Urban Martial Saint

Ye Qing previously had no idea how important footwork was. It was only after seeing Li Bing’en battle Lu Zian that he realized the key significance of footwork. So, he finally began to pay attention to footwork as well.

The footwork Lu Zian used and the footwork of those seven silhouettes were exactly the same, no wonder Ye Qing found them familiar. Of course! He had been practicing it for several days, how could he not be familiar with it!

Li Bing’en was laughing and joking on the side, as if he had no idea what happened. Ye Qing, on the other hand, was thrilled and excited, finding an open space to park his vehicle, then started practicing the footwork Li Bing’en demonstrated over and over, which was indeed the same as that of the seven silhouettes.

When Ye Qing previously practiced this swordsmanship, he didn’t pay much attention to it, nor did he deliberately practice this footwork. However, now that his main focus was on practicing this footwork, Ye Qing suddenly found it extremely difficult to master.

The footwork appeared simple, just moving from one spot to another, seemingly easy if one remembered the positions. But in fact, when Ye Qing moved, he often accidentally walked in the wrong direction. Or, when he was clearly remembering the positions in his mind, he would inexplicably end up at a different location. After practicing for a solid two hours, he became more confused and impatient. Why was this footwork so hard to practice?

After two hours of struggle, Ye Qing didn’t succeed in mastering the footwork and was nearly exhausted. However, he was even more excited. The harder the footwork was to practice, the more valuable it seemed, and should be quite effective in actual combat. At least, Ye Qing had just witnessed Li Bing’en’s ability to transform ordinary attacks into something extraordinary using this footwork.

Upon starting to practice this footwork, Ye Qing finally understood why the swordsmanship was so simple, with only straightforward attacks and not much variation or flair. The key to this swordsmanship lay in the footwork; as long as the positions were accurately followed, even ordinary attacks would be hard to defend against. Ye Qing knew very well that with his current strength, if he could master this footwork, he would have the ability to protect himself even against experts like Lu Zian, or at least have a chance to escape!

Since he couldn’t master it immediately, Ye Qing memorized the footwork firmly, intending to practice it a little each day, convinced that he would eventually master it someday.

After this effort, Ye Qing moved on with Li Bing’en toward the direction of Xi Hang. Meanwhile, on the other side, Lu Zian, who had just fled, was standing in front of a one-eyed man. This one-eyed man was the one who had faced off against the Bloody Monk last time.

”Your master has said, as soon as you lose a battle, I am to bring you back to Tai Island immediately.” The one-eyed man calmly looked at Lu Zian and said, ”Last time against Ding San doesn’t count, after all, Ding San is a monster. But this time, you should admit defeat honestly!”

Lu Zian furrowed his brow, remained silent for a long moment, and solemnly said, ”I don’t believe he’s a fool. How can a fool master such excellent martial arts? Could it be our intelligence is wrong, and this Li Bing’en is just pretending to be foolish?”

”I don’t know about that. Only your master might know if he’s truly foolish!” The one-eyed man paused and said, ”But whether he’s truly foolish or not doesn’t matter. You were ultimately defeated by him. After this battle, you should finally understand what it means by ’there’s always someone better’.”

Lu Zian gritted his teeth, feeling deeply unwilling in his heart. But defeat is defeat, and this time he truly acknowledges it.

Seeing Lu Zian like this, the one-eyed man sighed and said, ”There’s an ancient saying in Huaxia, life’s three great misfortunes: success in one’s youth, sudden wealth, and being born into a wealthy family. You’re gifted, and with your master’s dedicated training, you’re unmatched among your peers. From a young age, there was no one among your contemporaries who could match you, no rival at all—absolute success in youth.”

”Success in youth brings great misfortune, this ancient saying is absolutely correct. When one succeeds too early, they become arrogant and overconfident, unable to objectively see their weaknesses and strengths, and unwilling to work hard. Your master sent you to Huaxia to challenge others to make you see where you stand, recognize your strength accurately. Only then can you focus and continue striving for greatness. When you return to Tai Island this time, your master will finally teach you his true skills. Once you return to the mainland, that will be your time to truly reign over the world!”

Lu Zian looked up at the one-eyed man and said quietly, ”I had no idea my master had planned so much for me.”

”Your master has, after all, gone through much more than you, and sees things far more clearly. If you don’t suffer defeat at least once, you may remain at this level forever, unable to progress any further. Only by losing once can you truly see yourself.” The one-eyed man paused and said, ”Moreover, getting defeated by this Li Bing’en is not a loss at all.”

”Why?” Lu Zian asked in surprise, staring curiously at the one-eyed man, ”Isn’t he a fool?”

The one-eyed man said, ”Whether he’s a fool or not is not the point; the point is, did you notice his footwork?”

”His footwork!?” Lu Zian’s expression changed, suddenly recalling the matter. Earlier, Li Bing’en’s moves seemed simple, but with each step, the situation changed instantly. He had been puzzled by this before, just forgetting to ask. Hearing the one-eyed man mention it, he was immediately amazed.

”What... what exactly is the matter with his footwork?” Lu Zian asked curiously, ”Why is it so strange? Every time he takes a step, his techniques seem to change instantly, becoming flawless and impossible to defend against or evade!”

”Haha...” The one-eyed man chuckled, ”If I’m not mistaken, his footwork is the long-lost Tiangang Beidou Formation.”

”Tiangang Beidou Formation?” Lu Zian was even more surprised, ”What’s that? One person can set a formation?”

”The Tiangang Beidou Formation, initially proposed by Guiguzi, is arranged according to the positions of the Big Dipper. The formation’s power is astonishing; with just seven people standing in position, anyone who enters the formation, regardless of their strength, cannot escape.” The one-eyed man said seriously, ”It is rumored that the Seven Kills Formation was derived from the Tiangang Beidou Formation, absorbing its positional essence, but every stance is a killing position, which makes it extremely terrifying. However, speaking of formations, the Tiangang Beidou Formation is stronger than the Seven Kills Formation!”

Lu Zian listened, dumbfounded and amazed, ”What does the Tiangang Beidou Formation have to do with Li Bing’en’s footwork just now?”

”Don’t rush, listen to me.” The one-eyed man said, ”It’s rumored that when Guiguzi created the Tiangang Beidou Formation, he also crafted a set of swordsmanship. This swordsmanship, when mastered to the highest level, allows a single person to set the Tiangang Beidou Great Formation. Once the Tiangang Beidou Formation is set, even the Five Unmatches of the World are no match for that one person!”

”What!?” Lu Zian’s eyes widened, stunned, and after a while, he said with a trembling voice, ”The Five Unmatches are... not a match for one person? What if... what if the person is not skilled enough?”

The one-eyed man gravely said, ”Regardless of one’s strength, as long as this swordsmanship is mastered, as long as one can summon the Tiangang Beidou Great Formation, they would be unbeatable throughout the world!”

”Isn’t that too formidable?” Lu Zian was full of disbelief, saying, ”So according to this, did Li Bing’en just now also know the Tiangang Beidou Great Formation?”

”Impossible!” the one-eyed man shook his head firmly, ”You think the Tiangang Beidou Great Formation is easy? This formation encompasses the entire essence of Tai Chi Bagua Qimen Dunjia. To truly master this formation, one must be proficient in Tai Chi Bagua Qimen Dunjia, with nothing missing. However, the Tai Chi Bagua Qimen Dunjia itself is extremely deep and profound, so how can one possibly master it all? Even your master, who is considered a top figure in the Taoist Sect, understands less than one percent of it. According to legends, only the Great Sage Guiguzi truly mastered all of these. It is precisely because of this that he left the Heaven, Earth, and Man Three Gates, and to this day, no one has been able to fully open them. Since Guiguzi, no one has been able to master the Tai Chi Bagua Qimen Dunjia again!”

Lu Zian listened, face full of astonishment. He never expected these things to be so difficult.

”But, Li Bing’en seemed very proficient just now.” Lu Zian asked curiously, ”If he’s not proficient in these, how could he be so skilled?”

”Not proficient does not mean you can’t imitate.” The one-eyed man said, ”He must have seen this footwork somewhere and memorized it, just using it by chance.”

”Or, he’s not a fool at all!?” Lu Zian said in a low voice.

The one-eyed man remained silent for a moment and said seriously, ”Anyway, his footwork isn’t particularly powerful. Among your level, it might have some effect. However, when facing true experts, it’s useless.”

”True experts...” Lu Zian frowned slightly, ”Like those with the power of the Five Unmatches of the World?”

”Not necessarily!” The one-eyed man shook his head, ”For instance, those with power like Arrogant Unusual Beiwuchan could easily break that footwork.”

Lu Zian’s expression changed slightly. The one-eyed man’s evaluation essentially placed Li Bing’en on the same level as someone with the strength of Arrogant Unusual Beiwuchan. It seems like Li Bing’en is truly formidable!