1052: Chapter One Thousand Thirty-Six: A Rare Opponent 1052: Chapter One Thousand Thirty-Six: A Rare Opponent Peter and Li Jinfang were both serious, but from the looks of it, it seemed that Jinfang did not have much of an advantage.
Their contacts were infrequent, with each instance seeing one of them suddenly closing in on the other, and after a brief three or two exchanges, the two would grapple before separating again.
From Gao Yang’s understanding of combat, he embarrassingly realized that he was somewhat unable to comprehend, because just when he thought it wasn’t time to decide the winner, either Jinfang or Peter would stop moving, then after a quick exchange, they would confront each other again.
Jinfang did not display his distinctive style – that extremely fast, fierce, and wildly violent method of fighting was absent this time, and as a result, Jinfang’s attacks would almost always end up entangled with Peter, after which, once Jinfang’s hand or foot was caught by Peter, the round would end.
It took Gao a long while to discern some patterns, once Jinfang’s limbs were grabbed, it meant that Jinfang had lost, but this time the two were truly sparring, so there would be no injuries.
After watching for a while, many people started feeling bored, they thought they were going to see a clash as grand as Mars colliding with Earth, but instead, they watched a tepid scene unfold.
Feeling disinterested, Ludwig, after watching for a while, helplessly bellowed: “Bets are off, there’s no winning or losing in this, what’s there to gamble on?
Give back the stakes; I’m leaving.”
Those who had given their money to Ludwig reluctantly collected it back, and then the crowd thinned by a few people, while those who didn’t leave were also lacking enthusiasm, simply watching Jinfang and Peter’s repeated exchanges out of boredom.
Gao Yang started to feel bored, but as he continued watching, he found it increasingly interesting.
By putting himself in Jinfang’s place, he slowly noticed some tactics and then realized that Jinfang was indeed at a complete disadvantage, but that wasn’t key; what was astonishing was Peter’s mastery over close combat and joint techniques.
Gao had always been wary of fighting arts like Russian Sambo, those that focused on close combat, joint techniques, throws, and ground fighting; these disciplines had always been his fear.
When his own invincible techniques met Dusselyev, the Sambo expert, the inherent restraint was obvious.
Now, by placing himself in Jinfang’s shoes and learning how to deal with fighting arts like Sambo, Gao gained immensely.
During a pause in the spar between Jinfang and Peter, the intensely focused Gao finally took a deep breath.
Although Jinfang and Peter seemed to fight amicably, only those who truly understood could appreciate the danger of their exchanges.
Gao’s martial arts were all taught by Li Jin.
When witnessing how Jinfang countered Peter, it was far more enlightening for Gao than for anyone else.
Gao exhaled, relaxing for a moment, only then did he realize that many of the surrounding people had left, and those who remained were all skilled fighters.
This was easy to understand; laymen watch for fun, experts watch for the technique, so naturally, when there were no thrills, the experts looking for the technicalities stayed.
Number Thirteen and Yake both wore serious expressions, while Eileen was like Gao, caught between understanding and confusion, her face showing bewilderment, yet also the excitement of catching a glimpse into the art.
The sparring between Peter and Jinfang was quite casual.
After taking a break, Peter exchanged a few words with Jinfang before returning to the Russians who were waiting, seemingly giving them some instructions.
Seizing the opportunity, Gao quickly waved to Jinfang.
When Jinfang approached, Gao urgently asked, “Are you guys done?”
Jinfang shook his head: “Huh?
Oh, not yet.
Peter has some things to take care of.
We’ll continue to practice in a bit.
Damn, I’m having too much fun today.”
Gao urgently said, “Peter is really impressive; his movements are so quick; sometimes I can’t even see your exchanges clearly.
Why didn’t you use Xingyi Fist and just played around with grappling?
This isn’t your strength.”
Jinfang laughed, “Oh, that’s because I can’t fully exert myself.
At my current level, I can attack but not defend well.
It’s okay to fight average foes, but against Peter, I must use all my strength, and if we did that, unless Peter always gave in, if he decided to take a hit head-on, one of us would definitely get hurt.”
Gao nodded and then asked, “If you used the full force of your Xingyi Fist, would you be confident in winning for sure?”
Jinfang’s face became solemn, he pondered for a moment before shaking his head: “With my current fighting style, out of ten times, I might only win once or twice.
I get injured, Peter dies.
If I use Xingyi Fist, it would be the other way around, but I dare not try; my level is not there yet, I can’t unleash and retract at will, it’s very risky to use it in a sparring situation like this.”
After saying this, Li Jinfang grinned and said, “I really hit the jackpot today.
Peter intentionally gave me pointers.
I’ve learned a lot from our bout, a whole lot.
Let me put it this way; there aren’t many out there who are better than Peter.
If I can learn some more from him, hehe, next time I face off against a master of his caliber, it’ll be like playing around.”
Gao Yang rubbed his hands together, an excited look on his face: “I knew you hit it big, just look at your smile, you’re grinning ear to ear.
Toad, when you guys continue later, try using a Groin Kick and see how Peter deals with it.
Right now, I’m getting by on that move alone.”
After pondering for a moment, Li Jinfang nodded and said, “Got it, I understand.
Use a Groin Kick but keep it in check, right?
I can control it, that’s doable.
You just watch carefully later.
Opponents like Peter are hard to come by.
Even just watching can be greatly informative.
Alright, Peter’s fine now, so I’m going to continue.
You better keep your eyes peeled because I can’t say when the kick might come.”
Peter returned to Li Jinfang and after a few words, the two resumed their sparring.
This time, the change in Li Jinfang was evident.
He no longer relied on the grappling techniques he was relatively weaker at, but instead returned to the explosive style that Gao was familiar with—wide swings with an overwhelming sense of oppression.
However, after just a couple of glances, Gao noticed an issue.
Li Jinfang was not slow, but he seemed to lack that explosive power—the kind that doesn’t appear swift but once contact is made, its formidability is evident.
Gao quickly noticed the difference between Li Jinfang now and before, which was also the difference between Li Jinfang and himself.
Gao was all too familiar with Li Jinfang’s routines, the half-step collapse of Xingyi Fist, but Xingyi was a form of Neijiaquan.
Gao had been practicing with Li Jinfang for a long time, performing the half-step collapse competently, yet it never really connected with the essence of Neijiaquan, and this was the level Li Jinfang was displaying now.
Li Jinfang threw two consecutive punches, then his arm was immediately locked by Peter, who followed it up with an arm drag to reverse elbow pressure.
If this were a real fight, Li Jinfang’s arm would have snapped instantly, but it was then that Li Jinfang finally unleashed the move Gao taught him.
A silent, swift Groin Kick.
Its speed and angle were flawless.
In actual combat, there’s no such thing as a move being too sly or too low to use.
Peter wasn’t caught off guard by Li Jinfang’s underhanded kick, but he was indeed surprised.
Gao thought that in a real battle, Li Jinfang would sacrifice a broken arm to take Peter’s life, but he quickly saw his mistake.
Peter, unable to dodge or retreat in time, clamped his legs together, then crossed them and pressed down hard to the ground.
Peter had no choice but to release Li Jinfang’s hand.
He could have broken Li Jinfang’s arm and then used the twisting force of the leg press to snap Li Jinfang’s left leg, but by doing so, he would lose the chance to break the arm without injury.
He could break one of Li Jinfang’s hands and a leg, but Li Jinfang’s free left hand could end his life.
Gao felt disappointed, but then cheered up again.
Li Jinfang, using the move and roughly the same speed as him, still forced Peter into a disadvantageous position.
However, Gao’s happiness was short-lived as he realized a problem.
Li Jinfang could use his free left hand to take Peter’s life, but he couldn’t.
He didn’t have Li Jinfang’s punching power.
Thus, while the move was a killer technique in Li Jinfang’s hands, it was meaningless when he used it.
Li Jinfang and Peter separated and then stood up again.
After a brief exchange, Li Jinfang waved Gao over.
Gao approached Li Jinfang, who asked with a smile, “Did you see it clearly just now?”
Gao responded helplessly, “I saw it.”
Li Jinfang smiled and asked, “What do you think?”
With a sigh, Gao said, “Well, it is what it is.
Even if I saw it clearly, what can I do about it?
Maybe you can reap the benefits of a surprise attack, but I can’t.”
Li Jinfang smiled slightly, “Seeing is not enough.
Though observation can provide inspiration, it’s definitely better to experience it yourself.
Now, you go and spar with Peter.
Don’t hold back, you can’t injure him, so give it all you’ve got.”
Gao looked at Peter in surprise and said, “Is that okay?
With my skills, is there any point?”
Li Jinfang replied earnestly, “Of course, there’s a point.
Maybe you can’t hurt Peter no matter how much you train, but if you can make it hard for Peter to block, then others will struggle to take a kick from you.
If you can kick Peter down with one blow, then with a single Groin Kick, you would be invincible.
Have you thought about it?
How many people in the world can reach Peter’s level?
Don’t hesitate, and don’t be embarrassed.
It’s a rare opportunity.
Let’s put it this way, if you can kick Peter to the point where he can’t do anything but dodge, then if you face the situation you had in New York again, it would be a one-kick knockout without needing anyone else’s help.”
Li Jinfang and Gao conversed in Chinese.
After Li Jinfang finished speaking, it was unclear if Peter had understood, but he nonetheless said to Gao with a grin, “I’ve heard your kicks are formidable.
Let’s give it a try.”
(To be continued.
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