Chapter 71: Tempering

  Tian Nuanyu followed Duan Liuyun to a large room next to the bowling alley, this room's walls were not transparent glass, but white walls, with two large wooden doors painted in jujube red.

  Pushing open the door, Tian Nuoyu found that the room was actually a taekwondo training ground set up according to standard requirements.

  The room is very large, but the decoration is very simple. The floor is made of oak wood, and the walls are plain white without any decorations. In the middle of the room, there is a square-shaped area with no obstacles, and in the center of it, there is a square-shaped hard sponge mat. According to the standard requirements for Taekwondo competition venues, the warning zone and the competition zone are divided into two different colors.

  The room had a circle of deep red soft cushions placed along the baseboard, and in front of the wall opposite the door stood a wooden screen about two meters high with four screens, almost covering the entire wall. On the screen were written several bold and powerful words "Unyielding" with a brush pen.

  Duan Liuyun had just proposed a sparring match with her, but Tian Nuanyu did not agree.

  She has practiced taekwondo very little in recent years and at one point even wanted to give up on it completely.

  But after her father's accident, in order not to let her father become disheartened and disappointed, she often talked about Taekwondo with her father. However, the two of them mostly discussed it from a theoretical perspective, researching the techniques of Taekwondo. Her father wrote down his findings over the years into an instructional book that was even published. As for actual sparring matches with others, she had very few experiences.

  She has been practicing Taekwondo for so many years, and it's clear that many people who practice Taekwondo can't really grasp the essence and spirit of Taekwondo, but instead always think about how to defeat others. She also thinks that Duan Liuyun's invitation is probably also motivated by a desire to win.

  If Duan Yunfei just wanted to challenge her and defeat her, then she wouldn't even bother "crossing swords" with him.

  So when Duan Liuyun asked her to "spar", she directly refused without even a word of courtesy.

  Later, Mu Yu Xin only understood that Duan Liu Yun was also a fourth-degree black belt and not only did he know Taekwondo, but he had also participated in martial arts competitions and won championships. Duan Liu Yun's greatest hobby is practicing martial arts, and it's not an exaggeration to say that he's a martial arts fanatic. Whenever he sees someone with good skills, he always likes to engage in a friendly match with them.

  The main reason why Tian Nuanyu finally agreed was that Lan Shengyan said to her in a light tone, "Sweating is also a kind of relief."

  Others may not have understood what he meant by this sentence, but Tian Nuanyu understood it very well.

  Lan Shengyan really understood her, her heart was still heavy and blocked, she indeed needed to find an outlet.

  Duan Liuyun's efficiency in doing things can be described as swift. They had just walked into the room for a moment when someone brought over two sets of snow-white Taoist robes. Duan Liuyun took the robes and handed one set to Tian Nanyu, who hadn't even removed the brand new price tag. He pointed to the screen: "Behind the screen is the dressing room."

  Tian Nuanyu glanced at Duan Liuyun, didn't say a word and took over the Daoist robe. Since she had agreed to spar, there was no need to be coy anymore.

  She had been carrying a bag on her shoulder, but after entering the room, Mu Yu Xian took it from her and held it in his hand. He walked to the screen with the Taoist robe, only to find that behind the screen were two adjacent male and female dressing rooms. She entered the female dressing room and saw that inside, apart from storage boxes, there was also a bathroom and shower room, which was very clean.

  Tian Nuoyu quickly changed into her Taoist robe, casually putting her clothes in a storage box, and then walked out of the dressing room.

  Coming out from behind the screen, Tian Nuanyu found that Duan Liuyun had already changed into his Taoist robe and was standing on the local square mat in the arena. Lan Shengyan stood at the middle position of the edge of the field, presumably to act as a judge.

  Several others sat down on the soft cushion against the wall, all with a spectator's attitude. Mu Yu Xin and Qiu Nian Wei both had an excited look on their faces, while Qiu Nian Bai stared at Duan Liu Yun with an unblinking gaze, his eyes revealing a strange expression.

  Tian Nuanyu walked calmly into the center of the arena and stood facing Duan Liu Yun.

  She stood upright, her eyes fixed on Duan Liu Yun, her gaze exceptionally calm, and her tone was even more steady: "I think you should be very clear about the spirit of Taekwondo. Since it's said to be a test of skills, then everyone will take turns exchanging moves, with no one yielding or retreating, and standing here, everyone is equal, without distinction of rank, gender, etc., and there is no such thing as concession, only speaking with their own skills."

  These words were often said by Tian Nuoyu's father when he was teaching his disciples, and her father's words had long taken root in her ears, so she spoke them out very smoothly at this moment.

  "Good!" Duan Liuyun's expression turned stern, a glimmer of light flashing in the depths of his dark eyes, while his face became serious.

  Lan Shengyan gazed at Tian Nuanyu, who was momentarily stunned. Dressed in a Taoist robe, she looked completely different from when she wore casual clothes earlier. She still exuded warmth and serenity, but Lan Shengyan sensed that her body seemed to harbor a sharp edge, not piercing but full of power.

  She stood there, neither humble nor arrogant, yet with an aura that made it impossible for others to look down on her.

  Duan Liu Yun must have also sensed the aura emitted by Tian Nuan Yu, his expression became even more solemn, and his eyes deepened.

  He bowed solemnly to Tian Nuanyu, and when he saw Duan Liuyun bowing down, she also bowed down to return the courtesy.

  "Begin!" Blue Life Smoke's voice fell like a hammer.

  But neither of them took the initiative to attack.

  They were still unfamiliar with each other's routines and didn't know the depth of each other, so both of them just tiptoed and slightly swayed their bodies to test each other's reactions.

  Tian Nuanyu gazed intently at Duan Liuyun, her eyes even calmer than before. She didn't miss any subtle changes in Duan Liuyun's body, but she still didn't attack, instead observing Duan Liuyun's movements with a calm and unhurried demeanor.

  Duan Liuyun was also staring at Tian Nanyu, but he didn't want this probing stalemate to last too long. In less than ten seconds, his eyes flashed and his left foot tapped the ground as his right leg kicked violently towards Tian Nanyu's chest.