The man grinned and said, "Sun Lutang."
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Chapter 44 Heluo Taiji
Unexpectedly, the man before him was actually Sun Lutang, a grandmaster whose name is etched in history. No wonder he had already mastered the Huajin technique in his early twenties. Li Boyang's heart still stirred a little, after all, those three words carried considerable weight.
Yes, the Sun Lutang in front of us is only in his early twenties. He is in the early stages of learning martial arts and visiting famous masters around the world, not the Sun Lutang who has already mastered martial arts, is proficient in Xingyi, Bagua, and Tongbei, and has even created Sun-style Tai Chi.
Once you understand this, it's not surprising that you might bump into someone on Wudang Mountain, given Wudang's renowned reputation.
"Are you calling me?" Sun Lutang was taken aback for a moment, then laughed and said, "You can't do that now. I can tell you were holding back just now."
Li Boyang humbly replied, "I'm only a few years older than you."
Sun Lutang naturally realized that his opponent had held back during the sparring session, but he didn't take his defeat to heart at all, and laughed:
"The nickname 'Number One Hand Under Heaven' is quite good; I'll try my best to live up to it in the future."
Li Boyang thought to himself, "As expected, he is destined to become a Grandmaster. His temperament is exceptionally good. But I am not bad either. Even a Grandmaster has fallen into my hands."
The way of martial arts is that you reap what you sow. I have never dared to slack off since I started practicing martial arts, and that is how I have achieved my current skill level.
"Your Tai Chi strength is the most powerful I've ever seen; even the Great Slamming Hand couldn't withstand it. However, your Tai Chi softness is still a bit lacking."
Sun Lutang also had insights into Tai Chi, otherwise he wouldn't have been able to create Sun-style Tai Chi Chuan.
"You figured it out."
Indeed, as the other party said, my softness is still lacking. There are three levels of Tai Chi strength. I have already reached the first level of hardness, but I am still exploring the first level of softness. The last level, the unity of hardness and softness, is the true perfection. The transformation between hardness and softness in such a state is only in the blink of an eye. Even a drop of water can make a hole in a stone.
"I've also studied Tai Chi."
After Sun Lutang finished speaking, he shook his head left and right, saw a sparrow in the tree in front of the main hall, jumped onto a branch, stepped on it, and placed the sparrow on the back of his hand, blocking Li Boyang's face, and then started to practice Tai Chi.
Sun Lutang raised his hands in a series of circles, but the sparrow, despite flapping its wings, could not fly away.
Laymen watch the spectacle, experts watch the details.
Li Boyang's gaze sharpened upon seeing this; the opponent's Tai Chi softness was even more powerful than his own.
After completing a set of Tai Chi movements, the sparrow suddenly realized that the force restraining it was gone and immediately flew away.
Sun Lutang rubbed his hands together and said, "You can try it too. When sparrows can no longer fly out of your palm, your soft strength will be about right."
"However, I am far inferior to you in terms of the power of Tai Chi. I am used to the spiral force of Bagua, and I cannot produce the shock force of Tai Chi."
Li Boyang clasped his hands and bowed slightly to the other party. He said, "There is a sequence to learning, and those who are accomplished can be my teachers." The other party's words could be said to have pointed out the direction for his Tai Chi soft strength.
"The shock force in Tai Chi requires someone to work on it; otherwise, it's very difficult to develop. You can hire someone, or I can write a manual for you, and you can go to Baozhilin in Guangzhou and have the martial arts school help you practice."
Li Boyang immediately reciprocated by sharing his own insights into the powerful and vigorous aspects of Tai Chi.
Sun Lutang nodded and said, "Using people to test my strength? No wonder I can never get the hang of it. I'll go to Guangzhou right now."
"I'll give you a letter later."
"Anyway, I don't plan to linger on Wudang Mountain. I've figured out that the old Taoist priest won't fight me, so staying here is a waste of time."
After receiving the letter, Sun Lutang went down the mountain, but Li Boyang stayed on the mountain.
Just as Sun Lutang had said, Master Yihe indeed did not spar with him, and Li Boyang did not pester him. Since the other party was unwilling, so be it. Although he could not compete with the masters of Wudang, money can move mountains. After donating some money, Master Yihe agreed to let him view the internal martial arts classics collected by Wudang.
Having gained a great deal from his battle with Sun Lutang, he could now take a moment to digest it amidst the beautiful scenery.
Every morning, Li Boyang would catch a sparrow and walk more than ten miles to the cliff top of Wudang Mountain, where he would practice Tai Chi soft strength. One wrong step would lead to a bottomless abyss, and he also had to use the softness of Tai Chi to control the sparrow so that it would not fly out of his hands.
Each practice session was like a life-or-death struggle with a master. In the afternoon, we would go to view the internal martial arts classics collected by Wudang.
The secrets of Wudang Turtle and Snake Sword Manual, Wudang Cotton Palm, Taihe Fist, and other internal martial arts were revealed to him without reservation under the onslaught of money. It was a pity that Tai Chi Classics and the old Taoist priest refused to relent, otherwise it would have been perfect.
After a period of time, Li Boyang's soft strength improved by leaps and bounds. Three months later, he had fully mastered the softness in Tai Chi.
After mastering the soft power of Tai Chi, Li Boyang left Wudang Mountain and continued his journey north.
Compared to three months ago, the world is in even greater chaos. Apart from the White Lotus Rebellion, which has not yet been quelled, the word "revolution" has spread throughout the country and taken root in people's hearts overnight.
Even young children now know what the word "revolution" means.
As he embarked on his journey north once more, his resolve grew stronger and clearer. Martial arts were the path he sought, while power and influence were merely fleeting clouds, things he could use but not truly possess.
Li Boyang traveled for more than a month, passing through Changsha, Wuhan, and two or three other cities, as well as countless villages and, more often, mountain trails.
Along the way, Li Boyang would visit any martial arts master who had some reputation. Unfortunately, most of these masters were only at the Ming Jin stage, and the more skilled ones were only at the level of Lian Gu Da Cheng and An Jin Tong Da.
However, Li Boyang did not come away empty-handed. Although these somewhat famous martial arts masters were not as skilled as him, they were all proficient in the fighting styles of their respective schools.
Before his travels, Li Boyang had limited combat experience, and his understanding of fighting styles other than Hung Kuen and Tai Chi remained largely theoretical. However, his travels and real-world combat experience greatly improved his ability to translate theory into practice.
Now Li Boyang is finally approaching his destination, Chenjiagou.
After leaving Wudang, his second destination was Chenjiagou in Henan Province. Chen-style Tai Chi Chuan from Chenjiagou was famous far and wide. Even Yang Luchan, who was known as the invincible Yang, visited Chenjiagou three times. He eventually absorbed the essence of Chen-style Tai Chi Chuan before creating the Yang-style Tai Chi Chuan that has been passed down to future generations.
It's a pity that Yang Luchan has passed away. Li Boyang also felt quite regretful that he could not spar with this Tai Chi master known as the Invincible Yang.
On this day, Li Boyang arrived at the confluence of the Yellow River and the Luo River, and Chenjiagou was not far from the confluence.