"This is a combat technique after 'be water,'" Liu Hai said. "I grasped it naturally over the years. I'll teach you now. When you are water, you can slowly figure it out and master it."
Xu Jingming listened attentively.
"Watch." Liu Hai reached out, and the single saber in his hand disappeared. In its place, an apple appeared.
Liu Hai gently threw the apple and allowed it to drop into his hand. "To have an apple smash into the hand still hurts, right?"
Liu Hai threw the apple again. When the apple fell, his palm moved down along with it before catching it. "Letting it land in the hand this way will deliver minimum impact."
Xu Jingming nodded. "I understand. From a physical point of view, this is relative speed! If the hand stays where it is and allows the apple to fall freely, all the kinetic energy of the apple is borne by the palm when it smashes into the hand! And if the palm were to drop along with it, the relative speed would probably be only one-third or even one-fifth of the speed at which the apple falls! The kinetic energy from the impact would be one-third squared or even one-fifth squared. The kinetic energy is much lower."
The corners of Liu Hai's eyes twitched. Physics? What the hell?
"Alright, you understand the theory," Liu Hai said. "What I want to teach you is speed control in actual combat! The apple is the enemy's speed, and the palm is your speed. Controlling both your speed and the enemy's… allows the enemy's attacks to only exert one-tenth or even less of their might."
Xu Jingming somewhat understood and said, "I've learned this before. One of the techniques for deflecting force is to follow the other party's speed."
"You're just passively responding to the other party. I'm talking about… speed control!" Liu Hai held the saber in one hand. "Forget it—it's better to get our hands dirty. Attack me as quickly as you can."
"Alright." Xu Jingming reached out and held a spear, immediately advancing and striking out.
Clang.
Liu Hai casually blocked it.
When he did so, Xu Jingming felt the spear being glued to something. He probably only delivered 10% of his strength.
Swish! Swish! Swish!
Xu Jingming didn't hesitate and struck out as quickly as he could. In the blink of an eye, he stabbed out dozens of times.
Liu Hai stood in his spot and struck out. Every strike blocked Xu Jingming's spear, causing every strike to be glued!
Xu Jingming couldn't unleash his full strength.
Every time my spear gets stuck, my entire body feels like it's being trapped in a spiderweb. I can't use my strength at all! Xu Jingming found it torturous.
When Xu Jingming stabbed out with his 58th Forward Pierce, Liu Hai also instantly stepped forward diagonally.
The simultaneous advancement of both parties shortened the distance between them. Xu Jingming was surprised, and he felt a saber flash before piercing his chest.
Xu Jingming could only helplessly click on his personal interface to recover to his peak state.
"Do you understand?" Liu Hai said. "The body is like water. The moment the enemy makes a move, the water will ripple and react accordingly! You've struck more than 50 times in a row, and I responded to every strike. Every strike left you stuck."
"This is an instinctive reaction, not something that runs through the brain," Liu Hai said. "If you rely on the brain to think, you won't be able to block more than 50 consecutive strikes, and not perfectly either."
Xu Jingming nodded.
When one's attack speed reached a limit, it exceeded the enemy's reaction time.
"When I can't deliver even 10% of my strength against the enemy, I'm bound to lose," Xu Jingming said.
Liu Hai said, "I blocked more than 50 strikes in a row because I was defending. In the final clash, I also took a step forward and struck at the moment you used Forward Pierce! I killed you with one strike."
"Counter punch?" Xu Jingming couldn't help but say, "Master, you seized the opportunity to counter-attack when I executed Forward Pierce?"
"When the body is like water, you'll be capable of doing this after training," Liu Hai said. "Preempt the enemy's move! It's difficult to change attacks the moment the enemy makes a move. At this moment… I'll strike out by taking a step forward."
"Can attacks be executed so quickly? The body also takes time to react," Xu Jingming murmured.
"I've said it before: your body is like water, and your mind is one with every part of your body. You can sense every part of your body with great ease," Liu Hai said. "When your mind is one with every part of your body, your body will become faster!"
Xu Jingming fell into thought. His control of his body hadn't reached his master's level, but he understood what his master meant.
"Speed control isn't just about defense but also offense. In the future, you have to grasp everyone's speed during the five-member team fights. You have to… turn the other party's speed into an auxiliary factor in your combat. Every person is like a pawn of yours, so your strength will naturally be much greater," Liu Hai said. "To reach my level, your body has to be water. Your body moves once your heart stirs! Otherwise, you won't be able to make the necessary changes by the time you see the other party's speed change. Naturally, that won't work."
Xu Jingming nodded slightly.
"Preempt the enemy's move. If it's in line with your preemptive measure, you can control them; otherwise, kill them," Liu Hai said with a smile. "This is also what Taiji has been pursuing!"
Is this Master's realm? Xu Jingming finally understood. In the past, he only knew that his master's combat techniques were better than his and that the latter was better than anyone on the national team, but he didn't know how much better.
"I could only truly use it after my body reached its peak," Liu Hai said. "I've taught you two lessons. One is to control your body and attain the state where your body is water. The other is to control the enemy's speed. The enemy is like a chess piece to you—you can make use of them and kill them whenever you want," Liu Hai said. "A single line of true teachings can end up embellished into thousands of manuals. If you want to master these two lessons I taught you, you have to work hard."
"Yes, I understand." Xu Jingming felt like he had broadened his horizons and knew which direction his combat techniques should head in.
"These are my martial arts insights from the last 70 years. You'll have to figure things out yourself in the future," Liu Hai said. "Alright, you may leave. Make the best use of your time. Countless experts around the world are working hard."
"Yes, Master." Xu Jingming bowed respectfully. "Thank you, Master!"
"As a master, the happiest thing is to see you guys become stronger than me!" Liu Hai smiled and said, "Alright, go."
With that said, he waved his hand and sent his disciple off.
Liu Hai was the only person left in the martial arts arena as he stood still. There are endless possibilities in this era. I wonder how far you kids can grow.
Liu Hai treated his beloved disciples like his children. These disciples were still tender when they first joined the national team. Under his tutelage and guidance, they became more and more mature. They even stepped onto the highest stage to compete with world experts.
Some of his disciples had ruined their future in martial arts because of injuries or illnesses. They had even ruined their future because of love. His heart ached for them.
Now, Liu Hai was very happy to see many disciples have a brighter future.
However, your master is your master after all. You guys may be working hard, but I'm also improving. Liu Hai extended his hands and held a shield in one hand and a saber in the other. If you have the ability, surpass me fair and square!
...
Xu Jingming returned to the martial arts arena in his personal space.
Master. Xu Jingming was very grateful. Master might be the only one in the entire world who can attain such combat techniques. Even if he isn't the only one, there will only be a handful. Gao Chong was world champion, while I'm believed to be one of the top ten spearmen in history. Yet, our realms are very far from Master's. How many people can stand on the same level as Master?
This kind of martial arts insight is priceless! Master didn't need me to pay any price and simply imparted it to me. Xu Jingming could only keep it in mind. In this era of the virtual world, such martial arts insights were extremely precious!
Of the two lessons Master taught, the second lesson is about combat techniques after the body becomes water. I'm in no hurry to learn them. What I need to learn now is the first lesson—to be water. Being water grants me better control over my body and allows me to unleash my body's potential. For example, Master's Physique index—strength, speed, reaction—is higher than mine. Xu Jingming reached out and held a shield in one hand. Time to begin training.