"This is a combat skill that comes after 'Body Like Water'," Liu Hai said. "I also accumulated it slowly over many years and naturally mastered it. Now I'll teach you first. When your 'Body Like Water' realm is reached in the future, you can slowly ponder it and slowly learn it yourself."

Xu Jingming listened carefully.

"Look."

Liu Hai reached out, and the saber in his hand disappeared, replaced by an apple. Liu Hai gently tossed the apple, and after it fell, he caught it in his hand. "An apple, directly hitting the hand, is still a bit painful, right?"

Liu Hai tossed the apple again. This time, when the apple fell, Liu Hai's palm followed downward, catching it smoothly. "Falling into the hand like this is very light."

Xu Jingming nodded, "I understand. From a physics perspective, it's relative velocity! If the hand stays still and allows the apple to fall freely, the kinetic energy of the apple is all borne by the palm! But if the palm moves downward together, the relative speed may only be one-third or even one-fifth of the apple's falling speed! The kinetic energy of the impact is one-ninth or one-twenty-fifth. The kinetic energy is much smaller."

The corner of Liu Hai's eye twitched.

Physics?

What the hell was that?

"Okay, so you understand the principle," Liu Hai said. "What I want to teach you is how to control speed in actual combat! The apple is the enemy's speed! The palm is your speed. Control the enemy's and your own speed... so that the enemy's attack can only exert one-tenth or even less of its power."

Xu Jingming understood somewhat and said, "I've learned before that one of the techniques for deflecting force is to follow the opponent's speed."

"You are passively following the opponent. I'm talking about... controlling speed!" Liu Hai held a saber in his hand. "Forget it, it's more direct to just fight. Attack me as fast and furiously as you can."

"Okay."

Xu Jingming reached out, holding a long spear, and immediately stepped forward and thrust.

"Clang." Liu Hai casually blocked it. When he blocked, Xu Jingming felt that the long spear was stuck, and its power was probably only one-tenth of what it should have been.

Whoosh, whoosh, whoosh!

Xu Jingming didn't hesitate and thrust the spear at top speed, almost continuously thrusting dozens of times in the blink of an eye.

Liu Hai stood in place, wielding his saber, blocking Xu Jingming's spear thrusts, making each one stick! None of them could exert their full power.

"Every spear is stuck, and I feel like I'm caught in a spider web. I have power but nowhere to use it!" Xu Jingming felt very distressed.

When Xu Jingming stepped forward and thrust his fifty-eighth spear, Liu Hai also stepped forward diagonally.

The two stepped forward at the same time, shortening the distance in an instant. Xu Jingming was startled and felt a flash of light, and a saber had already pierced his chest.

Xu Jingming could only helplessly click on his personal panel to restore himself to peak condition.

"Did you understand?" Liu Hai said, "Body Like Water means that when the enemy moves, the water will ripple and sense it, and then move accordingly! In your fifty consecutive spear thrusts, I followed each one with a saber strike, completely sticking to each attack."

"This is instinctive sensing, not the brain," Liu Hai said. "If you rely on your brain to think, there's no way you can block fifty consecutive spear thrusts, and block each one perfectly."

Xu Jingming nodded.

Attacking at the limit of speed is beyond the reaction of the nervous system.

"If you can't exert even one-tenth of your strength against the enemy, you're definitely going to lose," Xu Jingming said.

Liu Hai said, "Blocking more than fifty consecutive spear thrusts earlier was defense. The last move, at the instant you stepped forward to thrust, I also stepped forward and attacked with my saber! One strike killed you."

"A counterattack?" Xu Jingming couldn't help but ask, "Master can seize the opportunity to counterattack even when I step forward to thrust?"

"Body Like Water, after training, can do it," Liu Hai said. "The enemy moves, I move first! At the instant the enemy moves, it's difficult to change the move. In that instant... I've already attacked, stepping forward and striking with the saber."

"Can attacking be that fast? The body still needs reaction time," Xu Jingming muttered.

"I said, Body Like Water means the mind is integrated into every part of the body, sensing every part, so everything is effortless," Liu Hai said. "When your mind is integrated into every part of your body, your body will be faster!"

Xu Jingming was thoughtful.

He hadn't reached his master's level of control over his body, but he understood his master's meaning.

"Controlling speed is not only defense but also offense. Especially in future five-person team battles, control the speed of each person and make the opponent's speed... an auxiliary factor in your combat. Each person is like your chess piece, and your strength will naturally be much stronger," Liu Hai said. "To reach my realm, you must first have Body Like Water, so that when the mind moves, the body has already moved! Otherwise, if you see the opponent's speed change, you won't have time to make a change, so it won't work."

Xu Jingming nodded slightly.

"The enemy moves, I move first. Follow it and you can control it, resist it and you can kill it," Liu Hai smiled. "This is what Tai Chi has always pursued!"

"Is this Master's realm?"

Xu Jingming finally understood. In the past, he only knew that his master's combat skills were stronger than his own, stronger than anyone on the national team, but he didn't know how much stronger.

"I can only truly use it when my body reaches its peak," Liu Hai said. "The two lessons your master taught you are, one, to control your body and reach the Body Like Water realm. Two, to control the enemy's speed, so that the enemy is like your chess piece, to use as you wish, to kill as you wish," Liu Hai said. "A true teaching in one sentence is better than a fake teaching in ten thousand volumes. I've only taught these two lessons. You need to practice hard to master them."

"Yes, disciple understands." Xu Jingming felt that his horizons had been greatly broadened, and he knew which direction his combat skills should advance in.

"This is my understanding of seventy years of martial arts. After that, you have to explore it yourself," Liu Hai said. "Okay, go back. Seize the time. Countless experts around the world are working hard."

"Yes." Xu Jingming respectfully saluted. "Thank you, Master!"

"As a master, the happiest thing is to see you be stronger than me!" Liu Hai smiled. "Okay, hurry up and go." He waved his hand and sent Xu Jingming away.

Only Liu Hai was left in the training ground. He stood in place.

"In this era, there are endless possibilities. I wonder what level you little guys can grow to." Liu Hai treated his valued disciples as if they were his children.

These disciples were still relatively young when they first entered the national team. Under his guidance and encouragement, they became more and more mature, even reaching the highest stage to compete with the world's experts.

Some disciples also ruined their martial arts careers due to injuries or even falling in love and other reasons. He was very heartbroken.

Now, seeing many disciples with a brighter future, Liu Hai was also very happy.

"But, your master is still your master. While you are working hard, I am also progressing." Liu Hai reached out, holding a shield in one hand and a saber in the other. "If you have the ability, surpass me fairly and squarely!"

...

Xu Jingming returned to his personal space training ground.

"Master."

Xu Jingming was very grateful.

Looking around the world, there might only be one person who had reached this level of combat skill, and that was his master. At most, there would be very few.

Because Gao Chong, who had won the world championship and was considered one of the top ten spear users in history, was far behind his master in realm. How many people could stand at the same height as his master?

"Such an understanding of martial arts is priceless! But Master imparted it to me without asking me to give anything in return." Xu Jingming could only silently remember it in his heart. In this virtual world era, such an understanding of martial arts was even more precious!

"Master taught two lessons. The second lesson is the combat skills after Body Like Water, which I'm not in a hurry to learn," Xu Jingming said. "What I need to learn now is the first item, Body Like Water."

"With Body Like Water, I can better control my body and unleash my body's potential. Like Master, with the same body index, his strength, speed, and reaction are all above mine." Xu Jingming reached out, holding a shield in one hand. "Let's start training now."