Tarthocas: Chronicles of the Transmigrating Scribe Chapter 9: Chapter 8

Read chapter 9 of Tarthocas: Chronicles of the Transmigrating Scribe by Bigmachine on NovelPedia.

Bang! Ling Xiao threw his idea of a good punch at Mu Feng who blocked it by lifting his leg in the direction of the punch and collided with it, yet Ling Xuan then launched another blow from his right to meet Mu Feng’s face . But to his surprise he was thrown back to the ground by Mu Feng’s right leg, the same leg that had just moments before guarded against his punch. “Don't always wait for your opponent to make a move before countering him/her. What you think is a well thought out move sequence could be dismantled by a well placed jab.” Instructed Mu Feng. It was true that the kick that sent him hurling was way faster than what a high apprentice was capable of. But Ling Xuan didn't complain. He wouldn't always be fighting people at the same level as him. Ling Xuan picked himself up from the ground, his pride stinging a bit. He nodded, acknowledging Mu Feng's wisdom. "I understand," he replied, determination flickering in his eyes. Mu Feng regarded him with a knowing smile. "To anticipate your opponent's moves, you must remain fluid, adaptable. Let your instincts guide you, but never let your guard down.” He continued, “Now that I have seen your skills in hand to hand combat, let's proceed with melding the insights of Crimson Barrage Pole into your fists. I’m a staunch believer of forging one's own path by themselves. So I want you to derive the technique yourself under my guidance. Understood?“ “Yes, warrior Mu”, replied Ling Xuan. “Then come at me again. But this time use the Crimson Barrage Pole.” Ling Xuan resumed his stance, his focus sharpened. He started to imagine his fists as the endpoints of a pole. The Crimson Barrage Pole technique was a martial arts technique that prioritises relentless offence over defence, emphasising rapid and aggressive strikes to overwhelm opponents. Ling Xuan realised he had to send forth his fists as if they were massive fiery boulders while at the same time maintaining his balance and fluidity. Suddenly Ling Xuan began his onslaught on Mu Feng. The aged warrior only blocked here and there, guiding the attacks so that Ling Xuan could use his full potential. Mu Feng was also slowly pointing out mistakes by striking at the weak points of Ling Xuan’s barrage. As the back and forth dance between them went on Ling Xuan slowly realised his shortcomings. Firstly, unlike when performing with a pole, the hands had very short reach. This left several gaps in Ling Xuan’s movements. To compensate for this Ling Xuan first attempted sacrificing his stability and making long lunging motions to extend his reach. But Mu Feng easily beat him up due to the lack of stability. Yet Ling Xuan persisted with this approach. Although he was getting hit a lot he realised he is able to compensate for his stability by transferring momentum from one fist to another and also by taking huge backward movements in between. As he slowly moved like this the rate at which he got hit slowly reduced. He was extremely satisfied with his rate of learning. But soon the problem caught up to him. Exhaustion had arrived . Using a pole technique with fists by making adjustments to it has created a technique with a lot of movements. Which was causing him to get exhausted a lot faster. Finally he couldn’t keep up and he collapsed on the ground panting. “Although it is marvellous how you are modifying the technique like this, what I intended was for you to slightly modify the Crimson Barrage Pole. The technique already has everything needed for close combat fights. But everyone has their own paths. I hope to see you perfect this path which you have devised yourself. It might be a bit difficult. But no pain no gain.” said Mu Feng Inwardly Mu Feng was very impressed. Not many youngsters have received such a high evaluation from him. “Now that you can grasp the method of turning one’s body into a weapon, we will go to the other half of the technique” Mu Feng threw Ling Xuan a cloth to wipe his sweat. Ling Xuan quickly wiped off his sweat and