The young Taoist priest frowned but didn't say much, clearly having encountered this kind of thing many times before. He then led Li Boyang to the Zixiao Hall.
"Oh, so you're also looking for a duel with Master Yihe?"
Li Boyang only realized after entering that he wasn't the only one in the hall; a man in his early twenties was sitting on a prayer mat in front of the statue of Zhenwu the Great.
This person was clearly a martial arts expert. Li Boyang observed that his body was very well-proportioned and muscular, and his hands were as tender as a baby's, as if the old skin had been worn away and new skin had grown back.
Moreover, this man's breathing was extremely rhythmic, and the knuckles of his hands had been worn smooth, indicating that he had at least reached the level of mastering bone refinement and mastering internal strength.
"I think you've come for nothing. I've been here for several days, and that old Taoist priest won't even have a match with me."
"I can see you're quite skilled too, how about we spar?"
Li Boyang was observing the young man, and the young man was also observing him. He had obviously noticed some of Li Boyang's strength through some subtle details, so he asked to test his strength with him.
&a;bp;&a;bp;&a;bp;&a;bp;"Okay."
This trip away from Baozhilin was originally intended to visit masters across the land; having finally encountered one, there was no reason for me to let him go.
"He's a straightforward person."
The man nodded, stood up, walked over, assumed a Xingyi stance, and extended his right hand.
Li Boyang didn't dare to underestimate his opponent either. He assumed a Tai Chi stance and extended his right hand as well.
The young Taoist priest who led Li Boyang in looked completely bewildered. The two were clearly meeting for the first time, and they hadn't even exchanged a few words before they were about to have a contest.
Shaking his head, he turned away, preparing to inform his master. He had just taken a step and hadn't even crossed the threshold of the main hall when he suddenly felt the ground shake several times, as if an earthquake was about to occur, giving the feeling that the main hall would collapse.
Looking back, he discovered that the blue bricks in the main hall had cracked, and he stared in horror at the two people still holding hands.
The moment their hands touched, a hidden force naturally surged in their wrists, but neither could overcome the other, so the effort turned into force.
The two men joined hands, their waists bending down and the force flowing to their feet, both using the technique of "thousand-pound drop." With a single step, the force dissipated, directly shattering the blue bricks on the floor.
"Go practice outside, I can't afford to pay for the damage here."
The man was clearly intrigued. He knew immediately that Li Boyang was no weaker than him, and he invited him with great excitement.
"I couldn't have gotten what I wanted."
Li Boyang was somewhat shocked. This guy was so much younger than him, yet his kung fu had already reached the Transformation Realm level. His talent was truly frightening.
The two arrived at the square outside the Zixiao Palace.
&a;bp;&a;bp;&a;bp;&a;bp;"Please."
"Okay, be careful."
The young man didn't mince words or stand on ceremony. He took a big step forward, using his spine as a bow, his waist as a string, and his left leg as an arrow. Whoosh! He shot out, arriving in front of Li Boyang in one stride. With a swing of his arm, he slapped Li Boyang's cheek.
Li Boyang felt a chill run down his spine as he observed the Xingyi bow stance and the Baguazhang's "Great Slamming Stele" technique. He realized that this guy's Xingyi boxing and Baguazhang had reached the point of perfect harmony between form and spirit.
The spine is like a powerful bow with three stones, and the body is the arrow. The speed of the movement in a single step is just like the feeling of an arrow leaving the bowstring. The clothes on the body make a slapping sound and are constantly being dragged behind by the wind.
The violent gust of wind generated by the Great Slamming Hand was like a knife, making Li Boyang's entire face ache faintly. The force of the palm was as heavy as a thousand pounds, as if the hand was pushing a millstone weighing a thousand pounds to turn.
However, he was not afraid at all, and actually went against the opponent's overwhelming momentum! His muscles bulged, and his hands were coiled and knotted like snakes. With a "slanting punch", he punched out with the power of his waist.
Tai Chi fighting techniques mainly consist of three types: whip, cannon, and punch. However, Li Boyang's side-spinning hammer strike was not as imposing as the opponent's, but rather rose slowly, as if he were carrying a mountain on his arm, which was equally heavy.
&a;bp;&a;bp;&a;bp;&a;bp;Bang!
The two collided, and the man's clothes were completely torn, his shoes creaking under the weight and snapping, while Li Boyang's remained intact.
It was clear from the first strike that Li Boyang had a slight advantage. The opponent's spiraling grinding force in the Great Slamming Tablet was also extremely strong, but Li Boyang completely neutralized the force of the spiraling grinding force.
&a;bp;&a;bp;&a;bp;&a;bp;His Tai Chi shock force dissipated upon contact. The man, relying on his strong body, neutralized the force as his internal energy circulated, but his clothes could not withstand it and were blown to pieces.
"Amazing!" the man suddenly burst into wild laughter. "But this is what makes it truly satisfying!"
With a push of his arms, he once again unleashed the "Smashing Stele Hand" technique from Baguazhang, striking horizontally and with unparalleled force. His two hands seemed to have truly transformed into two massive stone steles weighing tens of thousands of pounds.
The man effortlessly executed a series of powerful techniques from the Baguazhang Great Stele-Smashing Palm, including "Rolling Chop, Thunder Chop, Willow Leaf Chop, Cross Chop, Coil Chop," "Upside-Down Stele," "Turtle Carrying Stele," "Single Palm Opening Stele," "Oblique Stele Insertion," "Double Hammer Smash Stele," "Iron Chisel Chisel Stele," and "Reversed Millstone." Each strike was as heavy as a thousand pounds, and an invincible aura emanated from his palms.
&a;bp;&a;bp;&a;bp;&a;bp;Li Boyang twisted his waist, turning left and right, and unleashed a series of moves including Grasping the Sparrow's Tail, Cloud Hands, and Playing the Pipa.
He used only soft, close-range force to repeatedly neutralize the opponent's extremely hard spiraling force of the Great Slamming Hand.
After the first direct clash, he knew that if they really fought head-on, his opponent would probably not be his match. He had already mastered the use of the hard power of Tai Chi, but he was still lacking in the soft power. It would be perfect to use his opponent to test his skills.
In this way, the two were evenly matched, like two equally matched generals, and fought to a standstill.
After dozens of exhilarating moves, Li Boyang let out a long roar.
"That feels good! That feels good! I'm not even as good as you now."
"You're very strong. What's your name?"
After dozens of moves, both of them were severely exhausted, and they stood facing each other, their hands on their thighs.
"Li Boyang from Guangzhou".
The man was taken aback and said, "You're Li Boyang, the one who killed the head of the Yagyu family of Japan?"
"No wonder he's so amazing."
Li Boyang hadn't expected his reputation to spread to Changsha. He laughed and said, "That head of the Liu family isn't as good as you. He's all looks and no substance. By the way, what's your name?"