Illimitable Until Death

Chapter 366: IUD-CHAPTER 366 MOST INCOMPETENT DISCIPLE

“Wu Xiaofei finally let out a groan.

The impact from behind, while nearly dissipated due to Wu Xiaofei converting Prana into defensive power, couldn’t diminish the tight grip of Fang Li’s hand on his neck.

Wu Xiaofei struggled to breathe as Fang Li pinned him to the ground, wearing a faint smile on his face.

“You’ve lost, First Senior Brother,” Fang Li said in his soft tone as he loosened his grip, allowing air to once again flow into Wu Xiaofei’s windpipe.

However, Wu Xiaofei remained on the ground, gazing at the ceiling, his face reflecting his utter confusion.

He had lost, and he had lost decisively, leaving him embarrassed.

“Why…” Wu Xiaofei’s voice finally carried a hint of emotion as he spoke.

With his sharp eyes, he could see that Fang Li had displayed only a fraction of his actual abilities.

Fang Li had merely surpassed him in speed, and yet, he had lost so convincingly.

This situation left Wu Xiaofei entirely at a loss.

“First Senior Brother actually lost like this?”

“How… how is this possible?”

Not far away, Cecily and Zhao Hufeng couldn’t conceal the profound shock they were feeling at this moment.

Only Fan Xinglou continued to smile as she watched Wu Xiaofei lying on the ground, bewildered and dejected.

She seemed delighted by his unexpected reaction.

“I never thought I’d see that expression on your face, Xiaofei,” Fan Xinglou said, her voice full of joy.

“Master,” Wu Xiaofei finally overcame his confusion and rose to his feet.

He knelt before Fan Xinglou, his voice low.

“I’m sorry, Master, for disappointing you.”

However, Fan Xinglou’s smile disappeared when she heard this.

“Have you misunderstood something?” Fan Xinglou said, “I didn’t say I expected you to win. I hoped you would take this sparring as an opportunity to learn from your mistakes.”

“Mistakes?” Wu Xiaofei murmured.

Seeing Wu Xiaofei like this, Fan Xinglou sighed softly.

Then, her body suddenly expanded, exuding a terrifying imposing manner.

“You truly are my most talented disciple, Xiaofei. Your innate skill and talent have been extraordinary from a young age. But, I’ve never found any joy in your training.”

The terrifying imposing manner and her cold words made Wu Xiaofei’s breath catch and Cecily and Zhao Hufeng’s complexions stiffened.

Yet, Fan Xinglou was speaking the truth from the depths of her heart and only Fang Li truly understood what she meant.

“First Senior Brother, you’re too straightforward. Your single-minded devotion to fulfilling Master’s wishes has turned you into her shadow. As a result, you have followed her path to this peak, but you’ve become nothing more than her shadow.”

Fang Li didn’t hold back his evaluation of Wu Xiaofei.

“Your techniques are a complete imitation of Master’s.”

“Your movements mimic Master’s entirely.”

“It’s like you’re simply following a script, replicating every move that Master has taught you. To outsiders, it might seem impressive, but for someone who is familiar with Master’s techniques, it just makes you an easy target. If even I can see through it, imagine how predictable it is for Master.”

“After all, no matter how much you love combat and enjoy it, fighting against yourself is the most boring thing in this world.”

Wu Xiaofei fell silent.

Indeed, Wu Xiaofei hadn’t been seeking self-improvement; he was merely following in Fan Xinglou’s footsteps.

Consequently, even if he became incredibly strong, he would never surpass her, becoming nothing more than Fan Xinglou’s puppet.

“In reality, First Senior Brother, you are much stronger than I am in terms of raw power. But I’m just too familiar with Master’s techniques. By replicating them entirely, you can’t catch me. Also, those techniques will always be Master’s, not yours. Even if you replicate them perfectly, you won’t be able to use them better than Master.”

This was a simple analogy: an adult and a child trying to reach the wall in front of them.

If the adult’s hand can just reach it, the child’s hand will never reach it.

In this scenario, the child must shorten the distance until they can reach the wall and strike.

Wu Xiaofei’s situation was akin to persistently attacking from the same position as the adult.

No matter how hard he made his fists, he couldn’t hit the wall.

This is why combat skills require adjustments during the learning process, aligning techniques, power distribution, attack trajectory, and movement to one’s own abilities.

Full replication, though sounding impressive, carries a significant weakness.

Therefore, Fan Xinglou’s evaluation of Wu Xiaofei was, “If being a disciple means inheriting the teacher’s techniques, then that kid is undoubtedly the best.” However, her statement didn’t stop there: “If being a disciple means surpassing the Master, then Xiaofei is the most incompetent disciple.”

Mindlessly imitating without understanding adaptability was Wu Xiaofei’s problem.

“I should have told each of you that I taught you Martial Arts to fulfill my own desires. If you can’t meet my expectations, no matter how extraordinary your innate skill and talents are, what’s the use?”

Fan Xinglou shook her head and told Wu Xiaofei, “I appreciate your loyalty, but don’t forget, you are you, and I am me. Don’t become my puppet. Otherwise, you won’t be able to call yourself my disciple.”

Wu Xiaofei lowered his head, unable to say a word.

Seeing Wu Xiaofei like this, Fan Xinglou’s eyes softened, and she said, “Think about my words carefully. Your practice will be temporarily halted until then.”

“Understood,” Wu Xiaofei finally responded.

Fan Xinglou was content with this.

There were two reasons for her satisfaction:

One was her first disciple’s realization.

The other was her little disciple’s performance.

“I didn’t misjudge you, young man. You’re indeed more capable than I thought,” Fan Xinglou said to Fang Li.

“From now on, you will replace Xiaofei as my sparring partner.”

Cecily and Zhao Hufeng immediately cast envious glances at Fang Li.

Fang Li couldn’t help but smile, feeling somewhat satisfied.

Being a sparring partner for Fan Xinglou?

It should help him progress even faster, making it something to look forward to.

…

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