Gao Yunxiang's talent was poor, and it was hard for him to make much progress in martial arts. So, he found some interesting techniques and practiced them casually, not for power, but just for fun.
Bengchan Jin allowed him to shift his body three inches by erupting his Qi Blood, all without any visible movement. It seemed miraculous, but once a Martial Artist entered the Second Realm, they could achieve a similar effect with any casual burst of power. It was truly useless.
But he had learned it anyway, never thinking he would actually have a use for it today.
In that moment of crisis, Gao Yunxiang managed to shift his body back two inches. He had to exert the force suddenly, which weakened the effect, but it was enough to avoid Yu Fei's axe kick.
Yu Fei didn't know Bengchan Jin, but with his phenomenally high reaction speed, Gao Yunxiang's small-scale retreat was useless. He was capable of changing his attack four times in a single strike.
Unleashing a final burst of yin power, Yu Fei straightened the tip of his foot.
A toe kick! Aimed straight for Gao Yunxiang's Dantian.
"Fuck!"
Gao Yunxiang was losing his mind!
Changing the point of attack multiple times had greatly reduced the kick's power, but it was still an effective strike.
Gao Yunxiang had exhausted a lifetime of learning, yet he couldn't even dodge the first move and took a kick right after the fight started.
As a four-gate Martial Artist, he took practically no damage from the kick. However, since he had been hit completely unprepared, his stance was still affected, and his center of gravity couldn't help but shift.
Then, Yu Fei surged forward, striking with fists, feet, elbows, and knees. His Qi Blood rushed as he executed a straight-line assault, the yin power of Yin Stream Shattered Jade hidden within his blows. Relying on his superhuman reaction speed, his attacks were as dense as a raging tempest.
Gao Yunxiang was so stunned by the assault that he couldn't even react.
He might be three minor realms above Yu Fei, but they were both in the first major realm of Body Tempering, still within the same general category.
Taking a solid hit from Yu Fei would still be very painful.
For a full two minutes, he was constantly defending and parrying, completely unable to find an opening to counterattack.
Yu Fei's every strike landed in an unexpected place. For every three moves, Gao Yunxiang could fully defend against two, but he would still be grazed by the last one.
He tried dropping his guard to trade blows, but Yu Fei was like an iron chisel; the moment he revealed the slightest opening, a follow-up combo would pour in like a ceaseless drizzle, with every strike aimed at his vitals. He was almost knocked out.
This made him even more afraid to lower his defenses. But Yu Fei's attacks were too tricky, and Gao Yunxiang felt like he was being completely manipulated, as if his every move had been seen through.
'This is ridiculous!'
He wouldn't suffer any substantial injuries thanks to his far superior physique, but it was still very painful.
Furthermore, Yu Fei didn't pull his punches and was constantly aiming for vital spots, forcing Gao Yunxiang to maintain absolute focus.
In those two minutes, Mr. Gao was completely bewildered by the beating.
The spar only came to a halt when Yu Fei's stamina was completely spent. Drenched in sweat, he stopped his attack, resting his hands on his knees and panting uncontrollably.
Du Mingxuan watched from the side, utterly dumbfounded. He knew Yu Fei was strong, but he never expected him to be *this* strong.
'What did I just see?'
Yu Fei had been completely dominating Gao Yunxiang, who had been powerless to fight back. The fight only ended because Yu Fei ran out of stamina.
Yu Fei had only just passed the first gate. If he were at the fourth gate like Gao Yunxiang—no, even just the third gate would be enough—he would have absolutely wiped the floor with him!
At that moment, Du Mingxuan decided he absolutely had to get Yu Fei to teach him.
Teacher Yan Sea was powerful, but he wouldn't waste his attention on him, and he certainly didn't do private tutoring.
His father might have some money, but that meant nothing to someone like Yan Sea.
Gao Yunxiang could teach him the basics, but then again, Mr. Gao was ultimately a failure on the martial path. He could teach, but his skills were limited.
Martial Artists and civilians were practically from two different worlds. His father's business was thriving, but he still lacked connections in the martial world.
But Yu Fei was his classmate, a martial arts genius who could dominate his own coach after only three months of training.
'What was this? This was a golden opportunity!'
Du Mingxuan secretly decided that he would go home tonight and have a serious talk with his father about sponsoring Yu Fei.
Meanwhile, Gao Yunxiang's expression was complicated. He thought he had already taken Yu Fei seriously enough, but he'd still underestimated him. 'A prodigy like this,' he thought, 'has a limitless future.'
He adjusted his mindset. 'It's a good thing that Yu Fei is such a monster. At least I can build some goodwill with him before he truly rises.'
He walked over to his locker, took out a bottle of blue liquid, and handed it to Yu Fei.
"This is for restoring your Qi Blood. You went all out just now; it would take a couple of days to recover from that. This potion is called Spring Dew. It's from Jade Farmer Hall, made specially for Martial Artists. I usually keep a few bottles on hand for emergencies, as a fallback!"
After resting for a moment, Yu Fei felt a bit better. He panted as he spoke,
"Mr. Gao, this is too valuable."
"Valuable, my ass! I've thought it over. You're a monster, Yu Fei. I'm not qualified to teach you, but for the next two years, I can be your sparring partner. If you want to improve your martial skills, you can't just train alone. You need an opponent.
What do you say? You think I'm up for the job?"
"Mr. Gao, I'm not worthy of that. You're my senior!"
Yu Fei quickly waved his hands. He could accept Gao Yunxiang's goodwill, but this offer was too much.
"Kid, don't be so quick to refuse. I have a condition!
My boy is only nine this year. At his age, he won't start martial arts for another seven years. If he has no talent, then so be it. But if he shows even a glimmer of hope, I'd like to ask you to give him a few pointers when the time comes. It would make his journey on the martial path that much smoother."
Yu Fei was stunned. Gao Yunxiang's condition was incredibly generous.
He immediately smiled at Gao Yunxiang and said, "Mr. Gao, our families have been neighbors for years, and you've always taken care of us. If I ever make something of myself in the future, don't even mention this deal about being my sparring partner. No matter what, I would never neglect Xiaomu."
Xiaomu was the nickname of Gao Yunxiang's son.
"Hahaha… Then it's settled!"
Gao Yunxiang laughed heartily. He found Yu Fei to be a fascinating kid. His father, Mr. Yu, was so quiet and dull, yet his son had such a sharp and perceptive mind. If the two didn't look so much alike, he would have questioned if they were even related.
Although Yu Fei was young, he was mature and level-headed. He spoke and acted with a perfect sense of propriety that made people like him.
Some Martial Artists might be powerful, but their "I do what I want" attitude is actually a huge detriment to their own progress.
Unless you have the power of a Martial Saint, who can go through life without facing difficulties?
With many allies, even the hardest trials are easier to overcome. Only then can your path grow ever wider!