Chapter 282: The Grandmaster of Tai Chi—Zhang Sanfeng!
Chapter 282: The Grandmaster of Tai Chi—Zhang Sanfeng!
Ten minutes later.
The third round of eliminations began!
To everyone's surprise, the figure that appeared in each arena was not the colossal monster they had imagined but a normal human—and an elderly one at that.
This old man was dressed in a gray robe, styled in ancient attire, with a Yin-Yang Tai Chi symbol embroidered on the back of his clothes. His hair, completely silver-white, was neatly combed and tied in a Daoist topknot.
His presence was extraordinary. Whether in appearance or demeanor, he exuded a transcendent aura—ethereal, like an immortal sage.
Unfortunately, his eyes were also blood-red, disrupting the overall harmony of his refined image.
Even though the opponent for this third round was an old man, no one dared to underestimate him.
Only a fool would think that the opponents arranged by the secret realm would get weaker instead of stronger.
So, this old man was definitely someone significant!
Room 857.
Upon seeing the old man, Chen Ye found him somewhat familiar, and a name quickly surfaced in his mind.
"It's actually him!" President Chen suddenly spoke, a hint of solemnity flashing across his face. "Zhang Sanfeng of Wudang!"
Hearing his father's words, Chen Ye's expression shifted to one of realization.
It really was the founder of Tai Chi!
"Master," Zhao Zheng asked, "Is this old man very powerful?"
President Chen nodded seriously, "I encountered him once before in the secret realm. He was incredibly strong. At the time, I had already reached the standards of a fifth-tier expert, yet I wasn't his match. His Tai Chi skills have reached an unparalleled level of mastery."
Tai Chi was a form of Chinese martial arts that both Zhao Zheng and President Chen practiced.
Hearing this, Zhao Zheng's expression turned serious. He stared at the old man on the stage, eager to challenge him.
Unfortunately, he had forfeited in the previous round and could no longer participate.
Meanwhile, Chen Ye found the situation somewhat amusing.
Of course Zhang Sanfeng was powerful—he was the very founder of Tai Chi!
However, in this world, the national martial art of Tai Chi did not have a historical figure named Zhang Sanfeng, so most people had no idea who he was.
Soon, the match began.
Participants entered the arena.
The first wave of competitors consisted mostly of fourth-tier experts, with only two being fifth-tier.
The crowd's attention quickly focused on one of the fifth-tier contenders.
His name was Zhou Chuanwen. He had previously slain several fourth-tier monsters and was somewhat well-known among fifth-tier experts, with many spectators recognizing him.
His heroic talent, like Ren Qianqian's, was an S12 ability—Police Dog Hero—which granted him exceptional speed.
As soon as the match started, Zhou Chuanwen immediately leveraged his speed advantage and charged toward Zhang Sanfeng.
Meanwhile, Zhang Sanfeng simply raised both hands slightly, forming a circular motion. It was just a simple starting stance, yet it conjured a phantom image of Yin and Yang!
All those watching felt as if a grand Tai Chi diagram was slowly unfolding before them.
Zhang Sanfeng was truly a grandmaster!
Thud!
Zhou Chuanwen's speed was astonishing, and his punch landed directly on Zhang Sanfeng's left shoulder.
However, before he could celebrate, he saw Zhang Sanfeng's shoulder tremble ever so slightly, and his punch's force was completely neutralized.
The next moment—
Zhang Sanfeng's hand moved like a ghostly apparition, swiftly grasping Zhou Chuanwen's wrist.
Zhou Chuanwen's expression changed drastically.
Because the instant Zhang Sanfeng grabbed him, his entire right shoulder went numb—he had completely lost control of it.
Immediately after, Zhang Sanfeng pulled with his left hand and pushed forward with his shoulder—
And just like that, Zhou Chuanwen was sent flying out of the arena!
A fifth-tier expert had been defeated in a single exchange.
The fourth-tier experts that followed lost even faster!
As expected of the Grandmaster of Tai Chi!
Fortunately, Zhang Sanfeng was not bloodthirsty. Even though his rationality had been erased, he did not strike with lethal force. He simply sent his opponents flying out of the arena.
If the ten Zhang Sanfengs present had fought to kill, at least a few of the first ten challengers would have died.
Seeing Zhang Sanfeng's performance, the entire audience was utterly shocked!
At this moment, everyone realized that in this round, even fifth-tier experts would likely be eliminated in large numbers.
Among the second wave of challengers, there was one particularly well-known powerhouse.
The President of the Ability Association: Ba Liming!
As soon as Ba Liming stepped onto the stage, the crowd's spirits were instantly lifted.
Everyone knew that Ba Liming's combat style favored fierce and powerful martial arts, such as Baguazhang and Xingyi Cannon Fist.
Meanwhile, Zhang Sanfeng on the stage seemed to lean toward a softer, more fluid fighting style.
A clash between hardness and softness—this was bound to be an exciting match.
Or so they thought.
But reality proved otherwise.
After stepping onto the stage, Ba Liming, seemingly thrilled by the challenge, chose to use Tai Chi himself to engage Zhang Sanfeng in combat.
Right from the start, Ba Liming executed a Bow Stance Piercing Palm, swiftly closing in on Zhang Sanfeng. In response, Zhang Sanfeng used Empty Step Framing Fist, shifting his center of gravity to the right while raising his fists in a defensive stance, leveraging the opponent's force to deflect the attack.
And so, the two engaged in battle.
Ba Liming did not use his superior strength to overpower his opponent.
Instead, he engaged Zhang Sanfeng purely in a test of traditional martial arts—Tai Chi versus Tai Chi.
Zhang Sanfeng was a grandmaster.
Ba Liming was also a master of Chinese martial arts!
Thus, the match unfolded into a refined contest—both testing, deflecting, and redirecting each other's force, momentarily reaching a stalemate.
However, their styles of Tai Chi were visibly different.
Ba Liming practiced a martial arts variant known as Chen-style Tai Chi, which balanced softness with explosive power!
Zhang Sanfeng's Tai Chi, however, embodied the purest form of leveraging force and deflecting power with minimal effort, seemingly transcending any identifiable school of martial arts.
Only Chen Ye understood the truth.
Zhang Sanfeng was a fictional figure from the martial arts world, making his Tai Chi fundamentally different from real-world styles.
The battle lasted nearly ten minutes.
In the end, Ba Liming finally tapped into his true strength, defeating Zhang Sanfeng and securing victory.
After winning, Ba Liming did not immediately leave. Instead, he cupped his fists and bowed toward Zhang Sanfeng, showing his utmost respect before stepping down from the arena.
A true martial arts fanatic!
Ba Liming's gesture was proof that he acknowledged Zhang Sanfeng's strength.
The competition continued.
Once participants realized that Zhang Sanfeng rarely struck with lethal force, more challengers stepped forward in this round.
Even so, the number of eliminations far exceeded the number of successful advancements.
Two hours later.
It was Qin Muyin's turn to enter the arena.
She wasn't a martial arts expert and had no interest in sparring with Zhang Sanfeng. With a simple wave of her hand, she effortlessly sent Zhang Sanfeng flying out of the ring, securing an easy victory.
By the afternoon.
It was finally Chen Ye's turn to compete.
All eyes immediately turned to his arena.
"Finally, the bald guy is up."
"I wonder if he'll finish this match with a single punch again?"
"Heh, that old man effortlessly eliminated fifth-tier experts. No way Young Master Chen can win so easily this time."
"If he manages to finish the fight in one move again, I'll eat my couch!"
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