Age of Evolution

After eating and drinking to his heart’s content, Zhang Guanyue, who was lying on a nearby lounge chair, was so surprised by the scene that he accidentally fell off the chair.

It took him a while to get up from the ground and walk to Lin Zhen: “Can you repeat the movement you just did?”

Lin Zhen nodded, shook his spear, and stabbed it out again.

In an instant, the chilly killing intent soared, and the spear thrust gave off an overwhelming sense of invincibility reminiscent of an unstoppable cavalry.

Zhang Guanyue patted Lin Zhen’s shoulder: “Now I understand why you are the number one martial artist. Your talent and willpower astonish me. I wasn’t confident that you could learn my spear technique in a week, but now I believe you have a good chance of mastering it.”

Lin Zhen also laughed, happy that he had finally grasped a bit of the essence of spear technique.

“Alright, take a break now, and then I will teach you the second move, the poke!”

“What’s the difference between poking and stabbing?”

“There’s a huge difference! For example, in the video you saw online, the way you defeated Ivan with a downward thrust is a poke, and what you’re doing now is a stab. There’s so much to learn about it.”

“As long as you can learn these two moves today, the lesson will be considered complete.”

Lin Zhen stopped to rest, ate some food to recover his strength, and after a brief break, the two began their afternoon session.

This time, Lin Zhen practiced from afternoon until the sky was filled with stars, mastering the essence of the poke.

With this newly gained skill, Lin Zhen had an improved insight into the waterfall movement, effortlessly applying it in practice.

It was midnight, and Zhang Guanyue was also tired. The two rested, with Lin Zhen meditating in the courtyard after a short sleep, absorbing the surrounding dark energy and practicing his spiritual power.

After five days of this routine, Lin Zhen finally learned the basic movements of the spear technique, also realizing how flawed his previous spear stance had been.

On the morning of the sixth day, Zhang Guanyue told Lin Zhen, “Today, you will learn footwork. Have you seen the plum blossom piles in my yard?”

Lin Zhen had noticed them a long time ago. There were a total of thirty-six wooden piles placed there, about half a meter off the ground, with clearly visible footprints on them, showing how diligently the master had practiced.

“Today’s task is for each of us to hold a spear and stand on the piles. I will attack, and you defend. You are not allowed to jump or touch the ground; you can only walk step by step on the piles. And you cannot use your unmatched speed. I will show you how I attack. Do you understand?”

“I understand.” Lin Zhen agreed, thinking that even with the same speed as Zhang Guanyue, he wouldn’t lose.

Both of them stood on the wooden piles, each with a Red Tassel Spear, and Zhang Guanyue began to attack.

After practicing for these days, Lin Zhen had a deep understanding of the defense movements like parrying and wasn’t too concerned about Zhang

Guanyue’s attack. However, he realized he was wrong as soon as they fought.

Zhang Guanyue’s offensive style was incredibly fierce!

Although Lin Zhen’s speed was faster after being enhanced by the Lightning Ion, Zhang Guanyue’s every move was extremely tricky and vicious. Sometimes, he demonstrated the style of a master, while at other times, he acted like a venomous dragon, making him hard to defend against.

“Focus on continuity! How did you forget the continuity of the spear technique after learning the basic moves?”

“Smack! ”

Lin Zhen’s back was whipped by a spear, causing him to fall off the wooden pile.

“Come on, get up, and try again, Number One Warrior.” Zhang Guanyue laughed, clearly very satisfied with defeating Lin Zhen.

Lin Zhen climbed back on the pile, and Zhang Guanyue’s spear attack came at him like a stormy wind and rain.

“Pay attention to your movements; you’re exerting too much force. Softness and hardness should be balanced. If you use excessive force, you will expose your weak points! ”

Lin Zhen’s calf was poked, the spear tip had been blunt, but it still hurt a lot, and he fell off the wooden pile again.

“You still haven’t remembered what I said. Don’t use old-fashioned moves. People are alive, like when you strike with a spear, as soon as you thrust it forward, the straight line in front of you becomes the opponent’s dead corner, all within your attack range. However, the left and right sides are the safety zones. If the opponent dodges and your move is over, they can attack along the safety zone, turning it into your dead corner. A spear’s length makes it less flexible, so you must pay attention to follow-up changes.”

“But you told me not to think too much about the follow-up at the beginning.” Lin Zhen argued.

“That was at the beginning, to make you develop the proper posture. Of course, you have to consider the follow-up during a battle. Your foundation is already solid, so you should focus on this point.”

Lin Zhen walked back onto the wooden pile and barely managed to block Zhang Guanyue’s attack this time. However, due to a hasty defense, he lost his footing and fell off the plum blossom pile himself.

“Hahahaha! I told you to pay attention to your footwork. If you want your spear technique to be powerful, footwork is crucial. As long as you master the plum blossom piles, no one will be your match with your speed, the agility of your steps, and the fluidity of the spear!”

Lin Zhen gritted his teeth, “Let’s do it again!”

And so, back and forth, Lin Zhen was tormented by Zhang Guanyue repeatedly throughout the day, being knocked down from the Plum Blossom Piles more than forty or fifty times.

However, Lin Zhen’s learning ability was extraordinary. By dusk, he finally managed to directly withstand Zhang Guanyue’s attacks without falling off the Plum Blossom Piles.

“Clack, clack, clack!”

A clash of wooden spears and the two stopped simultaneously.

“Phew! I’m tired, constantly attacking is exhausting. Even though your skills are still poor, my hands have become sore,” said Zhang Guanyue as he stopped.

At this moment, Lin Zhen said indignantly, “This is somewhat unfair. I have been defending the whole time, and even though I can barely hold on now, it’s extremely embarrassing. If I were attacking and you were defending, I believe you would be even more embarrassed than I am now.”

Zhang Guanyue looked up at Lin Zhen and said, “Alright, since you said that, I’ll give you this opportunity. Let’s continue on the Plum Blossom Piles, and I’ll even allow you to increase your speed slightly. Let’s see if you can knock me off.”

“Remember, you said it, so I’m going to start,” replied Lin Zhen.

Lin Zhen was suddenly excited; after a whole day of being abused, it was finally time for him to turn the tables.

“Of course, I said it; just do it,” Zhang Guanyue replied, holding his spear horizontally and performing a starting stance.

As soon as this posture was shown, Lin Zhen immediately felt different.

A skinny martial artist, a wooden spear, and a simple starting stance made him feel as though he were facing a mountain.

“This is impossible… Why do I feel so powerless? It’s as if I can’t knock him down no matter how I attack; he’s like… like a mountain,” thought Lin Zhen.

Lin Zhen shook his head, banishing these negative thoughts, and then flicked his spear to perform a fierce thrust towards Zhang Guanyue.

“Clack!” With a gentle flick of Zhang Guanyue’s spear, Lin Zhen’s weapon was diverted to the side.

Without any hesitation, Lin Zhen spun around, hurling three consecutive attacks, aiming at Zhang Guanyue’s chest, throat, and abdomen.

However, these hits still failed to achieve any effect. Zhang Guanyue easily defended himself and his footsteps didn’t move at all.

Lin Zhen became somewhat stubborn and gradually increased his speed, swinging his spear, creating a rain-like pattern of spear shadows.

Gradually, he even began using his Stormy Wind and Rain technique.

Nevertheless, Zhang Guanyue remained immovable like a mountain in the storm, regardless of how fierce Lin Zhen’s storm was.

“Clack, clack, clack, clack!”

Amidst the spear light, Lightning Ions occasionally flashed, and Lin Zhen’s fierceness made his spear almost invisible.

His spearmanship skills had improved remarkably since before. After days of training with Zhang Guanyue, Lin Zhen’s spear power has increased by at least one-third. Every move was filled with grandmaster demeanor, and the destructive power surged when executed at high speed.

“Stop!”

Finally, Zhang Guanyue shouted for Lin Zhen to stop. When he did, he realized that he had been attacking non-stop for twenty minutes!

Both Lin Zhen and Zhang Guanyue were drenched in sweat.

But that wasn’t the most important point. The key was that Lin Zhen found himself close to his full-speed, yet Zhang Guanyue still stood there without having moved even half a step.

“What… What’s going on?” Lin Zhen muttered. It was hard to believe that despite practically using the waterfall technique, he couldn’t force Zhang Guanyue to retreat even a single step.

Zhang Guanyue’s arms trembled. To withstand Lin Zhen’s relentless assault, he was exhausted to the point of collapse.

However, Zhang Guanyue still looked at Lin Zhen proudly, “Well, first warrior, do you approve of my martial arts technique yet?”

“This is martial arts? This is your technique?” asked Lin Zhen in amazement.

“That’s right. This is my unique creation, unparalleled in the world, it’s called ‘immovable like a mountain’! No matter how fierce of a storm you create, I remain steadfast,” said Zhang Guanyue.

PS: Continuing to ask for recommendations, thank you to the friends who have rewarded and recommended this book! The book will be on the shelves soon, and I will undoubtedly make it up to everyone when the time comes. Friends who want to chat are welcome to join the group; the number is 613961070! Heitu is waiting for you..