts. However, its price in the system mall is not cheap, and it cost Li Ming 800 attribute points.

There is no other way. Xuan Cheng is at the Grandmaster level after all. He cannot be fooled by basic boxing techniques at the beginning.

Xuan Cheng originally wanted to learn some lost martial arts from Shaolin Temple, but he was a little reluctant.

But after practicing Great Compassion Fist, I immediately became addicted.

This style of boxing has a very high upper limit, with varied moves and extreme flexibility. Once it is launched, it can hit in all directions, with both hardness and softness, which confirms some principles in Buddhism.

After Xuan Cheng felt the beauty of it, he practiced it with great devotion.

Li Ming was observing carefully from the side.

This was the first time he taught a disciple of such a high level. The disciple had excellent talent and basically had no obstacles and learned it immediately.

Soon Xuan Cheng mastered this boxing technique with great vigor, and at the same time he carefully felt the various changes in it.

As he practiced hard, prompts kept popping up in Li Ming's mind.

[Xuan Cheng's understanding of the Great Compassion Fist improves, gaining attribute points +50]

[Xuan Cheng's proficiency in Dabei Fist is improved, and attribute points +65 are obtained]

……

Just as expected, the attribute points gained were indeed not small. Perhaps it was because of his high realm and good aptitude, and the relatively difficult martial arts he practiced.

Although it has not been bound to the position of a direct disciple, the attribute points it brings are no less than those of Mo Xiaobei and the other three, and the frequency is not low either.

By this calculation, Xuan Cheng alone can accumulate a lot of attribute points in a day.

What's more, Xuan Cheng is a martial arts fanatic. Interest is the best teacher. He doesn't even need to urge himself to practice, he will work hard naturally.

Li Ming nodded with satisfaction, but he had no intention of accepting him as his personal disciple.

One is the identity of the other party. After all, he is a disciple who comes to your sect, and it is just a mutually beneficial relationship. Ultimately, he is not on the same page with you.

Some of the core members of the martial arts school were not intended to be exposed to him.

In addition, Xuan Cheng already has considerable strength, and his realm has reached the Grandmaster level, so his potential for further development is limited.

If Li Ming's three disciples can break through to the level of innate master and become grandmaster, based on their strength and qualifications, they will be able to bring much more benefits to himself.

Therefore, there is no need to waste the position of a personal disciple. It is better to have nothing than to have someone who is not qualified.

Li Ming looked at it for a while, then let Xuan Cheng continue to study alone while he went to take care of other things.

After participating in the group training with the disciples, it is time to rest.

Yang Guo walked out of the martial arts hall and found Bai Zhantang, who was resting at the door of Tongfu Inn, with a smile on his face.

"How about it, Brother Bai, do you want to compete with me again?"

"Compete!"

When Bai Zhantang saw Yang Guo, his face was full of dissatisfaction and he immediately rolled up his sleeves and said.

Before, Yang Guo passed by him and suddenly asked to play a game with him.

Bai Zhantang was not busy at the time, and thought that he might as well have nothing to do, and since he was interested, he agreed immediately.

Who would have known that Yang Guo mysteriously took out a specially made set of Bagua chess and wanted to play against Bai Zhantang.

Bai Zhantang felt quite surprised. He had seen Go and chess, but had never seen Bagua chess.

Yang Guo briefly explained the rules of chess, such as transformation, hexagram interpretation, and emptiness.

With Bai Zhantang's intelligence, he immediately understood most of it and started to play excitedly with Yang Guo.

As soon as they stood up, they attracted the attention of Lu Xiucai, Guo Furong and others in the inn.

As a result, Bai Zhantang failed to win a single game in the chess game, which was not difficult to understand. He lost to Yang Guo every time by a single move.

As a result, Bai Zhantang got angry and started to pull Yang Guo down with one attack after another.

Seeing that Yang Guo didn't want to play anymore, Bai Zhantang gambled a large bag of dried sweet potatoes, and agreed to give him ten dried sweet potatoes if he lost a game.

It didn't take long before the whole bag of dried sweet potatoes was sold out.

Bai Zhantang later reflected on his mistakes, summed up his experience, and figured out a few tricks on his own, waiting for revenge.

It just so happened that Yang Guo took the initiative to invite Bai Zhantang, and he agreed immediately.

It's not time for dinner yet, and the inn isn't too busy except for a few tables of martial artists eating.

As soon as they sat down, Guo Furong and others immediately surrounded them.

Recently, watching them play Bagua chess has become a pastime in Tongfu Inn. It is rare to see the omnipotent Lao Bai being defeated, and everyone is there to watch the fun.

"What shall we bet on this time?"

"Here, these are a few bags of melon seeds I just bought. But I won't lose, and I will definitely be able to avenge my previous defeat!" Bai Zhantang was full of confidence.

"it is good!"

Yang Guo smiled secretly, took out the Bagua chess and played against Bai Zhantang.

After spending some time together, Yang Guo discovered that Bai Zhantang had a strong gambling nature, so he deliberately played hard to get.

"Old White, please don't lose all your melon seeds this time."

Xiao Guo next to him grabbed a handful of melon seeds and joked with Bai Zhantang while eating them.

Usually when playing dice and mahjong in the inn, no one can beat Bai Zhantang. This time, he finally saw someone who can beat him, and Xiao Guo was very satisfied watching it.

"Then don't eat them." Bai Zhantang pretended to take the melon seeds away, and Guo Furong quickly grabbed two more handfuls.

Soon, the two began to play Bagua chess.

I have to say that Bai Zhantang has a very smart brain. Just by thinking on his own, he actually came up with a few clever moves, and the start of the game was very impressive.

But he was far behind Yang Guo, who specialized in these things, and soon fell into a disadvantage again.

Before long, Bai Zhantang lost several games in a row, and each time Yang Guo was the first to reach Guiyuan and declare victory.

After losing two bags of melon seeds in a row, Bai Zhantang couldn't help but scratch his head again.

Guo Furong couldn't help but smile and made sarcastic remarks from time to time.

I have to say, this Bagua chess looks really novel and interesting.

The octagonal chessboard also attracts people to stop and watch from time to time when they pass by, and they feel that this way of playing is very unique.

"Hey, what is this?"

The two were playing chess when suddenly a curious voice came to their ears.

"Ok?"

Yang Guo and Bai Zhantang were suddenly awakened from their thoughts, startled, and immediately became extremely alert.

Although the two of them were playing chess, their instincts as warriors were still there, especially at their level of strength. Although their attention was focused on the octagonal chessboard, they were very clear about how many people were around them.

But this sound appeared very abruptly. They didn't feel anything at all. It was like air, suddenly appearing in their ears without any warning.

"Master!"

This word flashed through the minds of both of them, and they suddenly became alert and looked back.

This situation is so scary!

Since the other party can approach them without being noticed and will not be discovered until they open their mouths, it means that it is easy to launch a sneak attack on them.

What came into view was an old man of short stature with white hair and beard.

But after seeing each other clearly, Yang Guo and Bai Zhantang both felt a strange feeling.

When I think about it carefully, I realize why it is strange.

Although the other party was an old man, and should be much older than Lin Pingzhi and Bai Zhantang combined, his demeanor and behavior did not seem like that of an elderly person at all.

His face was ruddy, his eyes were rolling around, his hands and feet were not idle while he was talking. He poked his head out and looked at the octagonal chessboard with a look of curiosity like a child.

This look is completely like the demeanor of a child, appearing on an old man, the contrast is extremely strong.

But the opponent's martial arts skills were extremely high, and neither Yang Guo nor Bai Zhantang could see through him.

The two of them looked at each other, a little surprised.

Not to mention the two of them, even Guo Furong, who was eating melon seeds and watching the show nearby, was startled.

Why did someone suddenly appear beside me?
Guo Furong jumped away quickly.

The old man didn't care about their reaction at all. He stared at the chessboard excitedly and asked.

"Hey, how do you play this thing? I've never seen it before. Can you teach me?"

"Senior is also interested?"

Seeing that the other party had no hostility and his words and actions were quite interesting, Yang Guo let down his guard.

I explained the rules to the old man. Surprisingly, he learned very quickly and got the hang of it in no time.

"Move over there, let me try."

The old man unceremoniously squeezed over, pushed Bai Zhantang aside, and took his place with great interest, playing chess with Yang Guo without any awkwardness at all.

Seeing this, Bai Zhantang felt helpless and a little unconvinced. He wondered where this old guy came from. He couldn't even figure out the Bagua chess. He just took a look at it and wondered what he could do.
But after looking a few steps, Bai Zhantang's eyes gradually became straight.

After the old man took a few steps, he was ahead of Yang Guo, which made Yang Guo frown and move slower and slower.

After a few rounds, the two of them actually won and lost alternately. It seemed that the old man was extremely knowledgeable about things like the Nine Palaces and Eight Trigrams, and he was actually able to grasp the essence of Bagua chess in a short period of time.

But soon, the old man lost interest. After losing to Yang Guo, he pouted and pushed the chessboard away in anger.

"No more playing, no more playing, it's not fun at all, the old naughty boy is really boring, by the way, where should I go? Hey, do you know of a martial arts school nearby?"

Hearing the old man's question, Bai Zhantang and Guo Furong subconsciously looked towards the end of the street.

"Row."

Before the old man finished speaking, he had already disappeared from the chair. His movements were so fast that the others could not even see him clearly!

But Bai Zhantang's eyes flashed. As a man of rich experience in the martial arts world, he had already heard clues from the old man's words, and a person emerged in his mind.

"Old naughty boy Zhou Botong?"

Yang Guo also realized who he was.

They had all heard of the name of this master, but had never seen him in person. The old man before them was comparable to the legendary old naughty boy Zhou Botong in both appearance and martial arts.

"Oh, what a pity, he ran too fast. I had something more interesting that I wanted to show him." Yang Guo sighed deliberately.

"call……"

Before the last word was uttered, the old man suddenly appeared beside them again, his eyes full of expectation.

"What? There's something even more fun. Come on, open my eyes!"

He left suddenly and came back so suddenly that it was impossible to see his movements clearly. Bai Zhantang was a little shocked.

He was a great thief, famous for his lightness skills, but compared with the other party, he was nothing.

This guy's martial arts skills are so high that it's simply astonishing.

(End of this chapter)