Zhou Yang glanced at Du Zhe, signaling him to say less.

Du Zhe's words did not deter Lin Ziqi; on the contrary, they seemed to add fuel to the fire, making his fighting spirit even stronger.

"What this brother said has made me admire Brother Zhou's strength even more! Masters are hard to find, and to have the opportunity to learn from a true master, even if I am defeated, is a great honor! Brother Zhou, please grant my request!"

He clasped his hands in a fist and bowed deeply again, his attitude extremely sincere.

Seeing his persistence, Zhou Yang felt somewhat helpless, thinking to himself that this martial arts fanatic was really quite determined.

He pondered for a moment, then a meaningful smile appeared on his lips.

"Brother Lin's hospitality is too kind to refuse, and a friendly spar is fine. However, I have no martial arts foundation; I'm just a self-taught amateur who doesn't know any sense of propriety."

"If I lose control and hurt you, you must call me to stop immediately, don't hold back."

This guy is spouting typical Versailles rhetoric!

He's ridiculously strong, yet he claims to be an amateur.

But that confidence is damn cool!

Xu Yao watched from the side, her beautiful eyes sparkling with admiration, her heart pounding.

Upon hearing this, Lin Ziqi felt a chill run down his spine. He knew that Zhou Yang was not bluffing; the seemingly casual maple leaf strike from the other party had already revealed a strength far beyond his imagination.

But having practiced martial arts for many years, he possessed a proud spirit and said loudly, "Don't worry, Brother Zhou! Martial artists are tough and resilient, so some collisions are inevitable. We'll stop when we've made our point, focusing only on the techniques, not on who wins or loses!"

This person is unfathomable; he must go all out to perhaps glimpse even a fraction of the true essence of his martial arts.

Lin Ziqi made up his mind in secret, but on the surface he appeared to be calm and receptive to instruction.

Seeing that he agreed, Zhou Yang casually assumed a starting stance. To be precise, he didn't have any fixed moves at all; he just stood there naturally, yet he gave people a sense of profound composure and invincibility.

He smiled slightly and gestured to Lin Ziqi, "Brother Lin, please go first. I also want to see authentic Shaolin Kung Fu so I can learn from it."

In fact, Zhou Yang just wanted to learn the techniques on the spot, since he didn't know any martial arts methods at all.

It's just a matter of picking flowers and leaves.

But Lin Ziqi didn't know that; he still thought Zhou Yang was going easy on him!

"Then I won't stand on ceremony!"

Lin Ziqi took a deep breath, his eyes suddenly becoming sharp.

He shifted his feet, his body suddenly leaping forward, and he shouted, "Take this! Shaolin Arhat Fist!"

call--!

The wind howled from the punch!

Lin Ziqi's speed was astonishing; when he threw a punch, the air seemed to crackle slightly.

The punch was powerful and steady, carrying an indomitable momentum, aimed straight at Zhou Yang's face!

This move is clearly the result of years of practice; it's incredibly skillful!

Du Zhe and Xu Yao watched with bated breath. Even though they didn't understand martial arts, they could feel the immense power contained in that punch.

However, just as Lin Ziqi's fist was about to touch Zhou Yang's cheek—

Zhou Yang moved.

As if he had foreseen the future, he simply tilted his head slightly and narrowly avoided the powerful punch.

At the same time, his body was like a fully drawn bow, striking first despite being released later.

His right hand had already reached out without him noticing, the five fingers together forming a palm, seemingly lightly touching Lin Ziqi's chest.

The speed, the strangeness, and the precision of his movements were simply beyond Lin Ziqi's comprehension!

How is that possible?! He seems to have completely seen through my fighting style!

Lin Ziqi felt a huge wave of emotion. He wanted to change his move to block, but he found that Zhou Yang's palm strikes were like a shadow, and he had no way to dodge them!

Bang!

A muffled thud.

Lin Ziqi felt an overwhelming force coming from Zhou Yang's palm.

He felt as if he had been struck by a charging rhinoceros; his chest tightened, and he flew backward seven or eight meters like a kite with a broken string.

He fell onto the lawn with a "plop," kicking up a cloud of grass clippings.

"Cough...cough cough..."

Lin Ziqi felt as if his internal organs had shifted, and a metallic taste rose in his throat.

He struggled to his feet with great difficulty, his face filled with disbelief.

He clutched his chest, which felt tight, and stared at Zhou Yang in horror: "You...you...how can you be so strong?!"

He didn't even see how Zhou Yang made his move; he only felt that the other's movements were fluid and seamless.

As if they had practiced it a thousand times, they completely neutralized his attack and launched a counterattack in an instant.

This is not even a contest between two equally matched opponents!

Zhou Yang stood with his hands behind his back, his expression indifferent, as if he had only done a trivial matter: "It was just a fluke, Brother Lin is too kind."

Luck? If this is just luck, then what about all my hard work over the past twenty years? Dog shit?

Lin Ziqi smiled bitterly to himself, but when he looked at Zhou Yang, there was no longer any resentment in his eyes, only deep awe and fervor.

This wasn't luck; it was a complete rout! An absolute crushing defeat!

Lin Ziqi was not angry at all; on the contrary, his eyes lit up as if he had discovered a new continent.

He rushed over, his tone more respectful and urgent than before.

"Master! Please forgive my impertinence, but may I ask your surname and which school you belong to? That palm strike just now seemed ordinary, but in fact, the internal energy it generated was unpredictable and mysterious, far beyond the capabilities of ordinary martial arts!"

"You must be a disciple of some reclusive master, right?"

His current admiration for Zhou Yang is like a never-ending, surging river.

Zhou Yang waved his hand, still with that nonchalant attitude: "Brother Lin, you flatter me. I've already said it's just some amateurish stuff I figured out by myself, I have no teacher. I'm sorry you had to laugh at me."

More random speculation, can you please stop with this Versailles-like thinking?

If you keep thinking about it, you might just ascend to heaven on the spot!

Du Zhe rolled his eyes as he listened, but his admiration for Zhou Yang only deepened.

Lin Ziqi naturally didn't believe Zhou Yang's explanation, thinking he was just being a wise man who didn't want to reveal his master's identity.

He didn't dare to force it. After pondering for a moment, he suddenly remembered something, his eyes lit up, and he quickly spoke up.

“Master, since you are unwilling to mention your lineage, I dare not ask further. However, there is a major event in the martial arts community of Jindu recently. I wonder if you would be interested?”

He paused, and seeing that Zhou Yang didn't seem impatient, he continued his introduction.

"It's an 'Unrestricted Free Fighting Competition' held in Jindu City. There are no restrictions on style or age. As long as you have the skills, you can register to participate."

"It's said that the final champion of this competition will not only receive a cash prize of one million, but also... there seems to be an extremely mysterious grand prize!"

"Many renowned senior figures and elite disciples from various schools are preparing to participate!"

Lin Ziqi became more and more excited as he spoke, as if he could already see Zhou Yang stepping onto the stage to win the championship.

"With your skills, Master, if you were willing to participate, the championship would be a piece of cake!"

After listening, Zhou Yang raised an eyebrow with little interest, seemingly unconcerned about the million-dollar prize and the mysterious grand prize, and uttered two words indifferently: "Not going."