Spy-x-War Showdown
Chapter 100 - 99 - s Practice Boxing

Chapter 100: 99 Chapters Practice Boxing

A month had passed, and Yang Yi’s progress was astounding.

Now, Yang Yi’s ability to hold a plank was far beyond just a matter of minutes. After all, he had a good foundation—youthful and well-nourished. As long as he embarked on high-intensity training and devoted essentially all his time to it daily, natural rapid progress was inevitable.

Yang Yi started to hold on tight, with both arms propped on the ground, sweat had already formed a patch under his face.

Zhang Yong no longer needed to instruct Yang Yi on how to train; oversight was sufficient.

In fact, not even oversight was necessary, because when Yang Yi trained, he was extremely self-disciplined. He didn’t need anyone to push him; he would drive himself to the limit. Hence, Zhang Yong’s greatest role wasn’t to urge him to train but to timely call a halt when he felt it was enough.

Clutching a deck of playing cards, Zhang Yong murmured under his breath, then he opened his eyes, began flipping the cards he dealt, and then, he expressed his delight, "Haha, this time I almost got it all right, I got four hands right."

Yang Yi managed to respond with effort, "Mm..."

Hearing the change in Yang Yi’s response, Zhang Yong picked up a very rudimentary electronic watch from his feet and then exclaimed in surprise, "Damn, it’s already an hour and ten minutes, enough, you’ve passed."

Yang Yi immediately relaxed his hands and collapsed on the floor.

Zhang Yong placed the cards on the bed, then he jumped onto the floor.

After waiting for Yang Yi to catch his breath and climb up from the floor, Zhang Yong immediately said, "These past days I’ve already taught you the basic footwork, now show me."

Yang Yi shouted drenched in sweat, but he merely took a breath and then started to practice Xingyi Fist’s footwork.

Zhang Yong urgently commanded, "Inch step! Arrow Piercing! Fast, go! Horse-stance, strike! Leap!"

Zhang Yong rapidly called out a footwork technique, and Yang Yi had to execute it exactly as Zhang Yong specified. Zhang Yong spoke swiftly, and Yang Yi moved just as swiftly, without any hesitation or delay.

"Stop!"

Yang Yi halted, and Zhang Yong shook his head, "The footwork is correct, but it’s too heavy."

"Too heavy?"

"Why did I first teach you the footwork of Xingyi Fist? Because it’s comprehensive and indeed effective—it’s the foundation. But you’re moving too heavily; you’re exerting too much. Your steps should be agile; only agility can lead to speed. When you plant your feet too heavily, the movement becomes sluggish. You should only tense up when exerting force; relax when you’re not. Have you seen how lions, tigers, or even cats walk? They move lightly yet rapidly, ready to pounce in an instant. You need to get a feel for that."

Yang Yi stopped moving; he remembered Zhang Yong’s words, but when it came to applying them, he found it hard to do it right.

"I’m too tired; that’s why my steps are heavy."

Zhang Yong shook his head, "Fatigue is no excuse, nor is it a justification. Training when exhausted is what makes it doubly effective. Continue!"

Teaching a genius has its perks, it’s easy, extremely easy.

Starting the stepping practice was actually a rest for Yang Yi, who had been moving continuously for a while, his footsteps began to get light and agile, his reaction speed picked up, and his movements became quicker.

"Stop!"

Zhang Yong shouted and then he touched his head, with a look of emotion, said, "I thought it would take three months to reach this step, but to think you’ve got it in just one month, that should be good enough, let’s start practicing the fist."

Yang Yi said excitedly, "I can do it now? That’s great!"

"Don’t be too happy just yet, what you have completed is the most basic foundational training. You didn’t even qualify to train in the fist before, now you’re just barely qualified to practice it."

Zhang Yong dented Yang Yi’s confidence a bit, then, after pondering, nodded and said, "Have you heard the saying, ’Tai Chi for ten years without venturing out, Xingyi Fist one day can kill a man’?"

"I have."

"Xingyi Fist is also an internal martial art, with three energies: Ming Jin, An Jin, and Hua Jin. I trained the Xingyi Fist footwork quite well, but my Xingyi Fist skills are not perfect. However, you are suitable for training in Xingyi Fist, so I first taught you Xingyi Fist. Xingyi Fist is easy to practice but hard to master, but I guarantee that after a year of practice, none of those people outside will be your match."

Yang Yi said excitedly, "So my main training will be Xingyi Fist and Mian Zhang Fist as a supplement?"

"No, you will primarily train in Mian Zhang Fist, but Xingyi Fist is also a main focus. These two forms do not differentiate between primary and secondary."

Seeing Yang Yi’s confusion, Zhang Yong said in a deep voice, "Xingyi Fist is widely spread and provides a set of mature techniques for beginners to practice. Mian Zhang Fist, however, has preserved many very pure techniques. To strike is to take a life or dislocate a joint. It’s all about practical application without set routines, meaning you can only improve through sparring. It’s even harder for newcomers to get started."

"I understand now, learn Xingyi Fist to lay the foundation first, once I have a solid foundation, I start practicing Mian Zhang Fist, and I’ll progress faster."

Zhang Yong nodded and said, "That’s right. Let me give you an analogy. Both forms, perfected, can achieve a high score of one hundred. With Xingyi Fist, you can start from zero and get to sixty in a year. With Mian Zhang, starting from zero, you wouldn’t reach thirty in three years. But if you train in Xingyi Fist and get to sixty, then practicing Mian Zhang will be fast. In perhaps another three years, you could get to the full one hundred points in Mian Zhang Fist."

Zhang Yong’s explanation was simple and easy to understand, and then he said in a serious tone, "Mian Zhang Fist includes short strikes and grappling. Grappling relies more on joint techniques, and short strikes aim to take lives, very sharp. Xingyi Fist forms the body, Mian Zhang Fist serves the application. If you combine both in training, you can reach the killing power of a single martial art’s hundred percent score within a year, understand? But this is just a relatively quick way to success; it’s far from mastering the arts. So in the future, you must not stop practicing. Only by continuing will you break through and become a true master."

Yang Yi immediately asked, "How long will it take before I can beat you?"

Zhang Yong laughed and said, "If you devote yourself wholeheartedly to practice, in a month you can bully those prisoners. In a year, just one year, you can walk the world with your head held high. But to fight me, don’t even think about touching a single finger of mine within ten years. Once you’ve mastered Xingyi and Mian Zhang, the only ones who could restrain you would be true martial arts masters, and I am a master!"

Yang Yi asked very seriously, "If I practice for a year, would I be able to beat a very formidable woman, like really formidable?"

"How formidable?"

"Trained since childhood in boxing, free-fighting, Brazilian jiu-jitsu, and Muay Thai, been practicing for over a decade, quite formidable."

Zhang Yong curled his lip, looking at Yang Yi with disdain, said, "What you’re training with me is real kung fu, the kind that truly kills enemies, do you understand? I’m teaching you what can genuinely be called martial arts, not a show for others, nor just for looks to improve fitness, do you get it? If after a year, you still can’t beat a woman who practices boxing, then you better not mention knowing me. No, if you lose to such a woman, I’ll personally take care of you to save the embarrassment!"