Upon hearing this sentence, Zhang Ren almost spat out a mouthful of old blood. What more did he want? Wasn't one day to get started with Tai Chi fast enough for him?
For some inexplicable reason, he felt like the young man in front of him was deliberately speaking in this tone, but he had no concrete evidence.
Not far away, Wang Ping and the others on standby also glanced in their direction.
"Um," Zhang Ren frowned slightly and responded slowly, "It's fine."
"Then, can I start learning Tai Chi now?" Chen Fan inquired, a question that had been on his mind for a while.
An awkward silence hung in the air.
"About there," Zhang Ren nodded.
"What!" As soon as he finished speaking, Wang Ping and the others became incredibly excited.
"Brother Fan, can he learn Tai Chi? This fast!"
"Didn't Uncle Zhang say it takes at least a month to start with Taiji Zhuang?"
"Yeah, you can learn Taijiquan only after starting with Taiji piles. In other words, Brother Fan has already..."
The speaker's eyes widened as if he could swallow a basket of eggs.
"Really?" Chen Fan also displayed surprise on his face. "That's fantastic! Uncle Zhang, thank you."
"Um," Zhang Ren replied, his irritation mounting for some reason.
He couldn't help but wonder if Chen Fan was an awakened individual. While martial arts and supernatural powers seemed unrelated on the surface, awakened individuals came in all sorts of strange varieties, and there was no limit to what abilities they might have. However, the potential to awaken abilities varied from person to person. But he had never heard of anything like this.
Could it be that this kid was truly a one-in-a-million martial arts prodigy?
"Damn it, Brother Fan is really starting? Amazing!"
"I'm so envious. Brother Fan is practicing Tai Chi, and we're still doing the basics."
"Shut up!" Zhang Ren snapped, whirling around. "Wuji Pile time will be extended by ten minutes. If anyone talks too much, it will be extended by half an hour."
The group suddenly fell silent, looking like scolded children.
"It appears I have no chance of catching up," Zhao Feng thought bitterly, "but for my sake, I must persevere."
An hour later, Chen Fan finished the Tai Chi pile, exchanged glances with Wang Ping and the others, and then turned to Zhang Ren with a playful smile. "Uncle Zhang, what's next?"
Zhang Ren closed his eyes momentarily, as if gathering his thoughts. Then he slowly opened his eyes and said, "I started you with the Wuji pose because walking is the foundation in Taiji, and Taiji begins with the feet. It progresses from the heels to the legs, commanding the waist, and ultimately the fingers. The flow goes from the feet to the legs, up to the waist and hands, following each other up and down, completing a single breath. The lower body controls the upper body, and the footwork must be precise and stable to prevent the upper body from swaying."
Chen Fan nodded eagerly.
"To determine whether someone can perform Tai Chi effectively, we first look at their footwork, then their accuracy with punches, and finally, whether they can execute basic breathing techniques. These elements make up the complete Tai Chi method."
"Footwork, punches, and the art of breathing?" Chen Fan's eyes brightened.
"The art of breathing isn't what you might expect from martial arts novels," Zhang Ren clarified. "It's not as powerful as you may think; it's simply a part of Taijiquan."
Chen Fan smiled sheepishly.
"I'll show you a complete form first. Watch closely."
"Ah?" Not far away, Wang Ping exclaimed and glanced at Zhang Ren's leg.
"What's 'Ah' for? I'm lame, not broken," Zhang Ren retorted, clearly irritated. "When everyone else finishes their stance, you can stand for another half-hour."
Wang Ping looked despondent.
Shortly thereafter, Zhang Ren began demonstrating Taijiquan. Initially, it seemed unremarkable, and most young people might grow impatient. However, just by watching, one couldn't help but become entranced.
His movements flowed seamlessly, as if he melded with the surrounding environment. His steps alternated between light as a feather and heavy as Mount Tai. You would never think this person was lame.
After a few minutes, Zhang Ren slowly regained his composure, a thin layer of sweat appeared on his forehead, and his complexion became even rosier to the naked eye.
Simultaneously, Chen Fan checked the skill column of the attribute panel, and sure enough, a new line of small characters appeared.
[Zhang Style Taijiquan: Know nothing (0%)]
Below, there was a line of grayed-out small characters indicating prerequisites, such as Tai Chi Style lv1, basic footwork lv1, and more, all of which he had achieved.
He released a long breath, expended significant effort, and finally learned [Tai Chi]. It hadn't been easy.
He wondered what kind of features could be unlocked; it should be much more substantial than the improvement brought by [Tai Chi Style], right?
However, it was peculiar that, unlike basic archery, basic footwork, and others, the proficiency of Taijiquan didn't seem to be graded. But what did "know nothing" in this kind of evaluation mean?
"This is Zhang's Taijiquan," Zhang Ren's voice sounded, "True Taijiquan has long been lost. Modern Taijiquan schools are based on some movements preserved in ancient texts, combined with elements from other martial arts, but they are quite similar..."
As he spoke, the faint sound of approaching footsteps could be heard.
"Let's leave it at that for now; I'll teach you more after you've had lunch."
"Alright," Chen Fan replied, a bit puzzled.
"Elder brother," a child's cheerful voice piped up, and Chen Chen quickly ran over. "Mom wants me to call you home for lunch. Zhang, Uncle Zhang..."
He hesitated, not entirely comfortable addressing Zhang Ren.
"Uncle Zhang, I'll head home first. See you all in the afternoon," Chen Fan said, bidding farewell to the others with a smile before walking home with his younger brother.
The rest of the group also finished their stances and left, driven by their hunger. Only Wang Ping remained in the open space, eagerly awaiting Zhang Ren's instruction.
"Big brother, did Mom make lots of food today?" Chen Chen asked, his hands wrapped around himself.
"Really?" Chen Fan patted his head affectionately. "Are you happy about that?"
"Yeah, I'm happy!" Chen Chen nodded vigorously, but then his face clouded with worry. "But Mom said it's all for you because you're working so hard and need to eat more."
"It's alright; we'll all eat together. After we're done eating, I'll bring some back for you."
"Okay!"
As they approached their home, the tantalizing scent of meat wafted into their noses. A table filled with a steaming pot of meat greeted them.
"You're back?" Chen Guodong beamed. "We've got freshly cooked meat. Dig in; it's enough for today."
"Really?" Chen Fan smiled in anticipation of a hearty meal and a fresh batch of potential points. "Then I won't be polite."