Spy-x-War Showdown
Chapter 97 - 96: Mian Zhang Fist

Chapter 97: Chapter 96: Mian Zhang Fist

Zhang Yong told Yang Yi to use his best method, and not to worry about injuring him.

So Yang Yi immediately threw a kick at Zhang Yong’s groin. He excelled in sneak attacks, adept at crippling his opponents with a sinister strike.

But this underhanded move that had earned him peculiar success against the Boxing King was utterly ineffective against Zhang Yong.

Zhang Yong merely dodged Yang Yi’s kick with a swift sidestep and then, like a specter, surged forward to Yang Yi’s front. It was almost as if he were sticking to Yang Yi when he suddenly threw a punch, lightly tapping Yang Yi’s chest with his right fist, quickly followed by his left, and then his right again.

In an instant, Zhang Yong had struck Yang Yi’s chest with three punches and retreated like a wraith, then he said in a deep voice, "Stop!"

Yang Yi looked at Zhang Yong in a daze.

Now, Yang Yi felt no sense of defeat; on the contrary, he was extremely excited.

Zhang Yong took a breath and said to Yang Yi, "If this were a real fight, you’d be dead by now. Wing Chun doesn’t specifically target one’s head. Just now, I directly threatened your centerline, and these three punches were enough to kill you. Of course, merely having such a punching technique and reactive ability isn’t enough, you also need to train to have sufficient punching power to achieve this."

Yang Yi nodded excitedly and then asked in a low voice, "So, how should I train?"

Zhang Yong thought for a moment, shook his head, and said, "It’s hard to say. Every martial art has its strengths and weaknesses. Wing Chun is not a style that excels in rapid entry and exit. It’s very effective in one-on-one combat but less so in an open space when facing multiple opponents compared to Xingyi Fist and Bajiquan. On the other hand, Wing Chun is more suitable in a confined space. There’s no superior or inferior in martial arts; it all depends on how well one masters them."

Yang Yi nodded repeatedly.

Zhang Yong pondered for a moment, shook his head, and said, "I don’t think Wing Chun is quite right for you. Both your punching and kicking motions are rather large, and while you certainly can benefit from forcibly training in Wing Chun, it won’t be as effective as practicing a style that suits you better. Come on, let’s try again, this time with punches."

Yang Yi took a step back, then immediately swung his fist towards Zhang Yong’s face.

Zhang Yong caught Yang Yi’s right arm with his left hand, and then with lightning speed, lightly punched beneath Yang Yi’s armpit with his right fist, before quickly stepping back and saying, "This won’t do. Like this, I’ll slow down my speed, and I’ll attack while you defend. Strike however you want, forget the moves Wang Wenjiang taught you, and hit from instinct, randomly."

"Alright, I got it!"

As Zhang Yong attacked again, Yang Yi instinctively kicked out, then without hesitation, he swung his Ben Fist at Zhang Yong.

"Stop!"

Zhang Yong stepped back and said with a smile, "You’re from the north, aren’t you?"

"Uh, yes, does it matter?"

"It’s not a big deal, but it definitely matters. Northern styles of martial arts were naturally created by northerners, while southern styles have been passed down by southerners. There are northerners who are suited for southern martial arts, but in most cases, northerners are more apt to practice northern styles."

"Hmm."

"I’m from the south, I’m shorter than you; my punches are shorter than yours. So, when it comes to long-range boxing, I’m at a disadvantage, but once I get in close enough for short-range combat, that’s where my advantage lies."

"Understood!"

Zhang Yong nodded and then said in a deep voice, "I think you are suited for practicing Bajiquan."

"Bajiquan, alright, then I’ll practice Bajiquan."

"Hmm, but I don’t know it."

Yang Yi was speechless, then looked at Zhang Yong with innocent eyes.

Zhang Yong chuckled and said, "But I know Xingyi Fist, which is also suitable for you."

Yang Yi let out a sigh and said, "You could’ve said that earlier, you really gave me a fright."

Zhang Yong said earnestly, "Do you know what the greatest benefit of practicing martial arts is?"

"What is it?"

"To put it in terms of modern video games, it means that when you need to be a warrior, martial arts can make you a good warrior, and when you need to be an assassin, martial arts can make you an excellent assassin. Think about it, I use Wing Chun, but what effect would I have with a short dagger instead of fists?"

Yang Yi said excitedly, "A real one-hit kill!"

Zhang Yong laughed and said, "So, fists are the most reliable weapons because you can kill someone with your bare hands, but fists are not the most efficient weapons. A knife can increase your lethality by hundreds or thousands of times. When your punching power is limited, and it takes many hits to kill someone, with a knife, it only takes one."

Yang Yi kept nodding his head; he didn’t know what to say, so he just listened to whatever Zhang Yong said.

After a moment of thought, Zhang Yong said, "The downside of martial arts is that it’s too slow to learn. To improve your combat ability as quickly as possible, well, I think it’s best for you to practice Mian Zhang Fist."

"Mian Palm?"

"Not Mian Palm, it’s Mian Zhang Fist. It’s a lesser-known style from the north, not widely spread, and few people know how to use it. But this style is one of the few that retains the pure lethality of martial techniques. Mian Zhang Fist consists of close fighting and grappling, there are no set forms, only applications, and it has particularly strong lethality. Originally, it was passed down only within a Shi Family Clan. I was fortunate enough to learn the complete technique from a friend. The Mian Zhang Fist also had associated medical skills and techniques for knife and spear, but the medical skills have been lost, and I did not learn the knife or spear techniques, nor was there a need to."

Yang Yi nodded as if he understood, and Zhang Yong said seriously, "Mian Zhang Fist has thirty-six ’deadly hands’ for inner and outer, close fighting to injure or kill, grappling to dislocate joints. Once mastered, it’s up to you to decide whether your opponent lives or dies. But true martial artists don’t confine themselves; they understand a variety of styles to take advantage of their strengths and compensate for their weaknesses. So, you also need to practice Xingyi Fist. Mainly Mian Zhang Fist, supplemented by Xingyi Fist. Once you’ve mastered these techniques, you won’t have many challengers in this world. As for the likes of Boxing King, you could poke him to death with one finger. I’m not exaggerating, one finger could poke him to death."

Yang Yi rubbed his hands together excitedly and said, "Let’s get started, then!"

Zhang Yong nodded and then smiled, "Alright, let’s get started. For now, give me a plank hold, let’s see your strength."

Yang Yi scratched his head; he thought since they were going to practice martial arts, they should get on with it, so why was he doing a plank hold again? But he didn’t question it and immediately started doing the plank hold without hesitation.

Yang Yi could only hold the plank for three and a half minutes, just three and a half minutes.

Watching Yang Yi struggle and collapse onto the ground, Zhang Yong said in astonishment, "Isn’t that a bit too weak?"

Yang Yi said sheepishly, "It’s not that great."

"It’s not just not great, your physical condition is simply too poor to look at. Forget it, forget it. We’re not in a hurry to practice the techniques; let’s first make sure you have basic strength. When you can hold a plank for over an hour, then we can talk about other things."