"Girl. Fetch!" Zhong Shenxiu called out to Angelia with a slight smile, his demeanor causing Angelia to feel a slight tremor.

Angelia dared not disobey and trotted over, her expression somewhat tense.

"I've been quite busy these past couple of days and haven't guided you much. How have you been? Haven't been slacking off, have you?" His tone suggested concern for Angelia. But heaven only knew what he was plotting at that moment!

Angelia was a very self-disciplined person. Even without Zhong Shenxiu's urging, she would complete her training quotas, which was why her progress had been so swift!

Smiling, Zhong Shenxiu spoke to the slightly flustered Angelia again, "Come, let me assess you. Let's see how much you've improved!"

Huh?

Angelia's eyes nearly bulged out. She somewhat guessed Zhong Shenxiu's intention—he planned to use 'assessment' as an excuse for 'discipline.'

She knew exactly what her level was and what Zhong Shenxiu's true strength was; engaging him in combat would be utter suicide!

"Don't worry, we'll keep it light!" Zhong Shenxiu smiled again, his expression seeming to promise: I'll go easy on you!

Angelia hesitated, then finally braced herself to accept the assessment. However, before starting, she made sure to remind him, "Keep it light, okay!"

But Zhong Shenxiu ignored her. Instead, he turned to Robin and said, "Watch closely. I'm about to show you the practical essence of 'Tai Chi'!"

When Robin heard she could witness Zhong Shenxiu demonstrating his martial arts, her eyes immediately lit up, and excitement spread across her face.

Little did she know, seeing Robin's reaction made Angelia’s gut twist with regret, thinking to herself why a composed person like her had to feel secretly delighted!

"You can start now!" Zhong Shenxiu stood with his hands behind his back, not assuming any specific stance, yet giving off an aura of impregnable defense.

Angelia gripped her long sword, staring directly at Zhong Shenxiu, and managed to say, "I—I'm starting!" But after a long moment, she still hadn't moved!

It wasn't that she didn't want to attack; it was simply that she knew if she charged forward, she would only get beaten. As for Zhong Shenxiu's earlier promise to "keep it light," who knew exactly where that 'light' point would land!

"Girl, don't make me strike first, or you'll regret it!" Seeing Angelia hesitate, Zhong Shenxiu reminded her. It was a reminder in name, but a threat in substance!

Angelia flinched, realizing Zhong Shenxiu was certainly not bluffing. With a hard bite of her teeth, she thought to herself: So be it if I get beaten; it's not like it hasn't happened before!

Buoyed by this thought, the long sword in her hand transformed into a perfect arc, whooshing toward Zhong Shenxiu. This was a full-effort strike, revealing much about Angelia's state of mind at that moment.

Watching the sword cleave down toward him, Zhong Shenxiu didn't evade. Instead, he extended both hands flat, slowly tracing a circle. His movements appeared slow, yet his hands precisely touched the blade of the long sword, and with a gentle guide, the sword's trajectory was immediately altered, striking the ground instead.

Angelia had sparred with others before; her swings were either dodged or blocked. This was the first time she experienced being led around like this, causing her to stagger and nearly fall!

What just happened?

Angelia was confused, as she hadn't seen Zhong Shenxiu make any startling moves!

This, in fact, was one of the profound secrets of "Tai Chi"!

Our world is a world of motion. Over eons, in the natural realm, the sun circles and the moon wanes, stars orbit and planets revolve—none deviate from a circular path; water droplets form spheres, stones are ground into ovals, water flowing over rocks rolls smoothly, all adhering to the law of the circle; the rising and falling, leaping and running of beasts all leave behind a curved track. Humanity has developed science and technology, yet look at the propellers of today's aircraft, the wheels of vehicles, electric machinery, even the microscopic structure of matter—none escape circular motion. A straight line is a segment of an infinitely large circle, a point is an infinitely small circle, and a spiral is a composition of a circle and other factors. Circular motion is the essence of all movement, the Great Dao of Heaven and Earth.

"Your strength is passable, but your adaptability is too poor!" Zhong Shenxiu murmured softly.

Noticing both women looking at him in puzzlement, Zhong Shenxiu added, "That was 'using four ounces to deflect a thousand pounds'—following the momentum, action following intent!"

The two women couldn't grasp such profound concepts and maintained their bewildered expressions.

"Stop dawdling, continue!" Zhong Shenxiu called out to Angelia, as he didn't expect them to understand immediately anyway.

Angelia snapped back to attention from his reprimand and dared not delay. She swung her long sword again, this time changing the cut to a sweep, even more powerful than before.

Zhong Shenxiu advanced instead of retreating, stepping forward decisively. Before Angelia's sword could complete its arc, he grasped both her hands, twisted, and pulled to the left, guiding the sword to trace a semicircle upward toward the sky.

Because the sword's path changed abruptly, Angelia's guard was completely exposed. At this moment, Zhong Shenxiu took another small step forward, tripping Angelia's supporting leg, and with a pull and a push, he sent her flying backward.

"Thump!" Angelia landed squarely on her backside—a rather forceful landing!

"Your momentum was fierce, but your lower stance was unstable!" Zhong Shenxiu critiqued again.

Angelia was unharmed, so she immediately stood up from the ground, but her face was etched with frustration.

This feeling of being unable to land a hit or a block was deeply unsettling. In the past, victory or defeat was determined by the quantity of Dou Qi or the clash of brute strength, but—

The two began sparring again, but this time Zhong Shenxiu stopped commenting on Angelia and focused entirely on imparting the 'essence' to Robin!

"The key principles for Tai Chi training: First, practice crude strength like a madman; second, practice sealing, blocking, and deflecting with softness; third, practice inches of connection, inches of seizing, inches of entry and exit; fourth, practice the free form of the Slumbering Dragon; fifth, practice the heart, liver, gallbladder, spleen, and kidneys; sixth, integrate tendons, bones, skin, and flesh. Robin, remember these firmly and study them carefully!" Zhong Shenxiu didn't deliberately exclude Angelia, seemingly intending to teach her some things too.

However, Angelia seemed to have no mind for listening at the moment; all her energy was focused on figuring out how to break through Zhong Shenxiu's strange techniques.

While Zhong Shenxiu was speaking to Robin, Angelia seized an opening, sweeping her long sword upward from below—a tricky angle. But this was merely a feint; her true intention was to deliver a fierce kick the moment Zhong Shenxiu used his hand to parry the blade!

Yet, Zhong Shenxiu didn't give her that chance. He executed a full three-hundred-and-sixty-degree spin, managing to evade it. Not only that, but his feet slid smoothly across the ground, bringing him right in front of Angelia. The instant the sword missed its mark, he lifted his right hand upward, catching the hilt of the sword perfectly.

Caught off guard, Angelia's long sword abruptly flew out of her grasp.

Of course, her fate wasn't much better. The moment the sword left her hand, she flew out too, just in the opposite direction!

Another backside landing, reminiscent of the 'Level Sand Flying Goose' technique. This time, the impact seemed a bit harder, and Angelia took a while to drag herself up.

Angelia wanted to reach down and rub the painful spot but held back, looking at Zhong Shenxiu with a slightly aggrieved expression, as if questioning: Wasn't it agreed that you'd "keep it light"? Why is each fall harder than the last?

But Zhong Shenxiu ignored her expression and continued explaining to Robin: "Did you see how I moved just now? The secret to footwork: Intent keeps the body upright, the ten toes grip the ground firmly, the knees slightly bent, the hips relaxed to easily twist the waist, the elbows coordinate with the knees, allowing free movement in all eight directions. The secret to body movement: Intent is straight, the body is upright, shoulders relaxed and Qi descending, exterior round yet interior circular, chest held in and crown lifted, hips swaying to meet the waist, hands and feet matching, Qi and strength flowing through. Advance through the three sections."

Robin nodded noncommittally, the light in her eyes indicating she was beginning to take an interest in this "Tai Chi"!

"Girl, you weren't hurt by the fall, were you?" Zhong Shenxiu finally asked Angelia then.

"N-no!" Angelia replied somewhat stubbornly.

"That's good!" Zhong Shenxiu's expression was flat. After a slight pause, he said, "The secret to generating power in Tai Chi begins at the tailbone and emanates from the neck. The source is the waist, and the force is exerted by the waist. And this, essentially, shares the same destination as kicking techniques."

Zhong Shenxiu spoke these words entirely to guide Angelia, and Angelia perceived his goodwill, nodding to show she accepted the instruction. Simultaneously, the pain in her posterior seemed to lessen significantly—was this what they called 'distraction therapy'?

"The attack principles in Tai Chi emphasize: high strikes like cloud sweeping, pointing, and lifting; middle strikes like connecting, poking, pressing, and leaning; low strikes like rooting and burying. The body must not abandon the central gate, the feet must never be empty, the eye cannot focus on just one spot, and the fist should not strike a fixed target. Close-quarters engagement, rapid sequential strikes across the three sections!" Zhong Shenxiu spoke again.

One purpose was to teach Robin; the second was to tell Angelia: if you want to break my Tai Chi, you must first understand Tai Chi!

Angelia was not dull-witted. At this point, she had a glimmer of realization, but it was still in a hazy stage. All her understanding was fragmented and couldn't be woven into her own mastery.

"Girl, I'll give you one last chance, and then today's assessment will conclude!"

Angelia said nothing, but quietly picked up her long sword, her expression firming.

This time, she would go all out—it might still end in failure, but she would display her full strength.

She instantly accelerated toward the leisurely Zhong Shenxiu, unleashing a flurry of sword slashes. Though incredibly fierce, they were all feints; she was waiting for an opportunity.

Heaven did not make her wait long; the chance finally appeared—Zhong Shenxiu’s parry of her sword had exposed a slight flaw in his posture.

Angelia had been waiting for this opening!

To Zhong Shenxiu’s surprise, the sword enthusiast Angelia actually abandoned her long sword. In the instant the flying blade drew Zhong Shenxiu's attention, she abruptly launched what she considered her most powerful kick!

This time it will work! Angelia thought with conviction.

However, just as she was about to connect with the kick, she saw that familiar smile flicker across the corner of Zhong Shenxiu's mouth.

As expected, Zhong Shenxiu showed no panic facing her kick, as if he had known it was coming. Calmly, he traced circles with both hands, using a slight deflection to neutralize the majority of Angelia's force. Then, with a gentle sweep, he caused Angelia to instantly lose her balance. Next, leaning back and bending forward, followed by a pull, Angelia pitched forward as if performing a massive split.

"Tear."

A sound of ripping fabric followed.

What happened???

Zhong Shenxiu was momentarily stunned, and so was Angelia!

While both were frozen in confusion, Robin stepped forward, pointed to Angelia's lower half, and delivered a classic line:

"It ripped!"