Henry Smith's greatest flaw is not knowing how to hold back, in other words, not knowing how to conceal and restrain himself.

　　When he initiates a move, his elbows and arms are like whips or spears, extremely fierce in execution. But once his strength is spent, he needs a clear pause to buffer before he can transition to the second or third phase of the move, by which time the momentum is all but gone.

　　And this obvious, disconnected pause gives his opponent the perfect opportunity to counterattack.

　　In past sparring matches, Andrew Smith was agile; as long as he avoided the powerful sweeping elbows and arms at the start, he could, in a flash, use faster and more precise changes in his punches to throw Henry Smith into confusion, making it easy to defeat him.

　　Andrew Smith used to look down on him, but it wasn't pure arrogance—rather, it was because Henry Smith had yet to grasp the true essence of martial arts.

　　Luke Lewis deliberately offered guidance, and of course Henry Smith wasn't shy; he immediately demonstrated the move once more.

　　"I know where your problem lies—your basic stance training has gone astray," Luke Lewis said. "Watch as I demonstrate the changes in the first two phases of this move!"

　　From turning the elbow for a side strike to sinking the elbow for an impact, the changes weren't complicated. But as Luke Lewis performed the first move, his power was already formidable, and then he unleashed even greater force, his body tilting forward, driving his elbow out like a heavy hammer, so powerful it even produced a whistling sound as it cut through the air.

　　Not only was there not the slightest delay between the two moves, but after the second move—the sinking elbow strike—Luke Lewis's body seemed to swell with even greater force, indicating that he was holding back the real destructive power for the third phase, which he didn't even unleash. Even more impressive, Luke Lewis stopped right there without using the third move, withdrawing with effortless ease.

　　So strong!

　　He was a cut above Seventeenth Uncle James Smith. Seventeenth Uncle James Smith could execute the third phase, but never with such destructive power, let alone withdraw so smoothly while still holding back force.

　　It's hard to imagine the level of control Luke Lewis has over his own muscles and tendons to be able to retract so freely.

　　Today, as Henry Smith squatted at the cliff's edge, he was confident those three assassins couldn't possibly launch a direct assault. Now, it seemed that if those three had the confidence and strength to take on Luke Lewis together, he had truly underestimated them.

　　Perhaps the assassins hadn't acted because they couldn't see through his strengths and weaknesses?

　　"……"

　　Luke Lewis saw that Henry Smith could directly grasp the subtleties of the whip-hammer move without needing detailed explanation, and was even more surprised. How could someone so clever have gone astray?

　　He thought to himself, even if James Smith deliberately withheld instruction, after all these years Henry Smith should have figured it out on his own. And what about the person backing Henry Smith—didn't they offer any guidance?

　　"I really was rather clumsy before, but everyone has a moment of enlightenment," Henry Smith replied, not wanting to mislead Luke Lewis too much, giving a somewhat vague explanation.

　　"Ha, some people are precocious when young but mediocre when grown," Luke Lewis said, having heard many stories of late bloomers. "My muscles and bones are already aging, so I can only take the Coiled Python Fist this far. In the hands of true experts in the army, the Coiled Python Fist is even more formidable. Of course, I'm not asking you to focus on the changes between the fist and elbow in this move, but to watch my back—especially the central line of my spine—and see how it differs from your own form when practicing this move..."

　　Luke Lewis stood in a virtual stance, holding the preparatory posture before the whip-hammer move, letting Henry Smith observe closely:

　　"The Coiled Python Fist uses the spine as its root, just like the arched back of a giant python raising its head—when you punch, your spine is too stiff. If you want to understand concealment and restraint, think carefully about how a snake or python in the mountains looks when it's about to rise from the grass but hasn't yet—doesn't it feel both curved and straight, yet neither fully? So, whether it's the Coiled Python Fist, Coiled Python Saber, or Coiled Python Spear, the foundation lies in this stance that is both curved and straight, with the spine as the root. Other schools also say the 'big vertebra' is the body's great dragon—the principle is the same. The body like a dragon, the spear like a python—in truth, the body should also be like a python. It's just that 'python' doesn't sound as elegant, so the body is compared to a dragon or flood dragon—but really, what's the difference between a dragon, a flood dragon, and a python? As long as you grasp this feeling, you've entered the door of concealment and restraint. Next, you just need to integrate this foundation into all your fist, saber, and spear techniques, and you'll have truly mastered the art!"

　　"...And for the young, it's very hard to grasp the essence of this stance. To start from the basics, we first imagine a force lifting the top of our head, so the spine can naturally straighten, rather than forcing it upright with the waist and hips. Then, imagine a giant python's tail propping up your tailbone from below, so the body is naturally supported from the base. Through this 'lifting' at the top and 'supporting' at the bottom, the spine stands tall, achieving that effect of being both curved and straight, yet neither fully. Of course, many other techniques are needed, like practicing the rise and fall of force, but once you train the Coiled Python stance to a certain level from this foundation, you can control whether and how much power to unleash with much greater precision—that is concealment and restraint. The changes in the whip-hammer move and many other techniques will then come naturally!"

　　Luke Lewis had immersed himself in the Coiled Python Fist for many years, even surpassing its original creator with his own deeper insights.

　　Listening to his thorough explanation of the basic stance, Henry Smith understood completely without needing to hear it a second time. It was as if a door had opened before him, revealing the light shining within.